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Selling A Home

Putting the “Real” in Real Estate

Putting the Real in Real Estate

Are you thinking of buying a home? Now more than ever, there are many videos and advertisements explaining the best ways to buy a home or sell a home, but rarely do these authors provide the truth about the property for the average consumer. Here are a few tips and tricks that the smart homebuyer and home sellers engage in when involved in a real estate transaction. The Home Buyer Before purchasing a home, it is essential to locate a competent Realtor to guide you through the process to maximize your dollar and time search.  The most overlooked consideration when shopping for a buyer’s agent is that, many times, working with the agent of your choice can be totally free to you, as buyer’s agents are usually paid for by the seller of the property you buy. Looking for a home can be an extremely stressful event to complete so it is vital to jot down precisely what you want from the new home so that when the closing occurs, there will be no regrets or buyers remorse at the end of the day. The last thing a home buyer, especially a new home buyer wants to occur is to have a home that they are not satisfied. The first step is to understand one’s finances and the amount that can be afforded per month towards a mortgage. Calculating your costs can be done with a mortgage calculator online quickly. Another great way to ensure that you have all the necessary information before purchasing a property is to attend a home buyer education course. These courses are very beneficial and offer a great deal of insight into the world of buying a home, from finances to closing. Afterward, get a highly qualified Realtor to help guide the direction of the home buying process. The Home Seller Before someone is ready to sell their home, it is essential first to decide whether to sell your home cheap, or pay a premium to a full-service broker. The decision on how to sell the property is the very first step to the home selling process. Once the decision is made, the next step is to be sure and assess the comparable property sales in the area so that the property can be priced correctly to sell. If the property is underpriced, the seller may lose a great deal of money. This is the worst-case scenario for anyone selling their home because the purpose of selling a property is to be sure and get back the money that was invested in the first place. Another reason why you want to be confident and look at the comparables is to ensure that the property is not overpriced. If the property is overpriced, unless there is a super motivated and super-rich buyer, the property will likely sit on the market and not get any traction. Once a property is placed online to sell, the number of days on the market is something that the majority of home…

Boston Home Ownership Trends 2019

Boston Home Ownership Trends 2019

Home Ownership Trends For Boston 2019   If your plans for 2019 are to buy a home in Boston, then the time has arrived. Keeping an eye on the changing tides of the housing market can help to choose the best time to enter the market. No one can fully predict the housing trends, however, one could get a sense of the forces that will push thing a certain direction.   More Homes For Sale   In particular, there will be more houses for sale in South Boston in 2019. The homes hitting the market are not enough to keep up with the demand of those wanting home ownership and wanting to buy real estate.   This year the inventory of available homes will rise and recover. The growth will continue, but it will not be blockbuster sales. Buyers love this news, whereas sellers come to a different type of reality. If you try to sell a home, then there will be more competition. Adjusting expectations in the selling market will be a requirement.   Luxury homes usually have a stronger economy, with higher paying jobs. Luxury home growth will be modest. An increase in high-end inventory is expected in Seattle, Boston, Savannah GA, and New Orleans. This may include neighboring towns. These areas could see themselves in the double-digit gains in inventory.   Affording A Home May Still Be A Challenge   The tides may be changing and in favor of the buyer. Home buyers will find it to be easier with more options. At the same time, it will also be a challenge because of the increase in mortgage rates. Mortgage rates could go up to 5.5%, which means a monthly mortgage payment could rise to about 8% higher next year. Meanwhile, personal incomes are not growing at such a rate. Homeowners will feel the pinch. This realization is tougher on first time home buyers. First time home buyers tend to borrow the most and are starting out with no equity to draw from.   When Will The Housing Market Slow Down? Millennials Continue To Dominate Millennials used to be the new kids in buying homes. Now their numbers have grown and they are a big group of home buyers. Millennials account for 45% of mortgages today. With 17% belonging to baby boomers and 37% to Generation X’ers.   Still, the first time home buyer will find it a challenge to jump into the game of buying a home. Those who have home equity will gain more benefits. boston real estate market 2019 Millennials will also carry with them the debt of student loans and typically want to spend money on travel and experiences. Those experiences take away from their down payment which could aid in a lower mortgage payment. Millennials may compromise instead and buy less space, but still own a home, for example.   Tax Law Questionable   The proposed revision of the tax code was battling its way through Congress. Now, we still don’t know, and…

Choosing the Best Real Estate Broker

Real Estate Technology

Why You Should Use the Best Real Estate Brokers to Sell Your Home One of the challenges that homeowners face when it is time to sell is which real estate broker to use. There are real estate agents everywhere you look and it can be challenging to decide which one is best. Difference Between Agent and Broker Its important to first understand, all real estate agents work under a broker.  There are different levels of real estate schooling that is required to become a broker.  In some instances, an agent CAN be a broker — but not THE broker.  There is always a responsible broker that is above the agent, even if the agent IS a broker.  I know that sounds confusing, but one is the difference between how much real estate schooling the agent has taken as well as passing the broker exam. Passing the Real Estate Exam Choosing the Right Broker This is a decision that you should consider carefully if you want to sell your home fast and for a healthy profit.  The more expensive the home, the more you have to loose.  If you are dealing with a luxury home in New Orleans , in excess of $750,000, the difference between a good broker and a great one makes a huge difference. While you may feel that it is best to use a real estate broker who works in your neighborhood, you should know that the best real estate brokers are the ones that have the best closing rate. What is Closing Rate? Closing rate refers to how fast they are able to sell a home and whether they are able to help their clients realize a profit.  While the little guy may be effective in his own way, you want to sell fast and for as high a price as possible. Because more established real estate brokers have usually fined tuned their process for marketing homes for sale, when they list your home, its put on a proven path. You will close your sale in a shorter time than if you choose a broker because he/she is your cousins, brothers long time friend. The other reason why these real estate companies are so effective is that they have the latest technology for real estate. They are, for example, able to show virtual tours of your home to interested clients so that they can make up their minds whether it is what they are looking for.  Many will also take professional photos to make sure that your home is shown in the best light.  They also have technology that allows you to show the home without you necessarily being present – prospective buyers are given ways to access fobs into your home. These are things that your local real estate agent may not have. Visibility of Hour Home For Sale The last important aspect of choosing the right real estate broker is assessing what type of viability they have on the internet.  There are thousands of real estate websites out there,…

Staging a Home

staging a home for sale

Staging a Home “Staging” is the term used to describe the changes made in your home to prepare it for sale.  Staging a home can be as simple as removing extra furniture and cleaning up or as complex as renting furniture and hiring a professional stager. Getting Your Home Sold With the competition in New Orleans real estate, many home sellers  go the extra mile to make their home stand out.  In addition, when staging a New Orleans home for sale, the photos that get disseminated all over the internet look substantially better.  With most home buyers starting their real estate search online, those photos of the home make a great first impression. We all “live” in our homes just as many of us lounge in our pajamas when we’re home.  However, you would not apply for a job or pay increase in your pajamas!  Likewise, your house won’t recruit a new buyer or the best price in its pajamas!  Dressing your house in its best can sometimes be as simple as re-arranging furniture or cleaning windows. There are some areas that have been ahead of the curve when it comes to staging such as Savannah GA.  Some of the top agents in Savannah have been on the cutting edge of staging homes for a quick sale. Contact us today, if you’d like additional info on staging your home for sale.