Roommate Tips

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Have you ever misplaced your car keys inside an Old Navy bag stuffed with bras you couldn’t bear to have smooshed so you packed them with oranges that went rotten before you found them—the keys, that is. Well, and the oranges. We’re not even going to talk about the bras.

MOVING MAKES YOU CRAZY FOR A REASON.

Even if you move because you’ve found a situation you prefer over your old one, you are not exempt from the crazy.

It’s just a matter of which type you are.

The Procrastinator

Checklist, shmecklist. You spend 90% of your time on a problem that’s 10% of what’s important. On deadline, you pull all-nighters like a dentist pulls teeth—which leaves holes in your sanity.

If this is you, try:

  1. Setting aside chocolate chips or Andes mints—something small to be used as a daily reward. Be sure to reward yourself often. Studies show positive encouragement—even from yourself—is the surest way to motivate. Try writing down each task you accomplished, creating the opposite of a to-do list. It’s a GOT-DONE list.
  2. Organize your time by postponing work in a strong area until you take a baby-step in a weak area. For example, say you’ve packed the den, but can’t face the phone calls needed to book your moving day personnel. Don’t allow yourself to pack the garage until you at least get the truck reserved. Use a simple printable checklist for moving.
  3. Be aware of time passing. Procrastinators enjoy focusing on tasks deeply, until time “stands still.” Um, except that three hours just slipped by. Set timers. Have a daily countdown until The Big Day.
  4. Dude, you’re a procrastinator. Factor that in to your estimates of how long each task will take. It’s okay. It’s part of loving yourself the way you are.

The Pack Rat

In our early 20’s, my husband and I moved from a studio apartment to a duplex, and I thought my storage problems were over. Wrong. When we later moved into a  small home, I thought the same thing. Wrong again. The storage space was not the problem. We were the problem. If we have 120 linear feet of shelf space, we acquire 180’s-worth of things within seconds of entering the door.

If you buy stuff routinely (you do) but don’t get rid of stuff routinely (semi-annually at least), you have a hoarding problem. Owning too much overloads your working memory, kills your processing-speed, and basically makes you batty. Here’s the low-down:

  1. Moving forces you to face your clutter. This is good! It may seem overwhelming, but items entered the house little by little and they leave the same way. Try visiting a blog with home organization tips.
  2. If possible, don’t pack yet. Instead, start in one room and sort items into:
    1. Trash
    2. Give-away
    3. Critical items (items you need daily, like shoes and toiletries)
    4. Short-term storage (items that can stay packed during the moving process, like books)
    5. Long-term storage (items already considered storage, like Christmas decorations)
  3. As you sort, think like a retail store does. We all know time is money, but stores know space is money, too. Customers demand a navigable space where products are accessible. Before a store can stock more items, it must purchase more shelf-space, and that means paying a higher lease at a bigger store. The same is true for your new home. The cost of your home per square foot is hundreds of dollars. It dwarfs the replacement cost of a pair of lacrosse shoes you haven’t worn since middle school.
  4. When sorting is complete, remove trash and give-away items from your home.
  5. Gather critical items together.
  6. Pack short-term storage into boxes.
  7. Spend a few hundred dollars buying matching plastic storage bins for all long-term storage items. They act as moving boxes and keep you organized once you’ve moved in. Double bonus.

The Crisis-Mover

Sudden moves brought on by death, divorce, eviction, job loss, or other negative events can create a genuine crisis. If you find yourself in this camp:

  1. Breathe. Life happens.
  2. Assemble help.
    1. Ask for specific favors. You may balk at asking a neighbor to watch your kids day and night for a week, but being proactive about getting your family into a stable situation helps everyone. Don’t wait for the situation to deteriorate further.
    2. The more people you assemble to help, the less you fatigue any one person. Look to churches and youth service groups. Put out calls on social media.
    3. If you are able to, provide treats or food to volunteers. And say thank you!
  3. Ditch doing things “right” and get through the move.
    1. Schedule a moving truck and assemble volunteers.
    2. Throw away obvious garbage and pack everything else. You’ll go through it later.
    3. On moving day, have boxes and/or large, sturdy garbage sacks for volunteers to use in moving you. Lack of container-space is the bane of sudden moves.
  4. Once in your new place, use check a list like this one to get after those stray to-do items, such as switching your utilities and forwarding your mail.
  5. The move is over, and it’s time to take steps to ensure you’re able to stay on your feet. Give back to your friends and family where possible. It’s empowering to be on the other side of giving. And you could use some bold moves after your crisis-move!

The Stress Case

You are a list-maker. You list-make in the shower and during family meals and in bed at 4 a.m. and at 5 a.m. and at 6 a.m. and you know you’re less than a minute from a panic attack at all moments and STOP AND READ THE STEPS ALREADY.

