When you agree to purchase a home, you’ll sign a legally binding contract with the seller. However, within that contract will be a list of contingencies. Contingencies are conditions that must be met before the closing of the home can occur. They can help to protect you since they allow you to legally back out of your contract when buying a home in Fort Mill if they are not met. The following are a few of the more common contingencies:
HomeInspection: A buyer’s inspection contingency is the condition that the buyer is happy with the report written up during a professional inspection of the property. This contingency ensures that the buyer doesn’t end up purchasing a property that needs thousands of dollars worth of repairs that they weren’t aware of.
Financing: A financing contingency is a condition in which the buyer must be able to secure an acceptable loan or other type of financing in order to purchase the house. This contingency protects both the buyer and the seller in case your loan falls through at the last minute and you aren’t able to secure the necessary funds to purchase the house.
Title: This contingency allows the buyer to back out if the seller cannot prove that they have a valid legal title to the house. A title contingency helps to protect buyers from scam artists that are attempting to sell property they do not own or only partially own.
These are some of the more common contingencies—but sellers can also add other types of contingencies if they desire—such as a condition that they must find another home to purchase before you can move in. For more information about contingencies or advice on buying a home in Fort Mill, contact us at Randy Lindsay today.
One of the biggest misconceptions that sellers have is that selling a home in York County during the winter is impossible. Yes, the winter season isn’t exactly the peak selling season. Many homebuyers are busy with the holidays or simply don’t want to go house hunting in cold weather. However, there will also be less competition to deal with. The following are a few tips for selling a home in York County during this winter:
Create a warm atmosphere: Make buyers feel comfortable when they come in from the cold. Use warmer colors, like reds and oranges, to dress the interior. If you have a fireplace, light a fire to really make your home feel inviting.
Don’t ignore the landscape: Just because your property is covered in snow doesn’t mean you should ignore its curb appeal. Add large urns or garden sculptures to the landscape. Add a bit of holiday cheer to the exterior by hanging up some lights (just don’t go overboard) or adding a green wreath to the entry door.
Keep the entryway clean: It can be easy to dirty up the entryway during the winter, when snow and mud are more easily tracked in. Keep the entryway clean and uncluttered to prevent a poor first impression.
Don’t forget about safety: The last thing you want is for buyers to slip and slide their way towards your home. Keep your pathways clear of snow and make sure you remove any safety issues by covering slick, icy spots with salt.
Use professional photography: Convince buyers to come out in the cold to see your home in person by posting professional photos of your house.
Use these tips to sell your home in the winter and be sure to contact us at Randy Lindsay today for additional home selling advice.
Staging your home is essential to selling a home in York County. You’ll want to stage your home in a way that is comfortable and inviting, and that emphasizes the home’s special features. Staging your home not only includes making the house look good, but also making sure there’s nothing wrong with the home. The following are five quick fixes that you can make to help showcase your house in tip-top shape:
Change the light bulbs – Buyers are going to be checking all of the lights in your house, and the last thing you want is for one of your lights to not turn on. By replacing old bulbs, you’ll ensure that your house also gets plenty of light. A dark home isn’t very inviting and tends to make the house look smaller.
Change hardware – Does your kitchen hardware look outdated? Upgrade the hardware to give your kitchen a visual boost.
Clean up the yard – Curb appeal matters – if your property looks bad, many buyers won’t even bother coming in. This means that you should clean up your yard, sweep your sidewalks, cut the grass and trim your bushes.
Add scent – Do you have pets in your home? First of all, you’ll need to remove them when showing the house. Secondly, you’ll want to get rid of the pet smell. Open up the windows beforehand to cycle in fresh air. Then add pleasant scents by adding fresh flowers or baking fresh cookies to make your home smell good.
Replace switch plate covers – You may not notice, but switch plate covers can get pretty dirty over time. Replace them if needed.
Use these quick fixes to ensure your home is in the best shape to show. For additional tips on selling a home in York County, contact Randy Lindsay.
When it comes to buying a home in York County, it’s always recommended that buyers get pre-approved for a mortgage loan before they begin looking at houses. You’re going to be in an awkward situation if you find a house you like, make a bid, and then find out your mortgage application has been rejected. When you go to your lender to get pre-approved for a mortgage, understand that there is a difference between being pre-approved and being pre-qualified.
Mortgage Pre-Qualification
Mortgage pre-qualification is the first step in the mortgage application process. It consists of speaking to your lender about your overall financial situation, which includes going over your income, your assets and your debt. The lender will give you an idea of how big of a mortgage you may qualify for using only this information. However, it’s done without the knowledge of your credit score or credit history and the amount you pre-qualify for isn’t necessarily the amount you’ll be approved for.
Mortgage Pre-Approval
Once you’ve been pre-qualified, you’ll need to fill out an official mortgage application. The lender will then do an extensive background check on your financial background and credit rating. So even if you have some assets, a decent income and little debt, you may not be approved for the amount you qualified for if your credit history is horrible. The amount that you are pre-approved for acts as a conditional commitment from your lender for an exact amount, which means you’ll know the exact price range of homes you can afford.
Make sure you don’t just get pre-qualified but that you get pre-approved for a mortgage before looking at buying a home in York County. For additional York County real estate advice, be sure to contact Randy Lindsay today.
If you’re planning on selling your Charlotte-based home, then you’ll want to do a few things to prepare the property before you put it up for sale in order to improve your chances of selling at the price you’ve set. In fact, if you’ve got the time to spare, it’s recommended that you invest in a few renovations to help further boost the value of your house. The following are a few home improvements that will increase the value of your metro Charlotte real estate.
Kitchen – One of the areas that homebuyers will look at first is the kitchen. Consider adding a fresh coat of paint to cupboards and walls, installing new kitchen hardware and upgrading light fixtures and water fixtures. If the appliances in the kitchen are old, you may want to consider upgrading them as well. Energy-efficient appliances are a big selling point these days.
Bathroom – If you’ve got a bathroom that feels a little bit cramped, have the bathtub removed and install a curbless shower. Not only will you make the bathroom feel more spacious, but you’ll make it more accessible as well – a big plus for buyers looking for universal design. Like the kitchen, upgrading the hardware and fixtures can help add value as well.
Windows – If your home’s windows are older, you may want to think about replacing them. Old windows can often be an eyesore, not to mention difficult to operate. Newer energy efficient windows will improve your home’s curb appeal as well as make it more energy efficient – and many buyers are looking for energy efficiency as a way to reduce their environmental footprint as well as their energy bills.
These improvements can help boost your selling price. Contact us at Randy Lindsay for more advice on selling metro Charlotte real estate today.
Randy has enjoyed over 31 wonderful years in the Real Estate industry making dreams come true for homeowners.
Superior customer service is #1 to Randy and he provides this to all of his clients using knowledge, professionalism, integrity and persistence.
Randy is a successful and experienced real estate agent who expertly represents both buyers and sellers. Scores of Charlotte area residents have trusted Randy in the process of listing their homes to sell.
"Randy was very easy to work with. He was open and honest, and always there to answer any questions or concerns we had. He was available and worked ... more "
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1422016
"My wife and I worked with Randy to sell our home located in the Lake Wylie area. Great job of preparing the information and advertising for the ... more "
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1421990
"Randy actually helped us sell our old house and buy our new house. He was honest and hardworking and sold our home in a week. We were pleased with ... more "