Jerry O'Donnell's (jodrealty) Blog

  The real estate market of today is a great example of a classic bubble.  Like the Tulip mania hundreds of years ago, people got caught up in the excitement of ever rising prices.  Flip a house, make a fortune over night!  A lot of people made a lot of money.  Lasted a good many years, too.   Th...

  With the way things are going in the economy, and with housing in particular, a lot of people are probably wondering how it impacts them as a buyer or a seller.  Well, here is my take on it, in a nutshell. For buyers:  If you have a good job, a good credit score and cash in the bank, you are ju...

If the time has come to sell your house, you will surely want to get the highest price possible for it. Below are some suggestions, based on years of experience, that will help you get the most for your home, whatever the current market is like. Yes, you will have to spend some money up front. Bu...

  There is a lot of talk on Washington and some states about enacting legislation to help home-owners that can no longer make their mortgage payments. This is typical feel good nonsense from the politicians. Yes, the real estate market is in a mess, people are struggling, homes values are droppin...

  This isn’t directly related to real estate, but I don’t care. It’s my blog and I can write what I want. I heard on the radio today that only 40% of the U.S. population still believes in the American Dream. Think about that! Sixty percent of the population no longer believes you can get ahead by...

I don’t advertise my listings in newspapers or magazines anymore. I did early on in my real estate career because that was what everyone else did. And, frankly, the sellers demanded it. They wanted to see their house in the paper! I followed everyone else for several years and never got a single ...

  With the temperature well over 90 degrees, I am realizing how much I love our trees in our yard. Our prior house had almost no tree coverage. When the sun was out, the house would sit there and bake. Our A/C units would run like mad to try and keep up. The bill the next month would be a disaste...

  Time for some updated numbers on Springcrest. Springcrest is located on the east side of Erwin Road just north of the Sage Rd. intersection. It is convenient to everything, and is within walking distance of East Chapel Hill High School. (OK, it is a long walk, but high school kids can use the e...

Time for an update on the statistics in the Stoneridge/Sedgefield neighborhood. It is located along Whitfield Road about one mile east of 86. It is in the area that is in the Chapel Hill School District, but not in the city limits. So, great schools, but no city tax. (There is a special school t...

OK. The price of gas is soaring with no end in sight. It is impacting food prices, delivery prices, you name it. It seems to negatively touch every part of your life. But does it impact the sale of your house? In a word, yes. Think about it. You have two houses similar in size, yard, schools, et...