Link To Us   |   Bookmark Us Member Login   |   Not a FREE member yet?  Sign Up Here!
Kirsten Hawkins's Articles in Real Estate Show All|Display Category|Title|Newest|Oldest The Money Pit A dark legend in the world of real estate, the monster in the closet, the secret fear of all investors. Why do we do it? Why do we pour time and money, blood, sweat and tears, into a home renovation when the house turns out to be the equivalent of a lemon on the car lot? Maybe it's because Americans love a challenge. Maybe it's because we're uneducated about what we're getting ourselves into, and too proud to stop when we figure it out. Or maybe it's a secret emotional... The House Flipping Trend Picture this: You purchase a run-down old house at a local auction. The house is falling apart, maybe even in the kind of ways that require Condemned signs, and you walk away thrilled to have spent $65,000 of your hard-earned money to own it. What world is this? This is the world of house-flipping. If you haven’t heard of house-flipping, chances are you don’t work in real estate. Then again, neither do many house-flippers, at least not at first. House-flipping is the ne... The Final Walk Through So you've bought a house. The paperwork is signed and in order, and all that remains is your final walk through. Wait! Your job isn't over. The final walk through can be a crucial step in the home-buying process. While it's true that home inspections and all other negotiations should be taken care of well before this time comes, the final walk through is by no means a free day. There are a few things that you as the buyer must be aware of during this final step in the pro... Staging A Home For Sale So your house is up for sale. It's a good house, well-priced for the neighborhood, and in decent repair. But nobody's buying. What's wrong? The fact is, you might be looking right past the problem. You've lived in your house day in and day out, and you're accustomed to it being, well, your house. It takes a leap of faith and imagination to picture another family living within those familiar rooms. If it's hard for you to imagine someone else living in your house, then chan... Sprucing Up Your Yard And Garden To Sell If you are thinking of selling your home, the best way to raise the value of your property is to fix the place up! Whether it be new landscaping, a new front door, remodeling the kitchen or bathroom, or building a fence, every dollar that you put into your home to make it better for the person who is going to purchase the home in the future. While you are in the process of fixing things up, putting dollars into your home may seem a futile effort. What if these improvemen... Small Is Beautiful Remember the studio apartment you had in college? That one room apartment served as bedroom, living room, kitchen and den; it probably held a daybed, a television, a coffee table, and maybe even the stove and refrigerator along one wall. Moving into a real home after experiencing such a cramped way of living can be a huge relief. So it comes as a surprise to some that home owners today are deliberately building smaller. If you've got the cash, some think, why not slap on as m... Simple Tips For Showing Your Home If your home is on the market, it should be available at all times for showing to potential buyers. After all, how else do you expect to sell it? During the time your house is on the market, try to keep it prepared for a showing whenever possible. When you get prior notice that someone is coming to view your home, there are a few simple things you can do to ensure their viewing is a pleasant one. The number one thing is not to be there. If it all possible, try to schedule ... Selecting The Best Real Estate Agent For You Let's face it: selling or buying your home is probably one of the biggest, most daunting projects you will ever take on in your life. It's a monumental event that could impact a large part of at least the next few years of your life, and it's for that reason that a lot of homeowners looking to buy or sell homes or commercial property will turn to a real estate agent or Realtor for help. Having the assistance of a Realtor by your side can be very reassuring, especially for... Reversible Negatives When Buying A House So it's time to buy a house. Whether you're shopping on a budget or searching for your dream home no matter what the cost, there are a few things you should keep in mind when you go to view potential properties. The bottom line is this: Every house has its drawbacks. The trick of being a smart buyer is to know which of those drawbacks aren't so negative, to use them to your advantage when it comes to negotiating price, and then fix them later at little cost to yourself. H... Renting Out Your Basement Some homeowners consider their basement a wasted space. It's used for storage, they say, and maybe during tornado watches, but for the most part, it can be a vast unused area just dying for some renovation. With property values on the rise, many homeowners toy with the idea of turning that space into a rental property. If you've thought about renting out your basement, there are a few important things you should know first. First of all, you have to clear it with the ... Remodeling For Resale Value Home owners who remodel their homes or make improvements to their property naturally hope to recoup any costs when it comes time to refinance or put their home up for sale. However, when it comes to financing and the real estate market, some remodeling jobs are more valuable than others. If your main goal in doing a remodel is to raise the sticker value of your home, you might want to do some research on which remodels give you more bang for your buck. Kitchen and bathroo... Real Estate: The Ins And Outs Of Becoming A Real Estate Agent Getting into the real estate business can be one of the most rewarding, yet tiresome occupations out there. Whether the rewards outweigh the downfalls of the position really does depend on the person looking into the career. If you are a family-oriented person or someone who likes to spend a lot of time to themselves or enjoying the more leisurely things in life and you are really not looking to give these things up (at least for a while), real estate may not be the right gig... Pricing You Home To Sell When it comes time to sell your home, settling