All About Realty

☺  Home buyers want to afford the home when they find one.
Mortgage loans are paid back, typically in 30 years.  The mortgage lender wants confidence in your ability to pay off the loan in years ahead.  Your earnings and number of years on your job enhance the chances of getting a larger mortgage.

 ☺  Credit history is an important determining factor.  A good credit history will allow a home buyer to borrower a larger mortgage. 

 ☺  Even though a home mortgage lender will allow you to borrower a large mortgage, doesn’t mean you can afford it.  You know your spending habits and lifestyle, ensure that the mortgage payment is comfortable and fits your budget.  Be conservative, it will help get you through tough times.   No one wants to be in the position of their home being taken away because they can’t afford the home.

► Take your gross monthly income (before tax deductions) and multiply by 41% or by .41

     (this amount would include property taxes and homeowner insurmance)

► Then, minus your minimum monthly required other debt payments (not your utilities, etc.)

 Call Cyndee Jacobs for more details or for a more accurate mortgage prequalification and to obtain the price of the home you can afford based on the monthly mortgage payment.

813-681-6600 or 813-767-5858

◘ More homes under contract

◘ More available jobs, Lower unemployment rates

◘ Fewer Home Builder Concessions for home buyers to buy the builder’s home

◘ Rising residential home rental rates cause renter interests in home buying

◘  When the phone rings with new home buyers ready to buy a home

●  Have plenty of water on in the house (1/2 gallon/person) and non-perishable food for several

days

●  Have tools, clothing, bedding, prescriptions, liquid soap, battery-operated radio or

television, extra batteries, flashlight, whistle, cash, coins, traveler’s checks, first aid

kit and a portable bag or container to transport these items from the house to elsewhere

●  Have important documents in a waterproof container or mail them to a relative in

another state to keep in a safe place. Ie:  copy of photo ID, passport, social security

card, birth, marriage, death certificates, important phone numbers, household

inventory, a copy of all your credit card statements, one copy of a bank statement

from each account, immunization record, copy of deed, contracts, insurance policies,

will, stocks and bonds, and homeowner insurance policy

●  Trim trees and shrubs on your property

●  Clean rain gutters and downspouts at home exterior

●  Tighten loose gutters and downspouts

●  Reinforce double doors and garage doors

●  Secure siding and roof to the home structure

●  Install straps or clips to fasten the roof to the house frame

●  Install storm shutters or 5/8” plywood over the windows of your home

●  Listen to the radio or TV for information

●  Use the phone only for emergencies

●  Stay indoors and away from windows

●  Turn the refrigerator to the coldest setting

●  If necessary, take shelter in an interior room such as a closet or bathroom

●  For Pets:  have on hand a name of a pet hurricane shelter, pet supplies, carrier, leash,

mussel, pet ID and up-to-date veterinarian records and bordetella shot, have on hand which local hotels allow pets

● 

The “invisible” home:  An overpriced home becomes “invisible”. 

The true home marketing period begins when the home is priced to sell (about 5% below the price of homes sold in the last month or two months). No matter how much home marketing is given to expose the home to home buyer prospects, it appears “invisible”; therefore the amount of marketing isn’t effective until the home is priced right.  Prospects ignore overpriced homes as if they do not exist.  They concentrate on the properties that are priced right because there are so many homes priced to sell.  This explains why overpriced homes don’t get on the buyer’s “view homes list”. 

 Once the home price is right, the home buyer usually “drives by”, that’s where property curb appeal makes a difference.  If there is home curb appeal, the home buyer will likely place the home on the “view inside” home list.

When the home is on the view inside home list, the home first impression is important the moment the prospect walks up to the front door!

 Home Priced-right first, great home curb appeal second, home first impression third, then, the buyer will determine which properties are the better home value. 

Homeowners who overprice their home, almost always ends up with less money than they would have if their home were priced correctly in the beginning!

♥ Update the Kitchen with solid surface counters, qualify floors and newer appliances

♥ Update the bathrooms, home buyers like double sinks and separate showers with new fixtures

♥ Buyers home shopping love “lost of storage”

♥ Update flooring with ceramic tile, laminate or hardwood

♥ Improve the home curb appeal, if home buyers like the outside-they’ll want to see the inside of the home 

♥ Keep the home light, bright and airy

♥ Update home landscaping to keep in line with the neighborhood

Educate yourself about the real estate market
●Are the homes selling at the list price or below it?

●If it’s below the listing price, what percentage below it?

●Are the sold homes a standard home sale, short sale, or foreclosure?

Call us for a competitive market analysis. It includes comparable homes sold recently and homes for sale now.

Hire a real estate agent based on integrity; the more straight forward current information you have-the better decisions you can make as a homeowner.

Obtain an impartial home inspection
● I suggest that you have a home inspection done on the property; then a home buyer might not make the purchase contract home offer contingent upon an inspection.  (the fewer the contingencies, the stronger the contract-the greater the chance of the home closing)

Once the inspector identifies issues, hire a licensed person to correct them.  These things will give your home a competitive edge!

Keep a step ahead of the house competition….and speed up the home sale.

Home Interior

■ Shampoo carpets

■ Wash walls

■ Clean window sills

■ Clean window blinds

■ Clean interior doors and woodwork

■ Clean light fixtures and ceiling fans

■ Clean the oven
■ Remove clutter from all closets

■ Remove clutter from cabinets

■ Remove clutter from countertops in kitchen and baths
■ Remove unnecessary furniture and decorating items

■ Remove personal photos, so the buyer can see themselves living in the home

■ Add pleasant fragrance

■ Arrange furniture there is easy flow for walking through each room of the house, buyers view the homes in 2s, 3s and sometimes more
■ Keep window treatments open to let the sun shine in

■ Put the newest or new, color coordinated towels out in the bathrooms
■ Repair leaky faucets and slow drains
■ Touch up paint on walls and trim

■ Replace light bulbs with new higher wattage bulbs
■ Replace any worn door knobs or handles and ensure that the keys work easily in the doors

Home Exterior

■ Remove debris

■ Trim hedges, bushes and shrubbery – just below the window

■ Replace mulch with fresh mulch
■ Put some new color flowers at the front of the house
■ Clear walkways – remove everything unnecessary
■ Clean or remove outdoor furniture if it is worn
■ Remove algae from the house or concrete
■ Keep lawn cut, edged and weed-less
■ Repair any broken windows, screens, shutters or awnings
■ Remove clutter from your garage, make an effort to have nothing in it but vehicles

 

If it is a home buyer’s market, list the home 5% below the price that similar homes sold last month (this adjusts for the declining home market value).

Remember, negotiations lean towards the home buyer in a buyer’s market.  In this type of market, there is an oversupply of homes for sale to the short number of buyers buying from the inventory.

When comparing to similar sold homes, the sold data should not be more than one – three months ago and within CLOSE proximity to the subject.

Most home sellers are not receiving any home showings or offers whatsoever.  If you receive an offer in a declining market, strongly consider it.

When biting the bullet selling in a down market, you can use that same leverage buying in the same down market.

For home selling success, call Cyndee Jacobs, All About Realty 813-681-6600.

►You should feel comfortable with the Realtor

► Many Years of Real Estate Experience

► Mortgage Finance Knowledge to help you avoid being taken advantage of or help you find the right mortgage type for your home financial needs

► Vast Real Estate Knowledge to explain things clearly to you all the way to the real estate closing

► A Realtor who has the ability to easily access information about all properties and set appointments for you to view homes that interest you

► A Realtor that has excellent home purchase negotiation skills

Contact a Realtor to Represent you as a home buyer, Cyndee Jacobs 813-681-6600 All About Realty