(StatePoint) Buying or selling a home in today’s real estate market? Go about it properly. From home inspections to home improvement, take your advice from leading experts.

Updating the outside of a home pays off, according to this year’s Cost vs. Value Report according to Remodeling magazine and the National Association of Realtors.

(NAPSI)—In the past, selling your home for sale by owner (FSBO) meant trying to reach buyers on your own by posting a yard sign or running a classified ad. With over 80 percent of buyers using agents to find homes, however, FSBO sellers were locked out of “the club” because they could not get on the agents’ Multiple Listing Service (MLS) or on popular sites like Realtor.com. Without hiring a full-commission agent, FSBO sellers’ chances of being seen by qualified buyers were slim.

(BPT) - For most Americans your home is the biggest ticket item you will ever purchase. It’s no wonder that people can take months, and sometimes even years, to find the perfect home. When you walk into a house that’s on the market, many times the homeowner or real estate agent has “staged” it to ensure that you focus on the home’s greatest assets and overlook its flaws. Your job is to look past all that to see if this house is right for you.

(BPT) - Want to sell your property quickly? Looking for your dream house? Are you hoping to get the best deal possible during the complex process of buying or selling a home? With so much money – and often, emotion – at stake, going it alone is generally not the best way to reach your goals. The secret for getting exactly what you want: Work with a savvy real estate agent.

(StatePoint) There’s a good reason why many people dream of owning a home. Homeownership offers benefits such as stable monthly payments and the opportunity to establish a sense of community.  It can also be a way to build equity over time. 

Larry Lawrence stands on the main patio at Viaggio Winery, picking through a ring of keys to open a locked wooden door. It leads to the room where he and his wife, Terri Lawrence, had hoped to open a little sandwich counter to serve visitors to Viaggio, a dramatic estate on the Mokelumne River.

Are offers confidential? When you are in the market to buy a home your agent is required to advise you of several things. It’s likely most buyers never really think about many of them, after all why would you, you just want to buy a house.

Just about everyone in Lodi has heard of DeVries Road. But few know the history of the estate that sits at the northern end, and how the DeVries family was vitally important to the local wine industry.

(BPT) - Just 10 years ago, homebuyers would have started the purchasing process with a phone call to mortgage broker or real estate agent, a drive through a desirable neighborhood and a perusal of the classifieds. In 2013, however, buying a house is a high-tech affair, with technology making it easier than ever to find and finance the home of your dreams.

(BPT) - Key indicators point to conditions for a seller’s real estate market this spring. With fewer homes on the market, low interest rates, rising home prices and lower unemployment rates, there will be increased competition for buyers and faster sales for homeowners looking to move. With some planning and understanding of the market, it’s possible for both groups to make the most of this evolving marketplace.

Freddie Mac released its U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook for February last week showing that while the housing sector is recovering, the level of housing activity is still near historic lows. And in many markets, especially those hardest hit such as the San Joaquin Valley, there is room for sustainable growth because of record high home-buyer affordability, a factor of relatively low house prices, mortgage rates and modestly rising income.

(BPT) - Ready to buy your first home, or move up to a larger home for your expanding family?

(NAPSI)The next time youre thinking about buying or selling a house, you might want to open your mind to the benefits of an open house.

(BPT) - When a home smells good, it makes a favorable impression on visitors. This is exactly what home sellers want when they put their house on the market.

What's the big secret to find current market value? Digging deep.

ADULT DAY CARE AND HEALTH CENTERS

(BPT) - What your home is worth to you is one thing; what it’s worth to someone else may be totally different. If you want to boost the value of your home for yourself and in the eyes of others, one of the best ways to do that in today’s real estate market is to make green home improvements.

So you want to sell your house? After obtaining a real estate agent, what is the first thing you should do to prepare the house? And, where do you go from there?

(BPT) - Small businesses seem optimistic about increasing sales and hiring in 2013 and are looking to squeeze more productivity out of limited time, staffing and resources.

(NAPSI)—It may seem surprising to some, but real estate investors can not only do well for themselves, they can do good for the community, too.

(NAPSI)—For many families, the best financial move they’ve made in a long time is a short sale. That’s because for struggling homeowners, a short sale can help avoid foreclosure and prevent a big hit to their credit. So many people have discovered this valuable tool that short sales have become commonplace during the housing crisis, with the numbers reaching record levels in 2012.

I enjoyed the Lodi Association of Realtors annual luncheon at the River Mill in French Camp last week — lots of fun moments.