What do I mean when I say “MLS”?

Odds are you’ve spent a little time online searching for homes. After all, most home searches begin online. You may have even used a broker’s website or a site like Trulia or Zillow to help you browse listings. But where does listing information come from? Way back in the day, prior to the Information Age revolution, brokers used to gather and exchange information about their properties. The idea was fairly straightforward: I’ll help you sell your properties if you help me sell mine. It’s a “private offer of cooperation and compensation.” Cooperation meant the real estate industry could thrive and buyers and sellers could enjoy smoother transactions. This spirit of cooperation gave rise to Multiple Listing Service(s) (MLS). By consolidating information about housing inventory in an MLS, listing brokers and buyers’ brokers can easily share up-to-date information about homes on the market. Though an MLS is typically a private database available to brokers, much of the information is syndicated to outside sites in the interest of casting wider net for buyers and sellers. As an MLS is the primary source of information about a property, it tends to be the most accurate. It may also contain private information for use by brokers only, such as times the home is available for showings and seller contact information. There are upwards of 850 MLS databases in the U.S. alone, and to a certain xtent, there is market pressure to centralize these into a national MLS database. We’re sure to see changes in how Multiple Listing Services are used in the future, but the core benefits to home sellers and buyers is sure to remain. Ready to put the power of an MLS to work for you? Search with me today for homes on the market right now. I’d be happy to help you find your next home: 

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Stop Multitasking!

In our fast-paced world, we are always looking for ways to squeeze in more or to get more done. Multitasking has become a way of life. But research is showing that by doing more than one task at a time, we just become more frazzled and accomplish less than we had set out to do.

Researchers from the University of Michigan and Elmhurst College (Illinois) found that when we try to multitask, the brain "bottlenecks" the information and moves its attention back and forth between items rather than addressing them simultaneously.

"Multitasking actually reduces productivity and accuracy, creates stress and taxes the brain," says cognitive neuroscientist Sandra Bond Chapman of the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Research also indicates that those of us who are easily distracted are more likely to attempt to multitask. Greatist.com offers some tips on how to maintain focus and improve your productivity.

1. Turn off electronics. Put down the phone, turn off the TV, and eliminate whatever distracts you from what you are doing in the present moment.

2. Establish routines. Don't approach tasks at random. Set up a schedule so you know what you'll be working on and for how long.

3. Set goals. Start with a to-do list and plan out the steps you need to take to complete each task. When you know what comes next, you're less likely to wander off course.

4. Take breaks. Catch yourself zoning out or rereading the same paragraph multiple times? Step away from what you're working on for a few minutes - grab a cup of coffee, say hi to your coworker, or take a lap around the office.

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This Month in Real Estate March 2015

This Month in Real Estate February 2015 (US)

Staging Your Home for the Right Buyer

Staging a home to sell is the process of redecorating or cost-effectively renovating aspects of your home to present it in the best light. Much like cleaning up a home’s curb appeal to appeal to buyers, staging can position your house to sell faster and for a higher price than it might otherwise.

It’s important to remember with staging that you’re not decorating the home to appeal to you, the seller, but to the prospective buyer. When working with a stager, you have to learn to set aside your own aesthetic preferences and ask yourself how a buyer might see the home. Imagining who those buyers might be can help your stager make decisions about which direction to take the interior design.

So who are the buyers? Can you know? It depends on local market conditions and trends. A common scenario is when Baby Boomers looking to downsize or move into a condo living situation finally decide to put their family home on the market. Often these homes are in need of updating, and frequently the buyers for these homes are younger generations (i.e. Millennials) looking to upgrade from their first house or buy for the first time.

If home hunters in your market are younger, it makes a lot of sense to work with a stager who understands what younger buyers are looking for in a home. In fact, if you’re interviewing stagers, it can be an excellent idea to ask them specifically for examples of how they’ve staged homes to attract younger buyers. Furniture, window treatments, and design accents (or lack thereof) are all a big factor in how younger buyers judge a home. The last thing you want Millennial buyers to think is, “Oh, no, this looks just like my parents’ house.”

Make no mistake, there will be a lot of inventory on the real estate market from Baby Boomers over the next 15 years. If you want yours to stand out, try and look at your home with an objective eye and see if it looks outdated compared to newer construction on the market. Don’t stage for yourself... stage for the generation buying your home.

I’d be happy to work with you to find a stager who can help make your home as appealing as possible. I work with my clients to ensure their home sells for the best possible price.

This Month in Real Estate January 2015

This Month in Real Estate December 2014