The Deb Ward Team

What Does A Great Realtor Look Like

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You want to sell your home. You want to hire a great Realtor. Kind of a no brainer. How would you recognize a great Realtor? What does a great Realtor look like?

Something like this…

What Does A Great Realtor Look LikeA great Realtor is personable, easy to talk to and a good listener. They make you feel comfortable. How can you convey anything to someone you can’t even feel comfortable with or talk to.

They communicate in a way that works for you, whether that is on the phone, via text message, email or social media and they return your messages promptly.

They also have great relationships with other Realtors. This will get your home more traffic and get it sold more quickly.

Licensed

A great Realtor is always licensed, and that license is in good standing. Do your homework and make sure they are licensed and that there are no serious complaints against them.

One good way to find out is to use Google or Bing and search their name in quotation marks. But also check with the Better Business Bureau and state/county courts.

In Florida you can search their license status via the DBPR (Department of Business and Professional Regulation).

A great Realtor is knowledgeable

If they don’t know the process like the back of their hand, find one who does. If they aren’t specialized in the type of property you are looking for, find one who is. If they aren’t up to date with the market where you are looking, find someone who is.

A great Realtor is always truthful

You should expect them to tell you what is true, not what you want to hear. That means if your home needs work before listing, or you think it’s worth more than it is, they will tell you.

Technology

A great Realtor keeps up with the technology of the times. Not just in how they stay in contact, but in how they market the homes they contract to sell. They use social media with savvy to market your home. They don’t shrink from new technology when finding ways to get the best photos of your home, like using drone videos.

10 Step Checklist For When It’s Time To Move

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10 Step Checklist For When It’s Time To MoveYou sold your home and now it’s time to move. There’s lots to do and not a lot of time to do it. Having a checklist with a timeline would be helpful. So here is one that could help.

60 days out and the contract has been signed and the process started. Whether or not it’s a sure thing, start your moving plans. Here are some things to do:

Call moving companies and get quotes for your move. Check things like Better Business Bureau and whether they are bonded and do in home assessments before offering their quote.

Check into whether your homeowners insurance will insure your expensive items. It not, find out how to insure them.

This means go through everything: closets, old boxes, basement, attic, etc. and decide what is moving and what is being trashed or donated. Use up food and supplies and only replace exactly what you need. Make a list, and document it with video on your cell phone, of your household items and their condition. It could come in handy if things are damaged in the move, or if you have a dispute with the moving company. Don’t expect it, but better safe than sorry.

In your moving notebook, be sure to keep a folder for receipts. Moving expenses are tax deductible. Also, if you have kids, call their current schools for records and their future schools for what is necessary to register your kids.

30 days out and the inspections are all done. Settlement is scheduled. Now you should:

  1. Check with the movers to verify details.
  2. Call and make arrangements to disconnect utilities at your current home. Call to schedule connections at your new home.
  3. Start packing. Pack items that you won’t need for the next month. Mark boxes as to where they should go in the new house and keep a list of what is in each box.
  4. Go online to the U.S. Post Office and file a change of address.
  5. Check about banking. If your bank has branches in your new town, let them know about the move. If not, look into switching your banking to a new one.
  6. Give your new address to friends and family, insurance company, doctors and specialists, cell phone company, credit card companies, and magazine and newspaper subscriptions.
  7. Make sure your important papers file is up to date and with you. Don’t pack it. Same with valuables like jewelry.

One week until settlement and time to get it in gear:

  1. Pack up everything you don’t need for the next week. Again, keep a list of what is in boxes and label them.
  2. Dispose of paint, oil, and weed killers. Drain fuel out of mowers. Discard propane tanks from grills.
  3. Gather keys and garage openers, any alarm codes and put them in one place so you can give them to the new owners.

Make a moving day survival kit with everything you’ll need when you get to your new home. Include toilet paper, snacks, bottled water, dishes, toiletries, towels, a few days’ worth of clothes. It’s possible that the movers could be delayed so you don’t want to be caught with nothing in your new home.

Moving Day!

Grab your moving day kit. Clean your now empty old home.

Before you leave it for the last time, check to be sure you have things like your cell phone and if you have pets pack food for them for a few days. Go to settlement.

Move!

Three Things You MUST Do Before You Get Ready To Buy A House

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Whether you are a first time home buyer or selling a home to up or down size, there are three things you must do before you buy a home.

First thing you must do is make a reasonable wish list.

Sure everyone wants a perfect house with nothing to fix or maintain, but that’s not reasonable. When you make your list, think about what is most important to you. Start with location. City, suburbs, rural area?

What about how close you want things like mass Three Things You MUST Do Before You Get Ready To Buy A Housetransportation or entertainment? What about schools? There is a lot to consider. Then move onto type of home. Single family, townhouse or condo? Ranch style, split foyer or colonial? How many bedrooms? Bathrooms? Square footage? a lot of group or not?

When you make an offer on a home, keep in mind that there will be some things that the inspection will find that will need to be repaired. Be reasonable in what you ask be fixed or replaced. It’s reasonable to ask that items the inspector found be repaired or an allowance given.

It’s not reasonable to demand a brand new HVAC system because the inspector says that the current system is in good condition but “will eventually fail.” No kidding, every system will eventually fail!

Next, get pre-approved for a mortgage.

