Key Steps When Purchasing a Home!

Key Steps in Purchasing a Home...

 

1.  Be sure to align yourself with a Full Time, Experienced Realtor in the areas you are searching.  A full-time Realtor has no other career only Real Estate.  An Experienced Realtor is one that completes many transactions in the area you are searching.

 

2.  Get a pre-approval from a Direct Lender for a mortgage and determine which type of mortgage you will obtain such as conventional or FHA.  This pre-approval will be necessary when it comes time to make an offer on a home.

 

3.  Look at all of the listings the chosen Realtor sends to you via email.  Take a ride past those homes and decide which homes you would like to see.  Your Realtor will then make the appointments and show you through the home.  Remember if you are driving around a neighborhood and would like more information on a home for sale, call YOUR Realtor.  He/She can give you information on any home listed.

 

4.  Complete an Agreement of Sale on your new home.  Your Realtor will walk you through the entire agreement of sale and will be sure you understand the contingencies involved.  Your Realtor will also keep you in "contract" by making sure all contingencies are complied with on time.

 

5.  You should definately attend the home inspection if at all possible.  A good thorough home inspector will go through the house with you and explain the functions of all systems and provide you with a report right on site!

 

6.  You will attend settlement with your Realtor, the Seller, the Seller's Agent and the Title Company, sign the mortgage papers and move into your New Home!

 

Now is a great time to purchase.  Rates are wonderful and homes are on sale.  Do not miss your opportunity to own a home in a Buyer's Market.  There are plenty of homes to choose from and one is waiting for you!  For a complete list of homes available visit www.JenniferDaywalt.remax.com.  Visit my facebook page - Jennifer Hill Daywalt and Phoenixville Real Estate.  For more information on Home Selling or Buying email me at Sellinghomesjenn@aol.com

 

Jennifer Daywalt, Realtor

RE/MAX Results Realty - Collegeville Main Office

Licensed in PA since 2001

Top Realtor 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

Author of "Ask the Realtor" in the Phoenix

Phoenixville's Home Town Realtor

610-489-7355 Main Office

610-999-7693 Direct Line

Is Your Home Priced Too High?

How To Tell If Your Home Is Priced Too High...

 

1.  If your home has been on the market a couple of weeks and you have had no showings it is priced too high;

 

2.  If you have had several showings of your home and have received no offers, it is priced too high;

 

3.  If the other homes in your neighborhood are priced lower than yours, it is priced too high;

 

4.  If your Real Estate Agent told you to price it lower than you did, it is priced too high;

 

5.  If you are receiving negative feedback about your home consistently, it is priced too high.

 

Remember in this market it does not matter what you want, what you need or what you put into your home.  The buyer's are running the current Real Estate Market and what matters most is what they are willing to pay.  Don't cut yourself out of the Real Estate Market by pricing your home too high.  Pay attention to the signs such as low showings or lots of showings with no offers.  The answers are right in front of you, take a look.

 

Jennifer Daywalt, Realtor

RE/MAX Results Realty

Licensed in PA since 2001

Top Realtor 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

Author of "Ask the Realtor" in the Phoenix

Phoenixville's Home Town Realtor

610-489-7355 Main Office

610-999-7693 Direct Line

610-482-9623 Direct Fax

 

Why Should You Lower The Price of Your Home?

Why Should You Lower The Price of Your Home...

 

I know...it is definately the LAST piece of advice any Seller wants to receive but unfortunately that is the scenerio most are facing....adjusting your asking price.  This does not mean that your home is overpriced or not showing well.  It simply means that we have an "overstock" of homes available at this time and not enough buyers.  When demand is down and inventory is up it only makes sense to lower the prices.  Here are a few good reasons you should consider this option...

 

1.  Lowering your price will make your  home more attractive to potential buyers.  If your house is lower than others in the neighborhood and in good condition there is no question.  Which house would you choose?

