Don’t do any of these six things if you’re selling a home. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Mr. Licorice and I are back with some helpful advice for home sellers. If you’re thinking of listing soon, avoid these mistakes so you can sell quickly and for top dollar: 1. Picking the wrong listing agent. You need an agent who’s experienced, just like you’d want a surgeon who’s experienced. Unfortunately, a lot of agents only sell a few homes a year and just don’t have their fingers on the pulse of the market. 2. Overpricing your house. Consumers have a lot of information these days and they’ll know when your home is overpriced. If you’re working with a savvy agent, they’ll make sure you’re priced appropriately to get the most traffic. The right buyer could be the one that you turned away for a showing. 3. Not getting your home ready. In other words, failing to make the necessary repairs to sell your house. I’m not talking about major upgrades or renovations; I’m just talking about minor repairs and imperfections. Get those things fixed ahead of time. 4. Not allowing showings. This might seem like common sense, but not all homeowners are doing their best to accommodate buyers. The right buyer could be the one you just turned away. 5. Getting too emotional. We need to treat your home sale as strictly a business transaction. 6. Not decluttering. You’re going to move anyway, so this is the best time to start packing up the clutter in your home and dealing with all of your stuff. If you have any questions about selling your home, buying a home, or anything else related to real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

This is a great time for both buyers and sellers to enter the market. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation It’s been a very bizarre year; you may be considering buying or selling but are unsure whether it’s the right time to make a move. For all buyers sitting on the sidelines and sellers thinking about listing, you’ll want to pay attention to the information I’m sharing today. For those contemplating buying, interest rates are at historic lows—don’t take that for granted! At some point, requirements for loans will get stricter, and rates will increase again. It will happen, though hopefully not for a while. There’s a ton of value and security in the market right now. What’s more important to you—waiting for the “ideal” market or finding a home that’s safe and comfortable for your family? Try to avoid the “wait and see” mentality; no one who buys at the bottom and knows it at the time. Focus on quality and what will meet your requirements for at least the next few years. Interest rates are at historic lows—don’t take that for granted! For sellers waiting to list, there are active, serious buyers in the market right now. If they’re out looking for a house during the middle of this health crisis, they’re eager to get a deal done. Don’t wait, because people have spent the last six months realizing the inadequacies of their properties, and you can benefit from that. Price your home so that the market chases the price up, not down. The worst thing you can do is price too high because you won’t get an offer, and you may not get anyone viewing your house in their online searches. We don’t know where the market will be in the future, so don’t take this current buyer demand for granted. If your property needs some improvements to make it shine, take advantage of that now while the contractors are still able to get into your house, just in case another wave of the coronavirus hits. It’s been an unusual year, and it’s not over yet. We have an election coming up, and along with the ongoing pandemic, that could freeze real estate again. It may be much more difficult to buy or sell after that. If you have questions about entering the market during this time or anything concerning real estate at all, give me a call or send an email. Your Iron Man Realtor would love to help you!

With the help of Mr. Licorice, today I’ll tell you all about how to stage your home to sell fast. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Home sellers, here are a couple of facts to remember: 10% of buyers can’t look at your home and visualize its potential, and buyers usually form an impression of your home within the first 10 seconds after they walk inside. That’s why you need to stage your home to leave them with the best possible first impression. Here are a few tips to help you maximize your home’s value in the eyes of your potential buyers: 1. Declutter, deep clean, and depersonalize. Get as much stuff out of the house as possible so that the rooms all look bigger. Deep cleaning will help this as well, on top of making it look, feel, and smell better. Also, remove family photos and other personal effects from the walls so that your buyers can walk around your home and imagine themselves living there, as opposed to simply feeling like guests in someone else’s home. A staged house, on average, sells 73% quicker than an unstaged house. 2. Pare down your pet’s and children’s belongings. This will also help you declutter the home. If your kids and/or pets have left any damage to the home, such as on the walls or carpet, take measures to fix that damage. 3. Select a staging plan that works for you. You can do the minimum by yourself, but you can also hire a professional to come help you stage by rearranging furniture, depersonalizing, and adding attractive accessories to give your home a great new look. If you take the time, money, and effort to stage your home, you’ll sell it faster. A staged house, on average, is sold within 24 days, which is 73% quicker than the average for an unstaged house. If you’re thinking about selling your house, we do have a concierge service that will help you fund some money upfront so you can stage your home to sell fast, and we’ll get the money back after your closing. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you have. I’d love to hear from you.

