A Little Preparation Goes A Long Way When Selling Your Home

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and trees are starting to bloom… Spring is FINALLY here!  As we enter into the month of May the real estate market will see an increase in homes for sale and buyers hitting the streets trying to find a home of their dreams.  If you are one of the many homeowners looking to sell their home over the next few months, it is important to make sure your home stands out as a top choice for buyers.  Our local Century 21 Lady of the Lakes Real Estate team has a few tips to help ensure your home sells without a hitch.

Make Necessary Repairs

When preparing your home for sale it is important to showcase it in the best possible way.  Minor home repairs and maintenance that you may have been putting off need to be a top priority.  It may not have previously seemed important to paint the front door or re-caulking the shower however, it is now.  Fixing the minor defects around your home ensures your home is showcased in the best possible manner.

Curb Appeal

Before scheduling an appointment to view the interior of your home most buyers will do a drive by to look at the exterior.  Your homes curb appeal is what gets buyers interested in what’s inside.   It is crucial that your home makes a first impression that knocks their socks off! Take the time to wash the windows, power wash the siding, freshen up the trim paint, clean debris from the roof and gutters, and landscape as if you are planning on staying in the home.  The bonus of beautiful flower beds and trimmed trees is that it eliminates the need for the new homeowners to do when they move in and it boosts the colors boost your homes curb appeal.

Remove the Clutter

It is important that the buyers can see themselves in your home.  When we live in a house, we personalize it with the stuff that makes it our home.  These things distract buyers and don’t allow them to fully see themselves in the house which is why it is important to declutter prior to listing it for sale.  This is the perfect time to prep yourself for your eventual move as well.  Take time to go through your home and separate what you want to keep, donate, or throw out.  Organize closets and keep only what you need for the next couple of months to function comfortably.  Renting a storage shed allows you to store items that are viewed as clutter that you want to keep.  Store seasonal items including clothing and decorations, extra furniture, off season sporting goods, and items that overly personalize your home.

Clean, Clean, Clean

Your home should sparkle like it never has before.  From the inside of the dishwasher to the baseboards, everything needs to be thoroughly cleaned.  When buyers walk into your home the only thing that they should smell is the scent of a clean home.  If you aren’t known for being the most in-depth cleaner consider hiring a service to come in and shampoo carpets, wax hardwood floors, wipe down the surfaces of your home, clean appliances, and make your home twinkle.
Prepping your home is one of the most important things you can do as a homeowner to get your house sold quickly, at asking price, and without the headaches that can come with buying and selling a home.  The experts at C21 Lady of the Lakes are here to help!  Not only will we get your home sold, we will get you settled into a new home of your own.

C21 Lady of the Lakes is a full-service realtor serving Livingston County and the surrounding areas with all their real estate needs.  More information can be found at http://www.ladyofthelakes.com/.

Tips For Getting Your Home To Stand Out Above the Rest During the Spring Market Real Estate Flood

Spring has sprung! Without a doubt the optimal time to start looking to buy or sell a home starts now.  It has been proven that the most active months in real estate are April, May, and June.  Here are some ways to improve the chances your home stands out above the flood of homes that will hit the market soon.

Wash Your Homes Windows

A home that sparkles will sell better than a home that doesn’t.  Buyers want to feel invited into a space and when the windows are spotless, and the sun shines in without dirt or streaks you are showcasing your home in its best light. 

Cleanup the Landscape

Take time to rake the yard and remove the debris left behind from dead leaves.  Trimming bushes and tree limbs can also bring a pulled together look to your yard.  It is important to make sure that the vegetation doesn’t appear overgrown or block windows or entrance paths.  Not only is important to showcase the interior of your home but also the exterior. It is important to edge the sidewalks and driveways as well; small details count when you are looking to sell your home.

Add Some Exterior Color

After a long, dull winter a little color helps to stimulate buyers urges.  Yellow flowers are the best option when adding color around your home as it is known to stimulate buying.  It is also a color that people associate with spring.  Purchase some planters and start planting tulips and daffodils galore.  A little natural happy induction in the form of some of spring color never hurt.

Clean Window Treatments and Open Windows

A home should be clean from top to bottom.  It is important to have drapes, curtains, and blinds thoroughly cleaned when listing your home.  Get rid of the dust, the cob webs, and built up grime that has accumulated over time.  Crisp window treatments and a crisp breeze are inviting.  Let spring in!

