Month: February 2022

Do You Need A Realtor To Buy A House?

The answer is no. You could buy a home without using a Realtor, but why? Is your hesitation because you believe that you will be paying the Realtor fees? Typically, buyers don’t pay the commission-the sellers do. There are no legal requirements that you need to have a Realtor in order to buy a home unless it’s on a Federal Housing Administration foreclosure property. There really isn’t anything stopping anyone from buying a home on their own, but we offer you a few reasons why you should have someone on your side advising you through the process.

Sure, you can look through the many internet real estate listings, but a knowledgeable Realtor can cut through all the fat, plus have access to other sites, know the neighborhood comps, have contact with other agents in town with “pocket listings” and sometimes know the background (or the “skinny”) on a few homes. A Realtor is going to do all the dirty work and guide you through it all.  They are going to research the market trends and other important information that can be tedious. When almost everything is accessible online, it can be easy to adopt false confidence that encourages you to handle it all yourself.

The housing market is immense, there are literally thousands of options available and it can prove to be difficult to narrow down which homes are even worth looking at.  Your Realtor will have data about crime rates, education options, local businesses, commute times, zoning codes and a lot of other information that will influence your final decision.

Once you fall in love with a home, a skilled Realtor will have been through many homes and is trained to look for issues that might be hidden from you. Once the problem is identified it can be addressed and the Realtor can ask for it to be repaired.

Real estate agents are negotiation experts. If you buy a home without an agent, you’ll have to negotiate and decide how much to offer on your own. This may cause you to unknowingly overpay for your home – or lose out on the one you want. The Realtor will negotiate on your behalf with the seller and seller’s agent.

The vast knowledge of market conditions and comp sales coupled with the Realtor’s knowledge will help put together a competitive offer at the best possible price.  You will be given information on at current home conditions to find any issues that could be leveraged during negotiations. The Realtor knows how to navigate through the many documents plus be your voice when the negotiating begins.  If you end up with questions and concerns or are completely confused, your Realtor will be able to clarify all the clauses, contingencies and jargon-filled fine print as well as find hidden fees and conditions that many people tend to skim over.

The Bottom Line: Anyone can shop for a new home without a Realtor. Buying and selling a house is one of the largest financial transactions people make in their lifetime. Realtors earn their commission by making sure you know exactly what you are doing. They are helping you through the many pages of documents required on the transaction. They are with you during the inspection (pest, foundation, furnace, sewer, electrical, plumbing, etc), appraisal, and disclosure. It’s in your best interest to use the resources of a skilled Real Estate Agent.

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House Rental Scams

The house exists. It’s legit advertised for sale on real estate websites. There’s not much that will stop somebody from copying and pasting pictures they find of a home for sale on the internet. Basically, scam artists copy the listing details from an actual listing and create their own posting for the home. The home is always listed at a below-market monthly price that causes a frenzy or an urgency to nab it. People looking to rent homes are not usually on “for sale” websites, so the two ads won’t overlap.

Renting the Home Sight Unseen: Common excuses for not being able to show the home include the landlord saying they’re out of town, living overseas temporarily, or dealing with a family emergency. Although these may sound believable at first, it’s always best to avoid situations where you’re asked to pay money without meeting the landlord or at least having them show you the apartment first. If by chance, you are moving from out of state, you should do a virtual tour with the person you are communicating with. Never send money even when they tell you (and they will!) that they’ve had a high volume of interest in the home and that, in order to reserve it, you need to pay a deposit immediately via one of the many cash apps to claim it before someone else does.

There are ways to avoid rental scams:

  1. Search the property’s address online — this may show potential issues, such as whether a property is in foreclosure or that the supposed landlord is really not the owner.
  2. Search the property’s address online — if the home is for sale, it will come up mulitple times as a “for sale” listing.
  3. Avoid listings that are full of grammatical errors — a spelling error here or there is not cause for concern, but landlords and property managers will likely proofread a listing before it is published — so a listing with numerous errors is a red flag.
  4. Don’t give out personal information upfront — there is no need to provide financial information or your Social Security number while you’re still searching for a rental.
  5. Meet the landlord in person: Though some scammers will readily meet tenants in person, many, especially those operating from over-seas, will not. A personal meeting with the landlord will allow you to screen out some con artists.
  6. Be wary of a landlord who asks you to wire funds, use a cash app or pay in cash: Checks and cashier checks are returned to your bank with account information of the person who cashed it.
  7. Be aware of high-pressure tactics: Landlords who are not interested in a potential tenant’s background, don’t ask for a credit check, require upfront payments before any lease is signed or someone offering a sublease without proper authority could be signs of a scam.

The Bottom Line: If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. If you see an affordable home in the exact location you want to live in and the rent is way below what others are charging, there may be a problem. Scammers prey on long-distance, first-time home renters, and those who aren’t internet savvy. If you run into a rental scam you should contact the website that published the listing.

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How To Stage Your Home for Sale

A well-staged home can make people feel comfortable and at home, which is likely to increase the sale price.

Staging your home well allows buyers to see themselves in that space, which can help them become attached to it. This makes it harder to walk away without feeling a loss. The more attached to the space they feel, the more likely they are to make an offer.

Clean and Open Up the Space

Before showing off your space, take time to clean and declutter. This includes putting away unnecessary furniture, throw blankets and pillows. If you have too much stuff, put some of it in storage. Make the space minimal, and then add a few touches to make it feel like someone’s home. The space should look livable, but not lived-in.

