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Get Your Home Ready to Sell While You are “Social Distancing”

Scientists, doctors, and public health experts are urging—begging—everyone to practice “social distancing” or deliberately creating space from other human bodies. No bars, no gyms, no restaurants, no concerts, no parties. It’s an effective way of slowing the spread of Covid-19. This is the perfect opportunity to take the time to get your house ready to sell this Spring.

Research your local housing market

Get on the internet with your coffee and start doing research on the value of your home. You can find information on Realtor.com and a local Realtor can direct you to other websites that can help. Look at the comparable sales in your neighborhood. Check on the square footage, special features and locations of the comps. How do they compare to your home? Browse online listings.

Find a listing agent

If you don’t have a Realtor that you want to use, do the research online to find the best one in your area. Ask friends and neighbors, review websites, do a search on social media and see who is using it and how they are using it.

Declutter & Depersonalize

The more personal your space, the harder it is for buyers to imagine themselves living in your home. A rule of thumb is to get rid of a third of your “stuff”. What a time to go through closets and get make piles of clothes you don’t wear to give away. How about your kitchen cabinets? When was the last time you organized them? Move room to room, turn on the music and have some fun.

Do a Deep Cleaning

  • Steam Cleaning the Carpets –Not as easy if you don’t own your own steam cleaner. If you do, now is a great time to do it.
  • Remove Pet Smells – Pet owners don’t always smell pet odors because they’re so used to them, but others will. Steam cleaning the carpets will remove a lot of odors. Consider cleaning the upholstery as well.
  • Windows – Clean the windows inside and out.
  • Garbage cans – Clean them thoroughly with bleach to remove any odors.
  • The oven and stovetop – Ovens are a common source of unpleasant odors.
  • The refrigerator – Empty it. Clean it thoroughly. Throw away any old foods.
  • The dishwasher – Thoroughly clean and sanitize the inside of the dishwasher.
  • Bathroom grout – Mold stinks. Grout often gets moldy. Clean the grout.
  • The shower stall and curtain – Bleach and elbow grease and put your shower curtain in the washing machine.
  • The basement – Do a wall-to-wall cleaning, remove mold, and seal any cracks.
  • Air Ducts – Grab your vacuum and the hose extension and suck out the dirt and dust.

Work on the Curb Appeal

We know that the way our home looks from the outside, the curb appeal, is a big part of selling the home. Buyers driving up can be turned off just by the way the exterior of your home looks. Often times, they won’t even go into the home.

Focus on the Front Door and Porch – You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The porch should be clean and freshly painted. There shouldn’t be any loose boards, no areas of rot, and no creaky steps. The front door should be attractive, substantial, and well-framed.

Add Fresh Mulch and Flowers – Your house may be impeccably maintained, but if the rest of the property is a mess, it won’t matter. Dead flowers and pale, lifeless mulch are non-starters when it comes to curb appeal.

Always Have a Fresh-Cut Lawn – Making sure the lawn is tidy and free of bare spots is crucial. It provides the entire property a put-together aura. Not only that, but it also endows the air surrounding the home with an appealing scent.

Cut Back Trees and Shrubs – Trees and shrubs are great, but they shouldn’t have a wild appearance, especially if the rest of the house is impeccably maintained. If you can’t do it yourself, hire a professional landscaper to cut back the trees and shrubs.

The Bottom Line: Treat this situation of being homebound as a gift. Take advantage of free time and get your home in order to put on the market.


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Navigating Your Business Through Coronavirus Fears

Employers, Human Resources and in-house counsel are grappling with how to respond to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). This provides employers with guidance on how to address the impact of the virus on the workplace and what employers can and cannot do. This is a rapidly developing issue, and this guidance should be reconsidered and/or modified as circumstances change.

What To Do Now

Do Not Panic – Employees and employers are rightly concerned about this issue. However, do not panic. Not everyone who has flu-like symptoms has the virus and you should not send everyone home who is sick or has the flu. An overreactive response by an employer could spark unnecessary panic in the workplace, disrupting operations.

