Mindy Jones
KW Integrity First
Best Tip for 1st Time Buyers
First time home buyers are our absolute favorites to work with - they are excited, new to the process, and more educated today than ever in history about the benefits of home ownership. There is so much information available online for our first time home buyers but nothing replaces the consultation we have with them at the very beginning of the process to ensure that not only are they informed but empowered. Today’s market is moving quickly and in order to put your best foot forward, you’ve got to know what that means and how to do it. This consultation is for you so soak it all in, ask all of the questions you were too afraid to google, and get excited because you are about to become a home owner!
How to Prepare to Sell?
Preparing to sell your home in a competitive market looks quite a bit like preparing to sell your home in a slow market if your goal is to maximize your profits. With inventory as low as it is, you can surely sell ANTYHING in this market but the laws of attraction still apply and the more swooning a buyer does for your home, the more likelihood they will be willing to do whatever it takes to make it theirs and the greater chance you have at checking all the boxes on the make me move checklist. Our first recommendation is to put a little sweat equity into preparing your home for sale. You’ll want to start at the front and work your way through the back of your home picking up and storing items that you don’t need or use, squaring off furniture to make photos of the space appear larger and more open, and reducing decor from 2 or more pieces to 1 piece in each area. Clear all of your counter tops, pick up your rugs, take of your fridge magnets - it’s going to be feel bare and the opposite of homey, but I promise it work
What questions should you ask when interviewing a realtor?
Interviewing a realtor when you haven’t bought or sold a home before can be intimidating but it shouldn’t be! As a consumer, you want to feel confident that your agent not only has the skills and experience to navigate the current market but that you like them, trust them, and will get along with them as you are working together on one of your greatest assets. Some of our favorite questions to ask are -
Can you describe the current market and how you are helping your clients win?
How would your clients describe working with you and what are two or three of the things that you think you do better than anyone else?
How many families have you served in the last year and what are your plans for serving families this year?
Can you describe the challenges of this market and how you are going to make sure I come out ahead?
Can you give me some success stories or are there people that I can talk to that you’ve worked with before?
How can I find you online, are you local and what does your community presence look like?
What happens if you aren’t available - do you have a team? Who will help me? These are just a few to get you started!
Jenn Sloat
The Sloat Group- Realty One
Tips for 1st Time Buyers
Don't be intimidated! As full time agents we have the experience to keep you educated from start to finish. One of the biggest things we hear about not wanting to buy is affordability. Yes, down payments possibly as low as 3%, closing costs and home repairs can add up, but it really boils down to that monthly payment. With the rents rising even faster than home values, buying a home can make more sense over time since you won't have a landlord raising your rent every year. Is it a good time to buy real estate in Arizona? That depends on your unique situation.
Getting Offers Accepted
Getting an offer accepted in today's market can be tough. We've been able to navigate these challenges by understanding our market, knowing the area and neighborhood activity and learning about the seller and their needs. Stronger offers can include a larger down payment, adding an enticing escalation clause, or offering above appraised value of the home.. It's typically a careful combination of several tactics to not only put our buyers in first place, but also bring them all the way to closing day.
Preparing to Sell
One of the best things a homeowner can do is to tackle home improvement items before you list your home. Making sure major systems like the roof, A/C and water heater are functioning properly will go a long way. We walk our seller's through a full consultation addressing small fixes to staging to major recommendations like roof, interior and exterior paint or pool repairs. These minimal investments will usually result in a greater return.
Downsizing? We've heard recently from moving professionals that selling or donating items that are no longer needed or can be used alleviates some of the stress from moving. Family heirlooms aside, parting ways with unused, or items too large for the next home is also a great way to prepare your home for the market. Minimal home furnishings will show better, highlighting a home's layout and features instead of furnishings and decor.
Crystal Hight
The Sloat Group - Realty One
Can you still get your dream house at a reasonable price?
All though home prices have definitely increased over the last several months owning your dream home is still in reach. With interest rates still at a low, this can give a small boost to your buying power, since a smaller portion of your monthly payment will be put toward interest. This can mean being able to afford a little bit more house than you might in a higher rate environment. When you finally find the perfect house, you want to be able to move with lightning speed, having a prequalification is your first step. Homes go really fast in this market but you also need an experienced agent that knows how to successfully negotiate a contract, "Everything is always negotiable” with shortening inspections along with a knowlable agent, can be a difference in winning that offer still at a reasonable price.
