Deborah Ward – Page 29

The 5 Top Reasons Your Home Didn’t Sell – Clearwater Home Sales

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Over the last few years if your home didn’t sell you could blame the bad market. Today, not so much. Markets are rebounding and now blame can be placed where it probably belongs: seller or realtor. Here are the top reasons why your Clearwater home didn’t sell.

Location:

Location matters. Your neighborhood matters. If you have issues like a busy street or you live close to things like power plants, high tension wires, waste treatment facilities, airports, train tracks or some other issue, getting it sold can be challenging. Some can be mitigated with sound proofing, but others not so much.

Price:

Price is one of the biggest factors in whether a house sells and how quickly. If your home is priced right, it will sell. Over price it and it will sit. Getting the best price doesn’t mean listing high and negotiating down. Over pricing will mean those who will be looking for your home, those who want to look in your price range, won’t see it. Those who do won’t be interested since they want a home of higher quality a higher price brings. Plus the longer it sits, the more people avoid buying, after all if it hasn’t sold something MUST be wrong with it, right? THAT is exactly what buyers are thinking about your overpriced home that has been sitting for months.

Condition:

Condition covers a lot of things: needed repairs, cleanliness, whether the home has too much clutter, pet smells, cigarette smoke smells and so on. Putting repairs off onto buyers will keep them from buying. Unless they are looking for a fixer upper, but that means they will underbid it. Clean up, fix it up, declutter and make your home shine and people will buy.

Access:

Make your home available to be seen. Sounds like an obvious thing, but allow your realtor and others to show it. Use a lock box. It allows agents to show your home while you aren’t there. Electronic lock boxes also keep a record of who accessed your home. That way your Realtor can follow up.

Bad marketing:

This one is squarely on your Realtor. A good realtor will have a proven track record about how to effectively market homes. If they don’t, find one who does.

Don’t make these mistakes and you will sell your home!

Real Estate Buyers – Why You Need Title Insurance

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

One of the larger costs for buyers when buying real estate is buying title insurance. Buyers, especially first time home buyers, often wonder what it is and if it is truly necessary. The answer to that last part is a resounding YES!

What is title insurance?

Title insurance is an insurance policy that protects the owner of the policy if there is a defect found in the title, or ownership, of the property. While it would seem that looking at the ownership history of a piece of property is a simple thing, there can be many things that complicate it. Some examples? Well, what if a mortgage that was recorded against the property was never shown as paid in full? Or if a tax bill was paid, but never taken off the record? What if several decades ago someone wrote down a property line wrong on an older deed? All of these things can complicate the title, and if it isn’t cleared up, you could lose your real estate.

A cloud on the title:

All of these issues cause something called a “cloud” on the title. Title insurance protects the policy owner against the costs of getting rid of that cloud. There are two types of title insurance, lenders’ and owners’. The lenders policy protects your bank or mortgage company. They have a vested interest in making sure that the title is clear. In the event that you default on the mortgage, they will eventually be the owners of the property and will have to sell it. They can’t sell a property with a cloud on the title. The lenders policy will usually be in the original amount of the mortgage. If there is a claim, the policy will pay out up to the amount the lender is out, the original mortgage amount, and pay off the mortgage. The benefit to you is that you won’t owe your bank a dime if you lose in court.

Owner’s policy:

The owners policy is for you, the deeded owner to the property. This policy does a few things. First it protects over and above the lender’s coverage. Second, it protects you once the mortgage is paid off. The owners’ policy stays with you, the owner.

Mortgage companies or banks will require a lender’s policy, but purchasing an owners policy is a good idea. Protecting your interest over and above the lender is smart!

Want more? Check out our post In A Clearwater Real Estate Transaction Who Pays For What?

Fun Colors To Use In Your Florida Decorating

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Now that you are ready to sell your Florida home, you know that you need to repaint and redecorate to sell it. Since you don’t want to make your home a kitschy mess you need to know what colors can give your home a beachy feel without making it a cliché. Here are some great ideas.

South Beach bungalow colors

Unless your home is a South Beach bungalow, using loud pink, yellow and turquoise as your color scheme will send buyers fleeing in the other direction. Something a bit more subtle is probably in order.

Instead of going eggshell all over the home in search of a totally neutral place, paying homage to your home state isn’t out of line. Just do it tastefully.

What vibe do you want?

