Via Mark Moz

It’s one of the largest and most expensive assets most of us will ever own. It’s where we lay our head down at night, the place we make memories and call home. Selling it can be one of the most overwhelming and stressful experiences you may ever go through. So here are 18 tips for living in your home while it’s for sale to help you through the process:

1. Yes, make the beds every day!
2. If you smoke, don’t do it in the house! And if you’ve smoked in the house it would pay to have a restoration company come try to treat it or consider having it completely painted to rid the smell.
3. Dishes up. :)
4. Keep closets and storage areas organized, the larger they appear the better!
5. Keep it smelling nice. If you cook something strange, air it out!
6. Keep the temperature comfortable and season appropriate.
7. Fresh flowers inside and out are always a nice touch.
8. Keep your refrigerator clean and organized in case they look.
9. Keep your trash cans emptied.
10. Keep the floors vacuumed.
11. Keep the yard tidy.
12. Leave whenever possible and take pets with you; it makes the buyers feel more at ease. You want them to take the time to appreciate your home, right?
13. Don’t talk to the other agent or buyer directly more than you have to. You hired your agent for a reason, so let them do their job.
14. Be prepared for lights to be left on, doors left unlocked, and heaven knows what else I’ve had happen over the years. It’s not often but it’s also not the exception to the rule unfortunately these things happen sometimes.
15. Wait patiently for feedback from your agent. Sometimes it takes a few days to hear back from the other agent and the buyer.
16. Be as patient as you can throughout the process and try not to blame your Realtor if it doesn’t sell right away. If you chose the right agent, they have no reason in the world not to do everything they can to get your home sold as soon as possible and for that matter, for as much money as possible. They don’t get paid unless and until you get paid.
17. Remove any really valuable items. Consider taking them to a safety deposit box or storage unit just to be safe.
18. Breathe. When it’s meant to sell, that right buyer will come along. :)

The post 18 Tips For Living In Your Home While It’s For Sale appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

A kitchen remodel is the singular most cost-effective room remodel you can put into your home if you’re planning on putting it on the market. The ROI is usually more than 100% and very often much, much more. With the upswing in the real estate market these days, a full or partial kitchen remodel can help you sell your home faster and for a higher dollar amount.

1. Tuxedo Kitchens

You may have not heard of the term “tuxedo kitchen,” but you have likely seen the color-blocked images. The style is relatively simple, usually with white on the top, and a darker color such as black or dark gray on the bottom of the kitchen.

When designing your tuxedo kitchen, remember that the small accents are absolutely essential to tying this look together and really making it pop. Think brushed gold cabinet hardware with matching faucets and light fixtures, or utilizing the identical style cabinets for both top and bottom, but white on top and navy below, with matte finishes on both.

The little details will make or break this room, so pay attention to the subtleties!

2. Wood Paneling

Now, of course we’re not talking about 1970’s basement wood paneling… no, today’s wood paneling is rich in color and texture and nothing at all like the past. The prevailing trend over the next years will be towards light colored, even white, paneling and will be used on walls, ceilings, backsplashes…you’ll see lots of creative uses for paneling!

While lighter colors prevail, faux weathered greys and brown inspire a rustic look without having to break the bank on reclaimed barnwood. Warm tones give depth to rooms where people gather such as kitchens and living rooms, or where we take sanctuary – bedrooms and libraries or den areas.

Remember that you don’t have to panel an entire room, either. Using paneling in small spaces as an accent is a cost-effective and simple way to create a new look without investing a ton of work, time, or money.

Utilize recent (say, last 10-15 years) paneling in new ways by painting it in a new color. In a kitchen or bath, consider painting the paneling in a shade similar to the existing walls. If you’ve got a cottage look or rustic decor, a bit of faux distressing will look fantastic, and breathe new life into the room!

3. Hidden Appliances

Hidden appliances are those that are made to look as if they are cabinets, with the same design in doors and hardware. The trend will be towards hidden appliances, even small appliances such coffee makers and microwaves, and certainly bigger items like refrigerators and dishwashers.

Nearly every appliance but the stove can be “hidden” and disguised as cabinetry, and this creates a clean, uncluttered looking kitchen overall. This look will be especially attractive to those who spend a great deal of time in the kitchen and are looking for a cozier, more relaxing feel.

4. Patterned Tiles

Out with the subway-inspired tiles, and in with eclectic patterned tiles. Use many different patterns within a color range for a really funky look, or stick with a more traditional, yet still colorful, look of alternating patterned tiles.

The options here are truly endless, and you’ll find patterned tiles to fit every room, use, and budget. Go for a simple project like a new kitchen backsplash, or do an entire bathroom! Mix patterned tiles with solid-colored tiles or go all-out with one style/pattern. A simple online search for “patterned tiles” gives enormous inspiration!

5. Automation

Faucets with sensors – great for kids who can’t yet reach. Lights that go on when we enter a room and automatically go off when they stop detecting motion. Meat thermometers that notify your smartphone when your roast has achieved the correct temperature. These are but a few of the quickly increasing options when it comes to automating your home. In 2017 and future years, we’ll see more of these automation trends, and many of them will allow you to run your home from your smartphone or device. Exciting times, indeed!

And here are some trends that are on their way out!

• Short kitchen cabinets are no longer en vogue. Go for taller cabinets with more room for storage.
• Brown and grey speckled granite countertops. While granite is still a popular choice for counters because of its resiliency and ease of clean up, lighter granite is more in line with the kitchens of 2017 and beyond.
• Dark wood kitchens are a no go. Bright and light are where it’s at.

The post 5 Kitchen Trends To Watch In 2017 appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

2016 is coming to a close, and with the new year just around the corner, people across the world are gearing up to set their intentions for the upcoming year in the form of New Year’s Resolutions. And while you’re bound to make at least one standard resolution (like “finally get in shape” or “eat more vegetables”), as a homeowner, there are some home-specific resolutions you’ll want to think about to get the most out of your property and the experience of owning a home this upcoming year.

Here are 5 New Year’s Resolutions every homeowner should make for 2017:

1. Bump Up Your Mortgage Payments

If you have any sort of expendable income in 2017, you might want to think about putting it towards your mortgage. Making extra payments on your mortgage can have a huge impact on the total you end up paying out over the course of the loan. It can also shorten the amount of time you’ll be saddled with payments and can have you owning your house free and clear sooner than you expected.

The more you can contribute, the better. But even if you can only make a few extra payments per year – do it. Those extra dollars will add up and end up saving you serious dollars in interest over the course of your mortgage.

Create a 2017 budget and look for any areas where you can shave a few dollars, like your daily trip to the coffeehouse or an expensive gym membership. Then, re-purpose that cash and put it towards paying down your mortgage faster.

2. Explore Refinancing

2016 saw near record low interest rates on mortgages, and while they’ve slowly crept up towards the end of the year (current rates are around 4%), they’re still HALF of the average interest rates over the past 40 years (which averaged at 8.45%).

If you haven’t refinanced your mortgage recently, now is the time to do it. With a new president taking office, the economy may shift, and interest rates may rise.

Talk to your loan officer about refinancing and getting a lower interest rate. And if you’re in a variable rate mortgage, shift over to a fixed rate mortgage and lock in the low interest rates while you can.

3. Review and Renew Your Homeowners Insurance

A lot of homeowners roll over their insurance year to year, but if you haven’t reviewed your policy in a while, you might be missing out on some money-saving opportunities.

Shop around and get quotes to see what rates are competitive in the current market and if you’re paying more, see if your current company will match the lowest quote. If you have a stand-alone policy, think about bundling your auto and homeowners insurance with one company. Insurance companies will often offer discounts for customers who hold multiple policies. If you’ve made any major improvements to your home that could impact the insurability of your house (like clearing trees, installing a high tech security system or adding storm reinforcements), let your agent know. Improvements can often lower your premiums.

4. Declutter, Declutter, Declutter

While spring is traditionally the time for organizing (in the form of “spring cleaning”), there’s no better time for a fresh start – and a more organized home – than the New Year.

Cleaning out closets, getting rid of things you no longer want or need and taking a more minimalist approach to life can have huge benefits. Not only will your home look better, but you’ll also FEEL better as a result. Messy, cluttered homes can cause increased stress and anxiety, making it much harder to relax and enjoy your space. Clutter has also been shown to decrease creativity, productivity and focus, so if you want to have a happy and productive 2017, it’s time for the stuff to go.

