land o lakes: Understanding Home Inspections
- 03/03/12 08:24 PM
There’s no denying that purchasing a home is one of the biggest thrills of your life, but it can also quickly become overwhelming. While the home you choose may appear to be the perfect house, hiding underneath the dream could be serious unknown defects that can make your investment a costly one. Enter the home inspector. A home inspector performs a physical inspection of the structure and systems of your prospective home. This means that while you may love the beauty of the living room’s wood floors, your inspector can tell if the floor will truly last. … (3 comments)
land o lakes: Make One Final Inspection
- 12/15/11 03:08 AM
In the sales contract, the sellers of your new home agreed to leave the custom blinds, refrigerator, built-in entertainment system and those fine cabinets and workbench in the garage. But when you show up on moving day, all of those amenities are long gone. Moreover, the lock on the back door is broken; there is a huge gouge in the drywall near the front bathroom. Although these circumstances are extreme, they could happen, which is why it is important to have a final inspection of the home you are purchasing before the closing. A pre-closing inspection gives you, one last … (2 comments)
land o lakes: Costs for First-Time Buyers
- 12/14/11 03:56 AM
Buying a new home can be a huge, complex undertaking, especially when it’s your first time. That’s why it’s important to have an experienced real estate agent guiding you along the way. In a survey conducted earlier this year by Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services (PRERS), a Prudential Financial, Inc. [NYSE:PRU] company, 75% of respondents highlighted the importance of real estate agents in the process of buying or selling their home, with only 24% saying agents are helpful but not imperative. “Americans continue to see real estate agents as having a very important role in helping … (1 comments)
land o lakes: Credit Score Requirements Ease for Some
- 11/18/11 02:19 AM
Tight lending guidelines have weighed on the U.S. housing market during its ongoing recovery. Most lending institutions during the past two years raised their credit score requirements to as high as 650, making it nearly impossible for many people to obtain a loan. Wells Fargo made it a little easier for homebuyers this past year, when the lender lowered its credit score requirements on FHA mortgages. “Under its new policy, Wells Fargo will accept borrowers with credit scores of 500 to 579 if those borrowers can make a down payment of at least 10%,” said Robert Lentini, a … (0 comments)
land o lakes: Bringing the Generations Together
- 11/08/11 05:33 AM
Although your home may have been housing a traditional family of a mom, dad and two kids, savvy real estate agents will tell you that in order to attract more buyers, staging your house as one fit for multi-generations is the way to go. More parents and grandparents are finding a need to move in with family, as many can no longer afford the increasing rates of the adult communities where they once lived. Furthermore, the economic climate is forcing many kids to return home once their schooling is done. A recent multi-generational study conducted by the Pew … (1 comments)
land o lakes: Selling an Ugly Home
- 10/28/11 12:30 AM
Let’s say that you inherited an old house in a distant location and want to put it on the market. You may not have the time, resources or energy to make it perfect and just want a quick sale. Or, maybe you had renters at your property who did substantial damage and you don’t have the money to make necessary renovations. Fear not. Just because the house needs work doesn’t mean you can’t sell it. Many homebuyers today are shopping for deals and want to see the potential in your home. In that case, leave brochures for new … (6 comments)
land o lakes: Five Tips for a Green Home
- 10/22/11 11:03 PM
Eco-friendly. Carbon footprint. Global warming. Energy-efficient. These catch phrases have become part of our lexicon as we’ve become more aware of our impact on the environment and our role in protecting it. As a homeowner, there are some simple, inexpensive steps you can take to make your home energy-efficient. Get started on the road to being “green” with these five tips:
Change Your Light Bulbs By replacing just five incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, you can save $100 per year on electric bills while using up to 75 percent less energy and removing greenhouse gases from the … (6 comments)
land o lakes: Setting the Stage for a Home Sale
- 10/15/11 12:24 AM
“You never get a second chance to make a great first impression.” This saying strikes a chord in the real estate industry, where many buyers are quick to jump to a conclusion about a potential home after just one glance. That’s why an increasing number of homeowners are employing professional home stagers to prepare their homes for sale. “Much of what staging accomplishes happens on a subconscious level,” said Carla Grammatica, a consultant with Stage Setters in New York’s Westchester County. “You are trying to create a positive association between your house and the prospective buyer. … (4 comments)
