realtor tips

Should You “Stretch” To Buy A Better Home

November 17, 2021 By Deborah Ward

All of the experts these days say that you shouldn’t even consider going over your budget, even a little, when buying a home. For a lot of people that’s a good piece of advice. But not everyone or every time. Sometimes you should “stretch” to buy a better home. So why and when is this a good idea?

Here’s why

First stretching your budget a bit will get you a home in a better location. That can be very important if you are worried about things like crime, resale value or proximity to a job.

Saving wear and tear on a $20,000+ car for an extra $10,000.00 should be a no brainer. Saving the worry about break-ins, muggings or worse should be a no brainer. Getting more than you purchased your home or ensuring higher equity should be a no brainer.

Stretching for better amenities should also be a no brainer. Again, spending about $10,000 more to get the kitchen or bath you want now instead of spending $30,000-$60,000 or more later should be a no brainer.

So when is it a good idea?

Well that depends on you, but if you’re a newly married couple that is planning for a family, stretching to get into a better school district would be a good reason to stretch.

Getting a starter home in a better neighborhood for the resale value would mean it is a good time to stretch.

One caveat, be super careful about the financing and do your due diligence. If you’re going to try to stretch, be sure you can afford it now and in the foreseeable future.

Why YouTube Works So Well For Real Estate

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

If you’re a realtor and you’re not using YouTube to market your business, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to market yourself and the properties you are selling.

As social media goes, YouTube is a big deal. It has billions of visitors a day. It isn’t just for cute baby or pet videos, or music videos. YouTube is a great way to demonstrate techniques for business. In the real estate business, it’s a great way to do two things: preview a property and share your extensive real estate knowledge.

Using YouTube will make you a popular realtor, meaning more people will be willingly listening to you as you share what you know. And isn’t that what you want? A willing audience?

It’s also handy to use to preview properties. Of course, nothing will ever replace an actual showing of a home, but your prospective buyers will call you because of your videos. People like video tours done by actual realtors because they not only showcase the property, but do it in a way that provides pertinent information. It also provides them with great information about the neighborhood the property is in.

A few tips. First, make an effort to make your videos look, if not professional, competent. Nothing is worse than a video obviously done on a cell phone with poor lighting, whiplash inducing scene changes and a jumpy screen. Invest in an inexpensive video camera. Make sure you have good lighting and pan through slowly. Narration should be natural, but full of information that will make people want to see the property in person.

YouTube is a great way to place yourself as a real estate expert, while getting your properties in the public eye. Make it part of your marketing plan for your business to make it, and you, the name people think of in real estate.

Buying in a Hot Real Estate Market- 5 Ways to Make Sure Your Offer is Accepted

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Buying a home in any market can be stressful, but in a hot seller’s market the stress level can be even worse. Worrying about whether your offer will be accepted, whether you are handling it correctly can make anyone nuts. Did you know that there are things that you can do to make sure your offer is accepted?

Lowball bids

Whether there are a few buyers vying for the same property or just you and it’s the dream home you’ve wanted forever, losing it due to a subpar offer can be averted. One of the bigger reasons sellers reject offers is lowball bids. Even in a buyer’s’ market when sellers can’t be quite as choosy, lowballing them is, well, insulting. In a sellers’ market they don’t have to even consider lowball offers.

Even if their home is overpriced, you still don’t want to insult them with a really low offer. If there are other offers on the table that is NOT the time to go low either. To be taken seriously, offer as close to list as possible, or over if you can.

Contingencies and Demands

Another biggie is contingencies and demands on the seller. It’s not out of line to ask for typical ones, like a home and pest inspection. Another typical one is the purchase being contingent on the sale of your existing home. This can be a sticky one for sellers. It’s not their problem that you have to sell your home and why should they wait? Demands for fixing superfluous things is also a no no if you want your offer accepted. Major repairs can be negotiated, but demanding they touch up paint or other minor fixes is a deal breaker.

Things to do to make your offer better

Three other things you can do to make your offer shine are to:

be prequalified for your mortgage
put a higher down payment on the home
make a cash offer

Any of these key items will make your offer look exceptional! The key to making a winning offer is to be the most advantageous to the seller. That could mean being the highest priced, the most prepared or the one most willing to meet their requirements.

Not sure what to do to make sure your offer is accepted? Rely on your AMAZING Clearwater Realtor to help figure it out! Call Deborah Ward Today! 727-410-0336

Lowball bids

Contingencies and Demands

Things to do to make your offer better

The Deb Ward Team