Originally posted on https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/3-month-plan-to-sell-home-in-spring Are you planning to sell your home next year? If so, here’s a little secret: You don’t have to wait until spring is in the air to get your home ready for prime time. We asked Dawn Kirkland, a real estate Endorsed Local Provider (ELP) in Birmingham, Alabama, how homeowners can make the most of the months leading up to a spring home sale. Gain an edge on the competition with these steps. As Soon as Possible Interview Real Estate Agents: Finding the right real estate agent  isn’t a one-and-done process. That’s why the sooner you start, the better. Don’t waste your time on someone who only sells a handful of homes a year. You need a pro who inspires you with confidence and has a proven track record for getting top dollar for homes. Look for a high-octane agent who closes a minimum of 35 home transactions per year and has at least four years of real estate experience. Make a Plan: Once you have a partner, you need a plan. Before you roll up your sleeves and get to work, Dawn suggests making a list of all your to-dos. This enables you to break the process down into bite-sized chunks so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Work with your agent to set priorities, then focus on knocking out one task at a time. Start Packing: This is where the going gets tough. It’s time to part with your stuff—but only for a little while. Take a look around and decide what you can live without until your home sells. Rent a storage unit if you have to. Just pack it up and get it out so you can make room for buyers. Here’s an added bonus: The rest of the work will be much easier with less stuff clogging your corners! 2–3 Months Before Listing Uncover Issues: Want to beat buyers to the punch list? Get a pre-sale home inspection. Of course, your buyer’s home inspector will still find things that need to be done. But being proactive enables you to identify potential deal breakers so you can adjust your timeline and budget accordingly. “If you need to deal with something really profound, it may change some of the other things you’ve got to do,” Dawn says. Tackle Repairs: With your home inspection report in hand, work with your real estate agent to prioritize the findings. Just keep these wise words in mind: “It’s always less expensive to repair or replace something up front than to wait for the buyer to ask for that in inspection requests,” Dawn advises. This is especially true for major fixes like a new roof or HVAC unit. “That’s the kind of stuff that scares people to death. They’ll ask...

Originally posted on https://www.moneytips.com/top-5-reasons-to-buy-a-home-during-the-holidays Why it Makes Sense to Buy a Home at Year’s End   Few people like to uproot their family and go through the stresses of home buying and moving during the holidays, but for those who do not mind, the holiday season may provide home buying bargains. Here are a few of the reasons why. Less Market Activity – Lots of family, school, and work activities, combined with the weather in many locations, lead to fewer real estate transactions over the holidays. Since fewer people overall are looking to buy houses, you will have less competition for your preferred house – and this gives you leverage.  Holiday home sellers often have to adjust their price downward or make other concessions if they want to sell. Keep this in mind as you search for homes. Bargains may be available, and listed prices may be more open to negotiation. Motivated Sellers – People who are selling their homes over the holidays often have great incentive to sell, such as an upcoming job relocation. If a house has already been on the market for some time, that incentive is multiplied. You may be able to use this urgency to your advantage (assuming you are not in a similarly urgent need to buy). Negotiate fairly but firmly with sellers and you should be able to extract a lower price and/or other concessions like paying part of the closing costs. Potential Tax Advantages – If you itemize your taxes, you can deduct any points you paid upon closing, as well as property taxes and mortgage interest. Whether it is to your advantage to buy before or after year’s end depends on factors such as how many other deductions you have this year and expect to have next year. It is best to consult with a tax professional before purchase. Even though you do not want to make a decision on a home purchase strictly for tax reasons, it could be to your benefit to close before the end of the year. Better Interest Rates – Within the general trend of interest rates, there is often a cyclical trend of lower interest rates during the holidays – not from the generosity of lenders but due to limited demand forcing greater competition among lenders. There are plenty of factors that can obscure or swamp this cycle, but in general, you should see preferable interest rates around the holidays compared to the times immediately before or after. Faster Closings – Generally, all parties involved have incentive to complete transactions toward the end of the year. Lenders want to close their books, real estate agents want to receive their commissions before the year closes, sellers want to move on to their new home and settle in for...

