Posts made by author 'Badger Peabody & Smith Realty'

March 16, 2020 

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues, we at Badger Realty are continuing to monitor the situation closely and use guidance from our partners at Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, The National Association of Realtors and through the CDC and World Health Organization for best practices for our clients and customers, as well our own families and work family. 

To help reduce the possible spread of COVID-19, our offices will remain open, but we may have limited staff and agent presence on site if we find it necessary.   However, we are committed to keeping our offices open even with a smaller crew for as long as advisable. Our agents and staff have been on the forefront of the "work from home", "work from the car" and "work from anywhere" initiatives for years. These road warriors spent more than a decade...

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There's a handful of things that universally turn us off from another human. Being rude and disrespectful likely tops the list. Those are followed closely by bad breath (or hygiene in general) and maybe even someone who is "dark" or scary looking. Interestingly enough, those are some of the same traits that turn us off from a potential listing. We have talked a bunch about how to make your home shine for those listing appointments. Today, I'd like to explore a few areas that you can and should avoid (or fix) when you've got a showing on the books. Let's dive in.

One of the more obvious trouble-spots (though not the easiest to remedy) are your old tired fixtures. Replacing lighting and faucets is a quick and easy fix, but if your kitchen is super-outdated it will be a bit of an investment to update that. In my current home, we were fortunate that the cabinets and flooring were in good shape and not terribly outdated. Replacing the sink, oven and fridge was a quick (albeit pri...

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Last week we focused on some design ideas inside the house. This week we're moving up and out! I was fortunate enough to design and build my house (with a contractor!) with a pretty blank slate. Aside from budgetary concerns, which of course there were, I had the flexibility to move walls around, raise or lower window heights and configure the bathroom (100 different times!). The experience of walking around the flooring deck once it had been added to the foundation was great. I then started measuring, laying down dividers, trying to imagine being in the "space", and then measuring some more. It was awesome. Today let's talk about a few of the lessons I learned along the way and maybe you'll be able to use some of these when you start laying out your new home.

Design for the buyers. If you've been reading along for a w...

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I've been thinking a lot about space lately. Not the Elon Musk kind of space, but the general space that we occupy. I've been ruminating on both personal space (Are you a close talker?) as well as the space in our homes and workplaces. How much space do you need or want? Does lots of space make you uncomfortable? Do confined spaces make you squirm? Today I want to talk a bit about space both in our homes as well as our own personal space. I think you'll see how they sync up pretty well.

I'm a bit of an introvert. While I love spending time with my friends, in general I prefer to not be in a large crowd and truly detest being in a room full of people I don't know. Stick me at a poker table with 6 or 7 of my good friends and I'm the happiest guy in the room. My roommate and I frequently land in our living room (sans TV)...

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I have often lauded the benefits of buying a fixer-upper. I love the potential they offer and the ability to (in many cases) get a "deal" on the property. The value and equity coming from your investment in the repairs that need to be made. Another benefit is the ability to upgrade or fix those things in the manner that you specifically desire. This is an area of discussion we often have with sellers. Do they make the repairs themselves or leave it as-is and let the buyers personalize the home however they desire. Of course there's a lot that goes into that discussion and loads of factors that can sway you either way.

Today I want to focus on a few items that buyers should be wary of when evaluating a fixer-upper. In many of these cases, the sellers would be very well served to fix these issues prior to...

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