Plan a day to go through all of your closets, cabinets and storage space. If you’re not actively using something, get rid of it. The benefits you’ll reap from decluttering will far outweigh the value of the things you get rid of.

5. Get Up To Speed On Safety

The new year is the perfect time to review the current state of your property and take any precautions necessary to ensure that you’re safe in the upcoming year.

Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replace them if necessary. Check your house for radon, a common, carcinogenic gas that can increase your chance of lung cancer (you can pick up a radon testing kit at the hardware store for less than $10). Meet with your family to review emergency evacuation plans in case of a fire, flood or other emergencies.

With these 5 resolutions, you’ll get the most out of your property – and of owning your home – in 2017 and beyond.

The post 5 New Year’s Resolutions Every Homeowner Should Make for 2017 appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

Featured Image Credit: Big Stock Images

Do you love looking at houses?

Yes?!

Awesome. You are going to be perfect for this business. I mean, it’s not the only thing you’re going to need to love, but this is a huge step in the right direction.

Because you’re going to be looking at tons of them! (As long as you work super hard and find lots of people who are looking for homes and agree to work with you as their agent…but let’s not bog down on that right now. That’s just a minor detail we can get into some other time.)

Even if you don’t have tons of clients when you first start out, once you become an agent…(once you have your license, and pay your dues, and pay your MLS fees, and get yourself a keypad, and a handful of other expenses I just don’t want to scare you with right now…) you can spend every day just going out to look at homes by yourself.

That gets old pretty quickly, though. And you start to wish the homes you were looking at were actually making you money to pay for everything it takes for you to be able to go out and look at homes.

Don’t sweat it. Eventually you will find people to show homes to. Lots of them!

I should clarify that… Not necessarily lots of clients. Maybe just a handful. But that handful of people will want you to show them lots and lots of houses.

You’ll show the people you work with way more houses than you ever sell. After all, each client is probably only going to buy one of the many houses you show them. (You’ll actually work with way more clients than you actually ever sell a single house to… Many people will never even end up buying a house at all, even after you have worked with them for months… But we’ll get into that in another article about being a “people person”.)

I feel like I might be painting too rosy of a picture. And I feel like I should warn you about one thing…

It’s probably not a big deal, since you love looking at houses…

But, you’re probably going to show one particular house somewhere around 11 times. To the same client. And their extended family. And some guy named Frank.

The first showing will be awesome. Because your clients obviously love it. You will know in your heart that they want to buy it. You will know it is the perfect house for them.

But, they will not be so sure.

So, they will ask to go back for a second look. Which, of course you will do. You agree that they should see the home again, this time, “when the sun is in the East”. Makes sense… Nobody should make an offer on a house until they have seen it with the sun hitting it from the East.

It was worth it. Because now they are 68% sure that this house is “the one”.

One more visit should do the trick. You will take them back again so that they can take some measurements. They ought to make sure that their furniture will fit before they pull the trigger.

Looks like everything will fit! This is good. They are now 93% sure that this is the house for them.

They won’t make an offer right after that showing. But only because it makes sense for their parents to see the house. Unfortunately, both sets of parents can’t make it on the same day and time. So, you get to go show the house two more times.

You start to chuckle to yourself about how it is a good thing you got into this business because you love to look at homes…

After you go look at the house two more times, you breathe a sigh of relief. Both sets of parents have given their blessing. (Someday you will appreciate how unlikely both sets of parents give their blessing. But this is another one of those topics for another day and another article. Let’s not muddy the waters with that right now, because…) Now your clients want to make an offer!

Right after you show them the house one more time. This time with Frank.

Frank is the buyers’ dad’s friend from the bar. Frank is a contractor. Not officially. I mean, he isn’t licensed. And he doesn’t actually have a construction business. But he’s “handy”. He can do anything around the house. So, they just want him to take a quick peek at the house before they make an offer.

No biggie. Just another reason for you to look at a house. Which you love doing. So, whatever… So, you go show the house to your clients and Frank…

And it is a good thing you did!

Turns out, Frank thinks that buying this house would be a big mistake. He finds tons of things wrong with it. Too many to list. Most of it you can’t actually see. Only he sees it. But trust him, he’s saving your clients from making a huge mistake. He can just feel it. Something’s just not right with this house.

Luckily, Frank knows a guy that has a house for sale that is in great condition. It’s not even on the market. He’s trying to sell it as a FSBO. (That means “for sale by owner”…sadly, you won’t be able to show them that house. The owner doesn’t want to deal with real estate agents.)

Your clients and Frank say goodbye. They’re going to take a ride over to check out Frank’s friend’s house.

They give you a call in the morning. Good news! They decided to buy Frank’s friend’s house! After one visit. Didn’t even need to see it with the sun shining from the East.

This would hurt a lot of real estate agents.

Fortunately, you just love looking at houses. So, you aren’t annoyed, let alone angry or hurt.

You’re simply grateful to them for giving you the chance to go look at so many houses. And for for giving you a chance to look at that one particular house so many times. It wasn’t actually 11 times. It was only 6 times. But it felt like 11. And that is just a bonus.

They gave you the feeling that you got to do something you love almost twice as much as you actually did it.

Hard to find another career where that is even possible.

The post Thing #517 You Should Know Before Becoming A Real Estate Agent appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

With Friday the 13th upon us, we thought it would be a great idea to run a story about superstitions in real estate over here at The Lighter Side of Real Estate.

It was just going to be a list of different superstitions, but this story caught my eye, and I couldn’t stop laughing. I felt it would be better as an interview than me just telling it. So here is the transcription of my phone call with the agent…

…who wants to remain anonymous, so out of respect, we’ll call him “AA”.

LS: I gotta tell you, when I heard the story we’re going to get into here, I was laughing so hard picturing you going through it. I’m sure it was aggravating for you, but this is classic stuff…the things agents do for people, man.

AA: Well, yeah, totally aggravating considering the end result. But that stuff happens all the time. But looking back on it. Pretty funny. I’m sure one of the neighbors has actual footage out there somewhere. Someone had to be recording it.

LS: OK, so the whole reason for this interview is because I’m doing a piece on real estate superstitions. So, what was the superstition in your story?

AA: I had a client ask me if I thought it would help if they buried a statue of St. Joseph in their yard.

LS: That might sound weird to some readers. Can you explain a little bit?

AA: It’s actually not that uncommon a question for me to hear. Probably for any agent to hear, really. A lot of people believe that when you are selling a house, if you bury a statue of Saint Joseph in your yard, it will help your house sell faster.

LS: Does it? What do you think…?

AA: I mean, what I think or believe doesn’t really matter. If a client wants to do it, or truly believes it works, the way I look at it is, it can’t hurt.

LS: From what I’ve heard and read, there’s actually a good amount of ceremony to it, right?

AA: Well, technically, yes. Like, you’re supposed to bury it upside down. And facing the house. Some people say it should be buried by the street. Some say by the for sale sign. And you’re supposed to pray about it, and keep faith that it is going to work. And once the house is sold, you’re supposed to dig him up and give him a nice place to rest in your new home.

But nobody does that. Most people just bury it and forget about it.

LS: I’m laughing right now, because I know where this is going and it begs me to ask…did your client forget about having buried the statue?

Oh, I should say that when this client asked, you told her it was a good thing to do, right?

AA: Well, no, not really. I just didn’t discourage her or encourage her. I was like, it can’t hurt, you know.

She just wanted to do it. Believed it would help. And this was early on in the process. Her house had just gone on the market a couple of days before. And there hadn’t been any showings yet. But that wasn’t weird to me.

Her house was pretty high end, and there just aren’t that many buyers in that price range in her area.

And she pushed to price the house a bit higher than she should have, too…against my recommendation.

So I wasn’t expecting all that much activity, or to see a lot of showings that quickly anyway. But she was already nervous. And someone had just told her to bury the statue, that it would help sell her house quickly.

So, I was just like, sure, knock yourself out… but really it’s more a matter of your price and the market than anything else.

LS: OK, so let’s get into the funny part… So, she buries it. And does just forget about it?

AA: Nope. She brings it up constantly. Every phone call. She starts wondering why she isn’t getting any showings even though she buried the statue.

So, she starts doing research, and decides that maybe she buried it facing the wrong way. So, she wants to dig him up and make sure. She asks me if I think that’s OK.

LS: Whatever. Big deal, right?

AA: Totally. I was like, yup. Maybe that’s the problem. Do it. Dig ‘em up…

Problem is, she didn’t live at the house anymore. She had moved about an hour away. So I figured she would just do it the next time she came up to check on the house.

