The Importance of Home Inspections

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Today, I'd like to talk about the importance of home inspections. Home inspections can be mutually beneficial to both buyers and sellers.

From the seller's standpoint, a pre-listing inspection can be very valuable. That way, you know about the issues with the property and you can get a lot of them taken care of up front. A buyer might misinterpret some minor issues as major issues, and having that pre-listing inspection can save you a lot of money.

From a buyer's standpoint, buying a home is one of the biggest investments you will make in your life. Having an inspection done will let you know what issues you might run into, and you can have the seller make some of those repairs. If you want to make the repairs yourself, the home inspection can help you create a maintenance plan.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call me or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

What Are the Best Ways to Prepare Your Home for Sale?

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Today we are going to talk about how to get your home ready for sale in Oregon. The old cliche, “You never get a second chance at a first impression” is very true when it comes to selling your home. In the first 1-2 weeks your home is on the market, that’s when you’re going to get the most activity.  

During this timeframe, you want to make sure you get your house in tip-top shape. Don’t put things off until later, that rarely works out. When people show up, they want the home to be move-in ready, so that’s what you’ve got to give them. They want to have their socks knocked off.

 

Now let’s talk about some specific ways to get your home ready. Your first step should be making sure your landscaping is pristine, to increase your curb appeal. When buyers first pull up to the home, they are going to look at the yard right away. Impressing them outside is your first step.

However, you want that feeling to continue as they walk through your house. When they do come through the door, you want to have the entire place deep cleaned and decluttered, with family pictures put away and little knick knacks and other decorations in storage. Buyers are looking for that turnkey home, and properly preparing yours ensures it will stand out. This is how to get multiple offers and offers over asking price.

If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Why Does Buying Make More Sense than Renting?

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Today we are talking about renting vs. buying, a fun topic that I enjoy talking about. Our rental market is getting incredibly hot right now. As a landlord renting my house out, I’ve seen prices going through the roof and I can’t believe how high they are getting. For example, a house that rented at $1200 a month last year is renting for $1500 a month this year.

If you can buy a house, you should. You get many tax benefits, including your interest and mortgage insurance being tax deductible. In a rental situation, you will spend equal to or more than your mortgage payments, and you don’t get any of those tax benefits and aren’t able to do home improvements.

The clear answer is if you have the capability, you definitely want to buy. It provides huge financial benefits and incentives, and it doesn’t make sense not to if you are able to.

If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Don't Ignore the Selling Power an Open House Brings

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For many, many years I didn't really believe in open houses as a selling tool. I primarily believed that they were simply for agents to recruit potential buyers. The likelihood of someone coming in and deciding to buy a home during an open house is not super high.

However, there are some factors that can make an open house worthwhile. If your home is in a desirable and high-traffic location, I think an open house can work very well.

I recently did an open house on a property that had 20 showings but received no offers. When I conducted an open house I got 3-5 people to come through, but 2 of those people absolutely loved the home and we got multiple offers and were able to sell the home above list price.

Given the right circumstances, open houses can help. If you live far away from town or are in a place that's not convenient, I would suggest going another route. People like the convenience that comes from an open house which is why it works in high-traffic areas.

If you have any questions or concerns about this issue, or if you'd like to learn more about Lane County real estate, please don't hesitate to contact me!

Lane County Borrowing Tips

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Is there a difference between having no credit and having bad credit? Many people are unaware, but there is a significant difference between the two.

When you have bad credit, it's likely because you stopped making mortgage, credit card, or car payments at some point. When you haven't made a payment, you begin to get derogatories (30 days late, 60 days late, 90 days late, etc.). You also may have had a bankruptcy in the past, which will negatively affect your credit.

If you have failed to make payments, or if your credit is just bad, it will take some time to improve your score. The longer you get away from your last negative derogatory, the better your credit will become. In other words, if you start making payments regularly, you can get your credit back on track.

If you have no credit, it means you need to apply for some and start making payments on time. This is a better situation than having bad credit because you can earn good credit much faster than you can recuperate it!

If you have any questions about this topic, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!