Don’t Make It Too Personal

When inviting people into your home, it can be tempting to show off your style. This is your space, and chances are you have worked hard to make it comfortable and appealing to you and your friends and loved ones.

Remember, you want to appeal to as many buyers as possible. More interest from buyers means more bidding, and that usually means a higher sale price.

If you want to appeal to more potential buyers, it’s better to play it safe with décor. Consider putting away personal and unnecessary knick-knacks. Think clean lines and safe colors. If you decorate with books or art, try to keep the selections relatively neutral.

Consider Hiring a Professional

While staging on your own can keep costs down in the short term, hiring a professional may be worth the cost when the home sells. We tend to become attached to our spaces and design choices. An outside party who has worked with a wide variety of audiences as a professional will have an eye trained for mass appeal. Hiring a designer may even pay for itself if it increases the sale price.

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Most House Fires Are Preventable

There have been many home fires on the news lately where entire families are hurt or killed. The tragedy is most fires are preventable. Actually, 95% of home fires are preventable and almost always caused by user error.

One of the first steps to fire prevention is ensuring that you have the correct number of smoke alarms in your home. You should have a smoke alarm on every level of your home and in every living space, basement included. Your smoke alarms should then be checked monthly and batteries replaced two times a year. Additionally, fire extinguishers should be located on every floor of the home, in a place that is readily accessible in the event of a fire.

A home fire escape plan is essential because when a fire breaks out, every second counts. A fire can turn life-threatening in 30 seconds. And the majority of fires break out late at night or early in the morning when everyone is asleep, so your family needs to know what to do before an emergency happens. Create multiple escape plans and practice them. Your plans should include escape routes from different areas of the house, tools for exiting the building (escape ladders, items to open, break out windows), and a designated meeting place. It’s very important to practice fire safety with your kids, so be sure to familiarize your children with the sounds of the alarms.

Faulty electrical outlets and outdated appliances cause most electrical fires. If your electrical outlets are old, have them replaced by a master electrician. Tips to help identify issues:

  1. Warmth or Heat. Use your hands to feel the outlet. If you detect any warmth or notice signs of scorching or melting on the plastic, replace it immediately.
  2. Smoke. Smoke from any electrical outlet is an indicator it’s a significant fire danger.
  3. Loose Connections. If any outlets are loose in the wall or they no longer hold a plug tightly (the plug falls out when plugged in), replace the outlet.
  4. Sounds. If you hear buzzing or popping sounds coming from an electrical outlet, turn off the power to that part of your home and immediately call a licensed electrician.
  5. Frayed Wires. Take off your electrical outlets’ plastic covers and examine the wiring. Wires can crack or fray from age, heat, or bending. Nails or screws can also pinch them. If you see any damage to the outlet’s wires, call an electrician.

Gas appliances should be maintained. Check your water heater, gas stove, furnace and dryer once a year to make sure all the appliances’ connections to gas lines are in working order, and that the gas lines themselves are in good condition. Many homes use natural gas for cooking, heating water, and powering the furnace. A leak in the natural gas lines or fittings could result in an explosion. Natural gas has no odor of its own, so they add an odorant that smells of rotten eggs for safety.

If you smell natural gas, get your family out of your home immediately and call 911. Never call for help while still inside the home. The sparks generated from the phone could cause an explosion.

2,900 home clothes dryer fires are reported each year and cause an estimated 5 deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property loss. Dryer lint that accumulates in your dryer’s removable filter is flammable. If the lint isn’t removed on a regular basis, it can cause a fire. Also, check for and remove lint buildup around the dryer’s exhaust hose at least once a year.

Cooking fires are a huge cause of home fires as well as home fire injuries. The majority of cooking equipment fires start with the ignition of common household items (i.e., wall coverings, paper or plastic bags, curtains, etc.).

  1. Stay in the kitchen while you’re frying, grilling, boiling, or broiling food. If you have to leave the room—even for just a moment—turn off the stove.
  2. Keep anything that can catch fire, such as food packaging, oven mitts and towels, away from your stovetop.
  3. Make sure you have the correct type of extinguisher and know how to properly use it.
  4. Crumbs in a toaster, built-up grease on the stovetop, and excess dust behind your appliances are fire hazards.
  5. Let grease cool before disposing of it in the garbage. Never pour grease or oil down the drain

Each year, candle fires account for hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage and hundreds of unnecessary injuries and deaths.

  1. Never leave candles unattended.
  2. Don’t use candles in the bedroom, or anywhere else where you may fall asleep.
  3. Don’t use candles when there are small children or pets around.
  4. Keep candle wicks trimmed to about a quarter of an inch.
  5. Use sturdy candle holders that won’t tip over, and don’t let the candle burn right to the end.
  6. Be very careful if carrying a burning candle. Hold it away from your clothes or anything else flammable.
  7. Make sure the candle is not too close to a window, where curtains can blow near the flame.
  8. Use battery operated tea lights. They look just as good, but aren’t dangerous.

Fires are fast! Protect your house and your family from a fire at all costs. Implementing these fire safety practices around the house is just a start, but protecting your home doesn’t stop here.  Learn how to avoid fires and conduct preventive maintenance the proper way. The first and most important thing you can do is make sure everyone in the household is educated on fire safety measures, including children.

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