Of course what you choose will depend on the vibe you want to convey. Your best bet is to stay away from dark, heavy colors. Jewel tones and dark accent walls just make your home feel hotter and more closed in.

Instead stay with colors that remind you of the surrounding area.

Florida colors

Choose cool blues that match the ocean or Gulf. Choose ivory or beige to remind buyers of the sandy shores. Use the colors of the sunrise or sunset over the ocean: pinks, pale salmons even some lavender.

Don’t forget the bright lemon yellows of the sunshine. Because Florida has a lot of hot and humid weather, using cool colors like pale blues and greens will keep the hot sticky feelings at bay. Even a soft butter yellow and pale peach can add an airy, breezy feeling to a room.

You can add accents of bright colors to make the room pop: fuchsia, lemon yellow, orange and lime. It conveys the bright colors of Florida without it being obnoxious.

You can even go a bit themed

Beyond the colors from the sand and the sea, try an 80s retro with really bright pastels or even black accents for a Miami urban theme. Go back even further and use the 1950’s touristy pink, turquoise, and sparkly white here and there. Again, don’t go overboard, just tasteful.

How To Make Your Home More “Florida-y”

October 27, 2021 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!

Should Your Realtor Be Texting, Emailing or Calling You – Technology Based Realtor Tools

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Seems everyone these days is anchored firmly to their smart phone. Scan a bus, train, waiting room or store and you’ll find at least one person scrolling through something on its screen. Maybe that person is you.

If it is, should your Realtor be texting, emailing or calling you? Shouldn’t your Realtor be using technology based tools to best communicate with you? The answer, of course, is yes. Your Realtor should be up to date on all the latest smartphone and technology based Realtor tools available.

Your Realtor should be communicating with you in the way that works best for you. Here are a few examples:

Busy Moms

A busy mom who is hardly ever at home, whether working, carting kids to activities or running errands, can’t be tied to one place waiting for a call to a landline. In fact, she would probably prefer to have a quick text message or email she can check on her smartphone while she’s on the run.

Office Worker

Someone who works full time in an office setting may be able to take a phone call more easily than answer a text message. Paying attention to which number, office land line, office cell or personal cell is important. Does their office frown on taking calls on a personal smartphone? Do they work in a “cube farm” and need to keep a ringer off?

On the road

Someone on the road a lot, whether for a job or that busy errand running mom, may not be able to safely answer a text message or even take a call on their smartphone. Your Realtor should ask if email would be a better option.

Apps

There are also other technological answers that could help. Apps that allow people to text from a computer means a desk bound office worker CAN answer a text and may prefer it to trying to answer a smartphone call.

Technology today means that communication may be even more complicated, but your Realtor should take the time to find out which method works best for you, then use it to keep you up to date and in the loop.

Where Do Buyers Come From? Hint, Hint…Think Realtors

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

You are considering selling your home, and you aren’t sure if you should sell with a Realtor or by yourself. Which will bring you more buyers? Think Realtors.

Some interesting things

The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials estimates that there are about 3 million active real estate agents in the US. In 2017 there were 106,548 brokerage firms.

So what are they doing? Well, the American Housing Survey said that in 2018 there was approximately 119.7 million occupied housing units. The typical home seller has been in their home for 10 years. They typical home size is 1,900 square feet and the typical homeowner is 47 years old in 202o as of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Of the sold homes in 2020 were 5.64 million existing homes and 822,000 newly constructed.

Realtors

The NAR has as of July 2021 1,534,008 members, 68% percent of Realtors are licensed as sales agents, and 20% of members specialize in residential brokerage. The median number of years of experience is 8 years. Most Realtors work a 35 hour work week and have some college education, or a degree.

Message? Most are hardworking and educated past high school to some extent. They generally pay attention to technology as well. The top three technology tools that most use or plan on using are an iPad, smart phone and digital camera. 91% use social media to some extent and the top sites for Realtors to place listings are realtor.com®, Zillow and Trulia.

Interesting results

Obviously, hiring a Realtor means that you will have a qualified person helping with your home sale, but how much of a help will they be? Well, the NAR showed that 88% of buyers purchased their home through a Realtor – a share that has steadily increased from 69% in 2001.

The average sales price for an agent based sale was $295,000. For sale by owner (FSBO) sales were 8% of home sales in 2020 and the average sale price was $217,900. That’s a difference of $77,100! They also don’t have the assistance of a professional who understands the process and paperwork.