When selling or buying real estate, timing is essential. Homeowners that are thinking about selling their homes today long for the strong Sellers’ Market of recent years past. They may feel they missed their window of opportunity, and in many cases, they are correct. Buyers think their time has come! They THINK the sellers’ market is gone, and they should now be able to buy their dream home at Continue Reading
To Stage or Not to Stage? Can You Really Afford NOT to Stage Your Home?
Having well-planned strategies to stage your home can positively impact your final selling price. The cost of staging a home usually is well below that of the first price reduction if a home remains on the market for too long. If a home remains on the market for a month without an offer, the average selling price drops 5%. On a $500,000 home, that’s $25,000. “Statistics show the best chance of Continue Reading
Our Favorite Things To Do In St. Petersburg
This blog has a bit of a different focus than most of our articles. It shares information we often are asked to provide for many of our transplant clients – homebuyers who have relocated here (St. Petersburg / Tampa Bay area), usually from other states. When their first guests are soon to arrive, they often ask for tips about off-the-beaten-path activities they can share with their visiting family Continue Reading
The Benefits of Signing a Buyer’s Agreement with Your Broker
Buying a home is a significant investment—one of life’s biggest purchases—and it can be a complicated, lengthy process, so you want a real estate agent who will be fully committed to you. An experienced agent will dedicate a great amount of time to help you achieve your goal; likewise, they want their buyers to be fully committed to them in return. One way this mutual commitment is often Continue Reading
Aging in Place
This article series examines changes in households when our parents age and need additional support. This could mean changes to your parents’ existing home or the purchase of a new home that will better meet their needs (covered in our Caring for Parents at Home article). It also could involve relocating parents to move into your home or otherwise blending your households in some way, which is the Continue Reading
Should I Buy or Should I Build? Pros & Cons
You want a new home…or at least one that's new to you. Should you buy or build? Both have their pluses and minuses. How do you decide which avenue to take? That depends on the time frame you have to make a move, where you want to live, and how much personal customization you want in your new (or new-to-you) home. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median price for an existing home in the Continue Reading
Buyer’s Guide: How to Plan NOW for a Seamless Real Estate Closing
In today’s super-competitive real estate market, buyers need to prepare to be as competitive as possible. Getting all your ducks in a row in advance so you can offer a quick closing with acceptable terms is a great way to do just that. Time spent tracking down financials, and other documents can be a costly financial mistake made during your home’s offer period that can add time and frustration to Continue Reading