Prepare yourself to be insulted.

If you or your loved one is over 50, chances are you’ve collected a few mementos over your lifetime which you have beautifully displayed in your home.

If those items are extremely unique... if they are expressions of deeply held religious or political beliefs...or if you’ve owned them for more than a couple decades, there’s a chance that those items that you love so much, could hurt your ability to sell your house.

I know it’s hard to hear, but when it comes to selling a house, it’s essential that you
depersonalize and genericize your home as much as possible.

Why? Because if people are sending their time looking at your things, they’re not spending time looking at the house.

What’s better is a staged, generic looking house that other people can imagine themselves living in. And the more the home looks like something they’ve seen on HGTV, the better.

Don’t repair everything you think...

By: Kelly Vandever

One huge challenge in making a move, especially for those of us who’ve been alive more than 50 years, is what to do with all your stuff.   

Over several posts, I’ll be sharing some rules of thumb that I’ve learned. 

Rule of Thumb #2 for Getting Rid of Things  

Rule of Thumb #2 for getting rid of things is to decide what you would want to move if you had to move into a small, assisted living apartment. 

YES!  THAT SOUNDS EXTREME! 

Maybe you won’t ever need assisted living.  We all hope and pray not.   

But if you do or if you’re like me and you have a parent with cognitive or physical issues, asking the question, “What would I want if I had to move into a tiny, assisted living apartment?” will help you get down to the nitty gritty, bare bones of the matter, and forces us to get very focused and very specific....

Multiple Offers Disclosure 

by David Strauss, Attorney, O'Kelley and Sorohan

The current market for residential real estate is a decidedly seller’s market.  A record low inventory of homes for sale, coupled with an increased demand for homes to purchase has led to an incredibly competitive marketplace.  As a result, many Buyers are making offers to purchase homes that are well above asking price, allow the Seller to have temporary occupancy of the home after closing, have a large amount of earnest money, and waive contract contingencies in favor of the buyer.  Such an offer may win the deal but it does not come without significantly more risk than normal for a Buyer.

Below are some common tactics Buyers are using to be competitive in today’s market.  Buyers should understand what it means to make such an offer and the risk the expose themselves to in doing so.

WAIVING DUE DILIGENCE

What is Due Diligence?

Due diligence is a time where...