Have a preparedness plan – Create (or review) an operations plan to be prepared and involve all necessary stakeholders (i.e., HR, operations, facility/maintenance, legal, etc.). At a minimum, the plan should:

  • have a process in place of how to address an employee who is suspected of having exposure or symptoms, and determine who will make the decision of sending an employee home or prohibiting the employee from working.
  • contain a communications protocol to notify employees of possible exposure, including who will communicate, the method and where employees can get more information.
  • have a communication strategy to handle press inquiries or customer/client inquiries.
  • address whether to limit business travel or cancel any upcoming conferences or large gatherings (consider phone or video conferences in lieu of in person meetings, even if individuals are in the building).
  • identify how to handle increased employee absences due to illness (or suspected illness), school closings, disruptions in mass transit or employees who refuse to work because they are scared.
  • identify positions that are eligible for work-from-home arrangements on either a temporary or permanent basis.
  • prepare for how the business will continue to operate if there is mass absenteeism, especially the absence of key employees. Is cross-training possible?
  • determine whether furloughs or temporary layoffs are may be necessary in the event of a reduction in business, supply, etc., and how will they be implemented.
  • you are not required to report actual or possible infections to public health officials; however, state and local public health agencies have hotlines to make inquiries or voluntarily disclose infections at work. Have this information handy.
  • OSHA does not require you to take more than reasonable steps to protect employees. You do not have to provide face masks or gloves.
  • determine whether exposure at work or an infection from an employee is reportable to your workers’ compensation carrier.

Be Proactive – Strongly encourage employees to take proactive measures to prevent infection:

  • make hand sanitizer and tissues available.
  • inform employees of the recommendations of health care professionals, such as:
    • washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
    • avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
    • covering your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, but not with your hands. Discard tissues after each use.
  • cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces with recommended products. Work with your building’s facilities department to confirm that they are taking appropriate steps to adequately clean and disinfect frequently touched objects, such as door handles, bathrooms and kitchen areas.

What You Can and Cannot Do

If you believe an employee may have COVID-19, you CAN:

  • ask if the employee has flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, along with a cough or sore throat.
  • “screen” employees who may be at high risk of infection and ask questions that would help determine risk of infection or exposure (i.e., persons who traveled to an area with an outbreak or people who may have been exposed to high risk individuals).
  • separate and send home employees who appear to have flu-like symptoms and have other factors to suggest high risk for infection (i.e., travel or exposure to another person with COVID-19).
  • encourage employees to go to a health care provider to be tested for COVID-19.

If an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19, you CAN:

  • require the employee to provide medical documentation from a health care provider clearing the employee to return to work.
  • inform employees that there is a risk they have been exposed to COVID-19 in the workplace, but maintain confidentiality as to the person who may have exposed them.
  • discuss possible accommodations with the employee, such as working from home, leave of absence, etc.

If an employee cannot work:

  • consider whether the absence may be covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act, especially if the employee is hospitalized or absent for three days or more. Remember, the standard is reasonable notice, so you should send the eligibility and notice of rights and responsibilities if there is a possibility that the FMLA may apply.
  • consider whether any other paid or unpaid leave policies apply, such as sick, vacation/PTO or personal leave (for employees not eligible for FMLA), and whether you will require employees to use paid sick or vacation/PTO.
  • review legal requirements regarding whether exempt employees must be paid their salary. For example, if you require an exempt employee not to work, then they must be paid.

For employers of unionized employees – Be mindful of your collective bargaining agreement provisions on leaves of absence, accommodation for disabilities or medical conditions, furloughs, closure of facilities or departments, and other related provisions before you make any decisions related to the coronavirus. Discuss these issues with union representatives now.

You CANNOT:

Discriminate – Do not single out employees based on national origin, race, ancestry or citizenship status. Enforce harassment policies where other employees may make comments or jokes about an individual’s national origin, race, ancestry or citizenship status.

