Homeownership Archives - Page 2 of 20 - Choice One Real Estate

7 Clever Uses for Onions

by Robert MacDougall | Sep 1, 2015 | Cutler Bay, Homeownership

Slice an onion to shine cutlery, clean grills, overcome paint smells, and perform other non-cooking miracles.

Onions are great for sauteing, but the vegetable also is a cheap and effective green cleaner, mosquito repellent, and deodorizer — just a few non-cooking jobs onions can do.

1. Polish cutlery: Give metal cutlery a new shine and remove rust by scrubbing with onion slices or a paste of crushed onion and water.

2. Clean gunky pots: Scrub a burned or gunky pot with half an onion, and then let it soak in the onion juice. Wash as usual and the mess comes up easily.

3. Shine grills: Heat the grill, then spear a half onion with a fork and glide it over the grates to remove grease and charred bits of food.

4. Absorb paint smells: Place a bowl of sliced onions and water in a freshly painted room to absorb the stinky odor.

5. Repel bugs: Rub a cut onion over your skin to keep bugs (and people) at bay. To make a non-toxic rose spray that repels red spiders and aphids, mix a mashed onion with equal parts water, strain, and spray.

6. Smelling salts: When you feel light-headed, revive yourself with a whiff of cut onion.

7. Onion bags: Never throw away onion bags, which are great as pot scrubbers, bathtub toy containers, suet holders that backyard birds can enjoy in winter, and dishwasher holders for magnets and other small items.

Why Gardening is Good for Your Heart

by Robert MacDougall | Aug 19, 2015 | Cutler Bay, Homeownership

Published: December 10, 2012

Gardening and cholesterol-lowering drugs cut death risk in high-cholesterol adults.

Gardening not only is good for your soul, it’s good for your heart.

That’s the conclusion of a new Veterans Affairs Medical Centre study that shows combining cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins) with moderate exercise (gardening) lowers the chance of premature death more than either drugs or exercise alone.

The study, conducted with more than 10,000 U.S. veterans with high cholesterol over 10 years, showed that participants who were fit and taking statins cut their risk of death over that decade by 70%, far better than participants who exercised without drugs (50%). Veterans who didn’t exercise or take statins increased their risk of death by 35%.

Best part: It doesn’t have to be strenuous. Moderate exercise, like gardening or walking, is enough to increase the ability of statins to stave away the grim reaper.

Ginormous Kitchens: Are They Really a Good Choice?

by Robert MacDougall | Aug 19, 2015 | Homeownership, renovations

Published: December 3, 2012

Huge, open kitchens continue to grow in popularity, getting bigger and bigger. But is bigger really better?

Houses with cozy eat-in kitchens are common. But enormous kitchens that consume most of a home’s square footage continue to be the trend.

High-end kitchens can top 3,000 sq. ft. and are becoming more and more popular. Even kitchens in mid-level housing are ballooning, swallowing dining rooms, living rooms, even garages.

Here’s the punch line (courtesy of the Wall Street Journal): Many home owners with ginormous kitchens don’t actually cook in them.

Instead they buy ready-made food to eat at home, and use the kitchen for socializing as friends gather and prepare food together.

Some even have smaller kitchens tucked away. These secondary kitchens, often called “wok kitchens,” hide the mess and smells of meal preparation, while creating the illusion of food being prepared in its larger counterpart.

So what’s the point?

Although, I confess, I completely understand large-kitchen lust.

When we designed our Virginia house 15 years ago, our son was a baby and I couldn’t envision him ever growing up. I wanted a space where I could keep an eye on him while I cooked. So we built a 500 sq. ft. kitchen with space for cooking, eating, lounging by the fire, and watching TV.

And it has its advantages:

The space is an open, delightful place where I cook, work, watch birds at the window — feeder, and feel embraced by a flickering fireplace.

The baby survived while I cooked, paid bills, attempted to write.

But the list of cons is much longer:

Noise: It’s impossible to talk on the phone while someone is watching TV, and our 15-year-old dishwasher is running.

Mess: When I entertain, piles of dirty dishes and utensils attend the party with us. So, I only invite good friends who love my mess and me anyway.

