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Young Professionals – Buy or Rent

This was a topic suggested by a friend who I keep up with on Facebook. The reason I keep up with him on Facebook is he is always traveling. His job has him all over the place and quite honestIy I love living vicariously through him; he seems to be having a great time. My suggestion to him was “I think you need a motor home.”

In all seriousness though, owning a home is not for everyone. We now live in a very small world. Think about it. 50 years ago you found a job and a community, settled down, raised a family and you moved (maybe) when you retired. Today that is not the case for many people. I have recently helped to relocated 4 households to Connecticut. Each of those have lived in no less than 4 places; 3 are between 25 and 40. The other, well we won’t go into age but he has literally lived all over the world.

If you’re on the move every few months, short term rentals are definitely the way to go. I would also hook up with a company that has a presences in your travel areas. This way you can deal with a company you know, they can refer you in network and if possible, share paperwork. Different states have different requirements but hey, any head start on the process helps.

Does this mean you don’t buy? Not necessarily. If you go out for a few weeks at a time or even a couple months at a time and return to a “home base”, owning may not be a bad idea. It gives you the security of knowing you will always have a place to lay your head. A place that is familiar, solid, secure and home. It also is a good investment and in the long run with this kind of life, a money saver. Although I would suggest a condo vs a single family home.

For the young professional that has a “stationary” job my advice would be the same every time; yes. If you qualify for a mortgage and can find a place that you want to live, go for it. It will be a great investment. Make sure you get pre-qualified. This will let you and your agent know what your financial position is and your price range. There is nothing worse than finding a place that you love and then finding out you can’t afford it. At that point the choice becomes about lifestyle; single family, multi-family or condo. It’s all about your comfort level.

Whether you live in something for 5 months or 50 years, the fact of the matter is, it’s home. Like I said, we live in a small world, why not own your little piece of it?

Author: Cindy Penkoff http://www.facebook.com/CindyPenkoffRealtor http://www.linkedin.com/in/cindypenkoffrealtor

Dressing Your Home For Sale

Housing 101

Dressing Your Home For Sale

A story from December, but with an all year moral.

Realtor’s tend to work what seems like all the time. So today was no different for me. It was kind of cool to see the transformation of store fronts and town Main Streets from Wednesday night to Friday morning. The greens, the bows, candy canes and lights, they were everywhere. As I drove through neighborhoods, people were decorating the fronts of their homes and their yards and their cars and, well it seemed like about anything they could.

As I drove down one particular street I had a moment; you know, the one when you say out loud, not realizing it, “What are they thinking?” The client that was in my car looked at me and said, “Do they really think they are going to sell that house looking like that?”

There you had it; an unbiased observation. The home had a For Sale Sign out front. It also had half a dozen blow up figures that included an animated snow globe, lights, that at night might have looked ok but, during the day, looked like black yarn had been thrown everywhere and to “top it all off”, someone on the roof was trying to attached a sled with all the trimmings, including Rudolph.

Now, let me make this clear, I would never tell anyone how to celebrate the holidays. But, if you are selling your home and it is during the holiday season I tell my clients, please keep it simple. I know we all have our traditions; we want to put out all the keepsakes and the memories that remind us of growing up or even more importantly our children growing up; all the more reason not to and I will tell you why.

First, one of the things you want people to be able to do is picture themselves living in your home. The more stuff there is around, the less likely that is. It’s hard enough to do this on normal days. Next, we all feel that pressure to keep the house up all the time when selling, just in case “the” buyer wants to see it that day. The more decorating and display, the more work for you. Lastly, accidents happen. The more things that are out, the more likely something will get knocked over, little hands might pick up and drop or any host of other things. Aunt Tilly’s porcelain dove is 80 years old and can never be replaced so why take the chance?

So rule of thumb is Keep It Simple; inside AND out.

Oh, and if you’re looking to make the house smell like holiday time may I suggest fresh baked cookies, or a candle that smells like it, versus a pine scented one? Pine can be harsh to some people and make them rush through the showing. On the other hand, I’ve never seen anyone run from a warm cookie

Welcome to HOUSING 101

Good Morning!!!!!

Would if I could, make it that easy; a 101 Course. Let’s face it, there is nothing easy about making the largest purchase of your life, or selling something you have put your heart and soul into and now people will be walking through critiquing it. As a Realtor, part of my job is to help you with that. I’m not saying I can take all the anxiety out of it, but I can give you the information you need to make good decisions. As they say, with knowledge comes power.

My name is Cindy Penkoff and I am a Real Estate agent with the Fairfield Coldwell Banker Office. I must admit, not many people can say this, I LOVE my job. It is many of the job things I love all rolled into one; sales, promotion, numbers, staging (decorating), helping people through an exciting and stressful decision and contracts. Yes I like contracts. Contracts are defined, clear, structured and specific. Dot the i’s and cross those t’s. Now if we could work in shoes and music, I would know perfection. J

All of that leads us to the here and now and why I am “talking” to you. It is now one of my jobs to help my readers navigate the world of Real Estate, which is much more than one might think. I want to help with everything from organizing and decorating the house to sell for the holidays to “how much can I afford to spend?”. For the record, I will be handing you off to a mortgage specialist for that one. Understanding why Connecticut State Laws requires “blah” and why a licensed home inspector can save you from the money pit.

But, today is about introductions. Tomorrow we will start to talk about the local markets, what is happening and what we can expect to see because of them.

For now, may I say, it’s been a pleasure and I look forward to this new adventure.