Picking The Right Offer

How to pick the right offer when selling your home.

This might come as a shock, but the highest price is not always the right offer to accept when selling your home. There are other major factors to consider.

How is the buyer paying for your home?

Cash or loan?

When do they want to close?

Are they flexible if you need to stay in your home for a month after closing/

Do they have any major contingencies, such as having to sell another home before buying yours?

When evaluating offers, I present my sellers with a spreadsheet of the nuts and bolts of the offer and then we talk about the pros and cons of each offer.

Here’s a quick test, which offer would you pick

Offer A: $20,000 over asking, buyers have a small downpayment and need possession the day of closing. Property will need to appraise for the over asking purchase price.

Offer B: $5000 under asking price but buyer is cash, can close in 15 days and will rent back to you for 30 days after closing.

The goal isn’t always to accept the highest offer, but to maximize your chances of getting to the day of closing.

Client Testimonial

I really love my job. I know lots of people feel that way but for me there are so many gratifying aspects of real estate.
And testimonials like this are what keep me coming back on the hard days.
If we have worked together in the past just know that I value our relationship and your trust in me. I am forever grateful.
With gratitude.

Avoid These As A Buyer

Have you been thinking about buying a home?

Avoid these common buyer pit falls.

1. Not getting pre-approved. This is probably the single most important step. You will want to understand the financial aspect of purchasing before you step foot in any homes.

2. Maxing out your budget. Just because you get approved for $500K doesn’t necessarily mean you should spend that much. Make sure you feel totally comfortable with your monthly mortgage payment which includes principal, interest, property taxes and home owners insurance.

3. Not paying attention to the fine print. Your home will likely be the largest purchase of your life. Make sure you understand the process with the help of your Realtor and lender.

4. Thinking with your instead of your mind. You might have dreamed of this moment for years. Make sure your decisions come from a place of logic not emotion.

5. Not understanding the other expenses that are associated with home ownership. These might include private mortgage insurance, home owners association dues, utilities, special taxes or assessments.

6. Not protecting your credit score. If you have ever done any work on your score you know how easily it can go and how hard it is to get it to go . Make sure you protect that score because it can be one of the deciding factors of whether or not you qualify for a home loan.

Are You A First Time Seller?

Are you a first time buyer, first time seller, downsizing, upsizing?

I’ve got a guide for that. With step by step and in-depth explanations.

After almost 2 decades in real estate I have discovered that people who fall into these categories have many of the same pain points.

First time home buyers experience fear of the unknown.

First time sellers are unfamiliar with the process.

Both up-sizers and down-sizers have concerns about logistics.

Do you fall into any of these categories?

I would love to share my knowledge with you. Please comment below or send me a private message.

Agent On The Sign

“I just called the agent on the sign.”

I hear this all the time.

Buyers that end up with the agent on the sign because they didn’t know they had a choice.

Here’s the deal.

You should interview and hire an agent to help you buy your home just as a seller interviews and hires an agent to help them sell their home.

This is not to say that there is anything wrong with the “agent on the sign”. I just believe you owe it to yourself to make a CHOICE about the matter versus someone you ended up with by CHANCE.

With gratitude.

Let's Talk About Earnest Money

Show me the money!

Let’s talk about earnest money. When a buyer makes an offer on a property, earnest money is tendered shortly there after.

If everything goes as planned, the earnest money is applied towards the purchase price at closing.

However, sometimes the wheels fall off the bus! Sometimes a buyer might decide to cancel their contract, typically this is because of inspection items.

If this happens, and the buyer cancels before their specified deadlines, their earnest money is 100% refundable.

So, when might the earnest money be non-refundableOnly if a buyer passes their loan approval deadline and cannot or will not close.

This is very rare and in 700+ transactions have only had a handful of buyers end up losing their earnest money.

Questions Please leave them in the comments or DM me.

Choices In Pricing Your Home

The market is feeling a bit bananas lately And sellers are not sure where to price their home. Here’s a little insight.

You have choices when pricing your home:

1. Test the market. This strategy works in a rapidly rising market because you are pricing ahead of the market with the hopes that the market will meet or surpass your list price

2. Price it right. This falls right into the range of what market comparables tell us the home is worth. Not too high, not too low.

Is this sounding a little like Goldilocks and the Thr3

3. Strategically aggressive price. This is the price range that attracts multiple offers and offers over asking price.

There is no right or wrong answer but as the market continues to evolve strategy 3 is going to be more and more effective. Please leave any questions below.

Don't Fix Things

“When someone is broken, don’t try and fix them. (You can’t.)

When someone is hurting, don’t attempt to take away their pain. (You can’t.)

Instead, love them by walking beside them in the hurt. (You can.)

Because sometimes what people need is simply to know they aren’t alone” by Jenny Albers

This is such a good reminder but sometimes feels hard to implement. Its so natural for us to want to “fix” things or say the right words.

