Athina Boukas's Blog

   They sure don't!  I sold a house to my clients 22 years ago and these were the already old (early 70's?), outdated built-in appliances it came with in 1991.  I warned them back then that they are very, very old, and will likely need replacing soon.   Well, I went by the house the other day and...

Offensive odors in your home can be a sensitive issue to bring up when a real estate agent is assessing your home for marketing.  There's no way around it though! If your house has the slightest odor that can turn off a buyer, it must be addressed before listing it.  The toughest, almost impossib...

I came across this informative post that I would like all my Sellers to review.  Having your home on the market, as I have stated before, is a huge imposition because your home becomes a product to market/sell to the public versus a private space to keep in any shape you desire.Tips for Living Wi...

The article below speaks to my basic principle in marketing your home and selling it quickly at the highest possible market price to-day! Regardless of the fact that your home is worth 30% less than it was in 2005, it still needs repairs and staging to sell.  There is no way to pass the cost of r...

This is a perfect "spring cleaning" list to prepare your home for sale. Pretty much, it is something we should all do to our homes periodically anyway...but if you're going to sell, it is a MUST! I'm going to tackle my own home with this list starting now...even though I'm not looking to sell, th...

This is one of my favorite blogs because it summarizes and speaks to the main points I always review with my sellers.   Your house has to stand out and be above the competition in terms of condition and price.  Reducing price rarely brings an offer on a house that is tired, outdated and basically...

2008-2012 Answer:  Because it will compete with distressed properties which are offered "as is" at much bigger discounts.  Buyers will deduct value at a much higher number than the actual cost of repairs, but most likely, they will not even bother with the math and instead will go on to purchase ...

Recently I had a Seller ask me if he should short sale a property.   My response was that this is not a "one size fits all" solution.  It depends on his overall financial situation, other legal issues he may be dealing with, his ability to deal with any conseqences of that decision vs other avenu...

More than ever before, buyers (and sellers) are confusing the concepts of price and value.  When describing a "good deal" in real estate, what exactly are we referring to? When similar homes in a neighborhood have recently sold in a range of $100-110K and a buyer is trying to negotiate the next o...

Here is a very comprehensive listing as to why it is so difficult for homeowners to succeed in selling their home without an agent. For Sale by Owner, or FSBO is not uncommon in Westchester County. I have sold quite a few of them. I had an interest in a FSBO assistance firm, and a number of selli...