Category: Guest Author

How Best To Show Off Your Home To Prospective Buyers: The Basics

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

staged home

When you’re looking to sell  your house, there are lots of things you should keep in mind about exactly how you should do so. While it’s important to remember that each house is unique and that what works for one property may  not necessarily work for another, there are nonetheless enough expert tips out there that apply to houses on a more general basis. So if you feel overwhelmed by where to begin, here are some ways to get started:

De-Clutter

De-cluttering your home isn’t just about ensuring books, DVDs, and magazines are all neatly put away – although that’s important too. De-cluttering your home for prospective buyers also involves putting away any sentimental trinkets or family pieces you might have on display. Have you got lots of cute knick-knacks or souvenirs from trips abroad? Are there trophies and artwork by the kids on display? For the moment, put them away. Create a blank canvas – allow visitors to envision what the place could look like over what it looks like currently. Your property may be defined by your family now, but it isn’t going to stay that way, so don’t showcase personal effects. This is especially important in bedrooms and bathrooms. De-cluttering also allows you to play up storage areas, which are a big selling point of any home.

Color

The colour of your walls and furnishings also feed into the depersonalising of a space. If the kids’ rooms are painted in their favourite bright colours, it’s worth painting over them in warm, neutral hues instead. Bear in mind that ‘neutral’ doesn’t have to look boring – off-white and beige are all very well, but you can opt for warm yellows or lighter greens and blues too. Honey-coloured walls make for a nice contrast against dark furnishings and make a space feel cosy without diminishing its size. A useful trick to make a room appear bigger is to paint it the same colour as the room adjacent to it.

Lighting

If your house gets lots of natural lighting, play it up. Equally important, though, is the regulation of said lighting through pretty, effective curtains or shutters. Quality window dressing makes a big difference to a room – it has the effect of making the space look more tailored, chic and upscale. For example, if you’ve got a conservatory, or a conservatory-style extension to your house, investing in some nice blinds won’t just improve the look of the room, it’ll keep the sun from shining in your visitors’ eyes as they look around. Your artificial lighting is also vital – it should consist of proper ambient (general or overhead), task (pendant, under-cabinet, or reading), and accent (table and all) lighting for thoroughness.

Scent

Looking through a house isn’t just about the way things, well, look. It’s a sensory experience that can be subtly enhanced in a number of ways. If it’s a warm day, open the windows and let lots of fresh air in. Don’t overuse artificial air fresheners, but at least make sure that rooms smell clean. Place a big bowl of fruit in the kitchen or on the living room table. For an extra homey touch, put some cookies in the oven to bake just before visitors arrive – the smell will fill the house.

External Area

The interior of your property isn’t the only part of your property. Even if you’re not an avid gardener, take the time to ensure your lawn is at least neat. If you’ve got a garden shed, make sure everything’s locked away inside and there are no gardening tools just lying around. Play up the surrounding area as well – is there a train station or bus stop nearby? Or a good grocery store or a great play park for kids? Don’t forget to make mention of those things.

Just get started with these tricks and your home will be looking more show-ready in no time. Have you ever had to stage your home? What methods did you use? Share your advice in the comments!

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A Homeowner’s Guide to the Necessity of Brick Vents

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Masonry has been an artistic form of architecture for many, many years. Old brick buildings are often some of the most appealing sights in towns that are rich with history, and who doesn’t love the character an exposed brick wall inside a home carries? Most of us who aren’t professionals at brickwork or construction view brick structures as extremely sturdy and eye-pleasing, but unfortunately, bricks don’t come problem-free. Moisture accumulation is one of the biggest complications found in brick and mortar frameworks. Although they form a great sealed wall, the porous material actually absorbs dampness and needs a sufficient solution for drying out. Luckily, if this is an issue you happen to be battling or are looking to prevent through home improvement, brick vents can help. Having this type of ventilation system installed can save you from a bad situation down the road.

Mold

It’s common knowledge that when moisture is allowed to sit without having any chance to breathe and dry out it becomes prone to fostering an environment conducive to mold growth, which can cause serious health concerns for you and your family. This can be a frequent dilemma with brick buildings that don’t have proper ventilation. When brick vents are placed into a structure, they allow a good amount of airflow to pass freely through and remove moisture in the process.

Spalling

Too much wetness can also lead to spalling in your beautiful brick building. This happens when moisture has built up in the bricks and frozen, causing them to expand. As they thaw out, they will start to deteriorate and split, crack or pieces will break off. Spalling bricks can’t typically be repaired, so it will take time and money to have them replaced if they aren’t protected from moisture collection in the first place.

Efflorescence

When bricks don’t have suitable ventilation, another way they will make it apparent is through efflorescence. Water containing salt is damaging to brickwork, especially when it becomes trapped inside with no airflow to dry out. This, in turn, will create a chalky distortion on the outside of the bricks, causing your home to now have a discolored appearance. If the exterior wall is protected and able to air out, it reduces the chances of efflorescence greatly.

