Properly preparing your Pittsburgh house before you actually put it on the market may end up being the most important step you take and the difference between a quick sale and a long wait for your property to sell. From the time potential Pittsburgh buyers pull up in front of your Pittsburgh house you want them to be thinking, “Wow, this is really beautiful.” In order to get that response from the curb to the front door to all of the rooms in your house it will take a little time and planning. The good thing is that it won’t always take a lot of money unless you discover something major that absolutely needs fixing or replacing as you get your Pittsburgh house ready for the real estate market.  Here are a few tips that will help you increase your Pittsburgh home’s curb appeal and maxim... 10/13/2020

If you are a buyer that is planning to purchase this summer or a seller that will be closing on a home after August 1st you should be aware that new government regulations will be making changes to the closing process that may effect when you finally close on the home.The largest changes will be related to the final accounting of costs at closing. When a buyer applies for a loan they will now be given a Loan Estimate detailing all their costs to purchase. They must get this within 3 days of making a loan application, and if there are any of a number of changes during the mortgage process it must be resubmitted to the buyer. The buyer must have 3 days to look this over before any of the next steps towards closing can be taken.Then no less than 3 business days before closing the lender mu... 05/27/2015

Before you know it snow will be falling. Do you know any 4th or 5th grade students that want to do some sliding this winter? Send them to the Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association website. The Snowpass booklet offers skiing and boarding at 21 PA Ski Resorts for FREE. Get more information. 10/03/2014

As a Realtor specializing in green and energy efficient homes I work with a group called ReEnergize Pittsburgh that is working to reduce residential energy waste throughout Allegheny County, help create jobs, and improve air quality. One of the goals of the real estate committee is to consider ways to make energy efficient upgrades more valuable in the real estate market, including helping to make sure that when people sell they are getting value for those improvements in their market price and appraisal and making it easier for people who are looking for green homes to find them. A few weeks ago I sat down with one of the other members for an interview about what we are doing and how I am developing my own business around the idea of green homes...http://www.reenergizepgh.org/news/2013... 01/09/2014

A tale of two sellers...   Seller #1 Priced their home so that it was obviously the best home available at the price in their market, helped by the fact that inventory was low. Day one they had 10 showings and two offers. Negotiated a full price offer, sold their home and moved a month later.   Seller #2 Priced their home "a little bit high to allow for negotiation" even though there were several other comparable homes that were priced lower. Had a few showings, no offers, 30, then 60 days go by, did a small reduction, a few more showings, no offers, price reduction, a few showings, no offers...still waiting.   Which would you prefer? 09/23/2013

Shadyside Pittsburgh Condo for Sale Price Reduced to $189,900 Unique two level contemporary 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath condo for sale in the heart of Shadyside.  Bright and open floor plan & beautiful hardwood floors in the living and dining area. Both bedrooms have new carpeting, new tile in the baths, new A/C unit and a walk-in closet in master.  Off-street parking for two cars in back of unit and laundry in building as well as hookup in conod!  HOA fee includes gas heat, water and sewage, owner pays electric.  Owners who first occupy the condo are allowed to rent only with HOA approval but the condo is NOT allowed to be purchased as an investment.  Pets are allowed. Great location!  Walk to Walnut Street shopping and dining and very close to Oakland. Interested in Shadyside real estate?  Cl... 09/12/2013

As we continue to battle though the seemingly never-ending saga of Allegheny County Reassessment we have at least reached a point where several of the taxing bodies have adjusted their tax rates to account for the increased reassessment values. I am sure we will be getting complete information on each municipality and school district soon, but here is what I have so far... Allegehny County has adjusted their rate from 5.69 to 4.7 City of Pittsburgh has adjusted their rate from 10.8 to 7.56 and Pittsburgh City Schools has adjusted their rate from 13.92 to 9.65 Altogether these are approximately 30% reductions in the tax rate which is used to calculate your 2013 taxes. Carnegie Mellon has also put together a nice property tax estimator for those that are still trying to figure out what th... 02/04/2013