What makes a house a home has just as much to do with what’s around it as what’s in it. So when it comes to buying a home, it’s important to find the neighborhood or community that matches your lifestyle needs.

Before your Brinkoetter Realtor can begin to help you look for a home, it’s a good idea to develop a list of needs and wants. For some buyers, the home itself is what matters most. Perhaps they are set on a particular style, size, or layout of the yard. But for others, the neighborhood is more important.

Here are a few tips:

Determine a Budget

If you have an unlimited budget you may be able to find the perfect home in a desirable neighborhood, but since most buyers need to meet a budget, you may have to make a compromise on either the home or its

“Flex Space” is a hot and trendy buzz term used in today’s real estate, used to describe an area of your home that can be used for multiple purposes. It could be an entire room, or just a specific space.

The purpose of Flex Space is to provide homeowners with flexibility as their needs and lifestyles evolve. For example, a recent retiree may turn a home office into a new space for hobbies and craft work. Young families preparing for their future needs may see potential to accommodate more bedroom spaces. What’s an extra seating area today may be a nursery tomorrow.

Some Flex Space examples might include:

- Home Office
- Playroom
- Home Gym
- Media Room
- Craft Space
- Extra Living Room
- Walk-In Closet / Storage

The best thing about a Flex Space is that it can

2020 has been a year of improvising and transitioning to virtual platforms, and real estate is no different. We've had to adapt many of the ways we collaborate as a team, show houses to buyers, market our sellers' listings, and sign contracts. 

Before the COVID era, we enjoyed multiple collaborative meetings as a team throughout the week either in our office, or in a local restaurant or coffee shop.  During the stay at home order we knew we still needed those regular touch points to collaborate for our clients, as a team, so we have utilized FaceTime calls, group chats, and even meeting in our homes while maintaining a safe distance. We can't wait to start meeting together in local small businesses to do our collaboration.

Because community

Over the last 30 days, brinkoetter.com has seen over 315k Pageviews and nearly 70k Sessions. That’s an increase of 45% over the same time last year.

“Although no one could have predicted the extent of nation’s current circumstances, we were positioned for this,” says Brinkoetter Digital Media Director, Ryan Campbell. “As a company we have always been committed to technology, and using innovation to better communicate with clients. But now more than ever, Brinkoetter’s branded techniques have meant that even from the safety of home, buyers and sellers are able to continue in their real estate process without major interruption.”

According to Campbell, not only are more clients visiting brinkoetter.com, they’re spending more time there, using the online

Are you a Millennial Home Buyer? Yay! Carry on with your bad self.

Everyone else: Read on.

Changing tides in real estate may be attributed to a number of factors. Low rates, new technology, the demand for speedier results, and a call for virtual accessibility have all impacted the way companies are doing business.

But one more influence may also play a part. The Millennial generation.

Millennials now represent the largest share of the home buying market at 39%. Their slower approach to homeownership, relative to their Generation X and Baby Boomer counterparts, is often attributed to affordability, student debt, and tighter lending standards. But as they continue to age and mature over the next decade, they’re finding themselves ready to settle into

Real Estate has been deemed an Essential Service because there are some things that can’t wait for the Shelter In Place to be lifted. Many families don’t have the luxury of a flexible moving date. So if you’re faced with moving right now, take heart. There are several things you can do to be proactive about your family’s health and safety, and the Brinkoetter Team is here to help.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

- Moving Companies have also been deemed Essential, but that doesn’t mean they’ve all implemented the same safety protocols and procedures. It’s important to ask movers about their policies, what they’re doing to ensure their clients safety, if they disinfect their trucks between moves, and if their crew will be wearing Personal Protective

For the real estate industry, digital marketing resources have long played a valuable role in a successful list-to-sell process. But with today’s shelter-in-place order in effect, these resources mean the singular lifeline between you, the Seller, and your Buyer.

Here are four essential tools that will play leading roles in your Seller’s Strategic Plan: 

Strategic Tool #1: 3D Virtual Tours

Professional, still-life photography is pretty basic in today’s real estate practice. Savvy Sellers need access to 3D-tour technology, which allow virtual walkthroughs for potential Buyers (who may be out-of-town, looking to relocate) and can be accessed from most any media device. Brinkoetter’s industry-leading technology can rotate 360 degrees and move room to

While gyms, fitness centers, and workout facilities are temporarily closed for quarantine, healthy individuals and families are challenged to find alternative ways to keep active and keep moving.

And experts agree, it’s an important effort.

Staying at home for prolonged periods of time can pose a significant challenge for remaining physically active. Sedentary behavior and low levels of physical activity can have negative effects on physical health and overall quality of life. These stuck-at-home days can also cause additional stress and test mental health (parents, I’m looking at you).

According to Brinkoetter Realtor and RedZone Fitness gym owner, Jenny Lambdin, mental health is just as important as physical health. And exercise is a big player in positive

The Macon County residential real estate market for the first quarter of 2020 outpaced the first quarter of 2019 by just over 40% in terms of both dollar volume and units sold. Dollar volume was up by $9 million and 79 more homes were sold as compared to the same time period in 2019. To say the market started strong is an understatement.  

Average list price increased 2% to approximately $116,500 from $114,600 and average sales price increased 1% to $109,800 from $108,500.  Buyers and sellers alike were encouraged as the demand was high, the inventory was low, interest rates were experiencing record lows, and financial measures were pointing upward. As a classic example of a right-side up economy: demand was greater than the supply.

Then COVID-19 hit

The COVID-19 pandemic has left many of today’s buyers wondering how or even if they should proceed with their home search. Questions about safety, financial ramifications, and uncertain job security linger as they question moving forward with their longtime plans.

But as an encouraging sign of the market, and eventual recovery, Brinkoetter Realtors’ home buyers are still signing contracts, closing on purchases,  and making plans to move their families into the homes they’ve been dreaming of. 

While it’s hard to know when things will begin to normalize, industry experts seem to agree that real estate will recover quickly, and may even eventually help to support the economy back to a healthy state.

With that in mind, there are many things buyers can be