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Monday, January 27, 2014

Top 10 Roadblocks to Watch for in Your Next Renovation Project!



There are many great Central Florida area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (352) 988-3447 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

These ten roadblocks almost derailed these homeowner’s renovation dreams on House Hunters: Renovation.

10. Measure twice, build once! These homeowners added 6 inches to their wall after sending measurements for custom cabinets.

9. Look out for wood paneling. This stuff does not come off easy!

8. Hire a pro to do your wallpaper!

7. Make sure your oven hood actually vents! For these homeowners, the oven was venting into the wall causing them to completely gut the wall.

6. Mold. Nothing derails a renovation project like mold; you will end up gutting the room and eventually your wallet!

5. Be careful of what is under your carpet! These homeowners found a surprise patch of parquet flooring when tearing out their carpet and takes even more time to rip out.

4. You! You can be one of the biggest roadblocks in your project. We know this can be an extremely stressful project, but try and keep it together!

3. Be careful picking your designer. This couple found themselves with a designer picking his own colors to paint their house!

2. If choosing a quartz surface, measure your countertop thoroughly! Quartz is cut from slabs and is useless if cut too small.

1. Beware of stone! These renovators received 55 out of 80 pieces of tile chipped and when they received more, they didn’t like it.

Thankfully, these roadblocks didn’t stop these renovators from completing their project; but they can be a headache! Keep this in mind when starting your home renovation project.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Should You Take the First Offer on Your Home?



Today I wanted to cover a subject that seems to have a lot of different opinions among real estate agents and that is, as a seller, if the first offer made is the one you should take. For the majority of the time, I would say yes that is the case and there are a lot of reasons for that. First of all, if a house is on the market for typically 25-45 days, you’ve had people look at your house and the offer you finally get is going to be your best offer. Not only that, but properties tend to go “stale” and the buyers start seeing that the longer the home has been on the market, then the more they feel like they have negotiating power.

That being said, those are the characteristics of a typical market where homes are staying active for 1-3 months. However, what we’re seeing a lot of is multiple offers; especially on homes that are priced well. When we price a home right at the perfect market value, we’re getting 2-4 offers on the property within the first few days. My suggestion is to take a look at a few offers, compare them and give the buyers the chance to raise the price a few thousand dollars. As for the buyers that are listening, when you go to put in a bid on a home that is really nice and only been on the market for a few days, call your agent (like us) and find out if there have already been multiple offers and what price you need to be at to actually obtain the home.

If you are looking to sell your home, please let us know. We are doing fantastic at getting properties sold within the first week or two because of the extensive marketing and the accurate pricing. Also, if you’re a buyer and looking to work with a buyer specialist, we have three on hand and they are great at moving quickly to get you in a position where you’re one of the first people to make an offer. This prevents you from paying more than you have to for a home.

Give us a call at (352) 988-3447 if you have any questions. Thanks and have a great day!

Monday, November 18, 2013

Now is the Time to Sell Your Home!



With the fall season in full swing, the keyword is “motivated buyers.” The motivated buyers that fall brings makes it a great time to sell your home because these buyers want to have their family settled in for Christmas. Another reason it is a great time to sell is because inventory is typically low in the fall because sellers want to wait until the holidays are over. This sounds great in theory, but the reality is you’re going to get more money for your home towards the end of the year. The low supply creates more demand for your home and drives up the price.

For sellers to have their home ready to sell this time of year, they need to clean up their house, decorate it as you would for the holidays and get it listed. This will allow both you and your buyer to have a new home for Christmas.

If you are interested in selling your home before the end of the year, check out our free home value report or call me at (352) 988-3447. Thanks and have a great day!