You’ve been trying to sell your home for months, or maybe you’ve been trying to buy one, but just haven’t found the right house.  Sometimes, the issue is that there are too many houses on the market or that the market is down and no one is buying.  Sometimes there are too few houses for sale and you can’t find the perfect one.  But sometimes you just need a different realtor.  Finding a realtor you really connect with can actually […]

You may be married to your gay partner and not even know it! As of May 2014, if you live in Rhode Island or the District of Columbia you are eligible to establish same-sex common law marriages. The basic legal requirements include that the parties must be of legal age, must be mentally capable of entering into a contract and must not already be married to another person. Rhode Island revised its marriage statutes in 2013 to make them gender-neutral. […]

Packing is one of the largest parts of the moving process after you have looked for moving companies.  Many people use it as an excuse to thin out their possessions.  This can be a great time to clean out your closets and get rid of stuff that you don’t really use or need that much or at least get a self storage unit for a place to store all your unused belongings.  Why move items that you’re just going to […]

You’ve found the house of your dreams and your offer was accepted!  You’ve also found the perfect buyer for your home, and everything is lined up for the sale!  But you’re not out of the woods yet.  Now you have to move, and that can be a headache of its own.  Here are some tips for making the move as easy as possible. Remember, the closing date of the sale is when the new owners take official possession of the […]

If you’re selling your home, one of the things your realtor may suggest is having an open house.  This is a great way of getting a good number of potential buyers into your home.  Unlike scheduled showings, open houses allow anyone who just happens to be driving by to come in and take a look at your home.  Of course, you won’t want to leave it up to chance—your realtor will advertise the open house and work hard to get […]

You might have seen a house with a “for sale by owner” sign in the front yard and wondered if that was a good option for you.  While it’s true that selling your home yourself does mean you don’t have to pay a realtor, there are a lot of downsides to doing so.  In fact, hiring a realtor to sell your home gives you a lot of advantages, all of which are worth paying for.  Here are a few of […]

When you’re looking for a house to buy, one of the things most realtors suggest you do is make a list of must-haves and would-likes.  But some people aren’t sure what to put on these lists, and they end up either putting things on the wrong lists or making their must-have list too long.  Here are a few different tips for making your lists that will help you figure out exactly what should go on each. When looking for an […]

Buying a house in your neighborhood is complicated enough, but it gets even worse when you’re trying to relocate to another state.  Trying to make a long-distance purchase makes the entire process much more stressful, but there are a few different things you and your realtor can do to make it easier. While it’s always good to have a realtor you trust when looking for a home, it’s almost vital you have a great one when you’re trying to buy […]

One of the things you’ll hear about when you begin to the house-buying process is getting pre-approved for a mortgage.  Some people don’t go looking for financing until they’ve found the perfect house, but there are a few reasons why you should talk to a financial officer first and get pre-approved for a loan. Most people assume that they need to have a house in mind before they can go ask for a loan from a bank or other lending […]