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A Few Checks To Make Before Home Buying

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Buying a house is supposed to be a fun and exciting time. The problem, however, is that because we want to buy a home so badly, we sometimes don’t see the flaws the property has. Yes, some properties seem to just call to us, but if they have certain issues, you should still walk away. Let’s take a look at a few of these red flags.

First and foremost, think hard before you buy a “fixer up.” Many people are interested in these properties because the price is so low. Most of us think that the things that do need to get fixed up are things we can mostly do ourselves. In reality, however, they are often things that must be done by qualified professionals. The fees of these professionals may be much higher than you had expected. Next, properties that have had DIY repairs can also be a red flag. People may have done a really good job, at least cosmetically, but the reality is that it may be saddled with problems.

You should now look at the property itself and how it was treated. You should be able to tell whether it was maintained regularly. If it looks run down from the outside, it is likely that the inside isn’t in a much better condition either. Check the wiring as well. Only a qualified electrician can identify real problems, but you can have a general look. If lights flicker or outlets are warm, there is a chance that the wiring is faulty. If you notice that only a few of the walls have been painted recently, it is possible that the owners are trying to hide something. Next, look closely at the windows. If there are signs of condensation or windows don’t open properly, it could be a sign of serious damage that will cost you a lot to repair.Naturally, never view a property that you are not allowed to see in full. Additionally, if you notice that any structural work has been done, such as the removal of walls or floors, you need to find out whether that work was done properly by a qualified architect.

The bottom line is that you should never purchase a property without having it professionally inspected. However, the hints and tips above should tell you whether or not it is worth investing in an inspection at all. If any problems are present, you can choose to walk away from the property, or you can request a huge discount on the purchase price so you can arrange the necessary repairs. Do also consider the opinion of your home inspector. The goal of professional home inspectors is to make sure that you can truly get your dream home, and not some sort of money pit disaster.

The Most Awesome Wedding Barn in Florida

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At the heart of Florida lies one of the most beautiful wedding barns that you probably didn’t know about until now. It’s known as Ever After Farms, and it’s chock full of breathtakingly amazing sights that’ll make you wonder if you’ve been living in a cave.

The grand opening of Ever After Farms took place on the 2nd of November, 2017 and served to showcase the popular blueberry farm which was transformed into a barn wedding venue at the end of blueberry season.

Ever After Farms is Florida’s perfect rustic wedding venue. Imagine Clydesdales pulling a white Cinderella Carriage taking you to a gorgeous ceremony under an enormous 120 year old oak tree.

And just after the vows, a huge covered patio for your guests to mingle while you get pictures with your Ever After in the blueberry vineyard, along a wooden horse fence, on a white boat floating on a beautiful pond with your reflection off the calm water, next to a fully restored 1955 Studebaker Truck, on a swing under an oak tree, amongst wildflowers and in front of a white horse barn.

Then, celebrate the night away inside a breathtaking and enormous wedding barn that has air conditioning and all the other little details that will blow you and your guests away.

Your perfect day begins with the perfect venue. Once you see it, Ever After Farms will be the #1 Wedding Barn on your list because it is truly Florida’s perfect rustic barn wedding venue.

Recognizing Distinct Guidelines And Advice When Looking At Selling a House

Recognizing Distinct Guidelines And Advice When Looking At Selling a House published on

Comparing The Ideal Tricks For Finding Selling a House

Lots of people are investing in real estate because they want to bring in more cash in the future. If you can buy a house for a specific price today, it’s going to be more expensive in the next couple of yours if the real estate market will be stable. Before you do this, you should first recognize how tough it is to sell a property. You will see tons of articles saying that selling a house is quite easy or there are some ads telling you that they can sell your house in just a few months. You could bring the value down, but this isn’t the right thing to do.

You could claim that the supply completely surpasses the demand in the real estate market, but you may find different techniques to efficiently sell your house. We will give you some suggestions on the best way to do this.