Diet: It’s hard to fight fat when you work three steps away from the fridge.

Temperature control: The room is always drafty and hard to heat without the gas fireplace going.

Family dinners: Rarely do we eat a family meal without the TV blaring some must-see ballgame.

Unused space: My adjacent dining and living rooms are obsolete dust collectors. I can’t pay guests to take coffee there.

Teenagers: The baby is now 16, and would rather eat nails than spend time with Mom, no matter how big the space.

Holiday Hotline Helps with Carpet and Sofa Spill-mergencies

by Robert MacDougall | Aug 10, 2015 | Cutler Bay, Homeownership

By: Dona DeZube

Published: December 11, 2012

It’s not a holiday party until someone spills something on your carpet or upholstery.

Every year my daughter asks if she can have friends over for a holiday party. Every year I say “Sure,” and then lay down some pretty tough rules about drinking. First, I screech “No grape soda!” followed by “And no alcohol!” now that she’s in high school.

You’d do the same if you’d seen what happened when a grape beverage met a white shag rug at my friend Pat’s house a few years back.

But this year is going to be different, and it’s all thanks to Rug Doctor. The carpet cleaning company just opened a telephone hotline to deal with holiday spill-mergencies.

Whether the spill hits your rug or your sofa, the company’s trained cleaning experts will be available seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT at 1-800-Rug Doctor to tell you how to get it out.

Grape soda for everyone!

Meanwhile, if you’re going to use a rug shampoo machine to clean the carpet or upholstery before your holiday parties, handle the waste water properly by using these tips from Washington State’s Ecology Department:

Vacuum before you wash carpets to minimize debris in the water.

Empty wash water down a sink, toilet, bathtub, or shower drain, and never pour it down a storm drain.

Strain the waste water before pouring it down the drain to help prevent clogs.

Raleigh, N.C., environmental officials suggest using undiluted vinegar in your steam cleaner instead of soap and the Portland, Ore., metro government offers recipes for green carpet cleaning solutions.

Quick Ways to Make Some Shade, But Don’t Forget: Trees Are Best

by Robert MacDougall | Aug 10, 2015 | Homeownership

Published: May 24, 2011

If you prefer a drier cool, as opposed to the misters we mentioned yesterday, read on to find some quick ways to make some shade. Plus, get some tips on getting shade with some quick-growing trees.

Immediate relief

Umbrellas, awnings, and quick-assembly patio tents are quick, although sometimes costly, methods of creating shade instantly.

The ubiquitous patio umbrella—found even in grocery stores for $30—can either stand alone upright or offset, or slip into a hole in your patio table.

Choose an umbrella that tilts, so you can block the sun at any angle. Or get one that’s fabulous, like Frontgate’s Rimbou Lotus Shade, which looks like a giant palm frond. (Cost: $1,795.)

Retractable awnings, a permanent feature of older southern homes, are traditional shade makers for outdoor areas up to 12 feet from your house. Motorized awnings take the fuss out of opening and closing. Depending on size and what kind of bells and whistles they come with, awnings typically cost from $400 to $3,000.

Portable awnings are my favorite, because they make shade wherever, not just areas close to the house. SunSetter’s Large Oasis Freestanding Awning, measuring 16 ft. by 10 ft., can provide 160 sq. ft. of shade. (Cost: $1,549 manual; $2,099 motorized.)

A cloth gazebo (aka patio tent or canopy) is another option that’s great for entertaining. You can go simple and inexpensive ($50 for Target’s Outdoor Patio Pariesienne Gazebo Canopy, though online reviews indicate you get what you pay for). Or you can step it up with the Garden Oasis Lighted Gazebo, complete with lights and netting for $700 at Sears.

Long-term re-leaf

Growing shade trees is the greenest—and slowest—way to block the sun on patios and decks. There’s nothing as cool as sitting under the shade of an old oak tree.

If you can’t wait 20 years for a little shade, plant a quick-growing variety which, in tree language, means it grows a couple of feet or more each year. You can rush the process by paying more and buying big trees, and you’ll see a return on your investment. Here are some species to consider.

