Home staging is vitally important, even in a sellers’ market like we are in right now. Home staging is the act of designing and setting up a home to present to potential buyers. It is a way of showing off your home’s best features to get it sold. Many times staged homes sell faster and for higher prices than ones that are just put on the market as-is.

One thing to be careful about, especially if you do not have a large sum of extra cash lying around, is that the cost of staging can quickly add up. There are some ways in which you can successfully stage your home without spending a ton of money. Here’s how:

Don’t Paint Trim

If your home needs a fresh coat of paint or a totally new color to bring it to a more pleasing neutral palate, there is rarely a need to paint the trim. This can save a considerable amount of time and money.

Don’t Refinish Floors

If you have hardwood floors that are not in brand new shape, don’t think you need to spend the money to refinish them. Many times a good cleaning and a few touch ups are all you need. Hardwood floors are very trendy right now and most buyers see them as an upgrade no matter their condition, unless of course they are extremely bad.

Don’t Buy Furniture

It is not uncommon for homeowners to think they need to get updated and trendy furnishings to help show off the home. While this may help and many professional stagers rent all new furniture for the home owner to “borrow,” it is not mandatory to effective staging. Just pair down what is already in the home. If a space needs to feel highlighted or finished and you do not have something ask a friend or family member to borrow a piece...

If you were thinking about selling your home this year, the arrival of the holiday season could make you second guess actually putting your home on the market. It is too late to bother putting your home on the market? The year is almost at an end after all and spring which is usually peak buying season is just around the corner.

While these are valid thoughts, it does not mean that listing your home right now is a bad idea. Especially right now as the real estate market is helping to drive the economy through 2020. Many real estate experts are predicting a record number of winter home sales.

Here are some things to consider while trying to decide if winter is the right time for you to list your home for sale:

The Internet Has Made Home Shopping so Much Easier

It is said that somewhere around 93% of home buyers start their shopping adventure online. Now that the pandemic is here and just won’t go away, more and more buyers are sticking to online shopping as much as possible until they find a home they are serious about. This means fewer people coming to your home at the drop of a hat for a showing. In some cases, houses are being sold without the buyer stepping foot in the home until the inspection or even after they purchase it. Thanks to the power of modern technology and virtual avenues of looking at homes.

It’s Still a Sellers’ Market

Home inventory remains low which means the higher number of buyers looking to take advantage of current low-interest rates is creating a strong sellers’ market. This means many homes create interest from several buyers. It is predicted though that more and more sellers’ are going to put their homes...

When your home is up for sale the day will come when you receive an offer to purchase your home. This will bring much excitement and during a seller's market, this may even bring multiple offers.

When the offer(s) comes in, you may wonder if this or which offer is the best option for you. This is where your real estate agent is going to be a source of very helpful advice. They can help you to look over the offer(s) in detail because an offer is not solely about the amount of money offered.

5 Important Things to Consider Other than the Purchase Price of an Offer

Earnest Money Deposit

This is the amount of money the buyer is willing to put upfront in cash to show they are making a serious (earnest) and solid offer and will follow through on the purchase of the home. This money is usually held by the title company and goes to the down payment at closing. Should the buyer walk away from the purchase for any reason other than allowable through the purchase contract they forfeit the money to the seller.

Standard earnest money deposits are about 1 to 3 percent of the purchase price of the home, but buyers can include higher amounts to win out a bidding war or help entice your offer acceptance to show they are making a serious offer.

Contingencies

Almost every offer is going to come with a contingency or two. A contingency is a request from the buyer that must be met for the sale to go through. The most common are having a professional inspection performed and financing. If a contingency is not met then the buyer has the option to walk away from the home with their earnest money. Other contingencies can include:...