Adam Crocker's (adamcrocker) Blog

 A key step in preparing a home for sale is creating its listing for Olympia’s online MLS. It’s part science—getting all the physical details exactly right (trickier than you’d think)—and part invention. The goal is to devise phrasing that accurately portrays the property’s unique appeal without ...

  Given that the experts have often been as wrong as they were right about predicting at least one real estate trend for 2015 (mortgage interest rates), it’s fair to ask why it’s worthwhile to consult them regarding the coming year. Fair enough. The answer is twofold.First off, for anyone who wil...

PMI is a set of initials that can be a bit perplexing—particularly for new Olympia homeowners who are about to write their first mortgage payment check. They may notice it as a line item that adds a bit more to the payment than they had remembered...and then have that forehead-slapping moment whe...

 Every Olympia homeowner knows that the state of Olympia property values is important. But regardless of how important property values are, it’s also true that the term itself is hard to pin down. It’s more elusive than most of us assume—it literally means different things to different people.One...

 Last week, those of us who were out and about during the increasingly short daylight hours could take in what looked like the regular number of Olympia homes decked out with the familiar Christmastime paraphernalia. When the weather cooperates, it can’t help but bring a smile to your face to spo...

 When you are close to buying a new home in Olympia, one news item that definitely becomes more interesting than usual is the status of current mortgage interest rates. All those little ads on the side of the screen that blink at you with Mortgage Interest Rate Alert! and Lock Lowest Home Interes...

    There are two specific times each year when Olympia real estate investors find their thoughts wandering in the general direction of impending tax bills. As we approach 2015’s end, this is one of them. The other, of course, will be coming up in April—but this is the time of year when steps can...

 The return of a healthy Olympia real estate market has meant that you don’t hear nearly as much about Olympia bank owned homes. Back before the economic recovery had begun to take hold, the wave of foreclosures triggered a raft of Olympia bank owned home auctions and sales. It created conditions...

 Anyone who creates listings can’t help but be drawn to critiques of real estate writing. There aren’t a whole lot of those to be drawn to, so when a respected national media titan like The Wall Street Journal comes up with an essay on real estate listing language, this is one Olympia listing wri...

 If you are planning for your own open house in Olympia, you won’t have much trouble finding good advice. Here’s a quick list of what you’ll find:          Don’t leave your pet behind          Don’t forget the yard          If you’re not confident in your house cleaning ability, trust that instin...