The Importance Of Using a Professional Photographer When Selling a Home

A picture is worth a thousand words.

You’ve probably heard that saying time and time again. In real estate, a great photo could be the difference between selling a home immediately and letting it collect dust on the market for months. The importance of using a professional real estate photographer when selling a home is undeniable, as more and more buyers are looking at photos of homes from the comfort of their own homes to decide whether or not they are interested.

Buyers will filter through various home sites looking for characteristics based on prices, location, school districts, square footage, and more. However, once they have narrowed down a few homes they like, they will begin flipping through the photos that those homes have to offer.

The last thing you want is to lose your home to someone else simply because they had better photos than you. 

 

Photos Will Pique Buyer Interest

 

More often than not, the photos on your listing are going to pique your buyer’s interest more than anything else. You want to work with your real estate agent to find a professional photographer to get work done prior to putting your home on the market.

Homes with more photos tend to sell faster than others. This fact makes sense, as buyers conduct more research prior to buying a home than ever before. The more photos your buyer has time to look at before making their decision, the better chance you have of getting your home sold.

In a 2017 study by the National Association of Realtors, homes with one photo spent around 70 days on the market. Homes with 20 or more photos spent around 30 days on the market. Professional photographs can sell a home quickly and get you a much better deal.

That same study showed that homes set between the $200,000 and $1 million range could sell for $3,000 to $11,000 more with high-quality photos attached.

The keyword here is professional photography. You must have high-quality photos, not just a bunch of regular photos. Before they actually step foot on your property, the first impression that a buyer will have of your home is the photography. 89% of buyers who utilize the Internet in their home searches find photos to be one of the most useful tools. A great agent should be able to refer you to photographers that specialize in real estate.

 

The Future of Real Estate Photography

 

As we move deeper and deeper into the future, visual tools and online platforms will become more and more robust. This additional robustness will allow home buyers to receive better insight into a home before they ever link up with a seller or agent. 3D virtual home tours are certainly next in line with the popularity of standard, high-quality photography, though we are sure that it will eventually become the standard for home sellers everywhere.

If you have any other questions regarding real estate photography, or questions regarding tips and techniques to get more from your home selling process, make sure to get in contact with us here at National Cash Offer.

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How Seasonality Can Affect Home Selling

Finding the best time to sell your home can help you maximize the price and take some of the stress out of the home-selling process. What many people don’t realize is that seasonality can affect greatly home selling.

Here is what you should know for selling your home during a given season.

 

Selling Your Home In the Spring

 

People tend to go out shopping for homes as the weather gets warmer. If you want to take advantage of the most popular selling season, you’ll want to begin prepping in the winter.

Spring is one of the most popular times to sell a home for a few reasons:

• People have tax refunds in their pockets that they are ready to use
• Summer break is coming up and kids er almost out of school
• Nice weather is in the cards for the moving date

Typically, these buyers are families with children. They want to get in on the market before they have to deal with canceling summer events or vacations.

 

Selling Your Home In the Summer

 

Several reasons why you would sell your home in the spring are the same several reasons why you would sell your home in the summer, including school breaks, warm weather, and more hours to shop for a home.

Summer is also a time that people like to go on vacation, which could account for a slowdown in sales. There are also parts of the United States where real estate gets quite slow in the summer, as it becomes too hot for people to search comfortably. Some of the biggest real estate markets in the United States, including Las Vegas, Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, Tampa, and Miami, all have a late prime selling window of early July.

 

Selling Your Home In the Fall

 

The housing inventory is always much lower in the fall than it is with spring and summer, as people tend to be settled in by then. However, shoppers in fall are very serious, as they are likely moving due to a change in family situation or job relocation. This means that they are more eager to close deals.

If you have a hot real estate market, you won’t have to stress about seasonality. You likely won’t be able to sell to families to easily, as most buyers who have kids like to settle into new homes before the school year starts out.

 

Selling Your Home In the Winter

 

Winter is typically the slowest season for home-selling. However, if you live in an area that is pretty warm throughout the year, such as Florida or the Southwest, you may not have to worry about the winter cold affecting your ability to sell. In fact, your window might end up being a lot larger in the winter months, as many snowbirds flock to the warmer parts of the country.

 

Of course, there are no rules set in stone, as you have to take into account several other factors. However, understanding how seasonality could affect your ability to sell is very helpful in the planning portion of the process.

The post How Seasonality Can Affect Home Selling appeared first on National Cash Offer.

source https://nationalcashoffer.com/how-seasonality-can-affect-home-selling/

Top 3 Things Seller Miss When Prepping Their Home For Sale

You’ve likely heard your real estate agent say it before,

“First impressions are everything.”

So many people believe they know exactly what they need to do to prep their homes for sale, though you might be surprised how many things homeowners end up forgetting.

