I’ve moved too many times to remember off hand growing up, and toured literally hundreds of houses in my lifetime. I’ve also bought 6 properties of my own, and sold 3.

Every time I’ve gone house hunting, either for myself or with someone else, I’ve been struck by just how many people neglect basic things that could help them get top dollar with only a week or two’s worth of effort.

Here are ten things to do before listing your home that can make all the difference. Skip them, and you may get less for your home or have a harder time selling it, since many prospective buyers can’t look past easily-remedied issues. Take care of them, and your home will be primed to sell. » Read more

The day I first considered buying instead of renting, I was looking at the free newspaper I’d snagged from the laundry room.

We’d just received notice that our rent would be going up, and needed somewhere more affordable to live. One ad in particular caught my eye as I scanned the rentals: “Cheaper than rent!” it proclaimed.

I doubted that could be true, but gave it a read anyway.

The ad was from a real estate agent who helped buyers bid on foreclosed HUD homes. I gave her a call and she quickly determined that yes, we probably could afford something, and yes, that something could in fact be cheaper than rent.

(That happened to be true in our case, but it might not be for others. Just because someone SAYS you can afford something doesn’t mean you actually can. There are a lot of things to take into consideration.)

That’s how I started the home-buying process, even though I was completely clueless about how worked. Here are the things I learned along the way that have served me well ever since. » Read more

With real estate prices rising, foreclosures and short sales, typically priced 5 to 15 percent below market value, may seem more attractive to frugal home shoppers.

Although the price reduction is an incentive to buy one of these properties, there are risks associated with them, and buyers should proceed with caution. Here’s how buyers can prepare to purchase a foreclosure or short sale. » Read more