by Concetta “Connie” Gallo 09/03/2020

A home listing presents a valuable opportunity. If you allocate time and resources to craft an engaging and informative listing, you could differentiate your house from the competition. Perhaps most important, your listing could help you speed up the home selling process.

There are many things you can do to help your house listing stand out to buyers, such as:

1. Include High-Resolution Photos of Your Home

Incorporate high-resolution photos of your home into your listing – you will be happy you did. If you use photos to show off your home’s true beauty, buyers may instantly fall in love with your residence.

Before you take photos of your home, you should clean as much as possible. That way, you can show buyers your house’s full potential.

Also, if you require additional assistance, you can always hire a real estate photographer. This professional can help you capture first-rate images of your house that you can immediately integrate into your listing.

2. Provide Accurate Information About Your Home

There is no need to stretch the truth in your house listing. In fact, those who fail to provide accurate details about a home in a listing may encounter problems that ultimately slow down the house selling cycle.

Learn as much as you can about your home, and leverage the information at your disposal to highlight your house’s features in your listing. Then, you can use your listing to teach a buyer about your residence.

3. Be Clear and Concise

Jargon is problematic in many home listings. If your house listing includes assorted terms and phrases that are tough to understand, your listing may alienate potential buyers.

As you craft a home listing, try to be as clear and concise as possible. You should strive to be objective in your house listing, too. And if you are unsure if your listing is easy to read, you may want to have a friend or family member check it out and provide feedback.

For those who strive to seamlessly navigate the house selling journey, you may want to hire a real estate agent. This housing market professional can help you craft an effective home listing, as well as overcome myriad challenges during the home selling journey.

A real estate agent understands home selling challenges and can help you prepare accordingly. Thus, if you are unsure about how to price your home, a real estate agent can help you establish a competitive initial asking price for your residence. On the other hand, if you are uncertain about whether to accept a buyer’s offer to purchase, a real estate agent can provide a recommendation about how to proceed.

As you prepare for the home selling journey, you should try to distinguish your house listing from all others. If you take advantage of the aforementioned tips, you could produce a home listing that garners buyers’ attention. And as a result, you could accelerate the home selling journey.

Should You Submit an Offer to Purchase a Home?

by Concetta “Connie” Gallo 10/01/2020

Deciding whether to submit an offer to purchase a house may prove to be difficult. Fortunately, we’re here to help you weigh the pros and cons of submitting a homebuying proposal so you can make the best-possible decision.

Now, let’s take a look at three tips to help you determine whether now is the right time to submit an offer to purchase a residence.

1. Evaluate Your Budget

If you believe you’ve found your dream home, you should take a look at your budget. That way, you can verify whether you’ll be able to afford this residence both now and in the future.

Oftentimes, it helps to get pre-approved for a mortgage before you start a house search. If you meet with banks and credit unions, you can learn about all of the mortgage options at your disposal. Then, you can select a mortgage that allows you to pursue a house with a budget in hand.

2. Consider Your Homebuying Criteria

You want to discover your dream residence as quickly as possible, but it is paramount to find a house that you can enjoy for years to come. If you have a list of homebuying criteria, you may be able to quickly determine whether a residence is right for you.

As you craft homebuying criteria, think about what you want to find in your dream residence. For instance, if you’ve always wanted to own a house on a beach, you can narrow your home search accordingly. On the other hand, if you would like to own a home that has an above-ground swimming pool but can live without this feature if necessary, you should include an above-ground swimming pool as a low-priority item on your homebuying checklist.

3. Assess the Housing Market

The housing market often fluctuates, and a buyer’s market today may shift into seller’s favor tomorrow. If you analyze the housing market closely, you can differentiate a buyer’s market from a seller’s one. You then can decide whether to submit an offer to purchase or hold off on providing a homebuying proposal until housing market conditions improve.

To distinguish a buyer’s market from a seller’s market, it generally is a good idea to look at the prices of recently sold houses in your city or town. You also should find out how long these residences were available before they sold. By reviewing this housing market data, you can assess the demand for houses in your city or town.

Lastly, as you debate whether to submit an offer to purchase a residence, you may want to consult with a real estate agent. This housing market professional is happy to provide honest, unbiased homebuying recommendations. As a result, a real estate agent can help you perform an in-depth evaluation of a home and determine whether to offer to buy this house.

