WHY WORK WITH A REAL ESTATE AGENT?

Buying a home is quite a bit more complex than buying a new refrigerator or even a smartphone. 

Working with a real estate agent has numerous benefits which you may not even realize. 

Here’s why it’s a smart choice.

There’s a lot of stuff out there you can buy and sell all by yourself. Unloading your old car? No problem. Ordering a sandwich? Hardly requires a buyer’s agent.

But when it comes to buying and selling a home, there are many time-tested reasons for working with a real estate agent.

Despite the tangible nature of real estate, a home is really an investment. And when it comes to an investment as large as real estate, working with an agent provides a host of big benefits. Before you decide to go it alone, consider what you’ll be giving up if you do:

1. Real estate agents know what’s really going on in the market. Anecdotal reports about what’s hot and what’s not isn’t the way to price a home or research neighborhoods. Agents provide visibility into the real numbers based on data.

2. Real estate agents understand the process. How many real estate deals have you navigated? Your typical agent has had experience with dozens if not hundreds of transactions. They know the steps and they know what to do when things go wrong. 

3. Real estate agents can save you time researching homes. Sure, you can look online, but you can also give your agent criteria and sit back while they create a hit-list of must-visit homes they think are worth your attention. Why wouldn’t you leverage their assistance?

4. Real estate agents negotiate on your behalf. Shield yourself from the frontline stress of negotiations while your agent looks out for your interests. It minimizes hard feelings and insulates you from the headache of negotiating directly.

5. Real estate agents help you see the deal clearly. Buying a selling a home is an emotional experience, and emotions can cloud your decision making process. There’s a lot of money on the line. Can you really afford to act irrationally? Your agent can keep things level.

Invest wisely! Invest with a real estate agent. Ready to go? Call your local agent today!

DON'T MOVE STUFF YOU DON'T WANT: SELL IT!

Make your next move ten times easier by lightening your load before you pack the truck. 

Check out these fast and easy ways to sell, donate, or trade-in items you won’t be needing in your next home.

Want to know the secret to an easy move? Move less stuff.

It’s obvious, but it’s true. You can save time, money, and the anxiety of finding the right place for extra stuff if you simply take the time before your big day to declutter. While you may have stuff that’s destined for the dump, the odds are you have a lot more stuff which could find a better home with someone else. So how do you quickly and easily declutter your home before the move?

1. Start with a garage sale. You never know who will want the odds and ends that don’t seem worth moving, or who might pay top dollar for that snow ski equipment you won’t need in Florida. The garage sale is a reliable way to offload your junk. (And if you don’t have a garage sale before you move, consider having a “moving in” garage sale when you arrive. That won’t help with the ski equipment, though.)

2. Sell your stuff online. Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, and Nextdoor are all perfectly good venues for finding buyers. While some are more hassle than others, there’s no faster way to make sure a large number of people see what you have to sell. Just keep in mind that safety is a priority when meeting strangers to sell your stuff. Beware of scammers and never invite strangers into your home if you can help it.

3. App it up! There are multiple competing apps for selling stuff privately, including OfferUp (offerup.com), Gone (thegoneapp.com), and LetGo (letgo.com). Best of all, these work directly from your smartphone, making it easy to snap pics and post ads in a hurry.

4. Trade in, don’t truck it. Many retail chain outlets will provide you with a way to trade-in items for credit, especially if the items are consumer electronics, games, or mobile devices. Even if the trade-in amount is low, it beats sending the stuff to the landfill.

5. Donate it! Just because you don’t want to use it anymore doesn’t mean that someone out there can’t benefit from it. Get a tax deduction and do a good deed by dropping off unwanted possessions with Goodwill Industries or the Salvation Army. It’s good for the community, the planet, and your sense of well-being.

Don’t let extra clutter drag down your move. Set aside time before the big day to send your stuff into the world (and maybe even put a few bucks back in your pocket)! It might just buy pizza on your first night in your new place.

HOW TO BUY A HOME WITH BAD CREDIT

A poor credit history isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker when it comes to buying a home. Here are some tips to help handle the bad credit situation when buying a home.

