When it’s time to sell your home, you may wonder which route to take: partner with a real estate agent or go it alone with FSBO. Which will deliver better results? Here are three reasons you should avoid the FSBO path. The paperwork is daunting: Buyer offers. Real estate contracts. Lender forms. Inspection reports. Closing documents. Not every homeowner is prepared for the piles of paperwork involved in a real estate transaction. Details and deadlines can easily be missed. Bad deals... [read more]

The kids have all moved out. As you approach retirement, you know downsizing is in your future. It’s time to start considering what that will entail. Realistically, you won’t have room in your new home for everything that has accumulated over the past two or three decades. Don’t make the same mistakes many downsizers do by holding on to items that should be purged. Before it’s time to move, take stock of what is in your home. Have you kept anything for your kids... [read more]

Thinking of becoming a landlord? While this can be financially and personally rewarding, you must do your homework before you take the leap. To help you learn the ropes and avoid any costly missteps, here are some handy tips of the trade. It cannot be overstated how important it is for landlords to do their pre-closing homework. During the home inspection, remember to take a thorough look at the property to see what will need to be repaired or replaced. For example, you might want... [read more]

When you’re getting ready to list your house, the goal isn’t just to sell— it’s to sell quickly! The longer your house is on the market, the less likely it is to fetch top dollar. Want to sell your house as quickly as possible? These tips are essential. Hire a Real Estate Agent and follow their advice Some sellers are tempted to go it alone. But for a quick sale that maximizes profit, go with a Real Estate Agent—and listen to their suggestions. Their... [read more]

Let’s roll back the clock to around 1900. If we take a tour of the average home, we’ll find layouts of about 900 square feet. Fast forward to the year 2000, and we’ll find that number has more than doubled, to just over 2,000 square feet. However, the trend toward “bigger is better” has not carried into 2019. The past few years have seen a slow decrease in median home size. By the end of 2017, it was just over 2,400 square feet. While this shrinking home size... [read more]

When you think of real estate negotiations, what comes to mind? For most buyers and sellers, price tops the list. While this is certainly an important part of any real estate deal, did you know there are at least six others areas of potential negotiation? Closing costs: In addition to the price of the home, buyers must pay closing costs that cover lender fees and other charges. Buyers may ask sellers to help pay for these costs with a flat dollar amount or a percentage of the... [read more]

In the unfortunate circumstance that a homeowner is past-due on their monthly mortgage payments, they pave the way for a “foreclosure” on their property. In today’s market, banks and other lenders do not turn to foreclosure to take away the homes of homeowners who are in arrears. Instead, they perform a "Power of Sale" which is wholly different from a Foreclosure. What is a Foreclosure? Foreclosures are laborious, grueling, and costly to both the... [read more]