(818) 784-2929 [email protected]

Smart Home Gadgets to Increase Home’s Value

Although most people relish the arrival of the holiday season, real estate activity tends to grow in sluggish around this happy time of year. Many prospective buyers simply have other priorities on their minds. You’ll want to make an extra effort to attract attention to the most appealing aspects of your property now:

One: De-Clutter And Simplify

When you offer your home for sale, encourage potential buyers to envision themselves residing there. Many sales experts recommend removing as much of your personal property from the premises as possible to encourage this mindset. Naturally, you treasure your belongings. Yet to casual visitors your grandfather’s worn old chair or your son’s favorite pair of gym sneakers scream “clutter”.

Consider stripping down your household furnishings to the bare minimum. If necessary, rent a storage unit as a temporary home for any unnecessary household possessions. By simplifying your interior design, you’ll inspire prospective buyers to see themselves filling your premises with their own prized possessions!

Two: Create Exterior Curb Appeal

During the holiday season, it remains especially important to dispel any sense of mid-winter gloom. You’ll want to ensure your home appears inviting from the curb. No one enjoys taking time to tour a residence situated in the midst of a cold, dormant terrain- especially during the convivial holiday season.

Fortunately, several strategies offer assistance. To “spruce up” your grounds (pun intended), place potted evergreens near the front door or along the entrance; they’ll display vibrant green throughout the year. You might also consider using colored mulch in the garden to add rich, decorative earth tones to the yard. Consider hanging a festive wreath on the front door. Most importantly, ensure your home’s exterior lights function correctly; by late afternoon, visitors sometimes require extra illumination at this time of year.

Three: Use Aroma Power

The ability to use powerful scents in your home also assists you during the holiday season. Studies show the sweet aroma of cinnamon rolls appeals to most people. Bake some in the oven before a showing to infuse your kitchen with an alluring scent.

Pine air fresheners may also prove welcome now. Remember, some visitors particularly notice pet odors. You may wish to obtain professional carpet cleaning to remove these lingering scents from upholstery.

Four: Promote Your Home Widely

The holiday season enables you to promote your home widely to your network of friends and neighbors. At social gatherings, mention you’ve placed your home for sale. Local people often know interested possible buyers.

It remains important not to monopolize holiday gatherings with your home marketing news. Yet you should share this information. Your friends may wish to help you by contributing their own friendly word-of-mouth advertising.

Five: Create a Festive Atmosphere at Your Open Houses

Make your residence appealing by creating a festive atmosphere during holiday open houses. Even if you don’t want to set up a fully decorated natural tree, you might consider locating small white artificial Christmas trees in several rooms to create a festive décor. (Just keep the decorations simple and uncluttered.)

Offering small candies or warm apple cider to your visitors confers a party-like atmosphere during open house tours. Make sure you ask everyone to sign a guest book. You can follow up with potential buyers later to see if they have considered purchasing your home.

Many Rewards

By continuing to promote the sale of your property during the holiday season, you may obtain a welcome outcome. Even if a closing does not occur until after the celebrations end, your efforts to sell your home won’t have occurred in vain. Selling real estate sometimes requires time and patience. Your prospects may discuss your property in depth during family gatherings and bring you an offer once most businesses resume their normal operations!

How To Save For A Home Downpayment

One of the more common ways to build wealth over time is owning a home. As owners pay down the mortgage, they are able to build up equity. Should they decide to sell the home, they can then tap this equity. The homeownership rate in the US was 63.8 percent in October 2016. While this was down from what it was a few years ago, this statistic shows that owning a home is still a popular way to build wealth.

It’s recommended that prospective buyers save up 20 percent of the home’s value as a down payment. This will allow the buyer to avoid private mortgage insurance, which can be quite expensive and only protects the lender. FHA loans only require a 3.5 percent down payment, and loans via the USDA or the VA require no money down. If you’re not in a rural area or a veteran, here are some ways to build up the down payment that’s necessary to buy a new home.

Live In Affordable Accommodations

When it comes to the biggest expenses that most people will have on a monthly basis, the cost of lodging will usually come up near the top of the list. The average cost of rent in the United States is $1,231 a month. That’s more than a quarter of the median family income. The best way to save money on rent is to find a place to live that’s on the low side of the local market rate. While there won’t be as many amenities in cheap apartments or homes, the money that’s not spent in the way of housing can go toward savings.

