Real Estate Articles

While your real estate agent may be working flat out to sell your home, you – as the seller – also have an important role to play. It’s up to you to prepare your home for sale. While your real estate agent may suggest, recommend and even cajole, selling your home is your job, and [...]

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Real estate remains a bargain in much of the United States. For many home buyers this is the ideal time to jump into the housing market with a long-term investment strategy. Following are five tips to help you take advantage of a down market. Use a Buyer’s Agent: A buyer’s agent can help you navigate [...]

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These days, a click of the mouse can open a world of dream homes to you. But when you’re facing down a determined seller or trying to figure out what to offer, it literally pays to have a buyer’s agent on your side. Real estate is all about negotiation. On one side there’s the seller [...]

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If you’ve just purchased your dream home and have to sell it because you’ve been transferred to another city or you’re overmortgaged and sinking fast, there are a few things you should not do. First, don’t go it alone. Second, be careful not to overprice your home. Sellers are often tempted to sell their homes [...]

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Just how much should you invest in repairs to sell your home? It comes down to how desperate you are to sell and what changes are needed. Significant structural problems or major electrical or plumbing repairs must be disclosed to potential buyers. If you are unaware of these problems and they are discovered during the [...]

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There are bargains to be had in today’s depressed housing market. When buying a lender-owned property, though, you need to be especially savvy to come up with an offer that will satisfy the beneficiary bank or agency. First, be aware that lenders are anxious to sell what is now a nonperforming asset. They also don’t [...]

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So, you’re selling your home. To decide on the right selling price, your real estate agent will have used information available through the Real Estate Board’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS) system to compare your home to others that have sold recently in your area. Together you’ve gone through the comparables and opted for a price [...]

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A great master bedroom will help sell your home. But you don’t have to spend a lot of money, time and effort trying to impress buyers. Following are 11 easy ways to spruce up your master for little money: De-clutter and de-personalize. Buyers want to see themselves in the master bedroom. Don’t surround them with [...]

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You often hear about naive buyers and the mistakes they’ve made, but what about the slipups by sellers? Yes, believe it or not, sellers also make mistakes. And sometimes those mistakes mean lost sales and longer days on the market. The most prevalent mistake by sellers is insisting on too high a price. Sellers may [...]

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The properties of natural light are well-known. It expands your space, brightens dark corners and gives your home an airy feel. If you’re selling your home – or even if you’re not – try adopting some designer tricks to increase your home’s natural wattage. Paint is one of the least expensive and most effective ways [...]

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With proper due diligence and the right real estate agent, buying a fixer-upper can be a satisfying and lucrative experience. Buying a bad one, though, can lead to disaster.  Here are some tips to help you avoid problems: Location: A bad house in a desirable neighborhood is almost guaranteed to pay big dividends for the [...]

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A sexy front yard can ramp up your home’s curb appeal without costing a fortune. If you’re planning to sell – or even if you’re not – it’s a good idea to keep the outside of your home spruced up. Following are five ways to up your yard’s sexiness quotient: 1. Think like a drive-by [...]

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You may not need a magnifying glass or a deerstalker hat, but thinking like your favorite fictional detective can give you an edge when looking for your dream home. Sherlock Holmes, for example, would likely advise you to draw conclusions based on what you see. Cracks in the walls could point to foundation problems. Loose [...]

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So you’re moving on. Even though you’ve decided to sell, putting a price on years of happy times in your current home can be difficult. However, your first job as a new seller will be to set a sales price that’s just right. If you price your home too high, it may languish on the [...]

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The home buying process can be stressful, particularly for first-time buyers. But even seasoned buyers can be disappointed when their first offer is rejected. Luckily, in real estate, “no” doesn”t usually mean “no.” It simply means ‘let’s talk.” And it’s here that you can be glad you have a qualified real estate agent in your [...]

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So, you’re planning a renovation. Congratulations. But while you’re checking the Yellow Pages for architects and thinking about digging out the basement, don’t forget about your neighbors. After all, they’re the ones you’ll be competing with when it comes time to sell. Look at it this way. If a major renovation will make yours the [...]

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Installing quality tile flooring can increase the potential resale value of your home. Porcelain tile is a great way to add thousands of dollars in value. Porcelain is a high-quality building material and one of the most versatile and durable tiles on the market. It makes a terrific selling point, even more so than regular [...]

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Dogs might be man’s best friend, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy to stage and show a home with a four-legged gatekeeper on the job. From an overly exuberant personality to downright gruff demeanor, dogs can make it tough to show a home. Following are some ways to minimize distress to Fido and [...]

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Most people realize the necessity of hiring a real estate agent to sell a home, but they take an entirely different approach and opt to go it alone when buying, especially when the property is a short sale. Before buying a short-sale property, though, people should consider the benefits derived from working with a knowledgeable [...]

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If you’re a senior, there could be many reasons to move from your family home. The house might be too big or cost too much to maintain, or the neighborhood may be changing. Following are some tips to help you make the decision: Right-Size: Although you need less space, you want to maintain – or [...]

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