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April signals the end of the first quarter and the start of spring. There is no better time to take stock of goals and plans for 2016 to see what needs tweaking and adjusting as necessary. Here is a maintenance checklist to make sure you are prepared for springtime!
Homes with certain traits command higher prices and take less time to sell. We?re not talking about replacing vinyl siding with redwood siding; we?re talking about maintenance and beautifying tasks you?d like to live with anyway.
Among other things, the way your house looks from the street ? attractively landscaped and well maintained ? can add thousands to its value and cut the time it takes to sell. It is not about putting the house on the market, but rather marketing your house. What can you do to increase your selling appeal? Some spit and polish goes a long way, and so does a dose of color. Here are some points to help your home put its best face forward.
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Paying high rent and making student loan payments can make saving for a home seem nearly impossible. For some, it may well be. However, for most it’s a matter of buckling down and setting aside money rather than spend it. The biggest obstacle for most young homebuyers to overcome is the down payment. Here, we give you the run down on what it is, how to prepare for it, and where to find the extra cash.
Restoring a historic house is no small task. However, it’s definitely a worthwhile endeavor. Untouched fixer-uppers usually include period detail unscathed by previous renovations. However, special care must be taken when dealing with old structures and keep in mind that old houses are full of surprises and costs can start adding up. So here are a few tips and tricks on what to expect and what to look for when restoring a historic house.
Any time the market changes; your buying strategy should too. During a buyer’s market, buyers can make more demands to sellers over their homes’ price and condition. During a seller’s market, buyers have to concede the upper hand to sellers. So, in a seller’s market, these 5 tips will help you get what you want.
Before you make an offer on a house, it's important to make sure all your questions are answered. But, more importantly, you need to be asking the right questions. Though the answers may surprise you or scare you off, they can also help you feel confident in your decision to move in on the right home.
New home sales data released this week showed that sales were 16.6 percent higher than March when comparing the seasonally adjusted annualized rates, and 23.8 percent higher than last year.
This news comes from estimates released jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Looking to get a little more for your real estate listing? Sure, you can paint that front door red and add a few flowerbeds, but curb appeal can only get you so far. One secret to asking more for your home is having a pre-listing inspection. By understanding exactly what the issues are in your property, you can either fix them or list at an accurate price, avoiding the hassle of negotiation when the buyer does his or her own inspection to reveal your furnace needs work or your windows need replacing.
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A list of quick and easy tasks you can complete to boost your home's appeal for the summer buying season.
The latest national index is further proof that the U.S. housing market is moving further into buying territory. Based on numbers from the end of the first quarter and the recent study that home prices nationally increased 5.4%, the housing market seems to be relatively sound.
When it comes to remodeling, the bigger the better is the motto most people go by. According to a recently released National Association of Home Builders survey, additions and whole-house remodels are on the rise. The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard predicts that the amount of money toward remodels will get up to $325 billion by the start of 2017.
You are dying to update your home, and you are very excited for the remodeling process to begin. But you aren’t naive. You have heard the horror stories about renovations, and you intend to make yours go smoothly. So you have done your homework, dotted your i’s and crossed your t’s, and you are confident your remodel will go off without a hitch! However, if one of these common mistakes is part of your strategy, you might want to think again.
Are you in the process of buying a home? If so, it can be hard not to get overwhelmed by all the possibilities and choices. You can lose sight of things that are important to you in lieu of shiny countertops or pretty landscaping. Here is a checklist that will help keep you on track.