Three Reasons Not to Skip on Title Insurance

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There are a lot of small expenses when you are trying to purchase a home. Most home buyers are not aware of all the little costs that add up upon closing. One of the things that you need to prepare for is title insurance. You might be tempted to skip this expense, but that would be a mistake. Here are three reasons not to skip on title insurance.

Your Lender Requires It

Most lenders require that you have title insurance in order to get your mortgage. This lender’s policy covers the legal expenses of the lender in case a title defect arises. It will also pay off what you owe on the mortgage, but you’ll lose the money you already paid up to that point. Your buyer’s policy will cover your own financial losses in case you have to give up the property for some reason. Read more

Guerilla Marketing for Selling For Sale By Owner

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Selling a home as a “for sale by owner” can be a difficult task. You can’t hope to compete with real estate agents who have MLS listing services and lead generation tools at their disposal when it comes to placing ads and getting your listing in front of the masses. But unlike real estate agents, you are free to advertise in other ways. Guerilla marketing is how small businesses and sole proprietors have drummed up business for years, and there is no reason not to use these techniques for your own purposes.

Flyers Everywhere

Creating a flyer for your home for sale is a fairly simple process if you have a computer. A flyer only needs the basic information about your home for sale and your contact information. You can often post flyers around your neighborhood in grocery stores, restaurants, retail establishments, and post offices. If you are part of a homeowners association, there may be some additional places to post your flyer. Read more

Three Social Media Tips for Home Sellers

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If you are trying to sell your own home, finding buyers can be difficult. Homeowners trying to sell their home without a realtor have fewer resources to find and market to home buyers. One of the many ways that you can find potential buyers is to make use of social media. Here are three tips for using social media to sell your home.

YouTube Video Tour

Creating a video tour of your home will get your listing out there in more places, and it will generate more interest in your listing. You can easily create short videos with a number of apps such as Magisto. These apps are very user friendly. 

Once your video tour is complete, upload it on YouTube and use tags for your community. You can also share the video tour on other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. If anyone contacts you about the property, you can refer them to the YouTube video tour. Read more

Three Reasons to Hire a Real Estate Agent to Sell Your Home

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When you embark on the journey of selling your home, there are several different paths that you can take. The two most common ways to sell a home is for sale by owner (FSBO) or through a real estate agent. While FSBO might seem to have some advantages, there are some very good reasons to hire a real estate agent.

More Money in Your Pocket

You might think that you are saving money by not paying a real estate agent, but in reality you could be losing money. A study done in 2017 found that homes represented by agents sold for 30 percent more than homes sold FSBO. Even when you factor in the commission for the real estate agent, you can see that you will easily come out ahead when you use an agent. Read more

The Dangers of Not Having Title Insurance

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When you are going through the process of selling your home, there are a lot of little things that need your attention. It can seem as though the to-do list is never going to be completed. One of those small things is title insurance. There are a lot of reasons that a buyer wants to have title insurance. There are risks for both the buyer and the seller when you skip on the title insurance. 

Title Defects Affect Closing

Title defects can affect the closing of a sale on a home. Title defects can be anything ranging from:

  • Back property taxes being owed on the property
  • Unrecorded liens
  • Unrecorded access rights

Read more

Top Five Apps for Selling a Home For Sale by Owner

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When it comes to selling your home without an agent, one of the most difficult aspects is being able to get your listing out there in a way that entices buyers. Selling your home quickly means making sure that buyers can find your listing, and that your listing is appealing to buyers in a number of ways. There are a lot of tools at your disposal to help you during this process, including the five apps listed below.

Redfin

Redfin is a real estate listing site that allows you to continuously update your listing to make it more appealing to buyers. You can include all of the relevant information about your home on the listing, as well as upload photos and post an asking price. Redfin updates listings in the app every 15 minutes, so you’ll always know that potential buyers are seeing the latest information about your home for sale. Read more

How to Work with a Realtor to Sell Your Home Quickly

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When you need to sell your home quickly, working with a realtor is often your best bet. About 89 percent of people who sell their homes use a real estate agent. Using a realtor has many benefits, including getting your home into all the major listings and having someone on your side throughout the purchase and closing process. Here’s how to work with a realtor to sell your home quickly.

Talk About Bottom Offers

Talk to your realtor about the lowest possible price you are willing to accept for your home. When your realtor knows how low you are willing to go, it will help them in negotiating with potential buyers. You will be able to sell your home much faster if you are able and willing to negotiate a lower price than your listing price. Your realtor can help you set your listing price and determine the lowest amount you should accept. Read more

Three Things You Can Do to Sell Your Home Faster

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When you make the decision to sell your home, you really want it to sell as quickly as possible. After all, most homeowners cannot afford to move until they sell the home they already have. If you did move before selling your home, you are likely in a hurry to take your budget down to one mortgage payment instead of two. Realtors and other professionals say that homes sell 90 percent faster when you stage your home. While staging can cost some money, there are some things you can do to sell your home faster that won’t cost you a dime.

Deep Cleaning

It probably goes without saying that you should clean your home before showing it. But how clean does it really need to be? You might be tempted to do just your normal weekend cleaning, but what you really need to do is deep cleaning. Pretend that it is spring and you are deep cleaning your home after a long winter of staying indoors. That is how clean you want your home to be for showings. Read more

The Three Stages of Selling a Home and What to Expect

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When you are getting ready to sell your home, you might be wondering what exactly to expect and how the process works. As a homeowner, you are already familiar with the process as a buyer. However, on the seller’s end, things look a little bit different. Here are the three stages of selling a home and what to expect at each crossing.

Listing and Offers

It only takes a few days for your home to be listed on the MLS and other systems for buyers and realtors to find. Whether you are selling your home through an agent or for sale by owner, it only takes about a week at the most to get your listing out there and circulating. You might be waiting up to two months on average for an offer, and the first offer may not be one you are willing to take. During this time you will need to be able to show the house and have open houses to bring in buyers and grab their interest. Eventually you will get an offer that is acceptable, and you will move on to the next stage. Read more

For Sale By Owner: What You Need to Know Before You Start

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Selling your home on your own without an agent might be more work than you first think. There are a lot of things to consider when you are selling your home yourself. It is important that you recognize what you don’t know about selling your house so that you can get the most out of the experience. Many people who start out with “for sale by owner” turn to an agent after the first 30 to 45 days.

You’ll Have to Work Hard

It’s hard work to sell a house. And because you’re not doing it as your source of income like agents, you’ll have to squeeze in the effort around your work and social schedules when you can. You’ll have to put in quite a bit of time writing and placing ads online and in newspapers, in addition to putting out “for sale” signs and passing out flyers. You’ll also have to hold open houses and put your home out there so that more people see it for sale. Read more