Brittany Skinner

Happy national dog day to the literal light of my life. . . Day-Z is having a little health scare right now, and I’m realizing that I take better care of her than myself. .... . Her birthday is in a few days and she’s just the happiest, most aloof, food motivated, late night zoomiez having cutie pie. . . Don’t know where I’d be without my little buddy. . . #nationaldogday #adoptdontshop #shibainu #shibasofinstagram #shibalove #lazydayz #bestgirl See more

Work hard, play hard. . . So cliche, but so important. Best part of being a Realtor is working for yourself, worst part of being a Realtor is working for yourself. .... . There are literally a million things I can be doing every day to help further my business. It’s a constant struggle between working hard and getting burnt out. If you’ve worked with me you know I’ll do anything to make sure my clients are happy. . . I’m finding it’s so important to carve out time off as a self employed person and even more important to protect it! . . BC (before Covid) I liked to travel abroad, easy to protect that, it usually involves an expensive pre-paid flight, hotel or Airbnb accommodations and/or tickets to events and attractions. Now that we aren’t allowed, and I also don’t feel comfortable flying, to take time off, it would have to be somewhat local. . . It’s so easy to make accommodations for other people when you’re physically able and inevitably putting yourself and your needs on the back burner.. . . What have my self employed people been doing to get protected time off?! Where are some good local spots within a few hours drive of Philly?! . . #listingagent #phillyrealestate #forsale #justsold #phillylistings #phillylocal #realtor #phillyhomes #justlisted #whyilovephilly #newhome #phillyrealtor #phl #phillygram #sisterlylove #lovecity #freshplaces #compass #peoplefirstthenhouses #phillyrowhomes #phillycondos #phillyapartments #phillyhouses #vacationmode #staylocalphilly #workfromhome

It was late 2003, Montclair State University, first time away from my parents and first time making 100% of my own decisions about what to spend my money on. It was the first week of classes and in the quad, they had folding tables set up with different banks giving out free stuff. I walked up to one of the tables, Capital One. They representative came up to me and said hey, you can have a free frisbee if you sign up for this credit card. And like the stupid ass 18 year old... I was, I said YES, SIGN ME UP! Clearly I NEEDED that frisbee. That was the first credit card I ever got. I basically thought it was free money. They gave me a $750 credit limit, which was just enough to get my spending addiction going. Once you get one card, and make a few payments, in comes the flood of applications in the mail. I thought to myself, if one credit card was good, having a few must be great! Plus it was a great way for me to also get cash. I would go to dinner with my friends, I would pay on my credit card and they would give me cash for their meals. What could go wrong!? Turns out, a lot can go wrong. What is the one thing you did when you were younger that is still affecting your now? Keep following to hear more about my addiction to spending and how I am working to get myself out of debt. #debtfreejourney #debtfreegoals #debtsnowball #workinprogess #philadelphia #transparencymatters

After a few weeks of looking (virtually), my clients found an awesome condo that was perfect for their plan. Originally, the buyer was planning on attending the inspection, but there were very few flights from where they are to here, and no social distancing seats were available. So, they decided to do this part virtually as well. They did have their adult daughter come take a look for them. That made me feel wayyy better, I knew it was a great property and that it would ...be perfect for them, but that is a lot of pressure! Glad the daughter gave her approval! So, they were able to wire their escrow funds and order title remotely. I scheduled the inspection on their behalf for a time I was able to attend and take notes and videos. The inspector we use has a very clear and easy to understand report and we also have a call scheduled for when the report comes back. The inspector will be able to explain the report in detail to my clients so we can best negotiate either repairs or credits. The inspection is really the last thing that the buyer does in person. Everything else up until the settlement can be done virtually. Still thinking about buying but not sure where to start?! I’d be happy to talk more about your options, best first steps and the home buying process in general. #buyersagent #phillyrealestate #forsale #justsold #phillylistings #phillylocal #realtor #phillyhomes #justlisted #whyilovephilly #newhome #phillyrealtor #phl #phillygram #sisterlylove #lovecity #freshplaces #compass #peoplefirstthenhouses #phillyrowhomes #phillycondos #phillyapartments #phillyhouses #undercontract #sellyourhome #homerepairs #freshcoatofpaint #stagingsells #virtualrealestate #outofstatebuyers

This is my new headshot. Does it look like I have it all together? Ahhh, the beauty of Instagramyou post a few nice photos of yourself smiling and everyone just assumes you’re doing great! And, by most standards, I AM doing great. I feel like I have finally hit my stride as a full time Realtor. I have consistent business and have been able to help so many nice people buy and sell their homes. I’ve been able to carve out and protect days off, vacations (pre-corona) and peac...eful times for myself and I am working towards personal goals. But, I have a secret. A dirty little, almost 17 year old secret. I am in credit card debt. I was always embarrassed to share this. I felt like keeping up appearances, having new clothes and designer handbags was more important that my own financial stability. I never made it a priority. I’ve been very short sighted in my thinking all these years and I am working to get myself out of the hole that I dug. What is your relationship with credit like? Are you in debt? Are you working to get out? Drop a if you are paying off medical, credit card, student loan or some other kind of debt. Drop a if you are living debt free. (And tell me your secrets) Happy Sunday everyone. Keep on keeping on, you got this! See more

