Blog - Darren Upp

Homeowner Tips

To Improve or Not To Improve

One of the biggest common misconceptions when it comes to your home is that all improvements will give you the value back and then some. This is TOTALLY untrue. I’ve met with homeowners that believe their home is worth $4,000 more than the others because they just replaced the air conditioner. No, your home is […]
Building Wealth

Could YOU Really Own A Few Rental Houses?

I speak to dozens of area residents that say they’ve always thought about investing in a few rental properties, but they had no idea where to start and more importantly, they don’t want to make a mistake. We all know that wealth is created every single day through the ownership of rental houses (or an […]
Homeowner Tips

Does Curb Appeal Really Matter THAT Much?

You probably have a friend or two that’s working on some upgrades or repairs inside their home this month. It’s very common for us to want to improve the area in which our family lives. Everything from carpet to hardwood to fresh paint and sometimes even room additions or kitchen upgrades. Many times, these small […]
Client's Corner

How’s Your Social Media This Summer?

Many of my past clients stay in touch with me regularly and with social media exploding on the scene over the past decade or so, it’s never been easier to keep up with what our friends are up to. Now that Summer is here, many families are considering vacations or staycations and spending some quality […]

Homeowner Tips To Improve or Not To Improve One of the biggest common misconceptions when it comes to your home is that all improvements will give you the value back and then some. This is TOTALLY untrue. I’ve met with homeowners that believe their home is worth $4,000 more than the others because they just replaced the air conditioner. No, your home is […]

Building Wealth Could YOU Really Own A Few Rental Houses? I speak to dozens of area residents that say they’ve always thought about investing in a few rental properties, but they had no idea where to start and more importantly, they don’t want to make a mistake. We all know that wealth is created every single day through the ownership of rental houses (or an […]

Homeowner Tips Does Curb Appeal Really Matter THAT Much? You probably have a friend or two that’s working on some upgrades or repairs inside their home this month. It’s very common for us to want to improve the area in which our family lives. Everything from carpet to hardwood to fresh paint and sometimes even room additions or kitchen upgrades. Many times, these small […]

Client's Corner How’s Your Social Media This Summer? Many of my past clients stay in touch with me regularly and with social media exploding on the scene over the past decade or so, it’s never been easier to keep up with what our friends are up to. Now that Summer is here, many families are considering vacations or staycations and spending some quality […]

Building Wealth The Coming Recession! You’ve undoubtedly seen that there’s a recession and market adjustment looming again. Many say it’s already here. This is all part of the natural cycle and after you’ve been through a few, you start to prepare for them and profit from them in several different ways. While the last bubble burst was real estate related […]

Uncategorized When Is Best Time To Sell A Home? This is the question of all questions when it comes to real estate. As a professional agent and marketing specialist, I talk to homeowners during every month of the year that are hoping to “time the market” to sell the home for as much as possible. The common misconception is that you will sell a […]

General Info How Far Is Starbucks From You? Lately, stats have proven that your home’s value can be dependent upon your proximity to the local Starbucks, Trader Joe’s or any other local grocery store as well as fast food locations. According to Zillow, things that increase your home’s value are good school districts and neighborhoods, larger square footage and its closeness to these […]

Homeowner Tips Increasing The Value Of Your Home When it comes to one of the largest assets you’ll ever own, it’s important to ensure that you keep the value on par with where it should be in relation to other homes in the area. As you start seeing other homeowners doing upgrades to the inside or outside of their property, it’s important to […]

Homeowner Tips You’ll Probably Need Maintenance!! When you’re spring cleaning, you’ll likely find basic maintenance issues that need addressed. Did you know there’s actually a maintenance checklist full of items you should investigate within the home this time of year? Now that the weather is consistently staying above 70 degrees, you should run through this checklist to ensure your home is […]

Buyers The Proper Way To Think About Moving One of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make comes from deciding on the right time to move, and where to move to. As a real estate pro, I’ve seen that most people go about it all wrong. It’s not wise to just “decide” to make a move, then go with whatever house you happen to […]

Building Wealth Keeping Your Eyes Peeled Spring has finally sprung and you are undoubtedly seeing more and more neighbors milling around the community. The nice weather allows for afternoon walks to be more enjoyable and it’s a great chance to say hello to some of the fellow homeowners! With all the blooming flowers, we also see several “For Sale” signs going […]

Homeowner Tips Spring Is Just Around The Corner! As I drive through the neighborhoods throughout our area, I always love seeing the difference in real estate during Springtime. It’s what homeownership is all about! You’ll see families out working in the yard, meeting on the sidewalk to catch up with neighbors and countless people out for a slow stroll with their dogs. Around […]

Client's Corner Watch Out For the Creep! You’ve probably seen that interest rates are starting to slowly creep higher and higher. This can be a financial disaster for you if you are thinking you may want to sell your home in the next 2 to 8 years. There’s no question that you can sell your current house for more money and buy […]

Sellers May 15th – Remember This Date! If you’ve ever considered selling your home, you’ve likely procrastinated about it for months and sometimes even years. It’s a big step. Is now the best time? Will the market change? Where would we move to? These are all questions that likely pop into your head. It can be too much to consider and as […]

Homeowner Tips Make It Nice – But Not TOO Nice! Most homeowners don’t realize that you can actually make your home TOO nice! This may be the most important article you’ll ever read regarding home improvements and the “money drain” that they can cause. The real estate term “over improvement” is something most people are shocked to find out about long after they’ve spent all […]

Building Wealth Building Wealth Through Real Estate One of the things I always advise my real estate clients on is the development of wealth through the ownership of a couple rental properties. It surprises me how many people think they need to have perfect credit or lots of cash to buy a rental property or two. That’s simply not the case. When […]

Homeowner Tips Making Your House A Home There’s no better feeling than putting your own touches on the house you live in. It truly makes it feel like “home” with all of the personalization and creature comforts that make it warm and inviting for your family to enjoy. I’ve always loved to see the enjoyment our clients feel when they’ve added a […]

Client's Corner Should We Meet This Month? Go to my calendar and schedule a time that is convenient for you! Just CLICK here –> Chat with Darren What an amazing year it was for most! Particularly in the real estate world, we experienced another 8 or 9 months of unmatched growth and appreciation followed by a few months of slow down […]

Sellers Selling Your Home During Winter Most people want to shy away from selling their homes in the winter, whether it be from the cold, the holiday craziness, or because they simply think that their home won’t sell for enough money. Although, winter may not be the most popular time to sell a home, this does not mean you need to […]

Uncategorized The Market Is Starting To SLOW! If you’ve been watching the local news lately, you’ve likely seen that the real estate market is starting to slow. More accurately, I’d refer to it as a more “normalized” market as we’ve been red hot for years. The truth is that we are just a few months short of having the longest economic recovery […]