Hopefully, you've started your real estate business plan for 2020 by now (if not, better get cracking!). Even if your plan has been finalized for months, though, there might be some components you could add to make it even better ..read more

Staging a home isn’t an exact science — it’s more of an art, one that covers several rooms and flows throughout a home. The goal is to create a warm, welcoming space that will resonate with buyers. Here are the biggest mistakes you can make when staging your house for sale.   An unstaged room: Unless you’re in a very strong seller’s market, you should consider light staging. Wall-to-wall furniture: Most of our homes contain too many items for staging to work well. Closets stuffed full of items: Hiding stuff instead of eliminating it won’t work when buyers peek inside closets. Cl ..read more

You don’t need to put 20% down These lenders offer low-down-payment or no-down-payment options: VA loans: 0% down*  USDA loans: 0% down FHA loan: 3.5% down Some conventional loans: 3% down   *Must be a veteran or veteran’s spouse … But you do need to put any new credit line plans on hold Your mortgage rate and ability to secure a mortgage will depend on your credit score — ideally, at least 580, if not higher.   You’re not locked into one particular lender Talk to a few different mortgage brokers and ask them what their best deal is. Your monthly mortgage payment inclu ..read more

In nine out of ten discussions among real estate agents about how they level up their business, someone somewhere mentions a coach. The coaching phenomenon has exploded in real estate in recent years, and it seems to be taken as a given that real estate agents who are at the top of their game are also the agents who have coaches. If you don’t have a coach yet, it can be hard to know what a real estate coach can do for you, or whether you need one at all. Ask yourself if you could use some assistance with any of these parts of your real estate business planning — if the answer is an honest ..read more

An open house is a huge opportunity for anyone hoping to sell — but you can’t just throw open the doors of your home as-is and expect great results. Before you get ready to open your house up to the masses, make sure you’re following all of these steps.     Clutter-free surfaces: Remove all possible clutter. Deep cleaned: Clean from top to bottom. No personal items: Remove all your personal items. Cozy scenes in each room: Create little vignettes for buyers. Patched, painted walls: Make sure walls are painted and patched. Nice linens on bed: Dig out the nice linens ..read more

Style is as individual as human beings are, but we can generally agree that there are some style trends that should be left in the past — some in the very recent past, others long ago — because they make your rooms look, well, terrible. And dated. Before you jump on the latest home decorating bandwagon, consider how these super-popular decor trends have fared and imagine whether you’re still going to think your latest design obsession looks cutting-edge in a year or three.   Clutter We’re not saying that it was ever a good look to resemble a hoarder, but there was a time where just the ..read more

Daydreaming about owning your own home is one of the most intoxicating practices known to modern man, especially now that HGTV is a thing. But when the time comes to actually put your money where your daydream is, it can be challenging for first-time buyers especially to understand how a home that doesn’t currently come anywhere close to “dream” status could be whipped into shape — and how a home that they think is perfect now will end up feeling like a mistake in a couple of years. To avoid that unfortunate scenario, first-time buyers will need to think carefully and weigh all of their option ..read more

Escrow is a critical component of the home sale that typically takes between 30 and 45 days — but for many buyers it seems to stretch on for centuries. What should you do?   1. Keep a close eye on all communication channels To make sure everything closes on time and everyone is happy at the end of the day, it’s critical for buyers to manage communication.    2. Order the appraisal It’s usually the escrow manager’s job to book the appraisal. Appraisers can be in short supply, and as the buyer you have a right to ask about timelines and how the appraisal went, so check in with you ..read more

Flakes aren’t welcome in any industry, but they’re particularly problematic in real estate, where you don’t get paid until close. In other words, instead of merely causing an annoyance and possibly wasting your time, flakes can actively cost you money as a real estate agent. If you’re not with a client that’s going to close, then you’re not making money, and it’s pretty optimistic to think that a flake would get as far as the closing table, let alone past it. Experienced real estate agents know how to identify a flaky buyer, but if you’re new or haven’t encountered one in a while, then you ..read more

If you’ve always rented before, then you might not have put too much thought into which neighborhood you were planting your (temporary) roots. After all, most leases are up after a year, so you can change your mind in a matter of months. Buying a house, however, is a different story: if you don’t want to pay capital gains taxes, then you’ll have to stay there for at least two years, and depending on which concessions you made when you bought the place, the neighborhood can affect everything from the home’s appreciation to how easy it is to sell. Before deciding where exactly you want to buy ..read more