The Mark Mahaffey Podcast

More buyers are walking away from closing than they have in years, and most of the time it has nothing to do with the house. So what’s actually going on, and what can you do about it if you’re the one selling? In our latest video, we break down the single biggest driver of cancellations right now, why pre-approval matters so much more than pre-qualification, and the one move before you ever list that can keep a shaky buyer from beating you up at the end. If you’re thinking about selling, this is the kind of behind-the-scenes protection you want working for you from day one.

With rates above 7%, everyone’s asking us the same thing: should I wait? After decades in the Athens area, our honest answer surprises people. Trying to time the market almost never works, because if you wait to sell at the top you also buy at the top, and if you wait to buy at the bottom you also sell at the bottom, it cancels itself out. In our latest video we explain the one way timing actually works (you will not want to do it), and the real thing your decision should be based on.

Everybody tells you to fix up your house before you sell it, but nobody tells you what that's actually worth. And nobody tells you what skipping the work actually costs. In this video, we walk through a Zillow study that found a 17% price swing between homes listed as turnkey and homes listed as needing work, why there are two completely different buyer pools looking at your home, and why being stuck in the middle, doing some work but not all of it, is the worst position of all. Watch our video before you spend a single dollar or decide not to.

Today is story time again, and this one happened not too long ago. We were at a closing. Everything was going smoothly. Routine. Then they got to the seller's numbers, and it all fell apart. In this video, I tell the true story of a seller who signed a contract he never read, found out at the closing table that he'd agreed to $50,000 in closing costs, and what happened next, including the moment the attorneys were ready to call law enforcement. Watch our video before you sign anything.

Today is story time, and this one is real. One of our agents was helping a buyer look at a for-sale-by-owner property. The seller had no representation. A family member grabbed the phone and said he knew everything there was to know about selling a home. In this video, I walk you through exactly what happened, how we did our job for our buyer, and the number at the end that shows what that 'saved commission' really cost. Watch our video before you even think about selling on your own.

If you’ve ever lost a home to an all-cash offer from a company you’ve never heard of, a new federal law just changed the rules. Congress passed the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, and one provision in it was written with Georgia in mind, because our state leads the entire country in corporate-owned homes. In our latest video, we break down the provision that caps big investors at 350 homes, what it means for local buyers and sellers, and the things this bill doesn’t change. Watch to see how it affects your next move.

If the last time you bought or sold a home was more than a couple of years ago, you probably caught a headline about real estate commissions changing and assumed either buyers are now on their own or sellers just saved a fortune. Neither is quite right. In this video, we break down how commissions actually work now and why the so-called collapse never really happened. Watch our video to get the full picture before your next move.

Are you planning to sell your home this spring? Before you start a major renovation, you should know that the most expensive upgrades are rarely the ones that give you the best return. According to the latest industry data, a new garage door can return nearly three times what you spend, while a high-end kitchen remodel returns less than 40 cents on the dollar. In this video, we’ll break down the three upgrades that actually pay off, the mistakes that eat into your profit, and how to choose the right contractor so the job gets done right. Watch our video to see where your money goes the furthest before you list.

Are you waiting for a massive drop in home prices before you finally make a move? It feels like prices should be falling given how high mortgage rates have been lately. Today, I’m sharing the latest data to show you what is actually happening with home values. You’ll learn why a crash isn't appearing in the data. Check out my video for the full breakdown.

Thinking about skipping one detail in your home disclosure? Before you do, think again. Failing to disclose issues in your home, even if they’ve already been resolved, can not only derail your home sale but might also land you in legal trouble. That’s why today, I’m walking you through the key seller disclosures that protect you and keep your real estate transaction on track. Understanding what Georgia home buyers expect and being upfront from the start not only prevents legal problems but also builds buyer trust that can help your home sell faster. If you want to learn exactly what to disclose when selling your property, check out my video.