Beat the Competition and Sell Your Home

If your home has been sitting on the market for several months, you may need to start thinking about how to beat your competition to sell your home.  The inventory on the market for buyers to weed through is alot and you will want yours to stand out far above the rest.  Therefore, I would like to share some tips and advice on how to make that happen.

Assuming your home has the right price, these tips should help lure buyers right in:

* Stage the home and maintain it.  A home that has been staged and maintained will be a much better offer than a vacant, empty home or foreclosure.  When the home looks slightly lived in and the landscaping is not dead, the home tends to give off a warm feel that buyers love. 

As with any home, decluttering, fresh paint, removal of unpleasant odors and upkeep of the lawn can go a long way.  With a home, first impressions are everything.

* If you will, let the buyers know up front that you will pay some of the closing costs.  This is an extra motivator to serious buyers these days.  Most of the time, buyers ask for this help anyway.  But, it may pay-off sooner when you dangling this in front of their face in the beginning.

* Consider offering a home warranty.  Many first-time homebuyers are coming from rental properties and are accustomed to calling a landlord when they have a problem.  Therefore, to help them transition a little better into homeownership, provide them with a warranty that will cover major problems when they arise.  This will really benefit them.

* Don’t ignore low offers.  Many buyers are using a real estate agent.  Therefore, they know that home prices have fallen, so they will be aggressive with their first offer.  Sometimes, buyers will be extremely aggressive.  However, don’t ignore those lowball offers and get upset or angry.  Just remember, every offer deserves a good counter-offer.  This will get the game rolling.

Most likely, you will both be able to come to a mutual agreement since they were serious enough to make the offer in the first place.

Once you do come to an agreement and close the deal, then you did your part well.  Good job.  Enjoy your next home.  If you need assistance finding that next home, contact me, Liz Miller.  I’m here to help.

Search Homes for Sale in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

Making Your Guestroom Inviting For Summer Guests

Realtor® Liz Miller  ~  Lake Havasu City Real Estate 

Summer is here and many of us will have summer guests coming to stay.  Those of us who are fortunate enough to have an extra room to offer those guests want to make them feel extra comfortable during their stay.  Therefore, I’ve been thinking of ways I could make my own guests feel comfortable and would like to share some of my ideas. 

Comfort is at the top of the list for many guests.  So, start with the bed linens.  Wash and dry them so they will be clean and fresh.  You may even consider adding extra pillows and blankets for added comfort.  If you’re really sweet, you can add a few bottles of water in an ice bucket and a light snack.  This will make your guests feel even more comfortable being there.  Also, be sure to have plenty of lighting in the room and a small end-table light and alarm clock. 

Guests will also feel more comfortable with the more space they have.  So, make sure to de-clutter the room by taking away all your knick-knacks and anything else that will be in their way.  Provide your guests with space for their luggage and maybe a tray for their keys and smaller objects.  Also, make space in the closet and  make sure to have plenty of empty hangers.  Leave a few drawers empty in your dresser.  Your guests will love you for this extra space for their belongings. 

Privacy is also very important to many people.  Therefore, make sure your window coverings give good coverage and privacy.  If they don’t, you may want to consider replacing them with something more up-to-date.  Also, does your guest door have a lock on it?  This will make them feel as though they have even more privacy.

All these little extras will go a long way and your guests will just love the extra attention that you have given their arrival.  Small details such as a note pad and pen by the phone in their room, a box of tissues near the bed, a television with remote, magazines and even brochures and maps to local attractions will make them feel like you have gone the extra mile.

I hope your summer guests feel right at home with these tips for making your guestroom inviting.

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First Time Homebuyers Advice

Buying your very first home can be exciting yet overwhelming at the same time.  It can even be a little daunting.  You are going to make the biggest investment of your life.  Therefore, I would like to give first-time homebuyers some tips and advice that can help the process go more smoothly so you won’t feel so overwhelmed.  There are many programs for first-time buyers to choose from that will provide proper financial assistance.

