When you’re in the market for a new home, it’s a good idea to create a list of “Wants” and “Must Haves.” You’ll also need to think through a budget. Not only will this help you and your family get on the same page, it will better equip your real estate agent to find your perfect fit.

Along the way, you may find that you’re willing to give up a few of your “Wants” in order to get your “Must Haves.” According to Brinkoetter agent, Jodi Brinkoetter, sometimes sacrificing things that can eventually be repaired and upgraded is an easy way to narrow your search.

“While I always want buyers to get exactly what they want, sometimes they have to sacrifice some of their ‘Wants.’ I would suggest sacrificing things that they can budget for and change in the

In the age of HGTV reality shows, buyers expect homes to look like they do on TV and are willing to pay more for what they want. The goal of Home Staging is to make a home appeal to the highest number of potential buyers, thereby selling a property faster and for more money. And it works!

Meet Brinkoetter Realtor and Home Stager, Aimee Dial.

“Home Staging is not just a hobby for me; it combines my two passions: real estate and interior design,” says Dial. “And with a Bachelor’s degree in interior design, seven years of real estate experience in three states, and twice an owner of a home staging business, I am an expert in the topic.”

According to Dial, vacant homes are much more difficult to sell than furnished homes. “It’s difficult for most

Buying a new home comes with all kinds of surprises. It’s the work of a home inspector to ensure those surprises don’t end up costing you a lot of money down the road.

Here are a few of our tips and tricks for navigating a successful home inspection, and stepping into your new, no-surprises home.

Inspector Detector

Every home buyer should hire a licensed home inspector to inspect the major systems of a house — the structure, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling equipment, windows, doors, kitchen appliances and more. Talk to your Brinkoetter realtor for recommendations. They’ll direct you to someone who is reputable, knows the market, and has a good understanding of local homes – how homes are built, how well they’ve been maintained, and

Determining how much to list your home for is a delicate dance. Of course you want to ask as much as possible, and be fairly compensated for what your home is worth. But there are some big risks involved in overpricing your house, and some big advantages in getting your price right from the beginning.

So how do you do that?

You work with an experienced realtor who knows the area, knows the market, and is going to tell you what you need to do to sell your house, fast, instead of what you want to hear.

“In the world of real estate, there’s always talk about how long homes have been on the market and what the competition looks like,” says Brinkoetter Designated Managing Broker/Owner Tom Brinkoetter. “But the numbers and statistics only tell part of the

Working with a real estate agent who is invested in the community adds up to big advantages for clients. Not only do they have good relationships with area professionals, and know what’s going on within the community, often times they know what’s about to transpire locally. They’re ahead of the trends and on top of their game.

As a company, Brinkoetter Realtors’ commitment to technology, innovation, and community involvement are the crux of our culture. And as we are a body of more than 60 agents, we are represented across a wide variety of organizations, clubs, projects, and leadership collaborations. On any given day, you’ll find a Brinkoetter representative helping a local charity, volunteering at a school, delivering meals to elderly friends, or

If your four walls could talk…what New Year Resolutions would they make? Would it be more organization, and less clutter? More energy saving, and less bill paying? Here are some of our favorite home-goals for the new decade.

Resolution One: Safety First!

The look and feel of your home is important, but more important is the heath and safety of its occupants. There are a few things to check on at the top of the new year to ensure your family isn’t living with potential risks and hazards. 

1. Get a Radon Test

It’s important to check your home for radon. This colorless, odorless gas causes about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year from the radioactive particles it traps in your lungs as you breathe. And what’s super scary is that one in every

So you’re seriously considering selling your home. Better put it off until this spring when the real estate market heats back up. Right? Wrong!

Though conventional wisdom would have you believe it’s better to wait for mild weather to sell your house, the truth is there are a number of reasons why listing your home during the long winter months can actually work in your favor. Here are just a few.

1. Less Competition

It’s true that fewer people tend to list their homes during the winter months, but this means there will be fewer listings to compete with. It’s always better to be the only home for sale in your neighborhood, rather than being one of four.

“Many sellers take their houses off of the market for the winter so there is less

At the cusp of a New Year, it’s common to resolve to make some serious lifestyle changes. Sometimes those changes include downsizing from a large home, with more belongings, to a smaller, simpler life.

Maybe your adult children have left for college, or are beginning to create families of their own. Maybe your dream of retiring and traveling more will naturally result in less time at the homestead. Maybe you’re resolved to Marie Kondo your life by living with less.  

According to Brinkoetter Realtor, Aimee Dial, knowing what you want is half the battle. 

“First thing I ask my clients: do you want to downsize your mortgage, your house size, your yard size, the maintenance (older homes), or is it a combination of those things? I think many people

For many families, decorating for the holidays is a time-honored tradition. Sometimes that tradition has been handed down by previous jolly generations; other times, tradition is born new and rolled out for future generations’ delight.

For Brinkoetter client, Patrick Jones, decorating his home for Christmas provides a bridge between the holidays he remembers from his own childhood, to the childhood he is creating for his children today.

“Growing up, my family was always very into Christmas and decorating. I think for me, decorating our home is a big part of readying ourselves for the holidays.”

According to Patrick, he and his neighbors have enjoyed a friendly competition over the years in an effort to out-bright one another. “This all began years

Like all industries, the world of real estate has its own language and terminology. Knowing some of the industry jargon will help you prepare for the home-buying process, and better equip you to communicate with your Realtor™.

Here are a few common terms to add to your vocabulary:

Fixed Rate vs. Adjustable Rate Mortgage
Two types of mortgages available to homebuyers. A fixed-rate mortgage has the same interest rate through the entire term of the loan, while an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) is a loan in which the interest rate periodically adjusts based on a specified index.

Earnest Money
A deposit, given by the buyer to the seller and held by a third party, secures the contract until closing and lets the seller know you are serious about the