But she couldn’t wait. She didn’t want to lose any time. So she asks me to dig him up to make sure.

So, I figured, OK. I’ll do it. Easier than dealing with her being anxious or upset.

LS: The things real estate agents do for clients!!! People don’t even realize… OK, so you did it. Did it help?

AA: Nope. Nothing changed. I recommended she just price her house where I had recommended. But she felt like she hadn’t given the Saint Joseph thing enough of a chance.

But now she starts wondering if where she buried him is the problem. So she asks me to go over and dig him up and bury him in another spot. So, I did.

LS: Did the new spot work?

AA: No.

I mean, at this point we have gotten some showings. But nothing in the price range is selling. So I know it is a market condition thing, not her house or the price at this point. Because she did reduce her price to where I recommended.

So I start to really get firm about it just being a matter of patience. The market is slow in her range. Don’t worry. Just have faith and be patient.

But she decides that maybe the spot I buried it wasn’t working. And asks me…kinda tells me actually…that I need to go back and dig him up and put him back where she first had him.

LS: How do you deal with someone like that?

AA: I really wanted to say, get lost.

But this sort of stuff isn’t all that crazy for agents to deal with. Not exactly this request. But real estate agents getting sort of bossed around by clients happens often enough.

And unless it is way out of line, most of the time we find ourselves just doing whatever to keep the peace. It isn’t right, but it is a reality.

LS: So, you did it for her again. And, I know the answer, but was it the last time?

AA: No. Of course not.

Moving him back to the old spot didn’t change anything. So she decides that she needs to hedge her bet. She doesn’t want to move him from that spot, but she isn’t sure that it is the perfect spot either. So she has me go buy her a bunch more statues to bury all around the house.

LS: She asked you to buy them…she pay you back?

AA: Nope. And I had to go to some store way out of my way to get them. Then bury them. Literally all over the yard. She wanted 7 of them. Because 7 was her lucky number. (And like everyone else’s too, I wanted to tell her…)

So, there’s 7 Saint Joseph’s buried in that yard to this day…unless the new owners found ‘em.

LS: But 7 of them did the trick, right!? Now you have lucky number 7 and Saint Joseph on your side…

AA: Of course not!

It was a market thing, no superstition was going to make it happen any faster.

LS: Right, but eventually it all pays off. Her house gets sold. You get paid. Everyone parts ways happy.

AA: No, she ended up getting so frustrated that she asks me to release her from our contract so she could list with another agent.

At that point, I was like, good riddance. See ya. And let her go without a fight.

LS: Did the house sell fast once she listed it with the other agent?

AA: Not at all. Still took months. Eventually it sold because the agent she hired hammered away at her to get her to reduce her price to an absurdly lower price than it should have been.

She should have just been patient. I figure she lost somewhere around $80,000 because she lowered her price so much, and there just wasn’t any buyer activity. If she’d stayed firm at the price I recommended, she would have gotten close to asking. There wasn’t another house that could compete with hers in the range. It was just a matter of a serious buyer coming into the market. But she needed some faith and patience for that.

LS: Faith and patience (laughing)… The whole thing about the statue is you’re supposed to have faith and pray, right?

AA: Right. That’s the ridiculous thing. She had more faith in a plastic statue than she did in my knowledge, skills, and advice.

LS: Let’s wrap it up right there, man. That is the takeaway, isn’t it?

Clients should put more faith in their agent’s advice and thoughts than in a plastic statue…

AA: Or any other superstition, yeah… totally.

But whatever…agents are always going to respect someone’s superstitions, whether they believe in them or not.

LS: Wait, did you say plastic statue… Maybe that was the problem. Shoulda been wood. (Laughing) Totally your fault… (Still laughing)

AA: Riiiight. My bad. I should’ve bought wood.

The post Does Burying A Statue of Saint Joseph Help Your Home Sell Faster? appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

As anyone who has ever purchased an older home knows, small bathroom spaces come with their own unique set of challenges. First is storage. There are a lot of things that need to be stored and used in a bathroom. Second is style. You want your space, though small, to seem bright and airy. So how do you make sure you’ve got the storage you need, while also having the style you crave?

Here are 24 great tips to make that tiny space seem larger-than-life, and store everything you need at your fingertips!

1. Easy on the clutter.

The quickest way to have your small space seem smaller is to have a lot of clutter hanging around. One or two personal pieces is the limit, and place them on a decorative plate or tray for a cute little display that doesn’t overwhelm the space.

2. Be selective with your vanity.

When deciding on the type and size of cabinetry, keep in mind your unique needs for the space. Is it a main bath that will get a lot of use? Or a bathroom that will only see guests a few times a month? This will guide you to choosing a vanity with the right amount of storage.

3. Try a wall-mounted faucet!

A faucet extending directly from the wall saves you a few inches that you can use for a narrower sink. It may not seem like much, but every inch in your small space adds up! A plus is that a wall-mounted faucet looks very unique and different.

4. Free up your floors.

A clean floor line will make your room look as if it has more space. A pedestal sink is perfect for this purpose, and pedestals come in a wide variety of styles from modern to rustic.

5. Scale the pattern to fit the feeling.

It may seem counter intuitive, but utilizing a large-scale pattern in a small bathroom can trick your eyes into seeing more space than is actually there. The bath will feel as if it is roomier than it really is, and a large-scale pattern gives myriad design options!

6. Utilize the door for towels.

Both the back or the front of a bathroom door can be used and will allow at least one towel to be available even when space is at a premium.

7. Bare wall spaces are prime for shelving.

Utilize wall space for shelving – especially in high spaces. By going vertical with shelves, you expand your storage space without taking up room that is used by furniture or people in the bathroom. High shelves also draw the eye upwards, which makes the room feel larger. Don’t forget to put a ceiling-mounted shelf right above the door, too!

8. A great place for an additional medicine cabinet is…

Anywhere there’s wall space in your tiny bathroom! Install one above the toilet or on an adjacent wall for additional storage that doesn’t take up floor space.

9. Work with the space under your sink.

If you have a wall-mounted sink, utilize the area under it for storage, and style! Use decorative baskets, crates, or shelves to store makeup and hair products and keep them easily accessed.

10. If all else fails, the door isn’t too far away.

If your bathroom space isn’t usable for any storage, consider the space just outside the door. Will a narrow armoire fit there? That’s a great place to store extra toilet tissue, toothpaste, makeup, body products, and towels that isn’t too far out of reach.

11. Lighting in a small bathroom is super important!

Use lights that create a clear, bright and natural light, and the room will seem larger. Eliminate shadows as much as possible with your lighting.

12. Coordinate your paint job.

Monochromatic paint keeps everything looking styling and cohesive. A single color, or two or three very close variations of color in a small space looks elegant and well thought out.

13. “Honey, I shrunk the sink.”

Purchase scaled-down versions of sinks and other appliances. Make the appliances fit the room size and the room will appear larger!

14. Think about the corners.

By installing a corner sink, you’ll utilize an area that would normally be dead space, and you’ll keep the floor even more open.

15. Does that shower curtain feel confining?

Opt for a clear shower curtain rather than a printed one, or a shower door. If a crystal-clear shower curtain doesn’t fit your design aesthetic, go with something at least semi-transparent.

16. Consider glass shelving.

Glass shelves give you storage space without darkening the room, or making it feel cluttered with shelving. Since light travels through the glass, you don’t have to worry about shadows and dark spaces.

17. Get fancy with your accessories.

Take advantage of the small space by going “big” with higher-end accessory pieces. The focus will then be on these gorgeous pieces instead of the size of the room.

18. Don’t let the door hit you.

If a traditional door is taking up space in your tiny bathroom, and you have the area to do so, remove the swinging door and add a pocket door. This is a great way to add inches to a small bathroom while still preserving privacy when needed.

19. More mirrors.

Mirrors will never go out of style when it comes to opening up a room. A well placed mirror, or a wall of mirror tiles, can make your small bathroom look doubly big and bright!

20. Go curvy.

Try a rounded vanity instead of 90 degree angles. This creates a lovely flow within a small room, saves space, and is easier on your hips, too!

21. There’s room above the toilet tank.

If your toilet is next to your sink, customize your counter so that it extends from your sink over your toilet tank. This creates a clean, streamlined look, and gives room for a few items on the counter top. Just make sure the counter top is removable in case you need to do some plumbing.

22. Coordinate the vanity color.

Sometimes you need the storage of a traditional vanity. If this is the case in your bathroom, keep the vanity close in color to the walls so that the eye doesn’t detect any abrupt breaks in the space.