Make an informed decision about whether to submit an offer to purchase a residence – use the aforementioned tips, and you’ll be better equipped than ever before to decide how to proceed with any house, at any time.

Which Is Better: Preapproval or Prequalified Letter?

Photo by Lukas from Pexels

If you’re ready to get serious about your home buying journey, one of the first steps is seeing various lenders. As you become more familiar with the process, you’ll likely hear the terms preapproval and prequalified mentioned again and again. We’ll look at how each letter works and what you should know before approaching a home seller.

Prequalification Vs. Preapproval

The key difference between a preapproval and prequalification is that the preapproval letter is much more involved. With a prequalification, the lender will look at the general state of the buyer’s assets before estimating how much home they’re likely to afford. Lenders are not diving into the buyer’s past, which can make real estate agents wary of accepting prequalification letters.

Preapproval

With a preapproval letter, you’re typically asked to provide the following:

• Two year’s worth of W2s
• A month’s worth of paystubs
• Two month’s worth of bank statements
• Social security card

Considering the amount of paperwork you need to provide (and the lender needs to process), preapproval letters can take months to generate. On the other hand, a prequalification letter can be procured in little more than 24 hours.

Additional Facts

Here are a few facts that can help you know more about what to expect:

• Preapproval letters can cost several hundred dollars to generate. We recommend starting with your financial institution because you already have a relationship with them, and they may not charge as much.
• You may be able to lock down interest rates at the time of your preapproval letter. This is exceptionally helpful for those who want to know what their payments will be down to the penny.
• Make sure to calculate closing costs beforehand so you know exactly how much you’ll owe out-of-pocket.

Does It Help to Have Both?

Not necessarily. Prequalification letters are generally recommended for homebuyers who may not know for sure if they’re ready to buy. It’s a general indication of how much money you’ll get, which can help you decide if it’s enough to get a preapproval letter. If you’re in a buyer’s market, you may be able to get away with a prequalification. However, it’s generally the far less coveted letter that you can have.

A preapproval letter is definitely the best letter you can take to a seller when you’re ready to make a bid on a home, but it’s important to note that even these letters may fall through. For example, if a major event occurs (e.g., a job loss, etc.) between when your financial institution issued the letter and when you close on the home. Talking to a real estate agent or financial expert can make it easier to navigate it all.

Home Buyer: Inspection or No Inspection

by Concetta “Connie” Gallo 05/07/2020

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

As you move forward with your home purchase, your real estate agent may recommend that you have your home inspected. Sometimes the inspection is required by the lender or insurance company, but sometimes it’s an optional step. Buyers who have the option sometimes consider skipping the inspection to save a little cash. Before you say “no” to the inspection, consider these reasons that it may be an important safety measure to take.

1. The Ability to Walk Away

When buying a home, you want to be completely sure that you’re not buying a home with problems that will cost you thousands after closing. Making an offer contingent on the results of an inspection allows you to legally walk away from your purchase contract if the inspector finds a serious issue. Without an inspection and this contingency, your offer is legally binding, and walking away is a costly choice.

2. Ensure Your Home Is Safe

Home inspectors know how to find problems that aren’t clear to the naked eye. From electrical wiring problems to hidden mold or problems with the home’s structure, knowing about these issues will protect you from buying a home that’s not safe to live in.

3. Improve Your Negotiating Position

If the inspection finds something wrong with the home that will be costly to fix, you can still buy the home if you wish. Armed with the information from the inspection, you can ask the seller to make repairs or give you a different price to cover the problems found. For instance, if the roof is in need of major repair, you can make a new offer that requires the seller to make those repairs, or you can offer at a lower price, using the difference to cover the repairs. Your real estate agent will help you understand the requests that are reasonable as you craft a new offer.

4. Enjoy Peace of Mind

A home inspection gives you peace of mind that you are buying a quality home. When the inspector gives it a stamp of approval, you can know that you are unlikely to have serious surprises when you move in.

5. Find Pest Problems

You don’t want to move in only to discover termites or roaches in the home. Pests can often go undetected until a serious infestation is present, but an inspector knows how to find the hidden signs of pests. Finding pests doesn’t mean you need to avoid the home, but it does mean you should ask the seller for professional pest control measures before you close on the property.

An inspection is an important step when buying a home. The cost of the inspection is small in comparison to the peace of mind and protection it brings. Even if it’s not required, make sure you request an inspection on your next home purchase.

