Want to find a bargain? Find a house that smells funny. Summer is a good time to find them, since summer is a stinky time of year. There seem to be two kinds of houses on the market right now: those that have been fully renovated or cleaned and staged, and those that look like
Insulated window shades and curtains are effective in lowering heating and cooling costs. It’s common sense! Just think about how much cooler it is under the umbrella in the summer instead of being directly in the sun. When the sun shines into your windows, heat passes through the glass into your house. It then rises
Groundhog's Day in July! It is both joyful and humbling to be around our clients every year at our annual client appreciation party. The key to our success has been the large number of our clients who recommend us to their friends, family, and coworkers. It is confirming to me and my team that we
The porch made a strong comeback in American home architecture. In 1993, 42% of new houses were designed with a porch. By 2005, more than half of all new construction had porches. In east south central America (Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi) 89% of newly constructed houses have porches. Why does America have a love
Mortgage pre-approval is needed in order to make an Offer in our area. Anyone without one appears disorganized, at best, and is likely to be written off by a seller as not worthy of consideration, at worst. The first question from a seller or seller’s agent about an offer is “How much?” The second is
A few times a year, a real estate headhunter calls me to ask if my team wants to join their designated agency company. Recruiters are mostly very good at their job, not just reading a script. Their job is to get my team to move with me to their company and bring our client base
Boston is a college town. In June and July, I get calls from parents who are thinking about buying a condo here, so that their college-aged child can save on rent. This is known as a “kiddie condo.” Sometimes, it makes sense. Most of the time, it does not. Condo Pros: If the mortgage is
Q: Last week, the stock market turned downward by twenty percent. If we are headed into a recession, how does that affect real estate? A: Let's look at some recent trends, and then talk about it from a buyer's perspective. June 2020- April 2022: The real estate business has been feeling like it couldn’t get
As houses become more energy efficient, they circulate less air with the outdoors. We used to call that “leaking air”, as if it were a bad thing. But the downside of energy efficient houses is indoor air pollution. Can plants help keep your indoor air cleaner? Yes, they can! As allergy season (hopefully) wains and
What can cause your pre-approved mortgage to fail, last minute, in 2022? Property tax and interest rates. If you are borrowing the full amount of your pre-approved mortgage, you need to check the total monthly cost of a property before you make an offer. Your lender pre-approved you based on a typical property tax and