Blog

Posted

Anyone who's bought or sold a house before is already aware that the right agent can make a big difference in your experience. But what about the brokerage where the agent is affiliated -- does the brokerage involved in your home transaction really affect you as a consumer? Read More

Posted

As anybody who has ever bought a house before knows, real estate is quite expensive! Many buyers, although elated that they're about to be homeowners (either for the first time or in new digs), also realize that they need to budget carefully for their move so they don't get overextended during their new-home honeymoon. Read More

Posted

If you’ve been a homeowner before, you know that just like your vehicle needs regular maintenance like oil changes to run well—so does your home. It can be easy to ignore or put these things off, but a well- maintained home will save you money from costly repairs in the long run, and make your home easier to sell when the time comes. Read More

Posted

Implementing some "green" upgrades in a home you own is almost always a great investment -- first, because it can often save you money as the homeowner, and second, because more and more buyers are looking for homes that are energy-efficient and have other environmentally friendly attributes. Read More

Posted

Paying less than the listing price for a house might seem like a pipe dream in some markets, but for savvy buyers who know what they're doing, it's a very real possibility. That said, making an offer that's lower than the listing price can also be a dangerous game to play if you don't know the rules: You could offend a seller, permanently blacklisting you from a home you love, among other potential penalties that plague low-bidding buyers. Read More

Posted

Staging a home isn't an exact science -- it's more of an art, one that covers several rooms and flows throughout a home. If you're thinking that it doesn't sound easy, well, it isn't; there's a reason why stagers can command serious dollar amounts for the work they do. Read More

Posted

Even though humans are a species that builds and maintains our own shelter (also known as "homes"), we can all appreciate the beauty that the natural outdoors has to offer -- and indeed, there are entire industries dedicated to beautifying our own outdoor spaces so that we can reap maximum enjoyment out of them. Read More

Posted

Upgrading or improving your home can be one of the most rewarding activities you could undertake -- and that includes monetarily, because depending on the improvement, you can boost your home's value and recoup some of your investment when the time comes to sell. However, it's important to remember that upgrading your house isn't exactly a dollar-for-dollar investment; you probably aren't going to make all of your money back that you sunk into the improvement, so pumping $5,000 into your kitchen and then expecting to just tack on an additional $5,000 to your listing price when you sell it is very likely unrealistic. Read More

Posted

As a homeowner, it's perfectly natural to wonder how much your house is currently worth (and, not so incidentally, how much money you might make today if you were to sell it). Even though the internet has brought information about home values directly to our fingertips, not all of it is reliable -- that's one big reason why appraisers are still in business, charging hundreds of dollars for an accurate valuation. And the truth is that sometimes even appraisers get it wrong. Your house is worth whatever a buyer in your market is willing to pay for it, and that's usually not evident until you put it on the market and start considering offers. Read More

Posted

When you're thinking about buying a house, it's normal to question whether it's really the best time to jump into the market -- or whether you should wait a few months or even years to get the best deal. But a house isn't like any other investment; you can't live inside a stock or bond, or make memories there, so it's not always wise (even though it's very natural) to compare buying a house to other possible investments you might make in your future. Read More