Posts in category 'Sellers'

One of my favorite things about snowy, icy, windy, cold days.... is not leaving the house (or my pajamas!). Working from home is one of the best things that has happened to my career since I quit my job and joined the ski patrol over at Loon Mountain! (Of course the ski patrol did nothing for my actual "career", but it was a blast while I was there!) I have heard a handful of people express that they would get nothing done if they worked from home. I think, when your livelihood (and capacity to pay the mortgage) depends on getting things done, the motivation shows itself. For me, I've never had trouble getting to work. Often it is the opposite!

It is not just the "pajama factor" that makes telecommuting so attractive either. Taking one more car off the road is always a plus...

Click Here to Read More...

For those of us living North of the Mason-Dixon line living through cold winters is simply part of life. For most of us, we love the crisp air, countless recreational options and the breath-taking beauty of a snowy winter. Granted, the shoveling and scraping of windshields does get old towards the end of March (or beginning!) but the benefits outweigh the little hassles and we love it here. One of the challenges of living in a northern climate is selling your home while the weather outside is frightful. Today we're going to explore a few of the ways you can take advantage of the winter months to highlight different areas of your home and get those buyers off the sidelines.

A crackling fire is a bit of a double-edged sword when it comes to showing/selling your home. I...

Click Here to Read More...

It is a story I have told dozens of times, but it still is one of those head-scratching things that I'll never understand. Sometimes people are simply unreasonable (or just really numb). The duplex, down in Somersworth, I bought (nearly 20 years ago) had tenants in the downstairs apartment. They had lived there for 12 years without a hitch (according to the owner). He explained the property was going on the market and gave them first right of refusal. At $130K, this was not an extravagant home.

Rather than take him up on the offer (and likely pay the same for their mortgage as they were paying for rent) they abandoned the apartment (full of trash) for the 2 weeks leading up to closing. As a cherry on top, they left their Basset Hound in the unit with food and water for the e...

Click Here to Read More...

If you're a terrible enough human being to ruin Santa for a little kid (like "he who shall remain unnamed"), then chances are - you deservedly got a lump of coal in your stocking this year! There are lots of misconceptions or "myths" we tend to hang onto throughout our lives. Some of us still believe there is good in all people. I will work hard at maintaining that one for as long as I live. Others still hang on to the notion that if you swim within 30 minutes of eating, you'll sink to the bottom of the lake! Honestly, I've never tested that one. I'm not sure it's worth the risk!

In real estate, there are also myths that folks tend to hang onto regardless of facts to the contrary or the sage advice of a real estate professional. Today I'd like to explore (expose!?) a couple of those so tha...

Click Here to Read More...

I'm visiting my parents down in Florida this week. They have been here for about fifteen years now and I still don't think my dad misses shoveling snow one bit! Personally, I'm looking forward to getting back to the white stuff. One thing I remember distinctly about when they first moved down here was the process of having their house built. The model homes and model "rooms" they walked through were simply amazing. Virtually every combination of color, materials, finishes, appliances and fixtures were available to see, touch and experience. We're not going to encourage that variety today, but we are going to talk about showing off your home's best features through staging. Let's get started.

I know we talk about this every couple of months but if you are new to the column this is vita...

Click Here to Read More...