Expert Advice from Amy & Kyle Bergquist at Keller Williams Legacy Partners
This past Saturday I had two showing appointments with two different clients, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The morning appointment went fine. The afternoon appointment was a doozy. I had called the listing agent for the house the previous day because it was a fairly expensive short sale and I wondered how involved the bank was and if it would be a quick turnaround if my client was interested and put
Winter is an excellent opportunity to begin thinking about the spring real estate market. Although there is a lot going on, taking a little time here and there to create a plan, and set some portions in motion, could make a big difference when you’re energized early in the new year. We sat down in front of the warm fire last night and came up with four ideas for getting ready for the spring. These
We’ve had some frost. And we’ve had a dusting of snow. Although it’s not bone-chilling cold, most of us won’t be using the outside water spigots again until spring. Here at the Bergquist house that means it’s time to shut off the water. Water spigots are at risk of freeze damage over the winter because water sits in the pipes outside the main walls of the house. Even though the house itself probably does protect
The cover story of today’s real estate section features an article titled That Empty Feeling about the impact of vacant homes on a neighborhood. The wide-ranging piece provides a lot of interesting and important information about homes that are considered eyesores. A critical point in the overall thesis, and therefore a focal point of the article, is the example of a dilapidated property that actually hurts the value of neighboring homes. Unfortunately, a very poor
Another federal tax credit is about to expire, though this one isn’t getting nearly the amount of publicity as the home buyer tax credit. The credit for Consumer Energy Efficiency is an effort to reward homeowners who make energy-related improvements on their property. Through the end of 2010, the government is offering a tax credit of 30% of costs up to $1,500 for small scale residential projects. The energystar.gov website gives a nice overview of