What Buyers Want In a Home
Whether you’re a seller with an eye to the future or a buyer in need of a little direction, it helps to know what’s popular in today’s homes. Here, in no particular order, are some of the most highly regarded home features: Energy efficiency – energy star rated appliances, energy efficient windows, highly rated insulation. Nine…
The MLS and Online Home Search
One of the most powerful tools for both selling and buying homes is your local Multiple Listing Service (MLS). The MLS is a database of residential properties, commercial properties, industrial properties, vacant lots, and rentals in your area. It’s maintained by Realtors, with a wealth of information about properties that are for sale and years…
Competitive Situations
When a real estate market gets hot, it’s common for a seller to receive multiple bids on their home. If this happens, the sellers’ agent will let the buyers’ agents know that they are in a competitive situation. The agent will request all buyers bring their highest and best offer. For the seller, a competitive…
Have a home with a pool? Sell it in the summer!
It should come as no surprise that a pool is more valuable in the summer than in the winter, but just how much more? Jaren Pope, an assistant professor at the University of Brigham Young has the answer. His research looked at more than four million real estate transactions in 27 states from 1998 thru…
Backup Offers
Contracts for the sale of real estate can fall apart for any reason: financing, inspections, title flaws, and cold feet can all sink a deal. If you’re selling your home, make sure to tell your agent that you want to accept backup offers. This can save you time-on-market and provide leverage in negotiations. A backup…
Wind Mitigation Inspection
As anyone who lives in Florida already knows, insurance companies aren’t exactly eager to insure our homes. The common occurrence of extreme weather, including hurricanes, has been cause for many insurers to leave the state altogether. To get the best rate possible from one of the remaining insurers, you should consider having a Wind Mitigation Inspection, or…
What is a Termite Bond?
Termite infestations can happen at anytime and they’re not always readily visible. The best way to avoid having issues with termites is to buy a termite bond. A termite bond is a service contact between a home owner and a pest management company. Bonds are like termite insurance: for a small annual payment, the pest…
Keeping Your Home In Ready-to-Sell Condition
Waiting to put your home in “ready-to-sell” condition can be stressful and expensive. Randall Cantrell, a housing specialist at the University of Florida, recently published a paper intended to help home owners get and keep there homes ready to sell. Here are some highlights from that paper: Ensure that the front entranceway is well lit…
Buyers Deposit
There’s an intangible cost that a seller pays when their house goes under contract: they have to pull the home off the market. It can take months to close on a home, and if something happens to prevent that, they’ve missed countless opportunities to bet a qualified buyer in the home. To offset this cost,…
Warranted vs. As-Is Contract
It’s important for both buyers and sellers to understand what is contained in a real estate contract, especially when it comes to anything that may cost either party money. Buyers have the right to inspect homes they put under contract. What is open to negotiation is whether the seller or buyer will be left to…