Buyer demand is surging amid this economic downturn. Here’s why. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Every economic downturn in history has slowed buyer demand in the U.S., but this downturn is different. We’re seeing a new demand among buyers, and people across the country are moving. Why is this happening? Let’s look at the data: Mortgage rates hit an all-time low of 2.98% in July, and mortgage applications rose 33% year over year during the first week of July. As a result, home sale activity has rebounded. Existing home sales rose 20.7% month over month, and new single-family homes rose 13.8% year over year—the highest mark in 13 years. Every economic downturn in history has slowed buyer demand in the U.S., but this downturn is different. Home prices, meanwhile, have risen 2.8% and are at an all-time high. On top of that, after months of social distancing, people have never been so aware of the inadequacies of their own homes. This means they’re ready to move. If you’re thinking of buying, selling, or would like a home valuation, don’t hesitate to give me a call. I’d love to help!

Market experts held their breath for June’s results; here are the stats. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation The overall economy is starting to improve, and the housing market is doing better than other industries. CNBC’s Diana Olik recently said, “New home sales rose slightly in April, defying expectations for a huge 22% drop.” She continued: “Mortgage demand from home buyers shows unexpectedly strong and quick recovery… The quick recovery has surprised most forecasters.” Furthermore, interest rates remain low, meaning you’ll be able to get more house for your money. To carry this wave of good news even a step further, Mark Fleming, chief economist for First American, said, “April really was the trough, I think, for the housing market. We do expect the rebound to be quite strong in the May numbers that will come out at the end of June.” Home prices are being driven upward by the incredibly low supply of homes across the nation. Well, now’s the time to cross-reference Fleming’s prediction with our actual market stats; I’m happy to report that both May and June were strong months for the housing market. Six leading experts project solid appreciation through 2022 (check out 2:00 in the video above to see a chart on appreciation). Home prices are being driven upward by the incredibly low supply of homes across the nation, which is hovering around four months’ worth of inventory right now. According to Zillow’s June 2020 report, new pending sales are up 24.5% month over month, and new listings taken are up 19.3%. This is certainly an improvement, but we have more distance to cover. Here’s an excerpt from that report: “Both pending sales and new listings remain well up from the previous month when the market was bouncing back from a slowdown in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.” Mortgage activity is up thanks to low rates, the whole housing market is climbing, and monster levels of demand are running up against very low supply to keep prices up. All in all, we have a lot of positive news on our hands. If you need any help buying or selling real estate, or if you just have questions you’d like answered, don’t hesitate to reach out to me by phone or email.

Here are four ways to entice buyers to fall in love with your home. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation As a seller, how do you get buyers to fall in love with your home? First, change your perspective. You shouldn’t be seeing your house as just a seller, but also as a buyer. Buyers want things brand-new. However, they often can’t afford it or can’t find it. They don’t want to have to do a ton of repairs on their new home. They want to simply move in with their toothbrush. So, what can we do to make your house appear brand-new? 1. Clean, paint, and fix defects. Thoroughly clean the home, add a fresh coat of paint, and repair any defects. We want buyers to get a wonderful first impression. You may have gotten used to the imperfections in your house, but buyers will notice them. Have a friend or real estate professional point out flaws you may not have noticed. Try to keep an open mind and a buyer’s viewpoint. 2. Space. Buyers want to see open space in the home, so show as much as possible. Take the clutter out of the closets, remove all large furniture, and anything extra that doesn’t need to be there. You’re moving anyway, so either donate, store, or trash belongings as necessary. You shouldn’t be seeing your house as just a seller, but also as a buyer. 3. Staging and redecorating. We want to generate feelings of “That’s my style!” and “I can see myself living here!” By staging or redecorating correctly, you can attract more buyers. 4. Professional photos and videos. Buyers’ searches for houses begin online. We want to entice as many buyers as possible to fall in love with your property. If you have any questions about attracting buyers to your home or concerning real estate in general, call or email me and Mr. Licorice! I’m your Iron Man Realtor, and I’m always here for you.

