FSBO: “For Sale By Owner” -- it can be a siren’s call when you first mull over the prospects for selling your house.  A Rehoboth Beach FSBO listing promises to allow a homeowner to sell without even consulting any local real estate agents! Depending on a home’s final sale price, the commission saved looks to be substantial.

While there are certainly theoretical attractions to the idea of working on your own, time and again statistics prove it is not only more efficient to work with a real estate agent -- it also frequently nets sellers more at the bottom line. There are logical reasons why it works out that way. They are the same reasons why only one in ten homes are successfully sold as FSBOs.

First off, while it may seem easy to arbitrarily pick a…

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I think every Lewes real estate agent shares my overall sense of optimism as national housing prices continue to revive. While the nation’s economy could definitely be in better shape, this growing stability in the residential market is one of the few economic indicators to provide a steady stream of positive news. The rest of the economy can certainly use some of that: since the real estate market is so massive, upbeat reports from our industry provides a steadying influence on the others.

Real estate agents nationwide know that the current basement-level interest rates for home loans are part of the reason. Especially because of the public commitment to hold rates down into the future, other outside influences (like widely fluctuating gas prices) have…

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When you have survived a career loss or made it through a foreclosure, it can take a while before you have picked yourself up and dusted yourself off. At that point, you may have been momentarily relieved to find that you have a lot of company. Nevertheless, sooner or later, it’s time to bounce back.

One of the universal hurdles almost everyone in this position faces is how to go about stepping up to secure their next home. One of our Rehoboth Beach rentals is always a choice, but for many, an unsatisfying one. As always in any other than boom times, cash is king -- and if you don’t have it, your options are limited.  Today’s would-be buyers who lack funds for a down payment (or have a credit deficit) do sometimes have another alternative: a lease…

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Rare is the Lewes property owner who doesn’t remember at least one budget-busting maintenance emergency. It may have been a roof problem; perhaps a plumbing or electrical mishap…whatever the cause, unforeseen cratering of the household bank account can furrow brows and send blood pressures soaring.

For the very wealthy, it’s a non-issue. For all the rest of us, there is one foolproof method of avoiding the problem: create an emergency fund.

Everyone does his and her best to save for the future – for everything from the great events in life to more modest occasions, like family vacations. But making a clear distinction between those kinds of savings and a special emergency fund is worth the effort. For one thing, you remove the temptation to reach for…

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The other day I was with a client -- together we were going over some of our Rehoboth Beach listings. She had emailed me a few possibilities that had caught her eye, and from that I had earmarked some others that shared features with her original picks.

We take it for granted at this point, but digitized listings have to be the greatest of all the advances technology has brought to real estate. For both prospective Delaware Beach homebuyers and sellers, the ease and efficiency that has resulted puts past practices back there with horses and buggies. 

There are some unintended side effects, too (isn’t it always so?)

The way the search features work, future home owners find themselves thinking objectively much sooner than they used to. In order to…

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When you want to sell your house, you want it to bring in top dollar. That means you want to find a REALTOR® in the Rehoboth Beach area who has the characteristics of a top performer. He or she may or may not have last month’s highest sales volume, may or may not have page after page of onscreen MLS listings. However, there are characteristics you can look for that are bound to point to the best candidate to represent your home in your neighborhood.

1) Understanding You: the Client:

I agree with REALTOR® Magazine: "One of the strongest ways to increase likability and foster a connection is to demonstrate that [the REALTOR®] understands someone else's needs, and is happy to help fulfill them.”

A great REALTOR® is inherently a great salesperson, and…

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Success in selling Delaware Beach homes can depend on being able to distinguish what is important to buyers from what is not.  Proactive homeowners know that one room usually gets more attention than does any other: the kitchen.

There are many good reasons why this is so (we have discussed them before) -- but one kitchen detail in particular can have a disproportionate impact. It’s a detail that is all too easy to overlook: the condition of the appliances.

Realty Times declares, “Sellers should update their appliances." I don’t think I would go quite that far, but the gist is right. When the appliances look like they deserve their starring role in the main act -- the kitchen -- it indicates a homeowner who has taken pride in their property. To a…

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Everyone brings their own priorities to the table when checking out the Lewes homes for sale. Some folks drive street-by-street through their favored neighborhoods, eliminating or accepting through that first curb-appeal impression. Others trawl through the web listings, prioritizing by price, or lot size, or by number of bedrooms. Regardless of how they determine which Delaware resort homes for sale get a second look, savvy buyers eventually compare the amount of repair work each will need. They try to think like an inspector. 

This is not to suggest that anyone except an experienced professional will be able to complete a thorough inspection – you need a pro for that. Nevertheless, while you are first comparing properties, putting on your inspector’s…

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Whether you are in the process of buying an income property this fall or are already an owner, your decision about whether to work with a Rehoboth Beach property manager is pivotal. When you lack the time or capacity to effectively manage your investment, hiring a professional property manager is certainly the right business move. But suppose you have already decided that you will use a pro – does that solve all management issues for your investment? If you have chosen well, the answer may be almost ‘yes’ – but not quite. As you would with any service provider, keeping tabs on their performance is simply prudent.

The happy truth is that managing your Rehoboth Beach property manager will not command a large amount of your attention: a little will go a…

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One of the key factors serious buyers eye when appraising foreclosed homes for sale in the Rehoboth Beach real estate market is condition – the shape those properties have been left in. The Federal Housing Administration has weighed in with a program that can materially affect how that condition – good or bad – will finally affect the bottom line: it’s known as the FHA 203 (k).

If you are among those currently looking at Rehoboth Beach foreclosed homes for sale, the 203(k) can make a big difference.  Here are some points that might influence your decision:

First in line is whether the program is applicable. HUD tells us that for a local property to be eligible, it must be a one- to four-family dwelling that has been completed for at least one year.…

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