Vermin

Weep holes are one of the most common ways of ventilating masonry work, and have been deemed a necessary stage in the construction and maintenance of a brick wall or facade. However, it has been realized more and more that these weep holes are actually providing a place for critters to live in and can even be an outright entry point for them to get inside your home. Constructing your masonry project or renovating with brick vents allows for moisture to escape while keeping spiders, mice, termites and other pests out of the wall spacing.

Brick vents can help prevent many predicaments a homeowner may face when weather or other wet elements cause moisture to infiltrate the structure and will also keep the aesthetic quality that brick buildings were constructed to have.

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3 Reasons Why Cleaning Your Home Before Selling Really Does Matter

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

You probably know all about curb appeal. But what do your potential buyers see when they walk in the front door?

Research shows you have as little as 30-90 seconds to make a good first impression. If buyers see grime, clutter and dust when they walk through the front door for a showing, they may decide the house isn’t for them before they have even had a chance to see the property’s best features.

Much has been written about staging a home for sale, but a deep cleaning is just as important. A clean home will give potential buyers that great first impression needed to make a sale. What’s more, cleaning can provide a phenomenal return on your investment.

Get your money back!

If you want to invest a little money into helping the house sell and sell for a higher price, you may want to reconsider the kitchen and bath remodel and look into a deep clean instead. According to a survey, $75 invested in cleaning and de-cluttering can increase a property’s selling price by $1,000-$1,499. That’s more than a 1500% return on the investment!

In addition, cleaning and de-cluttering is the number one improvement strategy recommended by real estate agents. HomeGain surveyed 2,500 realtors and found 98% recommend this strategy.

homegain study

Stop lowball bidders looking for an easy deal

Cleaning a property can not only increase its selling price, it can also help deter buyers who may waste your time with lowball bids. A dirty house may give buyers the impression the owners aren’t invested in the property and are looking to unload it quickly. Unkempt properties can also invite bids from flippers who are only interested in getting the lowest price possible.

However, a little cleaning and de-cluttering can work wonders in presenting a property that is well-maintained and worth a full-price bid. It’s all in the packaging. If the property for sale is presentable and clean, its seller – with the help of the agent – can get the maximum value.

Maximize your homes first impression exposure

The most practical time for a thorough cleaning is just before the agent snaps pictures or takes virtual tour shots to promote the home online. Don’t wait for the open house or the first showing.

Trends are shifting toward online research before purchasing. The 2013 Digital House Hunt report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), conducted in collaboration with Google, looked at how home shoppers are using digital media.

  •  90 percent of home buyers searched online during their home buying process
  • Real estate-related searches have grown 253 percent during the past four years.

With a growing number of homes being researched online, it is important to extend that great first impression to potential buyers viewing your house virtually.

Focus on these key areas

While you want to make sure the whole house has been picked up and lightly cleaned, a deep clean of the entire house is generally not needed. However, there are particular areas that deserve special focus.

  • Entry points of the home should be of utmost concern. In particular, pay close attention to the floors.
  • Living rooms should be organized and cleaned. Getting vacuum lines in pictures helps highlight how clean it is.
  • The kitchen and bathrooms are a must for deep cleaning. There should be no cooking odors present, and the faucets should be shined. The bathroom tiles and tub should get a thorough scrubbing.
  • Deep clean the carpets. If the carpet is dirty or stained, call in a professional to get the carpets looking new again.

For your sellers, sitting on a home for another month means paying mortgage, taxes and maintenance on the wrong home; the one they are trying to sell. Either contact an Orlando house cleaning service or do the work yourself, but cleaning a home before selling just makes sense!

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Benefits of Living in a Planned Community

Posted on by John Conde

  An Orlando home buyers must have list is based on a number of factors, but most lists generally consist of the same expectations. They want an updated kitchen, open floor plan, nice size bedrooms, and walk-in closets. However, above anything else, there is one requirement that is on every home buyer’s wish list – location, location, location.

 

The area in which you live is important for many reasons, including:

 

·         Proximity to friends and family

·         Proximity to schools for kids

·         Commute to work

·         Convenience to stores and restaurants

·         Hobbies and interests

 

This is just a shortlist of reasons why location is a top priority for home buyers. Land developers understand the value of location and convenience and that’s why some build master-planned communities on the land they own.

 

Reasons to Buy  

In addition to location, there are countless perks of buying a home in a planned community. Factors like parks, amenities, and quality of the home are major influences in the overall landscape and architectural design of such developments. Here are seven reasons to buy in a planned community:

 

1.       Convenience – Possibly one of the biggest reasons to buy in a planned community is convenience. You simply can’t beat being five minutes away from the grocery, restaurants, and shops – many of which are walking distance from your house.

