Central PA Real Estate Podcast with Dave Hooke Dave Hooke

What are the current down payment requirements for purchasing a home? Despite what you might think, you don’t actually need to put 20% down. Buying an Pennsylvania Home? Search ALL Homes For Sale Selling Your  Pennsylvania  Home? Get a FREE Home Value Report What are the current down payment requirements for getting into a home? First of all, according to the National Association of Realtors, the majority of people in the United States think that you need 20% down to purchase a home. That is simply not true. To give you some perspective, the median down payment for first-time homebuyers has been 5% for decades. There are many programs available to buyers that only require 3% down, and there are some special loan programs that don’t require any money down. You can even get grant money for closing cost assistance to get into a home. Ask a local mortgage provider to find the best option for you   Ultimately, you need to talk to a local mortgage provider to assess your financial needs and profile so they can recommend a custom mortgage solution. Now may be the right time for you to make your first or second home purchase.  If you need a list of local lenders or if you have any other questions, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Can you trust Zillow’s Zestimates to come up with the correct value for your home? Unfortunately, the answer is no, and there are three reasons why. Buying an Pennsylvania Home? Search ALL Homes For Sale Selling Your  Pennsylvania  Home? Get a FREE Home Value Report A lot of people ask whether the home value they find on Zillow, also known as a Zestimate, is accurate. Can you really trust that Zestimate? Zestimates work almost the same way as a tax assessment: Zillow’s algorithm takes the sale prices of homes that are similar to yours and in the same area, then it compares that information to your property’s square footage in order to come up with an estimate on the value of your property. Unfortunately, the reality is that, although they can be accurate sometimes, Zestimates are often incorrect. On average, the Zestimate has a margin of error of about 20%. Zestimates have a 20% margin of error.   There are three factors that impact the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of your Zestimate:  1. Your property’s location. If you live in a cookie-cutter subdivision that has a lot of like-kind houses and a high number of recent sales, then it’s highly likely that your Zestimate will be more reflective of the accurate value of your home. However, if your property is in a very unique area or if you have a rural property with a lot of unique features, then it’s less likely that the Zestimate will be accurate.  2. Your property’s condition. If you made a lot of recent updates, the homes around you are not similar, or if your home has unique features such as a finished basement, a Zestimate will probably not factor those features into its calculation.  3. Your property’s location in relation to recent sales. For example, you may live in that cookie-cutter subdivision, but if you live on the edge, then the algorithm will take properties outside of the subdivision into consideration when calculating your Zestimate. Those properties might just be a block away but if they are completely different than yours, that will definitely throw off your Zestimate. If you live in a subdivision where all the homes are bigger than yours or sit on a larger lot, then your Zestimate will also be incorrect. Your Zestimate really depends on those three factors in your local real estate market.  If you would like a more customized and accurate home value estimate, give us a call. This spring, we are offering a free, no obligation, maximum home valuation. Our representatives will go through your home, give you a detailed estimate of value, and provide a list of suggestions that you can use to maximize your home’s value. In other words, we will give you a list of things that will get you a good return on investment and increase your overall sales price.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We would be happy to help you!

Listing photos are an important part of the home selling process. However, there are five sale-killing mistakes you need to avoid when taking listing photos. Buying an Pennsylvania Home? Search ALL Homes For Sale Selling Your  Pennsylvania  Home? Get a FREE Home Value Report When you sell your home, the listings photos are an incredibly important part of getting prospective buyers into it. However, there are five sale-killing mistakes that you need to avoid when you take your listing photos: 1. No more corners. For some reason, sellers love to take pictures of the corners of different rooms in their home. Nothing is gained from buyers looking at the corners of a room; instead, photograph focal points in each room. 2. The grass is always greener. Photos of nature surrounding your home make sense if you are focusing on some kind of flora or fauna. However, a close-up on the bark of your tree or a patch in your lawn does not make sense. Take a broad picture of your home with nature behind it or highlight some specific aspect of your landscaping. 3. On the outside looking in. Don’t just take exterior photos of your home. If you do, the buyer will wonder what is wrong with the home. Make sure there are plenty of high definition photos of the interior of your home. There aren’t many people who want to buy a haunted house.   4. A haunted look doesn’t help. If your photos make your home look menacing, make sure you redo them. Dark, grainy photos with unclear shadows can make your home look haunted. Pictures that you take on your phone won’t make the cut, either. Make sure you have quality, professional photos.  5. Let the sunshine in. It is a scientific fact that bright, well-lit homes sell faster and for more money. Give the public what they want and make sure your home is as bright as possible.  If you have any other questions about listing photos or the home selling process in general, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Whether you're selling your home or just want it to look great, you can use holiday decor to seriously boost your curb appeal. I have four ways to share with you today. Buying an Pennsylvania Home? Search ALL Homes For Sale Selling Your  Pennsylvania  Home? Get a FREE Home Value Report Certain holiday decor can really amp us your home's curb appeal. Today, I wanted to give you a list of the top four ways to utilize it: 1. Highlight your home's architecture. Consider edging your home's roof, windows, or trim with holiday decorations to take advantage of and highlight your home's architecture. 2. Landscaping. Net lights make decorating with your landscape so easy that your kids can do it. Lay them over your hedges and take advantage of all the landscaping aspects that your home offers. Don't forget about your front door.   4. Spread the love. Gates, walkways, fences, and your entryway are great opportunities to extend your decor to your entire front yard. 5. Don't forget about your front door. This can be as easy as adding a wreath. Whether you go with store bought or homemade, the opportunities are endless. These four tips will really help you boost that curb appeal, whether you're selling or not.  I hope you enjoyed this topic and all the topics we discuss in our videos. If you have any feedback for us or topics you'd like to learn more about, reach out to us anytime via phone or email. We look forward to hearing from you.