We’ve talked to plenty of real estate agents who have collectively prepped hundreds of homes for sale to see what tasks homeowners often miss when prepping their home for sale.

 

Focus On the Front Door

 

One of the first things that a buyer will see when he or she walks up is the door or entryway. This is where that first impression comes into play and is especially true for private showings. You want your front door area to be in great condition, as your buyer will notice every little imperfection as the real estate agent opens the door.

Here are a few things to look out for:

• Replace Your Welcome Mat:  Keep the design simple without any phrases that could be deterring.
• Clean Your Mailbox: If you have a dirty mailbox, clean it with soap and a sponge. If it is dirty or rusty, consider purchasing a new mailbox.
• Apply Fresh Front Door Paint:  Some popular choices for new homes include red, black, yellow, and blue.
• Remove Old Screens: To add a feel of modernity to your home, get rid of that old, squeaky storm door.
• Dust Off Cobwebs: Buy yourself and extra-long duster and clean around your sconces.

 

Pressure Wash the Roof

 

The elements can destroy your roof, making it look like it is in far worse condition than it actually is. In rainy climates, dirt and mold can stick to the roof, giving prospective buyers the clue that they’ll likely need to replace it soon, even if it has another decade underneath it.

There are a few reasons buyers often avoid homes with roofs that look damaged:

• Roofing Is Epensive: On average, a new roof will cost you $7,000. No one wants to incur a large cost like that right off the bat.
• Bad Roofing Can Cause Closing Delays:  A home inspection will typically show any roofing damage, which can delay the sale process.

To avoid these issues, hire a professional roofer to clean your roof with the correct products.

 

Depersonalize and Declutter

 

While many sellers tend to do these things around the inside of their homes, they often forget to do it around the outside.

Start by getting rid of anything that is not your landscaping, such as flags, Christmas lights, garden gnomes, signage, etc. This is one of the best ways to increase curb appeal.

Don’t forget the backyard either. Make sure to gather up any storage containers, stray garden tools, wind chimes, bird feeders, or toys from the kids. A clean outdoor area with simple and attractive landscaping will attract more buyers.

Of course, there are plenty of other things you must consider when selling your home. If you have any other questions about the process and what you can do to get the most out of it, make sure to get in contact with us here at National Cash Offer.

The post Top 3 Things Seller Miss When Prepping Their Home For Sale appeared first on National Cash Offer.

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Common Repairs To Fix After a Home Inspection

If you are planning on selling your home, you might be interested to know if there are any common repairs you may need to make after a home inspection.

Unless there has been a thorough home inspection, most buyers won’t commit to purchasing a home. Of c0urse, home inspectors know best when it comes to finding and dealing with problems in the home.

If a home inspection turns us home flaws that the buyer wants you to fix, what do you do?

We know that making repair requests after inspections is difficult. They could reduce your profits if your not careful. Before anything, make sure that you take caution when reading through your inspection contract so you don’t end up fixing something you aren’t liable to fix.

 

Repairs Required After A Home Inspection

 

Before a lender will release funds to finance a home purchase, there are a few fixes that you will need to make.

Most of these fixes address things like building code violations, costly structural defects, or other safety issues. Sometimes these issues are present in places like the basement, the attic, chimneys, furnaces, or crawl spaces, which can make them quite a hassle to address.

Inspectors typically check the condition of your septic system as well. They also check for the presence of termites and whether you might have potential radon leaks, as these are things homebuyers tend to ask questions about.

An inspector will likely look at the electrical systems, the roof, the plumbing lines, and the HVAC system.

You will likely be responsible for fixing these things if any problems arise during inspection. To start, you should get a few bids from different contractors to get an idea as to how much the work will cost you.

Once you have done that, you can start fixing these problems or offer your buyers some sort of credit so that they can fix the problems themselves when they move in. In the credit scenario, you won’t have to oversee the process, meaning you can move on from the home once you sell it.

Repairs That Aren’t Required After A Home Inspection

 

Typically, cosmetic issues do not require any repairs. In fact, many inspection contracts specifically state that buyers are not allowed to request cosmetic fixes. In many cases, they can only ask for fixes due to building code violations, structural defects, or safety issues.

Depending on the state you live in, there might be laws in place that impact your liability as a seller for any issues unmasked during an inspection. Your best bet is to become familiar with your local ordinances so that you know which issues fall under your responsibility once they have been found during an inspection.

 

There is no question that home inspections can turn up a number of issues, though on the bright side, most of these issues can be addressed fairly quickly. If you have any other questions regarding repairs post-inspection, make sure to get in touch with us at National Cash Offer!

