Staging A Home

Most people have heard about staging a home to help it sell. However few people believe THEIR HOME needs to be staged.

The reality is, we love our homes, and they reflect our personalities and our hobbies and even our quirks. But when you are trying to sell your home, removing some of the things that are unique and personal to you can help a buyer picture themselves in the home. That can help the home sell faster. Continue reading Staging A Home

Buy a Home Now Instead of Renting

A home is probably the largest single purchase that most of us make in our lifetime. It’s a huge expense. But, there’s an interesting story out on realtor.com that says even with the expense involved, you still could save more than $200,000 over the next 30 years if you buy a home now instead of renting.

I know, that’s over 30 years. What about your money now?

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Identifying Home Styles and Design Elements

Having a knowledge of home styles and design elements can help you make wise choices when it comes time to remodel, add on or just give your own home some curb appeal. Understanding your home’s style and the key design element can give you a greater appreciation of its design and construction.

Accentuating the key design features of your home’s style is a great starting point for any home improvement project.

There are literally hundreds of styles and variations, when it comes to home designs, but let’s look at the top 10: Cape Cod, French Country, Colonial, Victorian, Tudor, Craftsman, Cottage, Mediterranean, Ranch and Contemporary.

If you want to study home styles and design features deeper, I recommend you check out these reference guides: Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use and Avoid and A Field Guide to American Houses, both available from Amazon.

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9 Home Repairs To Make Before Selling

Anyone who owns a home usually keeps a running list of repairs that need to be made. It’s just a part of home ownership. But before you put your home on the market there are 9 home repairs that you really should take care of.

These are repairs that will typically show up in a home inspection, so you might as well go ahead and fix them before you list your home.

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Check Your Credit Score Regularly

IMG_2367I can’t tell my clients this enough – check your credit score regularly. Your credit score is partially derived from the information on your credit report, and it is one factor that a mortgage lender will use in determining whether you qualify for financing. 

While it’s pretty easy to check your credit score, we sometimes get lazy about doing it.

I was working with a client recently who knew their credit score and didn’t think it allowed them to qualify for a home loan. I encouraged them to go ahead and pull the full credit reports and review them.

In doing that they found a number of issues in their credit history that did not originate with them. This happens sometimes, and it’s one of the reasons you need to check your credit report, not just your credit score.

They were able to work with Credit Counseling of Arkansas to get the discrepancies removed from their credit history. This resulted in an dramatic improvement in their credit score.

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7 Must-Do Steps to Buying A Home

There are a few mandatory preparations or steps to buying a home. It’s never too early to start preparing, and crossing these items off your list will make it easier to find and finance the home of your dreams.

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Top 7 Home Improvements for 2015

Any improvements will add value to your home, right? Wrong. Some improvements are safer bets than others. Here are the top 7 home improvements you can make in 2015 according to research conducted by Redfin real estate brokerage.

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