American Elm: (Zones 2-9) Grows rapidly up to 100 feet tall and 120 feet wide. Adapts to varied climates and soil conditions.

October Glory Red Maple: (Zones 4-9) Provides a 35-foot spread and grows to 40 feet high.

Sawtooth Oak: (Zones 4-9) Dark green summer foliage turns yellow to brown in fall. Wildlife will love its acorns.

Chinese Pistache: (Zones 6-9) Wonderful wide canopy and grows in all but the coldest zones.

Natchez Crape Myrtle: (Zones 7-10) Lots of long-blooming white flowers and cinnamon-colored bark.

A Financial Plan for Your Home

by Robert MacDougall | Jul 22, 2015 | Cutler Bay, Homeownership

Published: December 31, 2012

Your home is probably your biggest investment. To manage it, create a financial plan that takes into account repairs, upgrades, mortgages, insurance, and taxes.

Do you pay each home-related expense as it comes? If so, you’re missing opportunities for upgrades, or much worse, heading into a financial crisis when a slew of surprise maintenance items hit. So take a holistic look at what it costs to operate your house and set up a home financial plan.

Use our home financial plan budget worksheet, and start by writing a list of expenses, such as:

Mortgage

Taxes

Home insurance, including liability

Repairs and maintenance, such as new furnace, roof, painting

Voluntary upgrades, such as a swimming pool, a premium range, a new powder room

What will you learn from this home financial plan weekend exercise?

How much you have to spend

How much you need to allot in the short- and long-term for necessary maintenance and voluntary improvements

With this newfound grip on your home’s expenses, you can create a home financial plan that’ll help you there for years with maximum enjoyment and minimum anxiety.

Here’s how to manage other aspects of your home finances:

The mortgage: Pay it — and then some
Insurance: Protect your property
Repairs and renovations: By choice or necessity
Taxes: (Almost) no way around them

The mortgage: Pay it—and then some

Yup, you already shell out a lot for your mortgage, but can you pay more? Even a little extra each month can add up to an earlier payoff. Let’s say you have $200,000 in outstanding principal and a 20-year fixed-rate mortgage at 5%. Your monthly payment is $1,319.91. But if you can manage to pay another $100 a month, you’ll save $14,887 in interest.

Run the numbers yourself for your home financial plan.

Advantages of an early payoff, says Alan D. Kahn, a financial planner in Syosset, N.Y.:

Less debt means more money to spend later.

It feels darn good to own your house outright as soon as possible.

Minimal tax loss. Toward the tail end of the life of a loan most of your payment goes to the principal, not the interest, so you’re getting only a small tax break anyway.

Of course, if you’re still saving for retirement, put the 100 bucks elsewhere:

A retirement plan

An account for the inevitable home repairs

An account for discretionary improvements, which can raise your home’s value

Insurance: Protect your property

Your vegetable garden is pointless without a fence to keep out rabbits; likewise, your home financial plan will come to nothing without an insurance “fence”:

Homeowner’s insurance. Basic coverage for your home and everything in it. The average cost is $636 per year but this varies widely by state.

Liability coverage. Protects you from a lawsuit if someone gets hurt on your property, for example. Your best bet: An umbrella policy. For about $300 a year you can by a typical $1 million policy.

Various disaster insurance policies. Optional policies cover flood, earthquake, and hurricane damage. As part of your home financial plan, you have to research to see what disaster coverage, if any, you need in your area, and what your standard policy already covers. For $540 a year you can buy flood insurance, for example.

Don’t under- or overbuy insurance

For your basic policy, get homeowners insurance with full replacement coverage in case your house burns to the ground.

That sounds simple, but heads up on calculation. Remember that you own a house as well as the land on which it sits. So even though you bought your home for $300,000, it may cost only $100,000 to rebuild it. Your policy limits should reflect this. This difference will vary widely by region.

Another heads up: Don’t make the common and potentially disastrous mistake of thinking that because your home has fallen in value you need less insurance. If you bought a $1.2 million townhouse in Florida during the boom, it’s true it now may only sell for $600,000. But the replacement cost of the townhouse hasn’t changed much, so you can’t improve your home financial plan by cutting insurance costs that way.

