I wanted to wish your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! My entire team wishes you a Happy HolidaySeason this December. Make it the best holiday season yet.
If you're thinking about buying or selling a home, now is the perfect time to start planning out your real estate goals for 2016. Don't hesitate to call or email me anytime!
Choosing the right real estate agent to sell your home is crucial if you plan to sell quickly and for top dollar.You could be throwing away thousands of dollars if you end up choosing the wrong real estate agent.
I have been a licensed Realtor for 16 years, and I was born and raised here. I know every nook and cranny of this town, and that is valuable knowledge to have as a local Realtor.
Experience cannot be overlooked either. I've helped over 3,000 families buy and sell homes, and I've seen it all when it comes to the real estate market.Every transaction is different, but I can find solutions to common problems.This allows me to provide you with a smooth and stress-free transaction.
I know the value of marketing in the modern world of real estate. It's critical in today's market if you want to sell for top dollar, and I know how to drive traffic to your listing.You can no longer put a home on the MLS and stick a sign in the yard.I will list your home on hundreds of websites in order to attract the perfect buyer for your home.
I'm proud to say that I'm ranked#1of all Exit Realty agents in North America (25,000 agents) in sales volume and the number of transactions. If you need my assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me!
Often, I see sellers waiting to list their home until after the holiday season.This is a huge mistake! Locally, there’s a lack of inventory in the marketplace currently.
I'm looking for clients who want to put their homes on the market before the holidays begin.Although we have a demand from serious buyers, there isn’t much supply to supplement it.We have buyers ready and motivated right now.This helps sellers get top dollar for homes.
Take advantage of this lack of inventory.Although there are fewer showings overall, there’s an increased quality to these showings.It’s an opportune time to sell your home during the winter!
Please reach out via email or phone if you have any real estate questions or concerns. I look forward to talking to you soon!
When a buyer puts an offer in on your home, it's important that you don't get too excited. It's wonderful that you're one step closer to selling, but the offer from the buyer may not be so wonderful. That's why today we'll be discussing five different ways that you can evaluate an offer on your home.
Make sure that the buyer is pre-approved.The last thing you want to see in an offer is a buyer that hasn't spoken with a lender and can't actually prove their ability to purchase your home. An offer without a letter of pre-approval is really no offer at all.
Look for a good down payment.The more they can put down, the better the buyer is. Occasionally a buyer will not need to put any money down, but that doesn't mean they're not a good buyer. It just means that they're using a different loan program.
Does the buyer have an existing home to sell?If they do, their offer might be contingent upon their home selling. I'm not a fan of contingent offers because it puts the buyer in control of the sale, and you don't want that happening as a seller. Try to avoid contingent offers if at all possible.
It's always better to pick a buyer who can close more quickly.Most times a closing will be within 6-8 weeks, but I've seen buyers propose closing dates that are six months in advance! That is way too long to close on a home.
Cash is king in today's marketplace.Sometimes cash buyers will pay less for a home, but it's nice to know that the money is there and there will not be any fuss with a lender. It makes the transaction easier, and sometimes this makes it worth taking a little less for your home.
If you need help going over an offer on your home, please don't hesitate to contact me. It's not as easy as just taking the highest offer, you have to think about the merits of each one individually and determine which one will benefit you most.
As always, refer to me as yourreal estate resource in Brainerd!
When it comes time to sell your home, there are a lot of little things that can go wrong to kill a transaction. Today we are going to talk about the 4 most common mistakes that can screw up your home sale, and how you can avoid them.
Trying to sell your home FSBO: Over 60% of all real estate lawsuits stem from For Sale By Owner transactions. You usually get less money for your home sale, and you are much more likely to get in a lawsuit.
Mispricing your home: We see this happen time and time again. When you start pricing too high, the home becomes market worn. This means that as the days on the market go up, when it hits market value, the home will have been on the market for months. Buyers then start to have doubts about the home and wonder if there is something wrong with it because it’s been on the market so long. This also encourages buyers to make low-ball offers or skip over the home entirely.
Using lousy photos: Bad camera phone pictures, pictures with bad lighting. We’ve seen them all. On our team, we have a full-time professional photographer who is going to capture and present your home in its best light online. If buyers aren’t interested in your home after seeing photos of it, they will just move on to the next listing.
Ignoring the backyard: Typically, buyers decide in the first 30 seconds whether they like your home or not, so you’ve got to have great curb appeal. This means having the lawn cut and manicured, with any leaves picked up, to help you make a great first impression.
If you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. We are never too busy to help out!
The fall market is a great time to put your home on the market. Today we are going to be discussing how to prepare your home for sale in the fall market, and the specific things needed to help your home stand out.
No matter the time of year, there are some things you need to do to get stuff ready. Simple things, like making sure your home is in show-ready condition, is important. You may also want to add some new paint or new carpet to make everything look newer and fresher.
