Why You Should Never Turn Off Your Utilities During a Home Sale

Keeping your utilities on during your home sale is important for a variety of reasons.

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If you’ve listed your home for sale and you’ve vacated the property, why do you have to keep utilities on?

First and foremost, our North Carolina listing contracts state that home sellers have to make their homes reasonably accessible for buyers to look at, and that accessibility extends to the existing utilities. That means, water, sewer, electricity, gas (if it applies,) and any alarm systems that are connected to the phone line. 

In this hot weather we’re currently experiencing, and the cold weather we experience come wintertime, it’s critically important that your home is comfortable and its temperature is moderate. If it’s hot outside, you don’t want a buyer to walk through your door and feel the same temperature. This can negatively affect their experience and make them wonder if your HVAC system is working. You definitely don’t want that question to come up. 

You also want the buyer to know that all your utilities are working—that the water is coming through your pipes, your toilets flush, your HVAC system works, and your water heater heats. They will be checking those things to see if they’re functioning, so be prepared. If they aren’t functioning properly because you cut your utilities off, buyers might assume you haven’t been taking care of other things in the home. That can be detrimental to you when you get an offer because buyers take that kind of thing into consideration. 

Be proactive—not reactive.

Another reason to keep your utilities on is so that your HVAC unit can circulate air through the home. If you’re not living in the house and there is no air flow, fungi, mold, and mildew can grow and develop. It’s a lot less expensive to pay a power bill than to deal with a moisture issue. 

When you accept an offer to purchase your property, that offer will require that the utilities be on and functioning. The buyer has the right to check all the things in your home, and their home inspector will also check all the functions that depend on your utilities being on, so have them on and ready. Sometimes when you cut your utilities off, you create a problem that you didn’t have before. If you turn everything back on and suddenly there’s a problem that didn’t exist when you lived in the home, that can spell trouble. Don’t let that happen to you. 

You want your home to make the best impression possible, so in addition to keeping your utilities on, make sure your yard looks great, your shrubs are cut, and your gutters are cleaned out. Buyers pay attention to those kinds of things too. 

If you have any questions about this topic or you’re interested in buying or selling a home, give us a call or send us an email. We’d be happy to help you. 

What You Need to Know About a Residential Property Disclosure Statement

Today I walked to talk about what a residential property disclosure statement is and what it means for you as a home seller.

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In the state of North Carolina, this mandatory document is given to a buyer when you get ready to sell your home. It features a list of questions that the seller must answer. I’ve listed some of the important questions below.

• What is the age of my roof and has it been leaking? 
• How old is my HVAC system?
• What is the age of my water heater? This is not required on the document, but is something that some buyers may want to know about.
• Do you have a septic tank and a copy of the permit?
• How many bedrooms was your house permitted for?
• What about restrictive covenants?
• Do you have a survey?
• What about your HOA? What are the fees? What’s covered?

Make sure you keep track of all your important documentation.

An important thing to know is when you put on a new roof or update your HVAC system, that isn’t going to increase the value of your home because it is considered general maintenance. Every homeowner will need to take care of those items at one point or another. 

Many of the answers to these questions will come in the form of documentation. You should keep a careful record of things such as permits, service reports for your roof and septic tank, and HOA documentation. Whether you’re getting ready to list your home or you’re still just thinking about it, having these documents in one place will make the process of filling out your disclosure statement that much easier.

If you have any other questions about this topic or you’re looking to buy or sell a home, please give me a call. I’d be happy to help!

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!

Should Sellers Pay for Buyer Closing Costs?

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One of the issues we run into quite frequently with sellers is paying for a buyer’s closing costs. Sellers don’t understand why they are being asked to help pay for them when they are already paying their own. Let’s look at the issue a little closer.

Buyers ask sellers to help with closing costs because lenders advise them to negotiate help when cash is tight. The buyer doesn’t want to have to borrow money to pay for costs that will affect their loan, nor do they want to charge the costs to a credit card.

Another reason buyers ask for help is because seller closing costs are relatively less than what buyers pay. Some buyer costs can get pretty hefty; up to 3 to 4% of the loan, which can add up quickly. The seller and buyer can always negotiate the closing costs. By no means do you have to pay 100% of the buyer’s costs because there are always other options.

If you negotiate a higher sales price with the buyer to cover closing costs, you have to be very careful. Will the house appraise if you increase the sale price by X number of dollars to cover the closing costs?

It all boils down to negotiation, which is why you need a professional, experienced real estate agent on your side. Don’t assume that because buyers ask for closing costs that they can’t afford the loan.

If you have any questions for us about this or any other issues, don’t hesitate to reach out to us via phone or email. We look forward to talking with you soon!

