Blog – Page 30

Why Choose Keller Williams Realty In Clearwater Florida

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Looking to relocate in Clearwater, Florida? Choosing the right Realtor, one like Deborah Ward of Keller Williams Realty, is important. You’ll need one that can help you find the right fit for you.

Do you know what kind of home you want?

Finding a Realtor that can help you figure it out is important, one who listens to your wants and needs and can get you what fits best. Even if you know, wouldn’t hiring a professional who specializes in what you want be even more important?

Deborah Ward & Associates

In Clearwater, The Deb Ward Team, who are affiliated with Keller Williams Realty is just that professional team! Deb, the Irish Realtor, and her team specialize in several types of real estate: waterfront, condo living and some multi-family homes. They are also relocation specialists. That’s important if you are relocating from another area. They know what to do to help you find a home, arrange for all the inspections, get the home to settlement and get you moved in.

Do you have a home to sell?

Picking a Realtor who specializes in selling the home you have is really important. Knowing how to price it, how to stage it and how to find the perfect buyer for it means you sell for the money you should and move to the next phase of your life.

So how do you get in touch with these great specialists?

Well, you can visit Deb and team online at http://cometoclearwater.com, call them at 727-410-0336 or email info@DeborahWard.com.

You can get to know them on YouTube as well:

Financial Considerations For Move Up Home Buyers

October 27, 2021 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!

727-410-0336

Understanding Your Home’s Real Value When Selling Your Home

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

It is important when selling your home to understand it’s real value. A home that you have lived in, created memories in, and added your personal touches to, may hold more value to you emotionally than a buyer would be willing to pay.

By the same token, a home that you have outgrown and feel frustrated with, may seem less valuable to you than the buyer who sees it’s potential and may be willing to make an investment in, for the opportunity to “make it their own.”

Selling price

If the selling price of your home is too low, you could potentially miss out on some good money. If the selling price of your home is too high, potential buyers will look over it in favor of something more affordably priced.

A home that sits on the market for too long not only keeps dollars out of your pocket, but could also earn an unfavorable reputation making it harder to sell. The goal is to set a price that is fair and accurate for market value, without being too high or too low.

Market value

Market Value is the price at which a house in its current condition should sell for within 30 to 90 days given the current economy. A home’s fair market value is determined by a variety of factors including the quality of the build, the condition it is currently in, the size of the house, the size of the property on which it sits, the location of the home, and the price that other similar homes in the neighborhood have recently sold for. It truly takes a trained professional to understand all of these nuances and help determine a fair asking price for a home.

An accurate market value can help your home sell faster making the overall home selling process much smoother and more pleasant. So take the emotion out of pricing your home and let a professional such as Deb Ward help you figure it out. She can make selling your home a positive experience.

Give the Deborah Ward & Associates Team a call today to find out more about listing your Tampa Bay home for sale! 727-410-0336

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.