3 Reasons Your Home Is Stuck in the Real Estate Graveyard

In today's housing market, it's a tale of two realities. Some homes hit the market and disappear within days, swept up by eager buyers in a flurry of offers. Then there are the others – those properties that linger week after week, their listing photos growing stale as potential buyers scroll right past them. Even though we're entering, or already in, a buyer's market (depending on your location), some listings are still receiving multiple offers.

If your home has been sitting on the market while others around you sell, you're not alone. According to recent data from Realtor.com, we're seeing a staggering 47% increase in delistings as frustrated sellers pull their homes off the market entirely. But here's the truth many real estate agents won't…

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Prioritizing Home Repairs When Selling: A Buyer's Perspective

The Smart Seller's Guide: Focus on What Truly Matters to Home Buyers

Introduction: The Seller's Dilemma

When you decide to sell your home, something strange happens. Suddenly, that hairline crack in the guest bathroom tile you've ignored for years becomes all you can see. The slightly faded patch of carpet near the window seems to scream for attention. The outdated light fixture in the hallway that never bothered you before now feels like a glaring flaw that could tank your home's value.

Welcome to what I call "seller's vision" – a condition where normal, lived-in details of your home transform into perceived deal-breakers overnight. Or, you might not have noticed any of these flaws, but your REALTOR® sure did.

Just like with smells you've…

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House-Hunting Heats Up: Google Searches for Homes Reach Two-Year Peak

If you've been sitting on the fence about selling your home, wondering if there are still interested buyers out there, the latest data provides a clear answer: yes, and they're getting more numerous by the day. Recent statistics show that online searches for homes have climbed to their highest level in two years, indicating a significant resurgence in buyer interest. This digital house-hunting boom, combined with recent drops in mortgage rates, suggests we might be witnessing a meaningful shift in housing market dynamics.

Do I think the increased Google searches means a flux of incoming buyers to the market? I personally feel that these are potential buyers that were waiting for a big price drop in the double digits who have finally realized it…

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MLS vs. Private Listings: The Billion-Dollar Difference in Home Selling Strategies

Selling Your Home? Think Twice Before Not listing on the MLS

Unlock Maximum Value: The Smart Home Seller's Guide to the MLS

So, you've decided it's time to sell your house. Maybe you're moving across the country, or you're buying something new, or just deciding a change of scenery is in order. It's an exciting time, full of possibilities... and also, lots of questions, especially about how you should sell. There are different paths, right?

One big choice is whether to list your house on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) or to keep it completely off-market, sometimes called a "private" or "off-market" sale. Now, let's be upfront: some people do choose to sell off-market, often for good reasons like wanting more privacy. These are usually…

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Price It Right: 3 Proven Strategies for Home Sellers

Strategic Home Pricing: 3 Approaches That Get Results

The Make-or-Break Question in Real Estate

When it comes to selling your home, countless factors influence your success. The quality of your listing photos, the timing of your sale, your home's condition, and even the weather on your first open house weekend can all play a role. But there's one factor that outweighs them all: your pricing strategy.

Notice I didn't say "price" – I said "pricing strategy." There's an important distinction here that many homeowners miss. A price is just a number. A pricing strategy is a thoughtful approach based on market data, buyer psychology, and your personal circumstances.

As someone who's seen countless homeowners make costly pricing mistakes, I can…

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2025 Mid-Year Housing Check-In: What Buyers and Sellers Need to Know Now

Remember the wild days of 2021 when houses were selling within hours of listing, often for tens of thousands above asking price? Those days feel like ancient history now. As we hit the midpoint of 2025, the real estate landscape has transformed dramatically, settling into what many industry experts are calling "the new equilibrium."

I was talking with a client last week who's been waiting three years for the "perfect time" to buy. "There's never a perfect time," I finally told her. "There's just the right time for you." And that's the truth of today's housing market – it's not uniformly good or bad, but rather a mixed bag of challenges and opportunities that vary widely depending on your situation, location, and goals.

The pendulum that swung so…

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The Tide is Turning: How Today's Housing Market is Finally Giving Homebuyers an Edge

For anyone who has attempted to purchase a home in recent years, the experience has likely been nothing short of frustrating. The real estate market has been a rollercoaster of emotions—dominated by bidding wars, sky-high prices, limited inventory, and the crushing disappointment of offer after offer being rejected.

For many, the dream of owning a home seemed to fade into the distance, replaced by frustrating rental searches or the decision to simply 'wait it out.' The landscape was defined by intense competition, driven by factors like historically low interest rates that boosted buyer demand and a severe shortage of homes for sale. Sellers held all the cards, receiving multiple offers the moment their properties hit the market, often far above…

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The 3 Most Important Rooms to Stage When Selling Your Home (And How to Do It Right)

What Are the Most Important Rooms to Focus on When Selling?

Selling your home can feel overwhelming—there’s so much to do, and you want to make sure you get the best possible price. But here’s the good news: not every room needs the same level of attention. According to the 2025 National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Profile of Home Staging, buyers focus most on three key spaces. I was a bit surprised, as before I saw the chart, I chose another room to be in the top 3.

If you stage these rooms effectively, you’re far more likely to sell faster and for more money. In fact, staged homes can sell for 1% to 5% more than non-staged properties. On a $500,000 home, that could be an extra $5,000 to $ 25,000—just for making a few smart upgrades! When…

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Baby Boomers Once Again Overtake Millennials in Home Buying

Back in October of 2023 I wrote a blog post titled Baby Boomer Homebuyers Outpace Millennial Buyers in 2022 and 2023. And they're (we're) at it again.

Navigating today’s housing market isn’t easy, but one group seems to be handling it better than the rest: adults aged 60 to 78. While rising prices and high mortgage rates have left many younger buyers struggling, baby boomers are finding ways to succeed—and their strategies might surprise you.

High interest rates, limited inventory, and escalating prices have created obstacles that affect each generation differently. Understanding these generational differences isn't just academically interesting—it provides valuable insights for buyers, sellers, and the real estate professionals who serve them.

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Navigating Real Estate During Economic Uncertainty: What History Teaches Us About Recessions and Housing

As I'm entering my 42nd year as a REALTOR®, I have helped home buyers and sellers during prior recessions. Many agents quit the business during the Great Recession of 2007-2009, although many refer to the date as 2008, but I was able to stay afloat. The Great Recession was different than the others I was involved in - it was caused by the housing, mortgage and banking industry.

In recent months, economic forecasters and news outlets have increasingly used the "R-word" – recession. For homeowners and prospective buyers, this term can trigger immediate anxiety. After all, our homes represent not just shelter, but often our most significant financial investment. When recession talk intensifies, questions naturally arise about what this means for real…

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