Other ways to cut your insurance budget:

If you make structural improvements, such as adding storm shutters, your insurer may give you a break.

If you belong to certain groups, such as AARP or veterans’ organizations, your premiums may be lower.

Repairs and renovations: By choice or necessity

You own a home, so you’ll be spending money on everything from a new faucet to — surprise! — a new roof. Freddie Mac and other authorities say as part of your home financial plan, you should be prepared to spend 1% to 3% of the market value of the home annually on maintenance. To be extra-prudent, open a savings account and make regular payments until your account reaches 1% to 3% of your home’s current value.

To help you budget:

Start with the inspection report you received when you bought the house. Did the inspector indicate that you would need a new roof in five years? A new furnace in 10?

Keep a log of your major appliances’ age so you can estimate when they’ll need replacing. Some estimated life spans:

Roof: 20-25 years

Heating systems: 15-20 years

Range/ovens: 11-15 years

Water heaters: 8-13 years

Then get estimates on what replacements will cost and start saving.

Consider ongoing non-emergency maintenance, too. Do you live in New England? Price a snow blower and get bids from plow services.

Resist the siren call of the home equity loan to take care of everything. That just defeats your efforts to pay off the mortgage early.

Separate out what you want from what you need. Does it make more sense to do a $50,000 to $60,000 kitchen remodel, which recoups about 69%, or a minor remodel, which recoups about 75%, according to Remodeling magazine’s 2013 Cost vs. Value Report?

If you can afford to redo, go for it. Just don’t confuse your necessary repairs (new oil furnace — about $4,000) with your discretionary upgrades (Viking range — $6,000 and up).

Taxes: (Almost) no way around them

Even if your lender handles your property taxes from an escrow account, you need to budget for them in your home financial plan. They creep up almost every year, it seems. Take responsibility for tracking the changes in your area: Look over past tax bills to get a sense of how quickly they’ve risen in the past.

Or if your lender handles escrow and you haven’t saved your bills, ask for an accounting. The median annual property tax payment is $1,812, but that hides the enormous range in medians from state to state.

You can generally deduct property taxes on your federal return. A tax pro can tell you how much of a tax break you’ll get, to help you fine tune your home financial plan.

You may be able to reduce your tax burden by getting a reassessment. Do your homework first: Are comparable houses taxed less than yours? Ask the local assessor what formula is used to set tax rates. You can challenge the assessed value and get yourself a rollback.

If you’re in a special group, you might get some help from state or local programs. Check around to see what’s available in your area. New York State, for example, has its Star Program for giving senior citizens some relief from school-related property taxes.

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James Piggot

13:17 08 Mar 18

My experience purchasing my first home through Choice One was fantastic from start to finish. Marco and Kristin made the process simple to understand and they were always available to help with any questions I had. I've owned my home for 2 years now and they have even been there over the last 2 years when I had questions about many issues such as the Homestead Act, taxes, Mortgage questions and even helped me find ways to optimize my homeowners insurance to ensure I was making the right choices. I saved a significant amount after reviewing with them just recently. Whether you are looking for a new home or another home, I can't express enough how great Choice One is and their individualized family touch will help you be assured that you've made the best "choice" possible with people who care. Thanks Choice One!

Alan Piggot

21:10 07 Mar 18

As a first time home buyer, when we started looking for our first home I had only heard how stressful and intense buying a home could be. At my brothers recommendation I contacted Marcos and Kristin at Choice One. What really stood out through our journey with them was their honesty and expertise in the south Miami area. Marcos is very humble and honest. He let us know what to expect every step of the way and was excellent at helping us determine what features of a home we desired, and what the value of those features were at that time in the market. When we found a house we loved for a price we thought was great, Marcos had my wife and I walk through the house together making funny requests, like stand in the kitchen, walk past each other in the laundry room etc. My wife and I then quickly realized what living in the home would be like compared to just liking the home. It was little things he did that change our perspective in big ways on the homes we saw. Looking back, I would have to say that buying a home was actually easier and more fun than buying a car or anything else I have ever bought. The staff and everyone we worked with at Choice One were absolute professionals. We used the title and insurance services from Choice One and all around, everyone was extremely competent and speedy with getting our paperwork signed, sealed, and delivered. 5 stars for sure!!!!!