But when tragedy hits, there are no right words. And while it can feel counterproductive and maybe trivial, sometimes the best thing to do is just sit with someone in their grief and be that shoulder to lean into.

With gratitude.

Real Estate Is Simple

Real estate is actually quite simple.

A home is worth what a buyer is willing to pay and a seller is willing to sell for. Of course there are other factors in play but at the end of that day that is the matrix.

And therefore, the market itself dictates the pace and value of property. As we move into a more balance market this is becoming more and more apparent.

And what history tells us over time is that real estate is one of the safest and most profitable investments.

Do you want to know more about buying or selling? Reach out to me with your questions, I am here to help!

LET’S TALK ABOUT POOP!

LET’S TALK ABOUT POOP!

Did I get your attention

Many of the homes in our area are on septic systems. This means the waste from the drains and toilets in the home travel to a tank.

The septic system is a crucial element of the home and not one that people like to think about.

Let’s be real, if it's working you kinda forget it's there. When it's not working, you’re faced with a very crappy situation! If you catch my drift.

I could have fun with puns all day with this topic!

In this video I’ll discuss the importance of getting a septic inspection when purchasing a new home.

SKIPPING

A very wise man once told me...

You can’t be mad and skip at the same time.

Guess what?

It’s 100% accurate.

Go ahead give it a try. Next time you are really hot under the collar just start skipping.

I guarantee you not only won’t be mad anymore, you probably will not be able to contain your laughter.

I Lost A Potential Listing

I lost a potential listing the other day. They decided to go with someone else which is totally okay. You can’t win them all, right?!

In this market it’s incredibly hard to price property. Homes are regularly going for over asking and often with multiple offers.

Sometimes I feel like an agent turned fortune teller, trying to predict the future for my clients.

I am a data freak. In other words, I rely on the data to guide me. So when you ask me to list your home, I am coming prepared with the facts.

What are homes selling for?

How long are they on the market?

What’s the price per square foot?

What’s the available inventory?

How much more can I add to the list price knowing the current market conditions?

At the end of the day, I told these sellers a list price they didn’t like.

I want all my clients, both buyers and sellers, to feel heard, not pressured and above all respected. But part of my job is delivering professional advice.

I can promise you I won’t blow smoke.

I will tell you the straight facts.

I value transparency and being honest.

I will give you my honest opinion on price but ultimately the the list price is up to you and I will likely support it even if its over what I think is appropriate.

And I will advocate for you every step of the way. With gratitude.

Do You Want To Buy A House?

So…. How long does it actually take to buy a house?

A week?

A month?

Six months?

And what does the process look like anyway?

Well hopefully this video will answer some of that for you.

Plan For These Expenses

If you are thinking about buying a home these are some of the expenses you should plan for.

Some of these are fairly fixed and some vary based on purchase price and other factors.

Here’s a quick run down for you:

Home inspection $400 - $1000 (optional) Appraisal $600 - $1200 (mandatory)

Title fees $400 - $600 (mandatory)

Survey $500 - $700 (optional)

Reach out with questions

A Story Of Patience

A hunk of clay. Soft, malleable and unassuming.

Yet, center that piece of clay on the wheel and with careful movements and patience you can create a masterpiece.

I took pottery in college, this is one of my creations.

It was probably my very favorite class…. ever.

One thing you need to know about pottery - you CANNOT be in a rush. See, if you don’t get the clay centered you have no chance of making anything but a mess.

As a twenty something I didn’t know much about “being present” or “finding inner peace”. But I do know that when I sat at the wheel with the clay swirling between my hands that I went to another place.

I would lose track of time, and the room would go dim and quiet.

Just me and the clay.

Only after many failures do you know the moment the clay is ready to become something else.

Ready to become something that is imagined in your mind and flows from your hands into the clay.

Even if you don’t consider yourself “artsy” or “creative” if you ever have a chance to give pottery a whirl I would so recommend it (pun intended).

But as I said you will have to have patience, something all of us could practice more of.

Life Isn't Fair

I was 9 years old when I first learned that life isn’t fair.

My third grade teacher, would have a monthly calendar contest. We were tasked with making a creative and colorful calendar on poster board to be displayed as the “official class calendar” for the month.

Oh, this was right up my alley.

I loved coming up with ideas and seeing how many items I could hot glue to a poster board before it could no longer support itself.

Conversation hearts and doilies for February and spring flowers and Lucky Charms cereal for March.

And what better to glue to a calendar in October than the candy corn no one will eat.

Each month, as I poured my heart and soul into my creation, I thought surely my classmates would be awed with wonder and crown me queen of the calendar.

But alas, I never won.

Not a single time.

Now I know this was a long time ago and my memory might be a little foggy but I’m 99.8% sure my calendars were the best, at least some of the time.

But I never won.