  1. Get proper rest. Put the list aside in time to unwind for the night. Try meditation.
  2. Pay attention to your emotional and mental health. Make a check box for daily happiness, setting aside at least a half an hour. Try to focus on social things, like playing with your toddler or meeting a friend for lunch.
  3. Use a robust checklist for moving that does much of your thinking for you.
  4. Plan to experience failure. Will you forget something during the move? Absolutely. Something really, really important? YES! Okay, maybe not, but even if you do, you’re capable. You can fix these problems—and fixing them is much less effort than you would spend stressing about every what-if.

So . . . which crazy do YOU need to conquer? No matter what it is, don’t forget the final step of every moving-day checklist: make sure to enjoy your new home! To save money while you buy or sell homes, visit our Buy Any Home page or sign up to sell with Homie today.

Source: homie.com

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If you’re a first-time home buyer, the process of purchasing your dream home can be overwhelming and seem complicated. Where do you begin? The first question most people ask themselves is: Should I use a real estate agent?

The Real Money

Here’s the first thing you need to know, it’s not free to use an agent! A traditional buyer’s agent typically earns a 3% commission on the sale of a house. So a $300,000 house means $9,000 goes directly to the buyer’s agent. $9,000! Because homeowners often finance their homes, that $9,000 turns into even more money over the life of a 30-year loan. If you think sellers are paying this for you, think again. You see the money you bring to the table pays for both the seller’s agent and your agent. Does that sound free to you?

The Real Emotions

Houses are not a commodity where details don’t matter. Your house is YOUR HOME. The job of a real estate agent is not to decide your price range, home size, budget, and location. That is all up to you.

The Real Work

Times have changed. When your parents were buying a house, they had no way of knowing which houses were for sale until they contacted a real estate agent. According to the National Association of Realtors, the majority of home buyers today search for and often find their own homes without their agent, usually by browsing the internet or driving around their targeted neighborhoods. This is just one more part of the job that used to be on the agent that is now in the hands of the buyer. Keep in mind that even though buyers now perform many tasks once executed by buying agents, you’ll end up paying the full buyer agent commission.

The Real Focus

In the book Freakonomics, world-renowned economist Steven Levitt published his thoughts about the misalignment between the interests of real estate agents and those of their clients. Agents are better served if sales happen quickly and at a high price. Buyers are best served if the home is right—even if it takes a long time to find—and the price is low. The studies he cites clearly show that agents are choosier, take more time, and find better deals in buying and selling their own homes than those of their clients. If you do decide to use a traditional buyer’s agent, never make an offer until you are sure the house, the price, and the details of the home loan are a good match for you.

Who’s Got Your Back?

In the golden days of real estate agents, buyers had little knowledge of how to navigate the sea of professionals necessary for making a home purchase and had to rely on recommendations from their agents. These days, a quick internet search can give buyers tips on how to find and choose everything from a lender to a title company.

Welcome to Homie. Homie is a one-stop platform that provides you with a dedicated buyer’s agent to help you through your journey and an easy-to-use app to make the process simple. On top of having an experienced agent on your side, you can keep up to 50% of our commission.* Say whaat?

Should You Hire an Agent?

Yeah! A Homie agent! Skip the traditional way of selling your home and get buying with Homie. We can’t wait to help you find your dream home and save. Click here to start browsing homes in your area.

*Subject to terms and conditions outlined in the Buyer Broker Agreement.

Source: homie.com

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What is your home worth? What should you pay for your new home? While you can check your estimated value on a bunch of different websites for free, we recommend you tap the expertise of someone who can give you a more definitive answer of your home’s value based on similar properties in the market. That person is called an appraiser. Now let’s learn more about the appraisal process!

Who is an Appraiser?

An appraiser is someone who is certified in doing research and determining the fair value of homes. They determine a home’s value based on square footage, lot size, features, finishes, and other unique things about it. In addition to what makes up the home, the appraiser looks at the surrounding area. That includes school districts, the city, and other outside influences. An appraiser is a key player in the purchase or sale of a home.

A buyer’s lender typically requires that an appraiser comes to confirm the contract value of the home. This is all done to make sure that the buyer isn’t overpaying for the property and the lender has adequate value to cover the loan amount.

Sellers sometimes bring in appraisers to help them price their home right, but it is not necessary and many real estate agents help seller’s price their home. Some brokers even have dedicated pricing specialists to do the important work of determining the right list price.

What Happens During an Appraisal?

The appraiser evaluates the home in question by reviewing all the important stuff, as listed above. If housing prices were stable over time, the job would be done at that.

The reality is, the housing market fluctuates. To assess the strength of the housing market in the home’s specific area, the appraiser will research the prices of homes sold recently in nearby neighborhoods. They will look at the homes comparatively based on what they had to offer buyers.

How Much Does an Appraisal Cost?

Home appraisals typically cost between $400 and $500.

Appraisals are usually requested by the lender after the home is under contract. However, if you’re selling and are not sure where to price your home, you can purchase one early. A good option for this is the economical desktop appraisal.

Sellers who use Homie are provided with a value report, which is like a desktop appraisal. This service is performed by a dedicated pricing specialist who uses comparable home sales and local market knowledge to determine the value of your home. Unlike a full appraisal, a value report does not include a visit to your home and does not replace a full appraisal for a buyer who is planning on taking out a home loan.