23. There’s space under a pedestal sink.

If you don’t need a traditional vanity, and opt for a pedestal sink, choose a style with an open shelf underneath. Extra storage in an area that wouldn’t normally be utilized!

24. Get the sink or vanity off of the floor.

Wall-mounted sinks and vanities keep everything up off the floor, opening up the room. That space underneath can always be used for additional storage by buying pretty baskets that fit the space.

The post 24 Tiny Bathroom Ideas That Are Big On Storage And Style appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

Real estate agents hear this all the time…

“I wish I had called you before. But I just didn’t want to bother you. I know you’re busy…”

…after it is too late.

There are times when you might feel like you shouldn’t “bother” the real estate agent you know. (Could be your friend, a neighbor, your brother-in-law, cousin, your sister…)

Maybe you’re truly trying to be considerate.

But, maybe it’s because you’re not even aware that you should.

Or, you just don’t want to feel obligated or pushed into doing something. (Despite what many people think, most agents are not pushy. Most are the exact opposite.)

So, let’s go over a few times that you should “bother” your real estate agent. Because it really isn’t a bother.

In fact, we’ll get into why it will bother them if you don’t reach out to them for any of these things.

1. You just want to check out a house.

You see a house online. Or a For Sale sign. Maybe even just stumble across and open house.

You’re not all that serious about buying a house. Maybe you’re only just starting to think about it. Or, maybe you have no desire at all to move, and you’re just curious and want to take a peek.

So, you don’t want to “bother” the agent you know to show you the house.

Instead, you call the listing agent. Or some random agent you don’t even know. Or just walk right into the open house.

Next thing you know, you love the house. You’re making an offer. The offer is accepted. And then you regret it. Or problems come up. Or the process is miserable. Or you don’t feel like the agent you’re dealing with is giving you the best advice.

And that’s when you call the agent you know.

Too late. At that point, the agent you know can’t help. (Or at least shouldn’t…) Because now you are represented by another agent. The agent you know can get in a lot of trouble for even giving you friendly advice.

As innocent as it seems, when you just want to go see a house… you are inadvertently making a bigger decision than you think — you are deciding who will represent your interests, advise you, and help you through the process.

Even if you just go see a house with another agent, and before you even make an offer you decide to have the agent you know write up the offer and represent you… the agent who simply showed you the house could claim you as their client. It’s called “procuring cause”. I won’t get into the details here, but it can become messy.

You’re better off calling the agent you know to show you the house in the first place. You won’t be considered a bother.

What will bother him is to have to bite his tongue and not give you the help you want further into the process.

2. You want to know how much your home is worth.

Maybe you’re just curious about how much your home is worth. Or, maybe you’re actually thinking of selling. It might be because you want to get a feel for your net worth.

Nowadays, you can hop online and check out any number of sites that will give you the value of your home.

So, why “bother” the agent you know about this?

Because most of what you will find online is highly inaccurate to begin with. They are “automated” valuations. They are based upon data and algorithms. They have never even seen the inside of your home. They do not take into account your local market conditions.

And if you base your hopes, dreams, and decisions off of an inaccurate value, that can hurt you quite a bit.

Again, asking the agent you know to do an analysis and give you a true market value… not a bother.

But, it would be bothersome to hear that you’ve based important life decisions off of an inaccurate value once it’s too late.

3. You are considering a home improvement project.

The real estate agent you know probably isn’t an architect. Or a builder, a plumber, an electrician, a painter, etc. So, they probably can’t advise you about the ins and outs of a specific project or costs.

But once you have a sense of the proposed cost of a project, before you just pull the trigger and move forward, you really should “bother” your agent for their input.

Putting on an addition? That will surely increase the value.

A kitchen or bathroom remodel? Yep, your house will be worth more.

But will the value increase more than the amount you spent? Will that matter in your situation? Will the choices you make in decor, layout, or fixtures appeal to a buyer down the road? Does that even matter, given your future plans?

All questions and thoughts your agent can get into with you. Before you spend the money and go through the headaches of a huge project.

On the other hand, if you go forward with a home improvement project and spend, let’s say $60,000, and then call your agent…

You could seriously regret how much you spent, or even doing the project at all.

Your agent doesn’t want to break the news to you that your home is only worth $38,000 more after you spent $60,000. There is no joy in that. There is nothing that can be done at that point.

That’s just three examples. There are certainly more. But you get the point…

So, reach out to your agent before you do anything real estate related… and just trust that it isn’t a “bother”.

The post 3 Reasons Your Real Estate Agent WANTS You To Bother Them appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

Before we get to the “one thing”, answer this question:

Do you know which home improvement will bring you the best return on investment?

Don’t look at me. I can’t tell you off-hand.

And don’t go by hearsay, either.

Just because you heard some guy at a party say that remodeling your kitchen or bathroom is the best return on investment, doesn’t mean it is true.

Don’t even go by one of those articles you read online that claim this, that, or any other thing will bring you the best return on your investment.

Because, the best return on investment for any home improvement depends a whole lot on so many factors…

• Where do you live?
• What is the market like in your area overall?
• What is the market like for houses like your specific house?
• Are you doing the improvement specifically to make more money on the sale of

your home in the very near future?

• Or will you be selling some time down the road?

But, I can tell you, without hesitation…

No matter where you live…

No matter what the market is like…

No matter what your house is like…

Or when you are going to sell it…

There is one, hands down best return on investment.

You would think any project will increase the value…

I mean, if you remodel your kitchen, that’s certainly got to improve the value of your home, right?

Or taking that 80’s looking bathroom for a trip into the new millennium will definitely get you more money when you go to sell the house.

And going all out and putting on an addition should add tons to your eventual list price when you go to sell.

How about painting the entire house? New carpeting or wood floors? A new furnace?

And you’d be right… to a degree.

You’d definitely add value… make your home worth more… regardless of what home improvement project you do.

But let’s face it, while the options are limitless, your budget is not.

So, you’re smart to stop and consider which project will bring you the best return on your investment.

But the reality is… most projects cost more than they return.

Most home improvement projects you choose to do are not going to make you any money.

Sure, they will raise the value.

But most of the things you could choose to spend money on, will not actually improve the value more than it cost you.

Quite often, the improved value is somewhere in the 60%-70% range of what you spent.

For instance…

You spend $1000 and improve the value, say $600 – $700.

Or, you spend $10,000, and reap the rewards of maybe $6,000 – $7,000.

And, that’s a shock for way too many people… once it is too late.

At least, for people who don’t take advantage of something that will provide a huge return on investment.

If only everyone did this.

But most people don’t, because…

The problem is…

Too often, people just decide to do a project and presume that it will raise the value more than it costs.

No harm, no foul if they did it and were staying in the house for years to come.

But a lot of times, people are doing renovations because they’re thinking of selling soon, and figure it makes sense to do whatever project strikes them as the most bang for the buck…

… without speaking to a real estate agent first.

Then, they excitedly invite an agent over. They want to list their home and can’t wait for how impressed the agent will be.

And, the agent is impressed!

But, the homeowner is not impressed with the value the agent comes up with. Seems the project wasn’t worth the money spent.

So, the agent becomes the enemy. The agent becomes the scapegoat. The whipping post.

Like they don’t know what they are talking about… or don’t see the value… or just want the owner to price it low so they can make a quick sale.

The best things in life are free…

Real estate agents are often villainized for making too much money. Or being pushy. Or out to make a quick buck… (Let’s not even get into those misperceptions here…)

But the reality is, agents are undervalued and underutilized.

To just go ahead and do a home improvement because you think, heard, or read that something is “the best return on investment”, is a huge mistake.

Going the opposite route, and not doing a particular project because some yearly report you found online says that a home improvement only returns 53% of the investment, could be just as big a mistake.

It totally depends on your area. Your home. Your plans.

And a local real estate agent can help you figure out which home improvements will actually add value to your home and be worth the money you spend…for your home, in your area, given your plans.

Yet, way too often, a real estate agent isn’t called until the moment someone wants to put their home on the market… when they could have been, and should have been, called before the project was done. And they would have come out for free.

I will repeat that…

… for free.

So make sure you do this ONE thing…

Simply pick up the phone and call your agent before you do anything, or spend anything on improving your home.

This is undeniably the best thing you can do to get the best return on your home improvement project.

Your agent is going to be the best source for the best advice as to what your best return on investment will be for your situation.

It might be doing your kitchen.

