Posts with tag 'Buy a home'

Are you ready to buy a home? Not just financially, but prepared to make major decisions quickly? To go through periods of waiting and uncertainty? As with many things in life, you won't really know how much is involved in something until you've been through it. And unless you go through it often, it's easy to be thrown for a loop when unexpected circumstances arise.

Most first-time buyers recognize that they are not familiar with all the ins and outs of a home purchase, and welcome any guidance. I've helped many clients by providing a written overview of the process, along with discussions of strategy, what-if scenarios, and answering plenty of questions which crop up along the way.

Many home buyers already have some experience with the process, having gone through it when purchasing their current home, but may not realize how much has changed in the intervening years. A refresher is often helpful, and there still may be many questions.

Yet other buyers have...

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Selling your home is always a major undertaking. When you need the funds from the sale in order to purchase your next home, though, the pressure certainly goes up a notch. Or two. If the thought of facing this scenario gives you the jitters, you're not alone. Most people consider moving one of the most stressful events in life, and with so many interdependent factors at play during a simultaneous sale and purchase, it's not hard to imagine what could go wrong. That's why having professional guidance is so important. I've experienced this situation with a number of clients over the years, and here's what I've learned:

FEAR HOLDS PEOPLE BACK

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Some people make my job so much easier, just by being themselves! One instance of this was when I listed a custom-built home in Niles. I was delighted to see that the house had been kept in excellent repair through preventative maintenance. I was positively ecstatic to find it was immaculately clean and uncluttered. Being extremely organized and thoughtful people, they had already packed away their nonessential items and deep cleaned the entire house before they ever called me.

I cannot overstate how helpful all this preparation was in the sale of the home! In most instances, there are plenty of opportunities for sellers to stress out during the sale: preparing for showings, waiting for inspection results, dealing with...

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One of the most frequent questions that homeowners ask me is: What do I have to do in order to get my home ready to sell?

The answer depends on your willingness and ability to clean, repair and update your home, balanced against how much you intend to profit from the sale. Sure, it's entirely possible to sell a property with an old roof, leaky pipes and hideous flooring. But the sales price, in that case, is going to be far from top dollar.

As the market shifts, both buyers and sellers are adjusting their expectations. The brutally compe...

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In this hot seller's market, with competing offers driving sale prices thousands over asking, buyers are willing to overlook a lot. Homes which once would have sat for months with worn roofs, outdated kitchens and baths or older HVAC systems are now being gobbled up without complaint. But some things will still stop a sale.

Here are some real-life examples of issues discovered during home inspections and how they could have been avoided.

Wet Spot in Basement: The ground was sloping toward the house, channeling snow and water right at the foundation.

Solution: Re-grading that portion of the yard so it diverted th...

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