Real Estate Decoded

Happy Monday! It's the last week of January, and our new chapter, February will be starting soon.  Have you set any home decor goals for your home for the upcoming month? Here are some trends to inspire you! 1. BLACK SHIPLAP Image Source here 2. CALLIGRAPHY Image Source here 3. BUILT-IN BOOKCASES Image Source here 4. COFFEE TABLES Image Source here Happy decorating!  What trends are inspiring you at the moment? Real Estate Decoded Contributor Sources: 1.  HouseBeautiful  2. ElleDecor

Thinking about purchasing a home? Image Source here According to Nerdwallet and Realtor.com's Chief Economist, Jonathan Smoke, January and February are the best months to purchase a home.  Smoke also says there will be an increase of nearly 5% in mortgage rates as the year continues.  Another popular time to buy a home is in July and August. Want to make a smart home investment where there's growth?  Check out Forbes' Full List: Where To Invest In Housing In 2017 .  They teamed up with the North Carolina-based company, Local Market Monitor, that tracks more than 300 housing markets.  The list includes 20 different cities across the United States like Columbus, OH, Atlanta, GA, Fort Worth, TX,  and Seattle, WA. Image Source here Image Source here Before making any purchases, make sure you are prepared.  Find a Realtor that suits your personality, and be in tune with your emotions involved in the process.  Find out more on thing...

Hello and Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! In continuation with 2017 predictions, one writer at  Inman , Andrew Flachner, writes, 2017 is the year of the real estate broker .  He mentions that there have been threats and pessimism toward the broker-centric model. Image Source here WHAT IS A BROKER? Here's one definition from Barron's Real Estate Guides' Dictionary of Real Estate Terms (8th edition) : Still don't understand?   This article from The Balance explains it a bit more in depth.  A real estate broker can work as a real estate agent, but a real estate agent cannot work as a real estate broker without a broker's license.  Want to obtain a broker's license?  Learn more here for North Carolina's license qualifications and requirements. Image Source here The article from The Balance also goes into detail and specifies what the following titles are: Broker Associate Real Estate Agent REALTOR ® Listing Agent Buyer's Agen...

Hope you are enjoying winter and the new year so far! With these colder temperatures and even snowfall in some states, here are 3 ways from Houselogic that can keep your home warmer this winter: 1. Get your heating system in order. Schedule your HVAC checkup in the fall or winter before the changes in temperature, and make sure your HVAC professional checks all electrical or gas connections as well as other moving components, drains, heat exchangers, etc. 2. Clean your gutters. Make sure your gutters are free of leaves and other debris. Image Source here 3. Check weatherstripping and caulk. Inspect your doors and windows for any air leaks or even light leaks coming through from the outside and make any necessary replacements. Image Source here To read more on these home maintenance tasks, click here . After reviewing Robert Hahn's,  Notorious ROB's 7 predictions for 2017 , here are the 6 key takeaways listed: 1. Housing prices will fall, but the invento...

Hello and Happy 2017! I'm sure you've thought about your personal goals for the year, but how about what goals you want to achieve for your home? Perhaps you are planning on renovating your home?  A good place to start is ask yourself, Why am I making these changes?  Are you trying to add value to your home?  Or are you making changes for enjoyment?  We wrote about renovations in an earlier post.  To read more, click here .  And to find out about renovations that are cost-effective, click here . Image Source here Image Source here Image Source here Or maybe you are planning to buy a home or sell your home?  Learn how to avoid picking the wrong realtor and learn some tips to remember when you interview a realtor . Image Source here Image Source here I hope you have a great start to this first week, this first month, this new year!  Let us know what short-term or long-term plans you have! Real Estate...