Maple Grove Real Estate News

Many buyers today want move-in-ready homes and will quickly eliminate an otherwise great home by focusing on a few visible flaws. Unless your home shines, you may endure showing after showing and open house after open house—and end up with a lower sales price. Before the first prospect walks through your door, consider some smart options for casting your home in its best light.

1. Have a home inspection

Be proactive by arranging for a pre-sale home inspection. For $250 to $400, an inspector will warn you about troubles that could make potential buyers balk. Make repairs before putting your home on the market. In some states, you may have to disclose what the inspection turns up.

2. Get replacement estimates

If your home inspection uncovers necessary repairs you can’t fund, get estimates for the work. The figures will help buyers determine if they can afford the home and the repairs. Also hunt down warranties, guarantees, and user manuals for your furnace, washer and dryer, dishwasher, and any other items you expect to remain with the house.

3. Make minor repairs

Not every repair costs a bundle. Fix as many small problems—sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, dripping faucets—as you can. These may seem trivial, but they’ll give buyers the impression your house isn’t well maintained.

4. Clear the clutter

Clear your kitchen counters of just about everything. Clean your closets by packing up little-used items like out-of-season clothes and old toys. Install closet organizers to maximize space. Put at least one-third of your furniture in storage, especially large pieces, such as entertainment centers and big televisions. Pack up family photos, knickknacks, and wall hangings to depersonalize your home. Store the items you’ve packed offsite or in boxes neatly arranged in your garage or basement.

5. Do a thorough cleaning

A clean house makes a strong first impression that your home has been well cared for. If you can afford it, consider hiring a cleaning service.

If not, wash windows and leave them open to air out your rooms. Clean carpeting and drapes to eliminate cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells. Wash light fixtures and baseboards, mop and wax floors, and give your stove and refrigerator a thorough once-over.

Pay attention to details, too. Wash fingerprints from light switch plates, clean inside the cabinets, and polish doorknobs. Don’t forget to clean your garage, too.

Published on February 10, 2010 By: G. M. Filisko House Logic

Daily Real Estate News | Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Rising demand and a tightening supply is force both commercial and residential rents upward, and signs point to an increase in prices continuing over the next few years. For one, office construction starts have been at their lowest level in more than 50 years, and on record. The lower starts means that there will be fewer spaces for businesses to rent, which will likely give landlords the upper hand in pushing rents even higher. Residential renters can also expect an increase. Nationwide, rents in December 2011 increased 2.5 percent compared to December 2010, the Consumer Price Index shows. Rising rents have led to rents to reach their highest levels in 2011 since 2007, Reis Inc. reports. “The supply side is so constrained because nobody has been building for years” due to the economy and the struggle developers face in getting loans, Mark Stapp, professor of real estate practice at Arizona State University, told MSNBC.com. While rents have risen, the cost of home ownership has dropped. In fact, in 74 percent of major U.S. cities, renting may be more expensive than owning a home, a Trulia.com study has found.

Source: “Office and Home Rent Will Keep Rising and Rising,” MSNBC.com (Feb. 6, 2012)

Daily Real Estate News | Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Foreclosures can offer big bargains, but buyers need to be careful that they don’t get over their heads in purchasing a home that may need more repairs than they bargained for.

Foreclosures are usually sold as-is, and homes that are left vacant standing too long can have a lot of maintenance problems.

Real estate experts suggest buyers consider the following questions:

1. How long has the home been vacant? Be cautious of a foreclosed home that has stood vacant for more than a few weeks or had its utilities shut off a long time. Marvin Goldstein, a home inspector for many foreclosed properties, says a home can deteriorate quickly when heating, cooling, electricity, and running water have been turned off for awhile.

2. How old is the home? Goldstein says that homes that are more than 50 years old may have a failing plumbing system or inadequate electrical wiring.

3. How does the home look? Are there broken windows, gutters hanging down, or damaged siding? “Trust your instincts. If the house looks bad from the outside, it's probably worse than you think,” Goldstein told The Oklahoman.

4. Is there anything missing? Sometimes former owners remove anything of value from the home, such as built-in light fixtures, bathroom tile, water heaters, air-conditioning units, and hardwoods, says Bill Jacques, president-elect of the American Society of Home Inspectors. Housing experts encourage buyers to get a home inspector to look at the property, even if it is sold as-is, so that home buyers know any repairs needed and cost estimates before they purchase the home.“Buying a bank-owned home gives you the opportunity to enter the market at a very low price level,” says Dorcas Helfant, a past president of the National Association of REALTORS®. “You can find terrific values among foreclosures, especially if they're not in too bad shape. But, remember, these houses are discounted for a reason.”

Source: “Foreclosed Homes May Need Extensive Repairs,” The Oklahoman (Jan. 28, 2012)

Daily Real Estate News | Friday, January 20, 2012

“Don’t shoot the messenger,” is the message the Appraisal Institute has for those in the real estate industry. Appraisers have been taking heat the last few months over low home values, with critics arguing that values aren’t matching a home listing or contract’s price and valuations are unfairly weighing distressed properties into the equation. “Appraisers don’t set the real estate market; they reflect what’s happening in the market,” Sara W. Stephens, the Appraisal Institute’s president, said in the handout. “Obviously, the market is depressed — home prices have fallen far below the values of a few years ago. Many homes simply aren’t worth what their owners think they are.” Appraisers say their main goal is to protect lenders against entering into a risky mortgage, not justifying the sales price for a buyer or seller. But the report emphasizes: Appraisers are independent, third-party experts and serve as an unbiased source of information. Buyers and sellers “shouldn’t assume an appraisal is somehow ‘wrong’ if it doesn’t match the listing or contract price,” Stephens says. “There’s no reason to assume the contract price is the ‘correct’ price simply because it’s higher than the appraisal.” A lot of the criticism over appraisals recently has centered on appraisers using distressed sales in their comparables — comparing an abandoned foreclosure to a lived-in home that may not have the maintenance issues that the foreclosed home might have. “Appraisers know what adjustments to make, if any, when using distressed sales as comparables,” Stephens notes. “In some markets, distressed sales are so prevalent that it would be improper not to use them as comparables.”