Look at the Curb Appeal of your home

First impression lasts so your house should give a great impression to the buyers as soon as they pull up in front of the property. You could place yourself in the shoes of the customer and see if the curb appeal of the house can attract them. You have to find out if the house can offer a good impression to potential buyers or it needs maintenance.

The possible buyer will first see the outside of your property and you need to understand that they always pay attention on how the house looks outside. You must prepare everything in the house and fix everything.

Make Some Improvements to The House

You should make the required improvements inside and outside of your house to make sure that you may attract the buyers. They want a total package when buying a house so you will need to make repairs. If you are the seller, you must be certain that you can fix everything. Nevertheless, you must not over enhance the house because there are some upgrades that will not really make a huge difference to the price of the house. Enhancements can definitely boost the value of your property and its odds to be sold, but you can’t make an improvement that won’t pay in the end. Do your homework and put money into the things that will offer the best return.

Depersonalize Your home

Most people claim that adding lots of design to your interior will make it more appealing to the buyers, but it’s a big mistake since personal items, art works and collectibles will not attract them. You could get rid of these items and leave out the important furniture so your house will surely look bigger. The goal is to enable your buyers to imagine themselves in the house.

They will point at the different parts of the house while they visualize what they need to place there if they choose to buy it. It implies that unnecessary and personal items should be removed in the house since it will make it tough for them to visualize.

Put a Realistic Price

When you sell a home, you should make sure that you would place a competitive price. If you put a lower price, it is going to be the same as leaving money on the table and if you put a high price, the buyers will overlook it. When you are referring to home buying, the buyers will probably be looking at the homes which are similar with yours and compare the prices. If your house is too costly, they won’t buy it.

You should remember that most of the customers are counting on home financing so they will not really think about a house that is too expensive. If the value is low, you can sell your house faster, but your investments will not be given back to you.

Look for a Real Estate Agent

You are undoubtedly making an error if you believe that you could sell your home by yourself. In case you are not a professional real estate agent, it will be very difficult because you don’t have the knowledge and experience to do it. If you’re likely to do this on your own, there is a chance that you will not be able to sell your property or you won’t get an excellent deal. You might get lucky and get a good deal for the house, but you can’t count on luck when you’re selling a property because we’re talking about a huge amount of money. You could employ an agent and allow them to do everything. You’ll definitely need to pay them, but this is better than acquiring a bad deal because you do not know anything.

Before you opt to sell your property, you must look at all of these simple tips so you will not make a mistake. Selling a property is quite difficult so you should know anything and everything about the real estate market.

Sometimes, It Just Isn’t Worth It. Here’s How to Make Sure You Don’t Ever Over-pay For a House

Sometimes, It Just Isn’t Worth It. Here’s How to Make Sure You Don’t Ever Over-pay For a House published on 2 Comments on Sometimes, It Just Isn’t Worth It. Here’s How to Make Sure You Don’t Ever Over-pay For a House

When it comes to buying a property, one of the most important things you can do is be sure that you aren’t overpaying for it. Whether its a condo, a townhouse, a single-family house, it doesn’t matter. You never want to be the fool that overpays, and lose money when it comes time to sell it yourself. here are some tips that you should consider so that you don’t pay more for a home than it’s even worth.

Be realistic about how much you can actually pay 

Unless you are in the 1% of the world, you probably don’t have the ability to pay for a house outright with cash, and will therefore be getting a loan for a mortgage. Whether you’re going through a traditional or government lender, doesn’t matter. You need to get an approval in writing either way, with contingencies stated very, very clearly. These contingencies are going to include a home appraisal. An appraisal is a document that is going to show how much a house is actually worth based on a multitude of data. It compiles “comps” along with the condition of the house, to come up with an actual number of what it is worth. Know that the bank is going to look into your credit score and want to verify your job when you go to apply for the loan. This is standard practice, and there’s no way around it.