The housing market will be a bright spot in our economy for months to come. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Our economy was stronger than ever at the start of the year. Then, the pandemic came, creating not only a dangerous health crisis but a wave of unemployment. Currently, 85% of Americans are working, and of those who have been forced out of work, 90% are returning to their jobs. Regarding the strength of American homeownership, over 40% of homeowners do not have a mortgage to pay. Based on these factors and more, we can use basic economic principles to forecast the fate of home values. To find out more, watch the short video above.

It’s an interesting time to be buying or selling a home. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Buyers want to buy and sellers want to sell in our real estate market, but when is the right time? Even with all the safety guidelines and restrictions in place, you have two options: You could 1) wait it out until everything clears up, or 2) you could make a move now and take advantage of the lower competition while still practicing social distancing. To hear more about the advantages and disadvantages of both of these options, watch this short video above.

With the help of Mr. Licorice, today I want to discuss how the housing market has been impacted. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Both Mr. Licorice and I hope that you and your family are safe and well! These are unprecedented times, but we’re making it through day by day. Today I just wanted to share some facts and information about how the housing market has been impacted by the pandemic. First, let’s compare the 2008 market to today. Are we in the same situation as we were in the Great Recession? To learn this answer and more, watch the video above.

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation I want to let you all know that I’m here for you during these difficult times. The world has changed, and it’s challenging right now. I’m working remotely, still helping people buy, sell, and invest in real estate. So if there’s anything you need, I’m still here to help you. Be safe out there, wash your hands, avoid touching your face, and stay away from large crowds.

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation   Whether you’re buying or selling a house, it’s likely that you have a mortgage, and if the appraisal for that house comes in low, it can jeopardize the deal. That’s why it’s important to know the basics concerning appraisals. Basically, an appraisal is the bank’s way of ensuring their investment is covered. They don’t want to lend money on a house that’s underpriced. A certified, professional appraiser comes out to the house, checks its size and condition, and compares it to three other homes in the surrounding area that have sold in the past six months. The process is a mix of art and science, and the inspector adds their own personal taste to it. How can you prevent a low appraisal? If you’re a seller, price the house appropriately. Also, appraisers are usually very busy, so make sure they have easy access to your home. First impressions are important as well, so make sure the front yard and/or walkway leading up to the front door are clean. It wouldn’t hurt to give the home a deep cleaning either. Finally, try providing the appraiser with your own comps so they know where you’re coming from and everyone’s on the same page. What if the appraisal does come in low? First, check to see whether any errors were made. Then, check to see whether there were any errors in the MLS information that was used. You could also challenge the appraisal by replacing one comp with another, which might adjust the price upward. Lastly, you can just get a whole new appraisal. You’d have to pay for it, but a different appraiser might calculate a different value. If these things don’t work, try negotiating. You could lower the price of the house, the buyer could pay extra cash above their loan’s value, or you could meet somewhere in the middle. Worst-case scenario, the buyer moves on with their home search and the seller has to find a new one. If you prepare ahead of time and follow these tips, though, you won’t find yourself in that situation. As always, if you have questions about this or any real estate topic or are thinking of buying or selling a home soon, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m happy to help.

