arhome realty blog

How To Make Your Home Move a Breeze

So you're moving! How do you move to a new home efficiently? Moving is not an easy task - especially when you have years of items stored up in your living space. However, there are ways to make the load lighter on you. A couple simple changes to your moving routine and you can save time, energy, and let's be honest - stress.

Here are 10 tips to make your next move a breeze:

1. do a closet purge

Don't go through the hassle of moving all your clothes to your new home. Try refreshing your closet - it's the perfect time to get rid of all those items you no longer use. This one task alone will make your moving load a lot lighter.

2. start scheduling donation pick-up arrangements

Once your closet purge is done - sort through the rest of your…

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6 Ideas for a Trendy Home Garden

Home gardens are growing! As home-based, outdoor events have become a staple in today's world, homeowners are extending their homes into the outdoors and and getting creative with their open-air spaces.

Here are a few ways to upscale your outdoor garden:

1. incorporate sustainability

Sustainability is becoming one of the biggest trends as we become more educated about the earth and the environment. One way experts say to incorporate sustainability in your garden is to use native plants and include a lot of diversity that "mimics" the nature of the area you live in. Using native plants helps attract pollinators, helpful insects, birds, and butterflies - all creating a healthy ecosystem. Since these plants are already adapted to the soil and…

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5 Things That Will Help Your Home Sell

If your home stands out (in a good way), it attracts more buyers, gets more traffic, and that typically results in more interest, more offers and a higher end sale. It's important to make sure your home is truly ready for a home sale, to make the most of its market debut and get more buyers to fall in love with it. And while we generally don't recommend any major projects (exceptions abide - ask an arhome agent for the most profitable approach), the good news is there's a lot that you can control when it comes to making your home above-average. 

Here are some uncommon ways that actually make a big difference in your home sale.

#1. avoid "fake staging"

We don't mean to avoid staging in general - staging is an amazing, powerful tool if used…

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What Does An “AS-IS” Sale Actually Mean?

“AS-IS” sales are becoming more and more popular as home inventory gets tighter and buyers are trying to make their offer the winning one.

But what does that actually mean for you?

#1. what is an "as-is" sale?

An “AS-IS” sale is a common way of saying that the buyer and seller include a contract clause where the buyer promises that after doing the home inspection, the buyer won’t be asking the seller for any repairs or money. This does NOT waive the buyer’s right to do an inspection (unless that was waived in another clause, but that’s a separate topic). It also does NOT waive the buyer’s right to back out of the deal if you don’t like the inspection results and if your contract has that option. It’s just a way of making your offer easier on…

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4 Steps To Win A Multi-Offer

how to win a multi-offer

Don’t lose another dream house in this tight market! Here's our list of 4 steps you can take to make your chances better when you run into a multi-offer situation.

1. prepare for a multi-offer scenario before the right home even hits the market.

Get educated on market value and what you should expect to offer on the kind of home you’re looking for. Prepare your max budget. Go see other homes to learn what you really want. A multi-offer situation is not the time to be on the fence or act under pressure — you need to be prepped to know if you actually want this house, and if you do, be ready to offer a healthy and strong price.

2. try to find out what else the seller is looking for.

Price isn’t always…

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What Will Make a Good Agent in 2022

what will make a good agent in 2022 

With pandemic career shifts and a booming market throughout 2020 and 2021, a huge number of new agents have entered the real estate world. With predicted market normalization in 2022, we're looking at a less craziness left and right. So what will make an agent stand out — or really be the best choice for you — in 2022?

1. consistent training + knowledge.

The market has been changing like crazy since the pandemic started. Virtual showings, fluctuating rates, changing market predictions in all directions and more are moving so rapidly that relying on experience alone is no longer an option in 2022. A good, top-level agent must stay on top of market knowledge more than ever to be the better choice.

Whether…

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2022 Housing Market Outlook

2022 housing market outlook

2021 was another extremely strong year in real estate. We saw one biggest booms in sales volume and prices in the last decade just keep getting stronger and stronger.

So what will 2022 hold? Are we headed for a crash, or will this keep going? Here's what experts are predicting.

prices

Despite the price bubble being the highest we've seen in over 10 years, most economist are predicting continued (albeit slower) increases that head towards stability. National Association or REALTORS chief economist Lawrence Yun says prices will rise another 5.7% above 2021’s already high numbers, with inflation alone accounting for a 4% increase. The rising prices will make housing affordability a continued issue, despite already…

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2021 Christmas + Awards Party

2021 christmas + awards party

Thank you everyone for another year of celebrating! Check out the video recap below. 

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5 Holiday Decorating Tips to Make Your Life Merrier

Festive season has arrived to Chicagoland! If you're looking to spruce up your little corner of the world, here are 5 tips for how to actually enjoy yourself and the decor, all in one.

#1. don't do it all at once.

We know - it's so tempting to make decorating a quick one-and-done marathon. But it's a lot of pressure to do it all in one day and honestly, it can get overwhelming. So take a breath and space it out. Remember it's a time to have fun -- give yourself a couple weeks and just see how much more enjoyable it is to see each space come to life one at a time!

#2. pick warm days for the outdoors.

If you're doing any outdoor decorating, don't always just plan to "get it done over the weekend." It could just end up being the coldest day…

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Top 3 Post-Covid Home Upgrades

It's no surprise that the year-long shift to staying at home has changed the things that homeowners value in their houses. What today's buyers are looking to upgrade as they shop for a new home has really changed because of this, and has changed which homes get swept up sooner when they hit the market. So if you're looking to put some new life into your home, see below for today's top investments (which you won't regret whether you sell or stay!).

#1: Outdoor Spaces

Outdoor spaces has been one of the biggest motivators for post-pandemic homebuyers. According to a recent survey by HomeLight, a referral service which surveyed over a thousand of agents across the nation, by far the number one desired upgrade were fire pits. Next came…

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