Answers by Stacy Corrigan

I have sold a few homes without my client seeing them first and I personally believe it depends on the client and their comfort level. For example I had a client move to RI from Houston. He used to live in the area so that helped him feel comfortable with the towns and neighborhoods. Additionally he had his sister view the homes with me and he trusted her judgment implicitly. She was more finicky than he was so he knew if she liked it he would be fine. He purchased the home and didn\'t see it until he moved here and he\'s been perfectly happy. I had another client move from Virginia to Massachusetts and she also trusted her sister implicitly but it seemed that the homes she offered on didn\'t seem to cut the mustard with inspections, and when she moved up first and secured an apartment with a flexible lease cancellation policy she was able to view the properties personally and felt much more comfortable with any inspection items that came up because she had viewed them personally. I think the determining factor is your comfort level. Keeping in mind that this is the largest investment of your life usually, and it\'s not easy and without costs to resell a property you aren\'t happy with. I would suggest if possible to secure an apartment and move first or plan a couple of house hunting trips where you can tour a bunch of homes and hopefully find one you like that you view in person. GOOD LUCK! I know it isn\'t easy.

As a seasoned investor and flipper you certainly would like to find a reliable contractor or inspector to come with you to view the homes you want to offer on. I would find a local investment group or wholesaler and tour some homes with an experienced person who has no financial motivation to earn from you first so you know they are giving you honest feedback. Most would be fine to share their knowledge for no cost, but if you need to pay someone for the time be totally willing to do so, because it will save you thousands in the end. In MA & CT we have some homes that were built with bad concrete and the foundations are crumbling who purchased their aggregate from this one quarry. It\'s a $100K - $200K problem in many cases. Termites are another big concern that could result in costly repairs that you may not be able to handle. I would definitely hire a home inspector for the knowledge for every house you offer on until you become knowledgeable enough to identify the risks on your own. GOOD LUCK! My Real Estate Associate Young Lee is in your area and an experienced investor himself if you want to look him up he\'d be a great beginning resource for you.

Hi Pete, I would ask your agent to come back and present to you a market update and show you how your home sits compared to your competition and tell you what the absorption rate is for the market in your area and how many days it should take to get your home sold. Different parts of the country are experiencing differt #\'s of days on market. In my area in RI, MA, CT 30 days to an offer is typical right now with some homes selling in a weekend, whereas some parts of FL could be 180 days to an offer as a normal time frame. It also depends on your pricing strategy, if you listed high, at market or low. If your agent can\'t confidently present this information then it might be time to switch agents. I\'m not in your area but I would be willing to show you what type of review you should expect and then I would be willing to connect you with a quality agent in your area who has my level of skills or greater. Warmly Stacy Corrigan Real Estate Broker RI, Southeastern MA, Northeastern CT

Hi Greg, I\'m not in the Houston Area but I have a very good friend, who\'s a quality agent down there. Her name is Lua Cayabyab, she can help with your question. If you don\'t get your answer in a couple of days, reach out to me and I should be able to find data on Houston for you. I would just need some details about your home to guide you expertly. Warmly Stacy Corrigan Real Estate Broker RI, Southeastern MA, Northeastern CT

Mobile homes can be harder to resell than regular stick built homes because depending on the build date they cannot be financed and must be purchased with cash. That said, the equity you\'re building and then not paying a landlord\'s mortgage by renting could be worth the challenge. I say do whatever you have to, to get into a place where you\'re building equity and just see if you can find a newer age of mobile home that you can finance. Hope that helps! Warmly Stacy Corrigan Real Estate Broker RI, Southeastern MA, Northeastern CT

Tammy makes a great point about getting the Native yard in writing. If you\'re concerned about the marketability of your property you could have your agent offer converting it back as an option if you\'re having trouble selling. It could be a question your agent asks each prospect to ascertain local preferences. Or post a poll on social media in your area to reach a consensus. You could have a buyer who also loves your native yard and the worst is hearing that they would have preferred it after you put back the way it was. It just depends. If you need a referral to a high quality local agent lmk as have a network of agents all over the country I could refer you someone amazing. Warmly Stacy Corrigan Real Estate Broker RI, Southeastern MA, Northeastern CT

Sometimes, but there is a huge uptick in scams these days so I verify identity and property ownership if someone is looking to sell to protect myself against scams. What is your particular concern Gigi? Warmly Stacy Corrigan Real Estate Broker RI, Southeastern MA, Northeastern CT

I would agree with the other agents responses that brick is very much preferred up here in New England. I would pressure wash the house and make sure the pointing is \"on point\" pun intended, LOL. and that will be a whole lot less costly than installing siding. Hope that helps! Warmly Stacy Corrigan Real Estate Broker RI, Southeastern MA, Northeastern CT

It can be a good investment if it\'s buildable. Double check your town\'s ordinance on the details of a buildable lot. There are zoning ordinances online or you can typically just call the building and or zoning department when you have a parcel you\'re considering. You can reach out if you have a parcel you want to find out about and I can teach you how to research others going forward. Warmly Stacy Corrigan Real Estate Broker RI, Southeastern MA, Northeastern CT