10 SIMPLE FIXES BEFORE YOU SELL YOUR HOME

Sometimes clients ask me what my secret weapon is to help sell a home faster. The devil is in the cosmetic details. 

For your future reference, 10 little fixes that put your home ahead of the competition on the market.

The devil is really in the details when buyers look at a home. Lots of everyday wear and tear that you don’t even notice can ding your home in the eyes of potential buyers. Here’s my list of ten simple improvements you can do to help your home sell faster:

1. Spruce up your baseboards: Pets, kids, and stumbling husbands in the dark can make a mess of your baseboards. Repainting baseboards after repairing scratches with putty can make the border of any room look new.

2. Fill in nail holes: Part of interior repainting should be careful attention to those errant nail holes from pictures, shelves, and other wall-mounted baubles. Putty, smooth, sand and paint!

3. Sniff for smokers: Filter replacement is a must if someone’s been puffing in your home. Also wash down those walls, prime them to seal in any cooked-in nicotine, and repaint.  Be sure to check entryways and lawns for cigarette butts, too!

4. Review the roof: Do you have missing shingles? Broken tiles? Is mold and moss sprouting up there? Do some cleaning and spot replacing.

5. Reinforce your gutters: Clean them out, dry them out, then caulk them to prevent leaks. This will keep water off the siding, reducing staining and damage.

6. Replace bad vinyl floors: Not only are they tacky when they’re cracked or cut, but they can suggest water damage to buyers.

7. Repair dripping faucets: Buyers will turn faucets on and off. What will they find? If your sinks and baths dribble, fix them before buyers imagine their future headache.

8. Tune up screens: Did you have a dog that liked to lean against the front door? Look for the sagging, hanging, bent, and bubbling screens, especially around doors. New screens look clean. Old screens suggest neglect.

9. Patch cabinet scratches: Tibet Almond Stick, Old English Scratch Cover, or even some artful re-staining can make cabinets seem new. Remember to polish them up when you’re done!

10. Reseal wobbly toilets: If the bowl moves when you sit on it, the bolts are rusted, or the bathroom floor is damp and discolored around the commode, replace the toilet or at the very least reseal it.

When you are ready to put your home on the market, be sure to talk to a local REALTOR®  who can help you prepare your home for sale.

5 TIPS FOR FIRST-TIME INVESTORS

As the economy recovers, many people are looking to real estate to diversify their investment portfolio - and for good reason. Investing in real estate offers long-term financial security in ways that other investment strategies may not. The right plan, ample capital, and an eye for a diamond in the rough is sage advice if you’re a first-timer. Here are five more tips to help you find, buy, and rent houses for wealth. 

1. Nail Down Your Numbers. Investing in real estate is all about the return. To understand it you’ll want to know what you can buy the home for, what it will cost to rehab it, and what you will sell or rent it for. Once you’ve bought the property, it’s important to have enough reserves to pay the mortgage whenever there’s a vacancy. Many seasoned investors recommend saving six-months worth of rent. 

2. Determine Your Strategy. In addition to capital, you’ll need to determine how much time  you’re willing to invest. Do you want to become a landlord, or would you rather restore and resell properties? Are you interested in apartment buildings and other commercial real estate, or in buying land that can be developed? Knowing your strategy in addition to your numbers will narrow down your choices to the ones that fit your unique investment strategy. 

3. Select with Care. If you don’t plan on spending the initial capital to update the home, you’ll want to choose one that is low maintenance, performs well on the inspection, and appeals to a wide range of buyers. It’s important to remember that not everyone is as invested in the upkeep of a home and yet, they still want to rent in a great location! 

4. Rethink Location. If you’re buying an investment property with the hopes of renting it, you’ll want to think carefully about the location - and not just what neighborhoods are hot right now. Which areas will be popular in five, 10 or 15 years from now? Where will new developments start popping up? Where there’s commercial activity, residential will most certainly follow. A great deal in a great neighborhood, however, will always be a smart investment; especially if it’s a good school district that families will gravitate toward. 

5. Hire a Team. Like any property, investment homes will require a certain level of upkeep. As the owner you can choose to handle it yourself, or (and it’s recommended) you can hire a team to call when issues arise. Line up maintenance individuals who can take care of popular external and internal issues. You might also acquire an attorney to consult with on tenant issues, a property management firm to handle the day-to-day rental affairs, and an accountant to help you understand the tax ramifications of investing.

Bonus! The most important thing to remember if you’re considering real estate as an investment strategy is to align yourself with an experienced professional who can quickly find properties that match your wealth-building goals.

HOW TO DECLUTTER YOUR HOME

Before you sell, you must make sure your house is appealing to buyers. This means decluttering! Follow these handy tips to make the chore less of a burden.