Do you believe your negative credit history disqualifies you from buying a home? That might not be the case. And even if you’re not in the position to buy today, there are some simple, effective actions you can take to boost your future prospects.

If you’re like most people, buying a home means securing a mortgage. To secure that mortgage, you need to convince banks you’re a good bet. Here’s how to start on the path to making your dream home a real home:

1. Work towards a 10% down payment: Down payment assistance is very difficult to get without a credit score north of 640. So if you’re below the line, you’re going to help your odds of pre-approval by proving you have 10% down to put on your home. That 10% is especially helpful if your credit score is sub-550. Above 550 you might be able to land an FHA loan with only 3.5% in equity. 

2. Make moves to rebuild your credit: You don’t have to be perfect to improve your access to better mortgage terms. Here’s how to put points back on top: 1) Pay down your highest credit card balances first. 2) Get your credit report and look for errors you can correct or dispute. 3) Identify any outstanding debts or collections which you can manage to get cleared either through full payment or negotiated settlement. If you can push your rating above 620 you’ll not only get closer to better terms, but generally you’ll experience less scrutiny during the approval process.

3. Get a realistic picture of your debt-to-income ratio. Focus on doing what you can to bring your debt-to-income ratio below 45%. Mortgages do exist for people with higher ratios, but generally credit scores are well above 600 for this to become a reality. 

4. Understand your “seasoning period.” If you’ve experienced a bankruptcy, foreclosure, or short sale scenario, it may not be possible for you to secure a mortgage for at least three years (and sometimes two, depending on the situation). Use this time to work on the three tips above!

If you’d like to begin hunting for your next home, a good REALTOR® would be happy to help guide you. Or, if you need a referral to a reputable mortgage professional, a REALTOR® may be able to help you with that too! Most agents have a network of trusted folks they work with every year. Call your local REALTOR® today!

LEARN ABOUT XERISCAPING

Tired of maintaining a traditional lawn? Want something which conserves water and uses native plants? Consider Xeriscaping. Learn more about it here!

Ever find yourself overwhelmed by maintaining your lawn? Have you worried about the amount of water it takes to keep things green and growing? What if there was a way to transform your lawn to both make it both ecologically-friendly and strikingly different from every house on the block?

Xeriscaping (or xerogardening) is the practice of landscaping and gardening in ways that reduce or eliminate the need for excess water. Taken from the Greek word, “xeros” (meaning dry), xeriscaping was initially designed to provide landscaping options for areas which are particularly sensitive to drought.

Given that water is the most precious resource on the planet, perhaps you might you might consider this conservationist’s approach to landscaping your home. In addition to reducing the costs of watering and chemical maintenance, well executed xeriscaping can actually improve the curb appeal and value of your home.

Below are a couple of links on the topic of xeriscaping, including the “7 Principles of Xeriscaping”:

“Xeriscapes do not have a single look - almost any landscaping style can be achieved. The principles can be applied to all or part of a yard, in any geographic region of North America.”

Source: http://eartheasy.com/grow_xeriscape.htm

Also, check out these Google Image examples of Xeriscaping:

http://tinyurl.com/23keqet

Xeriscaping can be the perfect way to compliment your new “green home.” If you’re looking for a house with a gentle ecological footprint, get in touch with your local garden professional.

SOME FACTS ABOUT SELLING YOUR HOUSE "AS IS"

Do you know what it really means to sell a house “as is”? Get up to speed on the facts behind this sales process and dispel any myths.

Sometimes people inherit a home they simply need to unload and other times they don’t want to make the effort to make repairs or tune up the home’s curb appeal. 

For these home owners looking for a quick sale, they often think selling a home “as is” is the way to go. 

If you’re like most folks, you might think the “as is” sale means “take it or leave it” and “what you see is what you get.”

But an “as is” sale isn’t necessarily a cakewalk. It doesn’t mean you’re completely exonerated from taking some responsibility for the home’s condition. While advertising a home “as is” lets buyers know they’re likely to have to do some work, it also broadcasts that the home is probably going to be a relatively good deal, provided they’re willing to take on repairs.