How to Avoid Problems With Estate Properties

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Dealing with estate property can be especially difficult, and that's why I'm going to give you some advice on how to handle issues that may arise if you find yourself in a similar situation. 

The very first thing that I recommend that you do is to find an attorney. You'll want to deal with the Clerk of the Superior court in order to probate the will, or the court may need to decide an administrator of the will. Once you have an idea of who will dissolve the estate, you can begin the process.

You need to determine what will happen to the property. Will it be sold? Will it be divided? Often times an estate must be sold to pay off outstanding bills. This isn't always the case, but it does happen.

Your attorney will need to designate the true heirs of the property and divide the estate accordingly. In North Carolina, spouses are involved in the signing of documents when an estate is being transferred, and this can further complicate the situation. 

You will probably need the help of a real estate agent in order to determine the value of the property before it is sold. I also recommend keeping the utilities at the property running. Continuing a home warranty is also a good idea in case something happens while nobody is at the property. 

Trust me, I know how complicated and touchy this situation can be. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have. I would love to give you a hand.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Why Should You Sell Your Home During the Holidays?

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A lot of people think that the real estate market shuts down when the weather gets cold and the days get shorter. However, selling your home during the winter isn't a bad idea at all. Actually there are multiple good reasons to sell your home this winter:

1. Buyers are extremely serious during the winter. Often they are desperate to find a home, so you'll enjoy a quick and profitable sale.

2. There is much less competition during the holidays because sellers don't expect anyone to be looking for homes. This means you'll need to be priced correctly and your home needs to be in turnkey condition.

3. The number of listings on the market will increase dramatically when January comes around. Take advantage of current market conditions to get your home sold for top dollar.

4. Buyers have more time to look for a home during the holidays than they do during a work week. Have your home in top-notch shape and be ready for showings!

5. Some people must buy before the end of the year for tax reasons.

As you can see, there are lots of good reasons to put your home on the market this winter. However, time is running out, so call me and let's set up a consultation to get your home sold!

When Is the Best Time to Sell a Home?

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We’ve been getting a lot of questions from sellers recently, the most popular of these is probably: “Is it the right time of year to sell my home?” Today, we are going to answer that question, as well as provide you a few valuable tips about home selling, no matter when you decide to list.

As we get closer to the holidays, people get concerned that the window to sell their home is gone and it won’t bring enough money if they list now. We want you to remember these three things about home selling, which should calm your fears about “missing your opportunity to sell.”

1. It’s always about the price

When you sell your home, you’ve got to price accurately. To do this, you need a comparative market analysis done for your home that will give you an idea of where you can price your home to sell quickly. 

2. It’s always a good time to sell your home

Given that your home is in good condition, ready to be sold, and priced correctly. 

3. Buyers around the holidays are serious

Many times, they want to move before school starts for the second semester, or get into a home by the time their job transfer is complete. There are a number of reasons buyers could be out looking at this time of year, but in most cases, they are very serious about buying. 

If you have any questions for us, or are thinking about selling your home, give us a call or send us an email. We would love to help you out!

How Do Septic Systems Work in Iredell County?

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Today we are here to talk about the basics of septic systems here in Iredell County. One of the biggest questions we get is "How do I hook onto the county sewer?" Well, there is isn't one, so you are going to find that you probably have a septic tank. Municipalities or neighborhoods will sometimes run septic systems, but what we are talking about today is septic tanks.

Over the past few years, people haven't been very worried about pumping their systems. However, maintenance has now become an issue. Confirm with a septic tank specialist what you should be doing with yours, as there may be some additional chemicals for you to add in.

Septic systems become an issue with buyers or sellers due to septic permits. Today, they are based on the number of bedrooms in your property, not the bathrooms. Your septic permit tells you how many bedrooms your home is set up for, so we have to be conscious of that and reveal to the public what the permit establishes for your bedrooms.

If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to speaking with you soon! 

Are Home Inspections Absolutely Necessary for Buyers?

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As a buyer, you have the right to hire a home inspector for a property that you're looking to buy, and you should absolutely have an inspection done. Keep in mind that you will be paying for the inspections, but the cost is well worth it. 

You need to know the condition of the property before you buy it, and this is the best way to determine what needs to be fixed. Many times there are things about the property that not even the seller knows, so this can be helpful for the sellers in making repairs before a sale.

You always need to pick a trusted home inspector, because you don't want any surprises down the road. I always recommend a termite inspection for people living in our area, and the good thing is that it often covers more than termites. 

As always, if you ever need assistance when you're buying or selling in Iredell County, please don't hesitate to contact me. 

Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to watch the next video in this series!