I’m always looking for ways to increase home visibility for my clients who’s homes I am marketing.

My website is popular (well in excess of (more…)

Whether you are considering selling or buying your home, it is common to go through times of stress and through times of joy.  Regardless of how stressful things may be, when a home goes pending (a contract has been accepted), it is fair to expect that things will go normally, and in complete accordance with the dates and criteria set forth in the contract.  After all, when everything is written out in black and white, there is no room for mistakes, right? (more…)

Once you make the decision to sell your home, you might be tempted to just put the house on the market and get it over with as fast as possible.  After all, this can be a stressful and emotionally-draining task!

But rushing into things can show a lack of preparation and strategy. Mistakes made in the beginning of the selling process are difficult to undo. Even time – the great healer – does not help with real estate. (more…)

Some of my buyers are in no hurry to purchase their home. They say something like, "We are willing to wait until a great deal comes along", or "The sellers will get desperate to sell after the home has been on the market for a long time". What does "a long time" mean? Until now, the answer to this question has been some agent’s made-up statistic or vague answer. (more…)

Did you know that 55% of all homes for sale do not have a virtual tour?  I found this statistic as I was working on my brand-new home-search page, http://aroundcu.com/search.  Give it a try and let me know what you think of it!

The virtual tours that you will find when you search for homes are simply links to external sites that have more than the maximum 9 photos that are in the multiple listing service (MLS), the main real estate database that Realtors use.  This database is what you can access through my website.  

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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.
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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)

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…)