That way you know what you can realistically afford. It also gives you a leg up in the negotiations once you find the home you want to buy. It’s a big plus for a seller knowing that the buyer won’t have to lengthen the time to closing to get approved for a mortgage.

Lastly, set a timeline for buying.

If you need to be moved into the area by a certain date, make sure you are leaving yourself a reasonable amount of time to search for and purchase your home.
Now, share all of this with your realtor and get looking!

You Really Do HAVE To Get Your Home Ship Shape To Sell

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You want to sell your home, but you don’t want to put the time or effort into changing it at all. Why should you? You Really Do HAVE To Get Your Home Ship Shape To SellIt’s been great for you since you bought it, someone will love it too. Right? Wrong. And even if it’s right, how long are you willing to wait while your home languishes on the market to find out? If you’re selling you must get your home ship shape.

Make a good impression

The first reason you should clean it all up is because you want to make a good impression on prospective buyers. From the first glance at the front door to the rest of your home, a dirty, clutter screams “I AM A LOT OF WORK THAT WILL COST YOU EVEN MORE MONEY” to prospective buyers. That should reel them right in. A clean, uncluttered home will invite them to buy because it is little to no extra work.

Packing

The second is that no matter if you clean it before you sell or not, you will eventually have to pack it all up and move it. Why not do it now, in a more relaxed manner. Doing it ahead of time will give you time to sort through and get rid of things that you don’t want or need any longer. If you do it later when you’re under pressure to get moved in time for settlement, you won’t have time to pack in an organized way or weed out things you don’t want. Why wait and move it too?

Want to get top dollar?

Lastly, if you want to get top dollar for your home, cleaning, decluttering and getting it in top shape is the key. Who’s going to offer asking or above on a house that looks dull, or worse, terrible. No one. In fact, if your home isn’t show ready you probably won’t even get an offer, let alone asking or above.

Do yourself and your bank balance a favor and make your home shine.

Should You Put In A Pool Before You Sell Your Home

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You’re contemplating selling your home and wonder if you should put in a pool to help it’s “resaleability”. There is no short answer yes/no, it’s a bit more complicated than that. So let’s look at the pros and cons of the decision to add a pool.

First, the pros

Should You Put In A Pool Before You Sell Your HomeIf your home is a luxury home, add it. Buyers of luxury homes expect certain amenities and a pool is certainly one of them. In fact a pool and spa is an even better decision.

While it may not hike the value exorbitantly, it will certainly put you in the running with homes of similar value that have a pool and spa.

Be sure to add all the bells and whistles, as well as all of the safety features. Best bet? Check with your Realtor and see if it is a good investment for your home. He or she might just tell you to spend the money inside the home.

Now, the cons

You won’t get your money back. Whatever the pool costs to install will not add that much to your asking price, if anything at all. If your home is a starter home, or a next step up for a small family, a pool can actually detract from it’s value and attractiveness.

Why? It’s a safety issue for small children. Even with safety features like a fence. Unless you have an alarmed fence and cover, most families will see a pool as a drowning risk. Adding one in order to boost your home’s value is a bad idea. Take the money and update baths or the kitchen instead. You’ll get added value there.

Even in Florida think about a decision to add a pool. Don’t do it to add value or sell your home. Still not sure? Ask your Realtor. They know your area, expected amenities and values. Then take their advice.

Selling Your Home? What NOT To Do 6 Months Out

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Last week we talked about what you should be doing six months out from listing or selling your home. So now let’s look at the reverse…what NOT to do.

Don’t go above and beyond

Selling Your Home? What NOT To Do 6 Months OutYou know that list that your Realtor gave you about what needs to be fixed and what doesn’t? Don’t go above and beyond. What does that mean? Well, fix and update where they say needs it. Your Realtor understands the return on investment of updates and upgrades to your home.

What they don’t want you to do is to start ripping and tearing everything out like you’re on Property Brothers on HGTV! Most renovations won’t give you much bang for your buck. This is especially true if you are doing renovations to your specific taste. Sure, baths and kitchens usually do give you a decent ROI, but that pink tile and $800+ bidet you’ve been dying to get for your bathroom that you just KNOW buyers will LOVE will most likely kill off any money you should have seen from the renovation.

Don’t DIY the renovations

Another don’t: unless you are truly a professional in the home renovation field, don’t do any renovations yourself. Sure it looks easy on HGTV or DIY Network. It’s not and you could very quickly find yourself in way over your head. Leaving projects unfinished is much worse for your home’s value than not updating in the first place. Not to mention that what you destroy you’re going to have to pay a lot more to fix than if you paid a professional in the first place.

Think plumbing fix that ended up in a flood ruining carpeting and hardwoods. Now you have to fix the plumbing AND the flooring. But even if you don’t have any disasters, the long reaching consequences will have a future buyer shelling out more later to fix your fixes.

Actually, the only DO that I’ll say here that you should do is STOP WATCHING fix-it networks. Your future buyer will thank you!

The Deb Ward Team

Keller Williams Realty
30522 U.S. Highway 19 N, #107
Palm Harbor, FL 34684
Phone: 727-410-0336
Fax: 727-474-9069
Email: info@DeborahWard.com
The Deb Ward Team at Keller Williams Realty specializes in all of Pinellas County, Florida including: Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, St. Petersburg, and the Gulf Beaches from Clearwater Beach down to St. Pete Beach serving buyers and sellers with a focus that is rarely found in the real estate world!