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Curb Appeal: Simple Ideas To Boost Your Home Value

When homebuyers cruise past your property on the way to a nearby home that’s listed for sale, they make judgments about the neighborhood based on what they see.

Four Ways Buying a Condo is Different from Buying a Home

As a potential homebuyer, you may look at a variety of property types before making your final decision. Will a condo work for your lifestyle? Maybe you’re thinking about a single-family home with a big yard for your family. Either way, making the decision between a home or a condominium is much easier when you know the ins and outs of financing each and how they differ from each other.

What’s the Difference Between an Appraisal and an Inspection?

Home appraisals are done by an appraiser to help set a value of your home. Lenders use an appraisal to make sure they’re not lending a borrower more than the value of the home and that your buyers haven’t paid you more than your home is worth.

3 Common Questions When Buying a Vacation Home

Are you thinking about buying a vacation home? If so, there are a few questions I'm sure you have. Fortunately, we have the answers, so that you can be fully prepared when you make the decision to buy a vacation home.

Is This Your Situation: Why Isn’t My Home Selling?

Your home could be languishing on the market simply because the market is down. However, in a seller's market like today, the culprit is likely something simple and easily correctable. If your home is seeing no interest, ask yourself these five questions:

Is This Your Situation: Buying a Second Home and Renting the First?

We all love our first home, however, as time goes on, you may find yourself ready to move on to bigger and better things. Whether you need more space, want to move to a new area, or are just looking to upgrade, it might be time to find a new home. But when you find a new place, what happens to your first home? Rather than selling, many homeowners are discovering the benefits of renting out their first home when they move on to the next.

4 Speedy Tips to Prep Your Home for a Showing in Under 30 Minutes

There’s a saying, you only have one opportunity to make a first impression. This is true for all things—the first time you meet someone new, a job interview or the first time you show your house for sale. The first impression is lasting and can determine if you hook a buyer for your house.

The Myth of the 20% Down Payment

You may have been told that you should put down 20% to buy a home. This may give you more choices and let you avoid private mortgage insurance, but this large amount may not be prudent, or necessary, in all circumstances. Some experts advise keeping your mortgage down payment small — a strategy that sets you up so you'll be better assured of liquidity when life happens.

Is This Your Situation: Getting Your Home Ready for an Open House?

Selling your home can be hectic, so you might not have a ton of free time to focus on upgrades. Fortunately, there are a few easy fixes that can be done in a weekend. These tips will help you to get your home in the best shape for open houses without being too expensive or labor intensive. Making a good first impression can go a long way towards negotiating the successful sale of your home.

Is This Your Situation: Buying a Home as a Single

Buying a home alone doesn’t have to be intimidating. Now, more singles than ever are taking this big step alone. To make sure that your home buying experience is successful, use these five tips for buying a home alone.

5 Common Homebuyer Turnoffs and How to Avoid Them

Buyers click with a home on an instinctive level more times than not. Even after weighing the dollars and cents, a prospective buyer may make an offer on a home that costs more than they budgeted for or walk away from a home that is priced exactly right. Sometimes it's something as simple as a bad first impression like these:

4 Tips for Attending Open Houses

Attending an open house is the exciting first step most prospective homeowners take in their journey to find their dream home. It can be filled with many fun first experiences like talking with a Realtor or formulating ideas of what you want in your home, however, it can also be a little overwhelming. The key to locating the perfect home is attending as many open houses as you can and taking in all the information you can about purchasing a home. You must have a good strategy for attending each open house.

Is This Your Situation: Buying a Home While Selling Your Old One?

In a typical home buying process, there are nerves, panic and pure frustration. But just think of the headaches created when you have to sell your house and buy a new one at the same time. If your timing is off, you could wind up paying two house payments each month until your house gets sold. Follow these 3 steps to time your move correctly.

5 Simple Home Buying Mistakes that Have a Big Impact

Buying a home can be a stressful process. Your home is most likely the most expensive item you will purchase this year - or even this decade - so you will want to make sure that you're not falling prey to simple mistakes that many homebuyers make. Making even one of these mistakes can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Is This Your Situation: What Do I Need to Disclose to the Buyer Before Selling My Home?