Do I Need to Get a Home Appraisal?

Federal regulations require lenders to hire an independent appraiser for each new loan, which means that buyers must have the home appraised even if the seller has already had it appraised.

Home inspections are often confused with appraisals, but they are separate and performed by different licensed companies. A home inspection is conducted by an inspector who checks the build of the home to make sure everything is in good working order. They look over everything from roofing to plumbing and door jams to light switches.

They don’t assess the value of the home. An appraiser for example, may use the condition of the home to determine the value but the inspector will tell you exactly what’s broken and needs repair.

beautiful gray and white kitchen

What to Do for an Appraisal

If you’re selling your home, you want to sell for the highest amount possible. This means when it’s time for the lender appraisal, you want to show the home at its best.

On the day of the home appraisal, be your home’s best advocate. Jot down a list of any improvements you’ve made to the home, like upgraded counters or a new water softener. Leave this list for the appraiser.

Make sure the lawn is mowed, the house smells sweet, the blinds are open and the surfaces aren’t cluttered. Theoretically, little details like this shouldn’t affect the price of a home, but you want to make a good impression. Don’t worry about a large renovation like finishing a basement but if you were going to repair something anyway now would be the perfect time. Most often large renovations or repairs don’t increase the value of your home by as much as they cost to complete. Instead, focus on showing off what’s already there and making sure that every part of your home is clean and in good repair.

What Happens After I Get an Appraisal?

Good question. Once the appraisal is complete, it is sent to the buyer’s lender or bank. In cases where the buyer is putting a relatively small down payment on the home (less than 20%), banks will approve loans only when the estimated appraisal value is the same or greater than the sale price of the home.

Sound confusing? Let’s talk about it.

Imagine a house gets an offer of $300,000 but only appraises for only $250,000 and the buyer is only putting 10% down (in this case $30,000)The bank may not fund a loan for the home at the higher asking price. It will not lend $300,000 for a house that, in the case of a default, might only sell for $250,000 because that would leave the bank short on its investment.

If you are in the process of purchasing a home and the home appraisal comes back lower than the negotiated sale price, you have some options.

What happens if you really want the house? Many buyers will try to renegotiate the sale price if the appraisal comes in low. If the seller is unwilling to lower the price, buyers can walk away. If the buyer is still absolutely in love with a home they can choose to increase the down payment amount so the lender approves the mortgage. Adding to the down payment decreases the amount the bank has to fund for the home.

If the appraisal comes in low, you should consult with your real estate agent about your options.

Got a Home You Want to Sell?

Homie wants to help you sell your home for top dollar! Get started on the listing process now! It only takes four steps to complete, and then your dedicated real estate agent will be reaching out to you to complete your listing. Don’t worry, we’ll advise you every step of the way. The best part? We do it all for a low fee. Click here to get listing or call us with any questions!

Want to Buy Your Dream Home?

If you’re ready to buy a home, click here to browse what’s for sale. Once you find the one you’ve been dreaming of, simply click Request a Tour and a Homie agent will get in contact with you!

Source: homie.com

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Ready? Set? The time to prepare for your home sale is NOW!

Start now and you’ll be set to list during the peak home-selling season, ensuring you get top-dollar for your house. 

Spring is almost here. Bears leave hibernation and people get moving. Literally.

That’s right. Spring and summer consistently see a greater volume of home sales than fall and winter. Why? Are you kidding? Who needs more reason than a simple aversion to moving in cold, dark weather? Besides that, moving in the winter interrupts the school year for those folks who have kids. Plus, homes show better when flowers are blooming and grass is green. You and the rest of the nation are probably dreaming of flowers this very February minute. It’s not a secret. Spring and summer pretty much rock for home sales.

Not only do houses typically move faster during the on-season, they sell for more money. This is probably due to the high demand for houses and a sense of “time running out” as autumn, and the school year, approach. An influx of buyers can create a situation called a bidding war, when more than one buyer offers on a house. This sometimes causes the house to sell for higher than the asking price as buyers compete.

How do you get in on this fast-selling, high-price season?

green-house

Imagine it. You wait until the weather is nice and buyers are already shopping. You start thinking about how you want to sell. Then you trip on the broken grate of your fireplace which you didn’t see because of the missing lightbulb overhead. You realize that fixing up the flaws in your home is 1) the only way to get the best price for it, and 2) a time-consuming process. Buyers are already touring the homes they will buy and you’re not on the race track. You’re not ready to list and you won’t be anytime soon, potentially for months.

Now imagine instead that you look February in the eye and declare that it’s no match for you. That’s right.

You prep your home now.

Start with these six steps and come back to our blog often. Over the weeks, we will dish out tips on what you can do to get your home sold at a good price.

