Getting your home ready to sell.

 

Spring Cleaning Checklist for Sellers 

Some Highlights

• If you’re thinking about selling your house this spring, here are some things you’ll want to tackle before you list.
• Spend your time on tasks that make it feel inviting, show it’s cared for, and boost your curb appeal.
• To determine the full list of things you’ll want to tackle for your home, you need the opinion of a trusted expert. Let’s connect to help make sure your house shows well this season.

This Spring Presents Sellers with a Golden Opportunity

This Spring Presents Sellers with a Golden Opportunity

If you’re thinking of selling your house this year, timing is crucial. After all, you’ll want to balance getting the most out of the sale of your current home and making the best investment when you buy your next one.

If that’s the case, you should know – you may be able to get the best of both worlds today. Here are four reasons why this spring may be your golden window of opportunity.

1. The Number of Homes on the Market Is Still Low

Today’s limited supply of houses for sale is putting sellers in the driver’s seat. There are far more buyers in the market today than there are homes available. That means purchasers are eagerly waiting for your house.

Listing your house now makes it the center of attention. And if you work with a real estate professional to price your house correctly, you can expect it to sell quickly and likely get multiple strong offers this season.

2. Your Equity Is Growing in Record Amounts

According to the most recent Homeowner Equity Insight report from CoreLogic, homeowners are sitting on record amounts of equity thanks to recent home price appreciation. The report finds that the average homeowner has gained $55,300 in equity over the past year.

That much equity can open doors for you to make a move. If you’ve been holding off on selling because you’re worried about how rising prices will impact your next home search, rest assured your equity can help fuel your move. It may be just what you need to cover a large portion – if not all – of the down payment on your next home.

3. Mortgage Rates Are Increasing

While it’s true mortgage rates have already been climbing this year, current mortgage rates are still below what they’ve been in recent decades. In the 2000s, the average mortgage rate was 6.27%. In the 1990s, the average rate was 8.12%.

For context, the current average 30-year fixed mortgage rate, according to Freddie Mac, is 3.85%. And while recent global uncertainty caused rates to dip slightly in the near-term, experts project rates will rise in the months ahead. Doug Duncan, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist at Fannie Mae, says:

“For homebuyers, we believe that borrowing costs will likely rise with the increase in mortgage rates....”

When that happens, it’ll cost you more to purchase your next home. That’s why it’s important to act now if you’re ready to sell. Work with a trusted advisor to kickstart the process so you can take key steps to making your next purchase before rates climb further.

4. Home Prices Are Climbing Too

Home prices have been skyrocketing in recent years because of the imbalance of supply and demand. And as long as that imbalance continues, so will the rise in home values.

What does that mean for you? If you’re selling so you can move into the home of your dreams or downsize into something that better suits your current needs, you have an opportunity to get ahead of the curve by leveraging your growing equity and purchasing your next home before prices climb higher.

And, once you make your purchase, you can find peace of mind in knowing ongoing home price appreciation is growing the value of your new investment.

Bottom Line

If you want to win when you sell and when you buy, this spring could be your golden opportunity. Let’s connect so you have the insights you need to take advantage of today’s incredible sellers’ market.

What Every Seller Needs To Know About Renovating This Year

What Every Seller Needs To Know About Renovating This Year

If you’re planning to sell this year, you’re probably thinking about what you’ll need to do to get your house ready to appeal to the most buyers. It’s crucial to work with a trusted real estate professional who knows your local market to get your home ready to sell. But there are a few things you should consider when deciding what to renovate and update before listing this season. Here are three things to keep top of mind as you’re making your list of projects to tackle this year.

1. The Number of Homes for Sale Is Very Low

Housing inventory sits far below what is normally considered a balanced market. In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the latest data indicates inventory is hitting an all-time low. Because there’s such a limited supply of homes available for sale, you’re in a unique position when you sell your house to benefit from multiple offers and a quick process.

