Search Results for: blog will your home sell in a recession trends can influence a sale

How to Find New Inexpensive Furniture

With the economy in crisis, and everyone struggling to pay for the basics of daily life, such as food, gas and housing, it is hard to justify spending money on furniture. But, whether you are just starting out or are more established, you may find yourself needing to furnish a room or replace furniture items that no longer function in your home. You can often get low cost or free furniture used, but with the recent news about bedbug outbreaks, you just might want to think twice. Bedbugs are hard to eradicate. They can hide in the floor boards, clothing … Continue reading →

Recession Giving Birth to More Frugals

With all of the changes in personal economic outlook do to high gas prices, high food prices and high everything-related-to-food-or-fuel prices, the majority of consumers are changing their spending habits and becoming more frugal. According to a news report by AP news, many of those new”frugals” are planning to remain frugal, even if their financial outlook improves. The research company Nielsen Co, tracks consumer habits. It says that about 63 percent of consumers are cutting their spending. In the AP article, former spendthrifts are taking drastic measures to curb shopping, such as applying shoe glue to a peeling sneaker sole, … Continue reading →

Turning Bad Design Trends into Good Design Trends

Some trends in home decor and design can seem hip one minute and out the next. Sometimes the trend is so fast that they are out before the magazine featuring them hits the stand. If you like to experiment and you have the means (budget) to do so, go ahead and have some fun. For the rest of us, though, these are some of the trends we should probably stay away from. Here is how you can taken an existing trend that might make you say “What???” and turn it into one that will make you say “Wow!” Bad Trend: … Continue reading →

Does Your Real Estate Agent Practice “Buying a Listing?”

With the housing market slump, some real estate agents are practicing a sales technique called “Buying a Listing.” Unfortunately, this technique can hurt you in more ways than one if you are trying to sell your home. I’ll explain what this sales technique is and what the impact on you could be. Let’s take a typical family that is ready to sell their home. Chances are that this family would have interviewed several real estate agents before they made their decision on which agent to hire. And chances are that all of these real estate agents came equipped with “comps” … Continue reading →

Setting the Price of Your Home

One of the biggest issues in today’s real estate market is how to set the price of your home when it comes time to sell. During the boom, you could ask for the sky, and chances are that bidding wars would bring you the moon as well. Today, that isn’t the case. Here are some tips to help you set the price of your home before you put it on the market. First let’s talk about the real estate agent or broker. Contact at least three different agents and ask them to do a market analysis on the price of … Continue reading →

Reasons to Move

With the media constantly talking about the housing market, people wonder if they really should move, selling their old homes and or buying new homes. I get these questions a lot. While the house market can be scary, the truth is that sometimes you have a good reason to move, and that reason may overshadow any downsides to selling a home right now. And the truth is that even though you may take a hit on your current home, you can still purchase another home for a good price, so things may just even out. I have three friends at … Continue reading →

Matching Kitchen and Bathroom

One recent trend in home renovation and design that I have been seeing lately is the matching of kitchen and bathroom to create a sense of continuity in the home. This idea expands on the modern sense of open space in a home, with wide open areas and a sense of flow throughout the home. In the past, kitchens and bathrooms were treated as separate islands in the home. They were functional spaces that were often isolated from the rest of the home. A bathroom might feature colors, such as bright pink, or a kitchen bright yellow, that you would … Continue reading →

Will Your Home Sell in a Recession? Broad Appeal

Are you wondering if it is the right time to sell your current home? Are you worried about all the information and opinion in the media that tell us that this is the wrong time to put a home on the market? There are certain elements that will sell a home, no matter the overall housing market. So far, I’ve talked about the following factors: Carrying costs, trends, location, sidewalks and septic, and durability. Now, let us consider broad appeal. Broad appeal is just what it sounds like. You want you home to appeal to the broadest selection of buyers. … Continue reading →

The Pros and Cons of Gated Communities

Is a gated community right for you? According to recent US Census data, gated communities are one of the fastest- growing forms of housing in the US. Take a look at the pros and cons of living in a gated community before you decide. What is a gated community? Gated communities have been around for longer than you might think. They center around a development or neighborhood in which the only way in or out is through a gate. The level of security, (privacy and protection) offered in a gated community can vary from an unmanned gate that is operated … Continue reading →

Home Week in Review: March 31 – April 6

Is it starting to feel like springtime where you live? The sun is shining and it’s a beautiful day today. I’m looking forward to many more just like this. In the mean time, here are this week’s articles at a glance: Electronics: Walkie Talkies They’re not just fun gadgets; they can also be very useful devices for communication. To Garden or not to Garden My answer is to garden, but the bigger question is when to begin… Will Your Home Sell in a Recession? Trends Can Influence a Sale Mary Ann offers a timely and informative series of articles on … Continue reading →