Archive for the 'Tips & Advice' Category
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | January 12, 2010
With 2010 well underway, how are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions? (My efforts for daily gym workouts have been less than successful, but I digress.)
If you’re looking for real estate-themed resolutions, may we suggest adding a few more things to your list of to-do’s?
1. Take advantage of a buyer’s market. Home values are still falling in many markets and many areas are still ripe with great deals. Browse homes for sale.
2. Let Uncle Sam help you buy a new home. See if you qualify for the homebuyer tax credit.
3. Aspire to live better, but within your means. One can always dream. Check out our Luxury Living Guide and try our “Can I Afford It?” calculator.
4. Get your finances in shape. If you can’t afford to buy a home now, commit to a homeownership strategy. Take steps to boost your credit score and save for a down payment.
5. Find adventure in the Southwest. Find out what life is like in Santa Fe and Albuquerque and enter to win HGTV’s Dream Home.
Happy New Year!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | November 24, 2009
Thanksgiving is around the corner, meaning less focus on buying and selling a home, and more focus on preparing your current home for the holidays, shopping for presents and getting together with family.
If you’re like me, you’ll probably check out the movie “New Moon” to see what all the hype is about (if you haven’t seen it already). FrontDoor got into the vampire spirit with a slideshow showcasing the Cullen House from the popular “Twilight” movies, which is listed for under $3.3 million.
But if you’re among those hard-core homebuyers or sellers who won’t (or can’t) stop just because turkey’s on the table, here are some holiday tips from your friends at HGTV’s FrontDoor.com.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | October 30, 2009
It’s hard enough to sell a house in this market, but try selling a haunted house! It’s a challenge but not impossible. HGTV’s FrontDoor offers tips and advice to get the job done.
If you’re a buyer looking for the ultimate bargain, a haunted house or other stigmatized property may be right for you — if you can deal with the home’s gruesome past or unexplainable issues.
If the idea of living in a haunted house scares you, there are plenty of haunted houses to visit. Whether it’s the creepy abandoned Victorian at the end of your block or the fancy haunted house attraction you pay to enter, be safe and have a happy Halloween!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | October 30, 2009
For those of you who’ll be house hunting as well as trick-or-treating this Halloween weekend, your friends at FrontDoor.com have come up with some tips for foreclosure buyers. We call them:
And check out these other Halloween-themed homebuying and selling tips on FrontDoor.com:
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | October 16, 2009
HGTV’s FrontDoor.com is proud to welcome real estate open house listing site OpenHouse.com to the HGTV family!
On OpenHouse.com, you can find open house schedules and addresses and view hundreds of thousands of virtual home tours to enhance your house hunting experience.
Combine that with FrontDoor’s 4 million real estate listings and expert articles and videos and you’ve got all you need to take charge of your home search.
OpenHouse.com also offers homebuyers and sellers great insider tips and advice, including:
Read the news release here. And be sure to watch HGTV’s Open House Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET for more news!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | October 7, 2009
The housing market can be very scary. Just ask any homebuyer or seller — a seemingly normal situation can easily turn into a nightmare.
In this month’s Top 10, read 10 hair-raising real estate horror stories, from showings gone awry to frightening HOAs to houses plagued with unwelcome guests and ghastly pasts.
Plus, get tips on how to avoid these nightmares and ensure your homebuying or selling experience is drama free.
Happy Halloween!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | August 6, 2009
I hear so many real estate agent horror stories from homebuyers and sellers (and have experienced my own nightmare situations) that you’d think “agent bashing” is some sort of national pastime.
While there are some bad apples out there (as there are in any profession), that shouldn’t reflect poorly on the industry as a whole. In fact, I know many people who rave about their real estate agents and consider them part of the family.
Finding an agent is easy. In any given area, hundreds of professionals are vying for your business. Finding the right agent for you is the hard part.
You’re trusting someone to help through one of the biggest purchases in your life, so it’s important to do your research.
Check out FrontDoor’s Top 10 Strategies for Choosing the Right Real Estate Agent.
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | July 31, 2009
It’s tough not to think about how much your home value has fallen since the peak of the real estate boom. But as financial expert Barry Ritholtz points out, falling prices don’t affect you unless you really have to sell.
Furthermore, delusional sellers are blocking the road to the housing recovery. Until they wake up to the reality of today’s market and price aggressively, they’ll need a dose of HGTV’s “Real Estate Intervention.”
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | July 20, 2009
I’ve never been a great haggler.
For most of my 20s, I accepted terms that were offered to me, not really knowing I could fight for what I wanted.
Perhaps it was my aversion to conflict (Libras like me seek balance, after all) or the ingrained, albeit naive, notion that people always offer a fair price.
Looking back, I wish I would have negotiated many more things in my life — career opportunities, salaries, boyfriends… but I digress.
As a first-time homebuyer, it is absolutely critical that you understand how to make a strong offer and how to negotiate with the seller to get terms you both can live with, especially if you really want the home.
Negotiating skillfully requires that you do your research — calculate the property’s fair market value from comps, understand the seller’s motivations for selling in this market, and know what concessions you are willing to make and what your deal breakers are.
Check your emotions at the door. Consider everything analytically, carefully, so you don’t get caught up in the heat of the moment and end up doing something you regret.
Think of this preparation as your training before you jump into the negotiating ring. Just because you’re in a buyer’s market doesn’t mean the seller is going to jump at your offer. You can safely assume that the seller has done their homework, so why should you come unprepared?
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | July 17, 2009
In this week’s vlog, we hear from San Diego real estate broker and blogger Kris Berg about her tips for buying and selling a home in today’s market.
Homebuying and selling resources on FrontDoor:
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