  1. Shop Homie and other websites as if you are a buyer looking for a home in your neighborhood. Learning a market is best done over time, not in a cram-session. For the next month, search new listings daily to get a sense of what sells quickly and where prices are at. This will help you know how to price and show your home.
  2. List problem areas of your home. Walk the home and property. This might require a jacket, but it’s worth it. Write down everything that doesn’t function properly or is unsightly.
  3. Prioritize your repairs and upgrades. Organize your list of problem areas from the most to the least important. Think small-to-large and front-to-back. In other words, now is not the time to tackle large renovations, which do not always give a full return on investment. List first the small things that will repair quickly and inexpensively, with an extra focus on items that will be seen first by potential buyers. So, the front of the house, the front rooms, and the kitchen. You may not get to all items.
  4. Get estimates for the repairs you hope to make and set aside money for them. Putting money into the house during this phase of home-selling is a wise investment, as serious buyers often walk away from homes that need too much work. Other buyers will give low-ball offers because they sense that the seller is not truly prepared to show the home well.
  5. Set a deadline for when you hope to put your house up for sale. You can always bump it back, but having a goal helps to organize your repair personnel and your own time. There will be bumps along the way. Don’t lose hope! The housing market is strong and by starting early, you have more time on your hands than most.
  6. Contact Homie. When it comes to selling homes, Homie’s got your back. Homie quickly and painlessly walks you through the first steps to the last without the traditional 6% commission fees. Some of the steps to selling a home can even be done with the touch of a button on your phone! So relax. Selling a home has never been cheaper—or easier. Sign up to sell with Homie today.

Note: This post is the first of our Home-Sellers’ Journey series, where we walk you through every step of selling a home during peak season. For more details on selling your home, visit our post How Homie Helps You Sell Your Home and be sure to check back soon for our next post in the series, Tips for Staging Your Home.

Source: homie.com

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Spring has officially arrived in Utah! Don’t let the big snowstorm earlier this week throw you off. I just checked the calendar and sure enough, it’s spring. We’re still waiting for the warm weather to arrive, but the real estate market is red hot right now. All the price indicators are looking strong for Utah.

Zillow named Salt Lake City and Ogden as two of the top 10 markets for real estate in 2016 according to their Home Value Forecast. The median home value in Utah increased over 5% in 2015. The trend is projected to continue with 4.7% growth in 2016.

Home prices have rebounded nearly back to pre-crash levels in most areas across Utah and are projected to continue to increase. The chart below shows median home prices for Utah by month, using data from county records.

March is the beginning of the busy home selling season. With the snow melted off (finally) people start getting the itch to move to something bigger and better or at least different. Homes look better in the inversion-free sunlight and there are more day-lit hours in the day to drive around and look at homes. Historically, more homes are sold in Utah in May than in any other month, but March is when the home buying/selling season starts to ramp up.

Zillow compiled home sales data across the country from 2008 through 2015 and found what they call the “magic window,” which is the time when homes sell fastest and for the best prices. They found that the magic window went from about mid-March through early April. Zillow recently found that this window has been pushed back a bit due to weather and market conditions. Now they say that the first half of May is when the magic window starts in most areas of the country.

Does that mean right now is the best time to sell your home? Or should you wait until May? Well, that depends. The best time to sell is when you are ready to sell. Do you have a new home lined up? Has your home increased in value since you bought it? Have you finished any remodel projects or repairs that need to be made?

Lots of buyers are looking and are ready to snatch up your home. Using Homie to sell your home on your own (without an agent) will give you even more of an advantage and help you keep more of your hard-earned equity when you sell.

If you are ready, beat the rush and sell your home now.

Source: homie.com

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Note: This post is part of our Home Sellers’ Journey series, where we walk you through every step of selling a home during peak season. For the first post on how to get started once you’ve decided to sell, please go to Six Steps to Take Now to Get Your Home Ready to Sell.

It may be well-known that a picture is worth a thousand words, but consider that a handful of keywords may be what gets folks into a car and into your home as potential buyers.  Yes, buyers look at pictures before anything else, but to truly know what a home offers, buyers read the description of the home. Finding ways to describe your home – coming up with catchy headlines and intriguing details – is pretty challenging. Here are some tips to get you started.

