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 | September 18, 2009
Looking for a diverse, family-friendly neighborhood with a thriving arts and music scene? Then look no further than Garvanza in Highland Park, an urban community that offers a suburban feel, just north of downtown Los Angeles.
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | September 3, 2009
Looking for an eclectic, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with tons of history, culture and architecture? Then look no further than Echo Park, a diverse community in the heart of Los Angeles.
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | July 27, 2009
Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook are a great resource for journalists like me, especially when you’re on deadline in a city where you don’t have very many contacts. Case in point — before a recent trip to Chicago, I wanted to connect with a local Realtor and film a home tour for FrontDoor’s vlog. The catch — I had a two-hour block in which to film.
Rather than google Chicago-area Realtors and filter through hundreds of agent profiles, I put a call out to our more than 1,000 fans on Facebook. Et voila! Scott Curcio of Coldwell Banker posted a reply saying he would be happy to help.
Next month, I’ll be in LA, San Francisco, Boston and Seattle. If you have a great real estate story, share it with our Facebook community! I may even feature it in our vlog.
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | May 29, 2009
I’ve been looking for a place to buy in Manhattan for about three months now. Today, my real estate agent tells me that during the summer, open houses shift from the weekends to weeknights. Or you have to set up an appointment to see the place during a weekday.
What?! That means I have to dash from the office to a property crosstown or wherever during my lunch hour (which I don’t normally take). What a major inconvenience.
According to rule #57 in the home seller’s handbook, sellers should make their homes as accessible as possible to attract as many buyers as possible, especially in a buyer’s market. Okay, there’s no handbook per se, but think about all the foot traffic you’ll miss out on. Don’t sellers want to sell their properties quickly? Manhattan is so weird.
In addition to inconvenient open houses, here are a few more pet peeves I’ve had during the house hunting process (and things sellers and agents should keep in mind when marketing their properties):
1) Not posting pictures of the inside of your home online. I’m one of the more than 80 percent of buyers who search for homes for sale online and if you don’t have pictures, I move on to the next listing that does have pictures. These days, your agent should be insisting you include pictures with your listing. If he/she doesn’t, ditch the agent.
2) Posting blurry pictures or ones that are so small you need a magnifying glass to see anything. That’s almost as bad as not having pictures at all, so take clear, appealing pictures. And get rid of the clutter so buyers can see the space, not your stuff.
3) Exaggerating what your home has. One listing I saw read “HUGE terrace.” Since outdoor space is something I want in my new home, I set up an appointment to see the place. To my dismay, the “HUGE terrace” was neither huge nor a terrace! It was a railing that ran along the outside of the bedroom with barely enough room to fit one person! I refused to deal with that listing agent again.
4) Not being prepared for the home tour. I’ve toured properties where the agent doing the showing had no idea what the house or building offered. It was a case of the blind leading the blind. Each time I would ask a question, the agent would give me a blank look and say “I’m not sure about that. I’ll look into it and get back to you.”
What are your biggest pet peeves with the house hunting process? Post your comments below and share your stories with us!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | April 17, 2009
It’s time for another fun-filled weekend of open houses. As you brave the gauntlet of brokers eager to get your business, here are some great tips and worksheets on FrontDoor.com to help you with your search or sale.
Buyers – Hopefully, you’ve done your research and know how much house you can afford and what to expect in the homebuying process. Check out the listings on FrontDoor.com. When you see a place you like, add it to your list of “must-see” properties. If you’re working with a buyer’s broker, he/she should have compiled a list of homes for sale that meet your criteria. Before you head out, master these tips for what to know and expect at an open house. Print out FrontDoor’s Homebuying Checklist and multiple copies of the Home Tour & Open House Worksheet. Fill one out for each property you see and like. And don’t forget your camera!
Sellers – Your real estate broker should have broken down the entire selling process to you and explained how to prepare your home for the open house crowd. For your easy reference, print out FrontDoor’s Home Selling Checklist and the Home Tour & Open House Worksheet. Make sure everything is ready to make that great first impression. Now, it’s up to your listing agent to sell your home to the potential buyers walking through the door.
Speaking of open houses, don’t forget to watch Open House Sundays on HGTV, starting at 10:30 a.m. See how homebuyers and sellers just like you are working the real estate market.
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