Preferred Properties of Texas

The Preferred way to buy & sell property for over 25 years

Why You’ll Win by Selling with a Real Estate Agent This Fall

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There are numerous advantages to working with a real estate professional when purchasing your house. During hard times, like what we confront now, it becomes even more important to have an expert that you trust to help guide you through the procedure.

Your family’s safety should always come first, which is more critical than ever given the present health condition in our country. When you FSBO, it is incredibly hard to control entry into your house. A real estate professional is going to have the proper protocols in place to protect not only your belongings but your family’s health and well-being too. From controlling the amount of men and women in your house at one time to ensuring good sanitization through and after a showing, as well as easing virtual tours for buyers, real estate professionals are equipped to follow the latest industry criteria recommended by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) to help protect you and your family.

Recent studies in NAR have proven that, even before COVID-19, the first step 44% of buyers obtained when looking for a home was to search online. During the process, that number jumps to 93 percent. Now, those numbers have grown exponentially. Most real estate agents have developed a strong Internet and social media strategy to market the sale of your residence. Have you?

As a part of their instruction, brokers are instructed how to negotiate every aspect of the real estate transaction and how to mediate the emotions felt by buyers seeking to make what is probably the largest purchase of their own lives.

Possessing a buyer who wants to purchase your home is the first step. Making sure they can afford to purchase it is just as important. As a FSBO, it is almost impossible to participate in the mortgage process of your purchaser.

Further complicating the situation is the way the current mortgage market is quickly evolving due to the amount of households out of work and in mortgage forbearance. A loan program which was available yesterday could be gone tomorrow. You need someone who’s working with lenders every day to ensure your buyer makes it to the final table.

The documentation included in the selling process has improved dramatically as more and more disclosures and regulations have become mandatory. In a litigious society, the agent acts as a third party to aid the seller avoid legal jeopardy. This is only one of the major reasons why the percentage of people FSBOing has dropped from 19% to 8% over the last 20+ years.

Many homeowners believe they’ll save the actual estate commission by selling on their own. Realize that the chief reason buyers look at FSBOs is since they also think they can save the real estate agent’s commission. The seller and buyer can’t both save on the commission.The more buyers who view a house, the greater the opportunity a bidding war will take place.

Listing on your own leaves you to manage the entire transaction by yourself. Why do that when you can hire an agent and still net the same amount of money? Before you decide to take on the challenge of selling your house alone, reach out to a local real estate professional to discuss your options.

Preferred Properties of Texas is here for all your real estate needs. Give us a call today.

5 Reasons About Selling A Home That Aren’t As Scary As They Seem

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For the vast majority of homeowners, there’s a practically inevitable event somewhere on the horizon: Eventually, you will probably sell your property. Thousands of homes are sold every day. It’s only the nature of the real estate business; properties are constantly being sold and bought. Nevertheless, when it is time for everybody to be one of those properties, it can be somewhat scary. Any home sale could be susceptible to hang-ups that seem uncomfortable. The process of getting your house ready to market can be daunting. Handing over the keys to complete strangers can be discomforting. That said, there are a number of things that prospective home sellers appear to fear the most. But not everything needs to be so scary!

Creating (and keeping) your house presentable
One of the common complaints of home sellers is the requirement to wash, repair and stage their homes so that visitors can pop in each time and poke around. The reality is, however, that getting a house ready to reveal frequently means a de-cluttering process that would be necessary before proceeding anyway. It is a seller’s chance to have a jump onto the moving process, to purge unneeded possessions and get personal touches prepared to move to the next home. Should you think of this as a chance, instead of a chore, getting a home ready to show to potential buyers may have significant advantages. And if you are working with the right listing agent, you shouldn’t ever be made to drop everything and straighten up for an unexpected showing. A fantastic listing agent will adapt your daily life without forfeiting sales attempts.

Criticism from buyers

When push comes to push negotiations, buyers will point out what they view are deficiencies in your property. It is merely a part of the sales process, and hearing that the carpeting you love needs to be torn out or the wall color on your youngest one’s nursery needs to be altered aren’t personal indictments of you or your property. It’s hard to hear that other folks don’t enjoy what you love about your home. But if you’ve been searching for another home, you’ve likely made the same kind of observations. You want to be able to put your touches on your new space, and you do not mean any insult to the present owners by having that desire. It is nothing personal, so it is not anything to fear when the shoe on the other foot.

