SELLING TIPS

Selling a house isn’t easy. In fact, it’s something that many families dread. Chances are that you’ve heard horror stories about houses that sat for years on the market without selling, gradually decreasing in price. If you’ve been thinking about selling your home and you want to ditch your house as quickly as possible, there are a few ways that you can help your house sell fast. There are some factors you can’t control, like location or noisy neighbors. Fortunately, there are seven important things you can do to give your house the best shot at selling.

1. Fix what’s broken

Buyers are always looking for the perfect move-inready home, so fixing your home is key. If your house needs a lot of help, focus on the major problems in your home. Need a new roof? Buy one. A new owner will not want to put a new roof on the house unless you’re offering the home at a serious discount. Remember that most families want something they can move into right away without spending months working on. If there are problems with the home that you can easily fix, whether it be chipping paint or a broken fence post, try to fix them before you list your house. 

2. Update your appliances

It’s important to remember that homebuyers have specific items they look for in a home. For many buyers great appliances are number one on their wish list for a home. That’s where you come in. While you probably can’t afford to update every one of your home’s appliances, take a hard look at what your current setup looks like. Is the stove outdated? Is the fridge about to die? Dropping a few hundred dollars on a new fridge,dishwasher or oven might not be the way you want to spend your money, but it could help you sell your house. If someone sees an old stove sitting in the middle of the kitchen that looks like it’s about to break, they may wonder what else is going to break if they buy the house. 

3. Take breathtaking pictures

You probably know that you need to take pictures of your house. Pictures are one of the most important ways that you can draw in potential buyers. If someone is looking for a new home, they’ll typically take a look at real estate websites before setting up showings or attending open houses. Because so many shoppers look online before they decide to explore a house in person, it’s important that your pictures look great. Consider hiring a professional photographer to really showcase your home. Make sure that you take pictures of both the home’s interior and exterior. If you have a large yard, try to showcase that. If you just planted roses, take a few pictures. If your master bathroom is enormous, take a picture. Highlight the best areas of your home and skip the ones that are less attractive to buyers. 

4. Ditch your clutter

Clearing out junk is easier said than done, but if you want to sell your house quickly, you need to ditch your clutter. Get rid of extra papers, magazines or memorabilia that is sitting around your house. Clean out beneath your beds. Get rid of that pile of clothes next to your dresser. When people walk through your house, they want to imagine what it will be like to live in the home. Even if you can’t get rid of all of your home’s clutter, try to at least minimize the amount of things you have on shelves and on counters to present a clean, neat appearance to buyers. 

5. Advertise, advertise, advertise

Your agent will be the first to tell you: you need to focus on advertising. Remember that buyers probably won’t drive by your house and see the “For Sale” sign in your yard. Rather, they’ll find your house online, in a newspaper or on a brochure. List your house on as many real estate websites as possible, share it on Facebook and try to promote it as much as possible for the best results. 

6. Price fairly

You’ve spent years developing memories in your house, so it’s normal to want to attach a price tag to those. Unfortunately, the reality is that you can’t afford to ask too much for your house. Remember that buyers are looking for a good deal. They want to know that they’re getting their money’s worth when they buy a house. Take a look at what other houses are selling for in your area and price your home accordingly. If you aren’t sure how much to ask for your house, don’t be afraid to contact a real estate agent to ask for help.

7. Don’t be choosy

One mistake that many sellers make is to turn down offers because they don’t like the family. Even if you don’t like the person that offers to buy your house, realize that you don’t have any control over what happens to your home once you sell it. If the buyer wants to tear down walls, paint everything green or add a bunch of garden gnomes to the yard, that’s their decision. For a quick sell, don’t be choosy about your offers. Sell your home to the first person who makes an offer that is reasonable and that you’re comfortable with.

BUYING TIPS 

Buying a home is often a very exciting time, as it represents a significant life achievement and financial success. However, new homebuyers can overlook some important considerations in all of the excitement, leading them to make potentially costly mistakes. The best way to avoid these mistakes is to be aware of them right from the beginning. If you are looking to buy a home, here are some common homebuyer mistakes to avoid:

1) GETTING A HOME AT THE TOP OF YOUR BUDGET

When buying a home — especially your first home — it may be tempting to go all out and get your dream house. You will start rationalizing more expensive properties to yourself because you fall in love with them, even if they are over your budget. Breaking your budget is a bad idea, and the best way to keep yourself from doing so is to get preapproved for a mortgage first. Even then you should strive to come in at least 15-20 percent under your preapproved amount. Just because you can afford something right now doesn’t mean that your financial situation might not change in the future. It is always better to play it safe.

2) FORGETTING ABOUT ADDITIONAL HOMEOWNERSHIP COSTS

One of the main reasons why you should always stay within your budget is that homeownership comes with many hidden costs which can really add up. You need to be aware of the property taxes, utility costs, insurance and maintenance costs that are going to come with your new home. If you don’t take these costs into account when coming up with your budget, you will have a difficult time making all of your monthly payments on the house.

3) FORGOING A PROFESSIONAL INSPECTION

The importance of getting a professional inspection before finalizing a sale on a home cannot be overstated, as it can save you from unexpected costs in the future. A house may look like it is in great shape and worth every penny, but a professional inspector can tell you if you will be looking at needing to make major and costly repairs after your purchase. This information can help you back out of a bad deal in time, or, if you’re willing to make the repairs, negotiate the price of the home.

4) NOT CONSIDERING THE RESALE VALUE OF YOUR HOME

When in the processes of buying a new home, one of the last things you are probably going to consider is the home’s potential resale value. If you love the home and you plan to stay there forever, then why give any thought to selling it one day? Any number of life changes could mean needing to move again in the future. The time may come when you will want or need to sell the house, so ensuring that it has good resale value before you buy may help you out immensely in the future.

5) RELYING ON VERBAL AGREEMENTS

When buying a new home, you should never rely solely on verbal agreements. It is in your best interest to get everything in writing before agreeing to the sale. Failing to get a seller to agree to your offer in writing can also open the door for another buyer to come in with a lower offer at the last minute and steal the property out from under you! Getting everything in writing is a must. Review the contract carefully with your real estate agent. Homebuyers are sometimes shocked to walk into their new home only to find that there are no kitchen appliances or light fixtures, for example.