
Selling your home is always a major undertaking. When you need the funds from the sale in order to purchase your next home, though, the pressure certainly goes up a notch. Or two. If the thought of facing this scenario gives you the jitters, you're not alone. Most people consider moving one of the most stressful events in life, and with so many interdependent factors at play during a simultaneous sale and purchase, it's not hard to imagine what could go wrong. That's why having professional guidance is so important. I've experienced this situation with a number of clients over the years, and here's what I've learned:
FEAR HOLDS PEOPLE BACK

One of the most frequent questions that homeowners ask me is: What do I have to do in order to get my home ready to sell?
The answer depends on your willingness and ability to clean, repair and update your home, balanced against how much you intend to profit from the sale. Sure, it's entirely possible to sell a property with an old roof, leaky pipes and hideous flooring. But the sales price, in that case, is going to be far from top dollar.
As the market shifts, both buyers and sellers are adjusting their expectations. The brutally compe...

In this hot seller's market, with competing offers driving sale prices thousands over asking, buyers are willing to overlook a lot. Homes which once would have sat for months with worn roofs, outdated kitchens and baths or older HVAC systems are now being gobbled up without complaint. But some things will still stop a sale.
Here are some real-life examples of issues discovered during home inspections and how they could have been avoided.
Wet Spot in Basement: The ground was sloping toward the house, channeling snow and water right at the foundation.
Solution: Re-grading that portion of the yard so it diverted th...

I come across a lot of people who say they want to move. Their children have grown up and they no longer need all the space, the upkeep on the property is too much for them, they would like to be closer to family, they would like to go someplace warmer…whatever the reason, they would like to live somewhere else.
But one thing holds them back: fear.
It could be fear of the amount of work involved in sorting through and packing decades' worth of belongings, fear of having strangers going through their home, fear of the projects that need finishing before the house is ready to sell, fear of the whole process itself which they do not understand, and especially,...