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Louise Bolger

Louise Bolger

August 17, 2017
Louise Bolger is The Sun’s Real Estate columnist.
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June 18, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Real estate selling for the smartphone generation

If your smartphone has become an extension of one hand and the TV remote an extension of the other, then iBuying may be the next logical step in selling your home. There have always been people wh…
June 11, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

What’s in a color

Did you know there is an entire segment of psychology devoted to color? Color can dramatically affect moods according to experts in color psychology, so what effect does color have on the color of…
June 4, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

We may be getting older, but we’re not stupid

Did you know that every day 10,000 baby boomers turn 65? Just to refresh your aging memories, baby boomers are defined as those born between 1946 and 1964, therefore, baby boomers will be impacting o…
May 28, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Home ownership and the millennials

It pains me to say this, and I hope it’s not true, but there are signs that the face of home ownership is starting to change. Housing was always the driver of the economy, both purchasing homes and t…
May 21, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

What’s in a hurricane name?

Every year at this time we steady our nerves and go forward into hurricane season which tortures us from June 1 to Nov. 30. Not all storms during hurricane season are actually hurricanes; some of the…
May 14, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Falling in love with a second home

Last week we had a conversation about financing second homes and some updated government regulations about renting. We even touched on the pending Florida legislation regarding short-term vacation re…
May 7, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

One of our favorite topics

It doesn’t take long for a get together with friends and neighbors to morph into a conversation about real estate. One of the preferred topics among the dozens of available real estate topics is seco…
April 30, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Floods, saltwater and freshwater

The poet W. H. Auden said, “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” Surely, he meant both freshwater and the ocean water since both feed the body and soul, but both can have their…
April 23, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Taxes come and gone

April 15th has finally passed. Every year we hold our breath until this day is in our rearview mirror, especially this year. Let’s see how some of the changes impacted property owners and take a glan…
April 16, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Real estate process speeding up

For me, a good recipe has three main components – less than five ingredients, less than 30 minutes and less than two pots. A good real estate transaction is not so different than a good recipe; the o…
April 9, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Traffic, real estate sales up

If you want to know why you’re starting to analyze traffic patterns so you can plan your trips to the supermarket, doctor’s office and Trader Joe’s, here’s the reason. During 2018, Sarasota and Manat…
April 2, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Should you digitally – or actually – renovate?

There comes a time in every homeowner’s life when they are faced with the dreaded renovation question. Frequently this question comes about when you’re thinking of putting your home up for sale. Ther…
March 26, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Technology can’t replace real estate brokers

Technology has done as much to change the real estate industry as Henry Ford did to change the production of automobiles. However, where Henry Ford brought the cost of cars way down with his technolo…
March 19, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Good news and good news

It’s been a while since we had positive news about how the national real estate market was trending. The little black cloud hanging over the head of the market has included a shortage of inventory, f…
March 12, 2019
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Are you smarter than a hedge fund manager?

The most expensive home in U.S. history was just sold. It’s a four-story condo on Central Park South in New York City dubbed “billionaire’s bunker” and closing for $238 million. The buyer is a hedge…