Home is where the Real E$tate is by Fergus

INTRODUCTION Hello and welcome to my latest blog. If you’re thinking about remodeling your home in the Washington, D.C. metro area, you might wonder which upgrades will add the most value. Today, I'm taking a look at the projects that can make a big difference when it’s time to sell and or to boost the enjoyment of your home if you are not quite ready to sell, or perhaps you might be thinking about renting it out for a period as is the case with a client I am currently working with. On a timely note, if you don't have the time or the inclination to run to Home Depot, for instance, Doordash and Uber just signed deals to link up with the home goods store.  Before I proceed, the return on investment in real estate terms is a complex calculation. On the one hand data might show that a remodel is not worth the time and the effort and on the other there are times when one needs to make changes in order to attract a large or larger pool of buyers which is critical in a market such as ...

Welcome back and I hope you are all having a good start to the year. Given that we are only just getting through the first half of the first month, I thought I'd slip in one more 2025 related post (don't worry it's pretty concise), courtesy of this timely report by Bright MLS, the proprietary search and research tool that we realtors use to share information with our clients. If you happen to be a seller, a buyer, or interested in real estate in general, here is what prospective homebuyers in 2025 are expected to prioritize for in a home:  Move-In-Ready Condition : 56.1% of buyers consider a home that requires no repairs as very important. (Updated kitchens and bathrooms are ideal but not always mandatory. For me this has always depended on the overall as it relates or compares to size, location and value) Number of Bedrooms : 53.2% rank the number of bedrooms as a top priority.  Garage : 49.6% of buyers find having a garage very important. (In the case of city livin...

Happy New Year 2025 While no one can be entirely sure of the outcome, buyer preferences, economic conditions and innovation/tech will continue to be the key drivers in 2025. One thing is for sure, the real estate landscape is evolving and I for one am looking forward to any challenges the year may bring. On the administrative side 'clear cooperation' as we know it ends: Homeowners will now have more  control over how they market their homes. For instance buyers can now ask agents to remove days on the market and price drop history on portal sites. Additionally agents will now be able to include their full contact information on their listings which means that buyer enquiries on the public end will now go directly to the agent who presumably knows more about the property than any other party to the transaction.  1. Moderate Price Growth and Increased Supply Housing prices are expected to grow moderately by 2.6%-4%. Unlike the boom of previous years, this steady rise should...