Coldwell Banker Hedges Realty Blog

Viewing Posts tagged "affordable places to live" 16 Posts Found.
  1. 3 ways to whip up a bidding war
    3 ways to whip up a bidding war

    It's every seller's dream. After months, even years, of planning to sell your home, it's finally on the market. You've talked with your real estate agent, you've made the necessary cosmetic repairs, upped the curb appeal and staged everything so your home has the maximum degree of charm. Plus it's a seller's market, so you're going to get more than you expected. ...

  2. The mistake of not buying a house
    The mistake of not buying a house

    The year 2008 was a rough one. Here in Cedar Rapids it was the year the Cedar River spilled over and caused unprecedented damage. Months later, the real estate bubble burst and across the nation, the economy spiraled into a free fall. It took a huge amount of effort to spring back from these disasters. If you take a walk downtown or on the riverfront, you’ll see that since the flooding, Cedar ...

  3. The enduring charm of the American foursquare house
    The enduring charm of the American foursquare house

    Perhaps you haven't heard of a foursquare house. Maybe the first thing that came to mind when you heard “foursquare” was the game you used to play as a school kid. (You know, the game that literally consists of four squares.) Well, in much the same way, foursquare homes are distinguished by the fact that they have four square rooms on each of their two main levels, and it all fits inside ...

  4. Awesome autumn: Cedar Rapids boasts multiple family attractions
    Awesome autumn: Cedar Rapids boasts multiple family attractions

    If you’re like many Americans, autumn is your favorite time of the year.  Many of us savor the chance to get out in the fresh, spicy air and enjoy the still-mild temperatures, the harvest of farm-fresh apples and pumpkins, and the fun family hayrides in celebration of the season. Residents in and around Cedar Rapids are no exception, and fortunately they have access to several great attractions ...

  5. The Cedar Rapids Airport
    The Cedar Rapids Airport

    Founded on a broad river in the center of a fertile growing region, Cedar Rapids was an ideal hub for farmers to bring their harvest to be milled then transported throughout the country.  The river created the city, but, if you look up, you’ll notice there’s a lot of open air up there as well. And that’s pretty close to what Dan Hunter was probably thinking in the 1920s ...

  6. Cedar Rapids' Artistic Heritage
    Cedar Rapids' Artistic Heritage

    It’s one of the injustices of the world that Cedar Rapids is better known for the smell of Crunch Berries than it is for its art. Our fair city, this Florence on the Plains, has served as the creative catalyst for some of America’s most iconic artists. The most famous of course is Grant Wood, who may have painted the single most parodied work of American art, the famed “American ...

  7. Character yes, termites no: Weighing a vintage home purchase
    Character yes, termites no: Weighing a vintage home purchase

    There’s no doubt about it: Vintage homes built by old-time craftsmen often offer charm, detail and general quirkiness that newer homes just can’t match.  In a National Association of Realtors report this year, nearly one-fifth of the 84 percent of home buyers who opted for pre-owned houses said they preferred older homes for their “charm and character.” And ...

  8. What is the right amount of feedback to provide when viewing a home?
    What is the right amount of feedback to provide when viewing a home?

    Once you start looking for a home to buy, you'll encounter a whole new set of etiquette rules you probably never thought of — guidelines you never even knew existed. These rules are unwritten, but most buyers would be smart to take time and consider how they should act at an open house, how to negotiate without being too aggressive, and so forth. One issue that regularly ...

  9. Preparing your home to sell in the winter months
    Preparing your home to sell in the winter months

    Conventional wisdom suggests spring, summer and the early part of fall are the best time to sell a house. After all, this is when the weather is warm, the leaves are budding, and plants are blooming in a variety of beautiful colors that perfectly complement your home, telling potential buyers that yes, this is the home they want to move into. But sometimes you end up having to sell in ...

  10. 5 tips for staging with kids in the house
    5 tips for staging with kids in the house

    It’s safe to say that the most popular science experiment of all time is the baking-soda volcano. At some point, probably when you were in grade school, you poured vinegar into a cone with a few tablespoons of baking soda and BAM — a simulated volcano erupted right before your eyes. Fast-forward some years.  You’re in the process of moving and ...

  11. Advice for moving with children
    Advice for moving with children

    Though there may have been a time, perhaps in your 20s, when you couldn’t imagine living anywhere besides that musty apartment you rented above that one bar, it's common once you start planning a family to find yourself searching for a different kind of housing situation in an altogether different neighborhood.  People have 101 reasons to move, ...

  12. How buying a house is a lot like dating
    How buying a house is a lot like dating

    Is the process of buying a home like dating? Consider the following scenario. It's another humdrum Wednesday night; the last two bites of a mediocre microwave macaroni dinner have gone cold in their plastic tray. You’ve been bingeing on old episodes of Grey's Anatomy for the past week, but tonight, the twists and trauma Meredith Grey has to contend with ...

  13. Seeing the hidden potential of a fixer upper
    Seeing the hidden potential of a fixer upper

    The glamor couples of our era, the ones we all want to be like and hang out with, aren’t movie or sports stars and they certainly aren’t the stars of reality TV. There’re much more down to earth than that. For thousands of fans, their favorite on-screen couple is one of the many who can be seen on TV everyday, renovating houses, knocking down walls and transforming dumps into ...

  14. Living in downtown Cedar Rapids
    Living in downtown Cedar Rapids

    In the past decade, downtown areas throughout the country have experienced something of a renaissance. Restoration and revitalization of landmarks and historic buildings along with new construction have transformed compact city centers into the new places to be and live. And downtown Cedar Rapids is no exception. After suffering a devastating and destructive flood in 2008, the ...

  15. How you know when you've found "the one"
    How you know when you've found "the one"

    They say it happens to everyone. Even those hardened hearts know what it feels like, those disillusioned souls who never feel like luck is on their side — they too sometimes go to bed wondering if they’re too picky. And then, like magic, it happens. The floors are just the right hue. The curtains rustle in the sunlight, the updated kitchen sparkles and shines, and the wood ...

  16. What do Cedar Rapids and Silicon Valley have in common?
    What do Cedar Rapids and Silicon Valley have in common?

    You might think that Cedar Rapids doesn't have much in common with Silicon Valley, the high-tech hub in California, but don't be so sure. Iowa's second largest city has made quite a turnaround in terms of job opportunities and is now home to almost 30 Fortune 500 companies. Engineers, technology lovers and financial experts don't have to move west for better opportunities. They can ...

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