Clean Carpets, Polish Floors

The carpets throughout your home should be professionally cleaned.  The smell and look of clean carpets is appealing to buyers.  They are looking for a space where they can move right in without having to do a lot of effort other than moving in.  Hardwood floors should be refinished if they are in really bad shape otherwise a solid polishing should bring them back up to the level that buyers are looking for.

This list goes on and on.  The more presentable the home, the fewer issues the home has, the less work the home presents for the buyer, the higher the selling price and the faster the home will move off the market.  Let the professional real estate agents at C21 Lady of the Lakes help you today!  Professional realtors working for you.
C21 Lady of the Lakes is a full-service realtor serving Livingston County and the surrounding areas with all their real estate needs.  More information can be found at http://www.ladyofthelakes.com/.

Step By Step Guide For Buying Your First Home

One of the first things that first-time home buyers should know is that it is going to take a lot of time and effort to find and finally close on a home of their dreams.  In order to make the process as easy as possible and to help buyers make the best choices when purchasing a home.  Below is advice from real estate experts to help you throughout the buying process.

First things first, start researching as soon as you decide to buy a home.  Look through magazines, search the internet, look through trade papers, and so on to find real estate listing and industry news.  With the real estate listings that you have found, follow them through to their sale.  Analyze the time it takes for a house to hit the market through to close.  Note what the asking price was initially and what the home closed for.  These trends will allow you to see the larger picture for homes in your specific location.

The next step is to determine how much you can afford overall and monthly.  Most often lenders recommend that buyers spend no more than 3 to 5 times their annual income on a home when you are able to put down 20%.  It is also imperative to eliminate outside debts as much as possible.  It is also key to figure out the monthly costs of maintaining a home.  There are several online tools that help first time home buyers with calculating costs when purchasing a new home.

It is also important to meet with a lender or mortgage broker to get preapproved for a mortgage.  Obviously before you can buy a home you need the means to do so.  Prequalification means that you have met the requirements set forth by the lender.  Taking into consideration your income, debt, savings, and investments your lender of mortgage broker will tell you how much you qualify to borrow.

Your next step is to find a local real estate agent to work with. Hiring an agent literally costs you nothing; you have nothing to lose when you have a realtor working with you.  The seller compensates the realtor through commissions on the house when it sells. A real estate agent will provide you insight that only comes from living in an area.  They also provide invaluable skills such as negotiations. After going through the process hundreds of times they understand the process better than those of us who only go through it a few times in our lives.

When you start shopping for a home it is important to tour many of the homes in your price range even if they aren’t exactly what you have been dreaming of.  It will help you see what is available.  Take a note pad and camera with you to keep the homes you visit straight.  After time it will be difficult to keep the homes you have toured straight.  In each home you are serious about test out certain features such as the plumbing, windows, electrical, and appliances.  Take a look around the neighborhood and evaluate how well the homes on the block are maintained, the traffic volume, parking, and such.

It is important not to rush the home buying process.  You will find the right home, but it may not happen right away.  Make sure you negotiate a fair price, evaluating the cost at which other homes in the neighborhood have sold for, and reach an agreement.  When your home goes into escrow it is time to finish up the remaining steps within the buying process. 

A home inspection is a must to make sure the home is a good investment and free of costly repairs.  Home offers should be made on a contingency that the home passes inspection.  If major issues are found the seller has a chance to fix the issues or renegotiate the sale.  You as a buyer can withdraw the offer if you decide it is not in your best interest to purchase the residence after the inspection.

Working with the lender you will then select your loan and have the home appraised.  This process should be fairly simple and straightforward. As long as you are responsive in working together it will make this process painless. Once the paperwork is coordinated and you have determined the seller is the rightful owner and can legally sell the house you are buying you are good to set a closing date. 
Last but not least close on your home.  Sign all of the paperwork (there will be a lot of it) and move into your new home!

C21 Lady of the Lakes is a full-service realtor serving Livingston County and the surrounding areas with all their real estate needs.  More information can be found at http://www.ladyofthelakes.com/.

Preparing to Buy A Home This Spring

Mid-Michigan homebuyers know as spring approaches they will begin to face some stiff competition for available homes for sale.  With home prices on the rise and fewer homes for sale, buyers need to make sure that they are fully prepared to purchase a home this spring season. To prepare buyers should look at becoming mentally and financially prepared.

