Ruthie's Corner

It’s Not Greek, It’s just ‘Real Estate’ Talk: De-coding the Language of Home Selling I totally get it! You’re thinkin’ about selling your home but you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by what’s involved.  So many “gurus” out there telling you to do so many things. And then, to make matters worse, they use terms that sound almost like a foreign language. No worries. Here are some home-selling terms and their meaning in plain English. So long as you have an experienced agent representing you (like me!), no need to worry about fully understanding the nuances CMA (a “Comparative Marketing Analysis” or “Home Valuation”) A CMA is an analysis real estate pros perform, looking at the local market and comparable homes that recently sold (often called “comps”) as well as those currently on the market and are pending (or failed to sell). After studying, your real estate agent prepares a report estimating your home’s current market value. Escrow (aka the “paperwork” held by a th...

Don’t List Your House Until You Do These 3 Things As an agent, people always ask me for the “truth” with respect to what is most important when selling your home. I guess as opposed to what is a myth…? Anyway, I thought I would share within this blog the 3 most important thing that can’t be overlooked when wanting to sell your home for the most money! 1) Clean & Organize – Did you ever wonder why Nordstrom’s has such a HUGE following? Well b/c it’s clean and organized is in the top 5 reasons in a recent survey. We all have busy and hectic lives, so when we think about an exceptional shopping experience or a place we’d like to call home, we need it to be a respite, a haven for order which will allow relaxation, thus clean and organized. I suggest getting your home deep cleaned by a local cleaner just before listing your home. It allows you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’re putting your home’s best foot forward. As for organization, keep in mind, prospective buy...