 

2.  Lowering your price will make your home pull up in searches for more buyers.  In other words if your home is priced at $155,000 and you lower it to $149,900 then you will attract those buyers searching the internet up to the $150,000 price range.

 

3.  More than likely you are paying a mortgage, taxes and utilities for your current home.  If your monthly expenses for the house are $2500.00 and you have the choice to keep your home on the market for 5 months or lower the price by $10,000 and sell it much quicker the answer is simple.  Lower the asking price by $10,000 and move on to your new adventure.

 

4.  Lowering your asking price will bring more potential buyers to your home thus creating a demand for your home and getting it SOLD!

 

5.  If you are making a move in the same area in which you live what does it really matter?  It doesn't.  If you lower your price by $10,000 and you are purchasing a home in the same area, chances are the seller of your new home is lowering theirs also.  One offsets the other!

 

There are many good arguments to adjusting your asking price but the number one agrument is....lowering your asking price will get your home SOLD!

 

Jennifer Daywalt, Realtor

RE/MAX Results Realty

Licensed in PA since 2001

Top Realtor 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

Author of "Ask the Realtor" in the Phoenix

Phoenixville's Home Town Realtor

610-489-7355 Main Office

610-999-7693 Direct Line

610-482-9623 Direct Fax

 

 

 

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Purchase a Home...

 

There are so many positive reasons to purchase a home in this market.  We definately do not know what the future holds or when the Real Estate Market will rebound however we do know that it will.  Are you willing to take the chance and find yourself in a Seller's Market with higher home values and higher interest rates?

 

Although the tax credit has expired the incentives are even more tempting right now!  With rates at an all time low, 4% (varies day to day), and homes on sale some 10-15% less than what they were just 2 years ago, the tax credit seems small.  If you are saving $200 or so in a monthly payment due to the low interest rates and you are saving $40,000 off the cost of what a home is valued at under a Seller's Market you are well over the $8,000 tax incentive that was in place to purchase a home.

 

If you have been on the fence about purchasing a home take a good hard look at today's Buyer's Market.  Align yourself with a local experienced Realtor and discover the values that are available.  The Keys for YOUR new home are waiting for you!

 

For information on all homes available visit www.JenniferDaywalt.remax.com today.

 

Jennifer Daywalt, Realtor

RE/MAX Results Realty

Licensed in PA since 2001

Top Realtor 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

Author of "Ask the Realtor" in the Phoenix

Phoenixville's Home Town Realtor

610-489-7355 Main Office

610-999-7693 Direct Line

610-482-9623 Direct Fax

 

Selling Your Home on A Budget!

SELLING YOUR HOME ON A BUDGET - BATHROOM

 

A bathroom can look newly renovated with a few touches.  Work with your color scheme if you are unable to replace your bathroom.  Black and Pink?  Add a French Flair with a French Poodle black and pink shower curtain, black and pink candles and a black makeup box on the window sill.  Green and Pink?  Add a Green shower curtain and add pink candles and a potted plant in a green planter on the sill.  Remember to add your fluffy towels to accent the colors you are working with.

 

Replacing the commode as well as the vanity can also work.  If you are short on funds and cannot replace the vanity try painting it and adding new hardware.  Take down the old medicine cabinet and replace with a mirror.  Remove the shower doors which show age and replace with a shower curtain.  If your finances allow add new faucets and a towel rack to brighten up the room.

 

Remember when painting to use earthy colors and white for the trim.  Caulk around the tub and where the floor meets the tub.  Add a new light fixtures.  Be sure your bathroom is cleaned from top to bottom.

 

Jennifer Daywalt, Realtor

Re/Max Results Realty

Licensed in PA since 2001

Top Realtor 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

Author of "Ask the Realtor" in the Phoenix

Phoenixville's Home Town Realtor

Sellinghomesjenn@aol.com

www.JenniferDaywalt.remax.com

610-489-7355 Main Office

610-999-7693 Direct Line

610-482-9623 Direct Fax

 

Preparing Your Home

PREPARING YOUR HOME FOR SALE - BATHROOM

 

Many times Realtors find that the bathrooms in the homes we are listing are not updated.  It can be a great expense to renovate an entire bathroom.  There are easier and less expensive ways to make your bathroom modern if you do not have the funds or the time for a full renovation.

