by KatieM | Dec 10, 2020 | For Buyers
Most real estate agents will tell you summer is the peak real estate season. In fact, around half of all homes sold during the year are sold during the summer. There are many reasons for this – families have an easier time house-hunting when their kids are out of school, the weather is much nicer, and more.
Despite the reasons why most homebuyers buy new homes in the summer, you might want to consider buying a home at the end of the year. Here’s why:
- Better Moving Prices – The cost of moving can be expensive. However, moving companies often base their rates on how busy they are. As you can imagine, they’re busiest during the summer when the majority of homes are being sold. They’re much less busy in the winter, which means they’ll be more affordable.
- Less Competition – There will be fewer buyers during the winter since most people go house-hunting in the summertime. You’ll be much less likely to find yourself in a bidding war for the home you want. With fewer buyers, you also have more negotiating power with sellers.
- More Motivated Sellers – Homesellers fully understand summer is the best time of year to sell. If they have listed their house during the winter, it means that they likely need to sell, and probably as fast as possible. They could be forced to sell as a result of their financial situation or because they are relocating for work. Whatever the reason, there’s a good chance they will be more willing to negotiate.
These are just a few reasons to consider buying a home during the fall and winter seasons at the end of the year. For additional real estate advice, contact us at Randy Lindsay today.
by KatieM | Nov 27, 2020 | For Sellers
Pricing your home can be a little more complicated than you might think. There’s a lot more to the value of your home than just the price you initially paid for it and the money you put into home improvements.
It’s critical to get your pricing right. If you price it too high, buyers aren’t going to bother submitting a bid, resulting in your house sitting on the market for a potentially long time. And the longer it sits on the market, the harder it will become to sell.
With that in mind, the following are a few tips on how to price your home to sell:
1. Consider the Current Real Estate Market
If you’re in a seller’s market, there are going to be more buyers than sellers, meaning you have some more flexibility when it comes to your price. However, setting a fair price can also help spark a bidding war.
On the other hand, if you’re in a buyer’s market, there are going to be fewer buyers and more sellers, which means overpricing your home is going to scare buyers away.
2. Compare Your Home to Recent Sales in Your Area
To get an accurate value of your home, you should compare it to similar houses that sold in your neighborhood within the past 6 months. This will give you a better idea of what the market has determined the value of your home to be.
3. Take into Account How Desirable Your Area Is
The quality of your neighborhood has a big impact on pricing. Things like a good school system and lots of local amenities can affect the value of your house.
These are three tips that will help you to price your home to sell. Pricing your home too high can make it difficult to sell while pricing it too low can cause you to lose money.
For professional help pricing your home, be sure to contact us at Randy Lindsay today.
by KatieM | Nov 12, 2020 | For Buyers
A bidding war is just one of the many challenges you may face when buying a home. A bidding war occurs when more than one buyer submits a bid for a house.
When this happens, the seller can sit back and let the buyers bid against each other, driving the price up. The last thing you want is for the price of a house to go up, so you’ll want to avoid a bidding war if possible. The best way to do this is by making sure your initial offer is a strong one.
You can do that by doing the following:
- Avoid lowballing the seller – Don’t try to lowball the seller. When you do this, you waste valuable time, giving other buyers a chance to submit a stronger offer. Make an offer you think the seller will actually accept. This can reduce the risk of a bidding war.
- Make your offer quickly – Buying a house is a huge decision and one that people typically want to think about first. However, the longer you take to make up your mind, the more likely it is that someone else is going to come along and submit a bid. If you see a house that meets all your needs, you should make your offer quickly. The faster you submit a bid, the more likely you are to avoid a bidding war.
- Provide proof of funds – Proof of funds (such as a mortgage pre-approval) strengthens your bid. Sellers are more likely to accept offers on the spot if they know the buyer has the money.
- Remove contingencies – Removing certain contingencies, such as minor repair requests during the inspection, can move the process along and prevent new buyers from coming into the picture.
Use these tips to avoid a potential bidding war when buying a home. For more advice on navigating the real estate world and buying a new home, contact us at Randy Lindsay today.
by KatieM | Oct 22, 2020 | For Sellers
When it comes to staging your home and showing it to potential buyers, there are a lot of things you’ll want to take into consideration. After all, you want your home to look its very best in the photographs posted on your listing and in-person; during an open house or private tours.
Lighting is an underrated facet of successfully selling your home. Good lighting is absolutely essential:
- Poor lighting hurts the quality of your photos – Professional photographs require professional lighting. Poor lighting can make it difficult for buyers to see your pictures clearly. In photographs, rooms may appear much darker than they actually are if proper lighting isn’t used. Because your pictures represent your home, they are critical to motivating potential buyers to schedule in-home viewing appointments.
- Poor lighting makes your home feel smaller – The darker a room is, the smaller it tends to feel. People looking at your home are going to have a much better impression of it if your space is well lit. Small rooms in particular are going to feel even smaller if they are dark. Introduce more natural light and artificial light to make your spaces feel more open.
- Poor lighting makes your home feel less taken care of – If buyers viewing your home notice certain light fixtures don’t work or the light is too dim in some rooms, they’re going to get the impression you don’t take good care of your house. They may also assume there are other issues. Darker rooms feel dirtier and less inviting.
These are a few reasons why it’s so important to ensure your home’s lighting is good. Fix all outlets and light fixtures that aren’t working and change out your lightbulbs before photographing and showing your home.
For more tips on selling your home, contact us at Randy Lindsay today.
by KatieM | Oct 8, 2020 | For Buyers
Anyone considering buying a home should seek the assistance of a professional real estate agent. You can find listings online, attend open houses, and schedule private property tours on your own. But the home-buying process is much more complicated than it may initially appear.
Here are 5 reasons why buying a home without an agent is a bad idea:
- Negotiating is difficult – Knowing how to negotiate can save money. An agent has experience negotiating and can potentially help bring the price down or improve the terms.
- The closing process is complex – There’s a significant amount of paperwork involved in buying a house. An agent can guide you through the closing process.
- You might overpay – An agent is going to have a much better idea of what the value of any given house is based on the local real estate market. It has much to do with the demand in the area for that type of property.
- You won’t know anything about the area – Local agents can provide you with important information about a neighborhood, such as how safe it is, if any construction is planned in the future, what the school district is like, and more.
- You’ll waste too much time searching – You can find listings online, but you may end up wasting a lot of time looking at houses that don’t match your needs. Agents use networking to find houses that match your needs and budget. They can also show properties that may not have been listed yet.
Buying a home without an agent is rarely a good idea. To speak with a professional real estate agent, contact us at Randy Lindsay today.