  • You cannot prohibit employees from traveling to destinations for non-business reasons, but you may encourage them to check the Centers for Disease Control’s Traveler’s Health Notices before making travel decisions.
  • You can ask employees who have traveled to areas with COVID-19 outbreaks if they have any symptoms, but you cannot require these employees to stay home if they do not have symptoms.

Make disability-related inquiries – You may not make medical inquiries of disabled employees to determine whether they have a compromised immune system and are more susceptible. However, you may inquire why an employee has called off from work.

  • You can ask non-disability-related questions, such as if employees will have trouble working if schools are closed, they need to care for other dependents, or if they are identified as high risk for illness (i.e., pregnancy, persons over 65 years of age, people with respiratory problems).
  • If an employee with a disability voluntarily discloses their disability because they are concerned that they are susceptible, you must engage in the interactive process (determine what if any accommodation is appropriate under the circumstances) and keep this information confidential.

Require employees to take certain actions – You may not require that your employees get a flu shot or require them to submit them to medical testing if they have no symptoms and are not at high risk.

Reliable Sources – There is a lot of misinformation out there and assumptions being made. You should make decisions based on reliable sources and follow recommendations from public health professionals.

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House Not Selling? Rent it? Lower Price?

If your home isn’t selling, you might be tempted to ask your Realtor if you should consider renting it out. There are a lot of factors to consider and often it is best to simply lower the price of your home:

  • How will you respond if your tenant says they can’t afford to pay the rent this month because of more pressing obligations?
  • Because of the economy, many homeowners can no longer make their mortgage payments. What percent of tenants do you think can no longer afford to pay their rent?
  • Have you interviewed a few experienced eviction attorneys in case a challenge does arise?
  • Have you talked to your insurance company about a possible increase in premiums as liability is greater in a non-owner occupied home?
  • Will you allow pets? Cats? Dogs? How big a dog?
  • How will you actually collect the rent? By mail? In-person?
  • Repairs are part of being a landlord. Who will take tenant calls when necessary repairs arise?
  • Do you have a list of craftspeople readily available to handle these repairs?
  • How often will you do a physical inspection of the property?
  • Will you alert your current neighbors that you are renting the house?
  • How much time do you have? When you rent out your home, you still have obligations as an owner. You need to make sure that you’re able to meet your tenants’ needs, such as repairs or emergencies while following all landlord and tenant laws. It helps to contact an experienced lawyer to learn more about these laws, too.
  • Are you financially prepared? Can you cover the cost of the mortgage if a tenant misses rent or if the house sits unoccupied for a few months? What about the cost of emergency repairs?
  • How much do you need to charge? You may want to charge enough rent to cover the cost of your mortgage, taxes, and insurance. If it’s feasible, you might want to set a rent that can partially cover repairs and earn extra income. Make sure that you’re able to ask for enough to prevent it from costing you money — and ask a real estate agent about fair market values in your area. If your rent amount is above fair market value, you may not find a tenant.
  • Can you afford the upkeep? Before putting your house up for rent, make all needed repairs. Take care of any other minor improvements that make the home presentable and allow you to get the rent amount you want.

The Bottom Line: There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to deciding whether to rent or sell your house. Meet with your Realtor and evaluate your unique situation and make the choice that’s right for your needs and your financial future

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Title Insurance & New Construction

Title insurance is a must-have if you’re buying a home that someone else has owned. But what if you’re paying for a brand new home to be constructed? Or one that has just been built? It may not seem necessary because no one is selling the house, because there is no house, or no one has lived in the house, so why would you need title insurance?

Although a brand new home has no previous owners, the unimproved land may have had prior owners. A title search reveals any existing liens on the land. Title insurance also protects against potential contractor liens from a builder who may have failed to pay his suppliers or subcontractors. To ensure a clear title, lenders require buyers to purchase a Loan Policy of Title Insurance. The Loan Policy only protects the lender’s interest. You can protect yourself from overlooked title threats by purchasing an Owner’s Policy of Title Insurance.

