This collection showcases a range of articles I’ve written across topics and audiences, all designed to balance engaging storytelling with strong SEO performance. Each piece is strategically structured and keyword-optimized to improve search visibility while still sounding human.
Together, these articles highlight my ability to adapt tone, simplify complex ideas, and create content that both readers and search engines respond to. Whether the goal is education, brand authority, or organic traffic growth, these samples demonstrate my approach to writing content that performs and actually gets read.
Can a Seller Back Out of a Real Estate Contract?
You did it! You persevered through the house hunt, gathered the required documents, and conquered the loan process. You have the signed contract in hand and are ready to be a homeowner. But suddenly you receive word the home seller would like to back out of the real estate contract you just signed. Wait, can they even do that?
Home sellers are allowed to back out of a real estate contract as long as they have a legal or contractual reason to do so. Oftentimes, these reasons, called contingencies, are listed in the real estate contract. Below we break down the different contingencies and actions you can take if the seller decides to back out.
Legal Reasons a Home Seller May Back Out of a Contract
“Failure to Perform” - The contract may define deadlines that must be met by the home buyer, such as home inspections, appraisals and loan approval. If the buyer fails to meet these deadlines, the home seller can cancel the agreement.
Trouble finding a home - Many contracts have contingencies based on the home seller finding a new home. If they can’t, they may break the contract.
Attorney review clause - Some states require an attorney review clause, which allows each party’s attorney to review the contract after it’s signed. Both Home buyer and home seller are allowed to back out of the contract during that time period.
Unclear title transfer - If a title search shows that the home seller has outstanding liens, disputes or claims against the home, then they can’t legally sell it.
Buyer agrees - If a home seller asks a home buyer to break the contract and the home buyer agrees, then the contract can be broken.
What to Do if a Home Seller Backs Out
Learning that your home seller wants to break your contract can be stressful. However, there are some steps you can take to recoup time and money invested.
Consult a real estate attorney
The real estate industry comes with a lot of jargon and confusing laws. In order to fully understand your rights as a home buyer, consult a real estate attorney to advise you on the best way to move forward.
Discuss with the home seller
Approach the home seller and have an open conversation with them to discuss the reasons for breaking the contract. You might end up saving time and money if the seller agrees. You can even include the listing agent in the conversation to help attempt a resolution with the seller.
Sue for breach of contract
After consulting with your real estate attorney, you may decide the best way to move forward is with a lawsuit to either force the sale in court or seek financial compensation for funds lost. However, this can be expensive and time-consuming, so be prepared to decide how hard you want to pursue the sale.
The home buying process can be stressful enough on its own. Homeownership may feel almost unattainable when a seller breaks your contract. There are legal steps you can take to ensure a smooth transition, either with the current seller or a different one. Don’t give up!
Source 1: www.quickenloans.com
Source 2: www.chase.com
Source 3: www.bankrate.com
Source 4: www.theownteam.com
Handling Home Repairs
It’s never fun to handle large home repairs. Within any service profession, there are great and not-so-great options, contractors included. When searching out the best contractor for your project, consider the following resources:
Get recommendations. Don’t stop with recommendations from your family and friends. Talk to people within the construction trade. Have a great plumber? Ask him to recommend an electrician. Professional reputations are quickly made, and the best way to investigate those reputations is to check with others in the industry.
Licensure is a good sign. Some states require contractors to be bonded and licensed. Check with your state’s Division of Labor to find applicable requirements and make sure your contractor is up to par.
Estimates from at least three contractors. Costs can vary widely across professionals, so make sure you get at least three different quotes. By talking to several contractors, you’ll also figure out the professional qualities you prefer.
Questions to Ask a Contractor
Before hiring a contractor, make sure you’ve found the right person for the job. Use the following questions to gather information and flesh out any potential problems:
What is your estimate for this project?
How much could that estimate change before the project is finished?
When can you start on our project?
How long will it take you to get finished?
What hours will you be working in my home?
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Paint the City: Sarah Dresser
Stainless steel glints in the sunlight as it intertwines with the chaos and order of Columbia's daily life, while colors dance under an overpass. “Tidal Murmur”, a sculpture designed to put a ripple in daily life, and an untitled mural, envisioning what Columbia, Missouri should be, are just some of the artworks Sarah Dresser has been involved in.
Dresser, the manager for the Office of Cultural Affairs, aspires to help the city of Columbia touch the hearts of its residents with remarkable art just like it did her.
“Great art doesn’t have to be made in fancy places; you can create art in the place where you are, and it will be meaningful to people,” said Dresser.
It was that kind of thinking that followed Dresser throughout her move to Columbia at the age of ten. She was homeschooled until college, which led her to seek out public programs Columbia had to offer. She eventually stumbled across Access Arts, a nonprofit art school that offers a variety of classes in the arts. It was through this program that Dresser found an important key to her arts education: the late Naoma Powell.
“Everyone knew and loved Naoma back then,” said Dresser. “She taught me that anyone can be an artist regardless physical or mental abilities.”
Dresser found her way to William Jewell College, where she earned a BA in Music Performance. However, the struggle to get into graduate school for music led her to earn a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Missouri and Masters in Arts in Arts Administration from Indiana University. It was these three key components that led Sarah back home.
“I never expected to come back to my hometown,” said Dresser. “But I saw an advertisement for a program specialist for the Office of Cultural Affairs in Columbia, Missouri of all places, and I knew I’d be heading back.”
Dresser joined the small team of the Office of Cultural Affairs in 2012, starting as the program specialist and being promoted to manager in 2017. Dresser expanded the impressive art reach to an even wider scale. Dresser oversaw projects such as “Tidal Murmur” and a public art mobile app that takes residents on a guided tour of Columbia’s art. She also oversaw programs such as the Columbia Values Diversity Celebration, a Martin Luther King Jr. tribute breakfast held each year.
It is important programs such as those that many Columbia citizens hold close to their hearts - especially those that help organize them with Dresser.
“The Columbia Values Diversity breakfast is my favorite event,” said Elise Buchheit, the current program specialist of the Office of Cultural Affairs and Dresser’s coworker. “I love to see how it brings the community together.”
Dresser and her team have taken on two large projects: a new fieldhouse and a new police precinct. These new buildings will be the canvas to art pieces from artists across the state of Missouri thanks to the Percent for Arts program - a program that allows 1% of the building budget to be dedicated to art. As of now there is no word on what the art pieces will be, but Dresser says they are narrowing down the artists that have responded to their call for artists.
In her spare time, Dresser enjoys serving as Vice President of the Board of the Heritage Philharmonic, a nonprofit community orchestra in the Kansas City area founded in 1944. Together, they put on classical shows for the Jackson county community and offer classes.
Dresser also enjoys walking around downtown Columbia during First Fridays - an open invitation to view the galleries of Columbia the first Friday of each month.
“Every month there is something new on the street corner that brings Columbia to life,” said Dresser. “It is one of the great things about living here.”