My client is buying a fixer down the street from where she lives now. She wants to downsize and totally renovate the house, while living in her present home. The houses are on street with lots of foot traffic. The next door neighbor is a friend who is home a lot--so she can kind of keep an eye on
...
08/12/2014
My buyers were really excited about a house I showed them. The young wife wanted to bring her father to see it the next day. The sellers declined the appointment. That proved fatal! I know that couple was going to buy that house. After 14 years, I just know. But life intervenes. The couple had a
...
08/12/2014
**My clients recently bought a house that was painted in attractive but bold colors. At the final walk through, when the art and pictures were taken down, the walls had typical, picture hook pock marks. I assumed there would be touch up paint in the garage or basement. But no. **Another client o
...
08/12/2014
I really liked Nick Pappas' recent post on selling "As Is". http://on.trulia.com/1umHKm8 Reading it gave me a "lightening bolt" moment: What will NOT DOING REASONABLE FIXES and "spiffing up" wind up COSTING YOU in the end? A smart business woman that I know spent $15,000 to get her $800,000 doll
...
07/25/2014
You called me to see houses with asking prices between $600,000 and $700,000. Now you have found a house that you love, and you tell me that the top of your comfort zone as far as price is $540,000???? I'm happy to show you homes above your price range. But I wonder where the line is? One house t
...
07/18/2014
My clients are hardworking immigrants. They bought new construction in an established neighbohrood. Now they want to build a garage behind their house. They have the permits. Their contractor is ready to go. However, he warned them that a big old tree--80% on their property, 20% on the neighbor's
...
07/18/2014
Thanks to Green Home Guide! http://bit.ly/1nRENnx www.greenhomeguide.com Solar thermal: The best on energy factor however didn’t meet our budget and had to be installed on the south side of our roof which was the front of the house. My wife didn’t like that. LP Gas tankless: The energy factor i
...
06/19/2014
My now-clients called a For Sale By Owner before they met me. I said, "No problem. FSBO sellers will pay me." Every FSBO I have ever called has offered to pay at least 2% to a buyer agent. So I called the number. Harry, the seller's brother, was very pleasant, but he made it clear that he would n
...
05/28/2014
The World War I Memorial across the street in Chestnut Hill, PA had a gathering of about twenty people. A rifleman marked the anniversary with gunshots. Gone but not forgotten--even 100 years later.
05/26/2014
I love the House Hunters phrase "taste specific" instead of ugly kitchen. It would be a dull world if everyone's house looked like House Beautiful. However, real estate is an investment and redoing your kitchen in the trend of the moment is risky if you don't plan to be there for 25+ years. My fr
...
05/05/2014