  1. Focus on your customer. In advertising, you want to avoid dry descriptions of a product, in this case a home. Instead, you want to tell your buyer how the product will make his or her life better, easier, cooler, or generally more desirable. So when it comes to a house, start with what a buyer would want and work from there. What sells a home? Amenities, yes. But also short commute-times, a close-knit neighborhood, a good school, the space to have a vegetable garden, etc. Brainstorm what your property offers and get it on the list of what could be highlighted in the description. Include upgrades and special features of your home.
  2. See what your competitors are saying. Go ahead and do some online stalking; it’s okay. What kinds of things do home-sellers mention? If they brag about having a single parking spot in your downtown area, you might realize that your three-car driveway is pretty sweet even if the home doesn’t come with a garage.
  3. Describe your home in ways that are appealing to many different kinds of buyers. You never meant to say you wouldn’t sell to a downsizing elderly couple, but when you describe your home as “family friendly,” you may signal to buyers who don’t have large families that they’re not wanted. It’s best to say, “four bedrooms” and “plenty of backyard space.” In fact, avoid using any descriptors that define your ideal buyer. Rather, let buyers come as they are.
  4. Watch out for code words.  “Charming,” “cozy,” “delightful”—these are the words your grandmother uses when she hands you a yellowed needle-point made by her sister’s friend’s late cousin. Use these words and your house will advertise as being small, cramped and, well, old. Also be aware that a “motivated seller” might read as “a person whose life is a wreck and probably doesn’t vacuum.” You don’t need written details about how you’re willing to sell. To communicate you’re ready to go, you need a price that’s comparable to similar homes and you need to accept reasonable offers.
  5. Be specific about brand names and materials. Vocabulary is everything in writing! The more specific and image-provoking the words, the more the potential buyer will feel intrigued. Granted, you have to know what people want: don’t talk about your plywood closet. But in general, you can’t go wrong with phrases like “natural-wood countertops,” “ventless fireplace,” or “ceramic tile flooring.” These advertise better than their more vocabulary-plain partners: “wood counters,” “fireplace,” or “tile floors.”

On that note, we will end this post with a list of keywords from Zillow, which found that home descriptions featuring them sold for higher than the expected values. Use them if you can—but don’t forget the number one rule: be truthful about what your home has to offer!

  •         Barn door: 13.4% (the percent of homes that sell for above expected values)
  •         Shaker cabinet: 9.6%
  •         Farmhouse sink: 7.9%
  •         Subway tile: 6.9%
  •         Quartz: 6%
  •         Craftsman: 5.4%
  •         Exposed brick: 4.9%
  •         Pendant light: 4.6%
  •         Frameless shower: 4.6%
  •         Heated floors: 4.3%
  •         Stainless steel: 4.2%
  •         Granite: 4.1%
  •         Backsplash: 4.1%
  •         Tankless water heater: 4%
  •         Outdoor kitchen: 3.7%

Check back here on the Homie Blog for the next installment of the Home-Sellers Journey. Coming soon: Insider Secrets to Pricing Your Home for Sale.  To get started selling your home, contact Homie today. Homie has already saved users over $500,000 in agent commissions in just 6 months since launch, with each seller saving over $10,000 on average.

Source: homie.com

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A home inspection is a critical part of any home sale. It assesses the house based on functionality. Do the major components such as the roof, appliances and plumbing perform properly? Home inspectors are trained professionals who visually inspect everything and provide a detailed, written log of every aspect of the home that is deficient, hazardous, or nearing the end of its life.

Unless you are buying a brand new home, your home inspector will likely find problem areas. Don’t stress. This doesn’t mean the house of your dreams is unlivable. It means you need to be aware of key areas. Maybe the roof is good for now, but old enough that it will likely need to be replaced within a few years. Or perhaps the water heater is broken. Think how important this information is to you and the people funding your purchase—your bank. The home needs to be kept in good shape so that it maintains the value your bank loaned you.

If the inspection finds that significant money will be required for home maintenance immediately or in the near future, one of two things happen.

  1. Most frequently, you will renegotiate the details of the home purchase. For example, imagine you bid $200,000 on a home and your offer is accepted. A few days later, the home inspection reveals an electrical problem in the kitchen that would cost $500 to fix. A logical next step is to ask the seller to fix the electrical problem before closing. A second option is to require the seller to knock $500 off the sale price, making it $199,500, and then you would be responsible to fix the electrical problem. If the seller doesn’t agree to fix the issues discovered during the inspection or renegotiate the price, you can get your earnest money back and no longer have to buy the home.
  2. A less common option is that you, along with your bank, ensure that you are able and willing to take on the financial burden of all repairs. This allows you to purchase the home as-is.

The home inspection is likely to introduce a list of items that need to be negotiated. If you are taking advantage of Homie’s free Buy Any Home program, you will have the assistance of a Homie attorney who draws up all paperwork for you as you negotiate. Amazing!

When you sign a sales agreement, that’s a great start on buying a home. But what really “seals the deal” is keeping a calm, reasonable approach during the negotiation over repairs. Be willing to listen to what the sellers want. State clearly what you want. Listen to the advice of your real estate attorney. Think outside the box to come up with possible solutions. Remember that both parties want the deal to go through. Once you’ve gathered all your data, make your decisions based on what is best for you and be firm with that decision. If a seller refuses to pay for a repair, feel free to shop elsewhere for a house. A sale that falls through is often better than a sale that isn’t right for you. You can always make a different decision the next time around.

Before wrapping up this post, let me throw out a few final tips:

A home inspection is not a Magic 8 Ball. It helps identify what’s wrong with the home right now, but it doesn’t predict the home’s future. Stuff breaks, and that’s very sad. Buyers should always budget routine home repairs into the cost of owning a home.

Tackle problems uncovered in the home inspection before closing. Don’t wait until after you own the house to see how much the plumbing repairs will cost! Get repair estimates for everything and know exactly what you are buying.