Alex falgons

01:30 08 Mar 18

I purchased a home through Choice One Real Estate and could not be happier with my overal experience. It was my first home so naturally I was nervous but Kristin and Marcos guided me through the whole process. Long story short we were able to close on the house in just 2 weeks! Everything was fast and easy... I would definitely recommend them to anyone and everyone looking to purchase or sell their home.

Chuck Roast

15:17 09 Mar 18

Marcos & Kristin Fullana exceeded our expectations. We were looking for a very quick sale and was willing to make concessions on our house to help with a quick sale. Marcos & Kristin asked us to have faith in their ability's and not under cut the value of our house. 7 days later, were accepted and offer and were under contract. 30 days after that, we were closing on our house. Marcos & Kristin are strait shooters and are very direct when you sit and talk with them, which is very uncommon these days.Thank you Marcos & KristinJamie and Sarah Zweydoff

Amparo Villanueva

23:18 07 Mar 18

Choice One Real Estate are professional, honest, approachable and reliable. Ready to assist, always prompt and sold my house in less than six months! We would use them again. Santos and Amparo Villanueva

Cindy Hinton

14:09 18 Mar 18

I would highly recommend Choice One with your selling or buying of a home. They were terrific when my mom was selling her home could not have done it without them. They will go the extra mile for their clients. Always willing to help out if needed. Thanks again for all your help in selling of my mother's home. Would definitely use them again........

Amanda Tappendorf

18:20 17 Mar 18

Kristin, Marcos & their team went above and beyond over and over again for our family. They were extremely knowledgable, did extensive research, and provided us with well thought out and flexible (to our needs) marketing plans to sell our home. I cannot recommend them enough!

kandice deMoya

22:07 09 Jul 18

I was so happy I chose Choice One reality, Holly Arguelles was my realtor. She made every aspect of selling my home smooth and stress free. The entire experience was great thanks to my realtor and Choice One. I would highly recommend !

mike mcgowan

13:55 06 Aug 18

To call Laura Derrick good or great or amazing wouldn’t do her justice. The only word I can think of that adequately describes her is ‘perfect’. We got what we wanted for our house and it sold and closed super quickly. It was painless and exactly what we were looking for. A+, 5 stars, 10/10!

Lori Schubert

17:42 17 Sep 18

Working with Laura and Ron Derrick was a pleasure. They are a professional power couple that gets things done. It was a great experience and I would highly recommend!

Jason Poppell

18:43 06 Nov 18

If you are looking for a realtor team that you can trust and will take a personal interest in your property goals look no further than Kristen and Marcos Fullana. They were both extremely professional and diligent making sure I received the best deal possible for my house when I put it on the market. I could not have been happier with the results I received from their work.

Elizabeth Carlisle

02:26 15 Feb 19

Laura Derrick is wonderful! We would never have found our wonderful rental property without her dedication and superb local knowledge. She is professional, kind and passionate about matching her clients with the right home for their needs. We cannot recommend her enough and if you trust Laura and Choice One Real Estate you will not be disappointed!!

Jill Volovar

19:55 15 Feb 19

Working with Laura was awesome. She was always available and cheerful. She was super creative and had new ideas all the time. Consider Laura Derick as your realtor at Choice One Real Estate!!!!

Jacq'ee C

12:34 23 Mar 19

Laura is an A+MAZING realtor! It is rare to encounter such professionalism in Miami Dade county and she knows her stuff. I wasted 10 months with a large well known company hoping that my realtor would close the deal, but it never happened. Thankfully a friend told me about how Laura helped them sell and buy their home and how wonderful she was throughout the entire process. I have to say that she is incredible and true to her word. She worked hard and stayed in constant communication with me and in less than two months, my house was off the market. I couldn't be happier with my experience. Thank you Laura and Choice One Real Estate!

Alejandra Tamayo

02:19 30 Mar 19

We can't speak highly enough of our experience with Marcos Fullana. He’s knowledgeable, honest and cares about his clients. Additionally, he always answered every call, text and email. We highly recommend Marcos Fullana, he’s someone you can trust and a pleasure to work with.

