It is estimated that over 15% of the population in the U.S. are over 65 years of age. With one of the most common fears of seniors being their money will run out early, it is understandable that downsizing may be strategy to meet their goals. Once the kids are grown, have careers, relationships and get a place of their own, parents find they may not need their “big” home… Read More »Downsizing is an Alternative
35% of respondents, in a recent annual Gallup poll that dates back to 2002, identified real estate as the best long-term investment option compared to 27% who identified stocks. The top choices included real estate, stocks, savings accounts and gold. Even with the remarkable prices of the different U.S. stock indices recorded in 2019 through April and May, homes have the highest confidence in the minds of the respondents. This… Read More »America Still Considers Real Estate the Best
There comes a time in many negotiations when progress halts and deadlock ensues. Several things happen when deadlock happens and if you know what they are, and what to do about them, success can be the result. And we all like that, right? One problem, of course, is when people involved in a negotiation become unmotivated. In a world where buyers want to buy and sellers want to sell, if… Read More »Dealing with Deadlock
I come across a multitude of salespeople who are stuck. They all seem to want to know why and most want to know the quickest way to get unstuck. Unfortunately, the “easy” way to get unstuck is often the way to just get stuck again. So, we won’t go down that road, we’ll head down the other which is this: the best way to not get stuck is to, are you… Read More »Alex Honnold, The Beatles and The Answer: All You Need Is Love
June and July are the busiest home sale months of the year. When inventory is in short supply and you may be competing with other offers, it is important to show the seller you’re serious. Make your offer look as good as possible because you may not get the chance to make or accept a counter-offer. Put yourself in the seller’s shoes. Your home has just gone on the market.… Read More »Show Them You’re Serious
You’ve been planning this trip for some time and almost every detail has been considered…or has it? Have you thought about how to protect your home while you’re out of town? What’s going to make sure that everything you left is still there in you return? Nothing could ruin a trip more than coming back to find out your home has been burglarized or worse. It makes sense to spend… Read More »Don’t Leave Home Without…
In 2010, my wife Linda and I, discarded the chains of a 3500 square foot home and embraced the practicality of downsizing. For us, the decision wasn’t easy as we were still young and vibrant (well, maybe not as vibrant as we’d like), and had plans for future moves. Nine years later, we’re still here. I mention this because many of you have not taken the SRES (Senior Real Estate… Read More »Two Great Times to Explain Aging in Place
It was a balmy 14 degrees for my run this morning. That’s up from 0 Sunday and then 2. Now, don’t get me wrong, 0 in Colorado is not like 0 in say…. Detroit or Chicago. I’ll take 0 here over 20 in the Great Lakes. Still a hair chilly – at the least it’s tights weather. In general, this running thing has been light, at best. 30-35 miles a… Read More »Are We Still Doing This Stupid Daylight Savings Time Thing?
There are two ducks in this picture. They are both one distracted moment from being hurled through these mini-rapids to a place where, at least for now, they do not want to go. They looked casual to me, but below the surface were paddling like crazy to stay where they intended to be: right there. Like these ducks, I (and maybe you) need to stay focused and not let the… Read More »Be A Duck: or some other deeply embedded lesson
Fear of the unknown is common among all ages. Kids, at night, imagine monsters in their closets or under their beds and adults are unsure of what the future might bring. It may be natural for first-time buyers to be unsure of the process because they haven’t been through it before but even repeat buyers need to know changes that have taken place since the financial housing crisis. The steps… Read More »Do You Know the Way?