As a home seller, it is important to do everything possible to make your residence an attractive choice for buyers. Because if your home stands out from the pack, you may be better equipped than other sellers to enjoy a fast, seamless and profitable house selling experience.
Ultimately, there are many ways to make your home an attractive option for buyers, and these include:
1. Perform Home Improvements
If your home has a leaky roof, defective heating and cooling system or other problems, there may be no time like the present to perform house upgrades. That way, you can transform assorted home weaknesses into strengths.
For home sellers who are uncertain about how to upgrade their residences, it may be beneficial to conduct a home inspection. This evaluation enables a home inspector to review your residence both inside and out. Then, a home inspector will provide a report that details his or her findings, and you can use the report results to prioritize home improvement projects.
2. Remove Clutter
If your home is full of antiques, furniture and various personal belongings, it may be tough for homebuyers to envision what life may be like if they purchase your residence. Conversely, if you eliminate clutter from your home, you can show off your living space's full potential to buyers.
Oftentimes, it helps to rent a storage unit before you list your residence. This unit will allow you to store a wide range of personal belongings in a safe place until your house sells.
It also may be a good idea to host a yard sale or sell excess items online. By doing so, you can simultaneously remove clutter and earn extra cash.
3. Boost Your Residence's Curb Appeal
Your house's curb appeal is a difference-maker in homebuyers' eyes. If your home boasts a pristine front lawn, flawless siding and other dazzling exterior features, your residence may stand out to buyers as soon as they see it. Comparatively, if your house has a messy front lawn, damaged siding and other noticeable flaws, your residence is unlikely to make a positive first impression on buyers.
Allocate time and resources to bolster your house's curb appeal – you'll be happy you did. If your home makes a positive first impression on homebuyers, you may receive lots of interest in your residence. And as a result, you may be able to accelerate the house selling cycle.
Lastly, as you search for ways to distinguish your residence from other available houses, you may want to hire a real estate agent. This housing market professional can offer expert recommendations and suggestions to help you enhance your residence. Plus, if you have any concerns or questions throughout the home selling journey, a real estate agent will always be available to address them.
Ensure your residence is an attractive option for buyers – use the aforementioned tips, and you can differentiate your house from the competition.
Want to sell your residence? As a home seller, you'll want to take a cautious approach to the real estate market. That way, you can improve your chances of getting the best price for your residence, regardless of the current housing market's conditions.
Ultimately, there are many reasons why home sellers should err on the side of caution as they prepare to add their houses to the real estate market, including:
1. The housing market constantly fluctuates.
For home sellers, it is important to differentiate between a seller's market and a buyer's market. By doing so, a home seller can assess the current housing market and proceed accordingly.
In a seller's market, there is usually a shortage of high-end houses and an abundance of interested homebuyers. This means home sellers who operate in a seller's market may be more likely to stir up plenty of interest in their houses as soon as these properties become available.
Conversely, a buyer's market typically favors homebuyers, as it features a limited number of homebuyers and a wide range of home sellers. If you're selling your home in a seller's market, you'll likely need to price it competitively to help your residence stand out from the competition.
Allocating the necessary time and resources to analyze the housing market is key. With housing market data in hand, a home seller can determine whether he or she is getting ready to list a house in a buyer's or seller's market.
2. What your home was worth yesterday is unlikely to match what it is worth today.
The price that a home seller initially paid for a residence is unlikely to match what the house is worth today. Thus, a home seller should perform a home appraisal to learn about the present value of his or her residence.
During a home appraisal, a property inspector will assess a house both inside and out. Then, the property inspector will identify any problem areas with a house that could negatively affect the residence's value.
A home appraisal is exceedingly valuable to home sellers. It enables them to understand a house's strengths and weaknesses as well as uncover ways to transform a home's weaknesses into strengths. As a result, a home seller can use a home appraisal as a learning opportunity and find innovative ways to enhance a residence before adding it to the real estate market.
3. Homebuyers are always on the lookout for bargains.
Although a home seller will do everything possible to learn about the housing market, there is always the danger that a homebuyer will submit a "lowball" offer on a house. Conversely, a home seller who errs on the side of caution will be able to differentiate between a legitimate offer and a lowball one time and time again.
Lastly, if you need extra help as you get ready to sell your house, don't hesitate to work with a local real estate agent.
Real estate agents are available in cities and towns nationwide. They can help you get your house ready for the real estate market and ensure you can reap the benefits of a quick, seamless home selling experience.
Become a cautious home seller, and you can move one step closer to maximizing the value of your house.
When many homeowners set out to declutter their home, they aren’t quite sure of what they’re getting into. Decluttering is a big job that requires some planning and an understanding of your end goals.
Some homeowners are setting out to declutter their home because they’re moving in the near future and want to simplify their move or make their home more appealing to potential buyers. Others have just noticed the junk piling up in their drawers and on their countertops and are fed up.
Regardless of your situation, if you want to declutter you’ve come to the right place.
In today’s post, we’re going to talk about one of the best ways to set out on your mission of decluttering your home.
Why room by room?
Decluttering a home can take a lot of time and can be demotivating if you aren’t seeing a lot of progress. One way to break this process down into more manageable pieces is to declutter your home one room at a time.
This method also helps you manage the time you plan on spending decluttering. If your goal is to declutter one room per week until you move, then make sure you have 4 or 5 weeks to complete your cleaning and decluttering.
