Blog – Page 2

Financial Considerations For Move Up Home Buyers

June 12, 2018 By Deborah Ward

It feels like your home is bursting at the seams and figure it’s time to move up. Here are some tips to help make the move up easier.

The biggest thing that should be considered when you decide it’s time to move up is can you afford it. Needing space and being able to afford it are two completely different things. To get to a decision on affordability you need to do a few things.

First, find out what they payoff is on your current mortgage. Not the balance, the payoff figure.

Now you need to talk to a Realtor about what your home is actually worth. Obviously, if you’re upside down on your mortgage, meaning the mortgage payoff is more than the value of the home, moving up shouldn’t be on your list of things to do. If it is worth more than the payoff figure, your Realtor will help you determine by how much.

That should be your next determining factor. Are the net proceeds
enough to be a decent down payment on your next home?

So let’s say that your home will sell and give you a good down payment and all your closing costs for both the sale and purchase. Next you need to contact your lender, or a new one, and get yourself qualified for a new mortgage. To do that you’ll need to know what your price range for the new home should be. You can determine it the same way you did when you purchased your last home. You need to keep in mind that a bigger house will mean bigger bills.

Your mortgage, homeowner’s insurance, real estate taxes, heating and cooling costs and other bills will cost you more. You need to realistically sit and set up a budget.

Don’t move up if it means that you will be house poor. Be smart. Move up when you can afford it, and if that’s now, get moving!

If you are in the Tampa Bay area, now may be a time to move up. Home prices have risen and may have created equity in your home that can cover the cost of moving up. Give us a call today to find out if moving up makes sense for you! 727-216-9247

3 Ways To Get Ready For Your Showing! – Home Seller Tips

May 30, 2018 By Deborah Ward

It’s finally time to get your home shown! Do you know what you should be doing before you leave to let the Realtor show it? Here are some great ideas on how to make your home show perfect.

Spotlessly Clean

First, make sure it’s spotless. Run the vacuum and dust through the whole house to pick up any dust, dirt or pet hair. No dust bunnies allowed!

If possible, change the filter in your vacuum to one that uses a room air freshener to freshen up the smell of your home. Make sure that you also clean through the kitchen and bathrooms. No spots on the mirror. Put away tooth brushes, toothpaste, floss, brushes and combs. Put away any clutter and wipe down counters. If you find anything broken, fix it.

Throw In Some Cookies!

Actually, before cleaning, throw some cookies in the oven to bake. The smell of fresh baked cookies is so homey and inviting. Since it would make a mess to whip up a batch from scratch, keep a package of “break and bake” packs of cookie dough to be able to quickly back up a batch. You could also make a batch of dough and then pull it out of the fridge when you want to bake a batch before a showing. While they bake do your quick (but thorough) clean through. Take the cookies out, put them on a plate, quickly wash the pan and put it away.

Let In The Light!

After cleaning, open all the curtains and turn on the lights in each room. All that light will make your rooms appear clean, bright and larger. A day showing will let prospective buyers see how much light streams into your home. An evening show will show how well lit your rooms can be. Light is your friend!

So set up your home for success.

5 Affordable Things You Can Do To Update Your Home For Sale

May 15, 2018 By Deborah Ward

Improving and updating your home doesn’t have to be expensive. Not improving and updating your home can mean less money in your pocket come time to sell. You can do many things yourself, but if you find serious problems being cheap on the repairs can not only cost your more down the line, but could be downright dangerous. So keep this in mind. Hiring an inspector to help you find any issues may be a good idea.

1. One easy way to spruce up your home is to paint. These days even high quality paint can be found for less than $50/gallon. Since you’re sprucing up to sell, choose a more neutral palette. You don’t have to go eggshell white the whole house, but don’t do too dark or bright when choosing colors. Light blues are calming. Butter yellows are brightening, but not overwhelming. For small rooms use lighter colors since darker shades make rooms look smaller.

2. Have carpets deep cleaned. If they are just too old or beat up, replace them or put down new flooring. If you don’t want to spend the extra money on hard wood floors, there are a lot of alternatives that look so much like hardwoods that people may be fooled.

3. If you have a yard, do some clean up and landscaping. New shrubbery and some colorful flowers make a dull house look better. If you don’t have much yard, plant a deck garden or put some herbs in a pot in your kitchen windowsill. Part of all of this outside sprucing up is also making your front door welcoming and up to date. If your door looks a bit out of whack with the rest of the house, put a new one up that complements your home.

4. Bathroom updates are also a great idea, but they can get expensive. Look at your overall budget and decide what you can do to spruce up those rooms too. Sometimes just adding some paint, new towels or shower curtains can add a more modern feeling to these super important rooms.

5. Last but not least, make sure you take a honest look at your kitchen. This is the “heart of the home” and if yours is looking tired and cluttered, you will not get those high priced offers you are looking for! Can you paint some cabinets or get some new laminate countertops? Simply putting things away can sometimes make your kitchen seem bigger. Make sure you scrub it until it gleams from floor to ceiling!

If you are looking at listing your home in the Tampa Bay area, please feel free to give us a call and I will be happy to schedule a walk-through of your home with “real estate eyes!” I can let you know all the things you could do to update your home affordably!