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source https://nationalcashoffer.com/common-repairs-to-fix-after-a-home-inspection/

How To Price Your Home To Sell

The decision to sell your home is a big one. Finding the right price can be an incredibly difficult decision. Whether you are working on your own or listing with an agent, pricing your house can be a serious hurdle. If the main question you’ve been asking yourself is,

How much should I sell my home for?

then we are here to help.

 

Get An Estimate

 

One of our favorite tools for getting an estimate on your home is Zestimate from Zillow. Zestimate uses data from millions of user-submitted numbers and can be an excellent tool for your research. Simply search for your address on the Zillow website and claim your home. This way you can also point out any false home facts, which might affect the estimate they provide.

Many potential buyers use the Zestimate tool, so making sure all of the information on there is accurate is incredibly important.

 

Do A Comparative Market Analysis (CMA)

 

Real estate agents typically provide clients with CMAs. CMAs are compilations of recent sales within your region. They take many things into account, including the number of days a home spent on the market, any details about that home, and the final sale price.

In the case that you sell your home on your own, you must do a bit of research to figure out the value of your home. Never be afraid to get in contact with real estate agents to request CMAs either. Real estate agents are quite used to providing potential clients with comps. They probably won’t even have to enter your home either. You could also consider hiring an appraiser as well. They can provide you with a fair market value for your home for a few hundred bucks.

If you decide to perform your own comparative analysis, make sure that the properties you are comparing with are:

• Within a 1/2 mile from your home
• Roughly the same age as your home
• Listed within the past few months
• Around the same square footage as yours. We typically recommend looking for square footage within 10% of what your square footage is.

 

Price For Search Ranges Found Online

 

You want to make sure to consider price ranges that are found on popular real estate sites. Most homebuyers have a price range. For example, a buyer might be looking within the $380,000 to $400,000 range. If your home is $405,000, it won’t show up in their search. However, if you list your home at $399,999, it will likely show up when they search for homes in that price range. That small drop in price might just make that person your homebuyer!

Beyond these three things, there are plenty of other methods to price your home properly. If you’re just getting started, the idea of trying to sell your home can be overwhelming.

If you have any questions about selling your home or you need some help during the process, make sure to get in touch with us here at National Cash Offer! We look forward to hearing from you.

The post How To Price Your Home To Sell appeared first on National Cash Offer.

source https://nationalcashoffer.com/how-to-price-your-home-to-sell/

Top 3 House Flipping Challenges

House flipping becomes more and more popular every year. In 2019,  investors hit an all-time high for the number of houses and condos flipped in the United States.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that flipping a house is a walk in the park. Making a ton of money from flipping houses isn’t easy either. Home flipping, similar to any other real estate investing strategy, comes with unique challenges.

Here are the top 3 house flipping challenges you might face as an investor:

 

Finding an Ideal Property

 

When looking for the best deal on a property, there are many things you must consider. For starters, you must consider the location.

Is the property in an upcoming neighborhood?

Is there a demand in the area?

How are the schools and property values? 

Make sure to measure the risk against your reward too. You can do this by factoring in repairs and renovations you must make and see if you will still gain from it when everything is done.

Some of the best places to find opportunities for flipping include:

• For Sale Owner Sites
• Foreclosure Listing
• Local Real Estate Agents and Brokers
• Classified Ads
• Wholesalers

You can use sits like AreaVibes to get an idea of the area’s safety characteristics or sites like Great Schools to get a better idea of the schools in the region.

Making Your Best Offer

 

You must buy a property below market value if you expect to make money from it. In an ideal situation, that property you are considering is already well-below other properties in the region. You will need to negotiate the price if not.

To determine the future value of that home, you can:

• Get a Broker’s Price Opinion (BPO): BPOs are official reports that are designed to provide potential selling prices or estimated value for properties. They take both comps and physical property evaluations into account
• Speak With Local Agents: Ask a local real estate agent for comparative analysis. You’ll want to see what other homes in the area are selling for so that you can see what you might be able to ask for your property.
• Get an Appraisal: While it may be the most costly option, it is the best option for giving you thorough numbers. Appraisers come to the property and provide accurate estimated selling prices with features, condition, and comps in mind.

Finding the Money

 

There is no question that you need to have resources to flip a home. Mortgage lenders require large down payments from real estate investors. Sometimes, you’re looking at 25% or more for a down payment.

Beyond that, you must have the cash to pay for closing costs, repair and renovation costs, utility bills, contractor bills, and so much more. You will eventually need to pay your listing agent too.

A smart investor will tell you that having a large financial cushion (larger than you think you might need) is incredibly important. If your selling process takes longer than you anticipate, you’ll still be able to stay afloat.

The post Top 3 House Flipping Challenges appeared first on National Cash Offer.

source https://nationalcashoffer.com/top-3-house-flipping-challenges/

Top 3 Reasons to Start Hosting With AirBnb

Airbnb started out back in 2008 as an online lodging marketplace and has effectively become one of the biggest competitors for hotels around.

