Why hire a real estate agent? Here’s one woman’s answer
Often, home buyers and sellers, hoping to eliminate the middle man, reject the idea of hiring a real estate broker. After all, why incur commission fees when you can go it alone and avoid any charges? We understand the temptation. But going it alone comes with some risk: It can cost you more in the long run and leave you unprotected when difficult situations arise. We were reminded of this recently when we read an article by Marni Jameson in The Mercury News about her personal experience buying a home. The longtime design and real estate...
read more6 Expensive Mistakes Homeowners Commonly Make
Once you’ve purchased a home, it’s easy to think that the big money decisions are behind you. But running a home incurs expenses on a daily basis, and maintenance decisions can impact your finances more than you might realize. Here are 6 of the most expensive mistakes you can make running your home, offered by RisMedia’s Housecall: Using incandescent light bulbs: Over its lifespan, an incandescent bulb uses about $180 worth of electricity, while a CFL bulb only uses $41 and an LED bulb uses only $30, according to Housecall. The extra expense...
read moreWhat’s ahead on the home front for 2018: trends to watch
Last year on the home front we saw white kitchens, subway tiles, quartz countertops and a host of gadgets that made our homes “smarter” than ever. But that was then, this is now. So what’s ahead for 2018? According to Realtor Magazine, we can expect everything from robots and “smart” windows to old-fashioned gardens that offer a respite from all the high-tech innovation. Here are several trends Realtor sees coming our way: Smart glass: Just when you thought your home couldn’t get much smarter, enter Halio, a technology that allows homeowners...
read moreGet This Show on the Road: 9 Smart Tips for Moving Out of State
By Jennifer Geddes | Nov 22, 2017 A long-haul move is an adventure that requires advance planning, meticulous labeling, and—let us not forget—a sense of humor about the fact that whatever can go wrong probably will. Like with any move, your crystal wine glasses might get crushed or your kid’s favorite toy could end up vanishing somewhere between Point A and Point B. But when you’re making the trek across state lines, there’s even more to consider—and more problems to prevent. Like what? We’re glad you asked!...
read moreLooking for a Newly Constructed Home? You Have Good Timing
By Clare Trapasso | Nov 27, 2017 After several years of a frenzied housing market characterized by many more home buyers than sellers, builders may finally be taking note. The number of newly constructed homes for sale and sold shot up 6.2% from September to October, according to the seasonally adjusted numbers in a joint report by the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. They jumped 18.7% annually. (realtor.com® looked only at the seasonally adjusted numbers in the report. These have been smoothed out over...
read moreFor the Next Housing Crisis, Lessons From the Last One
By Lisa Ward | Dec 11, 2017 Could a new study ease the next housing crisis? When the housing bubble burst in 2008, federal policy makers thought they could limit the economic damage by helping to reduce amounts of principal owed on many mortgages, thus preventing foreclosures—especially for the millions of people who saw the value of their homes fall below the value of their mortgages. But, according to a new working paper, lowering principal had very little effect on defaults for underwater borrowers. Moreover, it turned out to be a very...
read moreBuyers Act Fast: Existing Homes Are Selling Quickly
By Clare Trapasso | Dec 20, 2017 Homes across the nation are selling at a breakneck pace—reaching levels not seen since the height of the housing boom more than a decade ago. Sales of existing homes (which have previously been lived in) rose 5.6% last from October to November, according to the most recent National Association of Realtors® report. They were also up 3.8% year-over-year to reach a high of about 5.81 million sales. That’s the fastest clip at which they’ve sold since December 2006. (Realtor.com® looked only at the...
read moreIf You Inherit a House and Sell It, How Are the Profits Taxed?
By Julie Ryan Evans | Dec 13, 2017 If you sell your house and make a profit, you must pay capital gains tax—so does the same rule apply when you inherit a house from a deceased relative? The truth is that inheriting property can be taxing—both emotionally and financially. The amount you must pay when you sell an inherited property can indeed take a toll on your bottom line. But before we discuss the details, let’s take a closer look at what capital gains tax actually is. Capital gains tax Typically when you sell a home for more than you...
read moreDoes Home Disclosure Have to Include Previous Repairs?
By Jeanne Sager | Dec 18, 2017 Home repairs are part and parcel of home ownership, but when it comes time to sell, does a home disclosure have to include those repairs? It can be a conundrum. Buyers want (and deserve to have) a full picture of the house they’re buying and the condition it is in. However, disclosing a previous home repair may actually turn off a potential buyer. A foundation that’s had repairs for leaks several times over in recent years, for example, may signal to the buyer that they could have a major water...
read moreNo Second Chances: Our 7-Step Plan to Making a Dazzling First Impression on Buyers
By Wendy Helfenbaum | Dec 6, 2017 Studies show that we make up our minds about people within seconds of meeting them. So it stands to reason that prospective buyers are doing the very same thing with your house, especially in a red-hot real estate market. More buyers these days are sizing up your space and making lightning-quick decisions about whether it’s worth investigating further—or whether they should hop back in the car and move on to the next house. So if you want to be sure buyers don’t scurry out the door moments after they...
read more