During the past eight years, fixer uppers were almost exclusively the result of a foreclosure or short sale. People who could no longer afford to pay their mortgages allowed maintenance to lapse; they either didn’t have the money to keep up with property expenses or they knew it wouldn’t be cost effective to spend, say … Read more
When you purchase a home, your Realtor will list title insurance among the required expenses. Why is it so important? Because without it, you cannot be sure that your claim on the property has priority over someone else’s (and you won’t get a loan). According to the American Land Title Association (ALTA), title problems occur … Read more
Many people around town are curious about when Costco might finally receive approval to build so it can open a store in Ukiah. Regardless of whether you’re a supporter or detractor, it looks like Costco has overcome a few of the major hurdles delaying its arrival. In the spirit of full disclosure, Realty World Selzer … Read more
While the idea of living in a new home can be exciting, the process of moving there is not. Here are a few ways to ease the process and save a little money. First, decide whether to hire movers. You can hire movers who simply take the boxes, furniture, and appliances to your new location, … Read more
There are many compelling reasons to sell your house or other real estate you may own. Maybe you want to move closer to grandkids. Maybe you want to move further away from grandkids. Maybe you need to sell an investment property, so you can put your grandkids through college. Regardless of your motivation, here are … Read more
Once you’ve invested in a business, you’ll want to keep it safe in all kinds of different ways. When most people think of safety, they think of locks and security alarms, but this is only the beginning. Safety can mean everything from securing doors and windows to putting a sensor on your automatic sprinkler when … Read more
There’s a phrase every Realtor has heard and many believe: buyers are liars. Realtors representing buyers sometimes feel misled when buyers change their minds or reveal information later that would have been helpful earlier. As a buyer, it is unlikely that you hire a Realtor with the idea, “Hey, I’m going to lie to this … Read more
Back in the day, when someone talked about home security, they were referring to an alarm system, and maybe trimming bushes and other landscaping to make sure bad guys had nowhere to hide. Now? Things are completely different, and a little unnerving for those of us who are not computer geeks. Now we have to … Read more
After years of drought, many of us are pleased to hear that it is supposed to be a wet winter; however, some of us get a little nervous when we hear meteorologists predicting an especially strong El Nino year, because that can mean flooding. If you buy a home in a federally designated flood zone … Read more