Posts made by author 'Jay Mattlin'

After the housing crisis of 2008, many homeowners found themselves "upside down" on their properties, with their mortgage balances significantly higher than the value of their home. According to Zillow, negative equity in the US peaked 31.4% in Q1 of 2012, meaning nearly one-third of all mortgage holders in the US owed more on their homes than it was valued.

But luckily, the housing market has rebounded from the housing crisis, and homeowners have almost completely regained equity in their homes. According to CoreLogic's most recent Home Equity Insights report, in Q4 of 2017 only 4.9% of all mortgaged properties had negative equity, with the number of homes with negative equity dropping 21% year-over-year (from...

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It's National Best Friend Day and, as far as I can tell, it began as a hoax. Someone apparently started it by using a hashtag online, and people jumped on board and made it into something.

In the least, it is an "unofficial" National day at best. It isn't "real".

But, it got me to thinking…

Real estate agents tend to get really friendly with clients while we're looking for a home, or selling one. Almost like family in some cases.

Then, once the process is over, we can lose touch. Not entirely. It's just that we don't end up having that day-to-day interaction. And it can seem like maybe the friendship we developed was not genuine. Not "real".

But, like true best friends, the friendship we develop with our clients is real. Best friends can be apart, or not even speak for days, months, even years, and come back together without feeling like they missed a beat.

The same goes with real estate agents and their clients…

It isn't...

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Today, June 1st, is National Doughnut Day! I thought I'd give you a heads up, so you can get out early and grab your favorite doughnut before they're all gone.

Have you been to Donut World in Lancaster? Best donuts around! And voted best in Fairfield County – two years in a row!

You ever notice how there's always the same lame doughnuts sitting on the rack after the morning rush? They're usually either super boring, or way to "out there" for most people.

No big deal. They're doughnuts. They'll get donated or tossed in the trash at the end of the day.

But I see a similar thing happen in real estate, and it is a big deal…

The houses everyone wants tend to sell quickly. They don't stay on the "shelf' very long. But there's always some that just seem to be left to linger on the rack. And they tend to be the ones that are super boring, or way too "out there" for most home buyers' tastes. (Or just way over-priced.)

So, keep the followi...

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Spring has sprung, which means it's the perfect time to get the outside of your home in top shape before the summer months. A little sprucing can go a long way with enhancing your home's curb appeal. In fact a property's outdoor appeal can dictate people's home buying decision. And while it's not always necessary to keep a perfectly manicured lawn and flawlessly trimmed trees and bushes, little updates and refreshers, such as washing the windows and re-painting the front door, can make a positive impact. Plus, yearly maintenance can prevent big, costly overhauls down the road.

Use this infographic from The Grass People to hit all the bases—from the lawn and gardens to outdoor lighting and walkways.

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Do you believe whether a groundhog sees its shadow or not is a true indication of when Spring will come?

A lot of people aren't even sure, which means we're going to have more winter.

But even if you do, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If it's sunny, and he sees his shadow, that means a longer winter. If it's cloudy and he doesn't see his shadow, it means Spring will come sooner. That seems totally backwards.

And then there are lots of different groundhogs… which are you supposed to believe?

Groundhogs don't predict Spring

Truth is, Spring never actually comes sooner, even if every single groundhog doesn't see his shadow. It begins on a specific calendar day.

Now the weather on the other hand, that's a different story. The weather will be what it will be. Weather is something people make small talk about.

But a groundhog predicting it!? Meteorologists can barely do it.

So, most people don't put a whole lot o...

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