Travis A Martinez, Real Estate Consultant

You are not alone.  Rest assured that many people are in your shoes.  Does that make you feel better?  I did not think so. So what are you going to do about it?  Homes are not selling, property is staying on the market for longer and longer.  I anticipate that this will start to turn around next year.  But that ...

There are many articles and opinions about improvements on a property and whether you can recoup the cost at closing.  many of these are based on national averages and many are for specific location.  All of them seem to include Kitchens and bathrooms.  One recent article is a very good synopsis of how to improve property values by ...

I recently completed all of the pre-licensing requirements to obtain my property management license.  Why would a real estate salesperson want to spend the time, effort, and money to property manage?  Well, quite simply, I owe it to my clients.  Many people have had their homes on the market for sometime now.  Many are stuck ...

The short answer is NO! In today's issue of the Ravalli Republic there is an ad by the local Windermere real estate company that states "Windermere is the only western Montana Real Estate company associated with www.trulia.com" This concerned me.  Through Point 2 Agent (a great web hosting site for ...

Whether you are a FSBO or have an agent there are a few things you can do before a showing to make you house more appealing.  Probably the most basic is open the windows.   Natural light is so much better on the eyes.  Get rid of the clutter.  Throw dirty laundry in the washer (not to wash but to hide, you can sort and ...

As many of you may be aware, the President signed the Housing Stimulus Package last week.  What does this mean for you? Well if you are a first time homebuyer this could mean that you get a $7,500 tax credit.  If you are a FHA buyer this increases your loan limits.  If you are in Foreclosure this new law could provide for some ...

One of the most common mistakes in real estate is having pictures too dark.  I have even seen real estate agents make this mistake but most of the time it is done by a For Sale By Owner (FSBO).  A dark picture, besides having less detail, gives a gloomy feel of the home, or even worse gives the impression that the home does not have ...

The prevailing interest rate is often referred to as the "cost of money."  Or more simply put the amount that you have to pay to use someone else's money.  Typically long tern money (30 year mortgages) is more expensive then short term (10 or 15 year mortgages) money.  Another way of looking at this is as an ...

This weekend was not only beautiful it was a furry of activity.  There was the Spring Fair at the Fairgrounds, lots of yard work to do, and yeas even people looking at property.  Not only did I show property to some buyers that I have been working with, but I also got some activity on my listings.  By activity I not only mean ...

In an effort to give my clients the best marketing service for their home I have stumbled upon the newest thing in home marketing.  VIDEO TOURS.  Rather than a panoramic still photo that we use as a virtual tour (View an Example Here), this is like using a camcorder to do a walk through of the house.  This gives more of a first ...