Online shopping is growing by an average of 20 million new shoppers each year. That's a lot of people clicking and buying! You may be one of them. However, there's a cost to online shopping that's all too easy to overlook. Shipping fees. Imagine saving $10 on a luxury cookware set, only to be hit with a $15 delivery charge. Ouch. So how do you avoid those fees? First of all, always check the fine print on the checkout screen. Notice what the shipping cost (if any) will be before you click the final purchase button. Keep in mind that the base shipping fee shown may update — and become higher — once you've typed in your address. Some e-tailers offer free delivery for orders over a certain threshold amount; for example, $50. If there's more you can add to an…

2821 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

You've probably heard about "home staging". As the name implies, it's all about arranging each room in your home in a way that will make the best impression on buyers. Here's what you need to know about staging if you're thinking of listing your property.

1. Staging can get you a higher price. On average, a fully-staged home tends to sell for 17% more than an un-staged home of the same type in the same local market. Depending on the current market value of your property, doing some staging in your home could put thousands of extra dollars in your pocket, post-sale.

2. It can speed up the sale. A study by the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) showed that fully staged homes spend an average of 90% less time on the market. So, if you need to sell quickly…

3132 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post