It might be remodeling the bathroom.

It could be as simple as painting. Or a good cleaning. Or decluttering.

No article or report can tell you… and the guy at the bar can’t tell you, either (unless he or she happens to be a local real estate agent and knows your house, your market, and your situation.)

The post Do This ONE Thing To Get The Best Return On Your Home Improvement Project appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Whether you celebrate it or not, take the well wishes. Who can’t use more good luck?

Especially if you are going to be buying or selling real estate this year…

When it comes to a real estate purchase or sale, luck is good to have!

But, you shouldn’t rely on it…

Dancing Dragons Aren’t Lucky

You ever see those Chinese dancing dragons bobbing up and down, and weaving around so gracefully?

The first thing I think about when I hear Chinese New Year are those dancing dragons…

…and strings of tied-together firecrackers going off all around them.

As if dancing gracefully under that dragon costume isn’t hard enough, right? They’re lucky nobody gets burned or hurt!

Why would anyone throw lit firecrackers so close to them?

Because tradition…

Because festivities…

All part of the fun, I guess.

But how do they not get burned? Or at least get so startled that they mess up the dance, bump into each other, and fall into a crumpled mess?

You have to give those dancers a lot of credit. Sure, you could say there is luck involved.

But it probably boils down to a whole lot of practice, during the entire year. There’s no way that they just crawl under the costume and wing it during New Year celebrations.

They rehearse.

Welcome To Our Dance

When you are buying or selling real estate, it’s like slipping under a dragon costume with us, and becoming part of our dance.

There’s going to be other people under there as well — everyone involved in getting the sale done — the buyers, the sellers, mortgage representatives, inspectors, an appraiser, maybe an attorney or two, just to name a few. And of course, us…the real estate agents.

Ideally, and with any luck, it’s going to be a graceful dance from beginning to end.

Everybody bobs up when they should, everyone ducks down when they should…goes right when they should, and goes left when they should.

Nobody is stopping in the middle of it all, causing everyone else to bump into each other and fall into a crumpled heap.

But there will be firecrackers thrown all around you. It will be startling. Scary even. And that could cause you to stop in your tracks. Or turn the wrong way. Or forget to bob up or down when you’re supposed to.

The firecrackers could be as simple as delays in the process. Or it could be as scary as a huge inspection issue nobody expected. Maybe it is an appraisal issue. Perhaps the buyer is hesitating. Or the seller is second guessing moving.

All of these things, and many more, could go wrong. Every deal is one wrong turn, one wrong move, or one startled person away from becoming a crumpled mess.

Because not everyone is at the dress rehearsal…

When you’re buying or selling, it is a once-in-a-while event. Most people don’t buy houses every year, let alone every day, of every week, of the year.

Real estate professionals do…

But, obviously, you’re a necessary part of the dragon, and the dance…

Without you, there is no dance.

The Firecrackers Are “Normal”

We get that it is a bit crazy. And a bit scary for you at times.

But we know that most of the time, it is just noise that won’t actually hurt you.

Real estate professionals don’t love the “firecrackers” either. But we get used to them. We know they are part of the festivities.

Because we dance daily.

And we know that we all need to just keep our cool, do our part, and cope with the firecrackers.

With Practice Comes Luck… And Other Fortunes

I forgot, I also think about fortune cookies when I think about Chinese New Year.

And when I think about fortune cookies, I think about this fortune I got one time. I can’t remember the exact words, but it was something along the lines of…

“With practice, good luck comes…hire someone who practices.”

Totally tongue in cheek. But I liked it.

So, I guess what I’m getting at, is this…

If you are buying or selling real estate this year, I don’t wish you luck.

I wish you practice.

Specifically, I wish you hire someone who practices…

And I wish you follow their lead, and their advice… as you do the dragon dance with them. Don’t freak out about the firecrackers. Don’t stop mid-dance. Don’t forget to do your part. Remember to bob up and down when you should.

That, not luck, will bring you great fortune in real estate.

The post What Do The Chinese New Year And Real Estate Have In Common? appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

Image via: DreamWorks Pictures

East Hanover, NJ –

Local real estate agent, Robert Frapple, was the latest victim in an ongoing crime spree within the real estate industry, which has spanned decades.

Mr. Frapple had been working with buyer clients, John and Jane Dough for many months, trying to help them find the perfect house, on a limited budget. That house came on the market late last week.

He immediately called the Doughs to schedule a time to see the home at 42 Ross St. at some point over the weekend.

Frapple alerted the clients that the only time he would not be available over the weekend was during the hour he attends church on Sunday. But otherwise, he would be available to show them the house at a time convenient to them. Frapple suggested they meet on Saturday at 3PM, or, if that didn’t work, perhaps Sunday afternoon.

Mrs. Dough informed him that Saturday at 3PM would not work, because she had a hair appointment with one Ms. Rita Rongesheck, at the same time. And, as is widely known, it is almost impossible to book a time with Rita, so she would not be willing to cancel her hair appointment.

Sunday afternoon would not be convenient either, because Mr. Dough planned on watching some football, as he does every Sunday.

Frapple and the Doughs agreed to put off the showing until next weekend.

During the course of Mrs. Dough’s hair appointment, the topic of real estate came up. At that time, Ms. Rongesheck disclosed to Mrs. Dough that she had a real estate license. She also disclosed that she made it a point to always be available whenever people needed her to see a house, as long as it was not during the times she is cutting hair. She then accused Mr. Frapple of not being available when the Doughs needed him, and offered to take them to see the house at 42 Ross St., while Mr. Frapple attended church.

The Doughs spent months and months looking at houses with Mr. Frapple, and looked at dozens of homes. However, none of which were acceptable. But, upon entering the house at 42 Ross St., both Doughs knew immediately that “this was the one”.

They returned to Ms. Rongesheck’s salon in order to write up an offer.

The offer was accepted.

Upon hearing the news, Mr Frapple became aware that he had been robbed of his clients, his time, and his “intellectual property”.

“Rita stole my client… and the Doughs stole my time and thoughts. Time I will never get back. And thoughts they benefited from, but I don’t get compensated for. I wish it was the first time, but it’s not,” said Frapple. “This happens to almost every agent a couple of times a year. And it has been happening in the industry forever.”

When reached for a comment, it appears that both Doughs are completely unaware of any wrongdoing on their part.

“We wouldn’t so much as steal a pack of gum from the store. So to be accused of stealing from Mr. Frapple is ridiculous. He should have been available when we needed him. There are plenty of other times he can attend church,” responded Mrs. Dough.

Rongesheck defends her position by pointing out that hairdressers actually need to attend more class hours to obtain a license to cut hair, than real estate agents do to receive a real estate license.

“So, what’s the big deal?”, said Rongesheck.

She continued: “He should try becoming a hairdresser. See what that’s like. Makes no sense why we have to go to school so much longer and make tens of dollars for a few hours of work, when those guys are out making tens of thousands for like an hour’s work. I mean, I spent what, an hour showing those people that house and then filled in some blanks on a piece of paper… so, excuse me if I use my license to make a few extra bucks a year.”

No charges have been filed as of press time, nor will they be. Ever.

“I reported it to my manager,” says Frapple. “But that’s as far as it’ll go. He basically told me that’s just how the cookie crumbles. Nothing I can do about it.”

Frapple further added, “But I gotta tell you, it’s like being a store owner and having to be cordial with a percentage of our customers walking in, treating us with no respect, and watching them walk right out the store with stuff right off our shelves… and having to be okay with that. And do nothing. Makes no sense.”

Frapple was not physically harmed during the robbery. But he is seeking psychological treatment at a local bar.

While this “news story” is fictional, it is not a stretch by any means. Scenarios just like this occur every day in the real estate industry. Nobody in this story is technically “guilty” of anything…they did nothing “wrong”. But it is also just not “right”.

When you work with a real estate agent to buy a house, please extend your agent the courtesy of loyalty. There is nothing worse than putting in all the time and hard work, only for another agent, who has not been working with the client for the long haul, to swoop in and make the sale.

The post Real Estate Agent Was Not Expecting To Be Robbed By Hairdresser appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

When you go to sell your house, there’s a good chance you’re not going to agree with what a real estate agent suggests for a list price.

It’s one of the most common issues real estate agents deal with, and help homeowners understand.

Problem is… many homeowners don’t necessarily see it as agents trying to help them, so much as convince them to do something they don’t want to do.

