John Mulkey, Housing Guru

“Lessons From The Light,” a True Life Encounter with Angels    While most here on Active Rain know me as The Housing Guru, a retired homebuilder, a few are aware that I have interests that extend far beyond the mundane; and some may be aware that I am also a published author.  And while I have ra...

  The Importance of Location When Buying a Home Most have heard the Realtor® adage, “The three most important aspects of real estate are: location, location, location. And while we may smile when hearing it and even acknowledge the importance, many purchases are made without considering ALL the f...

Recalculating—most of us have heard that phrase as a GPS sought to discover a new route, and most of us have felt similarly perplexed as we tried to make sense of the maze that is our present economy. “Economists” tell us that the great recession ended a couple of years ago, but a quick look arou...

    Okay, so the de-cluttering, staging and upgrades have paid off and you’ve received an offer to purchase your home. Is your “Mission Accomplished?” And what do you do next? If the offer you received is full price with few or no significant stipulations, proceed to “Go” and collect $200 and dec...

  While the age of a home denotes how long the structural members have been in place, the actual number of years means little or nothing.  As with humans, age is relative; and sometimes a fifty-year old home is in better condition than one that is only a couple of years old.  Rather than age, the...

As many homeowners have discovered, selling a home is much more than signing a listing agreement. In today’s housing market, sellers are competing with foreclosures, short sales and neighbors willing to forgo the profits common in past years. Those serious about selling understand the demands of ...

  The President keeps reminding us that millionaires and billionaires must pay their “fair share,” but who determines what represents a fair share? Is it something we can “Google” or look up in the dictionary? Is a fair share something taught in math classes or listed in Wikipedia? If the Preside...