Realtor – Page 5

Is A Condo The Right Choice For Me?

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

You’ve decided to buy your own home. Your Realtor has asked you if you’d be interested in looking at condos. So, is a condo the right choice for you?

Can be a great choice

A condominium, or condo for short, can be a great choice for certain people. If you are single, newly married, or retired, a condo may be a good choice. The reasons are many. A condo is a form of home ownership in which the individual owns their unit, everything from the four walls and in, but not the outside parts or the ground the unit sits on. Those areas, known as common areas, are owned by all of the individual unit owners collectively. These are things like hallways, walkways, pools, and so on.

Association of owners

The maintenance of these areas is the responsibility of an association which includes every unit owner. That membership includes an obligation to pay monthly dues and any special assessment fees for larger maintenance issues, like a new roof or painting all the buildings. Typically, the association hires contractors to do the actual maintenance, so individual owners don’t have to do the grass cutting, pool cleaning and so on.

So, is it for you?

Maybe so. Condos can be more cost effective for people buying their first home or for people who are retiring and downsizing. Condos tend to cost less to purchase, so a mortgage payment is lower. You aren’t paying for what it costs to have a pool. You aren’t paying extra for a gym membership. With fewer maintenance requirements, that helps costs as well. There is no need to buy lawn equipment, no need for pool supplies, no need for whatever things usually purchased by homeowners to care for their homes. There is also the time savings. No lawns to mow, no gardens to weed, no pools to vacuum.

There are also the social benefits

Since you share common areas, socializing is easier to do. As with an apartment building, neighbors are in close proximity, for good and bad.

So is it for you? Go see one and find out.

Getting Your House in Shape to Sell

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

If you’ve decided to sell your Florida home, getting it in tip top shape isn’t optional, especially if you want to get top dollar. You can start home staging on your own, with some of the tips below, but your best bet is to then have a great realtor come in and do a good walk through to see if you missed anything.

The first things you need to do in getting your home in shape to sell is clean and declutter your home. Realistically you will be doing both at the same time. Go room to room and look around. You should be taking down and packing up at least half of what is in it, and in closets and cabinets. You’re going to be moving and packing anyway, so get a head start. As you are removing things you will see areas of your home that need a good scrubbing or fixing.

Getting your home in shape to sell means making your home look less personal. Personal things should be the first to be packed. Buyers want to be able to picture their things in the house, and seeing your family pictures and memorabilia everywhere will make that difficult. Clutter also makes rooms look and feel smaller. Small doesn’t get you top dollar, spacious does, so the more it feels spacious, the better.

As you pack, scrub. The cleaning should be a deep, floor to ceiling and everything in between cleaning. Under furniture, in closets, behind doors because buyers look everywhere. Steam clean carpets, wax and buff hard woods and make every surface gleam.

Fixing things in the house helps you in getting your home in shape to sell. Once things are clean and decluttered, you will probably see things that need fixing. Fill nail holes in walls, spackle and touch them up. Chipped paint on door jams and woodwork are noticeable and make things look shabby. If you find that the touch ups don’t match the paint on the wall, repaint. This is especially true if your walls are dark or bright colors. Neutral is better. Make sure cupboards open and shut, that their doors are level and match and that no faucets are dripping. Bedrooms and baths should get new linens. Find bedding that looks modern and minimal.

Now you should have your realtor come in and let you know what still needs to be done. The owners that follow our advice frequently sell faster and for more money than they thought they would get!

Give us a call today to find out about listing your Clearwater or St Pete 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!

Should Your Realtor Be Texting, Emailing or Calling You – Technology Based Realtor Tools

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Seems everyone these days is anchored firmly to their smart phone. Scan a bus, train, waiting room or store and you’ll find at least one person scrolling through something on its screen. Maybe that person is you.

If it is, should your Realtor be texting, emailing or calling you? Shouldn’t your Realtor be using technology based tools to best communicate with you? The answer, of course, is yes. Your Realtor should be up to date on all the latest smartphone and technology based Realtor tools available.

Your Realtor should be communicating with you in the way that works best for you. Here are a few examples:

Busy Moms

A busy mom who is hardly ever at home, whether working, carting kids to activities or running errands, can’t be tied to one place waiting for a call to a landline. In fact, she would probably prefer to have a quick text message or email she can check on her smartphone while she’s on the run.

