What’s the market really like right now, and how to have success as a buyer

{photo credit: McAlpine Tankersly Architecture} Hi there! I’ve been a little pre-occupied with our renovation lately, but we are in full spring work mode over here and I today I wanted to talk about something that I get lots of questions from people about all of the time ~ what’s the real estate market like right now? And how can someone possibly have success in this market?! Honestly, I get tons of questions all the time, they are all great questions and before I got into real estate I had no idea where to go to get answers for any of…

What it really feels like to buy a house

You guys, it’s officially official, we bought a house! I shared the super exciting news a few weeks ago, but I also wanted to share our/my experience of going through the actual process, because I feel like it’s something people don’t really talk about. Sure, your friends might tell you when they are doing it, but does anyone really share what it’s actually like to go through this crazy process? So today I’m sharing what it was really like for us, to help de-mystify the whole thing and maybe answer some people’s questions along the way. When I’m the broker…

Happy New Year! We {might be} buying a house {!!…?!}

Guys! Happy New Year! I have some super exciting news… we’re buying a house! Well, a condo because that’s big city life, but seriously ~ !!!!! If I’m being honest I vacillate back and forth between this is totally happening and this is not going to happen at least 10,000 times every day. Also between being totally ecstatic and totally terrified too, lol. Somedays I feel like I’ve never been on as intense an emotional roller coaster as being under contract on this puppy. I was really hesitant to share any of this yet because really, nothing is guaranteed until…

Our house search has me feeling like Goldilocks… where’s the ‘just right’ one?!

We are in the house hunt these days and I’m getting a little taste of what my own clients go through during their house search! Sometimes it’s fun and exciting and sometimes well… it’s not. We purposefully rented a temporary space for part of this year so that we could get a great deal on just the right fixer upper in the winter, when real estate is a little slower and you can usually get property for a better value than in the spring. Even though I know we’ll find something I am starting to feel some pressure to just…

The 411 on New Construction

Of all of the dream houses I might have, the one type of property that’s never really on my wish list is new construction. It’s not because there’s anything wrong with new construction, it can be a great option, I’m just the type of person who will always want to be doing the updating myself. I’m pretty particular for one, and I just love the design process, and to be the one transforming a space. It’s a thrill and complete joy for me. But what’s the 411 on new construction? What are the pro’s, what are the cons, and what…

Working on the energy of our now space, and our next space…

I’ve been feeling super frustrated this week. I’m so ready to buy our new place and be going full steam ahead on all kinds of fun fixer-upper projects, but we still have a little while until we even start looking for that place {like at least four or five months}. We also aren’t settled into our current {temporary} place either… while we might not be totally unpacking, there is still quite a bit that needs to get put away and organized so that the space feels good to be in and we can enjoy it… and I need to figure…

The final walk through ~ what to expect and tips for success

Our team has a crazy pants number of closings this month, so of course final walk throughs are on my mind {I feel like I have one every day!}. We’ve had some go more smoothly than others… so I’m giving this little-talked-about topic a hello today. It’s tempting once you are under contract on your house sale to relax, celebrate your house being sold {!!!}, and start deciding where to spend all. that. money. from the sale. But in reality, your house isn’t sold, not yet at least. So yes, do a big happy dance for getting your place under…

If it’s not a hell YES, it’s a hell NO

It can be a tough market out there right now if you are a buyer. There isn’t always a ton of awesome inventory to choose from. It can be easy to think that it will take seeing 100 places in order to find ‘the one’. And depending on what you are looking for, it might very well take a little longer. But there is one thing I notice that tends to happen that not only hurts your search, but it can drain your energy and increase frustration, in what can already be a stressful time {they say moving is literally…

A peek inside a BIG renovation, and talking about buying ‘as-is’

Happy Friday! I got a fun surprise this week, some great friends and clients of mine are letting me share a peek inside the {big} renovation of their new house in Oak Park! {!!!} Ryan and Rebecca are a contractor/architect husband and wife team who both have backgrounds in Interior Design as well. And they’ve been around the block when it comes to renovations, having already done a full gut-renovation on their first house, and two other renovations on subsequent investment properties. I’m a little tired just telling you all of that! Renovations can be a big deal, even small…

Buying Real Estate ~ let’s talk about money

  Before I became a real estate broker I didn’t know anything about real estate, the process of buying property, or how much money it took. It seemed like something that was out of reach for me right out of grad school as the student loan bills starting rolling in, and then as time went by I that just kind of remained my mindset. It seemed like such a big deal that I was really intimidated by the idea of even reaching out to someone to ask about the process and get more information to even start saving or planning…