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3 Essentials for Your Home Appraiser

October 5, 2015 By

The home appraisal is an integral part of the home selling process. It helps to determine the “market value” of a property so buyers neither overpay for a house nor get it for a “steal.” The appraisal breaks down into three parts, though this can vary by state:

● Inspection
● Comparables (how other homes in the neighborhood are valued)
● Final report

As you prepare for a profssional home appraisal, here’s what you can do to ensure you get the best possible report and value for your home.

Keep Up Appearances

Ensure the following when an appraiser comes to assign a market value to your home:
● A healthy and hospitable appearance
● Proper drainage away from the foundation and/or basement
● Egress windows in all bedrooms for fire safety
● For homes built before 1978, no lead-based paint concerns
● Handrails on all stairs and steps
● A properly functioning heating system that provides ample comfort
● A roof in good condition

Though home appraisers won’t put a “black mark” in their books for the messiness of your home, it does help to have it organized. They’ll be able to see some of the high selling points if they’re not covered under clutter.

Provide Necessary Paperwork

Appraisers absolutely must have all of the paperwork available about your property before they arrive. If they don’t get this information from your lender or broker beforehand, then you should have it in a folder, ready to hand over. This information includes:
● Major improvements
● Age and condition of the roof, HVAC system and major appliances
● Permits for any DIY projects

The more information they have on-hand about your house, the better they can value it.

List Only Essentials

Never list extra square footage in your overview to the appraiser. While you may think your basement or attic counts as square footage, this isn’t always the case. If you’re unsure, it’s best to hire a home inspector or REALTOR® to advise you on acceptable square footage. You should also take care to provide accurate square footage for individual rooms. While you might be tempted to add a few extra square feet here and there, your appraiser has no problem looking up the actual numbers — and it could hurt you in the end.

Conclusion

Home appraisals aren’t just for sellers; they’re for homebuyers and refinancers too. In the case of a buyer, a buyer’s lender will generally have a different appraiser look through the home and perform an independent assessment. If the buyer’s assessment doesn’t match up against the seller’s, discrepancies may be addressed as needed. It also helps to see where potential problems may lie before listing your home, in case you need to make repairs.

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Seller Checklist: Staging Your Open House

September 8, 2015 By

An open house may be the best way to show potential buyers your listing. A house might look nice in a few photos but not so nice in person, or vice-versa. So how do you put on the kind of open house that is likely to leave you with an offer? Our Open House Checklist can show you what to do (and what not to do) to increase your chance of putting on the best and most successful open house.

What to do before the open house:

You need to take your place from lived-in to open-house-ready. At a loss for where to start? Follow these suggestions!

  • Clean, clean, clean.
  • Work on your landscaping.
  • Get rid of any personal items (especially family photos).
  • Declutter the house—no knickknacks, please!
  • Plan the open house for off-hours, like weekends.
  • Create an info packet about the house.
  • Put up signs advertising the event.
  • Clear out the driveway so there is room for guests to park.
  • Manage the temperature so the home is not too warm or too cold.
  • Set out some fresh-cut flowers or other plants.
  • Turn on all of the lights and open the curtains.

What not to do for the open house:

Everyone has different preferences, but the following things may have an adverse effect on potential buyers. Avoid these mistakes when you’re planning your open house.

  • Don’t wait until the last minute to fix broken objects.
  • Don’t hover.
  • Don’t put on music.
  • Don’t run out of copies of the info packet you made.
  • Don’t have an overwhelming smell—whether that be cleaning products or cookies.
  • Don’t let your pets stay around during an open house.
  • Don’t leave any room or area in the house off limits.

The main objective of your open house should be to make prospective buyers envision your home sweet home as their own. If you follow these tips (and avoid the mistakes) you may be able to create an open house that does just that.

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These Tips May Speed Up Your Home Sale

August 3, 2015 By

Who doesn’t want a faster home sale? Make a good impression on buyers to increase your chances of a speedy sale. Not sure how to do that? We’ve got tips for every step of the home sale process.

Optimize Your Listing: A picture is worth a thousand words. Take professional quality images of your home. There is an abundance of online listings — do what you can to make yours stand out (for all the right reasons). Work with a CENTURY 21® Affiliated Sales Associate to write your listing and create a seller marketing plan. Recommended Reading: Picture Perfect: How to Take Great Photos of Your Home, Creating a Marketing Plan

Upgrade Your Curb Appeal: The outside of your home is the first area a potential buyer will see. Spruce up your yard and exterior. Add a fresh coat of paint, new landscaping, a new mailbox, and more! Recommended Reading: 7 Essential Curb Appeal Tips for Sellers

Clear Clutter: Getting rid of clutter may make your home appear larger and more appealing to buyers. Donate usable items, and get rid of items that are unusable. Once you’ve paired down, get organized so everything looks neat and tidy. Recommended Reading: 7 Easy Ways to Organize Your Home

