6 Ways Sellers Can Take Advantage of Our Exciting Market

There are six tasks you need to remember to get a great offer on your home in today’s exciting, fast-paced market.

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The other day I was reading an email that a lender sent me titled “Fear Has Returned to the Market” and thought to myself, seriously? In today’s exciting, fast-paced, competitive market, it’s a lot different than it was from 2008 to 2011.

Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, now is a critical time to take advantage of our market and get your best offer as quickly as possible. How can you accomplish this if you’re a seller, though? Pay attention to the basics. There are six keys to remember:

• Price your home to sell. Be competitive in your pricing. Buyers are shopping on the Internet 24/7, and they know what’s being sold and what’s under contract. Do what it takes to get them in your door.
• Consider doing a pre-listing home inspection. If you have a problem, find it and fix it now. Don’t let it come up during the inspection process. If you can avoid a contract falling through over inspection issues getting fixed, it behooves you to do so.
• Declutter. Get rid of all that old stuff sitting around that you don’t use and/or move the furniture around. Pack it up and put it in storage or just get rid of it. You want your home to look as big as possible, and decluttering accomplishes this effect.

Today’s market is nothing like how it was after the crash, and opportunity is there for you to take advantage of it.

• Pay attention to the yard. First impressions are critical to buyers, and your home’s first impression starts with the yard. Let them know that your yard reflects how great your home looks on the inside too.
• Make your home easy to show. Buyer’s agents have ready, willing, and able buyers, and they want to get into your home as soon as possible. Make it easy for them to get into your home, get it shown, and be able to explain its benefits and features. 
• Take advantage of the help of a full-time real estate professional. They can help walk you through the process of listing your home and getting it on the market, getting a contract signed, and making sure you go to closing with money in your pocket.

If you have any questions about our current market, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

What If Other Buyers Try to Get Your Dream Home?

Multiple offer situations are incredibly common in our current market. As a buyer, how can you win your dream home?

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How do you make sure that you win your dream home when other buyers want to buy it?

We are seeing a lot of multiple offers in today’s market, so it’s not uncommon to face some competition for your dream home. So, what do you do?

First, you need to make an offer. Don’t sit and wait to see if others are going to make one. You should also keep in mind that you’re not going to know what those other offers are. The listing agent won’t reveal that information. After all, they are working for the seller to make sure that they get the best offer.  

When you make your offer, what can you do to make sure that your offer is the one that gets accepted? You need to make sure that you are pre-qualified. You might need to ask your lender if you could possibly make a higher offer than the asking price, so you need to know about your finances right off the bat.

Don’t wait around to see if anyone else will make an offer.

You also have to consider how much earnest money you are willing to put down. After all, money talks.

In addition to earnest money, consider due diligence money. Do you have some money that you are willing to put down to show your sincerity in buying that property?

Another thing you can do to make your offer stand out is to write a letter to the seller. Tell them why you want to buy their house and let them know that you love their home, that you will take care of it, and explain why you’re making your offer.

Do you need a real estate professional to help you? In this market, the answer is an absolute yes. A professional real estate agent can help you maneuver these multiple offer situations successfully.

If you have any questions about winning in a multiple offer situation or about our current market, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Taking the Pain out of Lawn Care This Spring

It's that time of the year—lawn care season! Today I have some tips to get it back into warm weather shape whether you plan to sell or you just want it to look great for spring.

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It's the time of year to start getting your lawn in shape, and it's especially true if you want to sell your house this year. The first impression of your home is crucial.

The first thing you need to take care of is getting rid of weeds. It's a problem for all of us, but with proper maintenance and irrigation, you can actually prevent weeds. Keep in mind that even if you don't have weeds in your yard, sprouts and seeds from nearby weeds can cause them to spread to you.

It's also time to break out the lawnmower or call the lawn maintenance company. If you have a mower though, make sure you're keeping up on the maintenance in terms of oil and the gas you put into it. Don't forget about the blade; dull blades can actually be harmful to your lawn. Pay attention to the tires if you have a riding lawnmower as well.

Be careful of nearby weeds, which can easily spread to your lawn.

If your yard seems beyond hope of being fixed, it might be time to start over completely.

If you take out all the grass, you need to consider the kind of soil you'll lay down and the grass seed you should use. Your specific area really matters when it comes to the type of grass to plant, so don't be afraid to seek professional advice. A great option would be to call our agricultural resource center and talk to Matt Lenhart, a horticulturist. He can give you some really great tips and can be reached at (704) 878-3000.

If you have any other questions about making your lawn presentable or you're thinking of buying or selling a home here in Iredell County, don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I'd love to help you!