Preparing Your Home For The Colder Months

Now that the warm summer months are behind us, it’s time to prepare for winter. Regardless of whether you expect to see sub-zero temperatures this season or you live in one of the warmer climates, preparing your home for colder weather can save you money and hassle this winter. So before you dig out your fall sweaters, take a weekend and prepare your home for the cold weather to come.

Save Energy

Fall is a great time to seal drafts in the home which can suck energy out. Check around doors and windows and replace worn weather stripping and caulking. If you use your fireplace for warmth during winter, this is the right time to have the chimney cleaned and checked for safety. Arrange a furnace tune up complete with replacing the filter and vacuuming the vents to make sure you are warming your home efficiently.

Outdoor Tasks

Before the chill turns to freezing, head to the yard to winterize the exterior of your home. Check gutters for clogged leaves and other debris and examine the roof and siding for any repairs which could create leaks or drafts in the cold. If the gardening season is at its end, drain water from outdoor faucets and garden hoses. Make sure the sprinkler system is off and reinforce any exposed pipes which could burst with the cold.

Fall is here. Along with the smell of baking and falling leaves, you can ensure your home is ready for winter by taking a few steps now to prepare. Save energy and the hassle of an unexpected repair by getting some routine maintenance done before the cold months come.

4 Reasons to Sell This Fall

Traditional lore says that the best time to list your home for sale is spring and if it hasn’t sold by the end of the summer, you’re out of luck. Along the same lines, homeowners across the country are often advised not to list in the fall and wait until after the holidays to list. The truth is that a great home will sell at any time of year and in fact there are some very good reasons to list in the fall, while everyone else is busy doing other activities.

4 Reasons to Sell this Fall

1. Less Competition – As mentioned above, most sellers list in the spring so as a seller, fall provides you less competition which increases the opportunity for buyers to view your home.

2. Serious Buyers – Homebuyers in fall often have a timeline to move before the holidays. They tend to take the home search seriously and move to write offers faster and avoid wasting time.

3. Curb Appeal – Fall is a beautiful time of the year and homes always seem cozier as the weather turns. Fall colors in the trees and the scent of baking entice buyers to feel “at home” which encourages offers.

4. Closing is Easier –The pace of home sales slows during the fall; as such lenders can move faster and the process tends to take less time.

The last and best reason to sell this fall is that it’s the right time for you and your plans. Regardless of whether you are relocating, moving up or scaling down, if this is the right time to sell, then this is the best time to sell.

2 Myths Holding Back Home Buyers

Buying a home is a huge commitment and one which should be considered carefully before undertaking. Not only are you committing to years of the mortgage, but you are also putting down roots in a community for some period of time. As more and more millennials consider the pros and cons of buying their first home, they are often confronted with a barrage of information containing half-truths and outright lies. Here are 2 common myths which cause my potential buyers to hold off buying a home.

Myth #1 – You have to have a 20% down payment

While it’s true that most 0% down loans have disappeared after the mortgage meltdown last decade, it’s also true that there are some very attractive loan options which do not require a 20% down payment. Although loans with less than an 80% loan-to-value do require private mortgage insurance, which add cost to the monthly payment, there are many options available with a lower down payment; many lenders offer conventional loans with 5-10% down payments, FHA loans for first time homebuyers require only 3.5% down payment. Qualified veterans can also use the VA loan program to purchase a home with 0%.

Myth #2 – You need great credit

While it is certainly helpful to have a high FICO score and great credit, there are loan programs available for buyers with lower scores. In fact, a survey done last fall indicated that over 50% of new loans in the past year were for people with FICO scores in the 600-649 range.

The main point is that buying a home is a great investment in your future, both financially and personally. Before you assume you aren’t ready to buy a home, talk with a lender and learn your options. Don’t let these myths keep you from a new home.

The Seller Rejected Your Offer – What Now?

Finding the right home is a serious process. Just like any other long term commitment, you’ve likely spent a great deal of time finding a home that you love and can picture yourself spending your life in. So what happens when you think you’ve found the right one but the seller rejects your offer? Here are 3 ways to deal with losing out on the home you had your heart set on.

1. Don’t obsess over the seller.

It is natural to want to know why your offer was rejected and you may want to start to ask questions about the seller’s motives. You could spend all your time doing that research, instead of continuing your search for a home. It may be difficult, but moving on is your best option. You will never know how a stranger is thinking, so rather than heartbreak, keep searching. They may want to come back to the table, but just in case they don’t, it is better for you if you are still trying to find a dream home.

2. If you haven’t put out your best offer yet, now is the time.

Maybe you wanted some room for negotiations, so your offer was lower than what you’re willing to pay for the home. This is the time to consider if this house really is ‘the one.’ If you feel that you are willing to exchange that wiggle room for your dream home, it is time to make that your best offer.