Clarifying Your Home Buying Budget

It is irresistible to peruse photos of homes, tour open houses and day dream about everything you want in a home however, it's much better to be prepared for what you can realistically expect to afford.  It is crucial for home buyers to have a definitive budget in mind when looking at homes.  It is easy to be swayed into a higher price point when you aren’t prepared.  This often occurs with home buyers who may have been outbid on a home previously.  Bumping up your budget may seem like a surefire way to ensure you get the next house you bid on however be careful.  A home even a few thousand dollars over your cap can really derail your goals.

Purchasing a home is more often than not the largest investment that people will make.  It requires people to dive deep into their past, current, and present finances.  It is crucial to know how much you spend on a monthly basis on fixed and flexible expenditures and to understand how these expenses will change when you become a homeowner.  Lenders provide a preapproval that allows homeowners a maximum at which they will be able to borrow.  This is a starting point for establishing a comfortable price point on a new home and monthly mortgage payment.

Benefit from Real Estate Professionals

When homebuyers get serious about finding and purchasing a home it is time to consult a professional realtor.  Locating a seasoned professional in real estate will help to ensure you have access to as many homes in your budget as possible, as soon as they become available on the market.  A professional realtor agent will guide you through the real estate process from start to finish.
Another professional you will want to meet with is a mortgage broker.  They will go through the process with you to get you prequalified and go through different loans and options that are available to you.  In some markets first-time homebuyers are fortunate enough to receive special financial credit offers to help make buying a home possible.

Detail Your Needs Verse Wants

It is important for homebuyers to know what they absolutely need to have in a home verse the luxury wants.  In the fast pace real estate market, we are experiencing right now, buyers need to make sure that they are ready to make an offer when they find the right property.  In order to do this buyer, need to research their priorities and areas where they will be able to compromise.  Limiting your searches to homes that match your needs will also help save time as well as you won’t be wasting time on homes that don’t fit your need.

C21 Lady of the Lakes is a full-service realtor serving Livingston County and the surrounding areas with all their real estate needs.  More information can be found at http://www.ladyofthelakes.com/.

This will come to no surprise, WINTER is here!

After a mild winter here in Pinckney and throughout all of Michigan, the snow and ice has finally arrived.  It is time to break out your favorite moon boots, puffy jacket, and bib overall snow pants, the sledding hills are open.  However, if you are trying to sell your home, it can be an incredibly stressful time.  Winter house sales are notoriously low, but we are here to help; after all buyers exist year-round not just when the weather is cooperating.


Home buyers and sellers are fewer in the winter months.   If you need to buy or sell a home quickly during winter, it is imperative that you work with a professional real estate company like Century 21 Lady of the Lakes.  It won’t be a simple process, but when it comes to selling or buying a home, no matter the season, we have you covered.

Attracting Home Buyers

Make Accessing Your Home as Easy as Possible

When visiting homes, buyers are trying to picture themselves in them.  They want to feel safe in the place that they choose to call home.  Part of this is the ability to easily move about without concern.  Make sure you clear the snow and ice from your driveways, sidewalks, backdoor entrances, and porches.  Salt and de-icer should be used in all areas that will need to be accessed, it shouldn’t be icy where buyers will be.  Clear icicles, make pathways to ease access to the backyard, generally making it easy for sellers to move about the property.

Make Your Home Welcoming

The inside of your home should make buyers feel as if they just stepped into their new home.  A few key elements can help with this.  First, turn the thermostat up!  Not too high as to roast them but the home should be comfortably warm.

Next, it is important to take time to bring in the natural sunlight.  Open up the curtains and shades in your home to maximize the natural light.  If your home is showing during the evening hours, it is equally important to have light but obviously in a different form.  Lamp lighting and candle light can have a similar effect.

If you are having a few showings in one day in may be a good idea to set out some waters, coffee, and fingers snacks.  After a long day of looking at homes it will be a welcome treat and a way to allow your home to stand out from the others.

Know About the Mechanics of Your Home

Buyers will want to know all about your home because it could someday soon be theirs.  Have as much information available as possible on key elements such as the foundation, appliances, water heater, windows, HVAC, plumbing, electrical and roof.  Buyers will want to know when they were installed, last serviced, and about the maintenance that has been done.  Homeowners appreciate when sellers are good at keeping records about their home’s health and will put their minds at rest.
  

