Gateway Real Estate & Consulting

06/22/2023

04/24/2023

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11/29/2022

Stay safe and have a wonderful holiday season!

Post from AirdrieFireFighters

With cold weather, it brings space heaters. They CANNOT be plugged into power strips or extension cords.

Plug space heaters directly into the wall outlet.

Power bars are not designed to handle the high current flow required by a space heater and can overheat causing a fire.

11/27/2022

Just a few clever, inexpesive organizing hacks. Most of them... :)

08/02/2022

Thinking about selling your home as a For Sale By Owner (FSBO), but nervous about doing it on your own? With few exceptions, your choices are either go with an agency and pay a commission on the sale price for full service...or, well, no help at all.

I'm now offering hourly consulting for anything from preparing for your sale and filling out disclosures to reviewing contracts from buyers. I can also list your property on the MLS for a flat fee for any property in Maine. This can be upgraded to a higher level or full service if you find yourself overwhelmed with showings, dealing with buyer's agents or other issues.

There are other, out of state, lower cost flat fee listing services out there, but they are strictly data entry. They likely won't tell you if your pictures or property description could/should be changed or information is missing from some documents. Nor do they offer the ability to transfer to full service if you decide FSBO isn't for you. Buy Local! 😀

Check out my website, which has the full details of the levels of services offered.

www.gatewayreconsulting.com

A NEW WAY TO LOOK AT REAL ESTATE CHOOSE THE LEVEL OF SERVICE YOU WANTOptions include hourly consultation as needed, or choose from three levels of service at a flat fee for any property in the state of Maine. Traditional, commission based full service, and “in person” add-ons are available in th...

08/02/2022

Here's a handy tip if you're refilling a trench you've dug. Use a roof rake to pull the bulk of the dirt towards you into the trench. On most pulls, I'd get about 3 shovels (shovelfuls?) worth of dirt. Easier on the back than shoveling, too. Still needed a shovel and rake for some spots, but this helped a lot.

05/22/2022

Visiting in Vermont. Location matters... 😁 When the landlord asks you to lock the trash cans, there's probably a reason...

04/27/2022

Here are some tips about listing photos when selling your home.

It's good to have them in a cohesive order, as you’d go through the home, so it’s easier for potential buyers to picture the layout. You can shoot so that you can see into the next room or area, so the viewer gets the connection between the rooms.

If you have beautiful summer gardens or landscaping, but are selling this time of year when things look drab (or in the winter), include some photos of when they’re at their peak from previous years. If planning on selling later this year, take some during this spring and summer. Have lilacs or other short spring blossoms? Get them while blooming so people can see the colors.

Make sure they show the rooms in the home, not your furniture. Sure the furniture is there, but I see a lot where the focus of the photo is the dining table or the seating area furniture, instead of the room as a whole.

The obvious, of course, is to be sure there is good lighting and that the rooms are clean and organized. This is the same for showings, but clutter looks even worse in photos than it does in person.
They should be full size. Sometimes when you click on listing photos, they only fill about a quarter of the area they could and it’s hard to see any detail.

Include captions and point out special features.

If you’re using a listing agent to take pictures, or even a professional photographer, great, but just remember that you have a say in it. You can ask to check the photos before they’re posted and ask for what you want included.

If you don't have an agent already and are interesting in selling, give me a call! I offer full service listings, as well as hourly consulting and flat fee MLS access for those who want to sell themselves.

A NEW WAY TO LOOK AT REAL ESTATE CHOOSE THE LEVEL OF SERVICE YOU WANTOptions include hourly consultation as needed, or choose from three levels of service at a flat fee for any property in the state of Maine. Traditional, commission based full service, and “in person” add-ons are available in th...

04/25/2022

03/16/2022

As we're getting into spring and people start thinking of putting their homes on the market, I'd like to offer a tip. Get an inspection on your home - septic and well water included if you have that. Do the water test on the well water without filters in place and explain what filters you use and why (outside of the general sediment filter.)

We hear a lot about the crazy market and buyers waiving inspections. Which is highly NOT recommended, for the sake of both the buyer and seller. But it's desirable to sellers because the inspection stage can be very stressful and a deal breaker. Having an inspection already available for buyers can streamline the sale.

Buyers would still have the option to ask for an inspection with their own company, but could feel more comfortable with waiving it. And even if they opt for their own, unless something new is found, there's little reason for any continued negotiation so there's little impediment to closing the deal.

It's important to remember that under Maine law, waiving the inspection does not protect a seller from being liable for material defects in the home that weren't disclosed.

Some agents will tell you to not do any tests and play "deaf and dumb" on potential problems and just put "unknown." But those are often the deals that fall apart when inspections are done by buyers. Or if they're waived, the buyer comes back later looking for restitution for things they think the seller should have known and disclosed.

Be up front, be honest and make good deals where both sides walk away happy.

If you have questions about real estate transactions, please reach out. I offer consulting for private transactions, flat fees and help for those who want to do For Sale by Owner, as well as traditional full service.

03/01/2022

Thinking about selling your home as a For Sale By Owner (FSBO), but nervous about doing it on your own? With few exceptions, your choices are either go with an agency and pay a commission on the sale price for full service...or, well, no help at all.

I'm now offering hourly consulting for anything from preparing for your sale and filling out disclosures to reviewing contracts from buyers. I can also list your property on the MLS for a flat fee. This can be upgraded to a higher level or full service if you find yourself overwhelmed with showings, dealing with buyer's agents or other issues. Check out my website, which has the full details of the levels of services offered.
www.gatewayreconsulting.com

A NEW WAY TO LOOK AT REAL ESTATE CHOOSE THE LEVEL OF SERVICE YOU WANTOptions include hourly consultation as needed, or choose from three levels of service at a flat fee for any property in the state of Maine. Traditional, commission based full service, and “in person” add-ons are available in th...

02/12/2022

:) I'm sure anyone who's been a landlord can relate. I've been lucky to have good tenants at my properties. (Knock on wood!) 😁🏠