Ryne Phillips

18:35 18 Jun 19

Marcos promised us a 5 star experience and he did not disappoint. His knowledge and experience made my wife and I feel at ease throughout the entire sale of our house. He was never to busy for us and was always there to answer our questions.

Aj Miller

01:17 22 Jul 19

BLUF - Laura Derrick and the team is amazing!This might be a little long, but I always like more information than too little. I first met Laura and the team at Choice One when I bought my house. She represented the sellers and honestly, by the end of my closing I was talking to her more than my own Realtor. My fault, when I bought my house, I did a bad job researching my real estate agent and my purchase almost suffered for it. Laura actually handle a large portion of my purchase... see I have strange luck and the most random things kept happening with the home. For example, the survey company accidentally added the land of my soon to be home into the purchase of the property behind the house, so the house was good to sell, but the land the house was on was owned by another person (complete accident found out during the survey). My real estate agent didn't have a clue what to do, but Laura and the team came to the rescue. They worked with the courts and the legal team to get everything fixed, crazy thing after crazy thing. Laura worked with my Realtor to ensure I was able to close with in a few days of my original date, even with all the random issues. In fact, Laura is the one that I saw more often than my own Realtor. So when it came time to sell, I went to Laura to represent me. Again, cause its me, random stuff happens. My work moved me to a new location after only be in Miami for less than a year. Yup, I owned the house for less than a year. Want to talk about stress! I had to sell the house, try to make up my expenses, not loose too much, and do it all in a short time period. Again, Laura the woman with a plan came to the rescue. She is honest and always up front about everything. She will not sugar coat anything to make you feel better. She gives you the hard facts so you know exactly where you stand and what to expect. But at the same time, she will do what it is you want. I knew I was pricing the house a little high, but she worked with me. She showed me the numbers so I knew what I was up against. I ended up pricing about 10000 less than I wanted, but there was no way that I was going to get that on a house I lived in for only a year. When the offer came it, she gave me an honest thoughts on the offer and walked me through everything. EVERYTHING.Through out the whole process she was amazing. I have fur-children that she would take care of during showings, making sure to open the doggie door for them after and giving them tons of love while she was showing. I mean, couldn't have been better. She even straightened up one time when she had a last minute showing for me! Laura also had professional photos done for the house and helped me stage it.For closing, Laura and the team were rushing to once again help a buyer. The buyers team of people... well they were not at the same standard as Choice One. They messed up the loan rate lock date, so Laura and her team were rushing to try and close about a week early. They were so nice to help the new family out. I had a house hunting trip planned, so I was going to be out of town, Choice One went over all the paperwork with me ahead of time and we did a POA so they could sign for me since I would be out of town. Just amazing team work.I cannot express how amazing this team is, for buying and selling.Thank you Choice One and Laura for the hard work!

Stephanie Manjarres

20:02 02 Aug 19

My experience with Marcos was great. He is very professional, punctual, and overall a very pleasant buying experience. Thank you for helping me buy my “lake house”.

Jessy Pineda

19:31 21 Aug 19

Everyone at Choice One is exceptional. From finding your home, helping with the financing, to obtaining the proper homeowners insurance - they are true professionals. They always do their best to find the lowest insurance premiums for auto, too. Choice One is truly a gem. A true one stop shop.

Carol Fink

19:11 14 Dec 19

Laura Derrick was so professional and helpful in selling our home. When the buyers’ real estate agent dragged his feet, she was able to light a fire under him and get the closing finalized. Thank you Laura, you’re a gem!

Christine Nall

20:54 22 Apr 20

Absolutely amazing! When I decided to move out with they son, I told Laura exactly what I wanted and my price range and she exceeded expectations and also made the process as painless and headache free as possible! We all know looking for places can be a hassle but I knew I didn’t have anything to worry about with her the second I reached out for help. She’s very patient, kind and attentive to everyone’s needs. I would highly recommend not only her, but also her colleagues. They make a truly amazing team.

