Essential Real Estate Articles

Need More Information on Buying or Selling a Home?

You have come to the right place. Here is my archive of essential real estate articles and information. Check back often. When I come across information that will be helpful to my clients, I will add new articles.

Bathrooms are Best! Considering a remodel but are concerned that the investment might outweigh the value added to your home? If you are considering a bathroom remodel, it could be a great investment.

Kitchens Are HOT!I have always told my clients considering putting their homes on the market, that kitchens and bathrooms sell homes. A recent report from National Association of Realtors (NAR) agrees.

Dangerous Decorating: Improvements that Lower the Value of Your Home -  when you are considering a home improvement or trying the next decorating trend, remember that your home is your biggest investment and asset.

It’s a Buyer’s Market! Minnesota Real Estate Market Slow Down - a buyer might have 10-20 homes that will meet their needs and price parameters. If the buyer is flexible on location and amenities, they can have upwards of 50 homes to choose from. With so many options, home buyers are taking their time, becoming educated, and being very picky before making a home purchase.

Moving to a New Home Making You Crazy? How to Lower the Stress! Change is difficult. Especially when the change is so big and personal as moving to a new home. While difficult, it is also an exciting time. Change opens doors and provides opportunities that staying put doesn’t allow.

Moving With Cats and Dogs Moving can be especially difficult on one of your most important, but often overlooked, family members: your pet. I often hear from clients that their pets begin acting up weeks before the actual move.

Something Smells Funny: How Your Family Pet is Destroying Your Home. We Americans LOVE our Pets. Dogs, Cats, Bunnies, Monkeys, Rats…you name it. We let them sleep in our beds and eat in our kitchens. We buy and cook them special foods. We dress them up and treat them like the members of the family that they are. But have you ever considered the damage pets can do to your most important investment, your home?

Home Staging Tips: That day there was also the house with “neon green room” and the ever, unpopular “retro house with the orange counters”. So what can you do to make your home memorable for the right reasons?

Homes! - not just a place to live ... A Smart Investment: With every rent check you send in, your landlord gets a little richer. And you don’t. It is that simple.

Why some house flips are flops:  How did it happen? You spent months researching how to invest in real estate. You went to seminars, read books and magazine articles showing the easy way to buy properties to fix up and sell for profit.

Foreclosures & Disclosures - Do I Need An Inspection on a foreclosed home? - Buyers considering foreclosed properties must go into these homes with their eyes wide open!

Is Minnesota Lakeshore affordable? - The recent buyers market has affected the prices of lakeshore in Minnesota. With there being so many homes available, buyers have a selection that hasn’t been seen in the past decade. That abundance of homes is in all categories, including the wonderful lakeshore homes coveted by Minnesota sportsmen and nature lovers.

Home Buyers Guide: Important Checklist for a Final Walk Through - Here is a checklist you can use as a guide to remind you of  the things to check during your final inspection of the home.

Mortgage Fraud—Important Reminders for Buyers, Sellers and Agents - According to the FBI webpage on mortgage fraud, there are two specific types:

Trim Your Oaks NOW! Winter Pruning is Best to Protect Your Investment! - If you are fortunate to have mature oak trees on your property, protect your investment!

Seller Tips: Open Houses—Do they Work in a Buyer’s Market? - A homeowner just put their house on the market and their real estate agent recommends an open house every Sunday until the home sells. Is this a good idea?

Real Estate Agent Selection Primer—How to Choose the BEST Realtor for YOU! - The average American will buy or sell a home only 2-3 times during their lifetime. It is imperative to have a logical process to select a real estate agent.

The First Stage In Home Staging: One You Can Do Yourself - The focus of staging is to make a home more marketable by creating the most appealing home to the greatest number of prospective buyers.