SmartLiving Real Estate by Carolyn Stepp

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SmartLiving Real Estate by Carolyn Stepp

Carolyn loves what she does and it is her mission to exceed expectations and empower clients to make informed decisions.

She have extensive experience in marketing, analyzing properties, project management, customer service and have handled over 1,000 homes both in residential and commercial real estate. SmartLiving Real Estate was started in 2017 with a vision to create a new kind of real estate experience. One that cares about sustainable living, our community and offers exceptional 5-star customer service. About Carolyn Stepp: Carolyn is a real estate expert with over 20 years of extensive experience. She has worked as a Financial Analyst, Marketing Manager, Transaction Coordinator, Broker Owner, Branch Manager, and Vice President of Real Estate Sales for Warren Buffet. Real estate is a family business since it started with Carolyn and her twin brother teaming up to buy homes to remodel, then sell. She owned a brokerage in Los Angeles and now owns a brokerage in Eugene where her heart has found home. SmartLiving Real Estate is a caring place to do business. We are positive, helpful, enthusiastic - always focusing on solutions. We are diligent to ensure every home sale goes smoothly and effortlessly, always exceeding your expectations. Our clients will always be our main priority, receiving constant communication and reliable guidance throughout the process.

09/04/2026

Right now, as humanity journeys farther around the Moon than ever before, we’re reminded of our Shared Home.

May the Artemis II astronauts land safely home.

Images courtesy/credit of NASA.

12/03/2026

Hey women! Together we can build a different future. It’s already shifting. More women are buying homes than ever and by collaborating with our community, we take everyone with us. 🏡❤️🌈

22/04/2024

Happy Earth Day💚

03/05/2023

So what does the real estate market look like in Eugene, Oregon?🏘️ Typically, we start seeing more homes come on the market starting in March then peaking in June in our market. But this Spring is different🌷- with less homes coming to the market than we typically see. It’s like a sloooowwww drip this year🐢

Sellers are not wanting to trade their current low interest rate on their home for a higher interest rate... so only sellers who need to sell are selling. But’s what interesting about today’s market is even though we have a low inventory of homes that are coming to the market - we have more homes on the market than we have seen in the past 2 years since if a home is not priced correctly.. it sits on the market. Currently, our average market time is 44 days!!! Which is actually a lot better than previous months since we were up to 60 days just a month ago.

So with higher interest rates along with uncertainty in the market, buyers are telling us they won’t buy an overpriced home even with a low inventory of homes🚫 So should homeowners sell now? Today, it’s more crucial than ever to do your research🧐 Going out to market with the correct price is key..🔑 or your home will sit on the market lowering it’s value.

21/03/2023

Ok here are 5 TIPS I just shared with my client who we are getting ready to sell their home so I wanted to share with you. Remember a little goes a long way. Spending just a little bit of money on a few important things can make a huge impact so here are my 5 tips.

#1 Wide Open Spaces: Rearrange your furniture to allow for foot traffic throughout the house.
#2 Fresh Paint: Spending a little money on a neutral paint color will pay you back in spades.
#3 Make an Entrance: Poor curb appeal can make buyers not even want to get out of the car to go inside a home.
#4 What is this Room for? If you are using your dining room as an office, for example, or you have an oddly shaped loft area, buyers can become confused wondering what the space is for. Stage it with furniture and props to show them exactly how the room or area can be used.
#5 Scrub, Scrub, Scrub: If your bathrooms are dated and grimy, just know it's possible to completely overhaul the look of a bathroom for just $700 or so.

16/03/2023

Let's be honest, buying a home comes with a whole host of emotions. It is an exciting time, but it can also be stressful if you find yourself competing with other buyers for the home of your dreams. What can you do to make your offer stand out amongst the others? More money is only part of the story. There are 4 other things you can do to strengthen your offer so let's go through them.

#1 Use a Local Lender. When the market is competitive, you want to use a local lender since agents are looking for a lender who they know will perform.

#2 Bump up that Earnest Money. Increasing your earnest money deposit can show your sincerity to the seller, and make your offer stand out.