Just getting a cheap apartment is not the only way to save money toward a down payment. Getting a roommate can also help cut the cost of rent and free up even more cash flow for savings. For example, a three-bedroom apartment or house that costs the median of $1,200 could cost only $400 a month if one person rented out each bedroom. Put in some twin beds, and the cost could be lower. Even a married couple could rent out a room or two to save on costs. Every dollar saved on rent can then go toward saving up for a future down payment.

 

Cut Other Expenses

Americans are notorious for spending more money than they need to. Whether it’s a daily latte or cable television, people in the US confuse wants and needs. Basic food, lodging, clothing and transportation are necessary to live and have a job. Most everything else is a want, and there are ways to cut down on these expenses. For example, it’s not necessary to have a super expensive cell plan with unlimited data. There are prepaid options that are pretty cheap. Additionally, it’s possible to cut down on eating out or save some money by opting for Netflix or Hulu rather than an expensive cable package with every pay channel known to man. Every dollar saved from cutting out unnecessary expenses can then go toward a down payment.


Get A Side Hustle

Sometimes, one job just doesn’t pay enough to save much. This is where a side hustle can come in quite handy. There are entire online communities that are dedicated to helping people find side hustles that can bring in extra income. Every dollar earned in excess of basic living expenses can go toward the down payment. Those who can keep up the side hustle after signing off on a mortgage can even accelerate the time needed to pay off the loan.

Regardless of whether a person thinks a down payment for a new home is in the cards, there are steps that he or she can take to build up some savings. It will take time, and it’s a good idea to save up for closing costs and a deductible for home insurance claims. However, over time, building up savings for a down payment can be done by taking positive steps toward the goal.

 

Is Your New Neighborhood Safe?

You have just purchased a beautiful new home and are concerned with how safe the area is going to be for members of your household. Some important tasks that you may want to perform before the big moving day may include the following:

Subscribe to the Local Publications

As soon as you are even considering a home in a specific location, begin reading all of the local publications. Read about all the details of your new neighborhood so you can read firsthand the pros and cons of that specific area. Pay special attention to crime reports, accidents, and robberies, as well as the number of homes for sale and for rent.

Listen to Local TV and Radio Stations

Choose television and radio stations that focus on this area. This way you will get immediate and first-hand reports of any safety or crime issues that may occur. Listen for any reports that pertain to areas that your family may frequent such as parks, schools, and sports facilities.

Crime Rate

It’s important to be checking crime statistics of your subdivision or housing development area. Many housing units will have websites such as SpotCrime.com or CrimeReports.com that list all the percentages on home invasions, car thefts, graffiti, and more. Review the website for repetitious complaints and common neighborhood issues.

Converse with a Local Police Officer

Make a point of having a conversation with a local police officer who may be patrolling your new home base. Ask about current crimes, break-ins, and other safety issues. If you have small children, especially inquire about any incidents that may pertain to youngsters or areas where youngsters may play.

Attend Neighborhood Watch Meetings

Check to see if the area has a neighborhood watch. If so, attend a few of their meetings before moving in. This will give you an honest and clear picture of exactly what the issues are, if any, and how they are handled. After you have settled into your new home, it may be in your best interest to join the neighborhood watch, so you will always have a direct communication to any issues that may occur near your residence or your children’s schools.

Observe Surrounding Homes

Take a drive down nearby streets and roads and examine the yards and homes of your new neighbors. Do they casually leave toys and bicycles lying on the lawns, or do they lock everything up? Do children play unsupervised in yards, or is an anxious mother or older sibling always in sight? Are cars and other vehicles in good condition, or do they have many indents and pings? Are there many homes for rent or for sale? Looking at signs such as these will tell you volumes about your new area.

Identify Local Sex Offenders

Cautious parents can now get address updates and locations of registered sex offenders through the Department of Justice National Sex Offender Public Website. You can search the maps provided for the locations of these offenders so you know which areas to avoid.

You can ask your realtor about any problems in your new location, but just remember, his main goal is to sell you a home and not to scare you off with local crime reports and safety issues.

Checking a new neighborhood for crime and safety is important. However, it is best to do this before signing on the dotted line for a new house. If you have already purchased the home, it will alert you to tasks that may need to be performed and changes that need to be made such as security cameras, new locks, fencing, and sufficient lighting.