land o lakes: Researching the Perfect Neighborhood
- 10/08/11 10:52 PM
There’s an episode of the hit TV series “How I Met Your Mother” where the characters of Marshall and Lily decide to buy a home in a neighborhood they are unfamiliar with, only to learn later that it sits downwind from a sewer plant. The message is obvious: A buyer must do his or her due diligence on prospective neighborhoods to make the best real estate decisions. For starters, investigate the local school district as good schools boost your property value. Research the closest parks and community centers and consider how busy streets impact the neighborhood. Profiling … (0 comments)
land o lakes: Don’t Curb Homebuyers’ Enthusiasm with a Shabby Exterior
- 10/04/11 02:14 PM
Home sellers spend so much time preparing their interior for the sale that they can easily overlook what’s going on outside of the home. Yet great curb appeal can increase the value of a property by as much as 15-20%. Mario Garcia, a landscaper in Bethesda, Md. who helps prepare homes for market, says a well-manicured lawn is a magnet for buyers. On the other hand, overgrown trees or large bushes hiding the house are a no-no. “Buyers associate the condition of the exterior and landscape with the condition of the interior,” Garcia explained. “Curb appeal must … (1 comments)
land o lakes: Is it Worth the Cost?
- 10/01/11 12:27 AM
A stressful part of putting your home on the market is trying to figure out what to fix and upgrade to get the very best price. An experienced agent will recommend projects to consider and ones to avoid. After all, just because you put money into a renovation project doesn’t mean you will recoup the money in a sale. You may also want to consult Remodeling Magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report for a breakdown of typical returns on renovation projects large and small. The 24th annual edition published earlier this year contains input from some of the country’s top … (6 comments)
land o lakes: Weighing 30- and 15-year Fixed-Rate Mortgages
- 09/27/11 08:40 AM
One important decision homebuyers face is whether to secure a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage or go for a 15-year one, which carries a lower interest rate. “All things equal, a 15-year mortgage allows you to pay off your mortgage twice as fast while saving a significant chunk of money on interest,” explains Mark Crosby, a mortgage expert in Wilmington, Del. Still, “I think the 30-year mortgage is a logical choice for most people because it has more advantages.” For starters, mortgage payments are less expensive with a 30-year mortgage, enabling more consumers to qualify for home purchases. “With a … (1 comments)
land o lakes: Say it with Pictures
- 09/24/11 11:47 PM
They say a picture paints a thousand words and when it comes to selling your home, you want those words to end with “sold.” It’s no secret that better-presented homes get more traffic and more buyer interest, therefore selling faster. That’s why it is essential that you showcase your home through images in the best way possible. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, nearly 90% of all homebuyers begin shopping for homes online. Many flip through photos of the homes and send a list of those they want to see to their agent. In fact, homes … (5 comments)
land o lakes: Home Staging Should Include the Male Perspective
- 09/23/11 12:23 PM
Professional home stagers consult with homeowners on ways to sell their homes quickly and for the most money possible, but often lost in the design process is the fact that men are involved in buying decisions as well. When having your home staged, it’s important to remember to appeal to both sexes and do some things that will pique a man’s interest just as much as a woman’s. Professional stagers take into account buyer demographics, buying psychology, and utilize design elements in planning out the rooms and space and the use of lighting and its effect on … (1 comments)
land o lakes: Floor the Competition
- 09/18/11 12:02 AM
When people enter your home they usually look down before up, so that first step is vital for attracting a homebuyer and making a great first impression. This is one reason why more people are installing hardwood floors in their homes. Hardwood flooring enhances the look of any room and can create a classic ambiance that will beautify the interior design of your home. Residential real estate agents agree that homes with wood floors hold their value better, sell faster and fetch higher prices. Last year, 99 percent of real estate agents responding to a national survey … (1 comments)
There’s no denying that purchasing a home is one of the biggest thrills of your life, but it can also quickly become overwhelming. While the home you choose may appear to be the perfect house, hiding underneath the dream could be serious unknown defects that can make your investment a costly one.
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