Real Estate Tips

Top Ten Buyer Tips

1. Buying a Home Is One Of The Best Investments You Can Make!
Home equity remains the largest single savings vehicle for most Americans. In addition to the tax incentives of home ownership, and the ability to tap into your home equity if the need arises, buying a home is a wise and prudent investment for most people.

2. It Is Very Important To Buy A Home That Will Go Up In Value. 
Slow, steady home appreciation has been the rule over most of the nation’s history, and many real estate investors became quite wealthy in that environment. They did so by very carefully analyzing the appreciation potential of their investment, and they invested for the long term. You should too. Even if you plan on living in your home just a few years, you will want it to have gone up in value when you put it back on the market.

3. Use A Buyers Agent. 
If you’re going to work with a real estate agent, contract with a buyer's agent rather than with a subagent. A buyer's agent is paid by you and has a duty to represent your interests, while the subagent is paid by the seller and represents the seller’s interests. The subagent, which has been the traditional relationship between a buyer and an agent, is ethically required to disclose all relevant information (such as the fact that you’ll be willing to raise your offer if necessary) to the seller. Try as you might, it’s difficult to avoid saying things you shouldn’t to a subagent. While you are responsible for paying the buyer's agent, the net cost can be zero if you put in your offer that the seller is to pay buyer agent’s commission (which the seller would have had to pay anyway if the offer had come from a subagent). An exception is if you’re buying from a self-seller). They often did not plan on allowing for a real estate commission. In those circumstances, you face a subjective decision as to whether a buyer's agent’s negotiating skills are sufficiently better than yours to justify the commission you will owe them.

4. Choose Your Agent Wisely. 
If you are using a real estate agent look for one with experience in working with buyers, with knowledge of the neighborhood(s) you are considering, and who does not have a reputation for being ‘pushy’. The purchase of a home is a serious long-term commitment on your part and a good agent will recognize that buyers need time and patience so they can satisfactorily sort out the myriad of factors involved in a purchase decision.

5. Current Home Prices Are A Less Important Consideration Than Interest Rates. 
Try to buy and/or sell when interest rates are low. The amount of mortgage you can afford (and thus the price of the home you will consider) will change as the interest rates rise or fall. A certain asking price may sound expensive to you, but at a lower interest rate you might be able to afford it. You may own several homes over your lifetime, and the factors that will limit or increase the value of the home you will be selling will similarly affect the price of its replacement. Since those factors largely wash each other out, interest rates remain the most important factor.

6. Always Have A Home Inspection Contingency. 
In your offer and always hire a professional home inspector to provide you a written report, along with "ball park" estimates or ranges of repair costs. If the inspection turns up problems that weren’t readily noticeable, you can use it and the ball park estimates for negotiating leverage to get the seller to make the repairs or provide you a commensurate price reduction.

7. Learn As Much As Possible about The Seller’s Circumstances. 
There may be mutually beneficial opportunities. For example, if you might face difficulty qualifying for a big enough mortgage, and the seller is worried about college costs for his or her sixth grader, then maybe the seller might be interested in accepting a second trust for part of the purchase price if the interest rate is above what they could otherwise earn and the loan is paid off the summer before the child's freshman college year. From your perspective, the rate will likely be less than you could get from a traditional lender.

8. Research Your Mortgage Options Well Before You Make An Offer. 
You won’t have enough time in the five days sellers normally allow to get all of your paperwork together, determine the best kind of mortgage, who is offering the best rates etc. Consider getting a contingent letter of approval for a loan, or an actual loan commitment prior to making an offer. The former is not actually a loan commitment, but rather a contingent approval for a loan up to a certain amount. While it has relatively little enforceable value, it nevertheless can impress a seller, who might be more willing to accept a lower offer because of the perceived financial capabilities of the seller. It's also possible to get approved by a lender with a longer term "lock" on the interest rate to protect you from subsequent rate increases. While this should substantially increase your negotiating leverage, keep in mind that you pay more directly or indirectly for the longer commitment, either in terms of the rate and/or points.

9. Learn How To Negotiate Like A Pro. 
There’s more money involved in this negotiation than just about any other area you’ll encounter. Even if you’re using a buyer’s agent, you’re part of the team, and you’ll have to make the ultimate decisions about how much to offer and how much to compromise on a counter offer.

10. STUDY! 
The tips in this brochure are only the beginning. You’ll need to learn a lot more if you want to get the best possible deal. Read as much as you can on home buying, negotiating, neighborhoods in your area that might fit your needs, and on factors that impact long term appreciation like schools, infrastructure, major new business expansions or closing etc. Keep copies of everything you send the lender and everything the lender sends you.

Seller Tips

Valuation

It’s the most basic question in real estate: How much is a home worth?

Whether you’re buying a house, selling one, refinancing a mortgage, or making home improvements, home-value considerations are paramount. 

That’s where HomeSmart can help. We’ve gathered comprehensive home-value data from across Arizona, so you can see what your home is worth and how it compares to other houses in your neighborhood. Our expert guides will help you understand how banks and appraisers determine home values; figure out the best way to put your home equity to work for you; and maximize your home’s value with smart improvements that pay you back at resale. After all, no two properties are alike, which is why understanding the nuances of home value is key to getting the most for your real-estate dollar.

Prepare Your Home

You’ve made the decision to sell, and have signed all the necessary paperwork to be represented by HomeSmart. There are several ways to make your house more saleable, an in turn, receive a top dollar offer. Here are some basic tips for preparing your home for showing:

1.    Tidy your yard. Trimming bushes, cutting grass, clearing weeds and adding a few pots of brightly colored flowers can make your house so much more inviting.

2.    Make sure your front patio and door are fresh and clean looking. Sweep area and repaint front door if necessary.

3.    Get rid of clutter. Move unnecessary furniture into storage or into the garage and store out-of-season clothing. Clearing out spaces in rooms and closets can make your home appear larger.

4.    Make minor repairs that can make a bad impression. Items such as torn screens, leaky faucets and drywall cracks can scare away a potential Buyer. Also remember to replace any burnt out light bulbs.

5.    Make sure the house smells fresh and clean. Open a few windows (if weather permits), clean carpeting and drapes to eliminate odors, and consider soft candles or air fresheners to give an inviting scent.

6.    Keep home in exceptionally clean condition. Make sure all windows and blinds are clean, and all switch plates, doors and molding are extra clean.

We hope these tips have been helpful to you. When visiting your home, your HomeSmart agent may share additional ideas that will help you prepare for showing.

Remember...it's a Smart Move with HomeSmart!

 What to Expect

When your home is under contract, the buyer has a period of time in which he or she may inspect your home. Some inspections to expect are:

·         A home inspections performed by a certified home inspector

·         A wood destroying organism inspection

·         If applicable, a survey, septic and/or well inspection. 

Although there are many other types of inspections available to buyers, these are generally the most common.

Some of the items typically investigated during a home inspection are:

·         Appliances

·         Plumbing

·         Electrical

·         Heating and cooling systems

·         Structure

·         Foundation

·         Roof and attic. 

If any of the following are areas of concern, the buyer may ask the inspector to address concerns regarding indoor air quality, expansive soil conditions, previous fire or fold, pests and mold.

Prior to closing, the buyer will conduct another “inspection”, usually referred to as the final walk-thorough. This is where they will confirm that any repairs agreed upon have been completed and that the home is in the same condition as when the offer was written.

Remember…it’s a Smart Move with HomeSmart!