5 Fast Fixes for your Credit Score

Mortgage borrowers today understand the need for a high credit score. You won’t have access to the best mortgage rates unless your credit score is 740 or higher. If you’re in the market for home loan and simply need to give your score a little boost before submitting your application, experts say there are several … Continue reading →

The Worst Colors to Use in a Home

Emerald may be this year’s color of the year and hot hue, but which colors should you avoid? Color research tells us some colors to avoid. Colors that can be considered, as some researchers note, “eye irritants” and can even cause headaches or mess with your vision. According to color research, the worst offending color: Yellow as a “pure … Continue reading →

Buyers Beware, the Market is Shifting

The last several years it has been a strong seller’s market in our area meaning there was 6+ months of inventory in most price ranges. The tides seem to be changing with the latest data we have received. Here are some updated figures showing how things are looking today. – Year over year from Jan 2011 … Continue reading →

What A Real Estate Expert Can Do For You

Decades ago you had to go to a real estate agent in order to get information on property listings. Huge books filled with all the local real estate listings were distributed to real estate offices. The agents would review the books and find homes that matched their clients’ needs. Then the address was given to … Continue reading →

6 Things Your Sellers Need to Hear Before their Home Hits the Market

1. Your staging will make or break you.  “Homes that don’t show well don’t close well.” Your sellers won’t know the importance of staging unless you first, tell them and second, show them. To get your sellers to see the light and avoid a grim marketing experience take them on a two-home showing; one where … Continue reading →

7 Things To Do In December If You Want to Buy or Sell in 2013

True Confession: I set a handful of New Year’s Resolutions every single year. Why? They work for me – I’ve got probably a 75 percent success rate. Some of this is in the science of setting the Resolution the right way in the first place, including the preparation. Here’s my secret: I always get started in … Continue reading →

5 New Years Resolutions for People on the Move

At this time of year, New Year’s Resolutions are on the front burner in many minds, and for those who are planning to buy and sell a home in 2013, real estate Resolutions rank right up there with the obligatory ‘lose 10 pounds,’ ‘take a trip to Paris’ and ‘call Mom once a week.’ But … Continue reading →

Staging Shockers: 9 of the Worst Staging Decisions Ever Made

  At the end of every year, my mind naturally drifts to what did and didn’t work this year, in an effort to double down on my successes and avoid repeating my mistakes. Occasionally,I’ll take a look back at my whole lifetime in this same way, reflecting on poor past decisions ranging from old high … Continue reading →

Foreclosure Discounts Drying Up

Buyers of bank-owned homes in September got a 7.7 percent discount versus the same home in a non-distressed sale, according to a new analysis by Zillow, an online real estate sales and information company. The discount fell from 9.1 percent a year ago and from a peak of 23.7 percent in August of 2009*. The … Continue reading →

6 Unexpected Advantages of Having the Right Agent

I once worked with a buyer who had to fly to the other end of the world within a couple of days after we placed her offer. Needless to say, she was agitated and anxious about the prospect of being so far away during inspections and contingency removals, especially since I’d earlier stressed how important … Continue reading →