Most buyers define the “fixer upper” as needing wall paint, flooring and possibly a bathroom or kitchen remodel. Unfortunately, that’s not really a fixer upper – that’s generally putting your mark on the house and making it comfortable for you. A real fixer upper is a home needing such things foundation work, electrical upgrades (possibly … More Buying a REAL fixer
Everyone is familiar with the old saying “A bird in the and is worth two in the bush”. To most modern people, this is saying is an odd anachronism about birds??? How does this pertain to real estate? Simply put, a straight -forward offer to buy or sell real estate is much more valuable than … More “Bird in the hand” philosophy
It’s simple: When you hire a Realtor (sign a listing agreement) and they are a member of the multiple listing service (MLS) they will be cooperating with other brokers and those folks will be showing your home as well as brokers in your agent’s home. Well, how does that work? When your agent is discussing … More Whose Been Showing My House?
Sellers often think their home is worth much more than the current market value. Those thoughts are sometimes based on what they feel they need to get out of the property or anecdotal evidence they see of what the neighbor’s house sold for. A good real estate broker uses a similar method for determining the … More Price is SOOOO important!
Most folks who are not in the real estate business who have bought or sold a home have had the experience of going to a title company and signing paperwork. The definition of the terms Title and Escrow may not have been clear as the transaction was going forward, but these are very important in … More What is the difference between Title and Escrow?
Condos have been a popular and necessary alternative to single family residences for many years and for many different reasons. They are home ownership without the hassle of taking care of the exterior maintenance of the home. In exchange for having someone else responsible for cleaning gutters, mowing grass and siding repairs, homeowners pay a … More Condos VS Co-ops. What’s the diff?
There’s a lot of stories in the media regarding the future of the real estate market. Most experts agree that there will be some type of correction, however, it will not be like the crash of 2008/2009. The fundamentals behind that situation are far different. Lenders did not make the type or the quantity of … More Heading to a “balanced market”. What it means?
Since the real estate market overheated in Spring, there has been a trend to review offers at a specific date in the future, say 1 week from the beginning of the listing. There are several thoughts about doing this. One is, that there will be several competing offers and if a buyer knows there are … More Reviewing offers on a set date
Sixty may be the new forty, but there are special considerations when purchasing a home when the buyer is over fifty. Many buyers are potentially buying the house they may grow old in – effectively making it their last home. As we all age, mobility is a question. While there are studies showing that individuals … More Buying a home in the “Golden Years”
We all are hearing in the news and on social media that it is a “seller’s market”. Simply put, this term means that there or more buyers than inventory and that home sales are brisk and prices are on the rise. Having said that, the statistics tell a more nuanced story. As of last month, … More Why won’t my house sell?
Olympia Real Estate Blog 