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation   These are my eight recommendations for anyone looking to sell their home this spring: 1. Declutter your home’s interior. If you can get everything out, working with a vacant house is always best. The second best thing, though, is a super tidy house. Get rid of any extra, space-taking items. 2. Get a home inspection. Make as many repairs as you possibly can before listing, as it gives you a really good edge heading into the market. If you can’t make many repairs, then at the very least check out the HVAC, the plumbing, the electrical system, any possible leaks—things that’ll scare away those buyers if neglected. 3. Make a great first impression. Improving your home’s curb appeal goes a long way toward this end. Make sure the doorbell works, the mailbox is clean, and you have a fresh welcome mat outside. Powerwash your home’s exterior and trim the bushes. 4. Perform a deep, thorough clean. Hire a professional if you need to, or just set aside a day to do it yourself. Really get in there and get busy; clean the toilets, clean the kitchen—spare no nook or cranny. Make it move-in ready. 5. Freshen up your home with outside air. After the deep clean, take advantage of the spring weather and open the windows for a few hours each day. This will help give your home a vibrant, fresh smell. 6. Depersonalize your house. Take personal photographs and mementos off of the walls/counters and out of view. Shift the focus to the new buyer by creating a blank canvas that they can then imagine personalizing for themselves. 7. Fill your home with neutral colors. Here in Philly and South Jersey, we love the Flyers and the Eagles; we represent orange and green whenever we can. That being said, these colors shouldn’t be left on walls in your home. Instead, opt for neutral colors—again, this helps buyers start fresh and imagine themselves living there. 8. Stage your house. This is a great way to get your house off the market quickly and bag the highest price possible. It’s worth the extra cost. If you’re ready to sell soon, or would simply like to discuss any or all of these tips in greater detail, please reach out to me by phone or email. I’d love to hear from you.

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation   What are star bolts and why are they used? You could be taking a stroll down any street in Philadelphia and you’re bound to spot a star bolt. Philadelphia is rich in colonial history, so it’s easy to assume these star bolts are decorative. While they look very charming in the way they align along the side of a brick house, they’re actually there to keep the front of the building intact. Why are they needed? In older rowhouses, the strongest part are the joists, which run from side to side, and the front of the property is only attached at the very top and at the edges. Homes constructed before 1920 were built with lime mortar, which deteriorates over time due to weather exposure and causes the foundation at the front of the home to shift. Drilling parallel star bolts into the joists disperses the tension and keeps the structure stable. The best part about star bolts? They keep our city’s rich architectural history alive. If you have any questions about this topic or are thinking of buying, selling, or investing in real estate, give me a call or message me on our website.  

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation   Today we have a special guest with us, the mortgage “whip,” Andrew Whipple with WE Lending. We’re discussing how much money you need when you’re buying a home. Sometimes I have clients say they don’t have enough money to buy a house, or they don’t know how much money they’ll need.    To begin, putting 20% down is an outdated expectation since you can now buy a home with as low as 0% down. There are many wonderful programs to help you: VA loans for the veterans, USDA loans for rural areas, conventional loans for first-time homebuyers, and FHA loans for almost anyone. For most loans, you only need a down payment of 0% to 5%. Every state has programs and grants for helping those who qualify, especially first-time homebuyers.    If you need more information or want to get in touch with Andrew, call him at (856) 924-1682.    If you’re looking to buy, sell, or invest in real estate, please reach out to me via phone or email. I would love to help you.  

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation   A lot of people think that the APR is synonymous with interest rates, but understanding the distinction between the two will help you save time and money on your home mortgage. While both terms measure costs associated with your home loan, they measure them differently. The interest rate is the cost of borrowing the principal loan amount and it can be variable or fixed. The APR, or annual percentage rate, is a much broader measure of the costs of your mortgage. It reflects the interest rates, but also the lender fees and some closing costs. The main difference is that while the interest rate calculates the monthly payment, the APR calculates the entire cost of the loan. If you’re interested in the lowest monthly fee, it’s better to focus on the interest rates. If you’re looking at the overall cost, the APR is your tool. If you have questions about this or anything else related to real estate, feel free to reach out via phone or email today. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Happy New Year! Please join us for our holiday party on Wednesday, January 29 at Stella’s Pizzeria. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation I’m here with my good buddy Mr. Licorice, and we want to say happy New Year! Thank you for a wonderful 2019! Thank you to all our friends, families, and clients for referring us and trusting us with all your real estate goals. The new year, 2020, is a new decade and we are going to be here for you. If you know anyone looking to buy or sell, we’d love to take care of them. We wish you health, wealth, family, friends, and the time to enjoy it all. We would also like to see you at our holiday party on Wednesday, January 29 at Stella’s Pizzeria in Philadelphia at 5:30 p.m. It’s going to be a great time. Happy New Year! RSVP Here to Our Holiday Happy Hour

