When you are looking for a new home to buy, do you care how old it is?  Some people do.  Some people only want homes that are virtually new.  Others might like the rustic charm that comes from owning a home that has been around for a century.

I’ve mentioned before that the home search feature on my website is quite popular.  As I talk to people who are interested in buying homes, one of the questions that I always ask is, "What can I do to make my website more useful to you?".  One of the answers that I’ve heard recently is that people have wanted a way to limit their results according to how old the homes are.  So, I’ve been working on an addition to my home search that lets users "pick their age" and today I’m releasing it to the public.

From the search page on my website, there is now an option for ‘Age:’. If you don’t care about the age of the homes you are looking for, just leave the option in its default position. But, if you want to restrict your search to homes that are newer, you can choose one of the options in the drop-down box. The ‘New Construction’ option is special. Realtors typically use it to refer to a house that hasn’t yet been lived in. If this is the particular type of home that you are looking for, choose that option. If you really enjoy older homes, choose the option for homes that are older than 75 years.

I want to be your Realtor. Features like this are just one of the services that I provide. Are you thinking about selling your home? I have a well-visited website. Why not have your home featured here? More "eyes" on your home means that it will sell quicker, for more money.

Leave me a comment if you like this feature, or if you have suggestions for other things that I should add to my site!

As I take potential home buyers around to look at properties, one of the questions that often comes up is "How Long Has This Home Been On The Market?". I just added a feature to my website that makes it easier for you to answer this question.

When you do a home search, you will now be automatically told how long a home has been on the market. On both the search result page, as well as the details for an individual home, there will be a bullet item indicating the number of days that a home has been on the market.

You might wonder why the answer to the question even matters. It can actually make a lot of difference! Here are a few reasons why:
(more…)

You might have noticed on my mortgage calculator page after you’ve done a calculation that it has a paragraph at the bottom that looks like:

Did You Know…
If you paid just $40 a month more, you would have your mortgage paid off 54 months earlier? You’d save $20,797.14 in interest and your total payments would be $195,735.89.

I sometime get told that the above paragraph doesn’t make any sense (after all, if you owe $100,000, you owe $100,000, right?), so I thought I would explain what is happening.
(more…)

You have probably heard the news about the housing slump, and the “buyer’s market” that we are currently experiencing. A buyer’s market occurs when supply and demand factors shift to cause a drop in price. Due to the increased supply of homes from excess building and foreclosures, with demand remaining constant, prices of homes drop. The Champaign-Urbana market does not experience the large fluctuations that other areas do, but it is not completely immune. This buyer’s market is a great time to buy. Although this seems to be bad news if you are wanting to sell, it is really not bad news if you have been thinking about purchasing a larger home.
(more…)

When you search for a home on my website and view the "Detailed Information" link for a home, you will see something like this:

If you look at the "Lot Size" field, you will see a set of numbers. If the numbers are something like 100×100, it’s easy: a square lot with each side measuring 100ft. But 72x70x99x45x26? Which side is which dimension, and what is the total overall size?

Let’s start with the basics. Standard convention says that the street side is the first dimension listed, and then the other dimensions follow clock-wise. For example, if you have a lot size of 60×130, the street side measures 60ft and the lot goes back 130ft. (more…)

These last several weeks have been very busy! As I have been taking buyers around to view homes, I have begun to notice a pattern that has solidified my views regarding the importance of curb appeal. I have been amazed at the striking correlation between curb appeal and the overall condition of a house. (read more and view photo)

Existing homes overall are currently taking longer to sell than they used to, but the average selling price has gone up an average of 7.4% since 2005/2006Not bad, considering the widespread belief that 2005/2006 was the “peak” of the housing market.

It is a slightly different story for new construction homes, though. (more…)

In my continuing series on “unique” homes, here is a bathroom that is very worthy of this title: (Click for photo!)

Why am I writing about how sellers should behave? Isn’t it the Realtor’s® job to deal with every aspect of the sale? Aren’t I neglecting to fulfill my duties if you are possibly forced to deal with buyers face-to-face? (more…)

Have you ever gone into a house, whether it is while home-buying or visiting a friend, and thought “What were they thinking?!”? Whether it is outlandish wallpaper, clutter everywhere, everything being one color, or creepy art, some touches of “character” in a house can lead to a slower sale, lower asking prices, or simply no interest. (click for picture!)