Residents of California will tell you that Napa Valley, often simply called Napa, is one of the most popular tourist destinations for wine lovers in the state.  The Napa area is technically a part of the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland combined area, but it’s usually thought of as separate from those three large cities because it’s so different.  There are many different wineries, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, and more in Napa, but many people only think of this when they think […]

Thinking of moving to the New England area?  If you are, there are a number of nice LGBT-friendly cities to look for. A great gay or lesbian realtor will be able to help you find the perfect home if you have an idea of where to start.  Here are just a few of the great New England cities you may want to consider for your new home. Provincetown, MA In 2010, a survey showed that the Castro district of San […]

Many LGBT couples have gotten married in the past weeks following the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.  If you’re one of them, you may want to immediately do all of those things that you never expected you’d be able to do: get on your now-spouse’s insurance, legally adopt their biological children without a fight, and buy a house together as equals.  But when it comes to buying real estate, should you immediately jump into this investment?  Gay and […]

The quintessential “American dream” home is a large house with a white picket fence nestled in the bosom of suburbia. However, other people may have a different ideal which consists of flashing lights and constant activity that can only be found in the big city. If you’re confused about which one to pick, use this helpful guide that weighs cities and suburbs against each other using the five criteria most important to homebuyers – safety, schools, space, culture, and convenience. […]

Putting your house up as FSBO (For Sale by Owner) may seem like an attractive option for a number of reasons, such as having full control over every part of the selling process and saving money on the commission you normally have to pay an agent at closing time. However, these paltry benefits pale in comparison to the potential risks that come along with venturing into the real estate market on your own. Here are 5 reasons that make selling […]

Most Americans seem to hold the incorrect assumption that a vacation home is strictly for the richest and most elite among us. However, what if we told you that buying and owning a vacation home is attainable for those of us with average incomes? What if we also told you that it could even be financially beneficial? There are many benefits of owning a vacation home. The following highlights the largest benefits: It’s a Home Away From Home As families […]

The final price of a home takes many different factors into account. These factors can range from concrete ones like the condition of the heating and plumbing, to more situational ones such as the commute times. But if these situational “flaws” don’t affect you, you might be able to get a great house at a heavily discounted rate! Long/Rough Commute The farther away a home is from the nearest city center, the lower the prices tend to get. It’s quite […]

If you’ve been doing your research, then you’ve probably heard dozens of real-estate pundits and salespeople throw out the term “real estate cycle”. Terms like these can fly straight over your head if you’re uninitiated, but this term is actually very simple. Basically, city real estate prices flow in a cycle consisting of four phases. The prosperity phase, the decline phase, the depression phase and the recovery phase. Prosperity Phase The prosperity phase is the time when the neighborhood is […]

Finding a good place to live is more than just buying a good home. When you buy a piece of property remember that you’re buying into the neighborhood and the neighbors just as much as you’re buying the property So how do you tell if your neighborhood is any good without actually living there? Well, grabbing a night at a hotel nearby and spending the day enjoying the locale is the best way to start. Here are the five easiest […]

So you’ve got a lucrative piece of property on your hands, and you’re wondering what you should do with it. On one hand, you could sell for a big payout that you can use on whatever you want, including a new home elsewhere. On the other hand, you could rent it out and potentially make more money in the long run. Making a hasty decision on this issue can result in a lot of headaches. Read on to find out […]