Selling

Why Sellers Say No to VA Loans

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Why sellers say no to VA loans is a frequent question I am asked in a sellers market. When the market favors sellers, they may have several offers to choose from. Many sellers reject VA loans because they hear that they take longer to close or that appraisals may be difficult. As you prepare to list your home, you may consider which kinds of loans you are willing to accept when you review offers to purchase your home. While a great program for the buyer, they can initially be a bit off-putting for sellers. There are a couple of VA loan requirements for sellers to keep in mind to make the process a smooth one.

Both FHA and VA loans have been around for years, and they’re backed by solid guarantees from the Federal Housing Administration and the Veterans Administration, respectively. Yet in a recent survey by the National Association of Realtors, only 30% of sellers say they’d likely accept an offer from a buyer who’s planning to use an FHA or VA loan. By contrast, 89% of sellers would likely accept an offer from a buyer with a conventional mortgage.

Prepare Your Home for Photographs

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Prepare your home for photographs and you will reduce the number of days that your home will be on the market. The photos of your home that buyers will see on the internet will constitute the first showing of your home so you want to put your best foot forward with great photos. It is definitely worth it to hire a professional photographer for these pictures. Run from the realtor who takes your pictures on a cell phone! You deserve better. Don’t settle for fine!

The 6 P’s of Selling Your Home

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Going on the market will be easier if you focus on the 6 P’s of selling your home. The P’s range from planning to painting to packing up you home – and lots in between. Are you feeling overwhelmed by the process of getting your home on the market? Take a deep breath and focus on small steps! And start early!

Selling Your Home “As-Is”

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There are many reasons for selling your home “As-Is.” Perhaps you are selling your parents’ home and you live out of state. Maybe you are pursuing a short sale because you are not able to sell the home for the same amount of money that you paid for it. You have to ask the bank to approve the sale amount and forgive the balance you owe.
In that case, the bank will not allow you as the seller to make any repairs. Perhaps there is so much demand for a home like yours and buyers are willing to pay full price for it without any repairs! Maybe you have to be at your new job in a week and you don’t have time to fix up your home or make repairs.

Who Makes Requested Home Inspection Repairs?

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Once your home is under contract, the buyer will probably want to do a home inspection. (This will have been noted in the offer on your home.) The purpose of the home inspection is to ensure there are no major property condition issues to deal with. The home inspector will produce a report for the buyer on any needed repairs and suggested maintenance. The buyer will then negotiate with you for requested home inspection repairs.

Will your current home fit your retirement lifestyle?

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As you consider retiring, you may ask will your current home fit your retirement lifestyle. Recent data from the the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis, 2021 saw a retirement boom with more than 1.7 million older workers retiring due to the pandemic. Will your current home fit your retirement lifestyle? Here are some things to consider in deciding whether to make a change.

The Importance of a Home Warranty

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People may question them but having a home warranty is something that both buyers and sellers should be thinking about, as it’s something that can protect against expensive, unforeseen repair bills and provide peace of mind for a homeowner.

Choosing a home warranty or not is a decision every buyer will have to make, and just like deciding on any insurance policy, one needs to compare the pros and cons.

A home warranty is basically a contract between a homeowner and a home warranty company that provides discounted repair and replacement service on a home’s major components, such as the furnace, air conditioning, plumbing and electrical system. A home warranty may also cover major appliances.

This can be a nice perk to a potential sale. A seller may offer to purchase one on behalf of a buyer to provide insurance against something happening. If not, the new owner will most likely be presented with a number of solicitations to purchase a home warranty once the sale closes.

Example: You recently bought a home and within the first two months, the air conditioner breaks. If you have a home warranty, you simply file a claim and they, in turn, would find a provider they work with to fix the problem. And if it can’t be repaired and there were no care issues on the part of the new homeowner, the warranty company would be obligated to replace it.

Other things usually covered in a home warranty are a furnace, duct work, ceiling fans, plumbing, telephone wiring, the water heater and even a pool.

If you’re selling a home, having one can protect you in case something happens during the course of the sale—between the showing and the actual contract signing.

Home warranties make sense for people who aren’t too handy or who don’t want to worry about tracking down a contractor when they have a problem. Warranties can also make sense for people with expensive taste in appliances.

A home warranty isn’t too expensive, and many home warranty companies run special sales and either discount policy prices or offer additional coverage. All policies are for a one-year period and can be renewed.

Home Staging in Three Easy Steps

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Home staging before you go on the market is an important item on that check list that will increase the net proceeds from the sale. First you should declutter your home. Second you should take photos of your home and then start moving furniture and decorations around to highlight the best features of your home. Finally, you should consider whether to hire a professional stager to bring in additional furniture to enhance your home! If it is empty, then you can have your home completely staged with gorgeous new furniture.

Why Should You Get A Pre-Listing Appraisal

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Should you have a pre-listing appraisal done before you put your home on the market? When you are getting ready to list your home, you may be unsure about the price to choose that will bring you the best offer. A pre-listing appraisal can be a real advantage to you and to the buyer planning on making an offer on your home. We recommend that you have a professional appraisal done before you put your home on the market to determine the best price to bring you highest sale price possible. Then you will share the appraisal with interested buyers so that they know that your price is the correct price for your home.