Gina Monaco at Goldstone Realty

03/25/2026

Love my Goldstone family 🏡🖤💛

02/23/2026

Your credit health plays a bigger role in the buying process than most people realize. A few consistent habits over time can strengthen your profile and open up more options when you’re ready to purchase. It’s less about perfection and more about being intentional and informed. 🏡✨ Small financial moves today can make a big difference when it’s time to make a big move tomorrow.

02/04/2026

Looking to buy or sell?? Call me… let’s chat! 🏡🔑

01/29/2026

12/24/2025

12/13/2025

This 😊

If my mom called and asked "What's my house worth?" here's exactly what I'd tell her:

"Mom, your house isn't worth what you paid plus what you spent plus what you need.

It's worth what someone will pay.

I know you paid $400k in 2019.
I know you put $80k into the kitchen and bathrooms.
I know you need $100k for your next down payment.
But the market doesn't care about any of that.

Here's what a smart Realtor would actually do for you...
They'd pull comps from the last 90 days in your neighborhood.
See six similar homes sold between $515k-$535k.
Average days on market: 42 days.
Based on that, your house is worth about $525k, maybe $530k.

If you list at $580k because that's what you need?

You'll sit for 90 days.
You'll reduce three times.
You'll sell for $510k out of desperation.

If you list at $529k like they're suggesting?

You'll get multiple offers in week one.
You'll probably sell for $540k-$545k.
You'll close in 30 days.
And you'll actually net more than if you'd overpriced it.

I know that's not the number you wanted to hear, Mom.
But would you rather they lie to you and cost you $50k?
Or tell you the truth and get you the most money possible?"

If I won't sugarcoat it for my mom, don't sugarcoat it for your clients.

11/29/2025

When choosing a listing agent: Call me! 🙂🏡🔑

You're not paying a percentage.

You're hiring:

Pricing expertise (worth $50k+ in net proceeds)
Negotiation skills (worth $20k-$40k in your pocket)
Marketing strategy (difference between 4 days and 4 months on market)
Transaction management (prevents $100k mistakes)
Network access (buyers before they hit Zillow)

But sure, save that 2%.

The "discount agent" math:

Agent A charges 5%:

Prices your home at $650k (based on comps)
Professional photos, staging consultation, strategic marketing
Gets 4 offers in 3 days
Negotiates to $675k
Handles inspection saving you $8k in credits
Closes in 28 days

Your net after 5% commission: $607,875

Agent B charges 3%:

Prices your home at $680k (what you wanted to hear)
iPhone photos, no staging advice
2 showings in 3 weeks
Reduces price twice to $640k
One offer at $625k
Buyer demands $12k in repairs (agent doesn't push back)
Closes in 67 days with $9,500 in extra carrying costs

Your net after 3% commission: $587,250

You "saved" 2% in commission.

You lost $20,625 in net proceeds.

Congrats. You played yourself.

What discount agents don't tell you...

They're taking a discount on:

Time spent on your listing
Quality of marketing
Negotiation effort
Availability when problems arise
Network reach
Experience level

You get what you pay for.

The irony:

You'll spend 6 months researching a $1,200 TV.

But you'll hire an agent for your $650,000 house based on who charges the lowest percentage.

Make it make sense...

11/15/2025

I believe in this WHOLEHEARTEDLY!
I encourage all my sellers to consider a pre-listing home inspection. Definitely more transparency and better buyer negotiations 😊🏡

Here's how most home sales go:

Week 1: List the house
Week 2: Accept an offer, celebrate
Week 3: Buyer's inspection finds 47 "issues"
Week 4: Buyer demands $15k in repairs or credits
Week 5: Negotiate down to $8k
Week 6: Everyone's exhausted and resentful
Your "win" feels like a loss.

Here's how it goes with a pre-listing inspection:

Before listing: Pay $500 for inspection
Find issues: HVAC needs $800 repair, roof has minor issue $1,200
Fix them: Spend $2,000, keep all receipts
List the house: "Recent repairs: HVAC serviced, roof repaired, receipts available"
Buyer's inspection: Finds nothing major (you already fixed it)
Negotiation: "We addressed everything pre-sale, here are the receipts"
Close: Clean, fast, no drama

You spent $2,000 and saved $8,000 in negotiations.

And you controlled the entire process.

