Keeping It Real Estate with Colleen Benson

Ep 125: Does a Home Have Good Bones? (Mailbag)

How do you know if the home you’re interested in actually has good bones underneath all the cosmetic improvements that were made? We posed that question to Colleen today along with a few others from the mailbag to find out what buyers should be paying attention to.
Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:
What are your options when you’re underwater in your mortgage? (0:36)
Where’s a good place to look for land in the area? (3:10)
Do you need to keep utilities on once you’ve vacated your home? (6:13)
How can you tell if a home has good bones? (7:36)
 
Get in touch with Benson Broker Group: https://bensonbrokergroup.com/
Find out how much your home is worth: https://bensonbrokergroup.com/home_value 

Ep 124: The 10 Most Important Home Buying & Selling Questions

In this episode, Colleen will answer 10 of the most important questions that come up during the process. This might not cover everything, but it should help provide answers to a lot of the initial topics we discuss with clients.
 
Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:
What’s the best way to prepare your house before selling it? (0:56)
How much earnest money should you expect to pay? (7:08)
Can you back out of buying a house? What happens then? (9:49)
The average days on market for a listing varies on market but here’s what we pay attention to. (10:34)
How often should the agent and buyer/seller be communicating during the process. (14:15)
 
Get in touch with Benson Broker Group: https://bensonbrokergroup.com/
Find out how much your home is worth: https://bensonbrokergroup.com/home_value 

Ep 123: Real Estate True or False

As the market changes, a lot of information and opinions get thrown out into the world. In this episode, we will be taking a fun approach to sharing our thoughts by playing a game of “True or False”.
Listen to learn questions you may want to ask your realtor, what you should know about home appraisals, shifts that may be coming to the housing market, and more!
 
Here are some of the key points Colleen covers:
Are home prices still high? (0:51)
Is the work-from-home revolution over and will its effect on the housing market normalize? (1:49)
Is it still a seller’s market? (3:04)
Will you likely need to make renovations to sell your home now? (3:23)
See our listings and connect with us here: http://bensonbrokergroup.com

Ep 122: Mailbag – Seller Questions

The housing market has shifted quite a bit.
Active inventory has gone up 55% over last November and today we will be answering some great questions from sellers.
Listen to find out more about home inspections, finding the right realtor, and more!
 
Here are some of the key points Colleen covers:
Should you budget for a home inspection before selling? (0:42)
How long would it take to sell your home if you sold it in the next few weeks? (3:34)
Which home assessment tools should you use? (5:19)
See our listings and connect with us here: http://bensonbrokergroup.com

Ep 121: Mailbag – Buy or Build?

It’s time for another mailbag episode, and we bet these questions (and our answers) will help many of you as well. This episode could really help if you’re looking to buy a home in the future or work with an agent.
We will discuss whether it’s better to buy a newer home or build one and if you should sign a contract with your agent. Listen to hear some of the questions our other listeners have and maybe you’ll gain some valuable knowledge from our answers!
 
Here are some of the key points Colleen covers:
Is it better to buy a newer home or build a new one? (0:34)
Does every agent require a contract? (2:41)
How many homes should an agent sell each month? (5:35)
See our listings and connect with us here: http://bensonbrokergroup.com

Ep 120: Mailbag – Renting to own, Contingent Offers, and Low Bids

We love answering your questions, so we are back with another mailbag episode. This episode could really help if you’re someone looking to buy a home in the future.
We will discuss different ways to achieve purchasing a home, from contingent offers, low bids, rent-to-own properties, and more. Listen to hear some of the questions our other listeners have and maybe you’ll gain some valuable knowledge from our answers!
 
Here are some of the key points Colleen covers:
How you can make an offer, contingent on the sale of your home. (0:31)
Why Colleen is not a fan of rent-to-own home buying options. (2:54)
Should you always bid low when you make an offer? (5:00)
See our listings and connect with us here: http://bensonbrokergroup.com

Ep 119: Real Estate Headlines – Home Prices Decline and Deals that Fall Through

Bold headlines catch the attention of many, but how much weight do they really hold? In today’s episode, we are going to discuss some recent articles and see if we agree with the content.
 
As the market is fluctuating, a lot of potentially scary words are thrown around like “depression”, “recession”, and more. Let’s pick apart some of these topics in relation to housing prices and homebuyers, so you know what to look out for.
 
Here are some of the key points Colleen covers:
Colleen’s thoughts on a Wallstreet article claiming we are going to see the second biggest home price decline. (1:00)
com wrote an article about reasons homebuyer deals fall through. (5:44)
What to know for buyers that wrack up too much debt. (10:12)
See our listings and connect with us here: http://bensonbrokergroup.com

Ep 118: Pricing and Marketing Strategies for the Current Market

Realtor.com recently wrote an article sharing five ways to increase the value of your home without spending money on upgrades. In this episode, we will be going over these five suggestions and see if we agree.
 
Are you looking for some fresh marketing suggestions? Look no further. We also share the inside scoop about our effective marketing tactics and how you can think like a buyer.
 
Here are some of the key points Colleen covers:
How you can price your home competitively. (0:56)
How you can strategize your listing price to get it in front of more buyers. (1:53)
Here is how we utilize effective digital marketing. (3:46)
We believe in thinking like a buyer. Learn how you can too. (5:24)
See our listings and connect with us here: http://bensonbrokergroup.com