City Lights Or Starlit Nights, What Home Location Is Best?

Laura Mancinelli Blog

If you are looking to buy a home, you might be wondering whether you should be looking for properties that are right in the center of the city or property in a rural area a short drive away. The rural or urban decision will ultimately be up to you, as there are advantages and disadvantages to either option. The main difference will lie in your priorities – what type of lifestyle is most important to you? Living In The City One of the main perks of buying a property that is located in the heart of the city is that you may be able to enjoy convenient public transportation and you won’t have to use a car to get everywhere. You are likely to have a shopping center and a supermarket within walking distance of your home, as well as other important amenities such as a doctor’s office, a pharmacy…

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How to Make Your Older Home Appeal to Young Buyers

A Modern Castle Tops Vermont’s Hawk’s Mountain

What to Consider When Buying a Second Home

Ask Connie: Your Real Estate Pro

While it may seem far off right now, there may come a point in your life when you’re financially stable enough to consider purchasing a second home, whether as an investment property or to vacation. You may even be there now!

It’s important to remember that while buying a second home may be similar in some ways to buying your first home, there are some very big differences to keep in mind.

First of all, make sure you know what it is you’re actually looking for – and then decide whether you can afford it!

Do you want to use it for your own personal retreat, or will it be a rental property? Do you know that different tax rules apply depending on its use? According to the IRS, “If you live in your home for more than 14 days, or more than 10% of the time you rent it…

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Minimalist Kitchen Design: Clean Look and Lines

Buyers Recognizing Housing Market Recovery

Brenna Weatherby

The 2013 Home Buyers Survey, conducted by the California Association of Realtors, indicates that buyers are aware that the real estate market is recovering, and are optimistic about real estate prices, especially in the coming years.  60% of those surveyed felt that home prices will rise in the next 5 years, while 36% of those surveyed felt that home prices will rise in the next year.  

You can see that this confidence has increased dramatically over previous years.  An increase in buyer optimism means an increase in buyers wanting to enter the real estate market, but the prices have to continue to rise (even slightly) in order for this optimism to continue.  Fingers crossed for 2014.

 

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Nail The Final Walkthrough Before Closing

Laura Mancinelli Blog

By the time you get to the final walkthrough on your property, the home buying process is almost complete. However, it is still important to pay close attention to this final step, as it will be crucial in the success of your home purchase. The final walkthrough is your last opportunity to ensure that everything in the home is in working order and that there are no potential problems waiting for you when you take over ownership of the property. While conducting a final walkthrough of the property, give yourself enough time to look carefully at everything and not be rushed. You are looking for any new issues that might have arisen since the last time you viewed the home. Once you close on the purchase the previous owners will not be obligated for fixing any damage. For this reason, you should schedule your walkthrough approximately 24 hours before closing…

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Your Home’s First Price Should Be Its Best Price

Afraid your house is a white elephant?

Simply Baby Boomer Real Estate

  Here you are after all these years of providing for everyone else. Now it’s time for you! But what does that mean? Snowbird-ism. Golf until you drop. New career in flower arranging, or another craft you can do sitting down?

What are you going to do about that big ‘ol house that used to be full of kid activity, and now is just full of the grown kids’ stuff? Can you stomach “condo living”? How can you figure all of this out?

Well, speaking as someone who has just made a major a couple of major transitions, I’m here to say you can figure it out. And it really helps to have people to guide you. So, I decided to concentrate my real estate business on people like me. People who are many, many years from the “home”–but looking for ways to simplify life.

So, stay tuned for tales from…

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Middle-class affordability shrinks in key housing markets