Tag: country_us

Nine budget tips to give your kitchen new life before sale

A clean, elegant kitchen can be a showstopper when selling a property at the lower end of the market. Whether your target market is the first-time buyer or an investor, a great-looking kitchen can capture the imagination. Buyers in this market segment are usually focused on three key criteria –  square footage, the number of…
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Six home maintenance myths totally busted

Property maintenance is not the headache many folks make it out to be.  It’s true a house or an apartment needs to be maintained to ensure small problems don’t become big ones.  But it’s not going to take over your life! Most owners will keep a casual eye on the state of their property or…
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Five items buyers should never see in your home

If there is one golden rule that owners selling their home should know, it’s this: first impressions count. Buyers have been known to drive to a home or apartment complex but then keep on going because they simply didn’t like what they saw. Complaints stemming from a poor first impression are numerous – untidy yard,…
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Nine ways to keep those summer critters at bay

With summer finally here, we’re about to begin our annual vigil against pests that are determined to claim squatting rights in our cupboards, the cracks in the tile grout and anywhere else they can find shelter. When preparing your home for sale, the last thing you want any buyer to see is a line of…
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Everyday items you simply can’t recycle

Do you ever stand in the middle of the kitchen, stretching out crumpled plastic film that’s been used for food packaging to see if you can recycle it? As much as we all want to “save the planet”, it’s not always easy.  Sometimes, the packaging is clearly marked as recyclable, other times not so much.…
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First-time buyers say they’re back with a bang

One of the most important elements of a buoyant real estate market is the participation of first-time buyers. They are the bedrock on which home values continue to grow. If there is less demand at the entry-level end of the market, everyone else suffers. The good news is that property portal Realtor.com is reporting that…
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Seven tips for a last-minute July 4 party

As we prepare to celebrate July 4, it’s not well-recognized that the Vote for Independence was in fact two days earlier on July 2, and it took Congress those intervening 48 hours to create and make a public statement explaining the decision. It was Richard Henry Lee’s resolution for independence that effectively declared our separation…
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Why you don’t need to join the summer rush

There are many myths in real estate. One favorite is that only spring and summer are good times to sell. This is absolutely not true, of course. There’s never a bad season to upsize or downsize. The only criteria should be when your own personal circumstances align so a property transaction makes sense in your…
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Four critical selling tips as housing inventory rises

As home sales across America increase and we track toward 4.03 million deals a year, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) says American buyers are waiting for the Federal Reserve to cut mortgage costs to give the market a boost. NAR’s latest data says the average price of a home in America was $422,800 at…
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Seven summer watering tips to keep your plants healthy

Now summer has finally arrived, it’s a wonderful time to start enjoying your garden.  For those of you who are selling your homes this summer, you’ll find buyers will pay more attention to the front and back yards than at any other time of the year. So, it’s critical to look after your plants so…
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