The Bottom Line: In the end, it is advisable to make sure that the title is clear. Anyone buying a new construction home should get title insurance. So much goes on with new construction which could affect the title: potential issues with new boundary lines, potential liens from subcontractors, outstanding construction loans, etc.

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Preparing to Sell Your Home

  • Prepare your home for maximum earnings. There are simple steps you can take to maximize your home’s appeal.
  • Enlist the help of a Realtor to market and sell your home. When selling your home, a Realtor can provide expertise in valuing and advertising your home, qualifying and screening potential buyers, and negotiating contracts. If you are not able to enlist help from a Realtor, Title First can provide you with assistance.
  • Negotiate a contract. When you receive an offer for the purchase of your home, it must be in writing, generally on a preprinted real estate purchase contract from your local bar association or board of Realtors. You may modify or alter the offer in any way you, your Realtor, or your attorney wish. Offers and counteroffers are made until the terms of the contract have been fully agreed to by all parties. When assessing offers and making counter-offers to the seller, don’t feel pressured to accept less than the value of your home.
  • Close on the property. Before your home is officially sold, you must sign all appropriate documentation at your closing. The closing will typically be held at a Title First office, the office of your realtor, lender or attorney, or sometimes on-location. Because your home represents one of the most significant investments you will make throughout your life, it is important that you feel comfortable with all the information being presented to you during the closing procedure. Title First is dedicated to walking you through this important process with care and attention. When it’s time to set up your closing, don’t hesitate to tell your realtor or lender to call Title First, or feel free to give us a call if you’re working by yourself.

Be prepared for these seller’s fees commonly seen at the closing.
Fees:
Current loan payoff
Conveyance fee
Title insurance examination
Title insurance commitment/premium for the owner policy
Documentation to provide your Realtor® with:
Tax receipts
Utility bills
Mortgage Payment
Information to provide to Title First:
Your mortgage company name, address and account number
Any existing title insurance policy

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Spring Ready to Buy a Home

Get Preapproved

Make an appointment to sit down with the best lender to get prequalified which will help determine how small or large of a loan you will get approved for. Getting prequalified is free and relatively painless, and can be used as just a starting point. A good lender will help you set clear financial goals, whether it be saving up for a down payment, paying down debts or improving your credit score so that you can ready yourself for homeownership sooner than later.

Prequalification means a lender determines your eligibility and an estimate for what you can afford. This is all based on your current financial budget and credit history. Your lender will also be able to determine if you qualify for any loan programs.

Preapproval is a more thorough process and will allow you to find out exactly how much a lender will give you. This information is determined by a few factors, including your income and debt-to-income ratio. Pre-approval will also take into consideration the money you will have for a down payment.

Find the Right Agent

To be honest the most important thing to do is to find the right agent to work with you. You want an agent who understands the process, knows the local market and is part of a firm with a reputation for results.

When looking for and interviewing potential agents, you also want to look for someone with strong interpersonal skills and who is able to meet your individual needs. When it comes to real estate, there is no one size fits all approach. Work with an agent who understands your individual needs and wants including your budget, the neighborhoods that you like, and knows when a home for sale is overpriced and what to offer.

Determine Location

When it comes to real estate, we always “say, “location, location, location.” Why? Because while you can change many aspects of a home, this is one you cannot. Figure out what is most important to you. Do you want a short commute to work? Are you looking to remain within a specific school district?

If you have a general idea of where you might like to live, do some neighborhood research. Drive through the neighborhood at different times of the day and during different days of the week; this will give you a good idea of what it might be like living there. Things like traffic, noise, and even lack of street lights may change your perception of a particular neighborhood.

Establish Your Needs and Wants List

Determining the number of bedrooms and bathrooms is an important factor, but it’s just the beginning. Do you need a fenced-in yard? Will the type of heat (gas, electric, oil) make or break a decision for you? Are there enough closets? If you know what is really important to you and you stick to that list, you’ll be much happier once you move in.