Office Worker

Someone who works full time in an office setting may be able to take a phone call more easily than answer a text message. Paying attention to which number, office land line, office cell or personal cell is important. Does their office frown on taking calls on a personal smartphone? Do they work in a “cube farm” and need to keep a ringer off?

On the road

Someone on the road a lot, whether for a job or that busy errand running mom, may not be able to safely answer a text message or even take a call on their smartphone. Your Realtor should ask if email would be a better option.

Apps

There are also other technological answers that could help. Apps that allow people to text from a computer means a desk bound office worker CAN answer a text and may prefer it to trying to answer a smartphone call.

Technology today means that communication may be even more complicated, but your Realtor should take the time to find out which method works best for you, then use it to keep you up to date and in the loop.

Tips For Buying and Selling A Home At The Same Time!

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

You own a home and for whatever reasons; need for more or less space or job transfer or whatever, you decide you need to sell your current home and buy a new one. You’ve been told that buying and selling simultaneously is impossible, but you also know you need to do it.

The good news is that it is possible to buy and sell at the same time, it just takes some juggling and good decision making. Here are some tips to make it work for you.

Your financial situation

First, have a good knowledge of your financial situation. Have your current home appraised not just for value, but for a realistic selling price. Get a payoff balance on your mortgage. The payoff figure isn’t the same as the balance shown on your mortgage statement. The mortgage company will charge certain fees or amounts of interest. Your escrow balance is normally either refunded to you at settlement or after, so it won’t affect your payoff figure.

Knowing these figures will give you your equity in your current home. It won’t be an exact figure but should give you a better idea of what you will bring to the table in a purchase. It will also give you information to tell your new mortgage company about money down possibly getting you a better rate.

Knowing your finances will also tell you if you could afford a month or two of double mortgage payments if the sale and purchase don’t coincide and what updates you can afford on your current home.

Next, as with any sale, pack, declutter and update

Pack up your things, which by default declutters the space, leaving only what you really need to use for the next 30 to 90 days. Repair any issues and paint the space if it needs it to make it look fresher for potential buyers. Make any necessary updates, especially to baths and kitchens.

Money spent wisely now will pay off at sale.

Now start your new home shopping

Whether you have listed your home or not this can give you an idea of what the current market is for both sellers and buyers. If you are moving to another city or state, take a weekend to go and look. It can help you make decisions about updates needed on your current home and give you an idea of what you will need to buy in the new area.

Lastly, rely on your Realtor

If you are staying local, he or she can help you in both transactions. If you are moving out of state he or she can help you find a buyers agent in your new location. One or both can help you make the best decision for your situation.

Survival Tips For House Hunting With Kids | Buying A House

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

House hunting is exciting, exhausting and stressful… and that’s only for the adults. Throw in a few small children and it can be almost too much. So how do you manage to hunt for your next home with the kids? Here are some survival tips for all the parents out there.

Use a sitter or Grandma

Survival Tips For House Hunting With Kids First, if you can leave the kids at home with a sitter or drop them at grandma’s house, do it. Think about it, your six year old heads in one direction, the four year old in the other, all while the two year old goes directly for the most dangerous thing in each room.

And you’re going to be able to concentrate on the home you are touring? Hardly! So if you can, leave them home. If you want them to see where they might be living, then do a second look through of your narrowed down choices.

If you have to bring the kids, be prepared!

Pack snacks, drinks and their favorite toy. If you have an iPad or tablet with some games, bring that. Then keep the house hunting moving. If you walk into a home that just doesn’t appeal to you from the git-go, tell the Realtor immediately so you can move on.

The other consideration is safety. You never know what may be behind a door, handrail-less stairs or sunken tubs or rooms that kids could hurt themselves with or in. Set basic rules with the kids that they keep their hands to themselves, don’t open doors, hold parental hands and that misbehavior will NOT be tolerated should be reviewed before each house showing.

Also, follow in your own car so you don’t have to move car seats or worry about kids spilling the aforesaid drinks or snacks in the Realtor’s vehicle. The upside? You can discuss the properties without the listening ear of the Realtor!

Older kids can also be helpful in the house hunting

Have them do some of the footwork about the area on the internet, and when at homes have them take pictures or keep a checklist. Younger kids can feel included if you let them have input about what they want in their new house. Their own bedroom? A playroom? Big backyard? BUT, don’t let them think they have the last word. As parents and the people paying for the home, you are in charge. They may want that huge house you saw with the inground pool, but you know it’s out of your budget. Be the parent!