Home inspections

At the same time, it is nerve-wracking to have your home gone over with a fine-toothed comb with a home inspector, that can be by contract, working for the purchaser. Frankly, any dwelling inspector will point out some flaws in almost any home. That’s their job, and they have a fiduciary duty to the buyer to communicate their professional opinion. However, odds are, most of what is shown by the inspector is what you already understand. By way of example, when you’ve got 20-year shingles on the roof and you have not replaced it in 18 years, it’s just true that the roof is near replacement era. If your furnace isn’t operating efficiently, it is probably something you have noticed, and you may make sure that a professional inspector will corroborate that. Remember that nothing that comes up in a house inspection is always a deal-breaker. Everything is negotiable, and when you were not selling the house, it’s likely you were going to absorb any cost to remedy anything shown by a home inspection anyhow.

Unqualified buyers

There’s no question that there are”tire-kickers” on the market, or people who simply prefer to look at homes on the market but have no real interest or capacity to actually purchase the house. It just goes with the land. But should you be certain to just consider offers from potential buyers who have been pre-qualified with a creditor, you are more inclined to avoid bogus purchase offers. No lender’s pre-qualification correspondence is ironclad, but it means that the purchaser is somewhat honest about their capacity to buy a home such as yours. And any critical buyer’s agent is going to insist on mortgage pre-qualification of their customers before presenting a deal.

Saying good bye

That is an oft-overlooked facet of the procedure, but it’s not always easy to leave a house in which you have lived for a long time. It may be uncomfortable and scary because each home purchase is quite an emotional one. However there are a couple things to keep in mind, perspective-wise. Certainly one, giving up a space you have considered home usually means that you’re going to embark on that exciting adventure . You have to experience that anew, get to put your own personal stamp on a fresh place of your own. It is a goodbye that accompanies an exciting brand new hello. Second, you are providing that same experience for someone else by entrusting to them the place you have grown to appreciate. You are giving somebody else the opportunity to appreciate that house exactly the way you did when it fit one of the best. You’re not walking away from all that’s meaningful; you’re only giving somebody else the same opportunity you’re given to make meaningful moments.

The bottom line is that selling a house can be sort of scary. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that. But looking at things from various viewpoints, and recognizing that just about every homeowner at one point or another goes through it, and hiring the right agent might make it somewhat less scary.

Preferred Property of Texas is here for you and to make the real estate process less scary and go smoothly. CALL TODAY!

10 Things That Will Kill Your Home Sale

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There are few homes that are magically market prepared without a little assistance. If your home requires a bit more of assistance, it is time to get focused. In the end, listing your home if it is not in the ideal state to sell will likely just lead to frustration. And, in this case, frustration means: your home sits in the marketplace for months without any supplies or the errant, offensive, lowball.

If you want to Be Certain you get your home sold quickly and for the right price, you’ll want to avoid listing it with the following:

1. Excessive damage

Maybe the house you’re selling was utilized as a rental and trashed by frat boy tenants, or maybe you just have not kept it up as you should. In any event, these holes in the walls that seem like the living room was used as a boxing gym, the scratched-up wood flooring where dinosaurs have clearly been rushing, along with the yard that’s bare except for all those two-foot-tall patches of weeds aren’t exactly what buyers are searching for. Unless you’re intending to offer your house for a cost that can make buyers emphasize the good and ignore the bad and the ugly, it’s going to want a little attention.

2. Carpet in the bathroom

It’s just gross. And everyone who walks in that toilet is thinking one of two things: 1) There’s gotta be mold under there; 2) There has gotta be urine on the floor round that bathroom. This is just one upgrade you will want to do before you list. Or, if you’re already recorded and your home not promoting.

3. Stains

A buyer should not know where your dog likes to indicate or wherever your children spilled the whole bowl of holiday punch. If the stains in your carpet are that bad, potential buyers will drift in and run right back out. Nobody wants to buy a pigsty. Invest a few bucks in new carpeting. You’ll make the cash back since you won’t have to drop your sales price.

