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13 Curb Appeal Ideas Under $1,000 That Increase Sales Price

April 12, 2022 By Jeremy

Curb Appeal Ideas That Can Increase Your Sales Price

Having a welcoming home brings more leads and can increase how much money you will get in an offer, which is why curb appeal matters. In fact, curb appeal can increase perceived home value by 5 to 11%.  So if your house is on the market for $100,000, an 8% increase from a $1,000 curb appeal fix will net you $7,000.  But with all the curb appeal ideas out there, which ones do you start with?

Whether your budget is large or small, here are some of the best curb appeal ideas under $1,000 to help increase the “perceived” value of your home and increase your sales price!

13 Curb Appeal Ideas Under $1000

  1. Exterior Paint

A newly painted color coordinated home will make your house look well-kept and refined.  But limit yourself to two or three neutral tones so the house does not look too busy.  If you want to add a pop of color, paint the door and your shutters to add some vibrancy.

Pro tip: Go with a popular color if you go this route.  The wrong color can make a buyer skip your house because they will have to do more work if they buy your home and another home doesn’t need painted.

Cost:  $500 and $2,000 depending if you DIY.

  1. Clean and Pressure Wash Pavement, Features and Siding

Pressure washing is an easy curb appeal idea that increases your sales price as your home will look clean, fresh and newer. You can rent a pressure washer in hourly increments or by the day, and use it to clean pavement, fences, the siding on your house, and even brick or stone.  A clean walkway and dirt free exterior are welcoming and will set the tone for your real estate photography to welcoming potential buyers in as they tour your home.

Power washing times:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: FSBO, House selling tips

10 Ways to Sell Your FSBO (For Sale By Owner) House Fast

January 18, 2022 By Jeremy Leave a Comment

how to sell your house by yourself fast

When selling your house by yourself (FSBO, for sale by owner), you won’t have the assistance of a real estate agent which also means you do not have access to their expertise and unbiased view of what makes your home special.  But that doesn’t mean you cannot sell your house by yourself. 

You just need to be extra conscious of what a licensed agent would do, especially when it comes to listing your house, taking photos and marketing it as for sale by owner.  

Below you will find ten pro-tips for doing am FSBO transaction which will help you to sell your house fast.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: FSBO, House selling tips

What is a CLUE Report? And How to Order One.

November 16, 2021 By Jeremy

what is a clue report

A CLUE Report, otherwise known as a Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange Report, is a document that provides a list of all insurance claims that have been made on a house.  CLUE Reports are used by insurance companies to determine whether or not they want to cover your home, how much they want to cover your home for, and the rates your coverage will be at. But CLUE Reports do not solely benefit insurance companies. 

CLUE Report disputes can help you uncover any hidden damage or issues that a previous homeowner may be hiding. Similarly, a CLUE Report can also be a good selling point when you are selling your home as long as no claims have been made in the past 7 years as it may appear your home is in really good condition. 

Now that you know what a CLUE report is, let’s jump into what is included and how you can order a CLUE report for your home or the one you’re thinking about buying.  

What Does a Clue Report Include?

A CLUE Report includes all insurance claim information about a property for up to 7 years.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: FSBO, House Buying Tips, House selling tips

What Does Pre-Foreclosure Mean? And How to Avoid It.

November 9, 2021 By Jeremy

what does pre-foreclosure mean

Pre-foreclosure means that your lender has issued a notice of default (a public notice filed with a court) and that they are beginning the process of foreclosure. Fortunately, pre-foreclosure does not mean that your house will be foreclosed upon and there are many ways to get out of pre-foreclosure.

While pre-foreclosure may seem like a scary process, it is also an opportunity for you to get your finances back in order and to keep your house or walk away with cash-in-hand. Foreclosure is very expensive for your lender and oftentimes they will be ready to work with you on a solution that saves you your home and saves them their money.

Fortunately, there are solutions to get you out of debt and help you escape foreclosure without losing your house, and that is what you will learn in this post.

Below you’ll discover the process of pre-foreclosure and the options you have to avoid the bank completely foreclosing on you. But first, let’s learn the difference between pre-foreclosure and foreclosure.

What’s the Difference Between Foreclosure and Pre-Foreclosure?

The difference between foreclosure and pre-foreclosure is that foreclosure enables lenders to reclaim the remaining balance on your loan, typically by auctioning off your home. Pre-foreclosure is the preliminary process that gives homeowners a heads up that their lender has begun the process of foreclosure. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, FSBO, Real Estate Investing

What is Off-Market in Real Estate?

November 2, 2021 By Jeremy

what is off market in real estate

Off-market in real estate means that a house is for sale but is not listed on multiple listing services (MLS).  Only licensed real estate professionals will have MLS access so if a house is listed as 0ff-market it may mean that the house is also for sale by owner.  But there are plenty of times when a professional real estate agent may also list a property off-market.

The reason a seller and agent may choose to do an off-market listing instead of the MLS is to protect the client’s privacy or negotiate a higher sales price.