Remove Clutter and Tidy Up

Your home can look a little cluttered during the winter.  Outdoor gear is big and bulky, and Christmas decorations can be overwhelming, and just general stuff seems to take over in the winter when we are too cold to put things in their proper place.

Take time before listing your home to pack up the non-sensical things that have accumulated over the years of living within the space.  The goal is to unstuff your home so that buyers can see how ample and spacious the home is.  This is one tip not to ignore.  Rent a storage unit and simply move things that are not needed into it until you sell your home.  When all of the closets and garage aren’t bursting at the seems the home appears roomier.

C21 Lady of the Lakes is a full-service realtor serving Livingston County and the surrounding areas with all their real estate needs.  More information can be found at http://www.ladyofthelakes.com/.

First-Time Home Buyers: What You Should Consider Before Making an Offer

A lot of first-time home buyers get in over their heads.  They fall in love with a home before doing any research and end up signing on the dotted line with a home that is too expensive, needs more work than they expected, and are driving longer then they had expected to work each day.  There is a lot to think about when buying a home, three main issues being the offer price, the condition of the home, and location.

Offer Price:   

The offer of the home should be based on more than that it is comparable with other homes on the market. A home’s asking price is the price that is set before an appraisal has been done.  In reality an offer should than only be based on comparable houses in the area that have already closed and not by what others in the area are asking for their homes.

 The Homes Condition:    

When you are pricing out home repairs don’t automatically assume that they will be up into the thousands of dollars.  Also, don’t assume that you can take the cost of repairs off the offer price of a home as some sellers have already adjusted the asking price to consider these repairs.

Location of the Home:    

The area in which the home is located has a lot to do with the price at which the house will sell for.  Consider the location of the home for a number of reasons including how close it is to work and school but also be aware of the physical location.  See if there are train tracks close or it is in a high traffic area, those things will affect the resale value when go to sell.  Consider if granite counter tops and an additional bathroom are worth the inconvenience of a commuter train coming through the backyard every day.

Now-a-days with the internet there is a lot more information available in real time to both realtors and first-time home buyers.  It is important to keep in mind that not all of the information on the internet will be accurate, but it is a starting point.

Some websites offer free estimates to value your home.  They make a lot of assumptions about the value of properties in a neighborhood based on other homes that have sold but for homes that are non-conforming these can be inaccurate.  Consider these to be generalities and not substitutes for the research a realtor provider or an appraisal gives.

C21 Lady of the Lakes is a full-service realtor serving Livingston County and the surrounding areas with all their real estate needs.  More information can be found at http://www.ladyofthelakes.com/.

I am Ready to Buy My First Home. Where Do I Start?

The industry is saturated with information for first time home buyers.  It is often a bit overwhelming when you are trying to gather initial information on where to start, who to turn to, and what to expect.  In order to be fully prepared to find, finance, and move into a new home it is crucial to be prepared.  Planning for a major event such as buying your first home is one of the best ways to remove the stress and anxiety that usually comes with it.

The first step to buying your first home is the one you are taking right this very moment, research.  As soon as you get the inkling that you want to start looking into buying a home start reading as much reliable information as you can get your hands on.  Websites, newspapers, industry magazines, and real estate books can all provide good information.  It is also appropriate to start perusing listings to note the time that homes you are interested in are staying on the market.  For research purposes take note of changes in asking price as well, all the information gathered at this point gives you a better sense of current housing trends.

The next step that we recommend you take is to speak with a mortgage broker to determine how much of a house you can afford.  This can be a little tricky.  It is not always wise to spend as much on a new home as you qualify for.  Most home buyers want to still be able to live comfortably while owning a home.  Trust your instincts when you are determining a housing budget. 
More often than not lenders will approve buyers for between three to five times the amount of their annual income for a threshold.  Most buyers will have a twenty percent down payment and will carry other debt.  This amount usually holds this in account.  Ex.  If you are currently making $25,000 a year and your spouse is making $55,000 a year this puts you at a total income of around $80,000 a year.  This means that lenders may feel comfortable lending you between $240,000 and $400,000 to purchase a home.  This doesn’t take into consideration your down payment however does give you some figures to start with.