4. Pet scents

You probably don’t notice since you live together everyday, but buyers will, and it might be sufficient to turn them off. Deep clean the rugs and the upholstery, then invest in some air frfreshenersnd eliminate cat boxes in the house for showings. The very last thing you need is a potential buyer speaking to your house as”the stinky one.”

5. Loud dogs who bark each time someone gets near the house

One final word . Barking happens, whether it’s your dog or one which belongs to a neighbor. But you don’t need that on the day of your open house. Offering to pay for doggie day care for a neighbor’s pooch could eliminate the matter and help make the serene setting buyers need.

6. Your dead lawn

Deficiency of curb appeal will not necessarily kill a bargain. Oftentimes, you won’t even get prospective buyers to escape the car. If the front lawn is a mess, buyers will obviously believe the mess continues indoors.

7. A bad agent

Face it. Not all of them are winners. An agent who isn’t giving their customer the ideal sort of attention likely isn’t likely to get the job finished.

8. Your sloppiness

Those cabinets and drawers you’ve pushed everything into when you washed away your kitchen and bathroom cupboards could be a deal breaker for picky buyers. We all know buyers open stuff. They seem in drawers, they open closets, they examine closets. If these spaces are cluttered and overstuffed, they may assume there’s inadequate storage space.

9. Unreasonable sellers

Big problems in your home may be deal killers, but they are also able to be deal sealers, if you’re reasonable. If your inspection uncovers pipes, electric, or roofing issues (or even all three!)

10. Poor Taste

Your decorating options and failure to keep up with trends from this season –or century–can haunt you when it is time to sell. If it’s true that many buyers don’t have any eyesight –and all you have to do is watch House Hunters and watch a purchaser becoming hung up on a paint color to understand that is true–then you are really in for it with your crowded house full of ugly, outdated things. A few straightforward updates can help it to look fresh and provide buyers something to fall in love with.

 

First Time Homebuyers

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Red real estate sign near house outdoors on sunny day

Things First Time Homebuyers in Stephenville Texas need to be aware of:

Explain Connections
As an instance, a purchaser’s credit rating has a substantial effect on the interest rate they will be asked to payoff. By taking the opportunity to describe how different credit sources work in pulling these links to buyers credit rating and interest rates, you will have the ability to prevent a great deal of questions and confusion in the future.

Narrow Their Choices
As a broker, however, it is your job to guide your buyers to houses for sale in Stephenville that represent a fantastic compromise, checking as many boxes as you can while still giving a fantastic price. By narrowing down their options to two or three standout Stephenville Texas  houses, you’re help shorten their search period and possibly close your purchase earlier.

Know What They Could Afford
One more thing which some first-time buyers’ in Stephenville Texas battle with is knowing how their earnings relates to their purchasing power. As you don’t wish to show your buyer’s houses they can not afford, it is important to walk together throughout the pre-approval procedure before requesting them about what they desire in a house. This will lower the amount of houses which you will need to check through and assist in preventing significant disappointment in the future.

Use Digital Records
Asking your clients to fulfill you to sign up a pile of files does not do much in the means of simplifying the procedure. But if you’re able to send your clients all the essential documents digitally, then you provide them the liberty to check over the files in their period and guarantee they aren’t left with unnecessary mess. Besides, you may attach the files to an email and clarify the goal of the files in order for your buyers are not inundated with legal-ease.

Throughout the home-buying procedure, it can be simple for first-time buyers in Stephenville Texas to eliminate sight of their objective. In the middle of paperwork, evaluations and all the other crucial steps involved with the procedure, your buyers might become overwhelmed because they have never noticed how everything ends up in the long run. Thus, when the going gets rough, it is important to remind your clients which each step in the procedure has a goal. This can help promote them to keep moving until they eventually get to the end line.

What to Look for in a Single-Family Investment Property

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Investing in real estate is a wise decision that can often help you enjoy a relaxing and full retirement. To ensure you purchase the best real estate, though, you need to know what qualities make for a good investment property.