Usually, buyers decide if they are interested in your property within the first 30 seconds of pulling up to the home. This is why you need to make sure your curb appeal is shored up, which can be a little more challenging in the fall. While the changing colors of the leaves is beautiful, it will leave those colors all over your lawn and landscaping. You want to make a great first impression on the buyer, so you’ve got to make sure your lawn is immaculate. You may have to rake your yard a few times, but it will be worth it when a buyer is impressed by your home.
For more tips on how to prepare your home for the market, or if you have any other questions, feel free to give me a call. I would love to help you out!
I occasionally get people in my office who want to buy a home, but they have no credit history whatsoever.This leads me to a good question: is it better to have bad credit or no credit?
From the perspective of a lender, it is riskier to lend to someone with no credit history at all than someone with bad credit.They have no way of telling if you are good at making payments or not. When you have bad credit, we can fix it. But if you have no credit at all, there is no way of telling what kind of borrower you might be.
A lot of the time, no credit ends up getting you no mortgage.This is why it's not a terrible idea to start building credit now. You can buy a credit card and put a very small balance on it, and pay it off month to month to build a little bit of consistent credit history.
It's surprising to most people, but it is better to have bad credit than no credit at all.If you want to buy a home in the future, I highly suggest that you begin to build credit now.
If you need help buying or selling in Brainerd, please don't hesitate to contact me!
Today we're going to be speaking about home inspections and whether or not they're actually necessary during a sale.When you hire an inspector it will typically take 2-3 hours and cost about $400.
The inspector will examine the roof, plumbing, electrical, furnaces, chimneys, and more.Anything and everything that can break in the home will be looked at in order to give you an idea of the condition of the home.
You don't want to buy a home and find out that there are myriad issues with it that you have to spend a large amount of money to fix.This is why we always recommend that you have a professional home inspection done on a home that you want to buy.
Be sure to do your research, because in Minnesota anyone can be a home inspector.We usually look for inspectors that have taken classes through the National Association of Home Inspectors, and there are a few other reputable organizations. Also, make sure that you have someone with a decent amount of experience.
You should not skimp on a home inspection, especially when you consider that this home is probably the largest purchase that you will ever make.
If you have any more questions about home inspections, please don't hesitate to ask. We look forward to speaking with you!
What keeps a home from selling? There are a few different factors that could keep your home sitting on the market. Buyers in today's marketplace are very visual, so improving simple things like curb appeal, paint and carpeting will get you the biggest return on investment.
Typically, a buyer will decide in 30 seconds if they like your home. Make sure your home is staged in order to make a good first impression and keep the buyer interested. Have fresh, crisp, clean neutral colors throughout the home.
As you can see, it's the little things that can make a big difference. I've bought a few homes through our Guaranteed Sale program. One home in particular had been on the market for ten months. I made a few of these small fixes, and the home sold a month after I put it back on the market. If you have any questions on today's video, or if you want more advice on preparing your home for the market, give me a call or send me an email. I'd be happy to help you!
A lot of people have been asking me whether cash is king when it comes to multiple offer situations. While cash is usually preferable to a seller, a cash offer is not always going to win.
This is because there are many other ways to structure offers so that you can win. If you're not a cash buyer but you're offering the same amount of money for the home, you can beat that cash offer with better terms.
One thing that you can do to please the seller is allow them to choose the closing date. I've seen this work multiple times, and it really comes down to satisfying the needs of the seller.
Having as few contingencies as possible is another way to strengthen your offer. Sellers don't want to get caught up in a situation where they're dependent upon you.
One last thing that can work wonders is if you write a letter that's personalized to the seller. Some people include a picture of their family and they explain why they want the home, and why they would be a good fit for the property. This can be a good way to make an emotional plea, and it often works.
If you have any other questions about this issue, or if you need help buying or selling real estate in Brainerd, please don't hesitate to contact me!
Today, we'll discuss the most common mistakes home buyers make, so that you don't fall victim to the same pitfalls.
Asking for too much: One thing buyers often do that can hurt their chances of purchasing a home is asking for too many things in a purchase agreement. Keep the offer simple if you want to get your intended result.
Failing to get pre-approved: If you want to impress a seller in a multiple offer situation, you need to show them that you're serious. Submitting a letter of pre-approval with your initial offer is a must in a busy market!
Putting too little money down: If you really want the house and can afford to put a large sum of money down, you need to do so. Sellers love buyers who are willing to put down a lot of money on their home!
Avoiding these things will go a long way toward ensuring a smooth and successful home buying experience. If you need help navigating the real estate process, or if you have any questions at all, give us a call or shoot us a quick email. We would love to help in any way we can!
Before you enter the real estate market here in Brainerd, I'd like to arm you with some good information in order for you to make better decisions when you're buying or selling.
Overall we're seeing a seller's market right now, but we're also starting to see some new listings hit the marketplace. Interest rates have remained low (4%-4.25%), but there is a bit of worry that in September there will be a rate hike. It's expected to be a gradual increase, which is helpful for buyers who are still unsure about purchasing a home.
If you are unsure of whether to buy a home this summer, I would highly recommend it because interest rates really cannot get any lower. You have the opportunity to save thousands of dollars in interest by locking in a low rate now.
Please contact me if you need any assistance with real estate in Brainerd!