Let’s start with how much you can afford to spend on your new home.  This will depend on various factors, such as your income, your monthly expenses, what you plan to put down on the home,and how much you are qualified to borrow.  Many lenders are now requiring 20% of the final purchase price of the home as a down payment.  However, some programs are still available that only require 5% down.  Try this mortgage calculator to see what you can afford.

Search for a real estate professional who is fully qualified to handle all your needs.  A real estate agent can provide huge amounts of information that will guide you through the buying process, making everything easier on you.  Make sure you tell your real estate agent that you are a first-time homebuyer so they can get you all the perks that go with first-time homebuying.

Make a wish list and begin shopping for your dream home.  It is very important to know what you want in a home before you begin looking for a home or you will be wasting both yours and your Realtors® time.  Some questions to consider: how many bedrooms, how many baths, new or old, one -tory or two, single-family or townhouse, near a school or not, what style of home, in a subdivision or not, private land or with acreage, near public transportation or not, etc.  Things like these are very important to ask yourself before you begin your house-hunt.

Making an offer on your dream home.  Now that you’ve found your dream home, it’s time to make an offer.  However, you should first get familiar with some terms used on a sales contract.  Your agent will be able to explain everything to you.   And work with your agent on negotiating a lower price.

Getting the home inspected.  It is very important to get the home inspected before moving in.  You don’t want to buy a home that is termite or mold-infested.  An inspection will tell you the condition of the property and let you know of any major defaults.  This will help you avoid buying a home that is in major need of repairs.

Getting home insurance.  All mortgage lenders will require you to have homeowners insurance before closing.  Be sure to have a copy of your policy when you come to closing.  Shop around for the best deals possible.  You will come across a wide range of prices when getting quotes, so use your best judgment in this area.

Good luck to all you first-time homebuyers.  I hope this advice will help you along your journey.

Realtor® Liz Miller  ~ Lake Havasu City Real Estate

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Tips and Advice for Homeowners, Buyers and Selllers

Improve Your Credit and Buy Your Dream Home

Realtor® Liz Miller  ~  Lake Havasu City Real Estate

Once upon a time, when you wanted a loan, you could take a trip to your local banker and easily get a loan if you knew him personally.  Back then, your reputation and relationship with your banker was all you needed to get approved.  However, that is not the case today.  Things have drastically changed over the years.  Now your credit score will determine if you will get the loan you need to purchase the dream home you want.

There are many advertisers out there who claim they can repair your credit for a fee, but don’t fall for those false promises.  Only you can improve your credit and credit score and it can be done in a short time.

Here are tips to help you improve upon your credit score in record time:

1.    Check your credit report and score.  Once a year, you will get a free report from the top three major credit bureaus.  Dispute any incorrect and false information on your report.  Have this false information removed by writing the credit bureaus a letter.  

2.    Close out all credit accounts except one.  You need a credit card to have credit, but too many credit cards will just get you into trouble and lower your credit score.

3.    Pay off the credit cards you’re not using as quickly as possible.  Keeping one credit card open, maintain a balance of under 50% of your credit limit.  Your credit score weighs on how much your balance is and how much your limit is.

4.    If you have student loans, consolidate them to get better terms and lower payments.

5.    Refinance your car and house to get lower payments.  Don’t take out the equity when refinancing.  This can be very tempting to do.  However, keep in mind, you are trying to reduce your monthly debt-to-income ratio, which will help increase your credit score.

6.    Never apply for another credit card again.  Keep the credit cards you have.  Each time you apply for another credit card, a credit inquiry will appear on your credit report, thus lowering your credit score. 

You can have false negative information removed from your credit report.  However, you cannot have true negative information removed.  Therefore, it is very important to treat your credit with the upmost care.  Try your best to never acquire negative information.  Although, if you do, it is not the end of the world.  It will just take a while to get it off your credit report.  The longer negative information sits on your report, the less affect is has on your score.  Time is key when it comes to credit.

Search Homes for Sale in Lake Havasu City, Arizona ~ Tips and Advice for Homeowners, Buyers and Sellers.