Please, please, please. No matter what you do. Don’t forget to sign up for Homie’s Buy Any Home Program, a service with no cost to you and no catch. Our goal is to create a seamless marketplace where buyers and sellers can connect and save big money as they buy and sell homes. By offering these services for free to buyers, we’re helping our sellers who pay us a small fee to advertise their homes for sale and buyers benefit big!

Source: homie.com

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Note: This post is part of our Home Sellers’ Journey series, where we walk you through every step of selling a home during peak season. For the first post on how to get started once you’ve decided to sell, please go to Six Steps to Take Now to Get Your Home Ready to Sell.

For those of you returning from our last post, you already know to get started on repairs to the home and contact Homie so that your home can be listed, 1) without a real estate agent, and 2) without paying thousands of dollars in real estate agent fees. Once you enter your information, you’ll be contacted about all of the details before the listing is live. Booyah. You’re already saving money.

Before making your listing live, one of the first things we will do is send a professional photographer to take pictures of your home at no extra cost. We told you. We’ve got your back. But there is a step you are in charge of.

You prep the house visually, a process called staging.

Staging is arranging your home to show it off best, both during photo-shoots and during walk-throughs by potential buyers.

They say that in sales, appearance is everything. Yes, buyers know that your belongings will leave the home after the sale is final, but that doesn’t mean they’re capable of envisioning the house without your things. Clean lines, plenty of light, a lack of clutter—attention to details like this can affect your home’s sale price and how quickly it sells. Do yourself a favor and spend the effort to stage.

De-clutter and de-personalize

sleek-diningModel homes don’t have piles of only-kind-of-broken power tools or an elk-themed calendar with penned-in appointments for the month. Guess what? Neither should your home.

Now, before you get offended, let me state right off that I get it. You own your belongings for a reason—you like them. Well, calm down, because you still get to own them. You’re just moving them so they won’t be a distraction from the item you want getting all of the focus: the home you are selling.

Put your home on a pedestal so buyers can’t miss it!

Clear away items, stashing them in semi-permanent storage at a neighbor’s house or inside boxes in a non-conspicuous area. While you’re at it, empty out some closet space. That way, when you have a home showing, you can tuck away last-minute clutter items like Jill’s homework and Avery’s jar of pet ladybugs. You’ll likely need these items soon—though you may not want them—and having them in a closet is more handy than having to search through boxes.

Next, take down all decorations that you believe an interior designer would nix. That means that a good portion of your posters, refrigerator magnets, and mantle-top pieces need to go. Actually, who are we kidding? Take down all of the refrigerator magnets. Remove religious items and family photos. You want the house to view like a template, on which potential new owners can envision how their personal stamp would look.

Trim, but don’t clear, furniture

Buyers often have a parent, friend, or agent with them during a home tour, not to mention every member of their family; and they often stick together. This means a lot of bodies inside each room. Take a minute and inspect a bedroom inside your house. Can eight people gather inside it? If visitors don’t fit comfortably during the majority of the excursion, your home will be remembered as cramped and small. Give people space to walk around by getting rid of furniture. Professional home-stagers may remove up to half of the furniture in a house to improve its feel. If you think you’ll need it at your new place, consider getting a storage unit to house your things until your home is sold.

Trim, yes, but don’t get rid of everything. Empty homes feel small—sometimes as small as cluttered homes.

The trick is to allow enough room for visitors to roam and feel like they’ve explored the home, while giving a sense of how furniture fits in each space. Think of it like laying a maze with broad walkways. Leaving a bed inside a room is like inviting interested buyers to walk around and explore the other side of it. Once the area has been explored, the brain perceives the space as more “known.” Visitors have an intuitive awareness of how many strides were required to cover each section of the house—many more strides for a furnished home than an unfurnished one. If you have already moved out, you may consider renting a few staple pieces to place throughout the home.

Focus on your bathroom

Bathrooms have a stinky reputation. The last thing you want is a potential buyer wondering how long your moldy-smelling towels have been in there. Buy white towels, white rugs, some fancy soap and a new, plain shower curtain. Add a hint of color with a simple vase or other decoration. You might love these new additions to your arsenal of bathroom décor anyway!

Kitchens sell homes

You’ve already de-cluttered. Now go to your kitchen and give it an even more critical eye. Is there any item on the counter besides a decorative coffee maker or attractive toaster? If there is, remove it. Consider painting the backsplash or even upgrading to tile. Wipe down the outside of the cabinets. Wash and dry the sink so it’s free of water stains. Refrigerators should be blank on the outside. Leave out a plate of cookies for extra points!

Bust out, buy or borrow key items

  • Mirrors. They make space look bigger and show off how the buyers will literally look inside the home should they purchase it.
  • Lamps. Lighting is your friend. The more lighting options in a room, the merrier.
  • Landscape or abstract art with bold colors. One or two pieces per room are plenty.

Don’t forget curb-appeal

The front of your home is the first thing potential buyers will see. Sweep, mow the lawn, and plant flowers if the season is right. Spray the house free of dirt and fix anything that’s broken. De-clutter the yard. Often, our homes have bikes, garbage cans, and scooters piled around them. Move everything besides decorations to the back of the home.