After we had our buyer’s consultation via @zoom, I set up a Collection of homes for them to browse online, on their own time. I put in their exact criteria and once it’s set up, it’ll send them any new homes that meet their needs as soon as they hit the market. Sometimes even sooner!** Within the Collection they were able to choose their favorite listings, trash the ones they didn’t like, and notify me of which homes they would like to tour via FaceTime. Lots of listings ...have 3D tours, video walkthroughs, floor plans, and property disclosures, so I made sure to provide them with all the information for each home before the FaceTime showing, so they could review. I’ve shown them 5 houses. They liked one, but missed out on it. But, I JUSTTTT showed them one yesterday that they like and are going to offer on! Stay tuned! Would you feel comfortable buying a home remotely?? DM me with any questions! I’d love to chat more and see if there is anything I can do to help you! #listingagent #buyersagent #phillyrealestate #forsale #justsold #phillylistings #phillylocal #realtor #phillyhomes #justlisted #whyilovephilly #newhome #phillyrealtor #phl #phillygram #sisterlylove #lovecity #freshplaces #compass #peoplefirstthenhouses #phillyrowhomes #phillycondos #phillyapartments #phillyhouses #undercontract #buyingvirtually #remoterealestate See more

I’m helping an old/new client buy a home in Philly 100% virtually from Texas. We met two years ago when they were looking for a rental. They eventually moved back to Texas. Since then, they decided to move to Philly more permanently. I thought that others might be interested in which parts of the process can be done virtually. (Hint hint- it’s literally all of it.) You can follow along here to see how this can all be accomplished! Are you thinking about buying a house b...ut not sure where to start? Or are freaked out by the thought of it? DM me, I’d be happy to talk through it with you. #buyersagent #phillyrealestate #forsale #justsold #phillylistings #phillylocal #realtor #phillyhomes #justlisted #whyilovephilly #newhome #phillyrealtor #phl #phillygram #sisterlylove #lovecity #freshplaces #compass #peoplefirstthenhouses #phillyrowhomes #phillycondos #phillyapartments #phillyhouses #undercontract #buyahouse See more

Sometimes in life you just meet someone you click with, who understands you and who is just your person. In this crazy world, it’s so important to keep your people close and love on them as much you can.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy MDW. Whether you’re safely gathering with close friends, staying at home, or behaving wildly inappropriate, I hope you take some time to remember why we celebrate this day and all the people who fought for our freedoms over the years.

I was put in a really weird situation this week. A random number texts me, Hi, my name is BLANK and my partner and I got your number from LENDER. We are new home buyers interested in a property in Fairmount. Any chance you would be available to chat about it soon? Ok so if you’re in real estate, you know. A pre-approved buyer interested in an affluent area...slam dunk, right? So I set up a call with her and her boyfriend the very next day. We get on the phone and she t...ells me that she and her partner had already seen the house they were interested in with another agent AND he had written them an offer. They said they got weird vibes after meeting him and were unsure of working with him. They are first time home buyers and really wanted someone who had their best interests at heart. So, I thought about it and said ok well since he showed you the house AND wrote you an offer, he has what’s called procuring cause. Meaning he was the main reason you were interested in buying that house and can have a claim to the commission. But, if you formally break up with him there is a chance that I can still help you. They said ok they’d think about it, and we got off the phone. Then my thoughts took over. How would I feel if I was that other agent? What was the right thing to do? How do I act in integrity, but also take advantage of a great lead that dropped in my lap? I called them back that night and said Look, if you want to move forward on that house, you should continue to work with the other agent. You can use me as a resource for second opinions, explaining, or questions. If this one doesn’t work out, I would gladly help you find something else. They agreed and said they’d try to make it work with him. So at the end of the day I missed out on a good opportunity, but I did the good and right thing; by the client, the other agent and myself. Going into MDW feeling blessed and highly favored. What are you guys up to this weekend? See more

A lot of people who planned to sell their home this spring/summer are asking, what do I do if my property is tenant occupied but I want/need to sell?! So, this is always an interesting situation, even when we’re not in a global pandemic. We would obviously first make the tenants aware that you are planning to sell and try to make them as large a part of it as possible. (If you’re a sh*t landlord, you might not get the best cooperation here.) The tenants are going to be t...he ones who have the last say in who gets to see their unit and who doesn’t. I usually try to explain that the more showings we can do quickly, the fewer times people will be bothering you. It **usually** works. Open houses are on a case by case basis. I think this is a good tactic, because you ask the tenants to leave for 2 hours on a weekend and hopefully have an offer from someone who came through. The only other time the potential buyer will need to access the property is during the inspection. I like to time the listing going live within 2-3 months left on the lease. This gives us time to market it, sell it, and get it to settlement by the time the tenant moves out. We make a note on the listing that indicates when the home will be available/vacant. If the person who is buying your home is doing so as an investment property, and your tenants are intending to stay, there are several other documents that are applicable. The seller will have to provide copy of the lease/leases, have new addenda signed that indicates the new landlord/tenant relationship, and documentation and exchange of the security deposits held. During THIS time, I think the best thing to do is wait until your tenant’s lease is over and then put your home on the market. It stinks to not have any money coming in to cover your mortgage, but as far as safety and social distancing is involved, most buyers and sellers are not comfortable going into / having someone come into their home. See more