Naturally, you want as much as you can get for your home. And, you’ll certainly have your own opinion on the value of your home. You’re totally entitled to your opinion. And it’s totally your call to ignore the agent’s advice, and list your house for as much as you like… if the agent is still willing to work with you.

But if the agent is not willing to, it doesn’t matter, you can always find any number of agents who will put it on the market for as high of a price as you want.

But, it might be the biggest mistake you can make…

In the least, you’ll just waste your time. (And the agent’s time.)

But, it could also lose you money, instead of make you money…

There’s lots of ways this happens, but one of the biggest reasons is that the longer you are on the market, the more it impacts how buyers perceive your home, and what it is worth.

And that is hard to hide…

It has become more and more of an issue as so much data and information has become available online. Like, how long a house has been on the market, and how many times it has been listed without selling.

So, the best thing to do, is list your home based upon the current market data… not what you want, wish, or think.

When it comes to pricing your home for sale, Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, has such an appropriate quote…

“Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to be.”

Let’s break that down and apply it to pricing your home… starting in reverse.

As You Wish It To Be

This is so human, isn’t it? Everybody has things in life they wish were different and better.

C’mon, we all wish we were millionaires. Or even just hundred-thousandaires. But why wish for just hundreds of thousands. Almost everyone wishes beyond that. Why not? It’s a wish. No harm in that. It might even motivate you to do something that gets you there…

Because you can certainly do things to make it your reality. But you’re probably not going to just wish yourself into becoming a millionaire. And you’re probably not going to become a millionaire by simply doing whatever it is you have been doing, which has not gotten you there yet.

But there’s hope. Always hope.

And so it is when many homeowners want to sell their home.

Not to say that everyone thinks that their home is worth a million dollars. But almost every owner feels like their home is worth a good amount more than the actual market value. Usually by tens of thousands of dollars. Regardless of price range.

But the market value is based upon what buyers have paid for similar homes recently. So you need to base your price against the prices similar homes have sold for.

You can’t expect your 3 bed, 1 bath Ranch style home, to sell for as much as a 4 bed, 3 bath Colonial in a similar (or better) location and condition than yours.

You can wish it would. But it probably won’t.

With that said, you can make your home worth as much as a 4 bed, 3 bath Colonial… if you make it into one. But the point being… you would need to do something to make it so, not just wish it were.

Not As It Was

A lot of times, when they hear how much their home is worth in the current market, say something along the lines of…

“There’s no way my house is only worth $525,000. Back in 2005 my house would have gone for $700,000! And, sure, I know that the market was crazy high back then, and the market took a dive. But the market is bouncing back now. So, I can’t see asking anything less than $650,000.”

OK. Deep breath. Phew. Here we go…

Half the time, you can’t even prove that a house would have sold for, say, $700,000 back in 2005. That is often just what an owner personally thought it was worth in their mind. But that was never tested. The chances are… it wasn’t worth that back then. Or ever.

But, let’s just say it was worth $700,000 back in 2005. And now it truly is only worth $525,000. That is the reality. Now. And that is all you can deal with. You can decide not to sell. Wait out the market until prices go up to a point you are happy with.

You cannot, however, turn back time. You can’t price your home based upon such distant history… as it was. It won’t do you any good.

Face Reality As It Is

It is that “simple”. But yet, so hard.

So many homeowners overprice their homes, and lose money in many ways by not facing reality as it is.

And a lot of real estate agents reluctantly allow homeowners to do it.

It takes a pretty special agent to be firm about pricing with a homeowner.

Because many agents will do as you wish. And they’ll put your house on the market and wish right along with you.

First, they’ll wish for a miracle…

Then, they’ll wish they were firmer with you on the price to begin with…

And the whole entire time, they’ll wish that you would just lower your price already…

And they will bring up lowering your price. Constantly. And you will be annoyed. And feel like that’s all they are doing. And you’ll start thinking about who the next agent you hire will be, once your listing contract expires with the agent who did as you wished.

So, save yourself some time, aggravation, and make as much money as you can and should on your home, by facing reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to be.

You’re better off listening to and hiring an agent, who is firm about your market value, and helping you face reality, than you are working with an agent who is, well… wishy-washy.

The post It’s Time We Had A Realistic Discussion About Your Home’s Value appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

We all have our reasons for why we got into real estate. For some, it’s the freedom of not having a 9-5 job tying us down all week. For others, it’s a true passion for helping people find their next home. Whatever the reason, we all go into the business with hopes and dreams.

Of course, binge-watching HGTV probably won’t give you an accurate picture of what being an agent is like. There’s a lot more to the profession than driving your crispy-white BMW to show a beachfront condo to your well-dressed, all cash buyer.

But even though life as a real estate agent usually isn’t the same as on television, you can still expect it to change. Here’s how:

1.The way you view neighborhoods completely changes

Once you become an agent, your perception of geography changes completely. What used to be just a neighborhood you drove through turns into individual houses that you’ve shown or open houses you’ve attended. Even years later, you’ll still remember everything.

2.You learn to negotiate better than a foreign diplomat

If you aren’t confident in your negotiating skills when you first get into real estate, you will be after you get through a few transactions. Negotiating can be tedious and stressful, but it’s not a skill that you can’t learn, and by the time you’ve got a few homes under your belt, you’ll feel like you could get a job at the United Nations.

3.You develop a radar for any real estate conversation

Networking is critical to becoming a successful real estate agent, and every agent’s ears perk up when they hear anyone discussing anything to do with real estate. While skilled agents can work their way into the conversation and turn it into a lead, every single agent will at least pay attention when the topic of home ownership (and sellership) comes up.

4.Your relationship status changes to “In a relationship with Real Estate”

It’s true that you can maintain very healthy relationships while working as an agent, but it’s also true that you’ll feel like you’re in a relationship with all of your clients too. And sometimes that relationship can be a challenging one. Your relationships will have a direct impact on your success in the business, and most of the people you’ll meet through real estate will remain your friends for life.

5.Your car turns into a mobile office

Once you become an agent, the car you use to get from point a to point b all of a sudden becomes a mobile real estate office filled with lawn signs, paperwork, coffee cups, and flyers. Most real estate agents drive relatively nice vehicles, but cleaning them out every few weeks is a must unless you want to end up on the television show Vehicle Hoarders.

6.Your week is no longer divided into weekdays and weekends

They say that when you become an entrepreneur, a Sunday doesn’t feel any different from a Monday. This also applies to real estate. Of course, weekends can be somewhat different for agents because of open houses, so while friends are going to concerts or eating brunch, real estate agents are busy working. But the feelings that come with working a 9-5 are no longer there, replaced by a more flexible, but demanding schedule.

7.You become really good at math

You don’t need to be a math whiz to become a successful agent, but you’ll get really good at it the longer you stay in the business. Mortgage payments, tax bills, and commissions constantly need to be calculated, and after a while you’ll learn to do quick math in your head that you never thought possible.

8.Your destiny is finally in your own hands

Many agents worked a “regular” job before making the jump into real estate, and dreamt about the ability to make their own hours and control their income. Once you’re finally doing it, you might forget what motivated you to begin the journey. But it’s important to take a step back sometimes and realize that you’re actually doing it! You made your dream come true, and don’t forget it, especially when things get tough.

9.You learn never to assume that everything will go according to plan

If there’s one thing you’ll learn when you become an agent, it’s that nothing ever goes according to plan. Short appraisals, surprises during the inspection, financing issues – very few deals are easy these days. Once you accept it, however, you’ll understand that expecting the unexpected is part of life as an agent.

10.You become the resource for all of your friends’ and family’s real estate questions

Lawyers get a call from their friends when they’re in trouble, and doctors get asked for advice when someone’s not feeling well. Real estate is no exception. Once your friends and family know that you’re an expert, you’ll get all sorts of questions about real estate. When people start calling you regularly for advice, you’ll know that you’ve finally come into your own as an agent, and that your life has changed forever.

Via bigstockphoto.com

Very few people are lucky enough to know what they want to do from a young age and even fewer are fortunate enough to see their dream through. You might have wanted to become an astronaut when you were 4 years old, but the chances that you’re currently orbiting earth in the International State Station are fairly slim.

But what we think we want to do and what we’re destined to do aren’t always the same thing. Many real estate agents try various professions before they find their true calling. There’s an old saying, “A (wo)man does what he can, until his true calling is revealed.” Here are eight signs that you were destined to work as a real estate agent:

1. You’re very responsive to people and their needs

Is there anything better than a responsive real estate agent? Actually, is there anything worse than a non-responsive one? If you’re in tune with people’s needs, and respond quickly to help solve their problems, you’ll probably make a great agent. And if this is an intrinsic part of your character, then perhaps you were destined to become one.

