J. Scott Coatsworth, Author at Gay Realty Network

Christine Longe – Minneapolis Gay Friendly Realtor

September 30, 2021 by J. Scott Coatsworth

Minneapolis Gay Friendly Realtor & Attorney

The AlexanderGroup is a team of highly educated, experienced professionals in real estate and beyond. We are brokered by Edina Realty, one of the most respected, well known brokerages in MN.

Christine, a Minneapolis gay friendly Realtor, has been practicing business and real estate law since 2001. Being a realtor requires many of the same communication, negotiation and writing skills so it was a natural segue for her to sell real estate as well.

Alex has been a real estate investor since 1995 and an agent since 2004. He has represented buyers and sellers in hundreds of transactions and has over 185 five star reviews on Zillow!

Rachel is a registered nurse that by day leads a nurse triage call center for a large health plan and on nights and weekends sells real estate. Her day job skills in leadership, complex union negotiations and dispute resolution are invaluable as a realtor.

Bottom line, the AlexanderGroup is a team of polished professionals that collaborate with each other to provide superior customer service to every client. They also like to have as much fun as possible each step of the way.

See Christine Longe’s Expanded Listing on Gay Realty Network Here

Minneapolis Gay Realtors and Real Estate Professionals

Fall Mortgage Options – The Washington Blade

September 28, 2021 by J. Scott Coatsworth

One effect of COVID-19 has been to throw us off schedule in the normal seasonal nature of real estate sales. At long last, however, we’re beginning to see its return.

Traditionally throughout the nation, spring begins in late March or April and is the most popular time of year for buying and selling homes. In the DMV, however, spring comes early – as early as February – and the market begins to heat up as what little snow we get dissipates.

Summer has usually seen interest wane, while house hunting takes a back seat to vacations, summer camp, and participation in barbecues, family gatherings, and other outdoor activities and celebrations.

Fall has normally been the second major season for housing purchases and sales, ranging from Labor Day to Thanksgiving. Thereafter, during the winter market, people begin to plan for holidays and, although houses sell well when adorned with holiday decorations, the fall market may be better suited to allowing for settlements prior to the end of the tax year. Let’s take a look at some fall mortgage options.

At Gay Realty Watch, we look for news to share with you about the gay real estate market – both lgbt real estate news and news specific to gay and lesbian real estate meccas.

See the Full Story at the Washington Blade

Haunted House for Sale That Inspired “The Conjuring”

September 23, 2021 by J. Scott Coatsworth

Haunted House for Sale - From "The Conjuring"

One of America’s most notorious homes is now available – a haunted house for sale in Rhode Island.

Built in 1836, the house located in Burrillville, Rhode Island, was made famous by the 2013 horror blockbuster “The Conjuring.”

Though it wasn’t the property featured in the film, it was the actual home in real life where the Perron family endured nearly a decade of intense paranormal activity in the 1970s. The home has three bedrooms, one-and-a-half bathrooms, and is listed for $1.2 million.

Gail Wasmer – Springfield Bisexual Realtor

September 22, 2021 by J. Scott Coatsworth

Springfield Bisexual Realtor for LGBTQ+ Clients

A Springfield bisexual Realtor specializing in residential buyers & sellers!

Member of the Board of Directors of The Phoenix Center, Central Illinois’ LGBTQ+ Community Center, offering various groups, services, training, social & educational events and transitional housing. I’m pleased to be able to give back to our community with this service as board member and frequent volunteer.

Very proud Leader of the Springfield, IL Chapter of TransParentUSA, a multi-state support group. We provide compassionate support to parents and caregivers of transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive children of any age. Our motto is, “Empowering our children to live authentically.” TransParentUSA.org — 2019-present

Easing the California Housing Crisis – The New York Times

September 20, 2021 by J. Scott Coatsworth

No matter where you live, you’re probably familiar with the exorbitant cost of housing in California. The state’s median home price has crept above $800,000, more than double what it is nationwide. Among the 50 biggest cities in the country, we’re home to the top four most difficult places to afford a mortgage. And half of all Americans experiencing homelessness live in the state.

The California housing crisis has a seemingly simple solution, according to the laws of supply and demand: Build more housing. But for decades, resistance from suburban homeowners has stalled development as the problem has only gotten worse.

Bills Address the California Housing Crisis

On Thursday, the state took a step toward creating higher-density neighborhoods as Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two high-profile bills. Though the bills, Senate Bills 9 and 10, endured intense opposition in recent months, neither is all that revolutionary, said Conor Dougherty, a reporter for The New York Times who writes about economics in the state. But the package of reforms passed in California over the past four years, including these two latest measures, “is probably the biggest change in housing in 50 years or more,” Conor told me.

