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Finishes & Cosmetics

Reading a Listing

The pattern-recognition cards. How to read a finish tier, spot a flip, see past the staging, date a home by its finishes, and tell the difference between cosmetic damage and a mechanical problem wearing a cosmetic disguise.

Builder grade, mid, premium, luxury: what the tiers actually mean

Premium words, value price. Score the finishes, never the marketing.

$8,000 to $25,000Monitor

Reading a flip: new finishes, no permits

A flip can score high on looks and low on bones. That is the whole point.

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What a staged photo hides

The most valuable thing in a listing is the photo nobody took.

Free. The most valuableMonitor

Reading the era from the finishes

Dated is not disrepair. The difference is care, not age.

Dated is not disrepair,Monitor

When a cosmetic problem is a mechanical symptom

Worn is cosmetic. Deformed, stained, or cracked in a line is mechanical.

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Score a listing before you tour it

Casaroo analyzes any listing, scoring the bones and the appearance separately, free, in seconds.

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