2. You love exploring

If you get a high from driving to new areas and discovering places you’ve never been before, then you might be destined for real estate. Finding yourself down a windy road you never knew existed or coming across a tucked-away home in the middle of nowhere usually comes with the job, and if your heart beats faster when you’re exploring, real estate might be your destiny.

3. You’re not overly judgmental

To be a successful agent, you need to be discerning, but you can’t be judgmental. People have different tastes, live their lives in different ways, and need an advisor they can trust, not one that looks down on them for their decisions. A great agent can work with hippies, businesspeople, and everyone in between without letting their personal opinions get in the way.

4. You have a deep appreciation for architecture and design

There are those of us who like homes, and those of us who live for them. If you find yourself regularly craning your neck like an owl to get a look at a house you just drove past, or take drives through neighborhoods you love just to feel all of the feelings, then your destiny might be more clear than you think.

5. You don’t give up easily

Persistence and grit are important in real estate. No one becomes an overnight success, and committing to the career and taking a step and seeing the big picture every now and then is very important. Those who see things through and don’t give up at the first sign of adversity are destined to become agents. Those looking for the “quick-fix,” usually aren’t.

6. You love living by your own rules

If answering to a supervisor seven days a week makes you physically cringe, then you might be cut from the real estate cloth. Being an agent means freedom from being chained to a desk all day, out on the open road, making your own rules. Some of us just can’t have it any other way.

7. You’re not afraid to put yourself out there

One of the more difficult things for newer agents to adjust to is self-promotion. Without marketing, it’s very hard to become a successful agent. Putting your face on business cards, websites, and flyers takes a certain level of fearlessness, and it’s important to feel comfortable enough in your own skin and have enough faith in yourself to get out there and do it. If it comes naturally to you, it’s one less hurdle you’ll have to overcome.

8. You see things for what they could be

Those whose destiny lies in the industry don’t look at things just for what they are. They look at what things could be. A run-down home in a great area can be imagined as a idyllic place to raise a family after a little elbow grease. A client looking in one neighborhood can have their eyes opened to another area, one that’s even better than the one they’ve been fixated on. Those whose destiny it is to become a real estate agent can imagine things that are better than what they are now.

The post 8 Signs That You Were Destined to Work in Real Estate appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

It’s Valentine’s day again and everyone is either proclaiming their love for another, or grudgingly treating themselves to a personal pizza, a pint of ice cream, and a bottle of wine.

We can’t help who we fall in love with, and even more frustratingly, who falls in love with us. It’s simply one of life’s mysteries. And we might not know exactly why we fell in love with real estate, but we probably have our suspicions. Here are six reasons why I fell in love with real estate:

1.The people

You have to enjoy working with people in order to be a successful real estate agent. Coworkers, clients, baristas who recognize you as you bring in a gallon-sized travel mug for your daily caffeine dose — you’re always around people. It would be dishonest to say that it always goes smoothly, but the relationships and interactions are a huge part of the overall experience, and allow you to connect with people in a way you don’t get to in many other careers.

2. No two days are ever the same

If the drudgery of five days a week at the same office, with the same snack machine, and the same coworkers telling the same lame jokes kills your spirits, then the novelty of working in real estate will be the wind in your sails. No two days will ever be the same in the business, which means every day you’ll embark on a new adventure that could lead to a closed deal, or a trip to the park to meditate and clear your head. If you like variety, you will fall in love.

3.The thrill of the chase

While we may convince ourselves that we hate prospecting or showing up to appointments that go nowhere, it’s those very things that make us appreciate our successes that much more. The pursuit, the hopes and dreams of success, the sweat you have to put in to make things happen — all of these are the ingredients for a successful real estate career, and we appreciate the work more than we are willing to admit.

4. Just me and the open road

While real estate requires working with lots of different people in different capacities, it also has its share of solitude, and is, at its core, an independent profession. Nothing will happen unless you make it happen yourself, so if you’re an independent-minded person who enjoys being out on your own, not only will you be successful but you’ll also fall in love with the feeling of getting in your car and creating your own destiny.

5. The highs are amazing

While the lows are painful, the highest are exhilarating. If you’ve never experienced the joy of a signed contract, or a clear to close, then you have no clue just how energized and happy a signature or a few words can make you feel. Any doubts about the profession can be immediately wiped out, and you can fall in love with real estate all over again after you get to celebrate one of your triumphs.

6. Because I care

They say that if you do something you love, then you’ll never work another day in your life. Well that’s not exactly true, you’ll still have to work, but it will feel different. In real estate, even though you’re helping other people buy and sell houses, it still feels like something that’s yours. And because it’s yours, you will care. And because you care, you will appreciate it in a way that’s different than almost any other job you could possibly have, which is all the more reason to fall in love with it.

The post 6 Reasons Why I Fell In Love With Real Estate appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

Finding the house of your dreams might seem pretty easy.

You know what you want and like. You feel like you will know the perfect house when you see it. The minute you find “the one”, it will be love at first sight. It will just feel right, like it was meant to be.

Kind of like the notion of finding your soulmate.

Back in the day, finding your ideal house or soulmate was a lot trickier.

Until…the Internet.

Nowadays, there are tons of websites for people to find the love of their life…and just as many to help people find the home of their dream.

The Internet has made it easier to find “the one”…in love, and housing.

But just because it is easier for you to find your soulmate, or your “soulhouse”, doesn’t mean you are in any position to do something about it.

Fate can only take you so far. Reality has to be dealt with…

Your “relationship” status in terms of housing has to be considered.

Are you “married”?

Let’s say you are married…

All of a sudden, you stumble into your someone who you feel is your soulmate somewhere. Could be at work, online, at a bar, at the gym. Doesn’t really matter.

Let’s put all debate about “right” or “wrong” aside… You decide to ditch your significant other, and follow the passionate path, and marry this new man or woman.

You’re going to have to deal with your marriage. You can’t ignore it. It is an issue. You can’t still be married, and actually marry your newly found soulmate. You could fool around. You could have an affair. But you aren’t getting married without ending the marriage you already have.

It’s kind of the same thing if you find the house of your dreams…

If you already own a house, it’s like being married. Most people don’t have the ability to buy another house, without selling the house they already own.

So, what do you do?

Should you sell the house you already own first, and just hope your dream house appears once your house is sold?

Or do you keep your eyes open for your dream house, find it, fall in love, and then scurry to get your house sold as quickly as possible, before your dream home gets scooped up by someone else?

There is no easy solution to this.

Are you seriously “dating”?

There is a lot more to ending a marriage than there is when you are simply dating someone.

So, if you are dating someone, and you fall head over heels for someone else, you can end things a little more quickly and easily. But, of course there will most likely be some headaches and heartaches to deal with.

Renting is like dating.

If you are renting a house or an apartment, and you come across the house of your dreams, you are probably not going to find it is the perfect timing. Maybe you will have to try and end your lease early. Or maybe you will have to continue paying your rent until the lease ends.

But these are not huge issues in the grand scheme of things. You are in better position to go after the house of your dreams, than someone who is married to a house they already own.

Are you “single”?

A lot of people look at being single as undesirable. Even more so if you are living at home still with your parents.

Let’s face it, if you you’re looking for your soulmate, you probably don’t want to fess up to living in your childhood bedroom, or your parent’s basement. It doesn’t sound all that impressive or intriguing.

(Whatever…if someone is truly a soulmate, they should be totally cool with you being a cellar dwellar!)

Not owning a home, or even renting your own place is like being single.

As unimpressive as this scenario sounds to some people, this is the best scenario to be able to act upon finding your dream home. You have nothing to sell, and no lease to worry about. This is as good and easy as it gets.

Did you get “divorced”?

Things happen in life. Life throws curveballs. People grow apart. People make mistakes. People split up. People hurt each other. And people who go through a breakup often have “emotional baggage”.

Plenty of people end up getting “divorced” from their own home…

Having a short sale, or a foreclosure in your past is like having gotten divorced.

This doesn’t mean you are unworthy of finding and getting your dream home. But it might affect you being able to get it. It depends on a lot of factors.

Get some pre-“marriage” counseling.

Most people do not really consider their current housing “relationship” when they start looking for their dream home.

It usually starts off as some wishful thinking. Maybe browsing a few websites…just seeing what’s out there. Then it progresses to flirting with possibilities, perhaps.

