The Power of Presentation: Staging Your Home for Maximum Impact When Selling Selling your home can be a daunting task, but with the right approach, you can turn it into a seamless and rewarding experience. One often underestimated yet powerful tool in the home-selling process is the way your home is presented. By investing time and effort into staging, you can significantly increase your chances of attracting more buyers and even boost your sale price. In this blog post our teammate, Kara Shaffer, explains the impact of staging and provides budget-friendly tips to help you make your home shine ..read more

Raise your hand if you love the physical aspect of moving… anyone?!!! To help you navigate moving, Gina Barton has provided you with easy moving tips and hacks that will make your life a little simpler and reduce the amount of stress involved in moving!  Moving Hacks: Pack the items you will need FIRST in a clear plastic bin- scissors, paper towels, trash bags, power strips, phone chargers, tools, etc, This will stand out among all the cardboard boxes. Keep your clothes from falling off the hangers by covering them with garbage bags. Take a photo of how your electronics are connected s ..read more

Starting out in 2024, mortgage interest rates finally took a dip to almost a full percentage point less than where they were as of October 2023 and as a result, we saw positive movement in the real estate industry!  Many real estate industry experts are predicting a robust level of activity throughout 2024. With mortgage interest rates being lower than those of 2023 and pent up demand for homes continuing to exist, there will still be a challenging market to navigate for buyers. In a recent article published by the National Association of Realtors, they quoted Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s ch ..read more

As residents of Maryland, we live in autumnal paradise. We get to experience every bit of the leaves transforming to beautiful hues of red, orange, & yellow while we wear cozy fall apparel & sip on pumpkin spice lattes or warm apple cider. If you’re looking for somewhere to really maximize your time in the crisp fall air, our teammate Erika Spilker curated the list of these Maryland hot spots for a premium fall ambiance: Best places to see fall foliage: Patapsco Valley State Park– Whether you hike one of the many trails or drive to the Valley Overlook in the Hollofield area, this par ..read more

Looking to purchase your first home, or maybe you forgot the steps to purchasing a home and don’t know how to start? Teammate, Lindsey Yokitis, breaks down the process and steps for BUYING your first home! Buying a home may be something you have thought about recently, but where to begin, what to do, and wondering if you are ready are all questions that may be going through your mind. Buying your first home could be the largest purchase you ever make. While this is very rewarding and exciting in so many ways, it may come with some nerves, stress, and many questions. Below a ..read more

Real estate agent and teammate, Donna Ball, has a passion for interior design and shares some trends to watch out for in 2023. MAXIMALIST – Minimalism is out. Abundance is in. Add rather than remove. Embellish rather than pare back. Think fluting, tassels, scalloped profiles, fringe, metallic finishes, sculptures…New luxury. Think big with wallpaper (not in scale but money) and use high-end in the entire room not just an accent wall. MIXING – Mixing metals, mixing vintage with new, mixing styles. The eclectic and vintage “Hipstoric Home” is curated with belongings acquired over a lifetime. Use ..read more

Raise your hand if you love the physical aspect of moving… anyone?!!! To help you navigate moving, here are a few easy moving hacks that will make your life a little simpler (hopefully!) and reduce the amount of stress involved in moving!  PURGE… that may seem like common sense, but trust me, I’ve moved quite a few times and always wish I had done this sooner. Why spend money on extra boxes, extra space in the moving vehicle, and extra man power loading and unloading when you could have gotten rid of the items in the first place?! This absolutely saves you time and money! Pack a fir ..read more

D&C’s Teammate, Tracy Aguiar, shares her expertise on preparing your home for future buyers! If your home is on the market, you’ll want to make sure you get top dollar for it.  Just like selling any product, first impressions count, with only one shot to wow a potential buyer. When selling your home, buyers often frame their judgements about your home within a few seconds of seeing it whether it be in person or when searching through images online. That’s why it’s important to showcase your home strategically, to make it more appealing to the widest possible market. Even if you don’t ..read more

D&C’s Teammate, Tracy Aguiar, shares her expertise on preparing your home for future buyers! If your home is on the market, you’ll want to make sure you get top dollar for it.  Just like selling any product, first impressions count, with only one shot to wow a potential buyer. When selling your home, buyers often frame their judgements about your home within a few seconds of seeing it whether it be in person or when searching through images online. That’s why it’s important to showcase your home strategically, to make it more appealing to the widest possible market. Even if you don’t ..read more

2023 Beginning of the Year Housing Market Update Starting out in 2023, we have seen positive movement in the real estate industry compared to fourth quarter 2022 which was relatively slower than the first half of 2022. As mortgage interest rates dipped the third week of January, buyers acted swiftly and demands for mortgages jumped approximately 28% (source: CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/18/mortgage-demand-jumps-interest-rates-drop.html).  While it is true that some homes are sitting on the market longer than in years past, there is a pent up demand for move-in ready homes in specific ..read more