But you want to do so while buyers are still scooping homes up as fast as they’re being listed. Spending time and money on renovations before you sell could mean you’ll miss your key window of opportunity. Of course, certain repairs may be important or even necessary. The best way to determine where to spend your time – and your money – is to work with a real estate advisor to confirm which improvements are truly needed and which ones aren’t likely to be deal-breakers for buyers.

2. Buyers May Be Willing To Take on Projects When They Purchase Your House

Today, many buyers are more willing to take on home improvement projects themselves to get the house they’re after, even if it means putting in a little extra work. A recent survey from Freddie Mac finds that:

“. . . nearly two-in-five potential homebuyers would consider purchasing a home requiring renovations.”

If more buyers are willing to tackle repairs on their own, it may be wise to let the future homeowners remodel the bathroom or the kitchen to make design decisions that are best for their specific taste and lifestyle. Depending on the structural condition of your house, your efforts may be better spent working on small cosmetic updates, like refreshing some paint and power washing the exterior to make sure the home stands out. Instead of over-investing in upgrades, the buyer may change anyway, work with a real estate professional to determine the key projects to tackle that will give you the greatest return on your investment.

3. Your Agent Will Help You Spotlight the Upgrades You’ve Made

Over the past year, many people made a significant number of updates to their homes. The most recent State of Home Spending report finds:

“Home improvement spending rose 25% year-over-year to $10,341. Homeowners who invested in home improvement did an average of 3.7 projects, up from 2.7 in 2020, . . .”

With more homeowners taking on more projects in the past 12 months, there’s a good chance you’ve already made updates to your home that could appeal to buyers. If that’s the case, your real estate advisor will find ways to highlight those upgrades in your listing.

The same is true for any projects you invest in moving forward. No matter what, before you renovate, contact a local real estate professional for expert advice on what work needs to be done and how to make it as appealing as possible to future buyers. Every home is different, so a conversation with your agent is mission-critical to make sure you make the right moves when selling this season.

Bottom Line

In a sellers’ market like today’s, it’s important to spend your time and money wisely when you’re getting ready to move. Let’s connect today so you can find out where to target your efforts before you list.

Easily Remove Wall Stains

Contact Stacey Guzanick 262.490.3696,   RE/MAX Realty Center  Guzanick@gmail.com,  if you have questions about buying a house or selling one.

I can  guide you  toward your next home.

www.HomesWithStacey.com

See you at the closing!

10 Cheap Ways to Increase the Value of Your Home

Contact Stacey Guzanick 262.490.3696,   RE/MAX Realty Center  Guzanick@gmail.com,  if you have questions about buying a house or selling one.

I can  guide you  toward your next home.

www.HomesWithStacey.com

See you at the closing!

No Pussyfooting! Keep a Close Eye on Your Cat When Moving

Your feline friends find comfort in routine, so disruption can cause stress for them. When it’s time to move, make sure to take precautions by prepping your cat for the transition.

Keep tabs on your cat during the moving chaos—the last thing you want is your cat wandering away while you’re busy with moving. On moving day, designate a room for your kitty and keep it behind the room’s closed door. If you will need access to all rooms, try putting your cat in its carrier instead.

Upon arrival at your new place, keep your cat in a quiet area away from the hubbub of unloading. Again, make sure it’s a place that won’t allow your cat to stray too far. Once the movers have left, you can expect your kitty to be skittish and a bit curious. Let your cat explore your new surroundings, but don’t let it go outside unsupervised.When you transport your cat, make sure it is comfortable in its carrier. It may howl and cry while you’re making your way to your new home, so try putting a towel over the crate to keep it calm. Make sure your cat has comfy blankets and/or towels in the crate. If you feel that your kitty may be overly stressed by the change of scenery, check with your vet about putting it on anti-anxiety medication prior to your move.

As you move in, you will also want to make sure your new place is cat-proof. Look for exposed cords or wires, windows without screens, or tight spaces where your kitty could get stuck. Clean up any concerns and also make sure that your cat is surrounded with familiar items—toys, blankets, food—that will help it form a bond with its new home.

After a couple of weeks, your cat should be familiarized with its new surroundings. When you feel comfortable that your cat knows where home is, you can let your it wander around outside. Keep a bowl of food outside so your kitty has a familiar smell to return to.

