by Lilly Miller | Mar 12, 2020 | CRESTICO
No matter if you already have some formal remodeling experience or if you have a passion you want to turn into a source of income, you might want to think about starting your own remodeling business. However, starting this sort of venture is a task that requires money, perseverance and plenty of knowledge. While we can’t help with the first two, we can share some useful tips that will help you start your own remodeling business.
Acquire the licenses
It all starts with licenses. In order to work legally, you need to have a registered company with all the necessary licenses. In most cases, you’ll need to acquire a DBA certificate (“doing business as”). In some cases, you will also need to have a contractor’s license to make public petitions for remodeling. Consult with your local licensing office and get informed about all the licenses you need. You also need to create a separate bank account with your company’s name on it which will accept payments and allow you to keep your work and private life separate.
Get insured
It’s best to halt all work until you get insurance. A good general liability insurance deal will cover you in case of any injury at work or any damage to someone else’s property. In fact, in many countries, you’re required by law to be insured, especially when it comes to worker compensation. Practical commercial property insurance can also come in handy in case your equipment or furniture gets damaged or stolen.
Get the tools
Depending on the type of remodeling you’re performing, you need to have the right tools for the job. For example, it’s crucial to have different kinds of hammers, nail guns, screwdrivers, tape measures, saws and other smaller tools. If you miss something essential, it can delay your work and cost you a lot of money.
Invest in a truck
Every successful remodeling business needs a truck. Of course, you don’t need anything huge, but a medium-sized vehicle with make things so much easier, especially when it comes to moving lumber, bricks, furniture and appliances. And if you’re worried about the price, don’t be. You can always find a respectable dealership with many new or used trucks for sale at affordable prices. Even if you choose a used vehicle, you’ll still have many models at your disposal. And if you ever decide to quit your business, your truck will be easy to sell and get some money back.
Create a good network
The people around you can make a huge difference between a successful and unsuccessful business. If you can be sure your materials will arrive on time and your contractors will finish everything according to your instructions, you can expect plenty of satisfied customers. After all, the finished product will have your name on it, so you want to be associated with only the reliable business partners.
Promote your business
Today, there’s no business without promotion. Many remodeling experts today rely on referrals, so you want to collect as many satisfied customers as you can get. One way to promote your business is to create a referral program. Every customer who recommends you to a friend or family member can get discounts and special gifts. Also, contact your local radio stations and blogs and offer promotional deals to customers. Creating a flat fee for specific projects your business offers is a smart idea that will attract many people.
Prepare for slower periods
Remodeling business closely depends on the Real Estate market and your local economy, so you can prepare for some not-so-great times. If you’re located in an area with separate seasons, prepare to have slower winters and more active and productive summers. While remodelers working in Australia or California might not notice this phenomenon, places with cold winters with plenty of snow certainly feel the difference. Winters are not so suitable for remodeling and people usually spend a lot of money on vacations and presents. However, in order to push through slower periods with minimal losses, you can advise your budget customers to postpone their old house remodels until winter. If you offer better prices, you can expect to have plenty of work during this period of the year.
In order to become the owner of a successful business, you need to make a profit, but make sure to conduct your work without cutting too many corners. As long as you provide your customers with cost-effective, reliable and safe services, you can expect to have plenty of work and a load of satisfied clients ready to recommend your products to all their friends and family.
by Lilly Miller | Mar 12, 2020 | CRESTICO
Putting your home up for sale isn’t an easy task since it requires a certain degree of planning and preparation. And when your home comes with an additional feature, such as a fireplace, things can get even more complicated. However, many buyers love the idea of having a fireplace, so that can be your advantage. So, if you’re planning to sell your home with a fireplace soon, here are some tricks that will help you make that happen.
Don’t hide or neglect the fireplace
This happens quite often, mostly among homeowners who haven’t used their fireplace for some time. But, even though it seems like the easiest option, it can actually decrease the
value of your home. Why? Well, in order to make your home sellable, it needs to look like it’s easy to maintain and having an old and unkempt fireplace is a sure sign that your home’s been neglected. Nobody wants to buy a property and then spend time dealing with matters that should’ve been taken care of by previous owners. Therefore, rather than neglecting or hiding the fireplace, try to find a way to make it look good, as that will certainly help you sell your home for a much better price.
Make the fireplace your main selling feature
This one is the most suitable way to sell your home with a fireplace for the maximum profit, mainly because, by making the fireplace stand out, you’ll attract the right type of clients who’ll be ready to pay for the feature they find attractive and prestigious. So, be sure to clean your fireplace, and if possible, hire a professional cleaning team to do it properly. And since you’ll probably showcase your home on your realtor’s website, then it’s essential
to create high-quality photos that can show the beauty of having the fireplace indoors.
