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July 24, 2018

Home Maintenance To-Do List Before You Sell Your Home

As a homeowner, you probably already know that keeping your home and property in tip-top shape requires dedication and ongoing maintenance. Just because you’re selling your home doesn’t mean you’re off the hook from routine maintenance tasks. A well-cared-for house simply shows better. Small things like broken doorbells and leaky faucets won’t make buyers jump to make an offer. Instead, it will make them wonder if there are bigger issues elsewhere on the property. Plus, keeping up with routine maintenance can help you avoid a catastrophic problem down the road, like burst pipes and roof leaks, that could devalue your property and derail your sale. To prevent small issues from escalating into money-sucking problems, focus on these home maintenance tasks: […]
July 17, 2018

Not all Real Estate Contracts Are Created Equal: Here’s the Difference

Real estate transactions revolve around written agreements or contracts. There are essentially four major types of real estate contracts, and they each have their different uses and stipulations. As in any legal transaction, these contracts are necessary to execute the sale. Not all real estate contracts are created equal, so it’s important to know what you’re really signing. Here are the differences in the main types of real estate contracts: Purchase agreement As the most common type of real estate contract, a purchase agreement lays out the agreement between the buyer and seller of a specific property. This contract will include the purchase price, signatures, party identification, and the closing date for the transaction. Although this seems simple enough, there […]
July 10, 2018

5 Home-Selling Myths

There are so many unknowns before you put your house on the market: who will buy your house and for how much? How long will it take? Will I find a new home before I sell my current one? And while the internet can be a really fun place to search for answers to these questions and more – it can also be rife with bad, if not flat out wrong, information. We’re here to bust some of the real-estate myths that have been going around since we can remember. And yes, we know you’re reading this on the internet – but consider this part of the good information you find online. Here are five home-selling myths you can dismiss: […]
July 3, 2018

What Factors Should You Consider When Deciding Which Neighborhood is Best for You?

The cliché phrase, “location, location, location,” has been used more times than we can count when talking about buying real estate. And yet, ask any realtor – this one rings true. When you’re looking for your dream home, one of the most significant decisions you’ll have to make is which location you prefer. Location affects the affordability, value, and quality of life of a given neighborhood. The way to choose the right location for you and your family’s needs requires some serious thought as to your family’s priorities. So, here are a few things to keep in mind when searching for your perfect neighborhood: Your Lifestyle  Before you start scoping out different neighborhoods, consider your current lifestyle. What do you […]
June 26, 2018

State of the Market: Pinecrest

With large lots on quiet streets and good schools, it’s no surprise why so many families want to move to Pinecrest. It’s also no surprise that Pinecrest was ranked as the #1 (out of 324) best suburbs in Florida by Niche. Over the past two decades, we’ve helped hundreds of families buy and sell homes in Pinecrest and have seen why so many people love it first hand – and why the village has boomed. Pinecrest’s Market Today The average house in Pinecrest listed on the market today is 3,500 square feet with four bedrooms and three bathrooms on a 30,000 square foot lot with an asking price of $1.4 million. This being said, there are over 200 homes in […]
June 19, 2018

How Home Improvement Projects Can Affect Your Property Value

Many, but not all, home improvement projects will increase the value of your home. The big question is if they will improve your property value by more than the cost of the project. Deciding which renovations actually help your property value instead of just draining your account is a numbers game. How much will you spend renovating to make sure your house meets a future buyer’s expectations and what will you get in return? Which improvements add value, and which ones don’t matter as much? In the end, you should do renovations for yourself and see any increase in property value as an added bonus. That being said, I often get asked which home improvement projects boost your property value […]
May 1, 2018

Preparing Your Home for Sale: What to Skip and Where to Spend

Once you make the decision to sell your home, the real work begins. Your realtor has to find the right marketing strategy for your home so that the buyers that are looking for exactly what you have can find it. For some properties, it’s easy. If a homeowner has been in their property in the Gables or Pinecrest for 40+ years without any renovations, their property will immediately be on the radar for any buyer looking at locations only and planning to build their own custom home. For everyone else that is selling something that is move-in ready (or close to it), it’s a different story. You don’t want to spend tens of thousands of dollars sprucing the place up, […]
April 17, 2018

House Hunting by Schools: 4 Facts to Keep in Mind

Choosing the right school district for your children is a huge decision, and it should be a major factor in deciding where to buy a house. House hunting by school districts isn’t just a good way to ensure that your kids get a great education, it can also preserve your home’s value and, when the time comes, help you to sell your home faster. South Florida has many amazing schools, and plenty of nearby homes your family will love. While school districts should be at the top of your list when searching for your dream home, there are also certain things to keep in mind when buying a house in a top-notch district. Keep these four things in mind while […]
April 10, 2018

From Contract to Closing: What You Need to Know to Get Across the Finish Line

For first-time homebuyers, buying a home may seem like a never-ending to-do list. From selecting neighborhoods, calculating drive times to schools, work places, and even restaurants – it seems that the fun idea of finding your first house is looking less like fun and more like hard work. That’s where we come in. My team and I are here to not only help you find the perfect home, but also to get you across the finish line and into your new home. For us, helping you get your first set of keys is more than showing you houses. It’s guiding you through the entire process and serving as your go-to whenever you have questions or hit a roadblock in your […]