Tips for Selling Your Home as Quickly as Possible

by Concetta “Connie” Gallo 04/16/2020

Image by mynemesis2011 from Pixabay

If you’re anticipating putting your home on the market soon and want to sell it as quickly as possible, you’re probably thinking that the best way to accomplish this is to accept a major drop in price. Although it’s true that price points can affect how quickly a property sells, you don’t have to dip much, if anything, below market value to facilitate a fast sale as long as you live in an area with a moderately healthy real estate market. Following are five proactive ways you can help your upcoming home sale go quickly.

Declutter and Depersonalize

One of the key components of a successful home sale is creating an environment where potential buyers can easily envision themselves and their family enjoying a pleasant life. Too many family photos and general clutter takes away from this. Renting a storage unit helps by providing a place to keep things and also gives you a head start on your move.

Be Available

Homeowners who limit when the house can be shown are missing out on a lot of potential buyers. Although it’s a hassle to always have to be available, you can make it easier on yourself by doing a general quick cleaning every morning and by using the above strategy of keeping clutter to an absolute minimum. If you simply can’t guarantee availability for last-minute showings at all times, at least try to do so on weekend because that’s when most people are looking at homes.

Have Professional Photos Taken

Professional photographs that show your home in the best possible light make it more likely that prospective buyers will ask to see your home. Don’t settle for just any local photographer, though — ask your real estate agent to recommend someone who specializes in home photography.

Move Out 

If you move out of the home, you and your family won’t have to endure the inconvenience of people coming in and out, and your real estate agent will be free to show the property at literally any time.

Paint Your Home in Neutral Colors

Now is the time to make your home look as much like a blank slate as possible without sacrificing any of its charm. Neutral colors don’t clash with anything, so buyers are therefore less likely to pass on your home due to aversions to certain colors, and there’s something really appealing about a fresh coat of paint.

You’ll also want to amp up the curb appeal of your home to make it more attractive. Because people are often blind to the faults of their own environments, ask a trusted friend or relative to look at your home exterior from the critical eye of a potential homebuyer and add improvements from there.

Tips for Sellers: Plan for a Property Showing

As a home seller, it is crucial to do everything possible to prepare for a house showing. Yet determining the best ways to prep for a showing sometimes can be difficult. Fortunately, we’re here to help you get ready for any showing, at any time.

Now, let’s take a look at three tips to help you plan for a house showing.

1. Upgrade Your House’s Curb Appeal

Although a property buyer likely has seen pictures of your house or walked or driven past your residence, there may be no time like the present to upgrade your home’s curb appeal. Because if a buyer sees your home’s beautiful front lawn and other stunning exterior features on the day of a showing, he or she may instantly fall in love with your residence.

Completing assorted home exterior improvements is crucial to enhance your residence’s curb appeal prior to a showing. In fact, performing home exterior tasks like mowing the lawn and repairing damaged siding will help your residence make a positive first impression on potential buyers. Home exterior improvements ultimately may help you accelerate the property selling journey too.

2. Remove Clutter from Inside Your Home

Clutter is a major problem because it may make your house appear small and messy. If you allocate time and resources to remove clutter prior to a home showing, however, you can highlight the true beauty of your living space to potential buyers.

If you own items you no longer need, you can always sell these items online or at a yard sale. You also can donate unwanted items to charity or give them to family members or friends.

In addition, you can always put various items you want to keep in storage. If you rent a storage unit, you can keep assorted belongings safe until your residence sells.

3. Consult with a Real Estate Agent

With a real estate agent at your side, you can receive comprehensive support leading up to a house showing. A real estate agent will offer recommendations and suggestions to ensure you know what to expect from a showing. Plus, he or she will respond to any of your home showing concerns or questions.

Furthermore, a real estate agent will help you navigate the home selling cycle. He or she first will meet with you, find out why you want to sell your residence and help you craft a property selling strategy. Next, a real estate agent will promote your residence to dozens of prospective buyers. And if you receive an offer to purchase your home, a real estate agent will help you analyze this property buying proposal. A real estate agent will even negotiate with a buyer’s agent on your behalf to help you optimize your home sale earnings.

When it comes to hosting a home showing, there is no need to worry. Thanks to the aforementioned tips, you can plan for a home showing. And as a result, you can take the necessary steps to ensure a home showing is an instant success.