While any property can ultimately turn out to be a good investment if you have enough determination, there are certain qualities that will make your life easier when it comes to the return on your investment. Here are some qualities to look for in an investment property:

Location

Since you can’t change the location of the home you choose to buy, it’s important to consider this quality carefully. One important aspect to consider is the rating of the local school district since many young families move into certain homes simply to further their child’s education. You should also consider factors such as the proximity to mass transportation options, expressways, stores and other amenities that will help set your home apart.

Community Amenities

If a home is located in a community that offers extra amenities, that can only serve to make your property more attractive to potential tenants. Whether it’s a community swimming pool, playground, walking path or other unique option, single-family homes in these communities usually sell very well. Just make sure the community is vibrant and actually takes care of these amenities so that you fully understand what you’re advertising.

Multiple Bathrooms

While people have different needs when it comes to bedrooms, almost everyone wants at least two bathrooms in the homes that they consider. Therefore, if you want to own a property that’s easy to rent, you need to look for one that’s built with multiple bathrooms. Once you own the home, make sure to update any out-of-date bathrooms, as this will be one of the qualities that people scrutinize most closely as they tour your house.

Easy Upkeep

Most renters aren’t looking to have much maintenance to do when they move into their rental home; so, if a home has a large yard, you can expect it to be a harder sell. Likewise, if you volunteer to take care of all the maintenance, you could find that you spend all your time on the upkeep of the home if it has anything more than a small patch of grass. Therefore, look for yards that are big enough to provide a functional outside space without having a lot of fast-growing plants or other hard-to-maintain elements.

The prospect of the income that an investment property can provide can be quite tantalizing. However, since you don’t personally need this home for shelter, it’s important to stay patient throughout the process. By being selective about your investment properties, you’ll be able to have a quality portfolio that you won’t have to shift around too much as the years pass.

Looking to start investing in property but don’t know where to start? Start by calling Preferred Properties today! We are here for all your Real Estate needs!

Staging Your Home

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Staging Really Does Help. Like, a Lot.

But you don’t have to take our word for it. A recent survey from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS(R) revealed that:

  • 77% of buyers’ agents said staging makes it easier for their buyer to visualize the property as their future home. It’s like helping the buyer dream it so they can achieve it — and so you and your agent can make the sale.
  • 39% of sellers’ agents said staging a home greatly decreases the amount of time a house is on the market. For you, time saved could mean moving into your new house even sooner.
  • 21% of sellers’ agents said staging a home increases its dollar value between 6% and 10%. Simply put, that may lead to more money in your pocket.

Before You Stage, Budget Accordingly

Many listings agents offer staging services to clients as part of their services. If you want to use someone you find yourself, you typically will have to pay out of pocket.

Staging costs vary depending on where you live and how many rooms you’re staging. On average, home sellers pay between $302 and $1,358 for staging, according to HomeAdvisor.com. If your house is empty because you’ve already moved, you might also have additional expenses for renting furniture and other homey decorations to make it look lived-in.

Many stagers offer consultations for as low as $150, Fixr.com reports. Using the advice you learn during the consultation to try DIY staging may be your best option if you’re on a tight budget. Listen for tips on how to use the furniture and decor you already have to show off your home’s best assets.

For the Best Results, Declutter

Spoiler alert: No buyer wants to walk into a messy house.

So, take time to clean and declutter your home. Organize everyday household items into crates and keep them out of sight. Stow away seasonal decorations (that means no Christmas in July). Make time for — or invest in — a whole-house cleaning, including carpet shampooing. Change lightbulbs, finally make those minor repairs, and add a fresh coat of paint to any room that needs it. {{ start_tip 99 }}Clean out closet spaces{{ end_tip }}– because buyers will want to check out the closets.

Also worth considering? Removing personal items from view, such as copious family photos, artwork, or religious keepsakes. The concern is not that home buyers will be offended by you or your lifestyle. The goal is to neutralize the space and help home buyers imagine themselves living there. (But don’t go overboard. You don’t want rooms to feel sterile, either.)

Yes, we did just tell you to clean out your closets. So where are you supposed to put all this stuff? If you don’t have a discrete place to tuck things away, consider renting a storage unit.

