If you don’t spend much of your time buying and selling homes, you probably don’t have a clear sense of what title insurance is or why it’s important. Like many types of insurance, it’s not important–unless it is, and then it’s crucial. People can have unrecorded or unofficial rights to your property, so it’s important … Read more
When trying to figure out how much renovating you can afford, zero-based budgeting is a good way to go. Zero-based budgeting means starting from scratch. Assume all decisions are negotiable. Start with a list of every renovation expense you can think of, and assign a cost to each individual item. Ideally, it’s best to choose … Read more
When you’re trying to sell your home, you want to engage in all the activities that encourage buyers and none of the activities that don’t. Common sense, right? Then why do I see so many sellers sabotaging the sale of their property when it comes to open houses? Realtors have many marketing techniques to get … Read more
Moving comes with some unavoidable expenses, but you can cut some moving expenses by following these tips. The most obvious way to save money is to move yourself rather than hiring a moving company to pack your belongings and truck them to your new place. If you have a choice about when to move, and … Read more
I am happy to announce that I have to get back to Schat’s Bakery to pick up some more gift cards because I’m getting several excellent column ideas. Thank you! Although I had planned to talk about rules for renters, this week I’m responding to a question about fireplaces. Spring in Ukiah can be chilly, … Read more
People often spend a lot of time thinking about the house they want to live in, but not as much time considering the neighborhood. Here are some important questions to consider before making an offer on a house. Since the answers to these questions are different for different people, I’ll just pose the questions and … Read more
Moving can be exciting, but it tends to come with a few drawbacks (like getting all your earthly possessions from one location to another). So, this column is about some important steps to take to make your move as smooth as possible. As I’ve mentioned before, if you’re selling your house, it is best to … Read more
Consumer confidence is a funny thing. As adults, we understand that wanting something doesn’t necessarily make it so (for example, no matter how much we want our favorite dessert to have zero calories, it doesn’t); however, with consumer confidence it’s the opposite. When enough people believe something, it becomes true. It’s not actually the belief, … Read more
Most of us wouldn’t trade our pets for anything, but when it comes to selling your home, why limit your audience to pet lovers? I would never suggest trying to hide the fact that you have pets, but I would recommend you follow a few tips on minimizing the negative effects pets can have on … Read more