Contact Stacey Guzanick 262.490.3696,   RE/MAX Realty Center  Guzanick@gmail.com,  if you have questions about buying a house or selling one.

I can  guide you  toward your next home.

www.HomesWithStacey.com

See you at the closing!

Could You Build a Life-Size Lego House? What Would It Cost?

Toy fads come and go, but Lego is in no danger of pulling a Tamagotchi. Far from it. Revenue is up, more movies are on the way, and complex building kits continue to burn up the free time of kids (and adults) worldwide.

All this leads us to wonder: If Lego continues its slow march toward world domination, what are the odds that some lovable maniac will construct an entire life-size home from the colorful plastic bricks? And at what cost?

We contacted designer Sean Kenney, one of only a dozen or so LEGO Certified Professionals on the planet. Yes, that’s his job title—reserved for people who are, he said, “actively, physically, tangibly using their product in some creative and commercial manner” and engaging with the public.

He and his team have built life-size polar bears, 6-foot-tall dogs, and portraits made from nothing but plastic bricks. The dude knows how to tackle big projects and is regularly asked to think on a grand scale using nothing but tiny parts.

So, let’s get crazy and assume this house is being financed by an eccentric billionaire with mountains of cash to burn. Even money can’t conquer physics.As an artist and designer, his work isn’t cheap. But a life-size house? That’s a different set of bricks. “Let’s take a microcosmic example,” Kenney said. “A four-foot-by-eight-foot sheet of drywall costs about $10 at the hardware store. If I just wanted to build a sheet of drywall—not a house but just the drywall—it’s about $2,000 retail for the Lego bricks. And then you need the labor. It’s about 9,000 pieces in that sheet of drywall.” Assembly time for that one sheet: about a week.

“The interesting thing that we all know about gravity is that it likes to pull things down,” Kenney said. Which isn’t a problem if you’re building toward the sky and creatingmonolithic Lego structures. But, he said, “when you want to do a large horizontal thing, that’s tough. That’s why we have I-beams … and stuff we build big, strong things with.”

Lego, of course, doesn’t offer huge, 12-feet long pieces. A Lego I-beam would have to be “built from thousands of little pieces and they’re going to want to split apart.” Ditto for ceilings and floors.

So that’s one huge challenge. The other large hurdle, Kenney explained, is that in standard construction, nothing is perfectly straight. Your home can be a tenth of a degree off its foundation, or a wall may jut out by a sixteenth of an inch, and that’s OK. You can bend and shimmy wood and other building materials without causing any major structural issues. But Lego bricks are incredibly precise blocks. They can’t be forced or shimmied.

Take your foundation, for example: “Say you pour a concrete slab. It’s not level. I guarantee it. It’s probably as level as it would ever need to be for the intents and purposes of a home, but compared to the hundredths of a millimeter in Lego bricks, there are pits and pocks and slopes and valleys all over the place, and so the challenge of trying to work around that without getting cracks and fissures in the Lego model would probably be the single biggest physical challenge that you could face.”

So, is the idea of building a Lego house impossible? No. In fact, the BBC’s James May(along with a merry crew) built a home using over 816 million Lego bricks in 2009. The house, a feat of engineering and enthusiasm, has since been deconstructed after a bid to sell it to Legoland in Windsor fell through. But are traditional construction materials in any danger of being usurped by Legos?

Prognosis: doubtful. A house, especially one that someone intended to live in on a daily basis, would be an enormous expense, surely in the millions of dollars. Insurance would be astronomical as there’s a very real chance the home could collapse at any moment. Adding insult to possible injury, Lego bricks aren’t water-tight.

So, to summarize: If you had the bank account of Scrooge McDuck, the architectural genius of Howard Roark, and an infinite amount of patience, you could do it. But, ask yourself, would you want to live in a Lego house? Maybe for a few hours, but we’re guessing that sleeping on Lego sheets might not be the life you dreamed of building.

