Can You Sell Your Home on Your Own?

If you're thinking about selling your house on your own, it's not a question of whether you can pull it off. It's a question of whether you will get the most out of your sale by going solo.

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a Full Home Search 

Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a Free Home Price Evaluation

When looking to sell a house "For Sale by Owner," it's not a matter of whether people will or won’t list without an agent. People always consider selling their own houses to save some money. The real question is whether they'll get the best price for their house or even get themselves in financial or legal trouble along the way.

We know from statistics that over 95% of home sellers use a real estate agent, and there's a reason for it. In addition to getting a higher price and avoiding legal trouble, there's exposure. Most people who are qualified and ready to buy a home go to where all the homes are—actual listings via the real estate agent they're working with. 

Over 95% of home sellers use a real estate agent, and there's a reason for it.

As a seller, if you're thinking of selling your own home, you have to ask yourself the right questions. I can buy hair dye and color my hair on my own, but I can't so it even close to as well as my hairdresser can. I can do my own taxes, but it would be very painful and I probably wouldn't get all the deductions I would by working with an accountant. 

I believe you should let the professionals with experience handle these complicated transactions. It's especially true when it comes to your home, your biggest financial asset. It's not that you can't sell your home on your own, but you probably can't expect to get the best outcome.

If you're thinking about selling your house, we'd love to tell you more about how we can help you get the most out of it. Just give us a call or send us an email, we'd love to hear from you!

Don’t Get Caught With an Open Permit on Your House

Open permits can cause a lot of inconvenience for homeowners. Here’s why you should always check if the house you’re buying or selling has any open permits.

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a Full Home Search 

Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a Free Home Price Evaluation

Today I want to talk about open permits and how inconvenient they can make things as far as your home is concerned.  

One of the things our team routinely does when listing properties and working with buyers is check our houses for open permits. Any kind of replacement work done on a property typically requires a permit with the county and an additional final permit. 

The reason homes have open permits is once the owner(s) of that home paid the contractor for the work they did, that contractor never went back to the county to finalize the required permits. If you’ve had work done on your home, it’s very important that you check that your house doesn’t have any open permits, as having them can cause trouble down the road. I know from experience. 

If your home has an open permit, that leaves you with an open problem.

Recently, we were having some work done on our house and we assumed that the contractor we hired went through the proper channels to acquire the proper permit. Unfortunately, we were wrong. As the work was being done, the county showed up and issued a Stop Work Order. Our contractor then had to stand outside on our front lawn and wait for an inspector to arrive before he could continue working. I was actually glad this happened in a way because it saved me from having to worry about open permits down the road. 

If you’re having work done on your house and using licensed, insured contractors, make sure you’re using people who’ve actually pulled the proper permits. Also, never write that final check until you’ve been provided with evidence that those permits have been closed out. 

If you’re looking to buy or sell a home or need help finding out if you have any open permits on your home, feel free to give us a call. We’d be happy to help, and we look forward to seeing you next time!

Renting vs. Owning Your Own Home

What are the advantages of giving up renting to become a homeowner? Eric Intihar, one of our preferred lenders, is here to answer that for you.

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a Full Home Search 

Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a Free Home Price Evaluation

Today we’re very excited to have Eric Intihar from U.S. Mortgage of Florida here to talk a little bit about the mortgage world and the benefits of owning a home. 

First, homeownership is key when trying to build a financial base. In fact, when the average person retires, 65% of their wealth is tied up in real estate. 

However, building a financial base isn't the only benefit to owning a home. It also allows you to be a part of a community, gets you a tax break, and increases your equity. Overall, a homeowner will do much better than a renter. 

The advantages of owning a home far outweigh the disadvantages.

It’s true that owning a home comes with more responsibilities like having to repair things yourself instead of calling the landlord, but the advantages of being able to become a part of a community and helping yourself get rich instead of your landlord far outweigh the disadvantages. 

Right now, it’s almost like the entire real estate market is on sale. Rates are historically low, so now is a great time to make the switch from renter to homeowner. 

If you have any questions for Eric, you can reach him at (954-448-9829).

As always, if you have any questions about real estate, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I’m always happy to help! 

How Can You Price Your Home for the Market?

If you want to sell your home for top dollar, you need to price your home correctly. Here are three common pricing pitfalls to avoid.

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a Full Home Search 

Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a Free Home Price Evaluation

It’s natural for home sellers to want the highest price in the shortest amount of time. However, there are three issues that you need to avoid in order to make that happen. 

First of all, don’t rush your home onto the market. Take the time to properly prepare. Take care of any repairs, painting, or maintenance items that you might have overlooked in the time you’ve lived there. When the time comes to launch your home onto the market, you want to put your best foot forward. 

Price your home correctly right from the start.

Statistics show time and time again that when homes are priced correctly from the start, they will sell for the most money. The reason is that testing the marketplace with an inflated price diminishes buyer interest. Instead of the buyers and agents saying, “Wow, what a great house!” they say, “That’s a nice house, but it’s not priced correctly. It’s a little expensive for the market.” 

Finally, if you have been on the market for awhile and you’re not getting a reasonable number of showings (three to five a week), then it may be time to adjust the price of your home. Your home should be priced based on what has come on the market or what has recently sold. If buyers are choosing other similar homes over yours, then your home is not priced correctly. 

Once you realize that your home is overpriced, it’s incredibly important to have that conversation with your agent and reduce the price of your home. If you have any other questions, just give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!