Blog – Page 23

How To Juggle Your “Must Haves” With Your Budget

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

You are planning on house hunting and to prepare are watching all those HGTV shows and you have a long “must have” list for that perfect home. That’s great, but you also have a budget and all those “must haves” may not work with your budget. So what can you do?

First, start looking

Do this by finding an experienced Realtor to help you look. He or she can help you start that search. Be honest with him or her about your budget, and all the things you want in a home, including all those “must haves. Your Realtor will let you know if your “must have” list is reasonable or not. More likely than not, it isn’t reasonable, so now what?

One thing to consider about those “must haves” is upkeep

For instance, a marble countertop is absolutely gorgeous, but is it something you can keep looking that way? If you are insisting that a pool and spa are absolutely necessary, do you realize that there is testing, chemicals and cleaning to be done on them on a regular basis? There is an extra cost to purchase chemicals. If this is something that you can’t do or afford, take it from your list.

Another consideration is whether you can upgrade to these “must haves” at a later time

If you find a home that has some of the things you want and is the right size and price, you may want to decide that living with the carpeting while you save to refinish the hardwoods below them. You can put off updating the baths or kitchen if they are workable now and are just in need of cosmetic updates. In other words, decide what you can live with for now until you can afford to update to those “must haves.”

Be honest with yourself

Generally, you need to be very honest with yourself about what is really a “must have” and what is an “I’d like.” Keep in mind that if your budget just won’t accommodate everything you want, you’ll spend a lot of time looking and never find what you want.

How To Sell Your Home When You Are The Worst House In The Best Neighborhood

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

I’m sure you’ve heard the adage “buy the worst house in the best neighborhood.” In fact, the HGTV show “Fixer Upper” uses that same idea, and in their opening spiel. So why do that? Why not go for the best house in the best neighborhood? As a seller, should you go ahead and make a lot of really expensive fixes to sell your home, or just let it be? The short answer is probably to inexpensively spruce it up and sell now.

Your strategy to sell is simple, make your home look clean and habitable. Its location will be its biggest selling point. Lots of things can be changed about a home, but where it sits is usually not one of them. It is exceptionally expensive to move an entire house. So buyers who can’t really afford to buy that gem across the street (you know that one – perfect floors, perfect kitchens and baths, most up to date color schemes and perfect landscaping), may just be able to buy yours. So play up your location. Sing the praises of the schools. Talk about how close you are to the best parks or entertainment or whatever it is that makes your neighborhood coveted.

So do all the things that any seller does to prepare to sell. Clean like a crazy person. Declutter so your rooms, as shabby as they may be, look bigger. Paint to help it look a bit less shabby. Mow the lawn and plant some colorful flowers out front and make your porch look welcoming. If you can’t afford to make improvements to the home, don’t worry so much. You may not be able to ask top dollar, but the location and neighborhood will help you get a decent price.

Be prepared for prospective buyers to ask for concessions for repairs they will need to make. If you price the home right, however, this may not be a huge issue. Pricing it right may just mean pricing it so buyers who couldn’t afford the house next door will see your listing and come looking. Hire a Realtor who can help you make the best decisions for your sale, then prepare to move!

Tampa Bay Home Seller Tips – Make Your Home Worth More

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

You have a home in Tampa Bay and you want to sell it. Maybe you owe a lot on it, or you have another house in mind to buy and need a certain amount from the sale. So, of course, you want to know what is your home worth or what can you sell it for. That number depends on a few things like location, condition and staging, and here are some tips to get the most from your sale.

The first factor is location. Where is your home located? What are other homes in the area selling for? Are they similar to yours? Are homes taking a long time to sell? Are there jobs, high crime or other negatives? If the home is well kept, in a nice area with access to transportation, good schools and good jobs, it will sell for more money. If the home has acreage and similar homes are selling well, you’ll do better.

The next two factors are tied to each other. Your home’s condition and staging are also very important in determining price. If your home is well maintained and has been updated, it will sell for a higher price. Buyers don’t want to have to move in and immediately improve. So make major repairs, repaint in a neutral color scheme. It makes it easier for the buyer to see it as their home, not yours. Then clean it and stage it. Move everything and clean behind and under appliances and furniture. Declutter and depersonalize it. Remove excess furniture and make rooms look spacious. Make sure each room has adequate lighting.

The best thing you can do is rely on your Realtor to tell you what needs to be done, and what your home is realistically worth. She knows value and how to improve it. Listen, fix, clean and stage and then take your check to the bank!

Want an honest opinion of what you need to do to get your Tampa Bay home “show ready”? Give Deb a call today!

727-410-0336

5 Things To Know About Who Might Buy Your Home

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Did you know that knowing information about who your prospective buyers are can help you sell your home? It’s called knowing the demographics and with that knowledge you can be sure to market and price your home correctly to appeal to them.

NAR white paper

The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® 2021 white paper entitled “Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers” spells out the characteristics of home buyers from June 2020 through June 2021. For instance, 31% of all home buyers are first time buyers. Eighty-two percent of buyers 22 to 30 years and 48 percent
of buyers 31 to 40 years were first-time home buyers. Behind these
groups, 22 percent of buyers 40 to 54 years were also first-time home
buyers.

Here are more stats

The typical buyer had a median household income of $92,150.00. 62% of buyers were married couples, 18% were single women, 9% single men and 9% were unmarried couples. 12% of buyers bought a multigenerational home so they could care for aging parents, returning adult children or extended family. 18% were veterans and 2% were active duty military.

So what does this, and other stats in the report show?

Well, life events and changes at different ages can and do spur home buying. Marriage can be a catalyst for buying that first starter home. Having children can spur looking for a bigger home in a good school district. Children growing up and leaving home can spur downsizing. Taking care of parents can mean looking for a different type of home. Life changes can mean buying a home, but the desire for a home of their own is still a part of the decision process.

How does this help you?

If you live in a great school district, you know you can target young families. If you live in an area where multi-generational families tend to live, target them. Make that extra space an in-law suite. Talk with your Realtor about the demographics in your area.

How Big A House Does Your Family “Need”?

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Small spaces seem to be all the rage, but sometimes a bigger house is what a family needs. So how do you know if you really need a bigger home or really just want one. How big a house does your family really need?

Start by taking a look at your family and their habits

Several things can help you make the decision about how big or small a home you need. Start with your family size. Do you have a bunch of kids or just one or two? Even if you have just two, are they the same sex?

If you have three or more children or even a boy and girl, having enough bedrooms so that they have their own rooms, or boys in one and girls in another, means needing at least three bedrooms or more.

Extended family?

Next consideration might be your extended family. Living in Florida means that your home may just become vacation central for your extended family and friends. So having a home with an extra room or two for guests could come in handy.

Another extended family consideration could be whether there is extended family that will be living with you permanently. Does your mother or mother-in-law (or father or father-in-law) or a grandparent, sibling, etc. live with you? Those family members will need their own space and bath.

If you like to entertain in your home having a lot of space is important. Inside you’ll need a bigger kitchen and extra baths. Outside having a big deck or patio will mean space to have plenty of friends and family over to visit.

Lastly, do you work from home?

Having distance from the working area and living area is important for the person who works from home. At the very least, having an extra room with a door can give a dedicated area to work. So figure out if you really do need more home, and then get looking!

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

October 27, 2021 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!