clearwater realtor

Proper Pool Safety Tips When You Are Selling Your Home

November 17, 2021 By Deborah Ward

You’re selling your home, and you have a pool. That means people will be in and around your home when you aren’t there. A pool is an inherent liability when you’re there, so you’ll need to make sure you have things in place to keep everyone safe. It may just mean you sell faster too, since a buyer won’t have to make a pool safe.

First thing you’ll need to make sure you have installed is a physical barrier. This barrier should be one that prevents a child from getting over, under or through it to gain access to the pool. These are typically a fence or wall with a security gate. The fence or other barrier should be at least four feet high or taller. It should have no footholds or handholds that could help a young child to climb it.

A few guidelines: spaces between shouldn’t be any more than 4 inches apart or 4 inches from the ground. Gates should be self closing and self latching and the latch should be high enough that small children can’t reach it. The type of gate and fencing may depend on your homeowners association, so check with them first.

Next, think about an alarm for the pool area. The alarm will emit an audible sound when triggered. They can include a gate alarm with a magnetic switches that activate when the gate is opened; a door or window alarm if one wall of the fencing is a house wall; or a floating alarm that goes off if the water in the pool is displaced. Any alarm should sound for 30 seconds or more, and within 7 seconds after it is activated and sound different than things like your doorbell or smoke alarm.

Another item to consider is a safety cover. A safety cover is either manual or motorized and covers the pool. It keeps people out of the water and most have a lock to keep kids from opening or closing it. It should be strong enough to support the weight of two adults and one child. It should also be easily opened in an emergency.

These steps will keep your pool under lockdown when you aren’t there, and make it a safe prospect for a buyer who might be worried.

What Does A Great Realtor Look Like

November 17, 2021 By Deborah Ward

You want to sell your home. You want to hire a great Realtor. Kind of a no brainer. How would you recognize a great Realtor? What does a great Realtor look like?

Something like this…

A great Realtor is personable, easy to talk to and a good listener. They make you feel comfortable. How can you convey anything to someone you can’t even feel comfortable with or talk to.

They communicate in a way that works for you, whether that is on the phone, via text message, email or social media and they return your messages promptly.

They also have great relationships with other Realtors. This will get your home more traffic and get it sold more quickly.

Licensed

A great Realtor is always licensed, and that license is in good standing. Do your homework and make sure they are licensed and that there are no serious complaints against them.

One good way to find out is to use Google or Bing and search their name in quotation marks. But also check with the Better Business Bureau and state/county courts.

In Florida you can search their license status via the DBPR (Department of Business and Professional Regulation).

A great Realtor is knowledgeable

If they don’t know the process like the back of their hand, find one who does. If they aren’t specialized in the type of property you are looking for, find one who is. If they aren’t up to date with the market where you are looking, find someone who is.

A great Realtor is always truthful

You should expect them to tell you what is true, not what you want to hear. That means if your home needs work before listing, or you think it’s worth more than it is, they will tell you.

Technology

A great Realtor keeps up with the technology of the times. Not just in how they stay in contact, but in how they market the homes they contract to sell. They use social media with savvy to market your home. They don’t shrink from new technology when finding ways to get the best photos of your home, like using drone videos.

How To Price Your Home Right From The Start | Clearwater Realtor Tips

November 11, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Selling your home is stressful, especially if you don’t like the number your Realtor suggests to you as a selling price. You think your home is worth more or just that the price should be higher for “wiggle room” down the line. Bad idea. You should price your home right from the start.

Don’t start high and expect to drop the price later

The first bad idea is starting off with the thought process that you can always drop the price later. Sure, you can do that, but don’t expect the buyers to come running. There is real research on this and guess what? Homes that drop prices later sit on the market longer and sell for less. In fact, the more you drop the price, the lower your selling price will be. That’s because home buyers have a mindset about homes that are reduced. That mindset is “something must be really wrong with that house to have to drop the price.” There might or might not be, but there is no overcoming that mindset.

