Selling a Home

Should sellers paint their homes before putting them on the market? If you google that question the answer is a strong and resounding YES. I also would be the first to say that there’s no quicker way to ensure a higher return on investment than to paint a house before selling it. That said, as with … Continue Reading » about Reasons to Paint Before Selling a House (And Reasons Not to)

The real estate market in the Iowa City area is in great shape. Check out the market reports on this site and you’ll see that home prices in the Iowa City area are going up, homes are spending less time on the market and buyers are plentiful. In fact there are more buyers than homes … Continue Reading » about What Sellers Need to Know Before Putting a House on the Market

What is the difference between a home appraisal and a home inspection in a real estate transaction? Working with quite a few sellers new to the process of selling a home in Iowa City this year I’ve had this question come up more than once. To answer the question the simplest thing is to start … Continue Reading » about How are an Appraisal & a Home Inspection Different?

Working with a Real Estate Agent vs. Going it Alone This is the second part in my series on Selling a home in Iowa City. Once you have prepared your home for sale it’s time to move to the next step. Will you list your house or condo with a real estate company, or will you … Continue Reading » about Selling a Home ~ Step 2: Choosing the Right Agent

This is the first in a series on Selling a Home in the Iowa City Area. It’s not uncommon for sellers who work with me to call to ask for advice on what they need to do before listing their homes for sale. Often they are first time sellers who didn’t know where to start, or … Continue Reading » about Selling a Home ~ Step One: Preparing Your Home for Sale

What is the contract ratio or contract-to-listing ratio, as it’s also called? More to the point, how will it help you to know what the contract ratio is if you’re buying or selling a home in the Iowa City area? The contract ratio is a way to look at the market from a different perspective … Continue Reading » about How The Contract Ratio Helps You Understand the Market