When you meet with a mortgage broker than can start the process of getting you prequalified and preapproved for a mortgage.  This will give you a definite answer to how much you are approved for and can actually spend on your new home.  In order to start this process, you will need to provide your mortgage broker with financial paperwork such as documents on income, savings, investments, and debt.  Through this process brokers will reach out to a variety of lenders to verify your financial status, credit, and figures on borrowing from them.  Each lender will have different requirements, rates, and so forth.  A mortgage broker works as a middle man between you and the lenders to find you the best rates and terms.

Next you will want to find a local real estate agent to work with like C21, Lady of the Lakes out of Pinckney, MI.  A realtor is an important piece of the home buying (and selling) process and will be your biggest advocator throughout the process.  Agents are not only full of useful information on homes, neighborhoods, schools, and such, they are also important to you during negotiations.  Also, it is nice to note that realtors are not compensated by the buyer and instead are paid a commission from the seller of the house.  This means you pay nothing for their professional advice.

Real estate agents are important partners when you’re buying or selling a home. Real estate agents can provide you with helpful information on homes and neighborhoods that isn’t easily accessible to the public. Their knowledge of the home buying process, negotiating skills, and familiarity with the area you want to live in can be extremely valuable. And best of all, it doesn’t cost you anything to use an agent – they’re compensated from the commission paid by the seller of the house.
After you have hired an agent comes the task of finding the perfect home to call home and make an offer.  When you are touring homes it is important to bring along a camera and create a checklist.  This will help in keeping the different houses straight.  After seeing as many houses as you will see during this process it will be hard to remember the pros and cons of each.  Document as much as possible along the way.

When you find a home, you think you could be interested in do a more thorough examination of the space.  Test the plumbing by running all the faucets at one time to get a feel for the water pressure you can expect.  This will also give you a good assessment of the hot water in the home. Next test the electrical outlets.  It is amazing how many times we go into homes where not all of the electrical switches or plugs are working properly.  This could be an electrical issue inside the home, so it will save you money to discover it before paying for a professional home inspection.  Another element to look at is the windows, doors, and attic/roof.  Check to make sure doors and windows properly shut and seal and that attics are without mold or water issues.

If you haven’t already, take a look at the neighborhood.  Check to see how well other houses are maintained.  Evaluate the amount of traffic through the neighborhood, parking, and accessibility to shopping, schools, and more.

Relators will help throughout this process by supplying you with data on how much comparable homes nearby have sold for.  This will help you to negotiate a fair asking price when you have decided on a home to put an offer on.  When you have reached an agreement with the seller on a fair price, the home will go into what is known as escrow.  At this point you will have a number of days to get an inspection, make changes to the offer, and complete the home purchase process.
Most banks will not lend to first time home buyers, or any home buyer for that matter, without first having their investment properly inspected.  All offers are written in a manner known as contingency.  This means that the offer is contingent on the inspection.  If the inspection goes poorly or items are found that need to be repaired, you will have time to renegotiate or withdraw your offer without penalty.

Once the inspection has been finalized and the home repairs (if needed) have occurred it is time to get your financing in order.  Your mortgage broker already has in place the preapprovals that you were given earlier in the process.  This makes the process of selecting a home loan quicker.  Lenders will give you a good faith estimate at this juncture that states what you can expect the monthly payment to be, taxes included, the time you are borrowing the money for, along with the rate at which you are borrowing funds.  It is important as well to understand the type of mortgage you are getting. There are a few options including: Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, Adjustable, and so on.  Mortgage lenders will often send in a home appraiser to ensure that they are making a solid investment in loaning you the amount of money they are for the home. This ensures you are paying a fair price. 
At this point a lot of paperwork is shuffled between real estate agents for the buyers and sellers along with the lender, closing, and title company.  This is all necessary to make sure ownership of the home transfers properly.  Once all parties have reached an agreement a closing date will be set.

At closing you will complete a final walk through of the property, sign closing documents, and exchange the keys.  Some sellers negotiate a time between closing and when they have to vacate.  If this is the case with the home you are purchasing, the seller will rent the home from you until the agreed upon move out date and then you will receive the keys to the home on that final date.

C21 Lady of the Lakes is a full-service realtor serving Livingston County and the surrounding areas with all their real estate needs.  More information can be found at http://www.ladyofthelakes.com/.