 

First take out the old medicine cabinet and replace it with a modern sleek mirror.  Be sure to also change the lighting and add a "stretch" of lighting preferably in nickel.  In addition you may want to redo the floor.  A linoleum floor is better than the small tiled floors that have outdated colors.  If you have tile all around your bathroom, not just in the tub area, you can remove that tile and replace it with beadboard.  Paint the Beadboard a bright white and add a warm color to the rest of the wall, perhaps coffee.  It is inexpensive to replace the vanity and sink but if that is not in your budget you can paint the vanity and add new hardware to it.  Remember to replace the hinges as well.

 

Add color to your bathroom with a colorful cloth shower curtain and be sure fluffy towels are on the vanity and/or in the tub area.  Bring a colorful candle into the bath.  Add a towel rack that matches the hardware of the cabinet.

 

Jennifer Daywalt, Realtor

Re/Max Results Realty

Licensed in PA since 2001

Top Realtor 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

Author of "Ask the Realtor" in the Phoenix

Phoenixville's Home Town Realtor

Sellinghomesjenn@aol.com

www.JenniferDaywalt.remax.com

610-489-7355 Main Office

610-999-7693 Direct Line

610-482-9623 Direct Fax

 

Preparing Your Home For Sale

PREPARING YOUR HOME FOR SALE....

 

For the next few days I will be discussing different areas of your home and what you can do in those areas to prepare your home for Sale.  I will offer low cost ways to make your home look crisp and new.  Today we will discuss the kitchen!

 

Add color and more color!  Adding color is an inexpensive way to spruce up your kitchen and make it feel more modern!  Choose warm colors such as apricot, yellows and reds and add colorful accents with blazing orange, curacao blue and meadow green.  Keep in mind the modern trend is to have colors on your walls and the trimwork should be white to frame the walls.

 

If your cabinets are old and new kitchen cabinets are not in the budget you can paint those cabinets with Aztec Clay Colors from Shermin Williams such as Copper, Henna and Ginger.  Make your project complete with brushed nickel hardware and don't forget to replace the hinges as well.  If it is in the budget to replace the countertops that will make a world of difference.

 

Make sure your shelves have color behind them and then add glass containers filled with colorful cookie cutters or stack colorful boxes next to cookbooks.  Add Terra Cotta pots painted in Sunflower or Lemongrass and plant herbs.  Add a glass bowel filled with green apples on the kitchen table or island.

 

As always remember to clear every surface in the kitchen of clutter.  Keep it crisp and clean.  Shine those appliances inside and out.  Make sure the windows are cleaned inside and out and clean all baseboards.  If you paint old cabinets and replace the hardware as well as the light fixtures you can replace the floor and countertops and make your kitchen new and inviting!

 

For a complete brochure on preparing your home for sale and money saving tips contact Jennifer Daywalt @ 610-999-7693, Sellinghomesjenn@aol.com, www.JenniferDaywalt.Remax.com.  Become my friend on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Phoenixville-PA/Phoenixville-Real-Estate/195071552020 and comment on the market, ask questions or get daily information. 

 

Jennifer Daywalt, Realtor

Re/Max Results Realty

Licensed in PA since 2001

Top Realtor 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

Author of "Ask the Realtor" in the Phoenix

Phoenixville's Home Town Realtor

Sellinghomesjenn@aol.com

www.JenniferDaywalt.remax.com

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Phoenixville-PA/Phoenixville-Real-Estate/195071552020

610-489-7355 Main Office

610-999-7693 Direct Line

610-482-9623 Direct Fax