Stay in Your Price Range

Once you’ve been preapproved, you’ll have a good idea of how much home you can actually afford. Be realistic regarding your budget and stick to it. A good Realtor will make sure you aren’t overreaching. There’s nothing worse than falling in love with homes that you simply cannot afford. Besides the actual cost of the home, you also need to factor in a down payment, closing costs, and other potential fees. Your realtor and lender can give you better insight into the costs of purchasing.

The Bottom Line: The real estate market heats up in Spring. Sellers list and buyers start looking. Today’s real estate market is very competitive, however, and there are fewer listings than there are buyers. This means you have to be quick, qualified, ready to make an offer and competitive.


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Would You Buy A House “As-Is”?

Realtor

Sometimes we fall in love with a home that is being sold “as-is” which benefits sellers and can either be a great deal for buyers or a complete nightmare. Legally, “as-is” means that the seller doesn’t want to make repairs, of which there can be many. The buyer then gets the home but with no guarantee that something is not minutes away from completely breaking down and needing to be replaced. What the buyer sees is what the buyer gets and sometimes more because there is no telling what you can’t see.

However, “as-is” does not always mean there are issues broken beyond repair. Often there are simply minor and even no issues. It means you are buying the home in whatever condition it is currently in. You can have an inspection done but won’t be able to negotiate to get the repairs done

While the home that is being sold “as is” is most likely priced lower than it’s neighbors it does not mean you would be getting the home for a bargain. If there are repairs to be made, there will be a cost. It would be good to get an inspection so that you know what repairs need to be made and what it will cost to get them done before you call the home a “bargain”.

Getting a loan for a home sold “as-is” is not an easy one. Banks use homes as collateral and any home in poor condition can be grounds for a loan being rejected. Buyers would have to come up with the money on their own.

Other than getting an inspection, which is definitely recommended so that you know what you are getting yourself into, an experienced Realtor should be hired. A good agent will help to appraise the home based on comps and then based on the “after repair” value. Negotiating will be much easier with the seller when you have the help of a Realtor.

The Bottom Line: There are plenty of homes on the market listed “as-is” that discourage many buyers. Of course, you should be cautious, but “as-is” does not always mean that the house is a money pit. Sometimes the seller can’t vouch for any repair work that has been done – thus an inspection can help and a decision can be made accordingly. Or, the home could have been inherited and the seller is not aware of issues and does not want the responsibility of fixing any problems. Whatever the reason, it’s in the buyer’s best interest to get all the information about the house before an offer is made.

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Up Your Real Estate Marketing With Social Media

Optimize your profile

We’ve got some basic strategies for real estate marketing. First and foremost be sure that your profile is correct on the social media platforms you are using. This way, anyone looking to get in touch with you will be able to get all your information conveniently.

  • Contact details
  • Address
  • Profile photo
  • Website URL
  • Details about your company
  • List what services your company offers

Use short videos to market and showcase properties

Most of us know how to record, upload and promote a video on social media platforms, but they are also ever-changing and you’ll need to adapt—and test new video formats offered by each platform if you want success.

  • Instagram Stories to show the interior of a property you are selling. These expire after 24 hours unless you save them to the “highlights” section.
  • Facebook Stories are just like Instagram stories and Facebook wants you to use their new tools in return for eyes to view them.
  • A Facebook Live video at an open house.
  • A Snapchat Story much like Instagram stories
  • A YouTube video showcasing the home.

Make Posts About New Listings

  • Use Instagram and Facebook to post your latest listings. Use beautiful images and post about the features and amenities of them.
  • Post about events in the neighborhood. Use current and upcoming events going on around the homes you post pictures of. This will demonstrate your knowledge of the community and your participation in it. It can also give customers a glimpse and a feel of the neighborhood they’re considering buying in.
  • Showcase the schools, shopping, transportation. Make sure the little details are in the posts with the pictures.

Tips

  • Always respond. Make sure you have “notification” turned on so that you always know when someone comments. Answer questions or simply reply by “liking” the comment. This will ensure that you are committed to your customer service.
  • Use Hashtags. To get people to see your posts on Instagram and Twitter, learn what hashtags are trending for what you are posting. For instance, #NewListing or #PriceChange. Use the name of the town or neighborhood with a hashtag.
  • Use beautiful photographs. A picture is worth a thousand words! Over half the people that bought homes last year said they found it online. That means that your photos could cinch the deal before a buyer even sees the house.

