Denise Watkins Blog

In the Upper Marlboro real estate market, conditions have not change much compared to this time last year.  September  2015 results found a slight increase in the number of active listings, and a decrease in new and pending listings for single family detached homes, according to information from ...

With fall newly arrived, it’s a time of year when Upper Marlboro homeowners can breathe a sigh of relief; relax and take it easy. With summer behind us, most gardens require less attention. The demands harsh winter weather will make are off in the distant future— or are they?This year it might be...

 When it comes to marketing and selling a home, staging can be a powerful tool. Some may argue that home staging isn't worth the cost, but there are many good arguments for making the investment in a professional home stager.  Staging not only helps a home sell faster in many cases, but it can al...

Not every home sold gets a shiny new for sale sign out front. Some change hands quickly and quietly without any public advertising whatsoever. In the industry, these are known as “pocket listings.” Pocket listings are sometimes referred to as “coming soon” listings or “whisper” listings. Pocket l...

In the Upper Marlboro real estate market, conditions continue to favor both sellers and buyers even as more house become available compared to this time last year.  July 2015 found an increase in the number of active listings, new listing and pending listings for single family detached homes, acc...

Real estate listings consist of the lineup of homes that are currently “on the market.” They are for sale. They are offered to buyers. They are available for purchase. “On the market” is a straightforward real estate term; end of discussion.In real estate, off the market means a property that was...

If you love your home and plan to live it in through your retirement years, you’ll want to be sure it’s safe for you as you face some of those little challenges aging presents. Assess your home and see if there are any changes you may need to make. Doing so will not only reduce the risk of injury...

When your family needs more or less elbow room, or a neighborhood change is in order, it’s time to start combing the listings for the right house for sale. At the same time, though, now that prices have been steadily rising for so long, it’s not unreasonable to ask yourself if this a good time to...

Ever since the real estate world turned to the virtual world of home computers, cell phones and iPads, home buyers and sellers have benefitted greatly.As computers and then dial-up modem connectivity put real estate offices in touch with new digital listing databases, it became possible to replac...

For anyone who has never participated in a serious house-hunting effort, their mental image of how the experience will unfold may be a little off. They might imagine that, after narrowing down their requirements for a home (size, price range, and location) they will agree on a day and time, then ...