And that’s when I was introduced to the “good ole boy (and girl)” system.

Some of these kids had been together since kindergarten! They had history! And I was the new kid in 3rd grade.

It was always the same handful of kids that would win. Were their calendars good? Meh, sometimes, but they had the votes and that’s all that mattered.

One month I had had enough and I campaigned on the playground. Disclaimer: nothing of value was exchanged for votes, but I did present a persuasive argument.

Well that didn’t go over well and ended up with a call to my parents. I wasn’t acting the the “spirit of the contest.”

At the tender age of 9 I realized that the “best girl” doesn’t always win.

It broke my heart. And truth be told, it still does.

Life isn’t fair, we all know this but it doesn’t make it any easier.

And I know there will be an occasion that I can share this story with my girls and they might realize that while life isn’t always fair, there is so much to be grateful for and if we focus on the good nothing can get in the way. 

TEAMWORK

Team work makes the dream work.

In order to have a great experience when buying a home you need to have a team of superheroes on your side.

• Real estate agent. Someone you trust, who has your back and understands the market and area.

• A rock star lender who understands mountain properties, is easy to communicate with and delivers on time.

• An experienced home inspector who is knowledgeable and takes the time to explain the findings in your inspection report.

• A title company who is responsive, accommodating and precise.

You don’t have to do this alone and a great team will walk you through every step.

Tips For Readying Your Home

Just because we have a lack of inventory doesn’t mean you get to skip the key components for readying your home for sale.

Putting your best foot forward still matters and will be a direct result of a quick sale.

• Take time to declutter. You are moving anyway so take this time to pack up the items you will not be using or needing in the next couple of months. Clear and clean surfaces matter to buyers.

• Deep cleaning. No one likes to clean baseboards but now is the time. An unclean house is distracting to buyers and they notice everything.

• Touch up painting or repainting. Getting rid of scuff marks and dirty walls is a quick and easy way to give your home a nice clean look.

• Repairs. You know the ones you said you would do when you moved in The loose railing, the missing screen, the broken window pane, now is the time to get those small but important repairs done.

Lesson Learned

You know how you can sometimes learn from someone else’s mistake

Well here’s an opportunity for you.

I recently heard about a home that sold “off market”. This is a home that is sold privately, no Realtors involved.

Apparently the seller (lets just call her Jane) did not want to pay real estate commissions so she sold it herself.

There is nothing inherently wrong with this, however, while Jane saved herself the commissions she cost herself over $200,000 in the purchase price.

Had she called a local Realtor they would have helped her price her home accordingly, in line with fair market value. Jane ended up selling her home for WAY under market value.

Your home is likely your most valuable asset. Don’t leave it to chance, fate or your best guess. Get some expert and professional advice so you don’t end up like Jane.

Truth Hurts

You’ve all seen it. American Idol auditions gone bad.

They're cringe-worth at best. I find myself squirming in my seat. It's perplexing, strangely fascinating and downright sad.

The worst part is when the families greet the crestfallen contestant with soothing words of comfort. “Oh, sweetie, those judges don’t know anything. You are the best signer in the world!”

This is the part that drives me insane.

Why lie to these poor people

They are terrible singers and NEVER should have auditioned for the show.

Telling someone the cold hard truth is sometimes very hard. You don’t want to hurt their feelings, crush their dreams or seem insensitive. But the truth is sometimes the most important thing they need to hear.

A couple of years ago I met with a very nice family who wanted to sell their home and move out of state. The winters were getting tough for them and they were having some health issues.

Selling was a MUST.

I met them at their house and noticed right away this was going to be a tough property to sell. There was stuff everywhere, inside and out. The house was dirty, dark, and falling apart.

They gave me a tour of their home and we sat down to talk. I asked them about their goals and timeline for selling.

They needed to be out of here by September which only gave us 3 months to sell. They were short on time, money and resources to get their home ready for market.

They looked at me with hope in their eyes and asked what was next.

This was the moment for the cold hard truth.

When I first started in real estate I probably would have tried to gloss things over to ease the blow. “No, it's not that bad, buyers can look past your stuff.”

Now I know better.

People hire me for my professional and honest advice.

This family had a tight timeframe and a pressing need to leave the area.

So I told them the truth.

That no one would buy their home in its current condition. And because we were dealing with a very tight timeframe they should consider pricing their home below market value to get it sold quickly. I connected them with contractors for repairs and resources to get rid of the years of accumulated belongings.

I said all of these things with kindness and sincerity, because I very much care about how my words make people feel.

And at the end of our meeting they thanked me for my encouraging words. What??

I didn’t think they sounded encouraging at all, but then I recognized it was the honesty and a thoughtfully laid out game plan that gave them feelings of encouragement.

Sometimes the truth hurts, but I believe if you really care for someone you owe them the truth and nothing but.

With gratitude.