Here are eight cost-effective tips that will increase your home’s value. Looking to buy a home? Search All Homes Looking to sell a home? Get a Free Home Value Report Here are my top eight tips that are sure to boost your home’s value before you put it on the market:  1. Apply a fresh coat of paint. Paint is very cheap, and a new paint job will give you the most bang for your buck. No one likes dirty walls, so make sure you have fresh walls and fresh trim. 2. Caulk any areas that need it. Before you apply caulk in your bathrooms (i.e, around the sink, toilet, and bathtub), double-check that what you’re using is clean, white, and fresh. Everyone loves fresh caulk, and applying it takes very little of your time and money.  3. Enhance your curb appeal. Lay down fresh mulch, trim your bushes, set out a few potted plants, and get rid of any weeds. More importantly, make sure your front door is clean and freshly painted.   “     A new paint job will give you the most bang for your buck. ”   4. Spruce up your ‘buying decision rooms.’ These include your master bedroom, master bathroom, kitchen, and family area. These rooms should look crisp, clean, and enhanced to represent your price range. Changing out countertops in your kitchen, for example, is a great, inexpensive way to spruce it up. Granite, in particular, has become an everyman’s countertop. You can do a lot of things with Level 1 granite, and it costs anywhere from $2,500 to $4,000. This may not sound like a simple upgrade, but it is, and the return on investment is tremendous.  5. Update the light fixtures. If you have strip lights in your bathrooms, for example, go ahead and get rid of them; you can buy a cheap light fixture for just $50 and change your bathrooms’ whole appearance.  6. Get rid of bulky curtains and make sure all light bulbs match. Your light bulbs should be one color in every single room.  7. Clean, clean, clean. A clean home in any condition will sell quicker than a dirty one. People who live in dirty homes buy clean homes to make them dirty. We laugh about this type of thing, but it’s true! 8. Remove any odors from the home. It’s possible there may be an odor in your home that you aren’t aware of, so ask a friend to come over and conduct a smell test for you. Plug-ins (gently used), candles, and other items can help eliminate any unappealing smells.  If you’d like to talk about applying these tips to your home or want to know more ways to increase your home’s value, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you.

 Here’s how to strengthen your negotiation position in today’s market. Looking to buy a home? Search All Homes Looking to sell a home? Get a Free Home Value Report Here are seven great tips that can help you win out in negotiations as a buyer in a hot seller’s market: 1. Don’t nickel-and-dime the seller. Remove the items you can pay for, like the home warranty or boundary coverage on a survey.  2. Purchase the HOA documents. You can also purchase these to further ease the financial burden of the seller. 3. Bump up your earnest money. Typically it’s 1% of the purchase price, but you might want to bump yours up to 3%. You can also bump up your option fee by a few hundred bucks and shorten the option period.   “ It’s important to be flexible with dates and timelines. ”   4. Shorten the financing period. Make it 15 instead of 30 days.  5. Get yourself fully approved with a lender. Get all of your financial documents in order so that you’re ready to find a home and make an offer. 6. Be flexible with the closing date. Whatever works for them works for you. 7. Make your best offer up front. This is the most important tip. Make sure to put your best foot forward in this market to give yourself the best chance of winning. If you have any questions for us about selling a home, buying a home, or real estate in general, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. We look forward to hearing from you.

 Here’s what you need to know about the seller’s disclosure form. Looking to buy a home? Search All Homes Looking to sell a home? Get a Free Home Value Report The seller’s disclosure notice is a very important real estate document, for sellers and buyers.  If you’re a seller, it’s important to take your time and fill this document out correctly. I abide by the philosophy that it’s better to over-disclose than under-disclose. If you have a question about whether or not you should disclose something, you’re better off disclosing it. Most buyers prefer that you tell them about something rather than having to find out about it after an inspection or the purchase. I have yet to see a buyer get upset about something a seller tells them about in advance.  Water and fire damage are things you should always over-disclose. For example, water damage could mean a toilet overflowed and you had to redo the floors. If you fixed that leak and repaired the floors, you technically don’t have to tell anyone about it, but it’s better that you disclose that event. Water damage is a tricky subject that people can get upset about, and when they hire a contractor to fix something, they expect them to fix it completely and correctly. If they decide to remodel, tear down a wall, and find water damage, they’ll know the seller didn’t disclose something.  The same goes for fire damage. There’s nothing like tearing down a wall only to discover charred beams. As you can imagine, that will elicit a host of questions. Again, you’re better off attaching an addendum to your disclosure. In the disclosure form, there’s a section inquiring whether you’re aware of any other problems in the home, and this is typically where I advise my clients to say no, but fire damage is an exception.   “ If you have a question about whether or not you should disclose something, you’re better off disclosing it. ”   Another important item many sellers overlook is insurance claims. You need to double-check whether your home has had any insurance claims. More importantly, if you got money for that insurance claim and didn’t use it for the purpose intended, don’t assume you can hide that fact.  For example, many homeowners file a claim for a new roof but never follow through on installing it. They just put that money in the bank and think nothing will happen if they don’t say anything. That’s a big no-no. Insurance companies keep track of which claims were paid out, and new buyers can check whether the insurance company has concerns about anything regarding your home or whether anything was paid out. If they find something, you have a problem on your hands. If you got money for an insurance claim, whether you used it for its intended purpose or not, just be honest and disclose that.  If you’re a buyer, the seller’s disclosure notice is important because that’s how you check on any concerns you have with the house and whether the seller has anything additional to tell you. Speaking of insurance claims, this is something you need to talk about with your insurance agent.  Another issue to be aware of is whether there were any permits pulled. Sometimes homeowners make a renovation or build an add-on (e.g., a deck) without a permit; whether this is a big issue or small one depends on the renovations in question.  Lastly, buyers and sellers need to know whether the property is in a flood plain or not. There’s a section in the seller’s disclosure notice about this, and many sellers misunderstand its meaning. They think it asks whether just the house itself is in a flood plain, but it’s asking about the entire property. For example, if part of your back yard is in a flood plain, that means you have to check “yes” for this section. If you’re a buyer, be sure to do your own due diligence and check the flood maps.  If you have questions about the seller’s disclosure notice or there’s anything else I can help you with, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m happy to help.