Part of the financial power of homeownership resides in your home’s equity. Unlike rent, which goes into a landlord’s pocket, the equity you build in your home can be a useful financial tool when the time is right. Home equity is defined as, “a homeowner’s unencumbered interest in their real property—that is, the difference between the home’s fair market value and the outstanding balance of all liens on the property.” (Source: Wikipedia)

When inventory is tight and a market heats up, sellers often dream of finding themselves in a multiple offer situation. In a multiple offer situation, more than one potential buyer submits a written offer on the home. With multiple offers on a property, the listing agent can then try and “shop the top offer” in order to try and get the best deal possible for their client.

If you live in a hot market, how do you structure your listing in such a way that you get the best possible offers in a multiple offer situation?

The quality of schools is a contributing factor for anyone buying a home. More than half of all homebuyers with children under 18 years of age rate the quality of the local school district as a significant factor influencing their choice of a neighborhood. (Source: “Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers” from the National Association of Realtors). Even if you don’t have kids yourself, your next buyer might, and they might base their decision to buy on the school district which serves your home.

Why is staging your home to sell a critical step to take? Much like cleaning up a home’s curb appeal to appeal to buyers, staging can position your house to sell faster and for a higher price than it might otherwise. By staging, you will present your home in the best light. 

There are a couple of vital keys to remember when staging.  

It is hard to miss all of the Flip/House Make-Over shows on television. Some of the transformations are incredible, but

some of the changes seem ‘too good to be true.’ Okay, maybe they are ‘true,’ but are the make-overs good enough to last long-term?

Discovering an error on your credit history can be a rude surprise when you’re attempting to get pre-approved for a mortgage. Though most people don’t think about the details of their credit report until the need to secure a loan, it’s a good idea to check your report for inaccuracies periodically.  It is easy to do, each of the nationwide credit reporting companies, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, are required to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months.

When preparing your home for sale, it is important to remove 'issues' that can make a buyer think twice about your asking price.  Below is are some valuable repairs that can be done to your home that will help you sell your home faster and for more money.  

I would consider this a factual statement:  All sellers would love their home to sell for the highest possible price.  Understandable.  Unfortunately, this strong desire and motivation is the reason why it’s so easy for agents to “buy” listings. If you’re not familiar with the concept, “buying” a listing is when an agent tells a client their home is worth far more than the market value in order to win the listing.  This tactic is unscrupulous, but sadly it isn’t illegal.

Odds are the day will come when you need to speak to a real estate agent to help you sell your home. When that day comes, you want to be absolutely sure you have the knowledge you need to choose someone who has the background and skills to represent your interests, meet your needs, and someone who will make the process a positive experience.