Not so fast

Agents are notorious to trying to make a buyer hurry up and buy. This leads to over-paying. Some agents will actually flat-out lie to you and tell you that many buyers have been coming to see the house, and that it is certain to move quick, and that you should put in an offer right away. This is how impulse buys happen; don’t let it happen to you. Tell your realtor that if the home gets sold before you put in your offer, then you’ll find something else. This should show them that you aren’t going to be able to be swayed to impulse buy.

Find out why the seller is selling

Never make an offer on real estate without doing some homework to find out why the seller is selling the house. Sometimes, you can just ask and get an honest answer, but most of the time you’ll have to find out on your own. The reason they usually won’t be honest with you, is that they know you’ll use it as a negotiation chip. For example, if they’ve just filed for bankruptcy, you’ll know that they’ll probably sell the house at whatever amount because they need to get rid of it. Knowing the sellers reason for selling is going to give you a huge advantage when it comes to negotiating. It will also let you know if there is not room for negotiation. For example, if the home has been on the market for months and hasn’t sold, but the seller is fine financially, and fine with staying where they are until it does sell, you probably won’t be able to get them to budge on their price.

 

Buying a House When You’re Young Can Be Very, Very Tempting. However, Stop To Think About The Following Things Before Biting The Bullet

Buying a House When You’re Young Can Be Very, Very Tempting. However, Stop To Think About The Following Things Before Biting The Bullet published on 2 Comments on Buying a House When You’re Young Can Be Very, Very Tempting. However, Stop To Think About The Following Things Before Biting The Bullet

People are starting to buy houses at a younger age than ever before. Many young buyers are under the mistaken idea that just because they can afford a house, they should buy one, because they won’t be wasting money on rent. Just because you can buy a house, doesn’t always mean that you should, necessarily. It’s tempting when you write a check for rent every month, as it’s like blowing money to the wind. However, buying a house before it is really time, is going to cost you a lot more than if you had stayed put in your rental. Below are many truths about buying a house, so that you can understand and decide whether you should continue renting a home, or if you should buy one. 70f6a92a27325dd5401b1194bb95bc65

Your feet are planted

Keep in mind, that when you rent a house or apartment, you’re only committing to it for one year max. Some leases must be signed for more than a year, but for the most part, you’re tied down for only one year or less. This gives you peace of mind that you can move whenever you want. To a different area, to a completely different city, or state. When you buy, you’ve got to stay in it for 5 years in order to get back what you spent on it. And, if the market somehow drops after those 5 years, you’ll have to stay in it even longer while you wait for the market to go up again. See: Should I Buy a House in My 20’s?.

Say bye to your friends

Realize that you’ll be spending much less time with your friends, and more time maintaining your home. Girls going to the beach for the weekend? You might be stuck at home meeting with the plumber so that he can fix your bathroom pipes. You are the landlord. There’s nobody to call anymore if something goes wrong with the property. You’ll have to remember on your own to change the heating filter or get your regular pest inspections.  images

There are more expenses besides the mortgage

When deciding whether you should buy your house, you can’t only compare the cost of the mortgage to the cost of the monthly rent. You have to look at more than just the mortgage payments. Buying a house is going to include having to pay insurance, property taxes, and maintenance and repair costs. These can drive your costs up to an exponentially high figure.

There are benefits, however to owning. For example, nobody can stop you from tearing out a wall, changing the bathroom tile, or getting a pet. And of course, any improvements you make can increase the value of your property. You’re not motivated to make those improvements in a rental, where they’ll only benefit the landlord. Read: Getting a Mortgage in Your 20s.

Nancy-Price-House-Beautiful

Over time, the value of homes tends to increase (though it sometimes takes a long time, with some alarming downturns in between). When you sell, any return on your investment is yours to keep. As a renter, it belongs to the landlord.

One of the biggest benefits of buying is that unlike renting, where you’ll be writing a check every month forever, you can eventually pay off your mortgage entirely. Or, you’ll be able to use the equity to buy your next house, and eventually pay that one off. And if you start investing early, the date you’re done will be that much sooner. In addition to deducting mortgage interest and property taxes, which reduces your annual tax liability, in most cases you don’t get taxed on most of the money you make from selling your home. See: Buying a House in Your Twenties: Can You Afford it?

