How to Avoid 7 Common Home Selling Mistakes

There are seven big mistakes that I commonly see people make when selling their house. Here's how to avoid them.

When you sell your house, there are some common mistakes that I see too many sellers make:

1. Picking the wrong agent: Most people pick an agent they know or a relative rather than one with proven track record who sells homes full time and has experience in the area.

2. Overpricing the home: There's a fine line between getting the best price and asking too much and selling too cheaply in the end. Get a professional's opinion on the value of your house and listen to them!

3. Not making simple repairs to their home like cleaning and new paint: Some sellers don't even want to replace minor things like missing fixtures or handrails. A good agent can advise you on what to repair.

4. Too much clutter: We all have too much stuff, so get rid of all that clutter when selling.

Give buyers an environment that lets them open up to their agent about your home.

5. Not allowing adequate access: Most buyers will want to see your home by appointment, and sometimes they might want to see it on shorter than a day's notice. Let them in; they're ready, willing, and able buyers.

6. Staying during a showing: You want to leave while a buyer looks at your home so they have an environment where they can open up to their agent and ask questions without feeling like they're intruding on your privacy. 

7. Leaving pets in the house during showings: Cats and dogs are great, but they can be a distraction. 

If you're thinking about selling your house or you have any questions at all about real estate, don't hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We're here to help.

Improve Your Credit Score When Buying a Home Using These 4 Tips

Today I’m going over four tips for improving your credit when applying for a home loan.

How can you improve your credit score when applying for a house loan?

First, don’t open or close any credit accounts, as that will lower your score. 

Second, check your credit card balances. You want to keep your credit card balance at 25% or less or if you can, pay off the cards each month. 

You want to keep your credit card balance at 25% or less.

Third, this may be common sense, but don’t switch jobs. You generally need two years in the same line of work and one year with the same employer. 

Finally, don’t buy new furniture or a car until after you’ve purchased the home. Those types of big purchases could significantly affect your credit score. 

If you have any questions about buying a home or getting a better credit score, please feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I’m more than happy to help!

Spring 2017 Greater Milwaukee Metro Home Price Update

 

Friends and Clients —

If you are looking to sell your home, then three recent developments make this spring a unique moment to do so quickly and at a top price.

First, mortgage rates have stabilized.
From a low of 3.41% last July, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate spiked up after the election and reached a high of 4.31% in December.
However, rates have stabilized over the past few months, and despite the increase, they are still near historical lows.

Second, jobs are up.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 235,000 new jobs in February and 2.3 million over the past year. This reflects continuing growth in consumer and business confidence over recent months.

Third, housing inventory is at a record low.

February saw a 17.9% year-over-year drop in the number of homes on the market. This is the 100th consecutive month of year-over-year declines, going back to October 2008.
So what do these three developments mean for you?

First, if you’re looking to sell your house, they mean you will be able to do so quickly.

Demand for homes is strong and will continue to get even stronger due to the growth in jobs and the low and stable mortgage rates.

The statistics bear this out: homes sold within an average 68 days this February compared to 75 days in February 2016.

Second, it means you can expect to sell your home at a top price.

Because of strong demand and low inventory, prices continue to increase. On a national level, home prices rose 6% year-over-year in February. This agrees with what I’ve been seeing around the Greater Milwaukee metro as well.

In short, this spring is a fantastic time to sell your home if you’ve been considering it for a while.

In case you're curious about how much your home is worth in the current market, check out my home value calculator that takes into account recent Greater Milwaukee metro sales:
Enter your street address here to find out what your home is worth
And what if you're looking to buy a home?

The current low mortgage rates are definitely worth taking advantage of, as they allow you to afford a more luxurious home.

Several amazing homes have recently come on the market around the Greater Milwaukee metro area. To see all the homes that are available right now, take a look at this complete listing:

Click here for all available Greater Milwaukee metro homes for sale

Whether you’re selling or buying this spring, just give me a call at 262-797-6453 in case you have any questions. I’m here to help, and I can give you more detailed information about the situation on the ground.