Welcome to the Trank Real Estate Blog!

You may have wondered why there are credit repair companies out there, since the credit reporting agencies have to allow any East Aurora consumer to dispute incorrect line items on their own. The big Credit Reporting Agencies (“CRAs”) even have online systems for challenging erroneous information. The Agency must act speedily to investigate and correct any false information. Soooo, why pay someone else to just fill out their form?

The answer seems to be the same one that makes practitioners in...

This is actually a situation that’s very common, but not much remarked upon: you know you are going to be selling your Elma home—only not for a while…and perhaps not for a very long while! Is there anything you should be doing now, long before actual preparations are called for?

There sure is! Let’s call these low-intensity preparations. They may be low-intensity in the immediacy department, but when the distant day arrives when you are selling your home, they can be very fortuitous. Here are s...

 Here is a one-question True or False exam that every future East Aurora first-time home buyer should take:

True or False:

One sure way to build a strong credit report is to pay your bills on time.

(Answer: False)

Particularly for a first-time East Aurora home buyer, being able to present a strong credit report can make the difference between being able to afford a quality home that satisfies all your ‘must haves’—or one you just sort of settle for.

It’s about how much you can comfortab...

 Just as with movie credits, the features you find in Elma listings have a “billing order.” The “stars” may not be printed in gigantic superstar type—but the order in which they appear do reflect changes in current buyer priorities. For a homeowner soon to add their property to this spring’s Elma listings, it’s important to learn which features currently tend to attract the most favorable attention from prospective buyers. It’s of more than marketing interest, as well: knowing what’s in and what...

Whenever you are getting ready to buy or sell a residence, taking the temperature of the local housing market is part of how you prepare to engage. When East Aurora real estate prices are on the rise, bargain hunters know they’ll have to scramble. When East Aurora real estate prices are flat or on the downturn, spotting good value in the local listings is easier. A slow market means that those sellers who are impatient to move on will be willing to reduce their asking price. They will tend to “f...

Last week, The Wall Street Journal ran an article about personal finances that East Aurora mortgage payers who are at or near retirement age should find thought-provoking. It centered on the idea that today’s retirees are often making a decision that differs from what past generations have chosen.

The basis is twofold. First, it’s undeniable that the 60- or 65-year-olds of today rightly expect a future that’s likely to stretch one or more decades longer than was the case for their grandparents....

Whenever we think of how our Western New York home staging professionals approach their craft, it’s all the positives that come to mind—how they transform a ho-hum living room into a welcoming showplace; a run-of-the-mill front porch into a curb appeal magnet, etc. That is true, but equally important are the negatives they address. Stagers locate and eliminate elements that detract.

This is all by way of pointing out that another element of the East Aurora real estate industry—the home inspecti...