How to Find an Off-Market Property

Posted by Kim Blanton on December 29th, 2022

Are You a Frustrated Home Buyer?

Searching online for off-market properties in Tennessee, can often send you down a rabbit hole.  Your keyword search for off-market or pocket listings will often take you to a particular real estate website, where you will quickly become frustrated as you find that the site does not offer any specific homes for sale that are off-market properties.  

The market has been very fast paced over the last couple of years and many times buyers wondered if they could possibly find an off market property, as they got desperate to find a home.  By having a REALTOR® represent you, you are in a much better position to learn about off-market properties.  Without a REALTOR®, the possibility of finding an off-market home becomes…

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A Win Win Strategy for Buyers and Sellers in 2023

Posted by Kim Blanton on December 20th, 2022

Tackling Higher Interest Rates in 2023

Use the StepUp Mortgage from Acopia Home Loans

2022 has seen a lot of changes in the real estate market.  We have experienced a timeframe where there were multiple offers on the same home.  Those offers were often well over asking price and with few to no contingencies.  If a buyer needed financing, often their offers were not considered if the seller received cash offers.   Fast forward to end of 2022 where homes are staying on the market longer, few or no multiple offer situations and few to no cash offers.  Buyers are once again able to make offers contingent on appraisals, home inspections and financing. 

Now let’s throw in the rapid rising of interest rates over the course of 2022,  and we had a lot of…

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What is Home Staging?

Posted by Kim Blanton on November 30th, 2022

 Home Staging Goes Beyond Decorating and Cleaning...

It is about adding the small details and dressing the house for sale. Staging makes the house look bigger, brighter and warmer; making home buyers WANT to buy it.

 Professional Stagers are highly skilled artisans. They possess skills of a top level designer without breaking the bank. Stagers create dramatic visuals that appeal to all five senses.

 The idea behind staging is to allow the rooms of a house to show potential and what they truly have to offer a buyer. A vacant, un-staged, home is a home without a soul and buyers sense this. You will also need to make sure the outside of your home and especially the front entrance is warm and inviting.  Make the buyer want to walk inside your home!

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Purchasing a Home With a Septic System

Posted by Kim Blanton on March 25th, 2020

Not Familiar With How a Septic System Works?

 Wondering what you should do when you purchase a home that is not connected to public sewer?

If you are working with REALTOR, he/she should be aware of the laws regarding septic tank disclosures and make sure your offer/contract addresses the septic system.  Some real estate agents are not familiar with them because they sell properties mostly on public sewer, so be sure to ask about their knowledge of septic systems.

In the Tennessee area, septic systems are based on number of bedrooms, not bathrooms.  The tank holds the solid waste and the liquids drain from the tank out into the field lines(filled with gravel and also underground) The number of field lines determines the number of bedrooms that…

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Why Homes Are Showing Available When Already Under Contract

Posted by Kim Blanton on January 1st, 2017

Contingency Contracts

 As a REALTOR, I get many calls from buyers who have found a house on line and want to get more information.  So many times I have to tell them that the house is already under contract.  Yes, our Nashville TN area real estate is booming and many houses are under contract.  

The issue is that buyers are looking on 3rd party websites that do not show that a home is under a contingency contract and are still showing as Active.  This is because the listing agent will not toggle the listing as a Pending until the buyer contingencies have been satisfied. Those contingencies could be inspection period, financing, or buyer has a home to sell.  The listing agent wants to protect his/her seller and make sure the house remains on the…

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