House-Hunting Etiquette: Questions You’re Afraid to Ask

Permission to view someone’s home for sale comes with some rules of etiquette.

Even if you are visiting an open house, you need to be aware of things that you may normally take for granted.

Preparing ahead will help alleviate confrontation or the need to ask these questions when you are in someone else’s home.

  1. Is it okay to consume snacks or drinks? Unless you are prepared to clean up or pay for a spillage accident, have your refreshments before you enter a home. If a seller has left cookies out for the showing, feel free to take one and eat it in the kitchen.
  2. Can I use the bathroom? If it’s urgent, ask for permission. You never know if the water has been shut off. Schedule stops to take care of your personal needs before visiting.
  3. Is looking into closets acceptable? Look all you want, but don’t disturb what you see.
  4. What about taking photos? Before you click the camera, first ask if it’s okay. This is especially important if you intend to post your photos publicly and the seller has personal effects that they don’t want promoted.
  5. Can I sit on the furniture? This is not a good idea unless you have a physical need to do so. Ask for permission if you need to sit for health reasons.

Call or email us with any of your burning house-hunting questions. We are always here to help and make sure you have a pleasant experience.

 

 

 

 

 

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On the Fence of Selling Your House?

On the Fence of Selling Your House? 

No matter what made you decide to buy your current home, sometimes it’s hard to know if you are ready to head back to the market.

You’re Outgrown Your House – Whether you have expanded your family or have empty nest syndrome, your needs might not be there in your current home.

It’s a Seller’s Market – Inventory in the real estate industry is low and so are the current interest rates. This is perfect for someone selling their home, where they are typically going to get more than their asking price with little to no buyer demand for changes.

You Are In a Good Place Financially – If you have all your ducks in a row and your debt is low, selling your house is natural to get the most out of your good fortune. This is emphasized if you already have enough money saved for a down payment.

Your Location Is No Longer Fitting Your Lifestyle – The community and amenities near your current house always feel like they are missing your favorite gym or you wish you can be 15 minutes from the beach, finding a new home where you can have all you want with the space you need is a natural next step.

Do you think you are ready?

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How to Get What You Want Out of an Open House

Starting to search for a new home is daunting, but open houses are a fun way to get a break from Zillow and see properties that interest you in real life.

Open houses have a ton of information for home-buyers but there are a few tips that will help you get the most out of them!

Limit your open house weekend. If you are seriously looking for a house, prepare to only view 1-3 open houses in case you want to move forward with a property. It gets increasingly harder to remember all the listings you view, and which ones meet your expectations. 

Try to avoid getting hung up on visual aesthetics. Remember that the house you are touring is someone else’s – that dresser and mirror won’t be in your master suite so don’t let it dissuade you!

Make sure to ask any questions to the agent.  The listing agent is there to answer questions about the properties as you move through the space. These questions can include about the surrounding area, any association fees and other specific information that will help your decision on the home.

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Back to the Basics: A Little Thank You Goes A Long Way

A little thank you goes a long way.

CEA CEO Blaise Coco celebrates with agents from the Dracut office, Rus Ozana and Carrie Cyr.

CEA CEO Blaise Coco celebrates with agents from the Dracut office, Rus Ozana and Carrie Cyr.

We’re coming off a great week here at Coco, Early & Associates.  We took some time out to enjoy great food, drink and most importantly each others’ success.  We celebrated our annual Agent Appreciation Day with an afternoon at Brown’s Seafood, an ice cream at Dunlap’s, drinks at Surf Side and some delicious food from Black Water Grill.  Our staff was able to join us too!  It’s not often that agents and staff from our 11 offices can come together to have fun!

We watched as each office challenged their own creativity and fought to win the Best Decorated Table!  From camouflage to lobsters, to roulette tables and margaritas ~ our offices really out did themselves.

What we realized most of all is that a little thank you goes a long way!

In a world where social media and texts often outpace personal interaction, this week’s events especially show that it is important to never forget the basics.  Whether it is our agents, our staff, our clients, our parents or our children — a good-old fashioned eye-to-eye THANK YOU is what matters most!

A special thank you to all our sponsors who helped make these events possible: NorthPoint Mortgage ~ Team Alvarez-Diaz, Finance of America ~ Pam Riesenberg, Summit Title~Shannon Kennedy, RJ Inspections~Jim Wright,  Attorney Maria Bonnano, and Integrity First Mortgage~Jim Driscoll.

#cocoearly

 

 

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Enterprise Bank Celebration of Excellence

Tonight was a wonderful night! We had the privilege of attending Enterprise Bank”s Celebration of Excellence. This feel good event recognizes local business for their success in creating a better community by hard work, dedication, and perseverance. We were also lucky enough to watch motivational speaker Chris Gardner, the real-life inspiration behind the box office hit “The Pursuit of Happyness”. What courage, passion, determination, and dedication. The casino spiele obstacles that casino Mr. Gardner had to face and overcome make those day to day “stresses” that we complain about seem silly. Truly inspirational and I would highly recommend taking a few mintues to read about Chris” life and all he has accomplished simply by never settling for less than stellar.
Chris Gardner

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