Category Archives: Home Sellers

Who do you work with when buying or selling your home?

abstract tangram house

What’s the difference between a real estate agent and a REALTOR®? Or a buyer’s agent and a listing agent? Having a glossary of real estate professionals to refer to as you navigate the home buying or selling process should come in handy.

Here’s a list of professionals that you’re likely to encounter:

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To decorate or not to decorate: Selling your home during the holidays

Girl taking photo of Christmas decorations

The housing market doesn’t come to a standstill during the holidays, and several real estate experts have found that buyers shopping for homes during this time are more motivated and deadline-driven.

“Homebuyers who shop during the off season, and in particular around the holidays, are typically very serious about getting into a house,” says Sharon Voss, president of the Orlando Regional Realtor Association.

Buyers may be looking to relocate for new jobs before the start of the new year, or they may want to close a deal before the end of the tax year. Whatever the case may be, should you put the holidays on hold for you and your family, or go ahead and decorate your home?

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Quiz: How to tell if a real estate agent is right for you

Puzzle pieces

Hiring the wrong real estate agent could significantly impact your experience as a buyer or a seller. The right real estate agent will not only have a great resume and be genuinely committed to helping you meet your needs, but he/she will “click” with you too.

“Real estate is a people business. You have to like and understand people if you want to succeed in real estate,” says Matt Williams, Broker/Owner of Realty Executives Williams Sykes Realty.

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FAMILY SAFETY TIPS TO CONSIDER WHEN YOUR HOME IS FOR SALE

hands holding green house with family

When you’re selling your home and your house is on the market, it’s almost inevitable that strangers will enter your house. Even if you don’t host an open house or showing, there may be strangers coming in and out to appraise your home, do renovations, clean the house or perform other necessary jobs related to the sale of your house.

Although the vast majority of these folks will be well-intentioned potential buyers, you have no way of knowing for sure who is and is not targeting homes for sale for all the wrong reasons. The good news is, you can take precautions in order to keep your home and family safe. Here are a few things you can do to protect your home and family:

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HOW TO WORK WITH THE HOA WHEN BUYING OR SELLING A HOME

Typical upscale modern suburb aerial in the eastern United States.

Prospective buyers often have strong feelings about whether their next home must or must not include a homeowners’ association (HOA). However, the majority of people who live in managed subdivisions and developments are happy with their associations. According to the Community Associations Institute (CAI), 64% of Americans who reside in community associations rate their experience positively.

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