Karen Neher

02:39 08 Apr 20

Marcos Fullana is very professional. He explained the entire process very clearly and always responded quickly to any questions we had. We were very impressed by how well he represented us. Through his skillful negotiations, he obtained an offer of the asking price on the first day the house was shown. He is very honest and reliable. We are extremely satisfied with his service and highly recommend him!

02:32 16 Apr 20

Update: The review below I wrote two years ago when we bought our first home. Well, we found our dream home and Marcos and the whole team at choice one helped us get into it. I wanted to provide another review that nothing has changed with Marcos and Choice One. Marcos provided that same "attention to every detail" type of service. We are so pleased with Marcos that we recommend him to anyone we know looking for a home to buy or rent.** From 2 years ago****As a first time home buyer, when we started looking for our first home I had only heard how stressful and intense buying a home could be. At my brothers recommendation I contacted Marcos and Kristin at Choice One. What really stood out through our journey with them was their honesty and expertise in the south Miami area. Marcos is very humble and honest. He let us know what to expect every step of the way and was excellent at helping us determine what features of a home we desired, and what the value of those features were at that time in the market. When we found a house we loved for a price we thought was great, Marcos had my wife and I walk through the house together making funny requests, like stand in the kitchen, walk past each other in the laundry room etc. My wife and I then quickly realized what living in the home would be like compared to just liking the home. It was little things he did that change our perspective in big ways on the homes we saw. Looking back, I would have to say that buying a home was actually easier and more fun than buying a car or anything else I have ever bought. The staff and everyone we worked with at Choice One were absolute professionals. We used the title and insurance services from Choice One and all around, everyone was extremely competent and speedy with getting our paperwork signed, sealed, and delivered. 5 stars for sure!!!!!

A Google User

16:58 12 Jul 20

Marcos was the best real state agent I have ever had. I have purchased/sold 7 homes in my life (that’s 13 real state agents. He sold my house the first day on the market. He kept me abreast on everything that was going on in the process. If I ever need a realtor again, I will select him.

noemi

18:32 13 Jul 20

The realtor, Marcos Fullana, went above & beyond in making sure my property was sold expediously & with the utmost professionalism. He is extremely knowledgeable in real estate & helped guide me through everything. He was involved in everything from day one from paperwork, including, inspections to assure I was protected. His wife Kirsten was also amazing in helping me as well. They are both tenacious, ethical & professional. I highly recommend you hiring them for real estate, mortgages or insurance & I will certainly use them again. Thank you immensely Marcos & Kirsten Fullana !!

Ines Grant

23:40 19 Aug 20

Before choosing a real estate agent, I conducted a lot of research to see who would be the best choice based on the investment they make into selling the property (time and effort, not necessarily financially) and how they promote their listings. My best friend Martha knew of my concerns and highly recommended ChoiceOne Companies/Marcos to handle all my real estate needs and I now understand why!We spoke with Marcos and then met with him at our home. He spent hours answering our questions, providing objective data regarding how many homes they sell, how long their listings typically stay on the market, and providing tons of information on comps in the area. We were concerned that our house, which was an older home and although had lots of updates might be tough to sell. Marcos made the process incredibly easy and took extra steps many other Realtors don't (but should), like givIng us staging tips, having professional photographs taken and a lot more.When we saw our listing, we were blown away. His hard work and knowledge of what it takes to sell a home really paid off. Our listing looked amazing and knocked out the competition. We had a buyer put in an offer sight unseen!!!Our house went under contract 2 days after we put it on the market at 10K above our asking price. We accepted and Marcos walked us through every step of the closing process. It couldn't have been a more pleasant experience.I've recommended ChoiceOne/Marcos to everyone I know. He's a true professional and a genuinely nice guy. I realize it won't always be this easy to sell your home, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better Realtor.

Drake Peterson

21:23 29 Sep 20

Marcos was amazing to work with when purchasing my new home. He knows a wealth of information and was always on top of the closing process. Very organized, professional, responsive, and a pleasure to work with. 10/10 would recommend reaching out to him for any real estate advice or help. He knows a great deal about insurance and any questions someone like myself who was purchasing a house for the first time didn't know. He never missed a beat! Thank you again Marcos!