Smoking kills {your house sale}

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I was out with some clients recently and we saw a fantastic house, it was huge, on an oversized lot, and in a good location… but the sellers were smokers. We were skeptical from the beginning, but without going in person there’s no way to know how bad the smell is. But the house had enough appealing elements that we decided to go see it and just see.     UGH… even through the overwhelming glade plug-ins you could smell it. All the walls were the tell tale yellowish off white with nicotine stains. So disappointing! I wanted to give the…

Answering the question: Should I rent for a while instead of selling right now?

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Even in the midst of the best market there can be a great deal of stress and apprehension around selling your home. This could be coming from a myriad of things, but usually it all boils down to being worried about whether you’ll be able to sell your house for the amount of money that you want. Every now and then clients ask me if they should hold off and selling and just rent out their place for a year or so… and almost every time the answer is ~ no. Does it ever make sense to just rent out…

That fancy light fixture might be moving on too… what stays and what goes when houses trade hands.

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Did you know that unless you specify otherwise, you are expected to leave all of the window treatments at your house when you sell it? I’m torn between thinking that’s weird and it makes total sense, what do you think? On the one hand, if I like my curtains I might want to take them! But really, what are the odds your new windows will be the exact same size, and you’ll have the exact same number of them as your current house? Long. The odds are long. So they stay put and hopefully they aren’t ugly and your buyers…

How much is your house really worth?

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You guys, I love talking about things that I feel like I shouldn’t talk about. When you feel like something is off limits for any reason, there’s usually just a lot of energy around it. And of course there’s a lot of energy around selling your house! For some reason I feel like no-one talks a lot about pricing and what your house is worth but I’m not really sure why. There are a lot of discussions about the importance of pricing your property right when you sell, but how do we get to that number? When should you even start…

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

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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…

One big secret to a quick sale: preparation

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Price is important when it comes to selling your house. It is definitely one of the most important factors in either attracting, or deterring, interest. But there is something else that is equally important that a lot of people underestimate, and that’s preparation. You only get one chance to make a first impression on a potential buyer, and if your space isn’t looking it’s best, people won’t trust that you’ll address small things that need to be taken care of, and they won’t come back. It’s a little more work up front, but it’s worth it to help get a…

A small project makes a big difference in this Logan Square house!

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Last year we met with some clients, Carla and Andrew, who had bought a fixer upper back in the winter of 2014 and were just about ready to sell and get started on a new project. They wanted our input on a few potential projects and timing so that they could really get the house in tip top shape, and at it’s peak value, to be able to maximize their investment when they were ready to sell. Carla and Andrew are awesome people, and they are smart when it comes to their house.  They also have a killer sense of…

How much is a new coat of paint worth?

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From time to time I see articles that talk about the ROI of different home upgrades. Hardwood floors give you a 110% return, a new back porch will give you 100%… new landscaping in the spring… priceless {not really, but close, lol}. While I always think it’s interesting to see what improvements people {statistically} think are more important, the reality is that just because you put in hard wood floors it doesn’t mean you can increase the price of your house by that exact amount of money… it doesn’t quite work like that. However, without a doubt, some improvements pack…

Be the Rare Find

Categories: creativity · decluttering · design · energy · moving · real estate · selling · small space living · studio apartmentTags: · · · Leave a comment

Things are absolutely crazy right now as I pack and arrange movers, everything is moving so much faster than I was expecting. It’s definitely not the ‘picture’ I had in my head of a peaceful, well organized and graceful move. Once my manfriend and I decided to make it official and move in together, and I finally stopped dragging my feet about re-letting my place, I was a little worried about finding someone in what is typically a pretty slow time of year. But when I finally posted it, I had multiple applicants before the end of the first day,…

Sellers: Your Fall to-do list

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The real estate market right now is great for sellers no matter what time of year it is. There continue to be far fewer properties than buyers, even during traditionally slower times of the year. But even in a market where it feels like you just can’t lose, the spring still remains the busiest and most ideal time of the year to sell your house. If you are considering selling your house next spring, there are some important things you need to get started on now. It might seem like you have plenty of time {it’s only September!}, but we…