Wine is the Answer

Who thinks buying and selling in today’s market is easy and fun?

My clients do!

When I started in this industry about 3 years ago, I vowed to myself – and to all of my future clients – that I would do everything possible to prepare them for what to expect and to ensure that the outcome is what we prepared for.

Furthermore, I vowed to never cut a corner or do less merely due to the price of the home. I am a firm believer that if you start off a relationship only thinking of how much you will make off the transaction, then you have set yourself up for a lifetime of failure.

In today’s market, where homes are being sold as fast as they are being listed, it is so imperative to be prepared from the get-go. It is clear that there is buyer demand. It is also evident that the demand is so great that multiple offers are being presented.

The right preparation is what makes the journey less stressful, and even enjoyable.

Don’t take my word for it: watch what my clients have said about their recent experience, then keep reading for my top 3 tips for preparing your home to sell!

1 – Team Work Makes the Dream Work

Deciding to list your home is not a decision made on impulse. Furthermore, choosing who you list your home with should not be done on impulse either.

Interview and find out what the agent will provide for you. During your initial meeting, ask the agent about:

How they will get your home market-ready.
What to expect when your home hits the market.
What type of administrative support they have.
How you can get your questions answered throughout the process.
How the showings will be handled.

At no point should you be confused about what is going on with your home. At no point should you not know who to reach out for answers.

That is what a strong team will provide you.

2 – The Perfect Time to Start Is Now

I hear clients all the time say “We will wait until spring” or “We’ll be ready in 2-3 months.”

I’ve had many discussions with clients in the fall who state they want to wait for the spring market. I immediately set up a time to take exterior photos.

Why?

Spring is a great time to list, but if you live in New England, there’s a strong possibility snow will be on the ground and trees will be bare.

To ensure that I am marketing my client’s home to the best of our ability, we take photos in the fall when there is still green grass and leaves on the trees. These photos stand out compared to other homes hitting the market during the early weeks of spring.

If 2-3 months is the goal, it is best to at least sit down to set the target goal, solidify steps to ensure the home will be in its best condition, and have a plan in place for your next home and what that transition will look like.

In my experience, if these steps are done prior to the home hitting the market, then when the time comes, the listing process is effortless.

3 – Don’t Navigate the Process Alone

“We have so much work to do!”

I hear this ALL THE TIME.

Of course, it’s overwhelming to think about how to start the process of getting your home ready for the market.

But you should not feel like you have to navigate the process alone. Get professional opinions from people who are working in the market every day. Your agent should be able to condense your list, so you can tackle item by item.

I can guarantee you that what you think should be addressed isn’t as important as what needs to be addressed.

As with anything, you have to feel comfortable and understood when selling your home.

This should be reflected in the person or team representing one of the biggest assets you own. You must be extremely confident knowing who you’ve hired will do what they say.

Interested in learning more about the real estate journey? Let me know!

CONTACT ME!

“So many assume. So little know.”

We all tend to think because we live and breathe our chosen professions that everybody must know exactly what is going on.

Real estate is no exception.

And assumptions happen on both ends: clients have assumptions about what it’s like to be an agent and how the process of buying or selling a home works.

I’m here to tell you the truth.

Right now, a common assumption is that if you are buying a home, you will need to give away your firstborn in order to make your offer stand out.

A little dramatic? Yes. But being in the trenches with my buyers, this seems so true at times!

What’s Really Going on in Today’s Real Estate Market

It comes down to a simple explanation: supply and demand.

In a free market, price determination is derived from the real demand for a product. As Realtor.com’s senior economist George Ratiu explains,

“Real estate fundamentals remain entangled in a lattice of continuing demand, tight supply, and disciplined financial underwriting.”

In plain English, we have more qualified and ready buyers than homes available. There aren’t enough houses to sell, and those who have been qualified to buy a home with historically low interest rates are now going through extensive processes – via their lender – to ensure that the affordability is there.

This puts the buyers, agent, and lender in a little bit of a pickle.

3 Pieces of Advice for Buyers in Today’s Market

Today’s market is gnarly, and at times, unforgiving. But that doesn’t mean it’s hopeless. Here are three things to remember if you plan on buying a home this year:

1) It isn’t always about going above the asking price.

In 2007, the housing market took a nose dive due to a combination of rising home prices, loose lending practices (if you had a pulse, you got approved to buy), and an increase in subprime mortgages.

Prior to the housing market crash, there are infamous stories of agents writing up offers in the trunk of their cars without contingencies, such as a home inspection and an appraisal.

Now, I know you are thinking – this can’t be happening now.

Yes, it is happening now. We are coming full circle to the days of writing up offers that are at least 25% above asking price, forgoing home inspections and appraisals just to compete.

One stark contrast is that the lenders have tightened up their game. No more loosey-goosey practices. Lenders are doing everything they can possible to ensure the borrower can and will be in good standing.

As a buyer, make your offer strong, but make sure your agent is an advocate for you. Work with someone who will let you know when foregoing an inspection and appraisal is safe, and when it could come back to haunt you.

The disappointment of not getting an offer accepted will diminish but having regret will last forever.

2) Be clear in what to expect and how to avoid pitfalls.

There is a solid step-by-step process in purchasing a home. I correlate it to baking, as baking is a science. It needs the right measurement of each ingredient and you cannot miss a step or your cake will look and taste like a dirty sock. (I may have personal experience in failing epically while trying to bake.)

From having a solid pre-approval from a reputable lender, to having proof of your down payment and knowing exactly how and when the closing will occur – these steps are essential in making your offer stand out.

Furthermore, know going in that there will be disappointment.

Your dream home may go to someone else.

But, here’s the thing about dream homes:

Inevitably there will be another. I promise you.

The pitfalls I see buyers getting into is the emotional attachment cycle. You see a home. You fall

in love with the home. You make an offer on the home. You don’t get the home and you are

devastated, angry and disappointed. You want to blame someone.

These feelings are that, just feelings. I always advise my clients that feelings are fleeting but having a goal isn’t.

Our goal is to find your dream home. And as a team, we will find it!

3) Take breathers.

There will be multiple offers placed, which means there will be multiple rejections.

My rule is that if we put in three offers and they do not get accepted, I tell my clients to take a step back for a week.

Don’t think about real estate and focus on something completely different. More often than

not, the week will provide a much-needed reprieve. We are able to redirect our energy into what’s to come versus dwell on what didn’t happen.

Remember, at the end of the day there really isn’t a true emergency in Real Estate. Unless the home is literally burning to the ground, there are no emergencies. Does an offer need to get into the Seller’s agent within a certain period? Absolutely.

But if all the expectations are set forth in the beginning, the process becomes more fluid and with a little bit of luck, we are able to find that home.

YOUR HOME!

Do you have questions about buying in today’s market?

Contact Me