One of the best things a homebuyer can hear is, “we have ‘clear to close.’” It’s one of the biggest milestones in the mortgage lending process and means the underwriter has cleared the application to move forward to document signing and close of escrow. While a critical stage for ...

If it seems that new homes these days have included garages better suited for a Tonka truck than a real one, it’s not your imagination. With land at a premium, home builders can maximize the living space square footage by skimping on the garage size. As a result, many homeowners ...

Sellers all over the country are confused and worried they may have missed the best time to sell their house. Prices are dropping, mortgage rates are rising, and the pace has slowed but the impact on any individual seller is unclear.

While the days of any home selling for any ...

A common regret around taking down the holiday decorations is how bare the home looks suddenly. Fortunately for anyone ready to upgrade their design in 2023, new trends are offering more comfort and coziness than we’ve seen lately.

For the past few years, home designers have created a blend of ...

The most important aspect of listing your home for sales is the asking price. Unlike many other items we purchase, home prices are based on what a willing and able buyer would pay for the property. Sounds complicated, right? This is why real estate agents bring comps (short for comparable ...

Over the past few years, most of the US has been in a strong seller’s market. Historically low interest rates coupled with rising incomes resulted in buyers who were ready and able to buy a new home. It was a crazy time when sellers needed to do little more ...

In previous decades, a warm, cozy home required dark colors and heavy materials. One can envision sitting in front of a roaring fire in a dark room filled with pillows and wood paneling. Contemporary homes are brighter, with clean lines and light colors and textures. The challenge is how to ...

Most homebuyers know to review the HOA (Homeowner’s Association) documents provided by the seller during disclosures to ensure the rules will not interfere with their lifestyle. Yet, once they become homeowners, often these same people do not pay attention to bylaw changes over the years.

So, when they find themselves ...

The question of moving for a new job is not uncommon. In the past few years, more and more companies are moving their entire operations out of high-tax states to those more business-friendly. Possible work-from-home options further complicate the decision to move with your company. So, should you move when ...

Building codes change over time and for people who have owned their homes for a long time, they may not know if their home is out of code, and if so, does it matter. That’s one of the reasons why I always recommend a home inspection to my home buyers ...