It is not an exciting subject, but the laundry room is often overlooked when getting ready to sell your home. Old or mismatched appliances in a dingy setting can be a real turn off to buyers. On the other hand, a freshly painted, well-lit laundry room with new appliances will make a great impression on potential buyers touring your home.
The More You Know: Top 4 Tips for Home Sellers
Tip 1: In strong markets, where demand outstrips supply, home sellers can hold out for top dollar. In weak markets the reverse is true—there are many homes on the market and unless you price your home very competitively you’ll be very unlikely to attract any buyers. Whatever the current market conditions you will be most likely to get the highest possible price if you are willing to take the time to understand each of the components of a successful home sales campaign so you can assure that you, or a real estate service provider who may be assisting you, are doing everything possible to maximize the effectiveness of the home marketing effort.
Tip 2: A good time to sell is during a period of low mortgage interest rates, because with lower interest rates more buyers will be qualified to buy your home. Low rates benefit buyers and sellers alike, and if you plan to purchase another home after selling yours, you will be both a seller and a buyer. A “sellers market”, where there are more buyers than homes available for sale, is also helpful. However, if you plan to purchase another home in the same area after selling yours, this competitive advantage will work against you when you become a buyer. The same principle applies in reverse to buyers markets, so if you plan to purchase another home in the same area after selling yours, it really makes little difference in the end whether it’s a buyers or a sellers market.
Tip 3: Shine Your Apple. Make your home look as nice as it can look. Have a presale yard sale and get rid of as much clutter as possible. Keep only a minimal amount of furniture in each room – it will make the room look bigger. Store any extra furniture. Clean up and repaint with neutral colors if necessary. Open blinds and replace light bulbs with brighter substitutes. If important parts of your home are outdated consider cost effective updates. If your kitchen or bath is old or in bad shape a prudent remodel can often return over 100% of the investment and help you sell the home faster. But don’t over improve. There’s not much point in adding a fourth bathroom to a home that is already worth more than most of the others in the neighborhood.
Tip 4: Study. More money hangs in the balance in the selling of your home than in most financial transactions in your life. It therefore makes sense to learn as much as you can about selling your home. There are many excellent books on the subject in libraries and bookstores. The real estate sections of local newspapers are great sources of information about your local marketplace. The difference between understanding the process as well as your local market, versus not understanding it, can be many thousands of dollars in the eventual selling price.
Courtesy of the American Homeowners Foundation and the American Homeowners Grassroots Alliance, www.AmericanHomeowners
This post has been authored by Eric Slifkin, REALTOR® serving South Florida’s Treasure Coast. You can reach me at 888-288-1765, or visit my Web site. As your resource for information on new or resale homes throughout the Treasure Coast, please be sure to contact me about any home you may find on the Web, yard sign or ad and I will research the property, arrange showings and handle all the details.
Top 10 Homeowner Financing Tips
Here are 10 great tips to consider when getting a mortgage.
1. Don’t Stretch Your Loan Qualification Limits to Buy a Home Beyond Your Budget. A home should be a source of satisfaction and an investment not a financial albatross, especially for first-time buyers. Borrowing heavily from family members, selling assets, and living poor just to own a bigger or better home, makes for larger mortgage payments and risks difficulties in the future.
2. Always Shop for Competitive Rates, Points, and Fees. Get at least three bids. The most competitive lender one week may not be next week so get (or reconfirm) quotes the same week you are ready to make the commitment.
3. Get An Immediate Written Confirmation of Your Locked-in Interest Rate and Interest Rate Terms. You might find some discrepancies with the figures used on the final loan documents.
4. Don’t Agree to Prepayment Penalties. You may want to refinance or partially prepay part of the mortgage. If there is no mention of prepayment penalties, make sure you have an addendum attached to the mortgage specifying that no fees will be imposed.
5. Understanding All the Conditions of Your Loan: You or a professional that you trust should thoroughly scrutinize each document. Ask questions if you aren’t sure what something means.
6. Pick the Right Kind of Loan. Rates are higher on 30 year loans than on comparable 15 year loans. That’s because there is a greater risk that rates will go up the longer the lender commits to a fixed rate. Lenders hate holding loans at below market rates. While there is an advantage to the predictability of fixed rates, if you expect to be transferred in 5 years, you’ll be paying more than you need for a 30 year fixed rate loan. If you want both the security of predictable payments and the lowest monthly payment consider “hybrid” loans – those with a fixed rate for the first five or seven years of their 30 year duration. If you are going to be there for a shorter period, or have confidence that rates will be dropping further, consider an adjustable rate mortgage.
7. If You Are Buying Rather Than Refinancing, Consider Getting a Pre-approved Mortgage or Contingent Loan Approval Letter. The former is a binding commitment for a loan up to a certain amount. It can substantially strengthen your negotiating position with the seller, but it puts pressure on you to close a deal before the loan commitment expires. A contingent approval is a letter from a lender that states the largest loan you would qualify for, subject to confirmation of the financial information you’ve provided and formal approval. It will also give you additional negotiating leverage without binding you to the lender (or vice versa). Sometimes owner financing can work to both parties advantage. Ask the seller if it’s a possibility. If so explore further to see if there might be mutually agreeable terms before making an offer.
8. Save Everything. Lenders require and provide numerous documents. Some get misplaced, usually at the most critical time. Keep copies of everything you send the lender and everything the lender sends you.
9. Take Advantage of the Deduction. The mortgage interest deduction is one of the few remaining tax deductible interest payments, and it’s also the cheapest form of long term financing. Consider financing/refinancing as an alternative source of funds for home improvements or other constructive long term investments like education. Don’t get in over your head, and never use it to finance your summer vacation or other short term pleasures.
10. Study! A lot of money is at stake. You can’t learn too much, and you won’t have time to learn what you need, interview and select a lender in the five days allowed most buyers to apply for a loan. Read the real estate section of your local paper and books on the subject.
Courtesy of the American Homeowners Foundation and the American Homeowners Grassroots Alliance, www.AmericanHomeowners
This post has been authored by Eric Slifkin, REALTOR® serving South Florida’s Treasure Coast. You can reach me at 888-288-1765, or visit my Web site. As your resource for information on new or resale homes throughout the Treasure Coast, please be sure to contact me about any home you may find on the Web, yard sign or ad and I will research the property, arrange showings and handle all the details.
Mar - 13 | 
