The Right (and Wrong) Way to Cut Home Insurance Costs

By JENNIFER SARANOW SCHULTZ
If the market values of your home or collectibles have gone down recently, you may have considered reducing the amount of insurance coverage you have to save costs.

But such marking to market value isn’t always a smart insurance saving strategy.


The Insurance Information Institute, an educational organization financed by the insurance industry, has included “insuring a home for its real estate value rather than the cost of rebuilding” as No. 1 in its new list of insurance mistakes consumers make when trying to cut insurance costs.

Read the rest of the story.

5 Homeowner Open House Strategies

by Matthew C. Keegan

If you’re a homeowner working with a real estate agent to sell your home, there are some things you can do make your open house successful, perhaps netting one or more offers. An open house is one of several ways to market your home, but it doesn’t always yield a buyer. By thinking creatively, you can attract visitors to your home including potential buyers.

1. Advertise — Is the realtor’s website updated and easy to access?

See the other 4 strategies.

10 Questions to ask your Realtor - Highlands Ranch Real Estate

1. Are you a full-time professional real estate agent? How long have you worked full time in real estate? How long have you been representing buyers? What professional designations do you have?
Knowing whether or not your agent practices full time can help you determine potential scheduling conflicts and his or her commitment to your transaction. As with any profession, the number of years a person has been in the business does not necessarily reflect the level of service you can expect, but it is a good starting point for your discussion. The same issue can apply to professional designations.

2. Do you have a personal assistant, team or staff to handle different parts of the purchase? What are their names and how will each of them help me in my transaction? How do I communicate with them?
It is not uncommon for agents who sell a lot of houses to hire people to work with them. As their businesses grow, they must be able to deliver the same or higher quality service to more people.
You may want to know who on the team will take part in your transaction, and what role each person will play. You may even want to meet the other team members before you decide to work with the team. If you have a question about fees on your closing statement, who would handle that? Who will show up to your closing?

3. Do you have a Website that will list my home? Can I have your URL address? Who responds to emails and how quickly? What’s your email address?

See all 10 at www.denver-real-estate-agency.com

Blueprint for Buying in Highlands Ranch

By June Fletcher From The Wall Street Journal Online

To buy or not to buy?
That is the question facing homeowners all across the country as overall home prices reach yet another record & mortgage interest rates reach a six-year-high.

April and Adam Nichols are suffering from sticker shock. The newlywed New Yorkers would love to get out of their cramped one-bedroom rental ... click here for more of the story.

How Buyers and Sellers can get the most for Highlands Ranch Real Estate

Contributed by Wall Street Staff Reporters

By now, almost everyone knows someone who postponed buying a house "until prices cooled off" -- and most of those buyers are still waiting (unless they've given up and bought, before they get completely priced out of the market).

See tips for buyers and tips for sellers, see the rest of the story at this link