With home prices rising at a pretty good clip, you probably have some usable equity in your home. Borrowing against that equity is not always a great idea, but if you are reinvesting the money to make necessary or value-added improvements to your home, utilizing equity might be the way to go. Whether you choose… Read More
You’ve heard the phrase, or at least you must have seen it in a listing or two; “needs a little work… just a bit of TLC… a charming fixer-upper… a great value with Good Bones”. So what do they mean exactly, when they say “Good Bones”? Good Bones refers to structure and strength, a timeless… Read More
From fashion to entertainment, from the foods we eat to the electronics we use, what’s ‘on trend’ is a dynamic concept. Likewise, every few years there is a major shift in the features that home buyer’s are looking for; carpeting is out – plank tile is in, formica is out – stone surfaces are in…. Read More
As 2020 home design trends move decisively away from neutral and conforming, creativity is clearly the craze of the next decade. Monochrome vs High Contrast – Given that these would appear to be design opposites, you might think they couldn’t both be on trend at the same time. However, the true focus here is drama. Both… Read More
It’s a given, that home ownership of any kind comes with a steady diet of upkeep and repairs. Even a newly built home is going to require some level of routine maintenance. However, if your dream home happens to fall into the ‘historic home’ category, or a location within in a historic district, be advised… Read More
When you look around your home, really look, what do you see? Almost all of us will notice a few small projects that have been neglected or even one or two big ones we’ve been avoiding. You could be seriously risking your home’s value when you disregard necessary repairs, and by brushing aside the small… Read More
Floor plans and their popularity come and go. There was a time when the formal dining room was a coveted feature in a home, and a listing with ‘formal dining’ in the property description would fly right off the shelf. Living rooms were fussy and untouchable, closed-off kitchens were exclusively the domain of the cook,… Read More
One might assume in these days of inadequate inventory and eager home buyers, that over-pricing your home would be a fast route to a little extra income. After all, fewer homes on the market means more competition for every listing, right? There are several reasons why the overpricing strategy will likely backfire. The first, and… Read More
Setting the appraisal aside (which is something I find difficult to do but I’ll give it a go at for the sake of sticking to the point) home updates can do one of three things for a home seller. They either increase the value of the home, decrease the days on the market, or they… Read More
Most people anticipate their yearly tax refund with a preconceived notion of exactly what they’d like to do with it. You’re either on team investment or team enjoyment. Here’s how you can do both. Invest your tax refund in your home. Always wanted to freshen up that dingy exterior? Appliances out of date? Maybe you’d… Read More