Originally posted on https://www.thebalance.com/selling-your-home-during-the-holidays-1799068 By Elizabeth Weintraub Updated October 07, 2017 Selling your home during the holidays is loaded with pros and cons, don’t make any mistake about it. If you ask a real estate agent, “Should I keep my home on the market over the holidays?” an agent will tell you, “Yes, absolutely, because then you know buyers are serious.” You know what I think about that? I’ll cut to the chase. It’s hogwash. If you don’t really have to sell between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, take your home off of the market, and enjoy some peace and quiet with your family. Now, we can expect that hundreds of thousands of real estate agents want to argue. That’s because real estate agents always want your home on the market, regardless of whether it’s the right time to sell or not. Don’t blame them for being blindsided. It’s the way of the profession. If your home isn’t on the market during the holidays, agents won’t get a sale, and it’s as simple as that. Not to mention, you might decide to list with another agent if the listing is canceled. That’s a real possibility for many agents, and it’s a real fear. On the other hand, some people really do need to sell over the holidays. And some buyers do need to buy a home during the Christmas season, for example, and they don’t have any other alternative. But the fact remains there are not as many buyers in the market in December. Whether holiday season buyers  are more “serious” than springtime buyers remains to be seen. Reasons You Might Not Want to Sell Your Home Over the Holidays First time home buyers, not knowing any better, could think you are desperate. Buyers might try to negotiate. It’s inconvenient during the holidays to always be ready for home showing at a moment’s notice. Not everybody wants to keep the house spic and span when cooking, wrapping gifts, throwing parties. The offers you receive might be for less than list price, and you could receive a lowball offer. You’re appealing to a much smaller inventory of buyers who have very specific needs that your home might not match. It’s almost impossible to close a financed transaction in December if the offer is received mid-month. Buyers who want to close after the New Year will probably make offers in January. If you remove your home from the market, it can return as a brand new listing in January, thereby drawing more traffic because it’s fresh and exciting. Your agent might be on vacation in December and unavailable as the market moves into a seasonal slowdown. Other real estate professionals might be unavailable when you need them as well. Some sellers insist on leaving their homes on the...

Re-posted from http://styledstagedsold.blogs.realtor.org/2017/07/17/hot-home-trend-to-watch-the-two-toned-kitchen/ July 17, 2017 by Melissa Dittman Tracey Two-toned colored kitchens are gaining popularity this year. White and gray painted cabinets are dominating kitchen color schemes, according to the 2017 Kitchen & Bath Design Trends survey conducted by the National Kitchen and Bath Association. Particularly gray-toned kitchen cabinets are seeing a surge in popularity lately.     Other colors are getting mixed in too, adding a little more pizzazz to kitchen design. For example, the surrounding kitchen cabinets may be white and then the center island may feature gray cabinets. Or, white cabinets may be on the top and then gray cabinets on the bottom. Other materials are getting mixed in the kitchen too.  The combinations, however, are mostly muted and simple. “Clean lines with no fussy moldings or trims,” one NKBA survey respondent said. “White kitchens are never going away, but I’ve recommended mixed countertop materials, mixed cabinet colors and frequently use lots of light/dark materials for contrast.” That said, for the more daring, blue or black-toned cabinets as well as high-gloss finishes are gaining popularity in kitchen designs too, according to NKBA’s survey.            ...

Re-Posted from http://realtormag.realtor.org/home-and-design/feature/article/2017/05/how-make-big-statement-small-yard Here’s how to make a splash in even the most compact outdoor spaces. May 2017 by Melissa Dittman Tracey Not everyone dreams of a lush and sprawling backyard. So playing down diminutive outdoor space in your listing could be a missed opportunity to connect with a buyer who sees a postage-stamp lawn or a compact front stoop as a plus, says Meridith Baer, owner of Meridith Baer Home, a staging firm based in the Los Angeles area. “Actually, it’s sometimes easier to make a small space charming. It might be as simple as adding shutters in a pretty hue and painting the front door, or putting that perfect set of chairs on the front porch,” she says. Whether you’re dealing with a small backyard in a single–family home or simply a balcony or patio for a townhouse or condo, these tips can help homeowners or stagers make a bigger statement. Watch the Scale Decluttering is just as crucial for outdoor spaces as it is the rest of the house. “It’s important not to do too much and overcrowd a small space,” says Dennis Hammett, sales associate with Ebby Halliday, REALTORS®, in Dallas. Too many chairs around a table or even too large a tree can make a smaller yard feel confined. “Placement and size of plants becomes very important with a small front yard. You want to make sure that none are so big that they will block any of the home’s architectural features,” says Jason Evans, marketing manager for The Davey Tree Expert Co. in East Bay, Calif. Keep garden statues and ornaments to a minimum, Evans adds. Set a Focal Point Smaller spaces often benefit from an attention-grabbing feature, such as a water fountain, outdoor fireplace, or a restful nook in a compact garden. “If you have a small space, pick a focus to start with,” says Justin Hancock, garden expert with Costa Farms in Miami. “You might want to rent or borrow a small patio set or fire pit to get buyers thinking about how great the backyard will be for entertaining or outdoor living.” You can also draw attention verbally to a focal point. For example, call out the benefits to the home’s outdoor plantings—if they, for example, attract butterflies or hummingbirds, Hancock says. “A quick handout that highlights the upsides to areas of the yard can be helpful to consumers who may not realize those benefits on their own.”  Outdoor Reflections “Try a trick borrowed from interior designers: Hang an outdoor-friendly mirror on an exterior wall to reflect light and to make these yards feel more open,” says Missy Henriksen, spokeswoman for the National Association of Landscape Professionals. While there’s no wrong...