The pitch for selling your home yourself is seductive: skip the commission, pocket the savings. And sure — some people pull it off. But after 13 years in this business, I've watched enough FSBO attempts to tell you honestly what you're signing up for. The math isn't what you think The big assumption is that you'll save the full commission. In practice, most FSBO sellers still offer a...
November 2026
"Can we show your home in an hour?" If your house is on the market, this call is coming. The sellers who handle it calmly aren't superhuman — they just have a routine. Here's a 30-minute sprint that gets your home showing-ready without the panic. Minutes 1–5: The speed tour Grab a laundry basket and walk every room. Into the basket goes: mail on the counter, shoes by the door, toys,...
Buyers decide within seconds of walking in, and nothing tanks a first impression faster than cigarette smoke smell. It's one of the top buyer turnoffs I see — people will walk back out before they've seen the kitchen. The good news: it can be fixed. The bad news: air freshener isn't the fix. Why smoke smell is so stubborn Cigarette smoke doesn't just hang in the air — it soaks into...
If you've opened your homeowners insurance renewal lately and felt your stomach drop, you're not alone. Louisiana's insurance market has been brutal — companies leaving the state, premiums climbing, and homeowners scrambling for coverage. Here's how to navigate it without overpaying or ending up underinsured. Why it's so tough here Hurricanes, litigation costs, and reinsurance...
Owning a home means the landlord is you — and the repair bills are yours too. One of the smartest things a new homeowner can do is budget for maintenance before something breaks. Here's a practical framework that works in Louisiana. The 1% rule (and why Louisiana might need more) The standard guideline: budget 1% of your home's value per year for maintenance. On a $250,000 home, that's...
Everything in your house has an expiration date — the question is just when. In Louisiana, our heat, humidity, and storm seasons tend to shorten lifespans compared to national averages. Here's an honest guide so you can plan replacements instead of reacting to breakdowns. HVAC system: 15–20 years Your air conditioner is the hardest-working appliance in a Baton Rouge home, running 8–9 months a...
Every hurricane season in Louisiana follows the same script: a storm knocks out power for days, and suddenly every generator in the state is sold out. If you've ever sat in a dark, 90-degree house wondering why you didn't buy one in June, this post is for you. Portable vs. whole-home standby Portable generators ($500–$2,500) run on gasoline and power essentials through extension cords or a...
If you've owned your Baton Rouge home for more than a few years, there's a good chance you're sitting on meaningful equity — the gap between what your home is worth and what you owe. That's real wealth. The question is what to do with it. How equity builds Two forces grow your equity: paying down your mortgage (every payment chips away at principal) and appreciation (your home's...
Every time rates dip, my phone lights up with the same question: "Should I refinance?" It's a good question — but it's surrounded by myths that cost homeowners real money. Let's clear them up. Myth 1: "You need rates to drop 2% to make it worthwhile" This old rule of thumb is outdated. The real question is your break-even point: divide your total closing costs by your...
Ask anyone in Baton Rouge about August 2016 and you'll get a story. The "Great Flood" damaged tens of thousands of homes across the metro area — and a huge number of them sat in Zone X, the so-called "minimal risk" zone where lenders don't require flood insurance. The maps said they were safe. The water disagreed. What the flood maps actually tell you FEMA flood maps...