Home Seller Tips – How To Pack Up and Sell At The Same Time

May 1, 2018 By Deborah Ward

Whatever the reason, you need to pack up and get your home sold. Well, since you also need to get your home into saleable shape, kill two birds with one stone and declutter while packing up.

Start as early as you can so that maybe have a yard sale and also to give yourself enough time to get everything done. Even if you have to rent a storage unit or pod for the short term, do it. Your decluttered home and packed up stuff finished will take a lot of stress from your eventual move.

Start with your furniture. Make sure that rooms are easily moved through, that each room has good flow. Store the extra away. If you are moving immediately and need all your furniture, get a few things for each room on the cheap so it looks lived it.

Next, go room by room and clean out closets. Obviously, out of season things can be packed up and removed immediately. Whatever you need to leave make sure it is neat and sparse so the closets look bigger. If you have bookshelves, parse them down as well. You can leave some personal photos, but parse them down as well. Buyers need to imagine pictures of their own family on the walls, tables and shelves.

Then in the kitchen and bath pack away just about everything on counter tops, leaving only what you need, toaster or microwave, coffee maker in the kitchen, soap dispenser in the bath. Clean out the junk drawer!!! Yes, people go through cabinets, closets and drawers. Make them all look spacious. That means pack up all the extras.

Now that things are packed, yard saled out or given away, stash the boxes and stage the house. Clean towels for the bath, etc. Not sure what to do? Check out how homes are staged in the shows on HGTV. It doesn’t need to be expensive, but make your home look inviting, spacious and clean.

5 Tips To Attract Out Of State Buyers For Your Home Sale

April 17, 2018 By Deborah Ward

If you have to move away before you can sell your home, some unique problems may crop up! Find a Realtor who is used to working with out of state sellers.

It happens. You get transferred to a new position out of state and have to move, or move away for whatever reason. In a perfect world you would have time to sell your home before having to move away. Well, the world isn’t perfect and sometimes you have to move before you can sell. So here are some tips to make your sale the best it can be from states away.

First and most important, carefully hire a Realtor to assist you. It would be incredibly hard to clean, stage, show and sell your home yourself from so far away. Choosing the best Realtor to help you will mean you will hire someone who will show and market the home, hire contractors to handle upgrades and repairs, and ensure that there is a smooth sale of your home.

Be sure that you personally interview Realtors for the best fit. Choose one who has a great track record for sales and getting the best price, who communicates well and is comfortable with how you communicate (I.e. phone, text, email) and has a good reputation in the community.

Next, be sure to price the home correctly. Trust your Realtor to understand the market, the neighborhood and the condition of the home to get you the best price. Get it right the first time. Start with the best price, because if you miss that crucial first 30 days, repricing won’t help you sell for the best price. People will wonder why it didn’t sell and will low ball you with offers. Also, be sure that your Realtor is aware of the lowest price you are willing to accept. Be open to negotiation and other considerations for a lower price, but make sure there is an understanding.

No one will buy your home if it looks like an episode of Hoarders. They certainly won’t give you the best price if it is a cluttered mess. Before you move, pack up all of your belongings and those things you don’t want give away or throw away. If possible, leave a small amount of furniture to make sure the home doesn’t look vacant.

Then clean. Clean as if your life depended on it. If you can’t due to the impending move, or just don’t want to, hire a cleaning company to do a serious deep clean on the home. Also have any necessary repairs made, and any updates your Realtor recommends. Have the home staged for the best effect.

If you are looking for a Realtor in the Tampa Bay area who works often with out of area seller, give Deb Ward a call today! 727-216-9247

How To Make Your Home More “Florida-y”

April 3, 2018 By Deborah Ward

Whether you live in the Sunshine state or just want to feel like you do, adding touches to make it feel more “Florida-y” will do the trick. Whether it’s paint or just decorations, making your home feel open, airy, sunshiny and bright will lift your spirits and make you think of the beach.

Start with paint colors

Think of what surrounds you and paint accordingly. Cool blues match the ocean or Gulf and beige or tan for the sandy shores. Add touches of bright lemon yellows of the sunshine or citrusy lemon or oranges, perfect for a closed in room that needs brightening. Think of the beautiful sunsets over the ocean or gulf and use pinks, pale salmons and lavender. For that cool calm try pale blues and greens. A butter yellow or light peach can add an airy feeling to a room.

Add pops of bright colors

Now that your paint has set the tone for the room, add pops of bright colors like fuchsia, lemon yellow, orange and lime. Use throw pillows or area rugs to bring in the fun colors. In the kitchen find bright colored small appliances to add that colorful touch. Many manufacturers now make things like coffee makers, blenders, mixers and toasters in bright yellow, purple, turquoise and red. Make them the functional part of your Florida vibe.

Beach theme

If that isn’t your taste, then start thinking beach theme. Find fun wall hangings that convey beachy messages. Use shells to decorate tables or shelves. Make a tasteful candle holder with glass containers with sand and shells surrounding the candle. Use your imagination and feel like you’re on the beach.

Disney charm

And what’s Florida without Disney? Add some fun Disney characters to your décor. They aren’t just for kids rooms anymore! A little Mickey or Minnie in the guest room, or Pooh and Tigger in the bath brings in some whimsy and Florida fun.

So go on, make it feel like Florida!

Start with paint colors

Add pops of bright colors

Beach theme

Disney charm

The Deb Ward Team