Spring is officially upon us and is traditionally the time when homeowners spruce up their homes either for their personal enjoyment or to ready them for sale.  While projects for your own enjoyment vary in size and budget, those who are planning to put their homes “on the market” want to get the most “bang” for their buck and ideally a reasonable return on investment. 

Remodeling magazine, in cooperation with REALTOR® magazine, prepares an annual “Cost vs. Value Report” in which the actual cost of a remodeling project is weighed against the amount a seller can anticipate recouping at resale.  Of the 35 projects that were evaluated, replacing an entry door with steel was the highest-ranking mid-range project with an estimated 73% return, followed by…

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Robyn Erlenbush, Broker/Owner of ERA Landmark Real Estate is pleased to announce that Sally Hickey was awarded a Leaders’ Circle designation by ERA Franchise Systems LLC. This designation, awarded at the 2012 ERA® International Business Conference (March 14-17, 2012) in New Orleans, La. recognizes the ERA network’s top producers for excellence in real estate sales.

Hickey’s leadership within the real estate industry provides a source of guidance and inspiration. Since joining ERA Landmark Real Estate in 1991, she has become knowledgeable in all aspects of real estate, from new construction to foreclosures. Hickey holds the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Graduate REALTORS® Institute (GRI), Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR), GREEN, and…

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U.S. News & World Report interviewed Robyn Erlenbush and Richard Smith, president and CEO of Realogy Corp. (ERA’s parent company), last week when they recognized that the luxury housing market is buzzing. As Robyn points out in the article Luxury Housing Markets Heat Up, in our local market, we have already seen the same number of closings and pending sales three months into 2012 as we did halfway through 2011.

Activity is increasing in luxury markets across the nation. "These are high-end buyers that have been sitting on the sidelines for long enough and pricing is not going to get any better," Richard Smith says. "These are people who are smart enough to know that you can't really call the bottom of the market—you can get close, but if you miss it,…

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Many buyers – and some sellers – are counting on misconceptions that could keep them from their real estate goals.
Here are some that we’re finding in this market.

1. I'll just hunt and hunt until I find the "perfect" home.

Sorry. There is no such thing as the perfect property. Even gently-used houses come with imperfections. And new homes rarely, if ever, have absolutely everything you want at the price you want to spend. Even if you use your own plan and build a new house, there will be things you would like to change. And there is a bit of a challenge because rates are so low now - how long will that be the case? Will you miss this historical opportunity?

2. Distressed properties (short sales and foreclosures) are easy and cheap options.

Not…

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Robyn Erlenbush, Broker/Owner of ERA Landmark Real Estate, is pleased to announce that ERA Landmark Real Estate ranked #1 in Total Closed Production Volume in 2011 for Division 1 (companies with 50 or fewer associates) by global residential real estate leader ERA Franchise Systems, Inc. Erlenbush and the company were recognized for these outstanding achievements at the 2012 ERA International Business Conference, held March 15-17 in New Orleans.

The company was ranked 21st in the nation among all sizes of ERA companies for 2011. ERA Landmark has ranked #1 for Division 1 in 2004-2008 and 2010, and in the top 50 of all ERA companies since 1987. The ERA network includes more than 30,000 brokers and sales associates and approximately 2,400 offices throughout…

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