To Find the Right Stager for Your Home, Ask Questions

If your agent doesn’t offer staging services, he or she can likely recommend local stagers for you to work with. Before you hire a stager, it’s best to interview at least three candidates in person. You’ll want to get a sense of how much they charge — and whether they have good taste.

To do your due diligence, here are 10 questions to ask prospective stagers:

  1. On average, how many days were your staged homes on the market last year?Experience is important, but it’s not the only factor to consider when vetting stagers. You want someone who stages homes that sell — ideally within 30 days, because that’s when agents often recommend making a price reduction if your house is still on the market.
  2. What price range do you typically work in? Staging luxury homes is a totally different ball game than staging starter homes. Find someone who specializes in homes near your listing price.
  3. What styles of homes do you usually stage? Staging different types of homes also requires different skill sets (think of a penthouse versus a bungalow, for instance). Look for someone with experience working in homes similar to yours.
  4. What formal training have you received? A number of staging organizations, such as the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) and the International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP), offer certification or accreditation. Training from these associations can distinguish professional stagers from beginners.
  5. Do you have insurance? Your home could get damaged when the stager moves furniture in and out. Find someone with business insurance so that you’re protected.
  6. Can I see your portfolio? One of the best ways to judge a stager’s skills is to look at their work. Ask to see photos from the person’s three most recently staged homes.
  7. Do you select the accessories, furniture, and paint for the homes you stage, or do you collaborate with other experts? Some stagers work independently, while others collaborate with other vendors. Make sure you know everyone who will be involved in staging your home, so you don’t have surprise guests rearranging your living room.
  8. What are your rates? Some stagers charge a fee for decorating services, plus a monthly fee for renting furniture, while others charge a flat fee per room for the duration of the listing. Ask about how a stager determines costs before you commit to working with him or her.
  9. What’s your availability? If you’re on a tight timetable, make sure the stager can get your house ready by the date you want to put your house on the market.
  10. Can you provide contacts for past clients? Get in touch with two or three people who have worked with the stager before. Ask how the stager’s services helped with the sale of their homes, and what they might have done differently.

Focus On the Rooms That Count the Most

You don’t have to stage your whole house to make buyers swoon.

Staging the rooms where people tend to spend the most time usually makes the biggest impression on buyers. Start with the{{ start_tip 100 }}living room,{{ end_tip }}followed by the master bedroom and the kitchen.

Keep in mind that you’re not going for an HGTV-worthy overhaul: Even small touches, like putting fluffy towels in the bathroom or replacing shabby throw pillows in the family room, can make your home that much more attractive.

Oh, and BTW: Stage Your Yard, Too

Your house has to look its best — inside and outside. After all, buyers form their first impression when they pull up in front of your home. It’s no surprise, then, that curb appeal — how your home looks from the exterior — can increase your home’s sales value up to 17%, a Texas Tech University study found.

If you’ve never had your yard professionally landscaped, now may be the time to do it. Landscaped homes have a sales price advantage ranging from 5.5% to 12.7%, according to research by Alex Niemiera, a horticulturist at Virginia Tech. That would mean an extra $16,500 to $38,100 in value on a $300,000 home.

Professional landscaping, however, can cost a lot. You’re aiming for polish, not a new garden of Versailles. If budget is a concern, start with these DIY improvements:

  • Plant blooming flowers and fresh greenery. Even if it’s winter, you can add colorful winter blooms and seasonal touches such as garland or lights.
  • Mow the grass.
  • Reseed bare patches of lawn and add fresh sod, as needed.

Then move on to these easy upgrades to your home’s exterior:

  • Wash the front windows.
  • Power wash siding and walkways.
  • Repaint or stain porches and stairs, as needed.
  • Make sure house numbers are easy to see, visible, and pretty.
  • Make sure important outdoor features such as the front door, porch, and sidewalks and paths are well lit. (If not, install new fixtures or lighting.)

Even basic upgrades — like laying fresh mulch, changing porch lights, or installing a new mailbox — can help a buyer fall in love at first sight.

Just wait ’til they come inside and see what else you’ve done with the place.

Preferred Properties of Texas

(254) 965-7775|Contact Preferred Properties of Texas