#3 Write a Clean Offer. When we talk about a ‘clean’ offer we are generally talking about minimizing the number of contingencies. Contingencies can include things like appraisals, inspections, or the need to sell your current home before you can buy the next.

And #4 Put your Best Offer Forward. Don’t be afraid to lay all your cards out on the table, up front. You may not get another chance.

10/03/2023

I love getting to know the homes I sell, and while I can walk around, measure, and take notes and photos, I really don’t know a home until my clients open up about the lives they've lived in their homes.

That's why, early on in the selling process, I always ask my sellers what they love about their homes. And I don't want to know the obvious things like top-of-the-line kitchen appliances. I mean the small, personal details. Things like the way the sun streams in during the morning or the cozy chair by the fireplace where your toddler likes to curl up with a book or the thriving herb garden you've been nurturing for years on the back patio. Those, my friends, are the details that make your home truly special.

So before you sell your home, ask yourself: What makes my home stand out? What do I love here that I know I won't find anywhere else? Then, take a deep breath, give thanks for the home you have, and pass those things along to your agent, so they can use what you love to appeal to buyers.

28/02/2023

Ok I hear all the time in my real estate business, clients are nervous about their credit score, so let me share with you 3 tricks to boost your credit score that are crazy simple once you know.

#1. Don't miss any payments. Because if you pay your debts on time, it works in your favor BIG TIME. So put your credit cards on minimum monthly payments AUTOPAY. It would be great if you could pay off the entire balance every month, but by placing the minimum on autopay, you're guaranteeing that you'll never miss a payment. The number one thing that lowers your credit score is missing payments, even a $40 payment.

#2. Limit how often you apply for new accounts. Too many credit checks in your credit report, may have lenders thinking that you're urgently seeking credit or living beyond your means.

#3. Ok, here is one that no one tells you about. Ask for a credit limit INCREASE. If your spending habits stay the same, you could boost your credit score as long as you continue to make your monthly payments on time and your spending habits remain the same. It's called the credit utilization ratio - how much you owe divided by your credit limit. It is commonly recommended to keep your total credit utilization rate below 30%. You know yourself best though, and if having open credit cards with high limits could prove too tempting for you to overspend, carefully consider the correct number of accounts to increase.

These 3 tricks can help give your credit score a boost!

22/02/2023

Want to know the real talk?

What really matters when selling your home is having an agent who knows what they're doing. It doesn’t have to be me, but please, be done with sky-high pricing and find an experienced agent who can help you achieve these 3 steps.

1) Prep it well. You've got to be willing to do some work upfront to get your home looking its best. Minor repairs, major decluttering, and fresh paint go a long way.

2) Price it well. The market has been all over the place, so it’s critical to pull as much data as possible when settling on a price. Too high? Buyers won’t bite and your home sits on the market. Currently, in Eugene, we are at 50 days on the market for overpriced homes.

3) Spectacular listing photos. Your home’s first showing is online - and there’s no better way to set your home apart from the rest than with images that are inviting and attractive. If your agent isn’t doing this at the bare minimum, you need to find a new one!

17/02/2023

Believe it or not, most people feel scared when negotiating. We are taught to not to put our cards on the table or to ask for more than what we need so hopefully we will get some of what we are asking. Since we are taught not to be authentic when negotiating, people fear it. Well, let me tell you the secret to being a powerful negotiator - one that I use every time I am negotiating and one and one that gets more yeses than nos✅

Here it is Be Fair. Don’t play games. People sense it and start putting up walls. Don’t take advantage. People shut down. Instead ask questions. Ask what the other person is looking for with the intention to try to the find the mutual benefit where both parties gain. And let me tell you it is not always money🏘️

Our society has it wrong... being FAIR is POWERFUL because at the end of the day people will go the extra mile when treated fairly.

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Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:00
Thursday	09:00 - 17:00
Friday	09:00 - 17:00
Saturday	12:00 - 15:00

Telephone

+15416006662

Website

http://www.smartlivingre.com/

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