Josh Brook - Realtor

One of the biggest questions in real estate: do you buy first or sell first?

Buy first: you risk carrying two mortgages if your home doesn’t sell fast enough. Or you’re stuck negotiating your close date with a smaller pool of buyers.

Sell first: you risk being homeless. You haven’t found your next place yet.

Both risks are real. So which way do you go?

I always ask one question: which scenario will keep you up at night?

That’s your answer. And that’s what we build a plan around.

Sellers: before you start pulling things off walls, read this.

There’s a rule in real estate that trips people up every single time: if it’s attached to the house, it stays. If it’s not, it goes.

Sounds simple. It’s not.

I’ve seen a buyer fall in love with built-in kitchen shelves, and show up at the final walkthrough to find bare walls. I’ve seen a seller take an IKEA cabinet that fit so perfectly into an alcove it looked original to the house. Technically unattached. Absolutely a problem.

Fixtures, shelving, built-ins, light fixtures, TV mounts; these need to be called out in the contract if you’re taking them. Otherwise, the buyer assumes they’re included.

Double check before you touch anything.