Should I do anything special before an Open House? I am in the ‘Open Houses are good business’ camp and I do them regularly. Folks visiting Open Houses are not in the same category as the clients that I show properties to, so there’s not the same level of mutual trust. It’s just logical that… Read More
Tis the season for Home Improvement projects. Home improvement in the U.S. appears to be enjoying a resurgence beyond our customary Spring overhauls. Internet searches for terms related to ‘home improvement’ are through the roof for consumers in all demographics. Lowe’s and Home Depot are on a Spring hiring spree, anticipating the addition of nearly… Read More
Refinances down but new mortgages are up. I’m not at all convinced that the recent indifference toward mortgage refinancing has anything to do with rising interest rates. I’m more inclined to assume that because low mortgage rates have been around for an extended period of time, most everyone who wanted to refi has already done… Read More
Will Staging Help Sell My Home? There’s no question that staging can lend a hand when you’re selling your home. It’s the degree of staging that’s debatable. A home that looks lived in may be fine but if a potential buyer might get the idea that you just had a party last night… not so… Read More
Planning Ahead for Home Improvements. Rarely is home renovation a waste of your money. What’s not rare however is that home improvement projects are chock-full of surprises. Successful home repairs and additions rely heavily on exhaustive advance recon and an easily accessed emergency fund. Everything from general facelifts like freshening interior paint to major upgrades… Read More
Are there environmentally friendly ways to eliminate insects? When home buyers ask about pests in Arizona I usually pass on a local adage that was conveyed to me when I moved here: “There are two kinds of houses in Arizona, ones that have termites and ones that will have termites”. Having said that, in the… Read More
Selena Gomez’s Fort Worth, Texas home, admittedly quite an investment, could be yours. At 10,016 square feet it is massive, chic and eclectic, tastefully elegant, and with endless luxury amenities it is undeniably livable… it’s also for sale! We occasionally enjoy featuring luxury properties from other locations throughout the country. Although some of these residences might… Read More
Texas has long been the bar against which all other Real Estate markets were measured. But recently the Phoenix Valley in Arizona, or to be more precise Maricopa County burst that particular bubble, and with style I might add. The influx of new residents to the Valley of the Sun has always been fairly consistent…. Read More
A reader asks: We were told we have to wait 7 years after our Foreclosure to purchase another home. Is there any way we can buy a home sooner? A: Short answer… Yes, you can buy a home faster. Funny you should ask. Just last week I was talking with one of the lenders that… Read More
#1 on My List of Best Places Overseas to Invest in Real Estate is Costa Rica I have to say I was surprised to discover that Costa Rica was not on the author’s list. My company has an office in Costa Rica in fact, and many of us own property there. Costa Rica is a… Read More
