The Little Realtor

If you are planning on selling your home, one of the first things you'll likely do is start interviewing agents. You probably did a little internet research to find one. Maybe another was recommended via a friend. And perhaps the agent who helped you buy is still in contact with you. Regardless of whether or not you've settled on an agent or if you are looking at 12, you'll want to meet with them to discuss what to do to list your home, and what they'll do for you. But if you've never sold your home before, or never done so happily and successfully, then you may not even know where to start when it comes to discussing this with an agent. You want to pick the best agent but you don't even know what criteria to make that judgement on!  So here's a general introduction to what you should expect in when talking to a real estate agent about listing your home.... Styles Are Definitely Different And thats ok. I suppose we should get that out of the way ...

A lot of people notice that come Fall, the real estate market dwindles. Less is on the market and there are less buyers frantically searching for their next, or first, home. We still aren't sure what starts what - its a chicken or the egg argument - do the lack of buyers looking make people hold off on trying to sell or is the lack of inventory popping up in Fall leading to less active buyers? Regardless, if you are trying to sell your home in the Fall, it might become quickly obvious that you don't have the same level of interest as you might in the Spring. Thus, each showing must count when marketing in the Fall, and, more than ever, drawing in buyers is a creative challenge. However, the Fall is a gorgeous season, especially here in the mid-Atlantic and New England, and there is no reason to not use that to your favor. So here are a few tips on showing off your home and pulling in the buyers this Fall. Make it Cozy  #1   #2   Imagine you are ...

So you found the house. You've made an offer, it was accepted and you are feeling both extremely excited and extremely nervous. Now what? Well, now comes the inspection, assuming you aren't an idiot. A home inspection gives you a chance to actually figure out what you just agreed to purchase. You thought you just went under contract for a 3 bed cape with a cute back porch but what if instead you went under contract on an unmitigated termite and carpenter ant disaster!? Wouldn't you want to know? Sure you would. So you get an inspection. Congratulations, you aren't an idiot. But even people who elect to get an inspection rarely know what to expect from one. Often, people expect more from their property inspections than what the reality is. So here are a few pros to a home inspection - the positive things you should expect to receive - and, not the cons (there really are none for you, the buyer) but the shortfalls of a home inspections. Pros  1) T...

Its a little odd that this is my first house of the week feature in East Falls. I love East Falls and work there frequently. Its such a charming community that's a bit of a hidden gem for many Philadelphians. Its easy to commute in any direction, being the intersection of 76, Rt 1 and Kelly Dr, and has a nice train station too. Its got the front-porch, tree-lined street feel of Fairmount on many of its streets, but without the hefty price tag. Its only downfall comes in terms of walkability - for some reason its potential commercial corridor still isn't used. But I think (hope!) that will change over the coming 5 years. But on to the house! There is a wide range of homes and prices in this small community. There's everything from grand-colonials running at Main-Line prices to tiny, worn, stucco-covered rows floating in the mid $100s. But I really liked today's listing for its doable-improvements and keeping with historic charm. Instead of knocking down walls and rec...