www.activerain.kateconover

Realtors are always walking a tightrope when it comes to discussing pricing with a Homeowner/Seller.  A real estate sage once told me that comparing anyone's home with anyone else's home is like comparing their kids to someone else's kids.  You should probably duck when you attempt it. We all kno...

When I decided to move from my home at the Jersey Shore to Franklin Lakes, in 1972, I wasn't prepared for what I found.  We now call towns like Franklin Lakes, the suburbs, or the "burbs."  But coming from a city like Asbury Park didn't prepare me for what to me looked like what we also call "the...

When I was in school, a hundred years ago, I was called "Speedy Gonzalez." If I had a project, it was done shortly after it was assigned.  Homwork was done before I left school. My room was cleaned from floor to ceiling by the time my parents woke up, every Saturday.  So you can imagine my impati...

I guess it's human nature, but how frustrating is it when you get calls from Sellers --- sometimes shrieking calls --- alerting you to the fact that their homes will never sell with the hideous photos "your so-called photographer" took?  Or, "I found crumbs next to the kitchen sink. I thought you...

I'm seeing something of a trend --- Sellers selling their 5,000+sf homes trying to figure out where they want to go.  Their kids are grown, so they don't need the big house anymore, and the market has heated up, and they think the time is right to sell.  Problem is, they haven't figured out where...

Why is it that as Realtors we don't do a better job educating our Buyers about how the process of buying a home works?  The Buyer of one of my listings has already re-visited the home five times, and is asking for "a few more visits" to gather her construction crew together.  When did listing age...

Today's NY Times reminded us of the threat Radon still poses to our families.  As you might remember, it wasn't until 1988 that Radon was found, conclusively, to be a carcinogen linked directly to lung cancer. (An interesting factoid: Marie Curie worked on the early version of Radon, in the early...

For those who don't know him, Jeffrey Otteau, of the Otteau Valuation Group, is a real estate consultant and appraiser, whooften appears on CNBC and is quoted in various publications.  He puts together a terrific report, "The Otteau Report" which is very comprehensive, and a great listing tool. O...

Health care has become omnipresent in the media, for the last several years.  We know we need it, and yet we can't agree on the best way to get it.  I was thrilled when the President made it a priority for his administration, but knew it would be, at best, an uphill battle --- the fight du jour b...

http://www.houzz.com/ The coolest site for anyone considering a home renovation. Called the "best site for house porn" on the web, it was designed by a couple who , when they decided to take on a full home renovation, were told by their architect to "just cut pictures of what you like out of maga...