Buy Owner Blog

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? [...]

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.

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How do you know if you can handle it on your own or if it’s time to hire a professional? Here is a list of pros and cons of hiring a home decorator that will help you decide when to make the call. [...]

If you’re looking for a new way to incorporate green, eco-friendly living into your home, look no further than the end of your driveway. [...]

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: Naples, Florida!

Naples is one of the largest cities flanking the outskirts of Florida’s booming southwest city, Fort Lauderdale. Surrounded by sandy beaches on the Gulf of Mexico, this large city offers a quaint downtown area of shops and dining, modern and massive golf courses and prime real estate.

Though Naples is located near large cities, nature comes first in this lush, attractive location just outside of the Everglades. Everglades Excursions are available on a safari wagon, along with nature tours, canoe and kayak trips, cruises, fishing and bird watching in the Everglades and the 10,000 surrounding islands. [...more...]

One of the scariest parts of selling your home FSBO is not having a hand to hold during the monotonous, yet critical, areas of finances and legal issues. Though common advice states that you should consider every offer you receive, which is true, you should not eagerly accept a bid before you know if that buyer can actually obtain a mortgage loan large enough to pay for the house. If the buyer is not yet preapproved or prequalified, the sale of your home could go on for months without any progress.

The first step is to find out if the buyer is preapproved, meaning he or she has been approved for a loan by a lender, or prequalified, meaning he or she has figured out the amount that is probable for him or her to afford and be approved for. A responsible buyer will obtain preapproval before offering a bid. [...more...]

Retirement. The very word conjures up images of sunshine and golf courses and backyard lanais. But is that what today’s retired population is looking for? [...]

Looking to expand your living space? Instead of adding onto your home, and spending a hefty amount of money, create a climate-controlled garage! [...]

A recent U.S. News & World Report article reveals it’s not the tax credit that’s primarily motivating buyers. [...]