Have a tip? A home worth talking about? Hit us up at news@realtor.com

Contact Stacey Guzanick 262.490.3696,   RE/MAX Realty Center  Guzanick@gmail.com,  if you have questions about buying a house or selling one.

I can  guide you  toward your next home.

www.HomesWithStacey.com

See you at the closing!

Is It Time to Replace Your Major Appliances?

Major appliances don’t last forever. It’s a sad fact of homeownership.

One day the boiler will go cold. The microwave will beep no more. The window air conditioning unit will grow warm.

Each one is expected to last only a certain time. If that time is just around the corner, maybe you should be heading to the store to check out some deals.

It’s good to keep the ages of your major appliances in mind—even if your home is relatively new construction.

“I’m finding homes and condos that have been built 10 and 12 years ago, that were built in the housing boom,” says REALTOR® Marty Winefield in Chicago. “While the quality of the construction has been fine, the mechanicals are running up against their lifespan.”

So what are the averages?

One caveat before we start: Appliance Magazine, a national trade journal, publishes an annual study that lists how long people tend to keep their major appliances, numbers oft-cited by the news media. The National Association of Home Builders uses their data, and the numbers match most of those used by the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors.

But editor Tim Soheil says the data doesn’t necessarily reflect the actual life span. It reflects when people shop for new appliances—possibly because they’re remodeling and not necessarily because the oven conked out.

“Wall ovens can last 15 years or more,” he notes. “There’s just not that much in them to break down, so they do last quite a long time in terms of durability. But how long you have them installed, it could be much shorter on average.”

Still, the following numbers give some idea of how long you might expect, on average, to keep a major appliance in your home:

• Boiler: 13 to 21 years
• Washing machine: 5 to 15 years
• Dryer: 13 years
• Refrigerator: 9 to 13 years
• Freezer: 10 to 20 years
• Gas oven: 10 to 18 years
• Window A/C: 5 to 7 years
• Kitchen disposal: 12 years
• Microwave: 9 years

The average lengths depend on a host of things—including frequency of use, manufacturing quality and the weather.

Dave Quandt, a vice president with American Home Shield (which handles warrantiesfor home appliances, among other services), notes that central air conditioning systems should last 15 to 20 years‚ but if you live in a coastal area, your system might last no more than a decade.

So if you’re trying to weigh how long you have left with your current appliances—or those built into the house you’ve just bought—consider all the factors that could impact the lifetime of your equipment.

Contact Stacey Guzanick 262.490.3696,   RE/MAX Realty Center  Guzanick@gmail.com,  if you have questions about buying a house or selling one.

I can  guide you  toward your next home.

www.HomesWithStacey.com

See you at the closing!

Can an Energy Audit Help Sell Your House?

Many people get an energy audit to learn how they can save on their gas and electric bills, but that might not be the only reason to get one.

In fact, an energy audit with a positive outcome could help sell your home.

What an Energy Audit Does

Getting an energy audit means hiring a professional to thoroughly check your home for energy leaks. The cost and time involved depend heavily on the size of your home, but in general, an audit takes a few hours and typically costs between $200 and $400.

In a few areas, energy audits are required before you sell. In Austin, TX—as well as in both Berkeley and San Francisco in California—sellers need to have an energy audit before they close on a deal.

Demand

While sellers would probably prefer to have an energy-efficient home, it doesn’t necessarily mean a seller can up the price of their house because of its efficiency. Ron Rovtar, a real estate agent out of Boulder, CO, says he hasn’t seen buyers who were “willing to pay more for energy improvements, even the more expensive ones likephotovoltaic cells.”

However, not all buyers are alike. According to the Los Angeles Times, an 87-year-old home in the Boston area sold for $50,000 more than nearby, less energy-efficient houses after the seller completed an audit and upgraded the home with new appliances, cellulose attic insulation and upgraded interior lighting.

If buyers in your area are keen on green living, your energy-efficient home might be able to command a better price. But if it’s not a concern, you could end up getting a negligible return on your investment.

Always ask a REALTOR® for advice on trends and popular selling points in your area.

