Blog – Page 14

Does It Still Make Sense To Buy Your Own Home?

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

With the real estate market doing well, you’ve been thinking about whether it makes sense for you to buy your own home. Well, given that rent payments are now just about on par with or sometimes even higher than mortgage payments, it just may make sense. Here are some other reasons to seriously consider buying your own home.

First, is that rental payment each month

Being the same or higher is reason enough, but those rental payments don’t benefit you, they benefit your landlord. When the payment is rent, the landlord uses it to improve the property and pay his or her mortgage.

Yes, a mortgage payment includes things like property taxes and homeowner’s insurance, but each payment you make on a mortgage earns you value in your home. And that homeowner’s insurance payment? It provides you a lot more coverage than renter’s insurance.

So no matter how you look at it home ownership gives you a lot more bang for your buck.

Stability

Owning a home also provides you with stability and the ability to make your home yours. You aren’t living at the whims of a landlord, hikes in rent or having to move and find another home.

This is especially important if you have children. Stability in where they live, go to school and grow up is important. It’s also important that you can make your home yours. You can take out walls, paint whatever color you want and change it up whenever you want. Your landlord wouldn’t let you do that.

Appreciation in value

Of course, that appreciation in value is important too. Not only in the difference in what you own on your mortgage versus what you bought it for, but also in how the value of your home goes up. Despite the fall in values when the bubble burst, over the decades it takes to pay off a mortgage home values do tend to increase. While not usually as quickly as before the bubble burst, but it goes up over time.

So go ahead and think hard about buying. It will be the best decision you could make.

Home Buying: Top 5 Things to Look For

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Home buying is exciting, but don’t let the excitement blind you to what will possibly become your everyday reality. The top 5 things to look for before you buy are important to making a great decision.

Do your homework. Make sure to do research on a neighborhood or area ahead of looking at home buying in it. What should you be looking for? Visit the home/neighborhood at various times of day or evening. Is it quiet or busy; is there a school next door that will be very busy 9 months out of the year? Check the newspaper for things like crime stats, or recent issues with water quality, proposed “improvements” to the area, etc. Talk to neighbors and see who owns or rents. Check land records for things like high turnover or the city/county for permits to rent properties.

Look for neighborhood/homeowners associations. They can protect property values, and socializing in the neighborhood. A great association can mean making fast friends who will be helpful look outs for your kids or your home if you go away. They can also be very restrictive, or prohibit you from doing things with your property. If you have a boat you want to park in the yard off season, will they let you?

Ask questions! What has the seller fixed and when? What improvements did they do and where are permit records? A perfect example would be a “fix” done to stop a leak in the basement. You wouldn’t want to unwittingly undo it, so being aware is a good idea. However, finding there were no permits pulled for that new room, kitchen or bath can be a huge red flag. Get a home inspection. Know what you are getting into when you buy. Forewarned is forearmed.

Ask about “incidental” bills. Find out average utility costs, electric, water and sewer. Find out what the yearly real estate taxes are and if they are slated to go up. If the home hasn’t been assessed in several years, expect that the sale will trigger a new assessment and tax bill.

When you are home buying, look at the extras on the home and make sure you can afford the upkeep. That pool or automatic sprinkler system may be great, but there are costs. Water bills, maintenance and so forth. They won’t go away, so be sure it is something you can afford.

Lastly, what is the area like? Look at what is two blocks away. Is there an airport nearby? Find out how far away the closest farm is. Agriculture is great for keeping wide open spaces, but it also means dust, and seasonal smells when it’s time to fertilize.

Selling A Clearwater Beach Property – What You Need To Know

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Selling a Clearwater Beach property is much like selling any other home, except for the fact that there are some really good upsides and just a couple of downsides to consider!

Clearwater Beach is a great location for living, and is filled with both second homes and vacation homes. There are areas of high concentration with high rise condos and even some back of the path areas that buyers may not know are even there. As a Clearwater Beach seller, your Realtor needs to know how to reach the buyers who are out there looking for these types of properties!

One of the best ways to do that is to make sure they have a strong presence on the social media and that they are using those channels to help sell your home!

Another thing to ask about is if they have listings in the area. The reason this is so important is that listings up and down the Clearwater and St. Pete Beaches means that they will have a pool of buyers available who expressed an interest in other beach properties and who might not have bought yet.

Additionally, when you are selling in this second home, vacation home market, you need to make sure your listing is top notch as the buyers in the higher end markets are looking for turnkey and ready to move in! Make sure to get your home spruced up BEFORE putting it on the market to get the best sale price.

Last but not least, make sure you are ready to answer all of their questions and have made strategic considerations:

If you are in jumbo loan area (over $417,000) it may pay to lower your price to just below that so that buyers can use conventional mortgages.
Finding out about insurance rates and required flood coverage can help alleviate fears of buyers.
KNOW the HOA rules if you are selling a condo, nothing looks worse than not knowing if they can have their beloved pet or not.
Consider having a pre-home inspection and repairing all the items on the list. Knowing that your home is in tip-top shape can make yours the one they choose.
Pick a Realtor wisely. You need to know that they have a good relationship with the other beach agents AND that they have a strong listing business with years of experience negotiating on your behalf. When searching for homes, you will often find buyers agents who do an amazing job of helping buyers, but you need to know that your realtor is a selling agent who works primarily with listings!

