Susy Karlen - Delaware Realtor

05/29/2026

Mosquitoes do not randomly show up in your backyard. They breed in standing water and they are incredibly good at finding it.

The bird bath you refill every few days. The saucer under the potted plant on the back porch. The low spot in the yard that holds water after it rains. The gutters that drain slowly. All of it is an invitation.

Here is what actually works. Empty anything that holds standing water every three to four days without exception. Add a BTI dunk to any water you cannot drain like a pond or a rain barrel. It kills mosquito larvae and is completely safe for pets, birds, and fish. Plant citronella, lemongrass, and lavender along the perimeter of the spaces where you spend time. Run a fan on the patio. Mosquitoes are weak fliers and even a small amount of airflow makes landing nearly impossible for them.

Sprays and candles help in the moment. They do not solve the problem. The standing water is always the problem.

Save this before your first backyard gathering of the season.

Susy

05/28/2026

Price Cuts Get Bigger the Longer a House Sits Without Offers

Pricing your house high just to “see what happens” can cost you. Buyers today are quick to ignore overpriced homes. And the longer a house sits without any offers, the less it usually sells for. Want to know the right list price for your house to avoid this headache? Let’s chat.



Susy Karlen, Real Estate Agent
C: (302)277-7786

05/27/2026

There is a window in May that most buyers and sellers do not know exists until it has already closed.

Before summer inventory peaks. Before vacation season pulls buyers off the market. Before the families who needed to move by August have already found something else.

An offer written in May means a closing that lands well before the first day of school. For families with kids that is not a small detail. That is the difference between a summer spent settling into a new home and a moving truck pulling up the week school starts.

The deals that close well in summer were almost always started in May. The ones that struggle are the ones that waited until the competition was already at its peak.
If you have been thinking about making a move, this is the month the conversation is worth having. Not June. Not after school gets out. Now.

05/27/2026

After a year or more of rates coming down, things have changed. And lately, mortgage rates have been climbing again.

And if that's made you wonder whether you should delay your move until they drop, you're not the only one.

The honest truth is that rates probably won't come down much until inflation cools off and some of the global uncertainty settles. And no one knows exactly when that'll be.

But what most headlines won't tell you is that rates aren't the only thing that affects affordability. Sure, they’re a big factor, but not all of the affordability news is bad.

Wages, home prices, and inventory are all trending in a direction that could still help make your move possible.

Want to know what that actually looks like for your situation? Drop a comment or send me a DM.

Because even though rates are higher, there are pockets of opportunity in any market, if you know where to look.



Susy Karlen, Real Estate Agent
C: (302)277-7786

05/26/2026

You’ve probably heard of the Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan. But do you know what it offers?

In a recent survey, 68% of Veterans didn’t know they may be able to buy a home with zero money down. 77% didn’t know PMI isn’t always required.

Many also have no idea they may be able to count their Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) as income.

Any of those VA loan benefits could make homeownership more achievable than you realize.

If you’ve served (or know someone who has), get in touch with a trusted lender for more information on VA home loan options and what you may qualify for.



Susy Karlen, Real Estate Agent
C: (302)277-7786

05/25/2026

The standard offer does not exist anymore.

Two years ago there was a short list of things that showed up in every contract. Today buyers and sellers are negotiating details that were not even part of the conversation in 2022 and 2023.

The buyers who are closing this summer are the ones whose agents know what is actually on the table right now. Not what worked two years ago. What is working today.

If you are thinking about buying or selling this summer, drop a comment or send me a message. The strategy conversation is worth having before you are already in the middle of a transaction.

05/25/2026

05/24/2026

Newly Built Home Prices Hit a 5-Year Low

Builder incentives and lower new home prices are working to your advantage in a way they haven't in years. Want to see what's available in your area and what kind of deal a builder may be willing to make? Let's connect.



Susy Karlen, Real Estate Agent
C: (302)277-7786

If you’ve always assumed a newly built home is just not in your budget, you should know the math just got a little friendlier.

05/22/2026

Making memories (with Mom and Sister). My rocks. ❤️❤️

Enjoy the holiday and don’t forget to make some memories.

❤️

05/22/2026

Most sellers find out what is wrong with their home at the worst possible moment.

Three days after going under contract. With a moving timeline already in motion, a buyer who is emotionally attached, and an inspection report that just became a negotiation gr***de.

A pre-listing inspection changes that entirely. You find out what is there before anyone else does. You decide what to fix, what to credit, and what to disclose on your terms instead of reacting to a buyer's inspector on theirs.

It is one of the least expensive things a seller can do before listing and one of the most effective ways to protect the number you worked to get.

If you are thinking about listing this summer, this is the first conversation worth having.

Susy

05/21/2026

You've probably heard that mortgage debt in America just hit an all-time high. And that's true.
But here's what the headline leaves out.

Equity is also near an all-time high. And at $34.1 trillion, it's more than double the $14.4 trillion in debt.

That's a good thing. It means most homeowners own far more than they owe. So, they have a real financial cushion right now.

That’s something homeowners didn’t have during the crash of 2008. Back then, people owed more than their homes were worth. Today, it’s just the opposite.

Homeowners are in a much better position, and the housing market is on stronger footing than the headlines suggest.



Susy Karlen, Real Estate Agent
C: (302)277-7786