Setting the price higher for “wiggle room”

A higher price for wiggle room to negotiate is also a bad idea. Why? Because it means the people who would be able to buy your home at the negotiated down price won’t see it. Home buyers look for homes by price range. If you price your home out of the range of your target buyer they won’t even see it. Those who will see it are looking for homes with more amenities for their dollar, and more than your home has. They won’t make an offer that you can negotiate down. What will happen is your home will sit… for months. Then it’s a stale listing and buyers will again wonder what is wrong with your home.

What about the appraisal?

Let’s say you do get a contract at an inflated price. Their mortgage company or bank will require an appraisal. That appraisal better come back at your inflated price or that contract will go away. What are the chances of that appraisal happening?

Price your home fairly

What you want is to price your home fairly, or even just below market value. Yes, it goes against your gut feeling about your home’s value, but what it will get you is a sold home.

If you would like to get some real data about how to price your home for sale from a Clearwater Realtor, give us a call today! The Deb Ward Team 727-410-0336

5 Tips For Finding The Perfect Clearwater Waterfront Home

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

You’ve decided to buy a home in Clearwater and think that a waterfront home might just be the kind of home for you. There are a lot of things to consider when looking at waterfront properties before deciding on buying. Here are some things you should think about.

Waterfront properties are more expensive

First things first, can you afford waterfront? Waterfront properties are definitely more expensive and have other expenses that you might not consider at first. Waterfront living is well worth the expense involved.

Insurance

One of them is insurance. Not only will you need to buy homeowners insurance, but also flood insurance. Homeowner’s and flood insurance in Florida are both expensive and will make the monthly cost of waterfront properties considerably higher.

Consider where to look

Do you want to buy in a neighborhood that overlooks the Intercoastal waterways? Maybe a condo overlooking the beaches in Clearwater? A single family home on one of the “fingers”? A home with deep water access? Does waterfront living for you include having a dock? Upkeep will cost you, but will save you from paying fees to a marina. It’s a trade off. So many options! All of these will give you different options, prices and expenses.

Talk to a Realtor

Your best bet is to talk to a Realtor about what you want and what your entire budget is. Find out before looking what things like insurance and upkeep will cost you. Be sure to factor it into your decisions. Waterfront living is fantastic and can be affordable, just be smart and informed about it before jumping in!

If you would like to work with a Clearwater Waterfront Realtor who loves help people find their perfect home, give Deb Ward a call today! 727-410-0336

The Top 4 Ways Your Real Estate Sale Can Go Sideways

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Your Realtor brings you an offer on your home and you think “Hooray! It’s SOLD!” and then it happens… the sale goes sideways. There are a few ways that it can happen and also ways you can either fix it or be proactive to keep it from happening in the first place.

Problem 1:

Your buyer can’t get a mortgage for the purchase. Having financing go awry happens. One way to avoid it is to reject offers from prospective buyers who are not pre-qualified.

Pre-qualified buyers have already started the mortgage process and are less likely to have issues being turned down before settlement. It can happen, for example, if they take out a large loan before settlement, but a buyer savvy enough to get pre-qualified is probably smart enough to not make those kinds of mistakes.

Problem 2:

The bank won’t appraise your home’s value high enough to support the mortgage requested. While this problem may seem to be out of your control, there are things you can do to avoid it. Have your home appraised prior to putting it on the market. Don’t ask a Realtor, ask a bank.

You can get a much better idea of what they will value it for, and can price our home accordingly. If a bidding war gets the price higher than the appraisal will support, ask that the eventual buyer put a large enough down payment to cover the “extra”.

Problem 3:

The home inspection turns up a lot of problems. There are two distinct things you can do if this happens. First, have a home inspection done prior to putting your home on the market. That way you know what issues are there and can fix them ahead of time.

If they turn up at contract, you can offer to contribute to the fix, or if they are minor issues, offer to fix them yourself prior to settlement.

Problem 4:

Buyers back out better known as buyer’s remorse. This one is a hard one to predict. It can happen for many reasons: They might have decided the price was too high, or found their monthly payments were going to be too high. They may have found that repairs were going to be too expensive.

You may be able to counter offer a lower price, or offer to help with closing costs.

these Realtor Tips presented by Deborah Ward, Clearwater Realtor

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.