The Little Realtor

 We've all see the headlines.  INFLATION!  MORTGAGE RATES SOAR!  HIGHEST RATE JUMPS!  IMPENDING DOOM!  And to be fair, some of those are completely true. The last two years have led to insane inflation. The rates have jumped up at unprecedented levels. But in the grand scheme of things, if you are thinking of moving and still have the financial wherewithal to do so, there are still plenty of advantages for buying now. Just remember, its about perspective -  You want or need to move  Your rate is still lower than previous generations saw  You can refinance. You aren't stuck with the current rate forever  Even if inflation drops down significantly year over year, home values, on average will continue to go up. So will rental rates. Unless your income will also go up annually to keep up with annual inflation, then now will be a better time to buy than 5-10 years down the line.  If you've been a buyer in the market, on the fence or tr...

 Posted a few years ago but still a go-to list, don't forget to give your home some love this Fall too!  Fall Maintenance Check List

Be forewarned, in this article there are quite a few opinions and a couple of rants!  I get postcards/mailers all the time from other real estate agents. (I'm sure you do too!)  In theory, I love this because it gives me a chance to see what other agents are sending! But sometimes I get mailers that just make me upset about how agents advertise themselves. (To be fair, I also get some great mailers from other agents that I think are spot on).  My number one gripe with how other agents advertise themselves is my selling homeowners fear. Fear of using any other agent but that agent. Fear of the process. Fear of missing out.  There's enough stress in this process than to be sold fear from the get-go.  The most common examples of this are mailers claiming "I am the only agent that....!". "We are THE group who can sell your home like no one else..."  The idea is THEY are the agent who holds all the keys and no other agents can do it, and certainly not you, Dea...

I'm really excited to post today about one of the aspects I am most excited about working at Compass: Concierge.  Concierge is a Compass-exclusive program where sellers can do improvements to their property before listing in order to make their home look its best and recoup the greatest amount of money.  I have been an advocate of doing small cosmetic projects to properties since starting in this business. Buyers have a hard time visualizing a property's potential. Staging can do a lot but sometimes small home improvements can make a drastic visual change to a property. Often, I recommend painting projects, small cosmetic improvements in bathrooms (like resurfacing dated tile and installing new light fixtures). Generally, a bathroom doesn't need a $20k overall to suggest a higher price tag. Same goes for kitchens. Paint, new fixtures, and some updated tile work goes a LONG way. Even the above picture, which was all new cabinets, counters, appliance and backsplash shows the ...

Its finally summer and that means its time to think about the seasonal to-dos around your home. Luckily, summer is an easy time of the year where you don't need to take much time from vacations and outdoor lounging to take care of maintenance items around your home. Photo by Fredrik Öhlander on Unsplash 1) Get Your AC Serviced  Ideally, you can take care of this before summer hits, but now is still a good time to make sure all is in working order before any issues arise. Same goes for installing window units and making sure they are all in working order! 2) Clean Out the Gutters  Typically thought of as a fall activity, summer is a good time to get a jump on this. After all of the Spring rains and falling flowers, your gutters will likely need a clean out to stay functional. 3) Exterior Painting and Masonry  Summer is a good time to get to exterior work before the leaves of Fall and after the cooler temps and rainy season of Spring. Check for any repo...

Selling a home for ANYONE is a difficult, complicated, time-consuming and often very emotional process. Adding kids, especially young or school-aged kids, can add an even more stress-producing factor (for you AND them!). After years of seeing people do it right, and do it wrong, here are a few tips to getting through the process with the fewest tears and yelling! Photo by HiveBoxx on Unsplash Stage Appropriately  You have kids, but not everyone does. Knowing your target audience is EVERYTHING with home staging, with or without adding kids in. For the average home buyer, they either have kids or are thinking of having kids in the future. Unless you have a condo or are catering to older audiences, its not a bad thing to show off the fact you have kids. Continuing to have a play room or toy storage in the family room can be a positive thing - it shows that there is room for those things that people may be planning for. (But don't repurpose rooms. If you turned your dinin...

As noted yesterday, many people are working from home for the first time, but many more are facing working from home with their kids for the first time ever - and for the foreseeable future. So how are you to possibly get anything done with clinging, whining, demanding (and sometimes distractingly cute) kiddos around? Photo by  Ben Wicks  on  Unsplash Well first off, we are lucky enough to all be going through the same thing. No one will think poorly of you if kids pop up on your screen during a video conference or a sharp "DAAAADDDDDY!!!" is heard over the phone. We are all struggling with the same. And, generally, most work has shifted to the "must do" only. But we still need to be effective on those must-do items over the coming days or weeks so here are a few tips on how to best get work done with littles ones around: 1) Honestly, this media website wrote most of the post for me, ha!  It works for multiple disciplines and has a very import...

In today's world where most buyers shop online and gather all the information they can until stepping into a property, an open house seems dated. And there's a lot of truth to it - most serious buyers have an agent and would prefer a private showing. However, open houses aren't a waste of time and can work well to sell a home. If your agent recommends hosting one, its worth your Sunday to give it a try! Further, here are a few scenarios in which an open house could work marketing wonders:  Photo by  Francesca Tosolini  on  Unsplash 1. You've got a unique home  Perhaps the house is unique for the neighborhood but shows really well. While buyers might not schedule a look because of stats online (for instance its a 2 bedroom house but an extra space you can't count as a bedroom works as a great guest area or office), they would be open to casually walking through on a Sunday because you are open and, honestly, who doesn't love seeing houses?! The...

Lighting has long been called the "jewelry of the home" by designers. Lighting fixtures are extremely decorative, conveying a particular style, but also work as pieces of architecture as they are fixtures to a room (as opposed to a couch or pillow). Further, lighting conveys warmth - a glow that can make you feel a certain way in a home.  Yes, these are also beautiful rooms, but the lighting MAKES these spaces and add a high-end appeal. From  TheCoastalConfidence As such, lighting is one of the most impactful things you can change in your home, right behind paint. And, like paint, its generally an inexpensive and easy switch.  Similarly, a few small changes, including a lux new light, changed this builder-grade bath into something special. From LifeonVirginiaStreet If you are a homeowner, switching out light fixtures is one of the best skills you can learn to add value, and an updated feel, to your home.  If you are a renter, swaping out li...

While most people don't have the "problem" of having extra cash, all of us can benefit from ways to save and budgeting. One of the most missed opportunities for this in the mortgage world is the extra mortgage payment. This sounds crazy but essentially if you have extra cash you don't need to stuff into an emergency fund and are looking for a place to invest it, think about putting it back into your home equity. An extra payment can just be extra cash paid with your monthly payment - whatever you have to give. This is like a forced savings plan. You send it separately with your mortgage payment but this one gets marked "To be applied to principal". Most mortgages work by having the first few years of mortgage payments being applied directly to interest, not the principal loan amount. Thats now lenders can guarantee some earnings if you sell your home in 3 years. But if you do sell your home quickly, you'll notice when you get to your mortgage ...