Friday Fiction Flush - Prelist Checklist Edition

The housing market as we know it has been all over the map the past 10 years, but finally we are in a safe and steady incline of fair sales here in Northeast Ohio. Analysts across the board project that for the most part we've cleaned up our act from the Housing Bubble Burst and this new wave of buyers can feel confident in the value of home ownership again.

HOWEVER! This isn't the defeated market of the Mid 2000's and sellers have stepped their game up. Competition is strong and just leaving those brass fixtures swinging isn't our new standard any longer, so here's 3 quick tips on what to do pre-listing!

Curb Appeal- You've got one shot! All marketing photos in the MLS (Realtor's livetime database) legally must start with a clear shot of the frontview to a home. This means trim those bushes, paint the shutters and clean up the yard! When Zillow, Realtor, Homes.com etc. pull our photos from the MLS it in turn starts with that front pic. Think of this as your homes "Profile Picture" you don't want folks scrolling past yours because it's face is just "okay" They'll never make it to that stunning bathroom remodel photo if your weeds cover your windows folks.

Updates- The MILLION DOLLAR question! What do we change before listing Dan? Flooring, fixtures, and paint. These are the top three things you don't want to stand out for the wrong reasons. I show couples on average 4-6 homes per trip out, and it's a lot of information for anyone to absorb. So inevitably when your brain has too many things to process it will simplify them in the most memorable way possible. DON'T become the house with green carpet, the brass filled bungalow and paint that accent wall!

Price- Price your home to sell people, over inflating will ultimately lead to more DOM (Days On Market) and this is the kiss of death. "It's been on the market 298 days Dan, what's wrong with it." Well nothing now if it's priced appropriately but a buyer will go into these homes on the defense searching for any problem they can find to justify why it hasn't sold instead of noticing all the great improvements you've made.

UPDATED VS. UPGRADED VS. REPAIRED
These are commonly confused let me break this down with some examples:
OBJECT: A 1960's Bubblegum Pink toilet with a broken lid
   REPAIR: Fixing the broken lid (notice this is not an upgrade or update)
   UPDATE: Replacing this toilet with your run of the mill basic, white all in one piece toilet
   UPGRADE: Replacing with a 2016, ecoflush, heated seat, or any really bonus toilet feature

Repairs are a must, updates are expected and upgrades are a pleasant surprise!

Enjoy your weekend folks and of course if you'd like me to come and walk through your home and advise you on how to sell, I'd be happy to anytime. Call/Text (330)618-6769

Here's an example of how one of my clients has done curb appeal right!
Credit Courtney Fairfax

"Make a door they want to open"

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

Credit Score Calamity

Myth: Adding a co-signer with immaculate credit will improve my chances at loan approval!
Truth: Unfortunately, the lowest credit score out of all signers is the only one considered.

Example: Tony has a credit score of 604. Tony's mother has a credit score of 780. Simplified, Tony's score is the figure used for loan approval. 

BUT DAN! What if Tony's mom is the only one on the mortgage and she wants to only use her 780 credit score? 

She can certainly do this for her son, HOWEVER, this is now considered an investment property if she doesn't intend to make this her primary residence. Typically, 20% of the loan would be due as a down payment in this situation. There's some exception to this 20% with different loan programs some lenders offer a lesser amount.

*Please consult a lender for a detail of this process and its solutions*