Your fireplace should evoke certain emotions
As mentioned before, making the fireplace your main selling point can be done, but as long as you do it the right way. According to some studies, a fireplace can increase your home’s value, but only among people who are willing to pay. Therefore, it wouldn’t be bad to significantly upgrade or even replace your existing fireplace, especially if it’s already showing signs of wear. So, if you’re looking to change your fireplace for the new one, it’s essential to opt for something current and simple. Nowadays, you can
find gas double side fireplaces that are easy to install and can keep the room warm during the chilly winter months. Besides, many families prefer spending a cozy Christmas day sitting by the fire, eating and enjoying some peace and quiet, so that could be a great way to make the potential customers feel more sentimental, and subsequently, opt for buying a home with a fireplace.
Be honest with potential buyers
In case you are unable or unwilling to get rid of the fireplace, and replacing it is also out of question, then you should definitely be honest with potential buyers, mainly if the fireplace is currently broken or tends to break quite often. They deserve to know the truth, so make sure
to answer all of their questions in a patient and caring manner. If there’s something wrong with the fireplace, it’s essential to let them know, so they’ll be able to decide whether they want to fix it or replace it with a new one. Also, if you’re worried that your malfunctioning fireplace might lower the value of your home, it’s crucial to talk to your
Real Estate agent and find the right solution before you decide to put your home on the market.
Selling your home with an extra feature is a great way to get some extra profit, but in order to do it, you should make sure that your home is in top condition. Aside from that, being straightforward when talking to buyers can help you sell your home much faster, so keep that in mind when you show your home to prospective buyers.
by Lilly Miller | Feb 27, 2020 | CRESTICO
Most people selling a property as-is often do so due to emotional or financial distress. When a homeowner finds they can no longer live in the property following the death of a loved one, cannot afford the repairs needed, are in a rush to beat a looming foreclosure or urgently need the cash to meet a large unexpected expense, selling quickly is the most convenient way out.
But selling a home as-is will not automatically lead to a quick transaction conclusion. Selling fast as-is entails taking deliberate steps to get rid of any potential impediments to the process. Here’s a look at some practical tips that can help you do just that.
Full Disclosure
Selling your house as-is means the buyer will take up the property, flaws and all. As the seller, you will not carry out any pre-sale improvements, repairs and renovations. Whether the buyer is an individual or a company like househeroes.com, they will get the house with its problems intact.
An as-is sale has a legal definition in nearly all states. It’s not as simple as a seller handing over the house keys and walking away with a big check. The purchase agreement must explicitly describe the condition of the house in question. The law protects the buyer from waiting to discover the issues after the transaction is concluded.
Ergo, the seller must make all disclosures upfront whereas the buyer is permitted to back out if an inspection finds the state of the property is actually worse than originally stated. To make sure you have all bases covered, obtain a pre-listing inspection. The better armed with the information you are, the less likely of a nasty surprise later on.
Set a Low Listing Price
When people shopping for a property see as-is on a listing, they’ll immediately assume there’s a major problem with the house, the seller is desperate, that they can close the deal with a ridiculously low offer or all of the above. Often, they are correct.
Thanks to these negative preconceptions, you should set your list price lower than the property’s market value if you want to attract interest quickly. To give you an idea, foreclosed houses in St Louis sell for about 37 percent less than similar owner-sold properties. Since someone selling as-is is keen on closing the transaction quickly, it’s not unreasonable to think as-is buyers will expect a similar discount.
You have to be ok with losing out on the thousands of dollars you would otherwise have received if you made some major repairs before selling. A low price doesn’t guarantee the home will go quickly but it certainly increases the chances of that happening.
Make Small Renovations
You are determined to sell the property without performing any major renovation or repair. That doesn’t however mean you shouldn’t do any improvements at all. While you certainly want to dispose of the property quickly, you should target the best possible price you can get for it. A dilapidated house that’s falling apart will attract ridiculously low offers.
If you are not going to do anything else, make sure you carry out some basic work that will increase the property’s curb appeal. It could cost as little as a hundred dollars but can have a substantial impact. Thoroughly clean the house, mow the grass, water the lawn, plant flowers or apply a new coat of paint to the exterior walls. This will draw more interest to the house and pay off via a better sale price.
A home is the average American’s single largest investment. Naturally, you’d want to obtain the maximum possible return when you put it up for sale. Unfortunately, the condition of the house, the state of your finances and safeguarding your emotional wellbeing won’t always make this possible. Selling as-is is sometimes the most viable path to cutting your losses, making a recovery and starting afresh. Follow this tips to conclude your as-is sale fast.
by Lilly Miller | Dec 26, 2019 | CRESTICO
As the year 2019 is closing to an end, some people are reminiscing what they have done this year, while others are turning towards the future. If your plan for 2020 is to sell your house and move to another neighborhood or city, you are probably currently deep in thought about how to make get the maximum from your house in terms of the price.
The answer to that question lies in staging, that is, preparing the house in a certain matter to be more pleasing to the potential buyers. The trick is, naturally, not to renovate but to make smaller but effective changes so that their expense is more than covered by the price that you set. So, here are the hottest trends that will attract buyers but without draining your budget.
