House Hunters Blog

In 2024, So Much More for Using Less Energy

Happy New Year! In the future, passive housing will need to be part of, if not all the housing we live in, more and more of it. As we look towards 2024, I would like to celebrate the growth in know-how for building houses that are energy independent, or nearly so. Maine is doing it.

You’re Not Paying Attention

During the last week of the year, schools are closed. Some people are away, others are hosting out-of-towners. You are not paying attention to real estate. As the winter begins, so does the more-at-home time of the year. Your yards are lying fallow for the season. Your outside water spigot is off – it if

By |2023-12-26T09:35:29-05:00December 27th, 2023|Categories: About 4 Buyers RE|Tags: , , , |

Home is where the Holidays get Personal

December is full of holidays. People from cultures throughout the northern hemisphere developed customs to celebrate the point where days are the shortest and then begin to lengthen. That’s when the coldest part of the winter months still lies ahead, but the light is returning. Some cultures call solstice “midwinter” since light is returning. This

By |2023-12-18T17:47:18-05:00December 20th, 2023|Categories: Happy Home Ownership|Tags: , , , , , , |

Winter house hunting starts after Thanksgiving

Even though it isn’t winter yet, housing prices begin to drop this time of year. Winter is a bargain-hunter’s paradise, but it is also house-hunting hell. Between Thanksgiving and Martin Luther King Day, demand dries up, but so does inventory. The drain on demand is usually higher than the drain on supply. Sellers who can

By |2023-11-21T12:58:50-05:00November 29th, 2023|Categories: buying process|Tags: , , , |

An Act Protecting Consumer Rights in Purchasing Safe and Habitable Homes

Anyone following real estate in the past three years or so has run into people who think that home inspection is (or should be) optional. Waiving home inspection has become a negotiation tool. This thinking plays into the interests of professional investors and hurts people who plan to owner-occupy their homes. It particularly harms first-time

By |2023-11-19T09:25:32-05:00November 22nd, 2023|Categories: House Hunting, Legal questions|Tags: , , , |

The Commission System and Buyer Agency

Good information helps buyers make informed decisions. Widely available information levels the playing field, so that all buyers have access to the vast majority of properties for sale. Recent lawsuits against Multiple Listing Systems and large real estate companies threaten to harm potential home buyers by expecting them to pay for their representation as well

By |2023-11-15T18:19:28-05:00November 15th, 2023|Categories: Legal questions|Tags: , , , |

Recent real estate lawsuits are bad for buyers and sellers, too

I’ve gotten some messages from former clients who follow business news. There are some big-deal lawsuits flying around regarding the Multiple Listing Service and buyer agent compensation. The outcome of recent lawsuits is likely to increase seller awareness of the part of the commission that is paid to the buyer’s agent who brings an informed

By |2023-11-08T11:59:41-05:00November 8th, 2023|Categories: House Hunting, Legal questions|Tags: , , , , |