With the holiday season now upon us, our team would like to extend our warm well wishes. Happy holidays! Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation The holiday season has officially arrived. We hope you enjoy this wonderful time of year and make some fantastic memories with your family and friends. We just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your continued support. We love helping people make their real estate dreams come true, so thank you for working with us. With that said, we’d also like to invite you to our upcoming holiday party on Wednesday, January 29, at Stella’s Pizzeria here in Philadelphia. The fun will start at 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., so please come out to enjoy food, drink, and plenty of festive fun. Now may be a busy time of year, but we are always here to help you and answer any questions you may have. So if there’s anything you’d like to talk to us about, please feel free to reach out. We hope to see you this January! RSVP Here to Our Holiday Happy Hour  

These three tips will streamline your home shopping experience and make it more fun.  Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Ideally, buying a home should be a fun, efficient experience, and here are three quick tips that will help your home purchase check both of these boxes: 1. Get pre-qualified. This will help narrow your search to the homes you can afford and give insight as to what your closing costs will be. Shopping for homes without a pre-approval is like going to the mall without a credit card—you might find something you want to buy only to find out that you can’t afford it. If you’d like to get pre-qualified, we’d be happy to connect you with one of our great lenders. 2. Create a ranking system for the homes you view. For example, I use a 1-7 point system with my clients. A home that scores anywhere from 1-3 means we don’t like the house—we throw it out of contention and never talk about it again. A home that scores a 4 is average, but those homes don’t count either because we’re shooting for “we like it” or “we don’t like it.” Homes that score a 5 or 6 are homes you like, but they’re still missing something. A home that scores a 7 is one we like so much that we’re ready to make an offer for it. 3. Avoid going to homes that have few or no pictures at all in their online listing profile. This is a sure sign that something is wrong. I had a client once insist on viewing a home that didn’t have any listing photos. Once we got there, we found out that it had a giant hole in the roof—we could tell before we even saw it because it was snowing inside the house. If you’d like more home buying tips, you’re thinking of selling a home, or you have any questions about our Philadelphia market, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help you.  

Don’t buy into the notion that the fall and winter is a bad time to sell your home.  Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Sometimes when I hear sellers tell me the plan on waiting until spring to sell and I ask them why, they say nobody buys houses during the fall or winter. Is that actually true? Absolutely not—people buy and sell homes all year long. In the past, I’ve been able to bid on a home on December 31 and get that offer accepted on January 1, and I’ve also been able to list and sell a home between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Granted, there is a bit of a downturn during the fall and winter which results in fewer buyers. However, there’s also less inventory, which reduces the competition you’ll face and evens things out. Come springtime, there will be more buyers out and about, but there will also be more homes being listed. If you need to move, just list! Don’t be overly strategic. If your home isn’t on the MLS, it’s not getting sold no matter what. It’s like Wayne Gretzky once said, “You always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” If you’d like to start the home selling process or you have any other real estate questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help you.  

Don’t believe the myth that you need to put down 20% to buy a home—there’s a loan program out there for everyone.   Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation I recently met with a buyer who’s been renting for years who told me they were sick and tired of paying someone else’s mortgage—they wanted to buy. When I asked what their timeline was, they said ASAP. However, when I asked if that meant two, three, or four months, they said more like six to nine months. When I told him that six to nine months didn’t really qualify as “ASAP,” I asked if they were traveling soon or had other obligations to tend to. They said they didn’t—they just couldn’t afford to put down 20% for their down payment. The myth that you must put down 20% to buy a house is, unfortunately, still circulating among buyers. In the past, a lot of buyers did put down 20% because it saved on PMI (private mortgage insurance). Nowadays, though, if everyone needed to put down 20% to buy a home, we’d all still be renting. To clarify, you do need some money saved up to buy a home because of the down payment and closing costs involved, but you don’t have to put down 20%. There’s a loan program out there for everyone—it all depends on your budget, credit score, where you want to move, and the taxes included. Some of these programs require as little as 5%, 3.5%, 1%, or even 0% down. If you’re interested in taking advantage of these programs, give me a call and I’ll put you in touch with a great lender. They’ll pair you with the right loan program and help you find a great home. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to use the home search and home valuation links right here on my blog if you want to start the home buying process. If you have any other real estate questions or you’re thinking of selling a home, feel free to reach out to me as well. I’d love to help you.