Tips for Moving in 2020

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When you are working on buying or selling a home, or both, the last thing on your mind is the actual moving day. There are so many details to work out, items to check off the list, and things to do that the actual day of moving can sneak up on you, but it is important to make sure that you are prepared in advance for moving day so that everything runs smoothly when that day arrives. Here are some tips for moving in 2020.

Compare Movers

You should definitely hire a mover in this day and age. Professional movers really don’t cost that much comparatively. If you move yourself, you’ll have to hire a U-Haul or similar truck service, which can run you hundreds of dollars depending on how far you are moving. Even just a 300 mile move can come with exorbitant truck fees. Then, you figure in the cost of your time off work so that you can pack and move, and suddenly hiring a mover doesn’t sound so expensive. Read more

Three Common Title Defects and How Title Insurance Saves You

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Any real estate agent will tell you that buying a home is not the cut-and-dry experience that you might have when buying a car or other big ticket item. There is a lot of paperwork that goes into buying a home. Among the expenses you will experience during the purchasing process are appraisals, home inspections, and title insurance. Title insurance is necessary because sometimes issues do arise with titles that can prevent or delay a sale. Here are some common title defects and how title insurance helps save you.

Co-Owners

Sometimes the deed may not accurately reflect all of the owners of a property. If a property has shared ownership with a spouse, sibling, parent, or other person or entity, that owner needs to sign off on the sale as well. If they don’t and they come back later and stake a claim to the property, you could lose your home. Title insurance will protect you by repaying you for the money you have lost from losing the property and may also cover some moving expenses. Read more

Three Reasons Homes Don’t Always Sell in Winter

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Selling a home at any time of the year can be a challenge depending on the property and the situation, yet many homeowners find that it is even more difficult to sell homes in the winter months. Here are a few of the reasons you might find it difficult to sell your home during this time of year.

School Session

Anyone who has school aged children is not likely to be looking to move during the winter months. Moving in January or February can cause children to have to switch schools in the middle of the semester, and most parents will not do that if it can be avoided. However, this limitation doesn’t apply to families with younger children or no children. Read more

Staging Your Home for a Holiday Sale

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They say that it is harder to sell a home during the winter months, but it isn’t impossible. Sometimes the holidays are the best time to try to sell your home. Whatever time of year you put your home on the market, you want to stage it for a quick sale. During the holidays, you have even more opportunity to stage your home and make it look like a welcoming, warm place to live.

Christmas Tree

It is a good idea to go ahead and put up a Christmas tree that is well lit and fully decorated. It should be placed prominently in your home, without making the space look cluttered. The Christmas tree and other indoor decorations will allow potential buyers to imagine what holidays will be like if they buy the home. Read more

Three Reasons Not to Skip on Title Insurance

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There are a lot of small expenses when you are trying to purchase a home. Most home buyers are not aware of all the little costs that add up upon closing. One of the things that you need to prepare for is title insurance. You might be tempted to skip this expense, but that would be a mistake. Here are three reasons not to skip on title insurance.

Your Lender Requires It

Most lenders require that you have title insurance in order to get your mortgage. This lender’s policy covers the legal expenses of the lender in case a title defect arises. It will also pay off what you owe on the mortgage, but you’ll lose the money you already paid up to that point. Your buyer’s policy will cover your own financial losses in case you have to give up the property for some reason. Read more

Guerilla Marketing for Selling For Sale By Owner

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Selling a home as a “for sale by owner” can be a difficult task. You can’t hope to compete with real estate agents who have MLS listing services and lead generation tools at their disposal when it comes to placing ads and getting your listing in front of the masses. But unlike real estate agents, you are free to advertise in other ways. Guerilla marketing is how small businesses and sole proprietors have drummed up business for years, and there is no reason not to use these techniques for your own purposes.

Flyers Everywhere

Creating a flyer for your home for sale is a fairly simple process if you have a computer. A flyer only needs the basic information about your home for sale and your contact information. You can often post flyers around your neighborhood in grocery stores, restaurants, retail establishments, and post offices. If you are part of a homeowners association, there may be some additional places to post your flyer. Read more

Three Social Media Tips for Home Sellers

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If you are trying to sell your own home, finding buyers can be difficult. Homeowners trying to sell their home without a realtor have fewer resources to find and market to home buyers. One of the many ways that you can find potential buyers is to make use of social media. Here are three tips for using social media to sell your home.

YouTube Video Tour

Creating a video tour of your home will get your listing out there in more places, and it will generate more interest in your listing. You can easily create short videos with a number of apps such as Magisto. These apps are very user friendly. 

Once your video tour is complete, upload it on YouTube and use tags for your community. You can also share the video tour on other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. If anyone contacts you about the property, you can refer them to the YouTube video tour. Read more

Three Reasons to Hire a Real Estate Agent to Sell Your Home

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When you embark on the journey of selling your home, there are several different paths that you can take. The two most common ways to sell a home is for sale by owner (FSBO) or through a real estate agent. While FSBO might seem to have some advantages, there are some very good reasons to hire a real estate agent.

More Money in Your Pocket

You might think that you are saving money by not paying a real estate agent, but in reality you could be losing money. A study done in 2017 found that homes represented by agents sold for 30 percent more than homes sold FSBO. Even when you factor in the commission for the real estate agent, you can see that you will easily come out ahead when you use an agent. Read more

The Dangers of Not Having Title Insurance

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When you are going through the process of selling your home, there are a lot of little things that need your attention. It can seem as though the to-do list is never going to be completed. One of those small things is title insurance. There are a lot of reasons that a buyer wants to have title insurance. There are risks for both the buyer and the seller when you skip on the title insurance. 

Title Defects Affect Closing

Title defects can affect the closing of a sale on a home. Title defects can be anything ranging from:

  • Back property taxes being owed on the property
  • Unrecorded liens
  • Unrecorded access rights

Read more

Top Five Apps for Selling a Home For Sale by Owner

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When it comes to selling your home without an agent, one of the most difficult aspects is being able to get your listing out there in a way that entices buyers. Selling your home quickly means making sure that buyers can find your listing, and that your listing is appealing to buyers in a number of ways. There are a lot of tools at your disposal to help you during this process, including the five apps listed below.

Redfin

Redfin is a real estate listing site that allows you to continuously update your listing to make it more appealing to buyers. You can include all of the relevant information about your home on the listing, as well as upload photos and post an asking price. Redfin updates listings in the app every 15 minutes, so you’ll always know that potential buyers are seeing the latest information about your home for sale. Read more