Two-shade curb appeal
The potential buyers’ first glimpse will be to the exterior of your home, so you would need to work a bit on the curb appeal. One thing that doesn’t change with years is that first impressions matter and an unattractive exterior can lower the general opinion buyers form about the property.
What would fit into the 2020 trends is a two-shade exterior: choose a color that you like, that is, two of its shades (we recommend one to be night watch green) and that would take the estheticism to the next level. As for the walkway pavers, emphasize the color with a stone sealer and when the spring comes, plant flowers of vibrant colors to attract the buyers in swarms.
Add a breath of luxury
An ostentatious interior is not only unappealing to most buyers but it also makes them start pondering over the money they will need to keep it in that state. However, luxurious elements don’t have to be pretentious or expensive because they don’t necessarily include a grand piano in the living room or a spa in the bathroom.
A few subtle elements are enough and placing them at places that are not that obvious would give the house an additional charm. For instance, you can choose affordable plaster ceiling panels for your living room ceiling and be sure that the exquisite ornaments would be the selling feature of the house. They come in different patterns so it will not be difficult to find the one that will fit perfectly into your living room.
Illuminate the space
Most people dislike dark houses and dull brown walls will be enough for them to run away any year, not just in 2020. So, what you want to do is to open the curtains and the windows (if the weather allows you) to let the light into the house. Everything would get an elegant golden hue, while the floral ornaments on the ceiling would seem as if they are in full bloom.
If the buyers can only come after the sunset, don’t worry, the light is still your best friend so you can purchase a few modern lamps that stand on the floor and place others on the table and that would give the house a romantic tone, perfect for couples looking for a place to settle.
Accessorize with unique items
What your house needs to have in 2020 is some statement items: those unique pieces of furniture or decorative elements that dominate the room. It can be an old rocking chair you got on the flea market and repainted or a vintage coffee table that belonged to your grandparents. Old items have the charm your house needs, and the best thing is that you can transform them into something new. Getting that one item doesn’t have to be expensive and it can boost the attractiveness of your house severely.
With 2020 waving at us just around the corner, it is already time to start considering the tactics for staging your house if you wish to sell it swiftly. Luckily, these trends are neither high-priced nor will they take too much time to be put into effect, so with some good marketing, you will sell your house in no time.
by Lilly Miller | Nov 8, 2019 | CRESTICO
If you are at the same time excited and terrified at the prospects of purchasing your first house, don’t worry, you are not the only one. This is probably the largest financial venture you will undertake so it is natural to be a bit nervous and to wish to research everything in detail so you can feel comfortable as much as possible. With that in mind, here is a list of certain expenses you need to keep in mind when you are planning the budget for your first home.
Prepare for the down payment
Everyone who has purchased a house, vehicle or other more expensive asset had to prepare for the down payment. It represents a portion of your new house’s price which is paid upfront and it can go up to 20 percent of that sum. For instance, if the house costs $200,000, the down payment would be $40,000 and if you saved up that amount, that means that you would have to acquire another $160,000 through a bank loan or some other financial scheme. Both your savings and the manner you would obtain the rest of the sum is something you need to plan for in advance to make sure you come up with the optimal solution when it comes to monthly installments and the length of the payment period.
Keep in mind the house insurance
Taking out home and contents insurance is a small pre-purchase step which could mean a lot in case something happens. One of the most important features you should pay attention to is the 24/7 assistance, while others that could be of use include temporary accommodation in case the damage is substantial and counseling after a traumatic event. The insurance costs vary varies from property to property, and you can click here for home and contents insurance reviews to get more familiar with the conditions and choose the option which would suit you the most. Some things you need to ensure your new home and belongings against are fire, earthquake, storm, flood, and make sure you read the small print and to know exactly what is covered by the insurance.
Anticipate building inspection costs
Since you are buying a house for the first time, you probably don’t have much experience with assessing the offer and there is a reasonable fear among many people when they start looking for the first property that they might overpay for a place. This is why building inspection is a perfect manner to check the structural soundness so you don’t pay too much for a house that is essentially better to be knocked down and built again. These inspections usually cost up to $600 which is not a big amount, considering that it gives you peace of mind regarding a long-term investment that is much larger.
Don’t forget the moving expenses
In all the commotion regarding finding the perfect place and arranging the finances to purchase it, many people forget about moving. Since your belongings won’t magically appear in your new home, you need to take it very seriously, as well as the incurred expenses. Besides a lot of hard work related to decluttering, organizing items and cleaning the place, you will need packing supplies and a truck or a moving crew to transfer your things to the new place. Also, some people go for moving insurance, just to make sure they are safe if anything gets broken or damaged during a move, which is not impossible, having in mind the amount of (semi)fragile belongings that you might have.
When you think you’ve found your dream house, before saying ‘I do’ to it, sit and think about all the expenses and plan your budget well so you can make sure that you having everything under control. That is the only manner you will be able to truly enjoy your new house and to consider it ‘home sweet home’.