The Bottom Line: Realtors can do so much with technology. There is so much available to them. Learning to use them takes some time, but can improve your real estate marketing strategy by leaps and bounds. According to the National Association of Realtors, 95% of buyers searched for their next home on the internet and social media platforms.

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Renovations to Skip if You Plan to Move

1. Swimming Pools
Swimming pools are one of those things that may be nice to enjoy at your friend’s or neighbor’s house, but that can be a hassle to have at your own home. Many potential homebuyers view swimming pools as dangerous, expensive to maintain and a lawsuit waiting to happen. Families with young children, in particular, may turn down an otherwise perfect house because of the pool (and the fear of a child going in the pool unsupervised).

2. Out-Building the Neighborhood
Often homeowners try to increase the value of their home so they make improvements to the property that unintentionally make the home fall outside of the norm for the neighborhood. While a large, expensive remodel, such as adding a second story with two bedrooms and a full bath, might make the home more appealing, it will not add significantly to the resale value if the house is in the midst of a neighborhood of small, one-story homes.

3. Extensive Landscaping
Homebuyers may appreciate well-maintained or mature landscaping, but don’t expect the home’s value to increase because of it. A beautiful yard may encourage potential buyers to take a closer look at the property, but will probably not add to the selling price. If a buyer is unable or unwilling to put in the effort to maintain a garden, it will quickly become an eyesore, or the new homeowner might need to pay a qualified gardener to take charge. Either way, many buyers view elaborate landscaping as a burden, though attractive and, as a result, are not likely to consider it when placing value on the home.

4. High-End Upgrades
Putting stainless steel appliances in your kitchen or imported tiles in your entryway may do little to increase the value of your home if the bathrooms are still vinyl-floored and the shag carpeting in the bedrooms is leftover from the ’60s. Upgrades should be consistent to maintain a similar style and quality throughout the home. A home that has a beautifully remodeled and modern kitchen can be viewed as a work in process if the bathrooms remain old. Thus, a kitchen upgrade might not get as high a return if the rest of the house needs work. High-quality upgrades generally increase the value of high-end homes, but not necessarily mid-range houses where the upgrade may be inconsistent with the rest of the home.

5. Carpeting
While real estate listings may still boast “new carpeting throughout” as a selling point, potential homebuyers today may cringe at the idea of having wall-to-wall carpeting. Carpeting is expensive to purchase and install. In addition, there is growing concern over the healthfulness of carpeting due to the amount of chemicals used in its processing and the potential for allergens (a serious concern for families with children). Add to that the probability that the carpet style and color that you thought was absolutely perfect might not be what someone else had in mind.

Because of these hurdles, wall-to-wall carpet is something on which it’s difficult to recoup the costs. Removing carpeting and restoring wood floors is usually a more profitable investment.

6. Invisible Improvements
Invisible improvements are those costly projects that you know make your house a better place to live in, but that nobody else would notice – or likely care about. A new plumbing system or HVAC unit (heating, venting, and air conditioning) might be necessary, but don’t expect it to recover these costs when it comes time to sell. Many home buyers simply expect these systems to be in good working order and will not pay extra just because you recently installed a new heater. It may be better to think of these improvements in terms of regular maintenance, and not an investment in your home’s value.

The Bottom Line
It is difficult to imagine spending thousands of dollars on a home-improvement project that will not be reflected in the home’s value when it comes time to sell. There is no simple equation for determining which projects will garner the highest return or the most bang for your buck. Some of this depends on the local market and even the age and style of the house. Homeowners frequently must choose between an improvement that they would really love to have (the in-ground swimming pool) and one that would prove to be a better investment. A bit of research, or the advice of a qualified real estate professional, can help homeowners avoid costly projects that don’t really add value to a home.

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