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Real Estate Articles and Advice (page 3)

A Home for the Holidays

A Home for the Holidays

by Chris Petry While conventional wisdom might suggest that the holiday season is a slow time for real estate, there’s also compelling counter arguments for why it isn’t or, at the very least, why it shouldn’t be. If we break it down to purely numbers, then yes, you’re likely to see less new listings and less sales in the time period between mid-November and January. Tha

It's Soup Season!

It's Soup Season!

by Chris Petry Go ahead, laugh it up, sun worshipers. You know and I know, these 70-degree days won’t be able to hold out much longer. If there’s one thing about cold weather, I think we can all agree on, it’s soup. I guess there are dissenters out there somewhere. An old friend of mine once broke up with a girl who told him she didn’t like soup. “How can you unila

Real Life Haunted Real Estate

Real Life Haunted Real Estate

by Chris Petry You know what they say about ghosts and real estate: location, location, location! Look, it’s the middle of October and we’ve yet to post a blog with an exclusively Halloween-y topic. You probably wondered if we’d decided to buck tradition and skip it all together. Still, you’ve been patient, and much like a restless spirit compelled to roam the halls of a

Scholarship Program 2022-2023

Scholarship Program 2022-2023

by Chris Petry Every year at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred & Stouffer Realty, we grant scholarships to three lucky students who exemplify the traits of our Dream Innovate and Grow Scholarship Program. Each student receives $1,000 toward his or her education, every year for up to four years, for a total value of $4,000. It’s the least we can do. We get it: college is ex

Don't Forget to Winterize

Don't Forget to Winterize

by Chris Petry You’d be forgiven for waking up on Monday and believing spring was around the corner, rather than the icy throes of winter. Temperatures have been unseasonably warm, peaking in the late 80s by the late afternoon. Of course, I feel we’ve been saying fall temperatures are “unseasonably warm” for nearly a decade now so maybe it’s not all that unexpected

The Pumpkin Invasion

The Pumpkin Invasion

by Chris Petry Is there any singular item more indicative of the Fall season than a pumpkin? When it comes to Fall décor, from mid-September to late November, pumpkins reign supreme. Their staying power has to, in some small part, boil down to their simplicity. Sure, you can carve a face into one or paint it but it’s far from necessary.   Pumpkins come in all shapes, sizes a

Just What are Interest Rates, Anyway?

Just What are Interest Rates, Anyway?

by Chris Petry It seems you can’t go a day without hearing about interest rates. No matter where you look, there’s an article or a news report discussing the effects of interest rates on consumer spending, personal loans, and mortgages. Financial gurus like Suze Orman, Kevin Leary, Mark Cuban, and yes, even the figurehead of this fair brokerage, Warren Buffet are interviewed regular

The Colors of Autumn

The Colors of Autumn

by Chris Petry Depending on the survey, anywhere between 29 and 42% of Americans rank Fall as their favorite season. I know what you’re thinking; doesn’t this fly in the face of conventional wisdom that suggests most people are at their happiest half way through their third Mai Tai on a tropical beach in early July? I bet if you asked them by the time they finished that Mai Tai, the

The Pleasures of Reading

The Pleasures of Reading

by Chris Petry Go ahead and groan. It’s okay. I get it. Reading is not for everyone. Indeed, some people will tell you it’s a chore or worse, a punishment. My theory? They’re just not reading the right material. Don’t think I’m here to convince you that you should spend your downtime brushing up on the philosophical musings of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy or crossing off

Take a Break! It's Labor Day

Take a Break! It's Labor Day

by Chris Petry Next Monday, many businesses will remain closed for the day in observance of Labor Day. Labor Day is a federally-recognized holiday, celebrating the hard work of the nation’s citizenry. While work is nothing new, it was only after the Industrial Revolution that lawmakers, union leaders, and activists began to make headway in advancing policies that prioritized the safety of