As many of you are aware, a buyer in California is suing her real estate agent for failing to help them with their due diligence on a property. She felt that she was hiring a professional and as such expected professional guidance. Whether her case is valid or not is up to courts. I know…
Well the market is down and so sellers are desperate to come up with novel ways to try and sell their homes. This has to be the most interesting way I have seen so far. These sellers are holding an essay contest, and will award the house to the winner. It costs $200 to enter.…
Location, Location, Location… Located in a desirable neighborhood…scream the typical real estate flyers. What exactly is “location” or a “desirable” neighborhood? I like to refer to it as neighborhood health. Agents know it when we see it, but we really don’t like to talk about the dynamics, as the dreaded “steering” word inevitably pops into…
There has been a lot of talk about expanding McNary Field for more flights in and out of Salem. Delta Airlines, just this year, began making twice-daily flights from Salem to Salt Lake City. They city council is working on having direct flights to LA now. My husband travels a lot to California for business,…
I went the doctor recently for a cold. It was a pretty average cold, nothing too funky about it. I wanted to get cured. “In order to cure your cold, you need to get some rest, drink plenty of fluids, and eat well,” said the doctor. “You should be fine in 1-3 weeks.” “No, I…
One of the most important aspects of our culture is the power of choice. We can choose any religion, express our own thoughts, choose from a multitude of occupations, and essentially how we want to live our lives. There have always been and will always be discussions about ethics. Not just in real estate but…
There are a few pockets around the country that have seller’s markets or neutral markets, but for the most part, real estate markets are advantageous for buyers. What this means for sellers, is that your home has to stand out, and be the best that it can, or buyer’s just move on to the 50…
As a real estate agent, I am often asked to make referrals for a number of different services. It is really important to me as an agent that I refer my clients to good people. When a client calls and asks me for a plumber, lender, home inspector, accountant, baby sitter, etc. I make sure…
Everyone knows someone, who knows at least one real estate agent. Let’s face it…many people have their license. This recent downturn in the market is causing many agents to rethink their strategy, get part time jobs, or just leave the industry. Some of the larger brokerages are consolidating offices into one in order to create…
Salem Oregon real estate has trucked along at a steady pace for many years. Nothing spectacular worth talking about, just an average community. We did see things go crazy here (crazy in Salemite terms) in 2005 and 2006, but not like other parts of the country. I was looking at housing predictors ranking of 25…