Last minute to-do’s

You’ve done the hard part and now your home is ready to show. Great job! Now, try not to stress. No house will be perfect. You’ve come a long way in showing your home well and buyers will sense and appreciate that. Here are the last few to-do items. Get to what you can and pat yourself on the back.

  • De-clutter
  • Set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature
  • Turn on all lights to make the home look bigger and more inviting
  • Clean the mirrors and most conspicuous windows
  • Set the table with nice plates and silverware for that extra wow reaction
  • Bake cookies or light fragrant candles
  • Walk the path of your visitors, from the curb to the front room and beyond, making minor fixes as you go
  • I keep talking about not stressing, but seriously? Don’t forget to clean the toilets. Deal. Breaker.

Check back here on the Homie Blog for the next installment of the Home-Sellers Journey. Coming soon: Got a Home for Sale? Don’t Call it Cozy.  To get started selling your home, contact Homie today.

Source: homie.com

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The average home in Utah sells for about $250,000 right now. Let’s just say the homes that made this list are slightly above average–in many ways. I scoured the web to find the highest priced homes for sale in Utah. I found quite a few properties in the over $10M price range. Of course, if you’re spending over $10 million on a house, you kind of expect it to be something special. $10 mil. was too cheap to make this list, though, with number 10 making the cut at a cool, $14.45 million asking price.

So, without further ado, here’s the list of the top 10 most expensive homes currently for sale in Utah (February 2016):

1. 8272 E Left Hand Fork Hobble Creek, Springville – $39,000,000

hobble-creek-home2

Home size: 49,568 sqft; 6 bedrooms, 12 baths

Lot size: 185 acres

What to like: Indoor swimming pool with slides, waterfall, lazy river and hot tub, movie theater, bowling alley, indoor shooting area, indoor basketball court and meeting area, elevator, heated drive, and outdoor lighting. Oh, and did I mention it’s on 185 acres in Hobble Creek Canyon? Nice!

2. 9806 N Summit View Dr, Deer Valley – $21,900,000

9806-summitview

Home size: 13,536 sqft, 6 bedrooms, 10 baths

Lot size: .64 acres

What to like: Direct ski access on Deer Valley’s Mountaineer ski run, heated outdoor pool w/ waterfall, elevator, golf simulator, steam room, sauna, theater and 4,500 sq. ft. of heated decks. Buy this place fully furnished. Turn key luxury (at a price).

3. 1886 S Geneva Rd, Orem – $19,500,000

geneva-rd

Home size: 21,998 sqft, 9 bedrooms, 20 baths

Lot size: 18.77 acres

What to like: An engineered pond with trophy-sized fish, a boat house and pool, a garage and hotel-style guest house, a motocross course and state-of-the-art motorcycle maintenance shop, a large outdoor gathering area in the pines surrounding a huge fire pit, a storybook tree house, a little red schoolhouse. Large mature trees, including the largest private grove of Sequoia trees in the state of Utah.

4. 174 White Pine Canyon Dr. #174, Park City – $18,700,000

174-whitepine

Home size: 15,743 sqft, 9 bedrooms, 14 baths

Lot size: 5.31 acres

What to like: Ski-in/ski-out home off the Dreamcatcher, lift right smack dab in the middle of the newly expanded Park City Resort. Gated community.

5. 2425 E. 6200 S, Holladay – $18,400,000

2425_Holladay

Home size: 28,740 sqft, 7 bedrooms, 15 baths

Lot size: 3.99 acres

What to like: Lush and wooded stream-front property in the heart of the Cottonwoods. The grounds and heated patios are filled with all the amenities of a world class resort: pathways, decks, patio, pool, tennis court, and water features.

6. 72 White Pine Canyon Rd., Park City – $15,900,000

72-whitepine

Home size: 17,422 sqft, 9 bedrooms, 15 baths

Lot size: 4.63 acres

What to like: Ski-in/ski-out property offers arguably some of the best skiing in the country right out your back door. Guest accommodations galore, including a separate caretaker’s house.

7. 7 Roamer Ct, Park City – $15,500,000

7-roamer

Home size: 14,100 sqft, 7 bedrooms, 10 baths

Lot size: 1.57 acres

What to like: Sits at the top of Deer Valley’s Silver Lake Village area in the very private gated Bald Eagle Club. Spectacular views for many miles down the valley, across the ski resorts and to the city lights. Has a billiard room, game room, multiple living areas, resort like ski room, indoor pool and spa and sauna and caretakers quarters.

8. 1401 W Two Creeks Cir., Park City – $15,500,000

1401-twocreeks

Home size: 8,503 sqft, 6 bedrooms, 9 baths

Lot size: 7.34 acres

What to like: The mostly single level living home frames panoramic ski resort views through floor-to-ceiling windows from its seven flat acres, complete with a new pool, barn, and guesthouse right in the heart of town. Glass bridge over water, hand crafted ski lockers, custom stone, and Venetian plaster complement luxuries such as a wine cellar, theatre room, and ski prep.