Bathroom
We’ll start with one of the smaller and easier rooms in your home, the bathroom. A good way to start is by going through your closet and cabinet and getting rid of old supplies and medicines.
Have a first aid kit that you haven’t touched in five years? There’s a good chance most things in it are expired anyway.
Once you’re done throwing out expired items, see if you can reorganize what’s left. A good way to take advantage of the space in a small bathroom is to use door hangers on the inside of your bathroom closet for hanging brooms, dustpans, mops, etc.
Does your bathroom also have messy stacks of assorted towels? One good solution is to roll up your hand towels and store them vertically in a basket that will be kept in your closet. This prevents your stacks of towels from tumbling over, never to be straightened again.
Kitchen
It’s amazing how kitchen utensils and appliances can add up over the years. Do you have a garlic clove grinder that’s been sitting in your drawer for years? Chances are you can toss it out.
Once you’ve made some space in your kitchen drawers and cabinets, bring some order to what’s left by using compartments and stackable organizers. This will help keep you on track by giving each item in your kitchen a “home.”
Bedrooms
You probably already guessed it, but the most disorganized area in most bedrooms is the closet. A good rule of thumb when cleaning out clothes is to ask yourself if you’ve worn the item since this time last year. If not, there’s a good chance you can safely donate it to a thrift store.
Have a tendency of throwing dirty clothes in piles on the floor? Make things easier on yourself by keeping a clothing bin nearby that you can toss all of your dirty clothes into and worry about sorting them later.
Buying a home is the mark of an important milestone in your life. While you’re very excited, you need to be prepared for all of the costs that are associated with buying a home. There are a few different costs that go into buying a home that are often overlooked. Before you dive into the home buying process, you’ll want to be prepared.
The Closing Costs
Many homebuyers have gone smoothly through the process of buying a home until they get to the closing table. They suddenly realize that they need a bit more cash than they anticipated. You probably were more than prepared with your down payment, but there’s other costs that are associated with buying a home. Some costs that you should be prepared for include:
- The home appraisal
- Attorney’s fees
- lender’s fees
- Underwriting fee
- Processing fees
- Inspection fees
You’ll receive a disclosure up front to help you understand all of the charges and cash that you must present when your signing the final documents for the purchase of the house. Keep in mind that many of these fees can be negotiable.
Decorating Your New Home
Once you move into a new home, you’re going to want to decorate the space. You may need a some new furniture. Perhaps you own no furniture and need to furnish the entire house. You’ll want to budget for this. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to fill up your home with items that won’t break the bank yet look good in the home. Places that you can shop include online sources like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. You can even check out local second hand stores for some great deals on furniture and decor that is in good condition. The important thing is that you understand how much you’ll need to buy as you move into the home.
Escrow Accounts
The escrow account typically holds the insurance and taxes for the home. Funds are withdrawn as premiums and payments are due. Not every lender has these set up, but you should be prepared to have the money up front for the home insurance and even the taxes at the closing table.
Improvements Around The Home
There will be plenty of things that you’ll want to do around your new home to spruce up the place and make it your own. From planting bushes in the front to flower gardens outside to fresh coats of paint, you’ll quickly discover how expensive it is to be a homeowner.
If you’re preparing to buy a home, now you understand why saving is so important! Investigate all the costs that you’ll need to pay up front while you’re in the midst of buying a home to avoid any surprises.
Buying a home is a big financial endeavor that takes planning and saving. Aside from a down payment, hopeful homeowners will also need to save for closing costs and moving expenses.
When it comes to the down payment amount you’ll need to save, many of us have often heard 20%, the magic number. However, there are a number of different types of mortgages that have different down payment requirements.
To complicate matters, mortgages vary somewhat between lenders and can change over time, with the ebb and flow of the housing market.
So, the best way to approach the process of saving for a down payment is to think about your needs in a home, and reach out to lenders to start comparing rates.
However, there are a few constants when it comes to down payments that are worth considering when shopping for a mortgage.
In today’s post, we’re going to talk about some characteristics of down payments, discuss where the 20% number comes from, and give you some tips on finding the best mortgage for you.
Do I need 20% saved for a down payment?
With the median home prices in America sitting around $200,000 and many areas averaging much higher, it may seem like 20% is an unattainable savings goal.
The good news is that many Americans hoping to buy their first home have several options that don’t involve savings $40,000 or more.
So, where does that number come from?
Most mortgage lenders will want to be sure that lending to would be a smart investment. In other words, they want to know that they’ll earn back the amount they lend you plus interest. They determine how risky it is to lend to you by considering a number of factors.
First and foremost is your credit score. Lenders want to see that you’re paying your bills on time and aren’t overwhelmed by debt. Second, they will ask you for verification of your income to determine how much you can realistically hope to pay each month. And, finally, they’ll consider the amount you’re putting down.
If you have less than 20% of the mortgage amount saved for your down payment, you’ll have to pay for private mortgage insurance (PMI). This is an extra fee must be paid in addition to your interest each month.
First-time buyers rarely put 20% or more down
Thanks to FHA loans guaranteed by the federal government, as well as other loan assistance programs like USDA loans and mortgages insured by the Department of Veterans Affairs, buying a home is usually within reach even if you don’t have several thousands saved.
On average, first-time buyers put closer to 6% down on their mortgage. However, they will have to pay PMI until they’ve paid off 20% of their home.
So, if you’re hoping to buy a home in the near future, saving should be a priority. But, don’t worry too much if you don’t think you can save the full 20% in advance.