If you are considering selling a Clearwater Beach Property, please give us a call today, we are always happy to help! 727-216-9247

Is Price Really That Important When Selling Your House?

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

When you think about selling your house the first thing you think of is price. But is price really all that important in selling? It’s more of a piece to a puzzle that ends in the sale of your home. Price isn’t the “be all end all”, other pieces play key roles too.

Price isn’t everything!

Now that I have your attention, let me say again, price isn’t the “be all end all”. Yes, it’s important in getting buyers to see your listing. Yes, it’s important in getting it right so it sells.

The importance of price isn’t being downplayed. What is also important are other things. Things like condition, amenities and location.

Location, condition, etc.

You know that when you looked for your current home you were looking for a lot of things other than price. You wanted a certain number of bedrooms and baths, a certain square footage. Most likely you didn’t want a home that needed a lot of updating.

In Florida a property with a pool is also a big selling point. So size, condition and home amenities were important in your search.

So why would you ignore those things when selling your house?

Have you seen the commercial for Trulia where they talk about “the house is only half of it?” The commercial is to advertise their map overlays to show things about the neighborhood where the listings are located. These overlays show crime, schools, traffic and so on.

Neighborhood amenities and location are super important. Some great research went into the basis of that commercial and Trulia along with Harris Polling found some numbers that might just open your eyes.

Neighborhood, square footage, etc.

According to the survey, 84 percent of Americans said that neighborhood is as important to their home search as the home itself and they would be willing to overlook or give up certain things to live in their ideal neighborhood. Things like a furnished basement (55 percent), square footage (33 percent), a garage (21 percent), or a yard (19 percent). Things like the safety of your neighborhood and its proximity to jobs, shopping and so on were very important.

For parents schools were even more important to them than the rest. While location isn’t something you can control, it is something you can play up if your home is located well. So stop making price your top priority.

Make the best things about your home the priority and you will get the price you want.

Selling a Seminole Home? – Keller Williams Seminole FL

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Selling your home in Seminole? Seminole is a great place to live, but you know that already since you have a home there. Seminole was first settled in the 1840’s. The settlers found a native American tribe named the Seminoles, so they named the area after them.

Seminole is located about 17 miles West of St. Pete. If you are relocating and thinking of the commute, it is about 45 minutes to an hour during rush hour to Tampa.

Real Estate Agents at Keller Williams Seminole

The real estate agents at Keller Williams Seminole are pros who will help you sell your home for the best price to the best buyer. They’ll start by talking with you about what you need to know – what to expect step by step. They do this by talking with you to find out your situation and future plans.

Knowing your wants and needs will help them give you the best service. Remember that Keller Williams Seminole represents you and although they are happy to help buyers, your needs and wants are their responsibility.

They take that responsibility seriously and will show you at each step. They’ll do a thorough evaluation of your home via a detailed walk through. They’ll take that information and use it to do comparisons to other homes that have sold in the area that are similar to yours. Using that information and their extensive knowledge they will price your home at the best price to sell. Your Keller Williams Realtor is there to walk you through the process and make sure you have the knowledge you need to make the best decision in the sale of your home.

Seminole is a great community

You and they know the community so well, but you won’t be around to help the new owners of your home settle in. Your KW agent will. They will be that local expert for buyers who will advocate for your community, neighborhood, schools, shopping, restaurants and trends.

Seminole is a fantastic area. Help someone else find that out by listing your home with Keller Williams Seminole. You won’t regret it for a second.

Looking to sell your Seminole home, give The Deb Ward Team a call today! 727-410-0336

Want To Sell Fast For The Most Money? Don’t Make These Classic Seller Mistakes

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

It’s time to sell your home! You have a contract on a new home and need to sell fast. If you want to sell for the most money, don’t make these classic seller mistakes.

First classic seller mistake is overpricing your home

Your home is valuable to you, of course, but thinking that someone will pay more than what the market value happens to be is one quick way to watch it sit on the market. Instead, ask your Realtor to help you set the best asking price for a fast sale.

That doesn’t mean you will have to bargain basement it. Quite the opposite. However, setting the price high thinking you can lower it later will backfire in a big way.

Next classic seller mistake is leaving all your clutter around

There are two schools of thought on personal items: leave a few personal items out or completely depersonalize the home. No matter which your Realtor advises, leaving a bunch of clutter around will kill interest in your home very quickly. Clutter makes your rooms appear smaller and, to be honest, less clean. Pack it up, move it out and make your move later even quicker.

Lockboxes

Ok, so your home is priced right and decluttered, so the next classic seller mistake is not using a lockbox. Realtors use lockboxes to leave a key handy for other Realtors to show your home. The access to the box is controlled, but it makes showings easier. Use one.

Being at home

A classic seller mistake that is, well, awkward is being at home when your home is being shown. Being there will make prospective buyers hesitant to really look at your home. It’s expected that they look in closets and cabinets to see how big they are, but you being there will make them feel weird about doing so. They won’t be as apt to ask the important questions about your home because they might feel you will be offended. Go find yourself somewhere to be for about a half an hour to an hour.

Declining offers

Lastly, don’t make the mistake of declining offers just because of a couple hundred dollars. If an offer is for a bit less than expected, talk with your Realtor to see if there are other things that might make it the best offer to take.