Bonus tip: If you are buying or investing in homes, off-market in real estate means you can access additional inventory that other buyers are not seeing and in many cases access really unique properties.

The term off-market in real estate is not the same as pending or contingent sales, which are still listed on an MLS, but not necessarily active. For example, your home may be considered off-market if it is sold before it is listed or if you sell your home without the help of an agent or broker (FSBO).

To learn more about what is off-market in real estate, we would like to show you the advantages of off-market real estate deals.

The Advantages of Selling Your Home Off-Market

There are a number of advantages to selling a home off-market:

  • Protected privacy
  • Limiting the buyer pool to increase quality
  • Less price negotiations
  • Eliminating unsolicited offers

For example, many celebrities like to sell their home off-market to keep their privacy protected during a major transaction. Additionally, if you have an expensive home and don’t want to waste your time with low-ball offers, an off-market sale can help you find more motivated buyers.

Investors like to purchase off-market homes that are hard to sell through traditional means because they are in disrepair or have an existing lien on them. If you are an investor, you can [Read more…]

Filed Under: FSBO, House Buying Tips, House selling tips

What is an Escalation Clause in Real Estate?

December 15, 2020 By Jeremy Leave a Comment

What Is An Escalation Clause In Real Estate

When making an offer on a home, you want to stay under the maximum amount you’re willing to pay but high enough to outbid other sellers. You might also want a way to track other offers so that you can continuously outbid them to increase your chances of making the deal. This is what an escalation clause does, which is an extremely effective tactic in the right situation.

What is an escalation clause in a contract?

An escalation clause is an addendum submitted in a multiple-offer situation to improve the odds that you will outbid other buyers.

For example, you might make an offer on a property for $325,000, but you can include an escalation clause that states you are willing to pay a maximum of $335,000 if a bidding war begins.

The clause also states that your offer will increase in set intervals to counter other offers up to the max offer, or escalation cap. [Read more…]

Filed Under: FSBO, House Buying Tips, Real Estate Investing

What is Capital Gains Tax on Real Estate? How Do I Calculate It?

November 10, 2020 By Jeremy Leave a Comment

What is Capital Gains Tax On Real Estate How to Calculate It

If you’re selling your house or an investment property and are excited to make a good profit on it, then you’re not the only one!  The IRS is also looking forward to the deal closing. That’s because the Capital Gains on real estate can be taxable. As always, these types of unique taxes are sometimes challenging to understand.

No worries; we’re here to help you understand a little more about capital gains taxes, when they can apply, and how much you can expect to pay. We also share some pointers to help you reduce capital gains taxes or possibly even avoid them.

What is Capital Gains Tax?

Capital Gains Tax is a tax applied on the difference between what you pay for an asset and how much you sell it for. For example, if you buy a home for $300,000 and sell it for $500,000, you are making $200,000. That $200,000 is considered capital gains and can be taxable.

With that in mind, the IRS approaches capital gains tax in one of two ways. If you own a property for less than a year before selling it, they will tax it as part of your regular income; this is short-term capital gains tax. However, if you own it for longer than a year, it is filed as a long-term capital gains tax, and you will pay 0%, 15%, or 20% based on your current tax bracket.

The primary concern for many is that capital gains can influence their total income and bump them into a higher tax bracket. Long Term capital gains take this into account and are therefore taxed separately. Short-Term Capital Gains are considered part of your income and taxed as such; they can bump you into a higher bracket.

If you’ve never heard of Capital Gains taxes, that may because you live in a state that doesn’t have or enforce them.

States that do not or may not enforce capital gains taxes may include:
[Read more…]

Filed Under: FSBO, Real Estate Investing

10 Tips to Sell Your Own House Fast

February 25, 2020 By Jeremy Leave a Comment

Ways to Sell Your Own Home Faster

When selling your house by yourself is a popular trend, but without the guidance and experience of a licensed real estate agent you are going to face additional obstacles.  From their buying power with advertising, to knowing the right angles to display your home to a buyer, not why you love it, these are things you now need to consider.

But that doesn’t mean you cannot sell your house by yourself (although we do always recommend you contact a licensed real estate agent for some of the reasons above.).  You just need to be extra conscious of what a licensed agent would do, especially when it comes to listing your house and taking photos.

Below you will find ten effective ways to help you sell your own house fast.

  1. Take photos of the property, not the items you love with it.

    Don’t focus on what you love about the property, focus on the structure and land instead.  Your goal is to help the potential buyer discover the entire property and your photographs need to do this.

    For example, you know the story behind the amazing custom door or shutters you had hand crafted, or the unique feature you scrimped and saved for, but they’ll possibly be pulled once the house has a new owner.

    Instead of focusing on the features you love, focus on helping the potential buyer discover the entire property.  Start by making your photo show the pathway leading up to the door which creates flow.  The flow helps the potential buyers eyes look at the entire structure because there is movement around the image and not a specific feature that you personally love.

  2. Set A Realistic Price Point

    Remember, you will value your house higher than what it is worth.