What questions should you ask when interviewing a realtor?
When you’re buying your first home, your first relationship with a real estate agent can mean either a relatively smooth, easy experience for you… or a complete nightmare. But knowing what questions to ask can help you find the agent that best fits your needs.
- 1)How do you handle multiple offer situations?
- 2)How do you overcome appraisal issues if my home appraises low?
- 3)Do you work as a full time agent?
- 4)What negotiating strategies do you use when working with other agents?
- 5)How many homes have you sold this year?
How important is pre-qualifying for a loan now? We are competing in a very competitive market with multiple offers, most sellers will consider offers with pre-qualification letters before those without. If you do not have that pre-qualification along with your offer then your offer is not going to be considered. A pre-qualification serves as two primary purposes:It demonstrates to both (you) and to sellers how much you can afford and It gives you the purchasing power to make a legitimate offer.
Melanie Nemetz
How to get your offer on the top of the list:
Creating an offer that will be at the top of the list in this market requires a strategic approach. Melanie’s includes connecting with the listing agent to learn what the seller is looking to accomplish (along with receiving the best offer), ie choosing a specific closing date, or use of a certain title company. It is also important to utilize the terms that are free to the buyer. For example, we suggest shortening the inspection period from 10 days to 7. We are in a strong seller’s market and homes are closing for 5-10% over list price and being sold in AS IS condition. These are the two hot buttons for sellers right now and adding these two terms in your offer is a sure way to have your offer get to the top of the list.
How to prepare to sell your home:
Preparing your home for sale is ever changing and improving. Even in our strong seller’s market, it is important to have your list price match the condition of the home. Seller’s sometimes want to put the top dollar list price on a home that is not in top dollar condition. There is a price for every home.
If you want to maximize the sale of your home, we suggest the following steps to prepare for the sale:
· Meet with us to establish an informed list price, based off of recent sold comparable sales that are close by and similar in size to your home.
· We offer the services of our home stager who will create a written staging report. Our sellers love this as it serves as a checklist and takes the mystery out of the home prep.
· Once we have this report, we are able to establish a timeline from prep to listing. This will include setting a drop dead date for photos in order to maximize exposure in the mls and the online presence.
· Professional photos completed, we are able to create high quality marketing materials, both online and in print.
· A clean home is a priority. A deep clean is suggested from the baseboards to the windows. A clean home will show well and show the buyers the home has been maintained.
· We market the home prior to the home going live in the mls. This helps to bring a buyer to the home earlier in it’s time on the market.
· We establish a listing date and begin scheduling showings for that first day on market.
· A checklist of steps to prepare for the showings includes, having all blinds open to allow in natural sunlight, all lights on in the home, bring the senses to life with lights, sounds (music, waterfalls), a clean smell. A fresh “Welcome” mat at the front door and blooming flowers is always a great start.
· Plan to leave for the day to allow showings to be scheduled at the buyer’s convenience.
Following these steps will create a market ready home and help maximize the sale of the home.
Janine Igliane
How to Prepare to Sell? This is such an important part of the process in selling your home. Even in this sellers market, when you are intentional with your home before you put it on the market, it can make such a difference in what you ultimately sell the home for. In addition, you set yourself up to go under contract with a buyer who loves your home and when a buyer is in love with the home, it makes for a much smoother process. So what exactly should you do to prepare your home? Start with the first impression, the exterior of the home. Then, make sure the inside of the home is clean, free of clutter, depersonalized and move in ready, as much as possible. Show off the beautiful features of your home. I have a stager that walks through my clients home and tells them exactly what to do to prepare the home for sale. This takes the guesswork out of the process and makes it easier for the seller to have a checklist of sorts, that is personal to their home. Lastly, address any major repair items that are needed. A little goes a long way, so if the baseboards need to be cleaned or maybe even painted, do it!
What questions should you ask when interviewing a realtor? I say that WHO you choose to sell your home is just as important as HOW. What do I mean? Today more than ever, a seller has multiple options for selling their home. As a Realtor, I would advise any seller to consider the following when choosing who to hire for the sale of their home. First, what is their experience and specifically what experience do they have in your neighborhood. Next, what will they do to prepare your home for sale. In addition, what marketing will they do for your home, how much will they spend. Another good question to ask is how long they expect your home to take to sell and at what price ultimately. A good Realtor with experience should be able to answer these questions with confidence and ease.