Preparing your home to sell means presenting a home which is attractive to buyers. If you’re going to be living in the home while it’s on the market, and you’re choosing not to stage it, you absolutely must go through a decluttering process. It can feel overwhelming at first, but I assure you the process can be broken down into manageable steps which will help your home sell potentially faster and for a better price.

1. Take photos of what you’re up against. You might think things look pretty good until you see your home with the unflinching eye of the camera. Photograph every room from multiple angles and you’ll begin to see what buyers will see. Don’t forget to snap the closets, laundry rooms, and garage.

2. Plan a room-by-room attack. This doesn’t have to be done in a day, a weekend, or even a week. Depending on your timeline, tackle as much or as little as you can reasonably manage before burning out. If you try to do too much at one time, you’re likely to start making unfortunate compromises about what stays and what goes.

3. Use a checklist. When you assess a room, list what needs to be done and then the order in which it makes the most sense to do it. Visualizing the process will prevent you from wasting time. For example: You may find that certain pieces of furniture can go, and if you haven’t planned for help moving them out, you can get stalled.

4. Be ruthless. You have clothes you haven’t worn in years, piles in the garage you’ve moved around, and shelves of unread or dispensable books. Start thinking of those “perfectly good” somethings you’ve been hanging onto as anchors dragging down your home’s appeal.

5. Stay motivated. Tell yourself: Less is more. Remind yourself: Every box that goes to Goodwill is a box you won’t have to lift, relocate, and unpack on moving day. This is an opportunity to refresh your life!

6. Pile it up. Sort things into “give away,” “throw away,” and “sell.” Some things can go to friends, others can go to charity. Keep in mind the real market value of items if you plan on selling them online (they’re probably worth less than you think). Some you can unload curbside, other items may be destined for freecycle.org, Craigslist.org, or a local junk pick-up service.

If you need someone who can see your home with a buyer’s eyes, don’t hesitate to invite a real estate agent over. They will be happy to provide you with a fresh perspective on your decluttering mission. Get in touch with an  agent today.

OVERLOOKED OPEN HOUSE ITEMS

An open house is an important part of showing and selling your home, but it’s vital to understand that you will be essentially inviting strangers into your house. Here are some things you’ll want to secure beforehand.

For many, the open house is a make-or-break event for marketing a home. The mix of people stopping by can lead to an offer or a quality referral. With the directionals pointing your way, the balloons bumping off the sign posts, and the house looking its best, a successful open house creates a network of awareness around your listing.

A lot of cleaning and preparation goes into an open house, and it can be easy to forget some crucial elements which might impact the safety of the event or even make the difference between an offer or no interest. Before the doors open, be absolutely sure you’ve secured the following items in a safe, alternate location:

1. Drugs. No, we’re not (necessarily) talking about the sort of stuff you’d see on Law & Order. We’re talking about prescription drugs. Remember that strangers are going to visit your home, and while we like to think they’re all interested buyers, there’s always the possibility that someone will comb through your medicine cabinet. Pain pills and ADD/ADHD drugs are common targets.

2. Guns. Have a weapon in your home? Is it locked in a safe, or stashed under the bed? The last thing you want to grow a pair of feet and walk out the door is a home defense weapon. Don’t assume your weapon is well-hidden. It they’re not absolutely inaccessible and secure, they need to be stored off the premises.

3. Heirlooms & valuables. Don’t tempt the weak. Gather up the family jewels and store them securely elsewhere. Don’t assume that putting them in a jewelry box will keep prying eyes away. Same goes for highly portable antiques.The expectation of privacy can get a little murky when people are opening up closet doors and the like.

4. Animals. Okay, so you don’t keep a wild cougar in your living room, but what about the family dog? A friendly cat? There’s no such thing as an open-house-friendly pet, especially where allergies and personal preferences are concerned. (And don’t even get me started about snakes.)

5. Political material. You can be as Tea Party or as Socialist as you want to be, but does that mean your buyer has to be, too? Don’t eliminate half of your buyers off the bat with polarizing political messaging. (Double-check the fridge for those funny bits like-minded folks appreciate... they could send your offer right out the front door.)

When it comes to open houses, make sure they go off without a hitch for you. If you’re listing soon, get in touch with your local REALTOR® about selling your home fast!

HOW TO GET OUT OF YOUR RENTAL LEASE

Thinking of buying a home, but you’re not sure about the best way to break your current rental lease? Here are some tips to make the break-up amicable.

If you’ve been thinking of buying a home, but the prospect of breaking your apartment lease has you holding back, you might be glad to know there are options available to you as a renter. A lease isn’t always an iron-clad agreement with all the rights on the side of your landlord. Of course, buying a home isn’t the only reason to break a lease. There are many reasons to break a lease: Your job may have changed, you might find the rent too steep, or you may have lost a loved one who used to share the space with you. Here are a few things you can do to help extract yourself from the situation:

1. Find the opt-out clause. You may not have read your lease very carefully when you were excited to move in, and now is the time to go back and pick it apart with a fine-toothed comb. Many leases will have clauses which allow you to legally break your obligation to stay for the full-term of the agreement. This might involve a fee of some kind, but can often be worth the expense if the conditions are right.