    It is built into our nature as people who are attached to our homes. This higher price point will likely turn off potential buyers and extend how long it takes to finally sell your home.  You may end up needing to lower the price in the long run anyways.

    Don’t be scared to price a bit lower than what you want.

    If you can get multiple offers, you hold the power and can get the buyers to counter each other if they really want your home.  This bidding war can result in you getting more than you expected and would have listed your house for.  Your goal is to get people into your home and make an offer, not price the highest and hope for the best.To price your house, start by:

    1. Researching how many homes that are the same size and age as yours are for sale in your area
    2. Look at Zillow, Redfin and other websites to see the price of similar homes in your neighborhood
    3. Compare your amenities, the age of the house, and how much work will be done when looking at these houses
    4. Calculate an average based on the above and use this as a starting point

    But keep in mind that if every home has a back patio, and yours needs repairs or work done, this lowers the value of your home compared to theirs.  The same goes for you being in a better school district if the neighborhood is split. If the school is a selling point, you may get more money.

  3. Write About the Experience of Living There and The Space, Not Why You Love It or Your Own Experiences

    Instead of talking about why you love a specific room or part of the house, write about the experience the person will have living there.

    Don’t say: “One of my favorite things is sitting on the back patio and enjoying the sunset with friends”. This is about your experience.
    Do say: “You’ll love relaxing every evening with stunning sunsets from your back patio”.

    Don’t say: “This nook was a perfect escape from city life where I read and relax”.
    Do say: “This room features a corner nook that can be padded for a seating area to escape city life.  It is also perfect for storing books, placing plants to bring life to the room, or whatever your imagination can think up.”

  4. Plan Extra Budget for Marketing & Advertising

    Normally your real estate agent spends their own money to bring people to your home.  Posting to free and classified sites is hit or miss strategy and probably not going to be effective for you.

    To get real traffic you need to pay for space where you will get qualified buyers to come to your home.  But you won’t always find potential buyers with the first round of ads.

    Plan to buy multiple ad spaces.  You should also budget to keep them over multiple months because your house might not sell immediately.  By purchasing multiple months at once you will be able to negotiate a better rate for the ad space.

  5. Power Wash Sidewalks, Patios, Walkways and Driveways Before Taking Photos.

    Dirty or stained walkways and spaces are a huge turn off and mean more work for the new owner.  Hire someone or rent a power washer and clean anything dirty or stained before you take your listing photos.  Then clean them again before the first open house.  Not only will everything look cleaner, it is one less hassle for the new owner.

  6. Remove All Signs of Pets

    Dog houses, stakes in the yard, or other items which show you have pets can be a big turn off for potential buyers.

    Whether it is allergies or they imagine the house will smell like cat, dog, or rabbit, you may stop a serious buyer from looking at your home.  To someone else, a pet means extra bills having the house cleaned to rid it of allergies and “pet smell”.

  7. Eliminate Kid Structures Too!

    If there is a swingset or signs of kids, make sure the selling point of the property is proximity to elementary schools or other amenities young families will want.  Not families without kids and high schools.

    You have memories of your children playing, but a swing set is not appealing unless the people moving in have little children. That jungle gym now becomes an extra expense and hassle they have to get rid of.

    If a selling point is an elementary school or a neighborhood with parks, daycares and younger families, then talk about how new the swing set is and make it an asset and benefit.  But be careful because this can backfire easily.

  8. Set Clear Times For Open Houses

    Open Houses are one of the most important tools you have to sell your home.  But make sure you are clear and concise. If people have trouble finding when and where your open house is, or how to get in contact with you if they’re lost, you may miss out on a potential buyer.

    (Pro tip: Do not let anyone in late.  If you are by yourself, this could be someone planning on attacking you.  Stay your ground.  Your open house hours are the set hours.  Nobody before and especially nobody after.)

    Make sure to include:

    • The days and times you’ll be doing an open house
    • The exact street location which can be clicked and opened in a map from a phone
    • A phone number the person can call you on if they’re lost or running late
    • Directions from major surrounding areas
    • Ways to identify your home if others look similar (a balloon or sign out front)
    • The dial up number if there is a call box
  9. Have Adult Friends & Family With You

    This one isn’t technically for your listings, but it is one we feel is very important.

    Inviting strangers into your home is dangerous.  Have friends there to help and monitor activity.  Make sure you are never alone in the house while strangers are there.  Before your friends leave, do a full walk through with them and make sure all people have left.

  10. Do Not Hide Flaws or Repairs That Need Done

    The goal is to sell the property like it isn’t your home.  Don’t hide the flaws or be embarrassed by them. They will be discovered as inspectors walk the property.

    If flaws like scratched floors or cracked baseboards are discovered later on, this will lower the price and cause you more frustrations.

    This isn’t going to be your home so nobody will be judging you.  Let these flaws be found. You’ll be able to sell the house faster and have less chance of a deal falling through at inspection.

Remember, your goal when you sell your house by yourself is to create an environment that a potential buyer can picture themselves in and want to purchase.  Take your own emotions and biases out of the process and you may be able to move your home faster.

Filed Under: FSBO

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