Every buyer knows that they need a down payment in order to purchase a home. Today, I’ll go over five unique options you can use to save for your down payment. Buying an Pennsylvania Home? Search ALL Homes For Sale Selling Your  Pennsylvania  Home? Get a FREE Home Value Report When buying a home, it’s very important that you have your down payment ready to go. Here are a few unique options to help you save for a down payment: 1. Consider crowdsourcing your home. 2. Ask the seller for help. Asking the seller to assist with closing costs is a common way to free up more money for your down payment. Ask your lender what the limits for closing costs are on your loan program, and then ask your Realtor to help negotiate for the seller to pay the closing costs on your behalf. 3. Look into government options. The department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, has a site with links to all 50 states. These links provide information on different options to help you get the home of your dreams. There is also the Good Neighbor Next Door program, which provides closing cost assistance for teachers, firefighters, police officers, and more. Of course, there is also the VA loan, which helps veterans purchase homes. If the seller pays closing costs, you’ll have more money for the down payment.   4. Check with your employer. Some employers offer programs to help low-to-moderate income employees purchase a home. 5. Take advantage of special lender financing options, such as a USDA or FHA loan. You may have to meet certain income requirements in order to qualify for one of these loans. The property has to meet certain requirements as well, but these are great options to help buyers get the home of their dreams. Of course, you can always combine some of these options to get the home that you want. If you have any questions about any of these five methods, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

When hiring an agent to sell your home, make sure to ask them these seven questions in order to pick the best one for the job. Buying an Pennsylvania Home? Search ALL Homes For Sale Selling Your  Pennsylvania  Home? Get a FREE Home Value Report If you are planning on selling your home, how can you make sure that you select the best agent for the job? We have seven questions that you should ask when interviewing agents in order to hire the best one. 1. How long have you been selling homes? You wouldn’t want to go to a doctor who’s just one year out of medical school. It’s helpful to have an agent that’s been in the business a while and has some experience under their belt. 2. How many homes did you sell last year? A lot of agents like to tout the success of their company. Ask them how they have done year to year. Ask them to bring that data along to the interview. Again, it’s helpful to work with an agent who has a lot of experience. You could have a long-time veteran agent who has been in the industry for 20 years but only sells two homes a year, or you could have an agent who’s been working for four years but sells 30 to 40 homes a year. The second agent would have more experience. Not all real estate agents are Realtors.   3. How are you going to market my home? It’s important to have a detailed marketing plan that is written down.  4. Will you represent me exclusively? In Pennsylvania, an agent can represent you the seller, or the buyer, or both. If an agent is going to do dual agency, make sure that you understand it and consent to it.  5. How will you keep me informed? We find that communication is one of the most important things to our sellers and clients. Ask them what their communication plan is and how often they intend to talk to you.  6. Can you provide references? Ask for three or more references and ask for contact information. Make sure that you follow up with them so you can see what their experience was working with this agent.  7. Are you a Realtor? Not all real estate agents are Realtors. If your agent is a Realtor, that means they are a member of the National Association of Realtors, which has been a champion for professionalism and ethics in real estate for over a century.  Those seven questions will help you pick the best agent for the job. If you have any other questions about hiring an agent or selling your home, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!