Make Your Home Feel Larger: Little tricks like using light paint colors, incorporating mirrors, adding extra lighting, and sticking to a monochromatic color scheme may make your room appear larger. Make some home decor and home improvement changes before your open house. Recommended Reading: 10 Secrets for Making Your Bedroom Feel Larger

Accomplish Home Improvement Projects: Pick up a hammer and nails, and complete some home upgrades. Before you get started, make sure you’re not improving something too much. It’s not an oxymoron, we promise. Recommended Reading: Cents and Sensibility: 5 Mistakes That Could Decrease Your Home’s Value, Top 5 Best Home Improvements for Sellers in 2015

Avoid Common Seller Slip-Ups: Learn from someone else’s mistakes. CENTURY 21® Affiliated Sales Associate, Ann Weaver, shared some of the most common mistakes she’s seen sellers make. Hint: Home condition, marketing, and open house times all made the list. Recommended Reading: The 5 Biggest Seller Mistakes

Ace Your Open Houses: An open house is a key component of the home sale process. You want your open houses to run as smoothly as possible. Avoid these common errors. Recommended Reading: Open House Oops: Don’t Make These Mistakes, Do This, Not That: Tips for Staging Your Home

Set the Price: Setting a price can be tricky. You don’t want to price too high or too low. It’s helpful to research, listen, and compromise. Recommended Reading: Setting the Price, The Sale

What are you waiting for? Start today. You may find that you have a smoother (and speedier) home sale process as a result.

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Tips for Getting Your Home Summer Rental Ready

June 19, 2015 By

Rental season is just around the corner! It’s time for a good spruce-up. Get your home summer-ready with these tips.

Give the place a deep cleaning: Whether you hire professionals or do it yourself, you’ll need to thoroughly clean your home. This includes:
● Wiping down kitchen appliances, cabinets, and furniture
● Cleaning out the inside and outside of the refrigerator
● Scrubbing the kitchen floor
● Emptying the dishwasher
● Dusting and vacuuming the living room and bedrooms
● Emptying all trashcans
● Scrubbing the floors, showers, toilets, and sinks in the bathrooms
● Giving walls a fresh coat of paint.

Organize room by room: Reduce clutter throughout your home to make it as livable and presentable as possible. Take out any furniture or items that won’t add to the vacation experience. Remove all valuables, including anything that has sentimental value, is irreplaceable, or contains your personal information.

Stock up on the essentials: You’ll need to provide your renters with bed linens, towels, hand soap, dishes, and cookware (at the very least). Make sure to have at least two sets of everything for each person. Make sure all of your electronics are in working order and light bulbs have been replaced. If necessary, upgrade your flat pillows, low-thread-count sheets, and anything that has a tear or crack.

Add a few personal touches: Make this feel like a home away from home with some simple additions. Here are a few ideas:
● Board games and cards (especially for rainy days)
● Books, magazines, and movies
● Tour guides and coffee table books
● Decorative throw pillows
● Artwork or photography on the walls

These tips may make your guests feel right at home!

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5 Gifts To Leave For Your Old Home’s New Owners

April 1, 2015 By

Selling a home is an emotional event. You are leaving behind a house filled with memories and venturing off to someplace new. The people buying your home are excited to create their own memories in a home that you loved for so many years. Welcome them with a thoughtful gift that will leave a lasting impression.

 

Here are some ideas for gifts to leave for your home’s new owners.

 

  1. Personalized Key Rings: Mark this milestone in the new owners’ lives by giving them a special key ring. Engrave it with their initials, the date of the move, or even a special message from you. Not only is this thoughtful, but it’s a practical gift as well.

 

  1. Mailing labels and stationery: Personalized gifts go a long way. Create mailing labels with the owners’ names and new addresses; if you want to go the extra mile, create personalized stationery for them as well. Leave these paper gifts on the kitchen counter with a nice note to surprise the owners.

 

  1. Monogrammed Doormat: Doormats are something that may not be at the top of a new homeowner “to-buy” list. Give them a monogrammed one or one that fits well with the decor of the home. They will surely appreciate this gesture.

 

  1. Practical Items: If you’re skeptical about buying personalized gifts, stick to practical home items. Things like smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, unpacking supplies, or even a utensil organizer are useful to new homeowners. They’ll be so busy when they first move in, and these are essentials that they should have immediately.

 

  1. A Neighborhood Guide: Write a detailed list of your favorite places in the neighborhood. Mention your favorite restaurants, boutiques, gyms and more. They’ll love having your recommendations on hand when they start to explore!

 

All of these gestures are incredibly kind and memorable. It’s a nice way to welcome new people into the home and neighborhood you have loved for so long.

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