on your list price is one of the most important decisions you will make. All sellers want to command the highest price possible, while all buyers, of course, want to buy a house for the lowest amount they can. Finding the price in between that is just right for your home, its assets, and its area, is a process that involves many factors. The first factor in pricing your home is, naturally enough, your home itself. The desirabi... Owning vs. Renting In the recipe known as the American Dream, it’s one of the main ingredients: Owning your own home. With the real estate market of America in constant flux, it’s not as simple as it sounds to obtain. For those who are just starting out in the credit world, newly graduated with jobs, degrees, kids, or credit cards, the steps towards making this milestone purchase are getting steeper and steeper. The effects can be seen across the country, as more Americans are settling for trac... Owning Rental Property Many people today are intrigued with the idea of owning investment real estate. It sound like an awfully simple way to make money: Owning property, renting it out to tenants, and collecting rent payments. The truth is, it can be an extremely profitable venture, or it can be a train wreck. An individual who is purchasing rental property for the purposes of income has a long road ahead of him, and he should be involved every step of the way to ensure that his investment tur... Out Of Date Real Estate As with any other possession, whether it's clothing or cars, there are trends in real estate that come and go. These trends eventually make their way down through the levels of home ownership, and mark a property as "clearly hot" or "clearly not." If you're planning on selling or buying, it might be wise to take a look at current "out" trends such as these. First of all, swimming pools? Not such a big deal anymore. More home buyers today are thrilled with a huge backyard, ... Open Houses: Are They Worth It? Many home sellers who wish to expose their property to a larger market make the decision to hold an open house, and schedule a date and time during which they invite people to come and explore the property. Is it worthwhile for potential sellers to go through the hassle of an open house? Is it more risk than reward? Of course, plenty of homes are sold through private showings, scheduled only between the home owner, the realtor, and the buyer. But the publicity of a well-ad... One Repair You Must Make There are many brave buyers are willing to purchase a home that needs renovation or repair. But there's one problem that will most likely send them all screaming. As the seller, it's in your best interests to tackle this problem head-on before ever considering putting your home on the market. The problem is mold. We're not talking about the normal mildew smell of a damp basement, although that will probably scare buyers, too, and should be remedied. We're talking about wha... Nudge Up Your Property Value First impressions make a big difference, and selling your home is no exception. Sometimes big repairs and major renovations just aren't in the budget, but when it comes time to sell your home, you naturally want to get the best price possible. There are a few quick, affordable things you can do around your house to kick up your property value and leave potential buyers with a good feeling. And that good feeling might just lead to a good sale. The first thing you should do ... Is Housing Too Expensive? The face of America's population is changing by the day. With the onset of many lower-income jobs and the flux of workers in the job force who are making the federal minimum wage, the financial situation of the country's population has been shifting. Along with this shift comes the inevitable shift in the country's housing situation. With incomes and housing rates in flux, America's housing situation has been steadily worsening and may very well reach a crisis point in the ne... Is Bay Area Real Estate Risky Business? Bay Area real estate is an ever-increasingly popular investment for prospective property or home owners in California. The location is prime, and the price is always right. Whether it is due to the area's oil-rich location near the shore, the beautiful weather, the breathtaking views, or the pocket-fattening constant tourist traffic in San Francisco, the Bay Area is a very popular choice of locations for both prospective real estate agents (who are seeing dollar signs, most l... Is A Townhouse For You? With the huge variety of real estate choices on the market today, many people aren't even clear on what a townhouse is, much less whether or not it's the right choice for them. So what, exactly, is a townhouse? A townhouse, also called a rowhouse, is actually very much the same thing as a condominium, with one technical difference. Both are housing units that are physically attached to other units on either side- thus the name rowhouse, since they stand in a row. But in a... How To Find Houses For Sale? When it comes to purchasing a home, the choices available can be a little overwhelming. With the onslaught of the internet, it seems there are thousands of ways to locate that perfect home, and a new buyer might be a confused about where to start. There are a few good ways to narrow the selection. First of all, if you know where you want to live, then go there. Whether it's a new city or a new neighborhood, taking a drive through your future abode can open up plenty of pos... Common Architectural Styles Have you ever heard a home referred to as a Tudor, or a Colonial, and wondered exactly what those terms meant? Have you tried to describe your home to others, and had trouble finding the right words? Maybe you're trying to plan your dream home, and you're in need of some inspiration. The history of architectural styling is a fascinating subject and is well worth the study. The evolution of real estate design to meet people's needs throughout the years has resulted in classic ...	Authors Sign Up for a free account. Submit your articles. Publishers Category RSS feeds. Resources Accredited Home Schools Article Directory More Resources

Copyright © ArticleJoe.com All Rights Reserved.
Use of our service is protected by our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service
100% Free Article Submission And Distribution