3. Move on when it is time.

If you’ve made your best offer and your seller just isn’t ready, it is time to move on. It can be easy to get hung up on a house that felt like it could be your next home, but you will be thankful that you focused on moving on. Even if it takes time, you will be thankful that you moved on and kept looking when you find yourself in your true dream home.

Just like any other long term commitment, searching for the right home is worth the wait.

Finding The Right Home For You

If you’re a first time home buyer, the stress of choosing the perfect house for your family can feel overwhelming at first. While that stress may seem very real, it is often unnecessary. Instead of entering the market trying to find a house that is perfect in every way, keep an open mind. Approach the situation with a willingness to hear ideas and you are much more likely to find a home that you and your family will love. The process can be long and require work, but it will be worth it in the end – and it doesn’t have to drive you crazy. Here are some tips to guide you when you are trying to find potential new homes and how to know if it is the right one for you.

DECIDE ON DEAL BREAKERS

The easiest way to narrow down the right house for you is to start by deciding what you either can’t live without or cannot tolerate. If two bedrooms will never work for you, or you must have a large backyard for your pets, create a list of those things so that you can rule out properties that just aren’t worth your time. 

TRUST YOUR GUT

There may be times when you walk into a home and it seems like it may fit what you need, but there is just something off that you can’t shake. On that same note, if you tour a home and you instantly fall in love, don’t doubt your feelings. Sleeping on a house you love for too long can end up in you losing that home to someone else. Trust your instincts and you will end up in the home that is perfect for you.

TRY TO VISUALIZE

Can you see yourself in this home? Can you imagine your children playing in the backyard and doing homework in the kitchen? If you are touring a home and can already picture what it would be like for your family to live there, you are heading in the right direction.

KEEP LOCATION IN MIND

While a house may check most of your boxes, don’t forget to consider the neighborhood. Are things that are important to your family close by? Are you close enough to good schools or your place of employment? Make sure that you consider location factors so that you don’t end up in a home that becomes an inconvenience.

TRUST YOUR AGENT

While it is important to know what you want and trust your gut in the process, don’t forget that your agent has your best interest in mind. They want to find you the perfect home, and they have worked hard to do that for many others before you. They know the ins and outs of the real estate world, and are there to help you if you are willing to trust them! 

Back-to-School Home Organization Tips

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After a few months of having your kids at home throughout the day, sometimes organization and order go out the window. On top of the other stresses that come with a new school year, a messy house adds just another kink in the transition from summer break to school time. Instead of trying to manage the chaos while school shopping and preparing for the new year, tackle these home organization steps now so that you can stress a little less when you drop them off on their first day back!

1. Clean out the fridge, clear it off, and restock!

Get your fridge ready for the new year. Instead of scrambling that first week back, clear out any expired foods now and get lunch supplies. Clear off all of the summer projects and invitations for events that have passed, and put any helpful information for the school year up on the fridge.

2. Inventory the kids’ closets.

Back-to-school shopping is often the best part of the process for your children. But before you head out, take an inventory of what they already have. Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit and see what they may need instead of guessing while you are out shopping. Once you’ve made room for new items, organize what is left so adding new clothes and finding that first day outfit will be a breeze.

3. Create your own mission control center.

Take advantage of that wall you’ve been struggling to decorate and create a mission control center for your family. Add a calendar, a folder for each child, notepads, writing tools, and anything else that will help keep your entire family on the same page.

4. Work on making a menu.

Even when lunches are handled, dinners can be overwhelming during the school year. Between sports, activities, and everything in between, sometimes making sure a well-rounded meal is on the table every night can be a headache. Create a menu and meal prep as much as possible every Sunday to save yourself the stress of meal planning every day.

How to Keep a Clean Home – Weekly List

Keeping a clean home can be a challenge even when you do not have your home listed for sale. Many people are fortunate enough to have regular house cleaners take care of this – for the rest of us, we find time in our week to take care of our home ourselves.

Experts suggest that creating a schedule to accomplish the important tasks each week is the best way to keep a clean home without the stress. Taking into account that things change, customize this schedule/list to fit your own weekly activities. By using this plan, you will keep your home clean all week, with only 5 days of effort.

Day 1 – Dust and then vacuum the home. Dust first as the dust will fall onto the floor. Mop any hard surface floors as well.

Day 2 – Deep clean bathrooms, shower and toilets, clean mirrors and shine fixtures.

Day 3 – Address the kitchen. Check the inside of the microwave, oven and clean drips off of cabinets.

Day 4 – Window day. Clean all the windows you can reach. Hire a professional if needed.

Day 5 – Garden work. Trim trees, remove weeds and remove debris

Sounds easy, right? No. It’s hard to carve out time during the week, but breaking up the work into smaller chunks makes it less burdensome. Of course throughout the week, check for basic maintenance; countertops, kitchen spills and pet hair, etc. This schedule is a framework you can use to create your own plan and make sure your home is always clean.