 

 

Trying to Sell Your Home To Young Professionals? Here’s What They Want (And Don’t Want) Your Home To Look Like

Trying to Sell Your Home To Young Professionals? Here’s What They Want (And Don’t Want) Your Home To Look Like published on 1 Comment on Trying to Sell Your Home To Young Professionals? Here’s What They Want (And Don’t Want) Your Home To Look Like

It is always challenging to sell a house, because so much of it depends upon the current (and ever-changing) real estate market. But if you have an older house and want to appeal to buyers in their 20s and early 30s, you may need to take some extra steps. See: What Millennials Want in Home Design. You’ll need to showcase the features that have the most appeal to young couples and families. The tips below will cost you next to nothing, and will help you sell your house fast.

Homes in Charlotte, NC area

Pre-inspect your home. One of the most difficult decisions for home sellers is to figure out how much to spend on home improvements before putting the house on the market. An inspection will help determine if there’s anything that absolutely must be done before putting the house on the market. In addition to a general home inspection, you should consider getting the heating and air-conditioning system cleaned and inspected, as well as having septic systems pumped.

Buy a home warranty. Sellers buy home warranties that cover repairs for the systems (electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling) and appliances in the home. Most home warranties are available as one-year policies and provide coverage while the property is on the market and after the closing. A home warranty costs around only a few hundred bucks, and it reassures buyers that they won’t be faced with a major repair expense in their first year of homeownership.

Offer a possible expansion or renovation plan. Younger buyers don’t always realize that everything they see can be changed with a renovation. Sellers can pay for simple drawings that show some renovation options that would work well with the home’s configuration and its lot. theSweeten_AMC_DorchesterPlans-copy1

Provide renovation-loan information. Mortgages are available that allow homebuyers to borrow money to buy the home plus money to pay for renovations. The most popular renovation-mortgage program is called the FHA 203.

Offer a credit for repairs. Sellers don’t always have the money or the energy to make repairs themselves, and besides, some buyers will want to do renovations their own way. While repair credits are often part of the negotiating process, if you know some things will need fixing, let them know upfront.

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Lighten and brighten your home. Homes that were built decades ago are darker with smaller windows, so to compensate for that, you need to remove the heavy window treatments and clean the windows to make sure as much light as possible is coming in. Use the brightest light bulbs you can and update your light fixtures. Trim shrubs covering windows, remove old carpet from hardwood floors and remove dark, heavy furniture. Read: 4 Reasons Young Professionals Still Aren’t Buying Houses.

Highlight neighborhood amenities. Younger buyers often are interested in schools, even if they don’t have children yet. Your marketing materials should mention everything that appeals to young couples and families such as the location near commuter routes or public transportation, swimming pools, tennis courts, a gym, or nearby shops and restaurants. You need to sit and really think about what it is that younger buyers need. Think about what you would want today when you were younger, but the technology and design wasn’t available as readily as it is today. 

Paint your home in neutral colors. The old rule of thumb used to be that sellers were supposed to paint their rooms white in order to appeal to all buyers. These days, white rooms tend to look boring, especially to younger buyers. Therefore, opt for neutral paint color choices rather than just a bland white. For further reading, see: How Boomer Home Sellers Can Hook Millennials.

 

Cosigning a Mortgage: Good Idea, or Bad? Read On To Find Out Whether Or Not You Should Help Your Loved One Get a Mortgage Loan

Cosigning a Mortgage: Good Idea, or Bad? Read On To Find Out Whether Or Not You Should Help Your Loved One Get a Mortgage Loan published on 2 Comments on Cosigning a Mortgage: Good Idea, or Bad? Read On To Find Out Whether Or Not You Should Help Your Loved One Get a Mortgage Loan

Father helping son with homework

Co-signing on someone’s mortgage is not a joking matter. You should fully document and explain all details of the contract with them. Talk about what you will do in case the person who needs the loan can’t pay you back. Let them know ahead of time what them not paying will do to your relationship. If it means that you will never speak to the person again, let them know that you are serious. One of the worst parts of co-signing is that usually it is a family member that signs. Therefore, when the person doesn’t pay, it puts a major strain on a family, and can even result in an estrangement. See: Top 10 Reasons Not to Co-Sign on a Loan.

