Real estate is one of those industries that seemingly comes with its own language; full of unfamiliar terms and definitions that can make the process of selling your home quite stressful. But there’s no need to sweat—you’re not alone! You’re just one of thousands of confused home sellers anxiously Googling “what does contingent mean in real estate” on a Saturday night. And unless you’re experienced in real estate, no one is expecting you to know! That’s why we REALTORS® are here to guide you and educate you through the process. And that includes teaching you the terms you may encounter in the journey to selling your home, like these:

Appraisal

An appraisal is the process of assessing your home’s fair market value based on its condition,…

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In today’s world, it seems like everything costs money. Whether it be a product, service, or activity you’re after, it feels impossible to leave the wallet at home and just take care of things on your own anymore. And because of this feeling, many people are now—rightfully so—more suspicious of hidden fees and charges, especially when it comes to services, like real estate! 

I think if you asked any REALTOR® today what question they are asked most often, each and every one of them would say, “How much does it cost to use a real estate agent?” or “How do you get paid?” And since we aren’t displaying any prices on a menu of services anywhere or asking for payment from the start, it’s easy to see how you might worry about surprise costs popping up…

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Hands down, one of the number one questions I get asked as a REALTOR® is, “When is the best time to sell my house?” The trouble with answering that question, though, is that the “best time” can vary quite significantly from family to family. However, if we are looking purely from a perspective of how the market is doing, here are some of the pros and cons to selling at different times of the year:

Selling Your Home in Winter

Winter is traditionally thought of as the worst time to sell your house, with less demand in the market. Typically, with more homes for sale than buyers looking, properties tend to sit on the market for longer, and those buyers that are in the market may be looking to take advantage of the slow season for a better price,…

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Often one of the greatest motivations for selling your house is buying a new one. And with the eager anticipation of a new home building up, it never surprises me when working with new sellers to hear the question, “Should I buy before selling my house or wait to buy until after it has sold?” The honest answer, though, is that there really isn’t a “right” answer! In fact, there are benefits and downsides to both approaches.

The Benefits of Buying Before Selling Your House

As I said before, it’s often the anticipation of starting fresh with a new house that will have sellers questioning whether to buy before selling their house. And as long as you can swing it financially, there can be many upsides to making the move in that order! 

One…

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