 

2.       Amenities – Planned communities allow residents to enjoy all the luxuries in life, including access to a gym, golf course, and swimming pool. Other amenities like new schools, parks, and trails add to the perks of living in a planned community.

 

3.       Sense of Community – There’s nothing better than living in an area where neighbors gather and plan activities together. Residents of planned communities take pride in where they live and support others who live there as well.

 

4.       Social Life – This is part of the shared sense of community. Regardless of your personality or hobbies, neighbors automatically feel a bond because of where they both call home. Everybody knows everybody in planned communities and because so many places are within walking distance, it’s common for families to plan meet-ups on a regular basis.

 

5.       Security – Planned communities offer something that most neighborhoods can’t and that’s a sense of safety. Regardless of whether the community is gated or not, residents of planned communities feel safer because of their relationship with their neighbors. They look after each other and most importantly they trust each other.

 

6.       Maintenance – Planned communities are typically associated with homeowner’s associations that ensure the community’s landscape remains clean and maintained. Some communities take care of gardening, mowing, and other landscaping duties because it’s included in the cost of living in the community.

 

7.       Investment – If all other perks of owning a home in a planned community don’t persuade someone to buy, the pure investment of purchasing should. Buying a home in an upcoming planned community is typically a great investment as housing prices usually rise as the development becomes more established. If you happen to buy when the community is already developed, homeowners can feel safe in knowing that their property won’t depreciate in value.

 

It’s clear that planned communities have perks that most Orlando home buyers strive to find. It’s a relaxing environment that offers more convenience than anyone could ever dream of having.

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Top 10 Ways to Add Value to Your Home

Posted on by John Conde

It can be a daunting prospect putting your house up for sale. There are lots of uncertainties, from a fickle housing market, to whether you’ll get enough viewers through the door and, ultimately, how long it might take to get any offers rolling in. Whilst you can’t control everything, there are lots of ways you can make your home more attractive to potential buyers, and add value to it. Here are 10 of the hottest home improvement tips to add worth to your abode.

An Attic Conversion

Potential homebuyers find the prospect of an attic conversion an attractive proposition, with it adding about 20% to the value of your property. But, again, make sure it is well designed and laid out, and that access to the loft is easy and you can stand up fully when inside!

A Kitchen Re-fit

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in a home, and many property experts argue that homebuyers place a lot of emphasis on the kitchen when it comes to deciding to purchase a property or not. Getting your kitchen re-fitted if it is looking tired and dated can be a wise decision. And although it doesn’t come cheap, it will add value to your home.

Install Central Heating

If you don’t have modern central heating in your home, then you’re at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to selling your property, no matter how appealing the rest of your house is. No potential home buyer wants the inconvenience, disruption and expense of having to get this installed, so you may struggle to clinch that all-important sale without it. Even just having a dated boiler can be enough to put potential buyers off. If you really want to add value to your home then get central heating installed and ensure you have an energy-efficient boiler.

A Driveway

With most families owning more than one vehicle these days, having somewhere on the property to park it, is a desired scenario. If you want to add value to your home, maximise the parking potential at the front of your property. Get any driveway repairs done and consider paving over unused areas at the front to make space for an additional car.

Add a Sun Room

Adding a sun room or conservatory will boost your home’s appeal, with estimates of around a 7% increase in value to your property. Make sure your conservatory is well built and fits in with the style of the rest of the house. This extra living space can be a real bonus but make sure that you don’t swallow up too much of your outdoor space when erecting it, as reduction in garden, especially if it’s already small, may cancel out any positive effects from building the conservatory.

Repair Any Roof Problems

Any problems with your roof will soon come to light, even if they aren’t visible to the naked eye. Most home buyers organize a professional survey, which will soon pick up roof issues, potentially slashing the value of your property. Protect your home and its value by sorting out any roof problems as soon as possible, before they get any worse.

Decorate

Adding a fresh lick of paint to your house (both inside and outside) can brighten it up and boost its appeal. If you’re trying to sell your home, opt for neutral, light colors that increase the sense of space in a room and make it easier for prospect buyers to visualize living there.

Add Curb Appeal

Adding curb appeal to your home can increase its value and make those first initial impressions of your property positive ones. Simply by painting your front door, adding some flowers in a hanging basket, sprucing up the garden, or cleaning the windows can make your home a more attractive proposition.

Add another Toilet or Bathroom

With many homes now having more than one toilet or bathroom, you could put yourself at a disadvantage if you only have one. Many families find the extra facilities a godsend, so if you want to add value to your home consider converting the under stairs cupboard into a toilet or add another bathroom if any spare space allows it.

Insulate Your Home

Energy bills are expensive enough these days, so making sure you insulate your home can reduce the cost of your bills and your energy usage. This makes for an attractive prospect for anyone looking to buy your home, and can add value to your Orlando property.

 

https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/

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