Blog | Orlando Luxury Homes for Sale By Gary Berkson, Realtor

10 Things To Do While You’re Social Distancing

As concerts get postponed, sporting events get canceled, schools close and tourist hot spots shut down, you may be feeling a tad bit stir crazy at home. What's there to do while stuck indoors? We've compiled 10 suggestions to help make your time “social distancing” as interesting – and perhaps even as productive – as possible. 1. Virtually connect with an old friend or relative Remember your bestie from college that you hardly see anymore due to the craziness of life? Or maybe you’re missing your sweet grandma who lives several hours away. Right now is the perfect time to pick up the phone … Continue reading...

How Your Home’s “Deal Breaker” Can Attract the Perfect Buyer

When you’re starting the process of selling your home, be prepared to see your home in a whole new light. A really, really bright light. That’s because buyers will notice all the great things about your home...and also all the not-so-great features that you’ve learned to live with over the years. Small issues, like a creaky stair and outdated fixtures, are easily identified and fixed. However, there are potential issues that can’t easily be so easily resolved. In fact, they might be a “deal-breaker” that can turn off a potential buyer immediately. Don’t panic just yet. A good real estate … Continue reading...

5 Things Every First-Time Seller Should Know

First-Time Seller “Setbacks” (and How To Prepare For Them Now) Think back to when you bought your current home: There were things that happened during the transaction that sent you into a panic, but ended up being a totally normal part of the process of buying a house. In hindsight, you can probably even laugh at how issues that seemed like a setback (like that big inspection report) were resolved relatively quickly. Now that you’re ready to list your home for sale, you’re about to go through something similar. Selling a home for the first time isn’t as easy as sitting back and having your … Continue reading...

5 Secret Sources of Down Payment Money

Whether you are planning to put down a full 20 percent or pulling together the cash for a 3.5 percent down payment for an FHA loan, your down payment might be the biggest single cash expenditure you ever make. Some scrimp and save for years, while others can ready the cash with less difficulty, but no buyer in the history of home buying has ever said they have too much down payment money. Here's an insider secret: many buyers have a treasure trove of down payment resources at their disposal, hidden in plain sight. Here's a map to this hidden treasure – a handful of frequently-overlooked … Continue reading...

6 Signs A Home Might Be “The One”

You might have heard that saying about the number of fish there are in the sea – the sea of prospective dates and mates. The same goes for homes on the market. Even when the market heats up as it's doing now, it's not uncommon for a buyer to visit 10, 20 or even more homes before finding the property they want to make their home. These numbers can be daunting, but even the most particular buyers, even buyers who are frustrated by how many homes don't seem like the right fit, can take heart in this one truth of dating that also applies to house hunting: You only need to find ONE. So the next … Continue reading...

5 Steps Smart Sellers Take to Generate Multiple Offers

Home sales (and values) have been on a strong uptick nationwide thanks to low interest rates, freer lending standards and a drop in the foreclosure rate. Sellers everywhere are breathing a giant, collective sigh of relief! But for all of the buyer activity, it seems like most houses sit on one end of two extremes: they either get snatched up the moment they hit the market (with multiple offers and an above-asking sale price) or seem to languish on the market without an offer in sight. All sellers aspire to be on the multiple-offer end of the spectrum. Fortunately, there are steps you can take … Continue reading...

Is Selling Your Home Right Now A Mistake?

Ask any real estate agent how the market is and you’re almost sure to get the same answer: “Great!” Even if the market is great, it still may not be a great time for you to sell. Many real estate agents will tell you that NOW is the right time to sell your home when in reality, they can’t know that without knowing the specifics of your situation. Before going down a long and stressful journey, let’s first decide if selling your home right now is a mistake. What’s true about relationships is also true about selling your home: When it’s time to make a big decision, go with your gut feeling. … Continue reading...

7 Ways to Sabotage The Sale of Your Home

Through the years, we’ve worked with countless sellers. The sale of your home relies on a number of factors, and we understand it’s easy for things to fall through the cracks. Don’t let these traps sabotage the sale of your home. We’re here as a resource for this potentially stressful transaction to be a smooth sail from listing to closing. Mistake #1 - Not Knowing The Local Market Knowing the sold price of homes in your neighborhood gives you a good idea of how much you should list your home for. Overpricing can leave your home on the market for longer than anticipated, putting things … Continue reading...

Is Buying A Home Right Now A Mistake?

When you see all those “for sale” signs pop up in your neighborhood — and then see them change to “under contract” shortly afterward — it’s easy to feel like you’re missing out if you’re not buying a home this summer. So, you run the numbers, spend nights scrolling through listings, and start to imagine your new life in your dream home. There’s just one thing: you may not be ready to buy a home right now. While most real estate agents point to a hot market (and still low-interest rates) as a good reason to start making offers, there are more factors that go into this big life decision. The … Continue reading...

Home Staging 101

Have you ever watched HGTV and wondered how every home always looks perfectly put together? The answer to this is staging. Home staging goes beyond just cleaning and decorating your home. Staging is adding decor, arranging furniture, and prepping your home to look perfect for listing photos, listing appointments, and open houses. When a home is staged, potential buyers see exactly where furniture should go and how each room is laid out. When a home is not staged, potential buyers are only focusing on the visible issues the home may have. Not only does staging make your home look like an HGTV … Continue reading...