“As is” doesn’t relieve you from disclosing problems with the home. What you know about, you must disclose by law. Failure to do so could get you into hot water. If you know about a problem but hope it slips by the buyer’s inspector, you’re at risk.

And that’s another thing: “As is” homes still go through the inspection process. While your “as is” sale may indicate your unwillingness to make repairs, it doesn’t mean the buyer won’t ask you for compensation based on condition issues. You may not come out of pocket, but it could come right off the top of your listing price, so keep this in mind. What’s more, once these conditions come to light you generally must disclose them to future prospective buyers if the current one bails.

With any luck, your “as is” buyer will be a cash buyer, but if not, prepare for the appraisal. Banks don’t want to loan money unless they deem the value of the home is acceptable. If the appraisal comes in low, your buyer may find themselves without the funds necessary to meet your price. 

While selling “as is” may seem like a viable alternative to bringing a house up to its full market potential, recognize there are some trade-offs. Go in informed and you’ll find the process much easier to navigate.

Whether you’re looking to sell “as is” or not, talk to your local REALTOR®. He or she would be happy to help you get the best price possible for your home.

GARAGE SALE PLANNING

If you are planning on selling your home and you want a smooth move to your new place, I thought I’d share some tips for planning and running a successful garage sale. There are some small things you can do to make the experience less stressful while putting a few dollars back in your budget. 

Here are some things I’ve learned helping clients declutter throughout my years in real estate:

1. Think about pricing ahead of time. Don’t force yourself to make decisions on the fly about how much you want to charge. It’s far easier to decide on pricing in advance, especially when it comes to deals like “10 books for $10” or “shirts are $5 each or 5 for $20.” Advance pricing will also help others help you sell, since you may not be on hand to answer every shopper’s question personally. Also: Be flexible with hagglers. Remember the goal is decluttering, not running a retail empire.

2. Get change before the sale. Stop by a bank or grocery store and get plenty of fives and singles to make change. Also factor making change into your pricing strategy so people can pay with even bills like tens or twenties.

3. Check local regulations. Some cities or homeowner’s associations have rules about how garage sales can be operated and advertised. Don’t get shut down or fined. Check with the city or the HOA for details.

4. Advertise in advance. Don’t rely on foot traffic alone. Post on Craigslist, Facebook, NextDoor, and any other online forum where you feel safe advertising the sale. Post flyers a few days before the event and use directional signs at intersections to point the way. (As always, do this in accordance with local regulations.)

5. Keep spare bags and boxes handy. Collect some paper grocery bags or cardboard boxes people can use to haul away their purchases. This is a clever way to keep a casual shopper from deciding not to buy because they can’t carry their goods.

MANAGING RESENTMENT

Selling a buying a home comes with a lot of emotional ups and downs. One that makes a frequent but unwelcome appearance is resentment. 

Sometimes called the “silent killer,” resentment is largely the result of unaired grievances or poor communication. What may be in actuality a very small (and often mis-perceived offense) can be the seed from which a series of bad decisions arise— passive aggressive behavior, professional sabotage, and higher stress levels across the board.

Resentment can also become toxic between buyers and sellers. This is especially true during the negotiation process. This attitude is ultimately counterproductive to closing the sale. Rather than focusing on the terms and compromises at hand, parties can become entrenched in personal warfare. Successful negotiation means keeping resentment out of the picture.

One thing you can do to mitigate resentment is to take the high ground should perceived slights enter the picture. Don’t assume the worst. In fact, the antidote to poisonous resentment is forgiveness. As inspirational author Dan Zadra writes, “Resentment is one burden that is incompatible with your success. Always be the first to forgive; and forgive yourself first always.”

Keep an eye out for growing resentment on either side of the fence. Anything you can do to diffuse or manage resentment before it manifests itself will go a long way to securing your future success, be it a successful move or any venture in your life.  

Wishing you all the best,

Valerie