Marlene Bernasconi's Blog Posts

Getting Homeowners Insurance — Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute

When buying a home, most people focus on the offer, inspection, appraisal and mortgage. But there’s another important piece that can affect whether you make it to the closing table:Homeowners

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The More You Know: Home Inspections — What Sellers Need to Know

When selling your home, the buyer’s inspection can feel stressful. You’ve accepted an offer and are moving toward closing, and suddenly someone is examining your home from top to bottom

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5 Things Sellers Should NOT Do Before Listing Their Home

Getting ready to sell?Sometimes the smartest thing you can do before listing your home is avoid doing too much.I’ve seen homeowners spend money on improvements they didn’t need, make

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Why the Highest Offer Isn’t Always the Best Offer

Imagine you’re selling your home and receive three offers.One buyer offers your asking price.Another offers $5,000 more.A third offers $10,000 more.Easy decision, right?Not necessarily.When

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The Real Cost of Waiting to Buy a Home

“I’m going to wait until interest rates come down.”I hear this frequently from potential homebuyers, and I understand why. Your mortgage rate can have a significant impact on your

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Your Offer Was Accepted—Now What Happens?

You found the house, negotiated the terms, signed the paperwork and finally heard those exciting words:“Your offer was accepted!”That’s a major milestone—but it’s not

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Why Your Home’s Assessed Value Is NOT Its Market Value

One of the most common questions I hear from homeowners is:“If the county says my home is worth this much, isn’t that what I should sell it for?”Not necessarily.Your assessed,

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