Disclosures

When you sell a house, you’re legally obligated to disclose anything wrong with it—otherwise known as the seller’s disclosure. These disclosures are usually big-ticket items including leaky roofs or dilapidated furnaces (which a home inspector should be able to spot), but the little things can, and do, add up.

For example, if the house you sold is leaking air from every corner, you might be getting a phone call from the aggravated new owners. Not disclosing a few leaky windows is usually fine, but selling a house with the wind resistance of Swiss cheese might lead to a lawsuit.

An energy audit spots those problems so they can be disclosed properly.

Expenses

An energy audit might not come back as clean as you would expect. If you adhere to all the audit’s recommendations, it can become pricey and become a big commitment of time.

If you don’t have the money or resources to take the time to make upgrades, you may want to forgo the audit. There’s no need to advertise that your home isn’t as energy-efficient as it could be.

However, if your home is energy efficient, use it as a selling point. Put it in your listing and have a REALTOR® talk it up when your house is being shown. Consider adding in some facts about how much energy your home can save. If your energy bills are something to brag about in the winter, give the listing agent a crib sheet about these costs.

You’ll likely be able to recover any expenses—and then some—if your home sells for more than you expected.

Contact Stacey Guzanick 262.490.3696,   RE/MAX Realty Center  Guzanick@gmail.com,  if you have questions about buying a house or selling one.

I can  guide you  toward your next home.

www.HomesWithStacey.com

See you at the closing!

Is Replacing Carpet With Hardwood Always Worth It?

Thinking about replacing your floors? Especially if you have carpet, the choice seems clear: Hardwood floors are preferred by home buyers and renters across the United States.

But consider carefully whether hardwood floors are the right choice for every room in your home—and what type you might want to install for the best resale value.

As you weigh investing in your floors, you’ll need to evaluate your budget, the preferences and traditions in your community and your own personal taste. Some people only want to step on soft carpet, while others prefer hard surfaces. In some warm climates such as Florida, ceramic tile flooring rivals hardwood in popularity.

In more traditional markets, tastes still lean toward oak floors, but some owners of more contemporary homes are choosing to stain their wood floors in different colors. Other trends in hardwood include wider planks, the use of reclaimed wood or hand-scraped wood that looks antique and exotic species of wood such as hickory or walnut.

Homeowners on a tight budget also may want to look into laminate flooring, which offers the look of wood at a lower price point.

Keep in mind that people with allergies typically want a hard surface that won’t hold dust. You should also think about the care and maintenance required for your floor surface since you’ll need to take care of it for years. Hardwood flooring lasts longer than carpet, can be easier to keep clean and can be refinished.

In the end, though, the decision about whether to install hardwood or carpeting in a bedroom should be based on your personal preference, at least if you intend to stay in the home for years.

Hardwood Flooring: It’s What Buyers Want

According to HGTV, the top request of home buyers and renters when looking for a home is hardwood flooring. In fact, a study of homebuyer preferences by USA Todayusing data from the National Association of REALTORS® found that 54% of home buyers were willing to pay more for a home with hardwood flooring.

Installing hardwood flooring can cost between $9 and $12 per square foot, compared with about $3 to $5 per square foot for carpet—so some homeowners opt to install hardwood only in some rooms rather than throughout their home. However, carpet typically needs to be replaced if it becomes stained or worn out. Good quality carpet can last about 10 to 15 years, while hardwood can last forever.

The return on investment for installing hardwood will vary according to your market and other factors, but hardwood flooring can often help your home sell faster.

Reasons to Install Carpet

While many buyers and homeowners prefer hardwood flooring throughout their home, some people prefer carpet in the bedrooms—because they like a softer surface. When you live in a two or three-story home, carpet also helps reduce noise.

If you would still prefer hardwood floors throughout your home, you could use put area rugs in your bedroom.

Contact Stacey Guzanick 262.490.3696,   RE/MAX Realty Center  Guzanick@gmail.com,  if you have questions about buying a house or selling one.

I can  guide you  toward your next home.

www.HomesWithStacey.com

See you at the closing!