We all know a bit about real estate, because whether we rent or own, we all LIVE in real estate! What a lot of people don't realize is how the market changes buying/selling strategies. In a seller's market it's tempting to sell your home For Sale By Owner (FSBO) but even if you can save a few thousand dollars in commission, it's likely going to cost you money along the way. Let me tell you 'bout my best friend (and if you're not singing right now I feel sad for you! ;-) )  On July 26, I met with my best friend to talk about the possibility of selling her home. For this story, let's call her Janet. Janet has owned her house since 2007 and was basing her home's value on that purchasing experience and what she saw online when house hunting. After going over the improvements she has made over the years and talking marketing options, I headed home to do my homework. Reason #1 Janet is glad she has a Realtor: I worked up a Competitive Market Analysis (CMA) bas...

Edited to add: this post turned out to be much longer than I planned.  While I apologize for the length, I really do think it's all important information.  I hope you learn a lot and don't hesitate to reach out if you have follow up questions! Can you buy or sell a home without a Realtor?  Absolutely!  But why would you embark on what is likely the biggest financial decision of your life without an expert?!  While there are many reasons to use a Realtor, here are the ones I think are the most important. The lingo We've already talked about how real estate has its own language .  While it's good to educate yourself, your Realtor already knows the lingo and is happy to be your translator.  She can also make sure you don't get misinformation along the way because someone else didn't understand the lingo.   I recently had a lender tell a buyer client she didn't need to schedule inspections, it would be taken care of for her.  Come to fi...

Every industry has their own language.  There terms they throw around like everyone knows what they're talking about but no one outside the industry really does.  In most cases it's okay.  I don't need to know what an antisuck valve (yes, it's a thing!) and degassing are as long as my vacuum works.  But in Real Estate, it's your money and your home we're talking about, so a little education can go a long way. There are a LOT of Real Estate terms, and if you've followed my Real Estate Dictionary I'm sure you think you've heard them all.  But here are a few miscellaneous terms you may not have considered. Realtor  (Pronouced Reel-tor) According to the National Association of Realtors, " REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics." In reality, a Realtor is someone who sells you...

Every industry has their own language.  There terms they throw around like everyone knows what they're talking about but no one outside the industry really does.  In most cases it's okay.  I don't need to know what inseams and darts are as long as my clothes fit.  But in Real Estate, it's your money and your home we're talking about, so a little education can go a long way. There are a LOT of Real Estate terms, so I'll break them down by category.  Here are a few pre-house hunting terms to get you started. Realtor  (Pronouced Reel-tor) According to the National Association of Realtors, " REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics." In reality, a Realtor is someone who sells your home in record time, finds your dream home and solves problems you never knew existed! First, a quick re...

Every industry has their own language.  There terms they throw around like everyone knows what they're talking about but no one outside the industry really does.  In most cases it's okay.  I don't need to know what barometric pressure and dew points are as long as the weather is comfortable.  But in Real Estate, it's your money and your home we're talking about, so a little education can go a long way. There are a LOT of Real Estate terms, so I'll break them down by category.  Here are a few terms specific to home owners and sellers. Realtor  (Pronouced Reel-tor) According to the National Association of Realtors, " REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics." In reality, a Realtor is someone who sells your home in record time, finds your dream home and solves problems you never knew exi...

I have relatively consistent set of closing gifts I plan for my clients but when I received notice on Thursday that a house was closing on Tuesday I didn't have time for my standard personalized seller's gift.  I took to the internet for inspiration and ended up coming across the coolest lists of gift ideas! One thing I saw that I had never considered - people buy closing gifts for their Realtor?  Is this really a thing?  Sure, who wouldn't love a personalized coffee mug or an engraved business card case?  But to be completely frank... As a Realtor, I'm here to tell you: a referral or a positive (and honest!) review is the absolute best gift you can give your Realtor!   Some friends of mine are buying a home that is for sale by owner.  Yes, they wanted to use me as their Realtor and we had even looked at a few houses.  But they came across this house through an old friend and the seller specifically doesn't want to work with a Realtor.  I ful...

Every industry has their own language.  There terms they throw around like everyone knows what they're talking about but no one outside the industry really does.  In most cases it's okay.  I don't need to know what a carburator and cam are as long as my car gets me where I need to go.  But in Real Estate, it's your money and your home we're talking about, so a little education can go a long way. There are a LOT of Real Estate terms, so I'll break them down by category.  Here are a few mortgage related terms to get you started. Realtor  (Pronouced Reel-tor) According to the National Association of Realtors, " REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics." In reality, a Realtor is someone who sells your home in record time, finds your dream home and solves problems you never knew existed! ...

I've been working with a client with very specific wants for a couple weeks now and they just can't find "the one".  As we stood in the driveway of yet another "not quite right" home this past weekend, they asked me what I anticipated the market doing over the next couple of weeks.  Usually I would say the market always picks up in the Spring and we should take our times because the right house was out there and would be coming on the market soon.  Unfortunately, in these unprecedented times I just couldn't give a straight answer.  This one is going to be a little darker than usual, so here's a picture of the beach for a quick pick me up before you dive in. I tried and failed. For the past several months we've had a lot of people interested in buying a new home but not a lot of people selling.  We've had what we call a seller's market, because houses have been moving quickly and bringing a pretty good price. With the current situa...

Thanks to late night Netflix binging we've all heard of the  KonMari  method of organizing your home.  While in no way a minimalist, Marie Kondo understands the importance of clearing out the things that no longer provide value to our lives for cleaner, simpler, more organized living.  This applies to preparing your home for selling too! You don't want your house to look bare, but a bit of tidying will make your home seem bigger with more storage and help buyers picture themselves living in, not just visiting, your home.  All of this will help your home sell faster and for a better price. My personal experience When we sold our last home I wasn't a Realtor yet so we used a family friend.  Her assistant came over and tore the place apart staging it and making me clear out every shred of evidence that a family lived there.  By the time she finished, our house felt cold and stark, the furniture layout made the living room look huge but barely functio...