Ryan Smith Home Selling Team Real Estate Podcast Ryan Smith

There are six mistakes you want to avoid during a simultaneous sale. Here are the last three. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Value Report In the final episode of our two-part series about the biggest mistakes to avoid when buying and selling at the same time, we’ll go over the final three pitfalls that can harm your simultaneous transactions. To recap the first part of this series, click here. Without further ado, here are the final three mistakes to avoid: 4. Working with too little of a cushion when it comes to financing and terms. If you’re selling your house for a certain number because you absolutely need that amount to purchase your next home, you’re not leaving yourself that much cushion. You never know what will happen during negotiations. You don’t know what a buyer will ask for, and cutting it tight can make the situation way more stressful. Try to have a little bit of a cushion in terms of what you need from your sale and what you require for your next purchase. Try to have a little bit of a cushion in terms of what you need from your sale and what you require for your next purchase. 5. Failing to compromise. When going through the buying or selling process, it’s easy to stand on principle and refuse to compromise on what you want or what you’re willing to do. There’s a time and a place to put your foot down, but during a real estate transaction, you should think long and hard on whether little things like not wanting to fix a broken window are worth potentially putting a stop to the entire process. 6. Using two different real estate agents. If you’re moving out of town after you sell your current home, then using two different agents is a way better idea than using just one, but if you’re buying and selling in the same area, the process will be a lot smoother if you use just one agent or team. On our team, for example, we have specialized agents who focus on just one side of the transaction, so if you worked with us, you’d get the best of both worlds in terms of expertise. Once again, if you have any questions about this or any other real estate topic, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be glad to help you.

There are six mistakes you want to avoid during a simultaneous sale. Here are the first three. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Value Report In part one of our two-part series on real estate mistakes, we’ll be going over the first three pitfalls you want to avoid when buying and selling at the same time: 1. Waiting too long to prepare your home for the market. If you wait until the last second to prepare your home, it can cause a lot of unnecessary stress. You may have to paint walls, repair decks, and more. Don’t wait until it’s too late! 2. Not having a backup plan. When you’re going through the buying and selling processes at the same time, there are a lot of moving parts to consider. It’s good to have something to fall back on if issues come up and you need to make changes. Don’t let reality hit you after you’ve found the perfect home. 3. Not speaking with a lender before starting the home search. If you don’t talk with a lender up front, you won’t have a pre-qualification or pre-approval and you’ll have no idea what you can actually afford. Don’t let reality hit you after you’ve found the perfect home; speaking with a lender from the outset will help eliminate the daydreaming. Stay tuned for part two of our series, where we’ll cover the final three mistakes to avoid during a simultaneous sale. If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Once you get pre-approved, how long is this pre-approval good for? Find out with today’s quick message. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Value Report You probably already understand the importance of getting pre-approved. After all, meeting with a lender to verify your capacity to buy is the first step you should take in your home search. But after a lender reviews the necessary documents (bank statements, pay stubs, etc.) and explains what kind of home you can afford, how long will this pre-approval last? Meeting with a lender to verify your capacity to buy is the first step you should take in your home search. Thankfully, you’ve got quite some time before your mortgage pre-approval will expire. Lenders understand that buying a home can be intense. They know it can’t happen overnight, so most mortgage pre-approvals will remain valid for at least 90 days. After that point, you may need to undergo a second pre-approval process to ensure that you still have the means to buy a home. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Should you sell your home in 2019? Absolutely, and here’s why. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Value Report Home prices have been on a meteoric rise for years, inventory is incredibly low, and the market continues to favor sellers. If you haven’t thought about it already, here are five reasons why you should sell your home this year: 1. When there is little inventory, there is little competition. If you list now, you may be the only listed home in your area, which means you’ll get much more attention. Inventory is beginning to increase, however, so you’ll see more competition over time. 2. In a seller’s market, you tend to make more of a profit. We’ve seen home values increase dramatically over the last few years. This is beginning to slow down, however, and waiting to sell doesn’t guarantee you’ll make more down the road. Inventory is incredibly low, and the market continues to favor sellers. 3. There is a high demand for homes under $300,000. If you’re in the entry-level price point, you’ll enjoy a lot of attention from first-time homebuyers. The price range between $150,000 and $225,000 has a high demand for homes and a low inventory, allowing you to really capitalize on your sale. 4. Mortgage rates are low. We’re at a 12-month low of around 4.25%, and this contributes a lot to buyer demand. 5. There are a lot of millennials entering the market. People tend to buy their first home around the age of 30. Since many will reach this age within the next two years, it means there will be many new buyers in the market, which will push price and demand upward. If you’re ready to get your home on the market or wanting to learn more, feel free to reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Zestimates aren’t always accurate when it comes to determining a home’s value. Here’s why. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Value Report Whether we’re working with buyers or sellers, the subject of Zillow’s Zestimates comes up quite often, and the No. 1 question we usually get asked about them is, “Are they accurate?” First, let’s review what a Zestimate is. Basically, it’s Zillow’s home valuation tool that’s based on a computer-generated algorithm. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your situation), Zestimates aren’t always accurate. If you’re a home seller and you live in a cookie-cutter neighborhood where all the homes are the same, your Zestimate has a better chance of being accurate. If you don’t live in a cookie-cutter neighborhood, though, Zillow will have a hard time giving your home an accurate Zestimate. If you want to get a truly accurate valuation of your home, the best thing you can do is contact a real estate agent such as myself. Why? A Zestimate can’t account for any upgrades you’ve made to your house. If you’ve installed brand-new granite countertops, redone your flooring, or repainted the entire house, that added value won’t be reflected in your home’s Zestimate. If you want to get a truly accurate valuation of your home, the best thing you can do is contact a real estate agent such as myself so we can visit the property in person and consult with you. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in or you have any other real estate needs I can take care of, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help you.

People tend to forget a lot of things when they’re moving. Here are five such items that you should be aware of. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Value Report When you’re moving into a new home, there’s a lot of stress involved. With that being the case, homeowners tend to forget about certain things during the process. Here is a list of the top five things you should remember when moving: 1. Switch banks. If you are at a regional bank and moving to a different region, you’ll need to switch banks. 2. Take care of medical needs. You might have to get a new doctor, too. This is another thing that can fall by the wayside during the moving process. 3. Transfer your utilities. This includes things like cable, utilities, and internet. Make sure your utilities are turned off at your old home and on at your new one. Try to be aware of transfer expenses up front and budget them into your moving costs. 4. Prepare for transfer fees. For example, if you have a home alarm contract, you might have to pay a fee or penalty for canceling your agreement early. Try to be aware of any expenses upfront and budget them into your moving costs. 5. Raid the kitchen. Don’t leave any food behind. The freezer is a common place where these items end up sitting for years until you move. One great idea is to take inventory of what’s in your freezer and start planning to cook it before the move happens. These are five basic things that you should keep an eye on if you’re considering a move. If you have any questions in the meantime or if you are interested in buying or selling a home in the area anytime soon, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.