When it comes to basketball, we only have 64 teams to narrow down into our Final Four to fill our brackets. When it comes to buying our first home, we have thousands of options and dozens of choices to consider, but when it all comes down to it, there are just a handful of things […]
Buying an Investment Home
Although the housing market is heating up, buying an investment in order to flip it may not be the right plan for you. Buying a flip home relies on market prices going up higher than the cost for you to refurbish it for sale. And … it has to sell. On the other hand, buying […]
The Value of Professional Staging
Views very widely on the value of hiring a professional stager to prepare your home for sale. Many real estate agents swear by it and have years of sales to back up their claim. They cite their own impressions, sales history and anecdotal evidence to underscore that professional staging adds value to the home. On […]
Should "Hidden" Costs of Buying a Foreclosure Keep me from Buying One?
While the housing market in most places certainly has improved and the number of foreclosed homes on the market has decrease, they will always be foreclosed homes available for purchase. Because of popular television show on house “flipping” and investment real estate, however, many buyers have unsubstantiated ideas of what buying a foreclosed home entails. […]
Your True Colors
Much of the fun of owning a home is decorating it to your taste and personality. Even on a low budget, subtle or dramatic changes to color can make your home truly yours. Check out these color schemes for this spring: Updated kitchen: Since the kitchen is one of the most used rooms in your […]
How to Avoid Being House Poor
Buying a home is exciting. If you’re young, it gives you the sense of finally stepping into the adult world. If you’re at some other life change (marriage, starting a family, empty-nester) the idea of a larger (or smaller) space of your own gets those possibility juices flowing. But … in the heady rush into […]
How Important are Rain Gutters to Home Maintenance?
If you’ve owned a home for a while, you know that water entering the home can be at least a hassle and at worst a cause of major destruction. Not only should keeping water from sneaking into those tiny cracks and crevices be a priority, it could make the difference between owning an asset and […]
Is Flipping Houses a Good Idea These Days?
Just ahead of the housing bubble, flipping houses was an investor pass-time. As home prices started to rise, many would-be real estate moguls bought houses to flip hoping that the prices would increase enough in a six-month period for them to make a profit. The concept spawned reality TV shows like Flip This House and […]
Little Decorator Details That Can Hinder Your Home Sale
We get it … you want your home to be uniquely you … you want it to express your personality … you want colors that make you happy! But wait! Now you want to sell this home and move on to a new canvass on which to express yourself. Which of your personal touches will […]
Is Seller Financing a Good Idea?
In this current market, with home prices trending up, but access to financing is more difficult post housing bubble. So, if you want to sell your home, is it a good idea to offer seller financing? What does seller-financing mean? Unlike a traditional bank mortgage where a lump sum is given to the buyer to […]