Realize that if they default on the mortgage, you’re going to be responsible. Yes, the responsibility is technically theirs, but if they don’t pay, you have to or else it affects your credit. Them not paying doesn’t affect them in any way in terms of their credit score. It affects yours.

The party that you are signing for is going to have to pay the mortgage off by refinancing it, or by selling the property. This is so that the note can be paid off. One option when it comes to cosigning, is that you can suggest living with the person. If you do not, you are what is called a “non occupant co-borrower.”

When you cosign for a loan, realize that your borrowing ability regarding credit is definitely going to be limited. This is because your debt to income ratio is going to be greater. It will be more difficult to borrow any new credit. This includes getting an auto loan, or opening new credit cards. You will have a tougher time qualifying for any new credit lines. This means that if you are needing to purchase a new car in the near future, you’ll probably want to reconsider cosigning someones mortgage. Or, buy the car and then tell the person that you are going to need to wait a little longer before helping them out on their mortgage loan. You must put yourself first.

Most people who cosign for another persons mortgage usually regret it, even if the other person didn’t default on the loan. Just the stress each month of wondering if the person is going to pay takes an emotional toll. For further reading, see: The Risks of Co-Signing a Loan With Your Child.

Thinking About Popping In During a Viewing Of Your House? Think Again. Here’s Why You Should Stay Far Away When a Buyer Is Looking At Your Home

Thinking About Popping In During a Viewing Of Your House? Think Again. Here’s Why You Should Stay Far Away When a Buyer Is Looking At Your Home published on 2 Comments on Thinking About Popping In During a Viewing Of Your House? Think Again. Here’s Why You Should Stay Far Away When a Buyer Is Looking At Your Home

310145-lg-1Buyers need to feel completely at ease when they are looking at a new home to possibly purchase. You being there makes things extremely awkward and uncomfortable for the buyer. They need to be able to fully inspect everything, and they don’t feel comfortable doing so when you are present. They need to ask questions; some of the questions might offend you as the seller. This is why they should be able to ask their realtor questions without feeling uncomfortable. They will want and need to look through all drawers, move furniture to double check that everything is intact. For example, if they move a sofa to be sure no scratches lay underneath on the floors, you will probably be offended. This is just one example. See: Home Selling: Unique Marketing Strategies.

Honestly, you should be glad if you find a buyer that wants to do these things. If a buyer comes to see the home and only glances at it, they probably aren’t very serious about your house. Thus, most buyers aren’t going to do this if you are there. So, you’ll never know how interested someone really is in your house. Better to not be there, and let your realtor update you afterward on how closely they inspected the home.

When the owner is present, it makes the buyer feel like an intruding guest. This is probably the worst feeling you can instill in a buyer. Another reason you shouldn’t be there is that whether or not you intend to, you’re likely going to talk more than you should. This can mean risking losing the sale. For example, if the buyer asks about the hot water, you might accidentally let it slip that it doesn’t stay hot for too long. Too many little “slips” like this can result in the buyer walking away. Read: Open Houses That Work.

Also, make sure that your pets aren’t present either. No buyer wants to deal with your dog jumping all over them while they are walking around. Plus, some people are allergic to dogs, while others are scared of them, regardless of how nice the dog is. Better to be safe, rather than sorry. You don’t want to lose the sale because you didn’t feel like taking Fido for a walk, or dropping him off at the boarders for the afternoon.

Every once in a while, it may be okay for a buyer to be present. This is only in certain, and extreme circumstances. Your realtor will let you know if they feel it is necessary for you to be present. For further reading, see:25 Real Estate Open House Ideas & Tips from the Pros.