Are you selling your home? If you're parting ways with your home in the near future or thinking about selling later on down the road, there's a number of things you must disclose to the potential buyer depending on the state in which you reside. Some of the suggestions on the list might surprise you, so it's best to do your research and know everything you need to reveal before diving into a deal. With your legal requirements and civil duties as a seller in mind, don’t sell your home without disclosing these seven things.

Is This Your Situation: What Happens After Someone Makes an Offer on My Home?

The exciting moment when an offer to purchase your home comes in can also feel a little overwhelming. One common first impulse is to ask "How much are they offering?" While price is an important factor, it's also important to sit back and look at the big picture when negotiating a sale. Consider the following:

12 Ways to Invest Less Than $1,000 in Your Home and Sell It for More

When it’s time to sell, every homeowner wants to get the highest sales price possible. One of the best strategies to keep the price high is to eliminate reasons for buyers to reduce their offers. At first glance, it may seem counterproductive to spend money when you’re trying to sell your home for the best price, but it does make sense. A thoughtful and limited cash infusion to your home will make it show better, perhaps function better, and attract more homebuyers.

Understanding Closing Costs

Closing costs are an essential expense of homebuying and include a variety of payments beyond your property's purchase price. Part of the closing cost, the real estate agent commissions, is paid by home sellers.

5 Reasons Not To Fear Selling Your Home

Selling your home can be stressful, we know. But, having an experienced resource on your side (like us, your real estate professionals), can help alleviate the anxiety and make your home-selling experience smooth.

What Every Seller Needs To Know About Renovating This Year

If you’re planning to sell this year, you’re probably thinking about what you’ll need to do to get your house ready to appeal to the most buyers. It’s crucial to work with a trusted real estate professional who knows your local market to get your home ready to sell. But there are a few things you should consider when deciding what to renovate and update before listing this season. Here are three things to keep top of mind as you’re making your list of projects to tackle this year...

Is This Your Situation: Buying a House While Selling Another One?

Everyone talks about the steep learning curve of buying your first home, and they're right to. But your first purchase is also the easiest home purchase you'll ever make. After that, you need to not only find a new home but also find a buyer for your current home. Most confusingly of all, if you're like many people, most of your wealth is tied up in your home. Does that mean you can't get preapproved for a mortgage until you've sold your home? Where do you live in the meantime?

Is This Your Situation: Trying To Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal?

When you've lived in a property for years, you seldom think about how it looks to outsiders. After all, you know your home from the inside out, and when you have concerns about it, they're often about something invisible or out of sight, whether it's the plumbing in the bathroom or the storage space in the attic. But when you're selling the house, the most important thing is the exterior. That's what will give a potential buyer a first impression that will shape the rest of the tour. So how do you make sure your house wows buyers from the first glance?

The Top Indicator if You Want To Know Where Mortgage Rates Are Heading

Mortgage rates have increased significantly since the beginning of the year. Each Thursday, Freddie Mac releases its Primary Mortgage Market Survey. According to the latest survey, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has risen from 3.22% at the start of the year to 3.55% as of last week. This is important to note because any increase in mortgage rates changes what a purchaser can afford. To give you an idea of how rising mortgage rates impact your purchasing power...

Two Reasons Why Today’s Housing Market Isn’t a Bubble

You may be reading headlines and hearing talk about a potential housing bubble or a crash, but it’s important to understand that the data and expert opinions tell a different story.

What Does the Rest of the Year Hold for the Housing Market?

If you’re thinking of buying or selling a house, you’re at an exciting decision point. And anytime you make a big decision like that, one thing you should always consider is timing. So, what does the rest of the year hold for the housing market? Here’s what experts have to say.

Are There More Homes Coming to the Market?

According to a recent survey from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), one of the top challenges buyers face in today’s housing market is finding a home that meets their needs. That’s largely because the inventory of homes for sale is so low today...

The One Thing Every Homeowner Needs To Know About a Recession

A recession does not equal a housing crisis. That’s the one thing that every homeowner today needs to know. Everywhere you look, experts are warning we could be heading toward a recession, and if true, an economic slowdown doesn’t mean homes will lose value.