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Managing your home away from home
July 14, 2024
Home-watch service gives peace of mind.
Take the couple who closed their new Phoenix home for the summer without making arrangements to have their property checked. They returned in November to discover damage from a water leak. They had to replace the lower kitchen and bathroom cabinets and baseboards, drywall and mildewy carpets.
"If ...
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One part welcome, one part go away
July 10, 2024
We've all had the experience. You're visiting friends or family. You walk up to the door and somehow don't feel welcome. It's not anything anyone said. It's just a feeling. Then you look around.
Maybe it's stuff left on the sidewalk or broken steps. Maybe you had to push back the overgrown trees or shrubs in order to reach the entrance. Maybe ...
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A quick, fair home sale
July 9, 2024
As the spring real-estate season approaches, there are a number of things you can do to improve your chances of selling your property at the best price and under the best terms.
- Choose the right agent: You want to see your house advertised weekly in the newspaper. The agent you're considering prefers to work his or her Rolodex. You expect to ...
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Location - Location - Location
July 8, 2024
Why do agents always say, 'Location, location, location?' Well it may seem like tired advice, but it's still the best when looking for a new home. Why?
There are many things you can change about your home. You can upgrade landscaping, add onto, remodel and redecorate. But you're stuck with where it sits. Your home may be beautiful and have ...
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Two things to get a buyer's attention
June 29, 2024
Condition and price. Let's tackle these two issues and see what we can do to get you on your way.
Condition: Whether you have a modest home or a mansion, it's guaranteed to sit longer if it's not clean and de-cluttered. That's the basics. The problem is when your home has been on the market for a while, it's easy to fall back into old habits ...
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Setting the stage for home sellers
June 27, 2024
Once primarily a luxury for the rich when selling their mansions, home staging is becoming popular with average homeowners seeking to get their properties off the market faster and earn more money.
The proliferation of television programs on staging a home - often providing tips on how to do it yourself - has made it a fast-growing trend at all ...
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When It’s Showtime!
June 26, 2024
You have inspected your house and taken care of problems. Now you are ready for showings. You will need a plan of action that assigns duties to each family member so the place can quickly be whipped into shape.
•Open all drapes, blinds, etc. and turn on lights to make the house bright.
•Air out the house to get rid of cooking, pet odours, and ...
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APPRAISALS AND INSPECTIONS
June 25, 2024
An appraisal and a home inspection have some similarities. Both services ensure that your property will meet certain, basic criteria. However, they are two distinct functions in a real estate transaction.
Let's start with the appraisal. The appraisal assures the market value for the buyer and the lender. It is usually ordered and required by ...
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Ten Tips On Making Your Home More Eco-Friendly
June 24, 2024
Tip #1 – Turn off the lights when not needed, even as you go from room to room in the course of your day (or evening)
According to ENERGY STAR, as much as 20 percent of a home’s energy use comes from light bulbs. Using a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) requires about 75 percent less energy than incandescent, but lights that are turned off ...
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How to sell in a buyer's market
June 23, 2024
You've got to be proactive on price, marketing and more. Here are 10 steps to take before you plant the "for sale" sign.
If you're selling your home this year, be prepared for a marathon, not a sprint.
In most places, those heady days of putting a property on the market, receiving multiple bids, getting more than you expected, and accepting ...
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