Real Estate Blog - Ken Richter

The RE/MAX Network

Team Ken Richter is proud to be a key player within the RE/MAX Network for many reasons, but specifically because as a company, RE/MAX has the philosophy that the spirit of generosity directly translates into being successful in business.

RE/MAX was founded in 1973 by Dave and Gail Liniger, real estate industry visionaries who still lead the Denver-based global franchisor today.RE/MAX is recognized as a leading real estate franchisor with the most productive sales force in the industry and a global reach of more than 85 countries. As a powerful world recognized brand whose network of people are constantly sharing ideas and information, they are not only the number 1 real estate company in North America, but the largest contributing sponsor of the…

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Condo Gardening

Even if you live in a condo doesn’t mean you have to give up gardening. But it does mean you have some unique considerations when it comes to exercising your green thumb.

For starters, be sure to read the governing documents to see what restrictions you might face: there may be limits as to how much weight you can have on your balcony, certain kinds of plantings that may be prohibited (due to their attractiveness to pests), and/or you might not be allowed to affix anything to your balcony, such as hanging baskets and planter boxes.

You’ll have to carefully consider your choice of plants given your unit’s location. If you have a north-facing balcony, or one that’s simply steeped in shade due to a large overhang, you aren’t likely to have much success…

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Why Good Homes Stay On The Market

A property that doesn’t generate as much interest and sell as quickly as expected isn’t necessarily one that’s flawed. There are several reasons why perfectly good homes linger on the market. Below are some of the most common.

•It’s overpriced. This is the top reason why quality properties don’t sell more quickly. Buyers tend to assume, rightly or wrongly, that a seller whose home is priced above fair market value isn’t serious about selling or open to negotiating. As such, buyers may feel they’d be wasting their time by even making an offer.

•It doesn’t show well. A home may have excellent “bone structure”, be fairly priced, and boast a great location, but if it doesn’t perform well at showings, it won’t sell quickly. What makes for a poor…

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Home Searching Don'ts

Whether you’re looking for your next home now or you’re planning to pound the pavement this spring, be sure to avoid these home-hunting “don’ts”.

If possible, don’t bring the kids – at least not in the initial home-hunting stages. They can divert your attention from where it needs to be: on the homes. Also, children tend to either love or hate each property, so it’s best not to bring them along until you’ve objectively narrowed your search down to the serious candidates, at which time you’ll want their input. D

on’t bite off more than you can chew. Filter your search to a defined area; if you run all over town without focus, you’re bound to tire sooner. And don’t schedule too many showings for the same day – you might find yourself suffering from…

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Making Your Home Sell

You as the homeowner can play an important part in the timely sale of your property. When you take the following steps, you’ll make your sale a profitable one.

1. Make the Most of that First Impression A well-manicured lawn, neatly trimmed shrubs and a clutter-free porch welcome prospects. So does a freshly painted – or at least freshly scrubbed – front door. If it’s autumn, rake the leaves. If it’s winter, shovel the walkways. The fewer obstacles between prospects and the true appeal of your home, the better.

2. Invest a Few Hours for Future Dividends Here’s your chance to clean up in real estate. Clean up the living room, the bathroom, the kitchen. If your woodwork is scuffed or the paint is fading, consider some minor redecoration. Fresh…

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To Rent Or To Buy: The Great Choice

There are many factors to be considered when deciding to move with the first critical decision being whether to purchase some property or rent. Depending upon your circumstances, it may either be a clear-cut decision or one that requires a more thorough analysis to make that determination.

Factors to Consider

Career – For some individuals, it may not be practical to purchase property if their career will require them to relocate frequently. Although some people have the resources and inclination to accumulate property each time they move, for most of us that is either not an option or would be an undesirable outcome to find ourselves in the role of landlord. For the majority of us, that means we need to sell property each time we move, so careful…

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Making Your Home More Energy Efficient

You might assume that making your home energy efficient requires a lot of time and money, but generally that’s not the case. Often small fixes can have a big impact on your heating, cooling, and other utility bills. Team Ken Richter has some easy things you can do to make your home more efficient right now:

Tip #1: Don’t turn that dial Keep your thermostat set at one temperature and leave it! Avoiding constant adjustments will keep your energy bills stable.

Tip #2: Stop the drip-drips Leaky showerheads and faucets are hard-to-miss energy wasters. Toilets that run can also cost you on your water bill. The majority of required repairs are covered in the most basic do-it-yourself handbook.

Tip #3: Go fluorescent While compact fluorescent light bulbs…

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Preparing Yourself to Sell Your Home

Selling your home can be exciting and scary. It means the end of one chapter of your life and the beginning of another. Team Ken Richter has a few tips for you to get you through selling your home, so you can begin the new chapter of your life with no regrets!

Detach yourself emotionally: Buying real estate is an emotional decision, but the opposite needs to be true for selling real estate. Emotions can get in the way of selling your property. The more attached you are, the harder it will be to convince a potential buyer to see themselves as the new homeowner. Try to get used to the idea that the home will no longer be yours. Think of it as a product to be sold. Visit every room and say “good-bye.” Visualize yourself handing over the keys.

First…

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Winterizing Your Home This Year

Indoor Preparations

The most obvious items to address as the winter months approach center largely around ensuring that your home remains warm. Regardless of your heat source there are preventative measures that should be taken to ensure that you remain warm and safe inside your home. Some of the most important areas to assess include:

Furnaces: Regular annual furnace inspections will help keep your furnace in good repair. Cleaning or replacing furnace filters monthly during the operating months will also keep your furnace operating efficiently.

Oil Heaters: Like furnaces, oil heaters require annual inspections and maintenance. Annual inspections should include: inspecting the chimney, cleaning the pipes to remove soot build up, replacing the air…

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Home Shopping Online

The internet can be a wonderful tool to help find a new home, or it can be a frustrating time-waster. It all depends on how you use it. Let’s first take a look at the upside of using the Web when home shopping. Websites you should be visiting include some of the following:

• Pictures of homes available, including in some cases individual rooms and other property features.

• Property details, such as lot size, number of bedrooms, square footage, and other features.

• Information on the neighborhood and surrounding area, such as the location of schools, parks and public transit.

• “Virtual tours” (when available), which allow you to view a home on your computer almost as if you were walking through it in real life.

Previewing specific homes…

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