Blog - Kim Shaw

Home Remodeling

Make Your Home Baby-Friendly

You may not have kids right now, but chances are you may be entertaining guests one day who do. Below are some sound strategies to make your guest’s visit low-stress and safe by baby proofing your home. These are great ways to put your guests at ease and do your best to protect their little […]
Buying a Home

Is a Home Warranty Right for You?

The idea of a home warranty can sound great. The definition of home warranty is “a service contract, normally for one year, which helps protect home owners against the cost of unexpected covered repairs or replacement on their major systems and appliances that break down due to normal wear and tear” (National Association of Realtors). […]
Buying a Home

How to Make a Down Payment Possible

Every month you pay the rent, you’re probably thinking, “I wish this money were going into my future.” For a lot of would-be first-time home buyers, it’s the down payment, which makes home ownership seem impossible. We want to encourage you, climbing the “down payment mountain” isn’t impossible. Like any significant challenge, it’s all a […]
Home Remodeling

Home Office Remodel: No Return

It is a proven fact that many home remodeling projects significantly impact the value of the home. Certain upgrades and renovations pay dividends when it comes time to sell your home, allowing you to recoup the money you’ve invested in the home improvements. As always, there are exceptions. There is one renovation that stands head […]

Home Remodeling Make Your Home Baby-Friendly You may not have kids right now, but chances are you may be entertaining guests one day who do. Below are some sound strategies to make your guest’s visit low-stress and safe by baby proofing your home. These are great ways to put your guests at ease and do your best to protect their little […]

Buying a Home Is a Home Warranty Right for You? The idea of a home warranty can sound great. The definition of home warranty is “a service contract, normally for one year, which helps protect home owners against the cost of unexpected covered repairs or replacement on their major systems and appliances that break down due to normal wear and tear” (National Association of Realtors). […]

Buying a Home How to Make a Down Payment Possible Every month you pay the rent, you’re probably thinking, “I wish this money were going into my future.” For a lot of would-be first-time home buyers, it’s the down payment, which makes home ownership seem impossible. We want to encourage you, climbing the “down payment mountain” isn’t impossible. Like any significant challenge, it’s all a […]

Home Remodeling Home Office Remodel: No Return It is a proven fact that many home remodeling projects significantly impact the value of the home. Certain upgrades and renovations pay dividends when it comes time to sell your home, allowing you to recoup the money you’ve invested in the home improvements. As always, there are exceptions. There is one renovation that stands head […]

Buying a Home 6 Things Buyers Forget to Check During a Home Search Do you think you have found the perfect home? Hold on, and think again, it might not be as perfect as you think. There are six little details which can turn an ideal house into a purchase you may regret. Before you make your offer, take into account these six small, but surprisingly important details: […]

Home Remodeling Affordable Design Upgrades to Help Sell Your Home What is it about a home that catches a buyer’s eye? What makes a home “feel right”? When two home are comparable to one another, why will one edge the other out? The difference is in the details. Small little touches will give a home a major edge in the market. Below is a list […]

Home Remodeling Essential Tips to Make an Efficient Home and Save on Your Energy Bill As a homeowner, it’s important to keep your home running efficiently, not only to save money, but also to help the environment thrive. It is important to pause and taking time to think about making some key upgrades that will improve the efficiency of your home. If you’re looking to sell your house, and increase […]

Selling Your Home Thinking of Selling Your Home? Waiting Can Be Costly. Humans are impatient by nature, at times being patient and waiting pays off. Other times, waiting can cost you money. Surprisingly, individuals who wait too long to sell their homes can have a negative effect on the bottom line. Traditional thinking would suggest it may be best to wait to sell when there is a […]

Selling Your Home Don’t Move It, Sell It! Getting ready to move to the Prescott area? Welcome to “Everybody’s Hometown”, we are excited to have you! You have picked a gorgeous town. Prescott truly has something for everyone. There are plenty of things to do in the area, making it the perfect community for people of all ages. Prescott is often rated as […]

Buying a Home Basics for Buying Your First Home Okay, first-time buyers… it’s time to turn your dream into a reality . . . own your very own home. I’m sure you have questions. In fact, I’m sure your questions are like most first-time buyers. Which is why I’ve put together this down-and-dirty answer guide for the most common questions home buyers have. 1. What kind […]

Real Estate News Why Overpricing Hurts Sellers in the End I would consider this a factual statement: All sellers would love their home to sell for the highest possible price. Understandable. Unfortunately, this strong desire and motivation is the reason why it’s so easy for agents to “buy” listings. If you’re not familiar with the concept, “buying” a listing is when an agent tells a […]

Home Remodeling Supersizing Small Living Spaces Has your home started to feel a little small for your family? It happens to the best of us. The things we own gradually end up colonizing a lot of our free space, and the house which felt “just right” a few years ago can suddenly feel as tiny as a shoe closet. Fortunately, there […]

Home Remodeling Should I Negotiate Repairs Before Closing? Even though I am a realtor with extensive experience in real estate, the word ‘inspection’ tends to make me, as well as many of my clients, uncomfortable. This is truly understandable. If you are the seller, you don’t want to lose the sale. If you are the buyer, you don’t want to lose buying the […]

Credit and Mortgage Information How to Respond to Lowball Offers Your agent is required to bring you any and all offers made on your home even if it is a ‘bad’ offer. Once and a while you’ll receive what’s known as a “lowball” offer. Lowball offers are buyer offers which far fall below your asking price. Sometimes they’re so low that they only serve to […]

Credit and Mortgage Information How to Avoid Common Earnest Money Errors Earnest money is a great way to show a seller you’re serious about the offer you’re making on their home. But first, what is earnest money? Investopedia helps define earnest money as a deposit from a buyer to a seller to represent a buyer’s ‘good faith.’ The deposit is a way for buyer to receive extra time […]

Credit and Mortgage Information Overlooked Ways You Can Save On Home Insurance Homeowners insurance is vital for protecting your investment. It’s also required by lenders holding the mortgage on your home. For some reason, many homeowners overlook ways they can save money on their premiums. Shopping around is a good idea, but much like auto insurance, there are many simple things you can do to impact how […]

Real Estate News How Pocket Listings in Real Estate Work Not every home sold gets a shiny new for sale sign out front. Some change hands quickly and quietly without any public advertising whatsoever. In the industry, these are known as “pocket listings.” Pocket listings are sometimes referred to as “coming soon” listings or “whisper” listings. Pocket listings used to be the domain of the […]

Credit and Mortgage Information Cleaning Up Credit Inaccuracies Discovering an error on your credit history can be a rude surprise when you’re attempting to get pre-approved for a mortgage. Though most people don’t think about the details of their credit report until the need to secure a loan, it’s a good idea to check your report for inaccuracies periodically. It is easy to […]

Home Remodeling Identifying Common Household Water Leaks Did you know it’s not uncommon for more than 20% of homes to have one unidentified water leak? Sometimes these leaks go on for years, completely unnoticed, because home owners assume their water bill is normal and don’t realize their may be a small leak. Other times, small water leaks are overlooked because owners assume […]

Home Remodeling How to Make a Small Bathroom Feel Bigger Master bathrooms with twin sinks, a luxury tub, and walk in dual-headed showers require large spaces and unfortunately come with a price tag… so what can you do to turn your small bathroom into a more spacious and comfortable space? Just because a bathroom is small doesn’t mean it has to feel small. In fact, […]

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