Staging a home can be beneficial for home sellers, no doubt. There are however a couple misconceptions that exist when it comes to staging that first need to be discussed.
First of all, many real estate agents will convince a seller that because they offer staging services their home will sell for more money. Staging can expedite the sale of a home, but it’s not a magic potion that will solely lead to the sale of a home. Unfortunately many real estate agents lie and convince a seller to hire them because they will stage their home.
Another misconception that exists when it comes to staging is that it costs a ton of money. While staging can cost a ton of money, it doesn’t have to. Staging a home on a budget can be done.
Some home sellers are left scratching their head wondering why their neighbors home sold and theirs didn’t. Oftentimes when a home doesn’t sell there is an easy explanation. If your home is actively sitting on the market, but your competition isn’t, here are 6 of the most common reasons why.
Price
When looking for a new home the majority of home buyers shop by price and want the best bang for their buck! This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to buy the home with the lowest list price, it means when comparing homes they’re going to buy the home with the best value. I recently saw two homes for sale on the same block and the home listed for $60,000 more went under contract while the other home remained active.
Cleaning and maintaining a fireplace can be a DIY job, but before the chimney is cleaned, key areas must be checked. Use these tips to ensure fireplace and chimney safety.
The warm glow of a fireplace is one of nature's simple gifts. To keep things simple and safe, clean the fireplace regularly and know that it is well built. It's also a good idea to have a professional initially inspect the fireplace and chimney even if you plan to clean and maintain it yourself.
When the chimney is cleaned by a technician he will lay down a drop cloth, place lights, plug in a vacuum system, and have an array of tools and brushes at hand. But before the chimney is cleaned, key areas of the chimney are first checked.
Winter is coming. While this may not be something you’re excited for, it is the reality. Many homeowners fail to realize the importance of properly winterizing their home.
Below is a guide on how to properly winterize your home, both the exterior and interior of your home.
Winterizing the Exterior of Your Home
It’s vital to properly winterize the exterior of your home. There are a variety of tasks that you should complete, prior to winter, to make sure you don’t have any problems during the winter months. Below are some of the most common exterior tasks to complete before the winter.
In the modern era where we have text messaging, food delivered within an hour, online bill paying and so many other seemingly instant responses, some things still take time. Preparing a quality meal takes time. Building a strong relationship with a spouse takes time. Improving a credit score can also take time.
For some people, it may only take a few months while other people may have to work on their scores for at least a year. Regardless of your situation, the tips and strategies listed will apply to everyone and will help you improve your credit score.
Pay Every Single Bill on Time, or Early, Every Month
Please understand one thing; paying your bills on time each month is the single most important thing you can do to increase your credit
Many first-time home buyers are surprised to discover just how many ways you can mess up a home purchase. You may have got your pre-approval, found a home you loved and made an offer. But if you want to avoid messing up the transaction, you will need to be extremely careful until the sale has closed.
Use the following tips to protect yourself and your home purchase.
1. Don’t miss loan payments.
You must keep your payments current on all your loan accounts, including credit cards and car loans. The lender will look at your credit again before finalizing your mortgage, and if you have missed any payments, it may lead to you losing the loan.
Many buyers mistakenly believe that once the lender issues their loan commitment, they are golden.
Whether you’re thinking about selling your home or not, home maintenance is crucial. If you’re planning on listing your home for sale in the near future, deferred maintenance is one of the top reasons why home buyers are scared away from a home, so it’s important you don’t neglect your home.
Below are 10 of the most important tips for preparing your home for the fall!
The predictable cycle of real estate is that markets don’t rise forever and that is happening after an extended period of rising sales and prices. The good news is, things are very different today than they were in 2008 when everything came crashing down. In 2008, in our area, prices dropped 20% or more and sales volume dropped similarly. The differences today are, our national and provincial economies remain strong, the banking industry remains strong and people are not looking over their shoulder to see if they are the next one to be laid off. This current slowdown is politically, and policy driven. While we will likely see some initial price drops and sales declines, my assessment is that by Spring 2019 people will have gotten used to the new reality
One of the biggest steps to start your own vacation rental business is completing the process of purchasing a home. Having said that, there are various aspects which you need to keep in mind before buying a vacation home. Let us discuss a few pointers which will help you in making the process of purchase less overwhelming.
1. Have you thought of the location?
Before you start looking for homes, you need to think why exactly you want to have this second home. You can either buy the property for yourself for weekend getaways or give it out for rental. If you want the property to be a relaxing place for your friends and family then you’ll need to look for an area that is easily accessible for everyone and also has plenty of activities to do.
Savvy home sellers are aware that they need to present their home in it’s absolutely best condition to get top dollar. This holds true for any real estate market, whether it’s a buyer’s market or a seller’s market. Sellers often ask us which improvements to tackle first. Equally important – There are some home improvements sellers should avoid when selling a house. Which home improvements don’t bring the return on investment as well as others?
As far as the most important updates, focus on Kitchens and Baths. They are what often sells a home. A typical buyer will go for the home with an updated kitchen and updated bathrooms, because those rooms are more expensive to renovate.
But, when making improvements, a home owner can go overboard. There