2. Negotiate with your landlord. If you’re on good terms with your landlord, come out and explain your situation honestly. The landlord (or property management company) can elect to let you out of the lease, even without an opt-out clause. See if you can do anything to “sweeten the pot” for the landlord, such as finding a replacement renter, or propose a sum to buy your way out. (Get anything you agree to with your landlord in writing.)

3. See about subletting. Look at your lease agreement and see what your rights are regarding subletting the apartment to someone else. While some forbid the practice, others may create allowances for subleasing your apartment to someone for the balance of the agreement. If the agreement is unclear about subleasing, talk with your landlord about your plan and get an agreement in writing. (Recognize you’re risking your security deposit if the subletter doesn’t take care of the place.)

4. Go to mediation. If you can’t come to common terms, consider enrolling the help of a mediator. Local housing advocates and “renter’s rights” groups may be able to connect you with people who can help.

This all assumes, of course, that you’re not leaving because your landlord is a deadbeat. If you’re battling a landlord who refuses to fix up the place or otherwise has been combative, you may have a legal case to make to break your lease. The key is documentation. Document everything with photo or video evidence, and keep meticulous records of your complaints.

Shouldn’t your monthly payment be paying you instead of a landlord? Talk to your local REALTOR® today about taking the first steps towards home ownership.

CLEANING UP CREDIT INACCURACIES

Find something on your credit history that’s inaccurate? You may need to write a dispute letter to get the item resolved. Here’s what needs to go in your letter.

Discovering an error on your credit history can be a rude surprise when you’re attempting to get pre-approved for a mortgage. Though most people don’t think about the details of their credit report until the need to secure a loan, it’s a good idea to check your report for inaccuracies periodically.

If you do find an error, the best way to attempt a correction is through a dispute letter. Dispute letters allow you to formally request a fix by the reporting agency. Though it may take a little time to get the errors removed, cleaning up these mistakes can have a direct (and favorable!) effect on your credit score, helping you secure lower interest rates and better terms.

Here’s what you’ll need to include for each mistake you find:

1. Which account shows the mistake.

2. Specifically what’s incorrect about the account where it appears in the report.

3. What changes should be made and why those changes should be made.

4. Any supporting evidence or documentation which will bolster your claim.

For example: “On my report, the Chase Visa ending in XXXX shows my account is still active. I closed this account in 2012 and should be shown as closed, not active. Included is a letter from Chase bank, confirming the date of my the account’s closure.”

It’s a good idea to keep copies of everything you send. Also, be sure to send the correction to all three major reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) as well as the original creditor (i.e. the credit card company, utility, etc.). You can find the current dispute mailing addresses on these company’s websites. Federal law mandates that agencies must help you within 30 days. Keep records of your disputes and when/how you communicated with the agencies.

Getting your credit in shape is an important step to take when you’re preparing to buy a home. I help buyers prepare every day! 

Get in touch: valeriemcconville@realtyexecutives.com

TOP FORGOTTEN ITEMS DURING THE BIG MOVE

Moving day can be a hectic time, and often families misplace important items during the transition. I put together this blog post on six things you won’t want to forget on moving day.

The chaos of moving day is a prime time to forget or misplace essential items.  When you’re preparing for the big move to your new home, the following items are some of the most overlooked (and the most sorely missed in a time of need!).

To prevent the hassle and heartbreak of forgotten possessions and lost information, make a check list containing the following items:

1. Jewelry, watches, and small valuables:  These small, expensive and often irreplaceable items are best kept in a safe deposit box or kept with trustworthy friends or relatives on moving day.

2. Garage door opener:  The old one won’t be of much use at your new house, will it? Be sure to leave it behind for the new owners.  Also, make sure the old owners of your new house give you theirs!

3. Spare keys:  Sets to your old house should remain with the new owners, but don’t forget sets to the new house!  There’s nothing more frustrating than arriving at your new place without a way to get in.

4. Old address books:  Yes, we all have fancy new smartphones, but it seems like families all have a well-worn phone book stashed in a spice drawer somewhere.  These are practically family heirlooms of information, so don’t leave them behind.

5. Unfinished errands:  Do you have any clothes at the dry cleaner?  Books due to the library?  What about other video game or DVD rentals?  It can be a real hassle to settle up on these items from 100 miles away, right?

6. Medical records:  While a lot of medical information is digital these days, you should make sure you don’t misplace your copies, including dental information and prescriptions.  It’s easy to lose them at the bottom of a hastily thrown-away box.

 

I make sure my clients’ experience selling their old home and moving into their new dream home is a smooth transition. If you’re interested in a hassle-free home selling experience, please get in touch today: valeriemcconville@realtyexecutives.com