Ask Kathe
An Ongoing Column Offering News, Advice, and Observations: All About The Real Estate Market in Pittsburgh, PA.
Can you Take it With You?
Our home went under agreement quickly! When we moved in we installed expensive hardware that we really love (door knobs, switch plate covers, towel rods, etc.). We would like to take it with us. Can we substitute other items before we close?Absolutely not! First of...
When Will the Seller’s Market End?
It seems like there have not been very many new homes coming on the market. Why do you think there is such an inventory shortage and when do you think it might change?In my professional opinion, there have been many factors that have led to the current inventory...
What to Do With “Stuff”
We would like to start cleaning out our home but don’t know what to do with all of our stuff – any ideas?The first thing you need to assess before you begin your clean out is whether you have any collectibles – anything of real value. Generally speaking, this does...
Keep the Bigger Picture in Mind
It seems buyers can be very picky on home inspections. What should a seller expect? What a Seller needs to be prepared for on a home inspection needs to be evaluated in the context of the entire deal! Both buyers and sellers need to keep things in perspective. If a...
Appraisal Contingencies
With all of the bidding wars happening in this hot market, should we put an appraisal contingency in our offer?Appraisal contingencies are added to agreements when buyers are concerned that their offer may be over market value. If you are getting a mortgage, they...
What Is Today’s Desired Style?
Is there a preferred style that is more desirable to buyers?Six months ago, I would have told you that buyers overwhelming preferred the gray and white aesthetic. You know the look. White as the base color for “hardscapes” like tile, countertops and cabinetry with...
Prepping To Sell
We are hoping to put our home on the market soon. Any ideas for quick fixes that will help sell it fast? The easiest and least expensive thing to do when getting your home ready to put on the market is to start packing and decluttering your space. You’re going to...
Color Trends 2021
We are planning to update the color palette in our home. What are the “in” colors these days?Gray (and its many shades including greige) have been in-style for so long now that its hard to imagine it ever going out of style. Gray is still quite popular with buyers –...
High-End Must-Haves
What are the most popular “must haves” in higher end homes?The pandemic has certainly shifted the most sought after features on a buyer wish list a bit, and it will be interesting to see how this continues to evolve as we achieve higher percentages of full...
Seller’s Market
We keep reading that now is a seller’s market. Do you agree?YES! We currently have the perfect storm for a seller! We have been experiencing historically low inventory for several months. It has been suggested that as a great portion of our population is fully...
Multiple Offers
Are you still seeing multiple offers on homes these days? Yes, we are, depending on location, condition and price range. Multiple offers are primarily coming in the under $500,000 market. If your home is in a higher price range, that does not mean that you won’t...
What’s My Home Worth?
How exactly do we know what our home is worth?A home’s value is set by the market. Value is always determined by what a buyer is willing to pay for your home. Many factors come into play in setting that value. Market value reflects quantitative factors such as: #...
Housing Shortage
We continue to look at homes on the Howard Hanna website and have noticed there doesn’t seem to be many homes coming on the market. Just wondering if we’ve missed the peak of the spring real estate season? Have you found that there are typically more...
Inspect Your Options
The market is very hot right now and we are having no luck winning a bidding war. Should we waive inspections?It’s certainly true that waiving inspections will make your offer much stronger than a competing offer in which the buyer is inspecting the home....
Pocket Listings
We have noticed that several homes have sold lately before they have hit the MLS. Are these “pocket listings” a good way to sell your home? If a home sells before it hits the MLS, as a “pocket listing” as they are often called, it is highly likely that the...
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Associate Broker
HOWARD HANNA
REAL ESTATE SERVICES
401 Broad Street
Sewickley, PA 15143
Cell: 412-779-6060
Office: 412-741-2200 x238
kbarge@howardhanna.com