Why this works:
1. You fix it on YOUR terms

Your contractor, your price, your timeline
Not the buyer's $15k "guy who can do it all"

2. Receipts = leverage

"We already fixed that, here's proof"

3. Buyer confidence soars

"Seller addressed issues proactively"
"This house was maintained, not neglected"

Inspection becomes a formality, not a negotiation

4. Faster close

No repair negotiations delaying everything
Fewer contingencies Less stress

The math the traditional way:

Buyer's inspection: $500 (they pay)
Buyer demands: $15k in repairs/credits
You negotiate down: $8k
You pay: $8,000

Pre-listing inspection way:

Your inspection: $500
Fix actual issues: $2,000
Buyer demands: $0 (already fixed)
You pay: $2,500

Savings: $5,500

Plus: Faster close, less stress, stronger negotiating position.

What agents know:

The inspection is where deals die.
Not because houses are bad.

Because sellers don't know what's wrong until it's too late to control the narrative.

Buyer's inspector finds issue = You're on defense

You find and fix issue = You're on offense

Defense costs more. Always.

"But what if the inspection finds nothing?"

Then you spent $500 for peace of mind and a clean report to show buyers.

That report = marketing gold.

"Pre-inspected, no major issues" is a selling point worth thousands in buyer confidence.

11/09/2025

Absolutely! That's why as a realtor I take the time and use the proper resources to price your home accurately and competitively to avoid it sitting on the market longer than it should. Reach out to me and I'll tell you how I do it 😊🏡🔑

Your seller is sitting in their overpriced house, scrolling through Zillow, wondering why nobody's making offers.

Meanwhile, you're having the same conversation for the third week in a row.

"But the market will come back up."
"We're not desperate."
"Someone will see the value."

No. They won't.

Here's what actually happened in those 30 days:

Week 1: 12 showings. Buyers loved the location. Hated the price.

Your seller said "let's wait and see."

Week 2: 6 showings. Buyers are now looking at houses that LISTENED to feedback and dropped their price.

Your listing is becoming "that overpriced one."

Week 3: 2 showings. You're now the house everyone uses to negotiate OTHER houses down.

"Well, 123 Main St has been sitting for 3 weeks at $500k, so we're offering $465k on this one."

Week 4: Zero showings. Your listing is dead. Buyers skip right past it. It's been on the market too long. They assume something's wrong with it.

The market voted. The verdict?

Overpriced.

Every day your seller waits costs them money. Not just carrying costs.

NEGOTIATING POWER.

Houses that sit lose $1,000-$2,000 per week in perceived value.

After 30 days?

You've lost $8k minimum in negotiating position.

And you still haven't gotten an offer.

Your seller thinks they're "holding firm."

The market thinks they're delusional.

Here's what you tell them:

"In 30 days, 47 buyers walked through this house or saw it online. Zero offers. That's not bad luck. That's the market telling us exactly what this house is worth. And it's not your number.

You can either adjust the price now and get offers. Or you can wait another 30 days, lose another $8k in negotiating power, and STILL have to drop the price. Except now you're the stale listing nobody wants."

The market already voted.
Your seller just doesn't like the results.

Save this for the next listing that's been sitting with zero offers and the seller wants to "give it more time."

Time isn't going to fix an overpriced house.

11/07/2025

11/07/2025

I am often asked this from potential sellers. This is a good explanation. If you want the house to sell fairly quickly and at a price you're satisfied with, it's one or the other...😊🏡

Your seller is convinced buyers will "see past" the dirty carpet, the peeling wallpaper, and the kitchen that still has the original appliances.

They won't.

Because buyers aren't buying potential.

They're buying a feeling.

And right now? Your listing feels like work.

Here's what actually happens:

Buyer walks in. Sees the carpet.

Immediately starts calculating:

Okay, new flooring is $8k.
Paint is $3k.
That kitchen? Probably $40k.
New bathrooms? Another $25k.

They're not seeing potential.

They're seeing their savings account evaporating.

They're seeing their weekends at Home Depot for the next 18 months.

They're seeing one more thing they have to fix before they can actually enjoy their house.

And then they go to the next showing.

Where the floors are already done.
Where the paint is already fresh.
Where they can move in and just... live.

That house gets the offer.

Yours gets "we'll think about it."

Your seller says "but we're priced under market to account for the updates!"

Cool.

So you want full price minus $76k in renovations?

Because that's the math buyers are doing.

And they're not offering full price on a fixer when they can get move-in ready down the street.

You know what buyers see when they look at "potential"?

Delayed gratification
Permit headaches
Contractor no-shows
Budget overruns
Living in construction

They see work. Not potential.

So you've got two choices: Fix it and price it right.

Or price it like the work project it actually is.

Because "seeing the potential" is your seller's job when THEY bought it as a fixer.

It's not the next buyer's job.

Save this for the next listing appointment where they want to "test the market" at move-in ready pricing with 1987 finishes.