The beauty of Airbnb is that any homeowner can turn their property into a mini motel. You don’t need much to get started either, except for a little bit of capital.

The sharing economy is still quite young, though with the number of side hustlers growing every day, Airbnb offers homeowners a way to make a bit of extra cash on the side.

Let’s look at the top 3 reasons why you might consider hosting with Airbnb.

 

High Potential For Revenue

 

When you look at the monthly revenue that comes from a standard Airbnb minus cleaning costs, mortgage, supply costs, and other factors, it looks pretty positive.

Compare the potential of a short-term rental to that of long-term rental and you can see that short-term rental yield revenue that is significantly higher. If you know how to operate an Airbnb business correctly, you’ll be able to bring in far more than you would be able to with a traditional, long-term lease.

Less Damage and Property Wear

 

Short-term rentals result in significantly less property damage and wear over time compared to traditional, long-term leases. The reason for this is that you are in a constant state of turning your property over to the next person.

Any damage that is done during one short-term stay should be identified immediately. You can then sort out the cost of that damage with the last guest. Plus, guests don’t stay nearly long enough to inflict serious or sustained property damage. Just think about bathrooms that acquire mold because tenants don’t utilize vents or floors that gain an extra layer of grime because tenants never mop.

Small damage is settled between the short-term renter and the host using the Host Guarantee feature that comes with the Airbnb platform.

 

Lower Variance Revenue

 

One of the biggest misconceptions of becoming an Airbnb host is that there is a lot of risks involved, especially in the first few months when you’re trying to break even.

The thing is, short-term rentals have a much lower variance compared to traditional, long-term leases. Think about it this way. The average renter is not going to fluctuate throughout the year if your listing is priced correctly.

If you are using a traditional lease and you are unable to rent out your property for even a month, you are losing out on a ton of income. If you can’t book out your Airbnb for a month, you might only lose out on around 10% of your revenue, which isn’t the end of the world.

 

We hope that this article has convinced you that becoming an Airbnb host might just be the best decision you ever made with your property. The sharing economy is one that will continue to grow as time moves forward and the best time to get in is now.

If you have any other questions regarding property rental or Airbnb, make sure to get in touch with us here at National Cash Offer.

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source https://nationalcashoffer.com/top-3-reasons-to-start-hosting-with-airbnb/

Top 5 Real Estate Investing Hacks

Looking for some hacks to make better investments in real estate?

We’ve got you covered. Let’s dive in!

 

 

Hire The Best of the Best

If you’re looking to sell a home in great condition, you’ll want to hire the best real estate agent. If you’re looking to sell a house that needs quite a bit of work, on the other hand, this could mean hiring a real estate investor who can pay you cash for the property. If you’re getting a loan, this could mean hiring the best mortgage broker around.

People don’t say no in the world of real estate. Mortgage brokers, agents, and investors are all out to find work. It’s your job to sift through them and find the ones that are most passionate about what they do so that you can get the best deal.

 

 

Get Multiple Bids

Whenever you are diving into a real estate project, it is important to get multiple bids. We like to think in threes. If you need to get some landscaping done, get bids from three landscaping companies. If you need to get some plumbing work done, get bids from three plumbers. Looking for a mortgage? Call three mortgage brokers!

When you get multiple bids, you have a better chance of finding the best price. Plus, any smart contractor, mortgage broker, or agent, will bring their A-game if they know others are involved.

 

 

Don’t Be Afraid To List Low

A list price that is too low will create a multiple offer situation. Essentially, people will see that the price is low and they will bid it back up to the market value. People often make the mistake of listing too high. If you do this, no one will show up, no offers will be made, and the house will grow stale on the market. Buyers will begin to think something is wrong with the listing.

 

 

List on MLS

Some people like to list their properties on sites like Redfin and Zillow while others like to throw listing on sites like Craigslist for free. While these selling tools are wonderful, they won’t provide exposure to the entirety of the marketplace.

If you want to be serious about selling your home, don’t be a “For Sale by Owner” lister. List using MLS. If you followed our first step and found the best agent to work with, the 6% commission on MLS won’t matter, as you’ll make more than if you listed it on your own.

 

 

The First Offer Is Often The Best Offer

If you follow our advice and list low, make sure to consider the first offer that comes in. Don’t wait around for a better one. The reason for this is that the first offer you receive will likely come from the most interested and qualified party. They may have been waiting for a home like yours to hit the market and they knew they had to jump on it to get it.

This does not mean you have to accept the offer necessarily, though you should work with them. If the offer is low, make a counteroffer instead of shutting them down.

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source https://nationalcashoffer.com/top-5-real-estate-investing-hacks/