FIRST TIME HOME-BUYER TIPS

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Maybe your goal right this second is to become a homeowner; but you’re aware that you don’t have a good standing credit score and/or don’t know which steps to take… No problem!

I have added a series of tips right below; if you follow this order, you will be closer to your target of HOME-OWNERSHIP!

1. Get a copy of your credit report | You may order online from annualcreditreport.com.

2. Improve your score for best rates | Even if your score is right at the edge to get pre-approved, you should still want to improve your score to its maximum to obtain the best rates. You can hire a credit repair agency to improve your score. Keep in mind that this can cost you a few hundred, but if you hire the right agency this will have you stress-free and on the road to home-ownership faster than you could have imagined!

3. Get pre-approved before house hunting | Once you have improved your score; the first thing you need to do is mortgage shop. Conduct your research on reputable lenders (I recommend 2-3), schedule a consultation and interview them. You want to mortgage shop around to compare rates and fees.

4. See what type of loans you qualify for | There are many loan programs to offer home-buyers. Your lender should be able to explain each and every loan program there is, as well as recommend the best program for you. Your lender will also inform you on down payment options and discuss about budgeting for closing costs and other expenses.

5. Hire a real estate agent | Once you are pre-approved; it’s time to look for a real estate agent. You want to work with an agent whose priority is understanding and achieving their client goals along with neighborhood knowledge. Keep in mind this is the person you will be working with to help you find your dream home.

6. Make a list of must-haves for your home | Before you meet your agent, prepare a list of your criteria, such as: location, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, parking, etc… Schedule a meeting: get to know your agent, discuss about your goals, your family goals, lifestyle, work and so forth; this will help your agent get to know you more and have a better sense of what you are looking for. Your agent will also be able to explain the home-buying process from beginning to end. Feel free to ask as many as questions as you need. Full clarity is better than uncertainty, 100%!

7. Let your agent schedule house tours | Your agent will continuously send you listings according to your criteria, let them know which homes you would like to visit and your agent will proceed with scheduling.

8. Search for a house that fits your lifestyle. I.e. work life, school life, kids, pets, etc. | Dreams are only a home away!

Buying a Foreclosure – Pros and Cons

About 10 years ago it seemed that almost every home listing was either a short sale or foreclosure. Fortunately, the US housing market has recovered and these distressed properties are less common. Still, there are foreclosures or REO (real estate owned) homes for sale and buyers who are searching for bargains tend to be drawn to them. But are they really as good a deal as they seem? Before writing that offer, consider the pros and cons of buying a foreclosure.

Pros
– The biggest pro is that they are cheaper, typically about 5-7% cheaper.
Banks do not want to hold onto property they’ve been forced to take back.
They want them sold and price them aggressively to get offers, normally
multiple offers.
– The bank is impersonal. When negotiating, a bank will only consider the
dollar and cents of the deal; they are not emotionally involved.

Cons
– The biggest con is the condition of the home. The previous sellers clearly
were in some kind of financial distress and chances are good there is
deferred maintenance or other problem with the home.
– The bank is impersonal. This can work against you as well. The bank does
not care who buys the home and will not be swayed with emotional
appeals.

Buying a foreclosure can be a real deal or a real dud. Consider the pros and cons carefully before investing in a foreclosure.

You’re Making Your Landlord Rich

While you’re fussing over your bills, did you realize you’re making your landlord rich? Rentals are the most lucrative business to get into. It turns ordinary people into multi-millionaires. The next time you’re afraid of committing to a mortgage, keep in mind that you’ve already committed to paying off the mortgage of someone else – every single month you rent. The only time home buying doesn’t make sense is if you’re still living with your parents rent-free. Or you prefer to live out of an R.V. or tent. But if you prefer to live in a home, or a condo, it always makes the most sense to buy.

Stop making your landlord rich and start building your own net worth. You can still enjoy owning a home – even if you don’t intend to stay in an area for long. You can always resell your home, most often for more money than you put in, or turn it into a lucrative side business by hiring a property management company to rent it out on your behalf. Whatever you decide, don’t be afraid of a mortgage commitment – you’re paying one regardless. Now ask yourself, do you want to make yourself money or make your landlord money?

Tips to Get Settled in A New Home

Moving into a new home? We know how exciting it can be! Here is a compiled a list of a few things you can do after your move to make sure your experience is comfortable. The hardest part of a move is getting settled in, after that, let’s handle a few loose ends that sometimes get forgotten about until the last minute.

CHECK MAJOR APPLIANCES

Be sure to check all the appliances to ensure everything is still in working order after the move. You want to make sure nothing was broken in the move or stopped working suddenly. Look at things such as your stove, dishwasher, washer and dryer, refrigerator, and microwave. If you brought any appliances yourself and you used movers, you’ll want to make sure everything still works with them, since mover’s insurance companies give a limited timeframe for when you can make a claim.

