Tricks to curb your enthusiasm
Posted On: 06/11/2008
Most sellers know that curb appeal is critical to attract potential buyers. Patchy brown grass, overgrown bushes and cracked walkways detract from a great first impression, which is impossible to recapture.
Today, because of the surplus of listings in many markets, the competition to make...
A little bit of staging, a lot more money
Posted On: 06/04/2008
“What an incredible view!” I gasped as I walked into my client’s house. This two-story, hill-hugging home overlooked an expanse of rolling hills with views of the sapphire-blue bay beyond. The neighborhood was dotted with unique custom homes, all situated to capture the view...
Keep An Eye on Erosion
Posted On: 05/28/2008
A well-built home needs more than an architect’s blueprint to maintain integrity and ensure durability. It also requires a solid foundation – literally – to avoid problems that can stem from the bottom up.
Despite a builder’s best intentions, however, any home...
From Mess to Finesse
Posted On: 05/07/2008
When I visit a home for sale with an awkward living room, I sometimes wonder: "What was the architect thinking?" A corner fireplace, a long, shoe-boxed-shaped space or high ceilings (we're talking elevator shaft here) may look great on paper, but try arranging furniture in family or living...
The Looming Boom
Posted On: 04/30/2008
What do baby boomers want? That’s what housing experts -- developers, builders, architects, real-estate practitioners and forecasters -- all are trying to determine as this niche grows.
But they’re not getting a uniform response. Unlike many of their parents, who headed to...
Crunch Time
Posted On: 04/23/2008
For a lot of Americans who haven't been paying attention to all the news of the ongoing mortgage crisis, their first real clue of the insidious nature of the market's collapse may be when they try to secure a loan.
Good luck with that. Many are finding that despite having clean...
Crunch Time
Posted On: 04/23/2008
For a lot of Americans who haven't been paying attention to all the news of the ongoing mortgage crisis, their first real clue of the insidious nature of the market's collapse may be when they try to secure a loan.
Good luck with that. Many are finding that despite having clean...
Recession and the reality of real estate
Posted On: 04/09/2008
As one would expect over a problem that's already sent nearly 2 million American homeowners into foreclosure and threatens to drag the economy into recession, the federal government is beside itself trying to bring the ongoing mortgage crisis under control.
That's proving a...
Time to Make a List and Plan Your Work
Posted On: 04/02/2008
I have worked with dozens of clients who waited until the last minute to get their homes ready for sale. Because they didn’t allot enough time to get things done, they ended up showing their homes with smudged walls, dirty carpets, tired furnishings and uncleared clutter. Procrastination...
Fighting Back
Posted On: 03/26/2008
By now, Americans weary of the nation’s real estate woes can practically predict the headlines before even opening the newspaper: The housing market continues to struggle, and forecasts call for continued cloudiness at least through the next several months.
But instead of waiting for...
