Buy Owner Blog

This year, fight the gloominess of February by incorporating color and brightness into your home! [...]

In case you’ve missed any of our green-living blog posts over the last two years, here’s a roundup! [...]

You can make green choices for every room in your house, including the laundry room. Here are some ideas! [...]

Stretching over 176 square miles of Sonoran desert, the city of Peoria is a major suburb of Phoenix and also encompasses Lake Pleasant, which is Arizona’s second largest lake. Because of its close proximity to the city and its large amount of nature, in 2008, Money Magazine ranked Peoria as one of the 100 best places to live. Other attributes of Peoria are its 35 miles of nature trails, a multitude of shopping and dining opportunities, well-planned neighborhoods, highly rated schools and spring training for major league baseball teams, the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres, inside the Peoria Sports Complex. [...more...]

If you’ve kept up with our blogs, you know how to prepare for open houses. You know that a fresh coat of paint in an otherwise drab room isn’t a bad idea. You know that in spring the bushes should be trimmed and in winter salt should be laid. You know that baking cookies during an open house is an easy way to add a comforting aroma, a hospitable charm and a homey atmosphere.

When you get down to it, preparing for a scheduled open house isn’t all that hard. You clean, declutter and make your home look presentable. But what happens when potential homebuyers show up unannounced? It happens. Independent buyers can show up without calling and expect to see your house. Sure, you can turn them away and set up a more convenient time for them to show up. However, this move might turn them away, wondering what it is you have to hide, and annoyed at you not working with their schedule. [...more...]

Looking for a way to expand your home’s overall living space and make it stand out amongst the competition? Consider adding a dormer. [...]

Are you thinking of gifting/loaning a down payment to your children? Are you a child considering accepting help from your parents to buy your first home? [...]

As part of a special feature at the Buy Owner Blog, we’ll be highlighting cities throughout the nation, profiling their attractions and conveniences, as well as pointing out some currently for-sale homes in the area!

Today’s city: The Woodlands, Texas!

Situated outside Houston, The Woodlands is the #1 ranked master-planned community in Texas and has been nationally recognized as a model for community planning and development.

[...more...]

Shopping for a home? Here’s a tip on spotting motivated sellers:

A seller that goes beyond the limits is probably a seller that is anxious to move, willing to negotiate with you and probably able to make the buying process as easy as possible.

So what should you look for?

Recent tips we have shared with sellers included how to improve curb appeal, how to stage an unfinished basement, what repairs to make before selling so that the house is move-in-ready for buyers, how to stage the spare bedrooms so everyone living in the home enjoys their personal space and how to add green innovations for cost savings and eco-friendly living. [...more...]

You’ve decided to sell your home. But despite powerful marketing of photos and virtual tours and descriptions, you still haven’t sold. Why?

Perhaps it’s time to do a little updating…on the cheap! Here are five ways to improve your home’s selling potential without breaking the bank:

• Fresh Interior Paint: Remember that time you decided to give the living room a new look just by simply moving the furniture, and you accidentally dinged the wall with that end table? You may have hidden the mark behind a couch or a chair, but a buyer is going to see that little mark as decreased value. Before you sell your home, make sure that all the walls are pristine. Wash them, spackle any ticks or holes and give them a fresh coat of neutral-colored paint.

[...more...]