CHECK ALL OF YOUR BOXES & FURNITURE

Be sure to go over all your boxes and furniture to make sure nothing got damaged during the move. Be sure that everyone has arrived and didn’t get lost in the process. If you notice something is missing a month later, it may be too late to file a claim with the moving company. Even if you don’t plan on unpacking everything as soon as you move in, just do a quick review and inventory everything you brought to protect yourself and your belongings.

SET UP UTILITIES

Did you remember to set up your utilities before moving in? There’s nothing more frustrating than moving into your home to realize the lights don’t work. Make sure you’ve gotten with all the necessary utility companies to have everything turned on in time for your move.

REGISTER INTO A GOOD SCHOOL

You may have already known to look for a school for your kids prior to your move, but if you haven’t yet found one, be sure to research all the schools local to you to find the right fit for your family. The sooner you can find the right school and register, the easier and less stressful it will be to get them in and settle.

REGISTER YOUR CAR

If you’ve moved to a new state or country, you’ll want to make sure to register your car in your new hometown and update your driver’s license, tags, and plates.

CONNECT TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Join sites like Nextdoor.com or get a subscription to your local magazine/newspaper to stay in touch with what’s going on in your neighborhood. Be sure to also join local community Facebook groups. You can find out about events or concerns relating to your community.

GETTING YOUR MAIL

Have you updated your address from all the people you’ll be expecting to get mail from? Like your bank, friends, family, and services you still pay for after your move. Check with the post office to have things redirected to your new address while you work to update your info with everyone else.

 FIND THE RIGHT PROFESSIONALS

If you’re moving far from your last home, you’ll want to have the right connections. Find a new doctor, dentist, vet, handyman, plumber, etc. Add them into a contact book that’s easily accessible.

EMERCENY CONTACT LIST

If you’re moving to a new country, 911 won’t be the local emergency number. Make sure you have all the correct numbers in the case of an emergency. This can also include doctors, the local police station, a vet, etc.

INSURANCE COMPANIES

More than likely, you handled home insurance and home warranty during the purchasing process. If you haven’t, be sure to get those taken care of right away. You’ll also want to get your auto, health, and any other necessary household insurances sorted for your move.

Don’t Replace Your Agent With The Internet

 

With the rise of new technology and web-based solutions, it is not a surprise that everything is moving fast into the era of the internet. From sites like Uber to Grubhub, we generally can pull up our phones or laptops to order what we want with ease. And with every industry being revolutionized by technology, the same methods are “attempting” to be applied to the real estate industry.

We could all agree that the simplification of the process through paperwork would be much appreciated by agents and buyers/sellers alike; but the attempt of replacing the agent by sites like Zillow and other third-party resources, can lead to a snowball effect of disaster. Think about real estate being smack dab in the middle of fast food and a doctor. You can use your mobile device to quickly place your order for a $20 meal, but when it comes to getting a surgery, you’ll want to put that phone down and visit a professional.

Now, think of your real estate agent being in the middle of all of that. You can use your devices to look for a home, look at market data the way you look at WebMD, knowing not to take it too seriously because you need a real professional’s input, but it’s fun and gives you a general idea of what to expect. But, therein lies the issue, the data online is an oversimplified version of what goes into the process of buying and selling. The same way it oversimplifies medical diseases and surgeries, you’d still expect to get a professional’s diagnosis.

Although a real estate agent is not quite like a doctor, the industry in its legalities, contracts, and processes is similar in the sense that it needs to be taken seriously. Looking for a house online and wanting to put an immediate offer on one can be exciting and fun, but the issues that require a professional’s guidance comes after the initial contract is written up and the hard work comes into place to make the home your own. Same for sellers, if you decide to put your home on the market and want a website that will give you an automatic offer, how do you know you’re not being taken advantage of in the price? But most importantly, how do you know you’re not being taken advantage of in other aspects of the contract? Because there is a lot more to the sale of the home then just agreeing on a number.

The next time you’re digging through public sites for homes for sale, and getting instant home valuation estimates, keep in mind that this is a simple process to give you an idea of your market. A very general idea. But after you’ve found the perfect house, or after you’ve decided that the numbers make some sense for you to sell, call your favorite real estate agent and make sure they give you a more detailed look into the market and assist you through the full process, not just the exciting first parts; because it’s going to be in the middle of a contract when the lending is falling apart, or negotiations can’t be made on repairs and emotions are at an all-time high, that you are going to wish you had put down your laptop and had an agent fighting for you by your side. Use the internet, have fun with it’s amazing resources, but don’t let it replace your agent. We aren’t in an age, just yet, where technology can do everything a professional can.