9. 1559 E Tomahawk Dr., Salt Lake City – $14,500,000

1559-tomahawk

Home size: 12,201 sqft, 5 bedrooms, 8 baths

Lot size: 25.6 acres

What to like: Distinctive, classically modern design honors its sense of place on over 25 acres amid open space on the Salt Lake City’s Federal Heights bench. Mountainside waterfall, balconies, swimming pool with a cascading edge, planter-edged patios, and an exquisitely complete outdoor kitchen. A bar, recreation room, library, theater, exercise room with spa, and game room complete the home’s livable luxury.

10. 184 White Pine Canyon Rd #184, Park City – $14,450,000

184whitepine

Home size: 20,309 sqft, 8 bedrooms, 14 baths

Lot size: 6.8 acres

What to like: Perfectly positioned near the base of the Flat Iron lift. This modern home in The Colony, offers three levels of luxurious living. Designed by architect Michael Upwall. Multiple outdoor areas were thoughtfully created for enjoying sunny winter afternoons and cool summer evenings. Balances modern simplicity and clean lines with the livable warmth of natural materials.

So there you have it. The 10 most expensive homes for sale in Utah right now. If you’re in the market for a new home, whether in the $15M and up price range, or a more modest budget like the rest of us, give our Buy Any Home a try.

Source: homie.com

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Picking the right home for your family means picking the right type of home loan as well. If you lack a huge down payment, you may qualify for and benefit from an FHA loan. Here with us is our very own real estate attorney Vanessa Clayton with a simple overview of loan options for today’s families.

Hi Vanessa! Thank you for being willing to share with us. First off, you’re new to Homie. Welcome aboard and congratulations!

Thanks, I’m so excited to be here!  We have such a great team at Homie that truly loves helping buyers and sellers throughout the process of representing themselves and saving money.  I love getting to help our customers with what is oftentimes one of the biggest and most important transactions in their lives!

What is an FHA loan and who is it for?

An FHA loan is a type of mortgage loan that is insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). FHA loans protect lenders against potential losses as a result of a homeowner defaulting on their mortgage loan. The FHA loan program is also great for homebuyers who may not have the traditional 20% down payment saved, or the best credit score, but would like to purchase a home. Buyers can leverage an FHA loan to purchase a home with a down payment as little as 3% of the purchase price.

So if FHA is an agency, is it also a bank?

No. The FHA is a US government agency created in the 1930s to help stimulate the housing market. The FHA, and specifically their loan insurance program, remains popular to this day. Buyers obtain their loan through an FHA approved lender, as the FHA is not a lender itself but is instead an insurer.

What are the benefits of an FHA loan compared to other types of mortgage loans?

The first benefit is the ability to get a loan even if you have a low down payment. Conventional loans typically require a down payment of 10-20% of the purchase price. A minimum FHA down payment can be much lower and is directly related to a buyer’s credit score. Buyers with a credit score of 580 or higher can put down as little as 3% on the purchase of their new home. Have a credit score of less than 580? Not to worry, you may still qualify for an FHA loan if you have a credit score between 500-579, but the down payment requirement will be higher.

A second benefit is that FHA loans also require the seller and lender to pay most of the closing costs. Closing costs can be a significant expense, so this is a great option for buyers who may not have cash readily available. If you’re low on cash and want a seller to pay closing costs, you’ll need to include that as part of your offer. There’s a separate FHA addendum that you’ll need to include with your contract, so make sure to let your real estate attorney know if you are going the FHA route.

What are the costs associated with an FHA loan?

When utilizing a FHA loan, buyers will pay an additional fee called a mortgage insurance premium, which is used to protect the lender against potential loss as a result of a default on the mortgage. There are two types of mortgage insurance premiums. The first mortgage insurance premium occurs up front and is 1.75% of the loan, regardless of the borrower’s credit score. The second mortgage insurance premium is an annual premium (paid monthly along with your mortgage payment). A buyer may be able to get rid of the annual mortgage insurance premium once the buyer has enough equity in the home (usually 20%).

How do buyers qualify for an FHA loan? Are there age requirements or limits on the number of homes they’ve purchased in the past or own now?

Your lender will walk you through the specific requirements, but here are some items  to be aware of: FHA loans can only be used for your primary residence, and an FHA certified appraiser will need to appraise the property. There is no age restriction or restriction on how many houses you have bought in the past.

What should buyers look for in choosing a bank that does FHA loans?

Most lenders offer FHA loans, so just ask. Be aware, though, that not all FHA lenders offer the same interest rate. As with any loan, it makes sense to shop around to find the right fit. If you’re considering an FHA loan, now is a great time to visit our lending partners.

Thank you so much, Vanessa! I’ll let you get back to work and will end by simply reminding everyone that it is completely free to use our Buy Any Home program. Get the expertise of an attorney like Vanessa when you use Homie to help you buy a home without any real estate agent fees–or any fees at all, for that matter.

Source: homie.com