Full Story at the New York Times

California Realtors, Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Lenders and Other Professionals

A Real Estate Primer – Washington Blade

September 18, 2021 by J. Scott Coatsworth

When working with first-time buyers, I often hear them say, “I have a stupid question.” I automatically respond that there’s no such thing. What they think may be a stupid question almost invariably has been asked before by many other people in the same situation. The answer to a stupid question almost always makes you smarter, so what they really have may be a “smart question.”

Several questions that were recently asked of me have prompted me to take another look at what I discuss in my initial buyer consultations, so let’s start there with a short real estate primer.

Real Estate Primer

A Buyer Consultation is an initial meeting with a buyer, whether face-to-face, by telephone, or by Zoom or similar interactive means, where we exchange information about the buyer’s needs and the services I provide and determine whether we shall work together exclusively and for how long.

If we decide to go forward, we sign an Exclusive Buyer Representation Agreement, which allows an agent to be the buyer’s advocate by solely representing the buyer’s interests in a real estate transaction, protecting the buyer’s confidentiality, and providing essential services reserved for a client-based relationship. In the DMV, absent such an agreement, agents must legally represent and owe allegiance to a seller they have never met of a property they have never seen.

Authored By Valerie Blake
See the Full Story at the Washington Blade

David Schuringa – Schaumburg Gay Realtor

September 17, 2021 by J. Scott Coatsworth

Detail-Oriented Schaumburg Gay Realtor

I am a business professional and Schaumburg gay Realtor who strives for detail. I hold several certifications, but two I am extremely proud of are my At Home With Diversity certification and my Project Management Professional certification. These provide me unique qualities as a Real Estate professional.

I’m fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) and strive to make the home buying process seamless for my clients with any disability.

My attention to detail and business experience will help guide you down this exciting path.

See David Schuringa’s Expanded Listing Here

Local Realtors and Real Estate Professionals

Fix or Sell As-Is – BHGRE

September 16, 2021 by J. Scott Coatsworth

When you’ve decided to move on — whether you’re upsizing or downsizing, accepting a fantastic job offer in another city, or fleeing to (or from) the suburbs — think long and hard about what you really need to do to get your house market-ready. You may be tempted to go into renovation mode, but you might be better off selling your house as-is. So… fix or sell as-is?

Anything that impacts the home’s operation needs to be fixed before you list, including a leaky roof, a broken furnace, plumbing and the electrical system. These are all things sellers are legally obliged to disclose. If not, a home inspector will identify them to a potential buyer, possibly leading to an offer being withdrawn.

Here are some things to consider when selling your house.

Fix or Sell As-Is: Renovation ROI may not be there

Most home renovations don’t pay off instantly. Complete bathroom and kitchen renovations add the most value but also cause the most disruption and can be very expensive. If these rooms haven’t already been renovated, don’t start now. Focus on making sure the existing selling features of the home are in great shape.

At Gay Realty Watch, we look for news to share with you about the gay real estate market – both lgbt real estate news and news specific to gay and lesbian real estate meccas.

See the Full Story at BHGRE

Knowing When to Buy a Vacation Home – BHGRE

September 13, 2021 by J. Scott Coatsworth

When to Buy a Vacation Home

If you’re lucky enough to have reached the time in your life when you can seriously contemplate buying a vacation home, there’s much to be excited about. According to the National Association of Realtors, one in eight homeowners are thinking of buying a second home. While summer may be the time of year you start to think longingly about sun, sea and sand, it may not be the best time to buy a cottage.

Here are some things to consider when deciding when to buy a vacation home.

Peak of Season is Seldom a Good Idea

Avoiding peak seasons makes sense in supply and demand terms. Peak season, whether you have your eye on a Vail ski chalet or a Cape Cod sea shanty, is when the area in which you’re looking is at its finest. Since vacation homes can be sentimental investments, many who’ve inherited them rent them out as additional sources of income so they can hang onto a property.

They may be sharing it with siblings or have had to buy them out. They also may be part-time vacation home investment owners who got in early on a new resort but need to ensure 100 percent occupancy during peak season to make their investment pay off.

Full Story from the BHGRE Blog

Solar Power Could Provide 45% of US Energy By 2050

September 11, 2021 by J. Scott Coatsworth

The Biden administration on Wednesday released a new report that shows how the U.S. could boost its use of solar power to as much as 45 percent of U.S. electricity use, an effort that could help the U.S. meet goals to limit climate change.

The Energy Department study outlines three possible scenarios including two in which the U.S. grid is 95 percent decarbonized by 2035 and an ambitious third one in which the grid is fully decarbonized by 2050. One way to fulfill that scenario would be to have solar power comprise 45 percent of electricity generation by 2050.

To reach the target, the U.S. would need to produce twice as much solar energy annually as it did in 2020 over the next four years before doubling the output again between 2025 and 2030.