Miranda Oswald's (mirandatherealtor) Blog

Use this checklist to make your summer more enjoyable.  Do it in late spring and then sail through the Summer months! Clean your outdoor cooker – Make sure to get ready for all of those upcoming BBQs you will be having in the summer months by deep cleaning your grill. To clean a gas grill: Turn u...

I talk to a ton of FSBOs.  I offer to help them.  I provide them tools.  I get them ready for when a buyer walks through the door.  Why?  Because if they are able to do it.... GO FOR IT.  But today I got an email from a very frustrated FSBO asking me why Realtors don't come and show his house whe...

Ok, I know....It's been awhile.  But the good news is I HAVE BEEN BUSY!  Resolution time..... At LEAST once a month this year. Now...back to the subject matter: I recently had a transaction with another agent who happened to be working with some friends of mine.  It's a small town.  My point is t...

People are all more or less territorial. It is a painful thought that strangers have the run of our most precious territory: our home! I even have nightmares on the subject. So I understand when sellers make many excuses for hanging around when their homes are being shown to prospective buyers. E...

Recently, while working on negotiating a short sale, it occurred to me that it is not the average realtor who should attempt to deal with these banks. The tools one must have include, but are not limited to; the social skills of both a pit bull and a kitten, the brains of a rocket scientist and t...

Why is everyone always so shocked that all my listings pay at least 7% commission?  Honestly I am shocked that Realtors are able to pretend they are acting on behalf of a seller when they take a listing in these market conditions for 6% or 5% or LESS.  This is positively the worst strategy that a...

Most Realtors these days are acting like YOU KNOW WHO when it comes to the market conditions.  The impression that this market is happening to any of us is silly.  The market is the market is the market.  In every market, there are inefficiencies.  The trick is to find the market inefficiencies a...

Everyone always says that you can't time the market.  Well of course that is true, but I certainly hope you are not treating the real estate market like a day-trading tool!  It is fairly easy to see for yourself if the market is trending up over a period of years, or down.  Nobody can ever be sur...

Right now, builders are making great deals to get your business.  This can be very tempting when faced with the alternative of homes that have sat vacant far too long, leaving questions about mold, uncaring tenants and less than stellar homeowner maintenance on the market right now.  But when we ...