Before you know it, there you are…in love with the house of your dreams. So, you call a real estate agent who “introduces” you to the house in-person.

Sure enough, it’s “the one”!

Maybe you’re in position to jump on the chance to follow your heart…

But, unless you’re “single”, most likely you are not. And it is absolutely heartbreaking. You aren’t ready for the new relationship. You need to deal with the one you already have.

The best way to avoid any heartache is to put yourself in the best possible position to grab your dream home when you find it.

This doesn’t mean you need to be absolutely “single” before you start looking for your dream home. But you do need to have a plan in place as to how you will transition from your current housing relationship, into one with the home of your dreams.

There is no one solution, or even an easy solution.

The best solution is to call a real estate agent before you start your search.

Let your agent put on his or her “marriage counseling” hat, and advise you on the best way to plan for and make the transition from your current housing relationship, to the one of your dreams.

The post Don’t Fall In Love With A House Before You Are Ready To Fully Commit appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

February 14, 2017

HOLLYWOOD, FL — Tenants are like a box of chocolates… you never know what you’re gonna get.

Apparently, Realtor Amanda Labrador got the world’s biggest Bud Light fan during what was supposed to be a routine eviction.

Labrador, an agent with Re/Max Advisors, captured the moment on video and shared it with her fellow Inner Circle members (a members-only group for fans of The Lighter Side of Real Estate).

Above is footage taken after the tenant’s attempted “clean up”.

“What’s really funny is that the neighbor said the past few days he has been filling the dumpster with cans,” said Labrador. “I assume he knew eviction was coming so he started ‘cleaning up’.”

She added, “The neighbor said she would hear a crash of cans randomly at night when he probably fell on them.”

Labrador provided the second video below.

According to Labrador, the only furniture on site was a mattress in the bedroom and a futon. The tenant, who had lived alone in the home for the past 17 years, was present at the time of eviction. After being notified, he left the scene with four trash bags of his belongings and went outside to wait for a cab.

Good thing he took a cab.

Inner Circle members got a good chuckle from it all. Here’s some of their commentary.

Here are some close-ups:

The post Tenant Of 17 Years Gets Evicted, Leaves Behind A Lovely Surprise (Video) appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

Have you ever walked into an open house, or called a real estate agent about a listing, and within minutes, they’re asking you if you are “pre-approved” for a mortgage?

If you haven’t, then you have never walked into an open house or called an agent. Or at least enough of them…

Just wait. It’ll happen.

And you’re going to feel like it’s pretty pushy for them to ask that.

It’s like a joke.

It makes you feel like telling real estate agents this knock-knock joke…

You: Knock-knock.

Real estate agent: Who’s there?

You: Nunya.

Real Estate Agent: Nunya who!?

You: Nunya business if I’m pre-approved or not! Just show me the house, and I’ll get pre-approved if I even like the house. I can definitely get approved for a mortgage. Probably way more than this stupid house anyway. So, stop asking if I’m pre-approved.

Try it…maybe the agent will laugh! Or, maybe not. Depends…

But it’s no joking matter.

It depends on the agent. Agents have different personalities. They all come across different ways. They all handle how they meet, greet, and chat with consumers in different ways. There’s no one way to “be”, as a real estate agent.

But every single real estate agent should be asking you if you’re pre-approved. But many do not. Because they feel like it is a bit pushy and forward. Because he or she worries about offending you. But they should ask…

…because it’s entirely relevant for them to know.

…because it’s entirely important for you to be pre-approved.

It might come across as a pushy, or invasive question. Maybe that is because of how an agent asks the question. Or when the agent asks the question. Or, simply because you don’t know that it’s a question that should be asked.

But it is not a joking matter.

And you should expect the question, be prepared to say that you are pre-approved, and…you should actually want the agent to ask you that question.

It’s not like a first date.

If you were going on a first date with someone, and one of the first things the person asked about was how much money you make, and can you afford the date, you’d feel like that was pushy and weird.

Rightfully so. You don’t go in for a kiss the minute you meet each other, let alone ask for a hand in marriage. There’s some build-up.

Beyond that, there’s some time that needs to be spent together before probing questions about finances are asked. That kind of stuff comes way after even the first kiss, because finances are a pretty private, intimate subject. Even more intimate than a kiss…

Which is why it seems so invasive when an agent you’ve just met asks you if you’re pre-approved. It feels like they’re asking you some pretty private, intimate stuff that’s none of their business.

But asking for a pre-approval isn’t like going in for a kiss. It isn’t a marriage proposal. And it isn’t probing on the part of the agent.

It is a necessary question, and an important piece of information for the agent to know. And for you!

Why does an agent ask you if you’re pre-approved?

Agents aren’t asking you if you’re pre-approved because they’re looking to size up how much you can spend. (At least not most agents…)

They want and need to know that you are serious, and qualified to buy a house.

And they certainly have their reasons for wanting to know…

• Real estate agents need to make sure they’re working with someone who can actually buy a house. They don’t get paid until and unless the person they’re working with buys a house. So, this is a matter of being careful about who they spend their time with. It might sound selfish…but you can’t fault them for that. They’re in business. Nobody cuts them a paycheck. And showing people houses is not a public service or charity work. Even working with someone who is pre-approved doesn’t guarantee them that they’re going to make any money. But at least it’s an indication that the person they are working with can do something.

• Agents also need to know how much you’re pre-approved for in order to advise you as well as possible. Picture an agent showing you houses for weeks, and months. You finally find “the one”! You get all excited about the house, and you want to make an offer, only to find out then that there’s no way you could afford the house. This leads to heartbreak and aggravation…for both of you. It doesn’t do either of you any good to go through all of that only to find out you can’t afford the houses you were looking at…or even buy one at all.

• And, to a degree, this is a safety precaution. You might not believe this, but agents are in a pretty risky position. If they just say OK to every person who calls and asks to go see a house, with absolutely no proof or verification of who the person is, that puts them at risk. Sure, a pre-approval won’t necessarily stop an evil person from doing something, but this is a pretty basic precautionary request.

Why you should want an agent to ask if you are pre-approved.

Even if you have just started browsing for a home just a little bit, and haven’t gotten pre-approved (yet)…at least expect the question. Don’t be offended when you’re asked if you are.

In fact, pay closer attention to the agents who do ask if you’re pre-approved! The ones who ask make it easy for you to find a great agent to work with.

Because if they’re asking that question, it’s a good sign that they are thorough and thoughtful about how they do their business. That’s the type of agent you want to have on your side when you’re buying a house — one who’s careful from the get-go. One who pays attention to the details. One who isn’t going to waste your time any more than their own. Or allow your heart to be broken when you fall in love with a house you can’t do anything about.

And if you want to get some really good attention and service from the best agents you come across, don’t even let them have to ask if you are pre-approved…

Get pre-approved before you even start looking. And let the agent know you’re pre-approved before they even ask. You’ll set yourself apart from almost every buyer the agent has ever met.

The post Why Do Real Estate Agents Ask If You’re Pre-approved? appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

Via Bigstock

Real estate is a prolific profession. Everyone either knows a real estate agent, or is connected to one through six (probably less) degrees of separation. Between friends and relatives, and the stereotypical representation of real estate agents on television and in pop culture, the general public has a adopted some assumptions about agents that are very far from the truth.

Here are ten things that people assume about real estate agents that just aren’t true:

1. They make “easy money”

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. The only people who could ever possibly make the case that being an agent is an easy way to make money are those who have never done it. It’s hard, uncertain work, with many instances of months wasted on a deal that doesn’t ever close. The only thing easy about it is reading the Lighter Side of Real Estate.

2. They are required to show you houses even if you’re not pre-approved

There are definitely agents who will show you houses without a pre-approval (or at minimum a pre-qualification), but an agent is not required to, and most experienced agents probably won’t. The ability to qualify for financing dictates whether or not a deal is even possible, so an agent is simply saving you from disappointment (or worse) by asking you to get pre-approved.

3. Zillow is more accurate than they are

It would be wonderful if Zillow (and similar websites) were accurate in their home valuations, but if you compared their results to actual appraised values, in most cases you’d burst out laughing. Real estate agents want you to get as much money as possible for your house, but oftentimes reality gets in the way. Trust your realtor to give you a fair market assessment for your house…at least more than you trust Zillow.

4. They make huge commissions

The popular real estate flipping shows on cable, and Million Dollar Listing have given everyone the impression that real estate agents are rolling in the dough. Most real estate agents wish that this was true, but reality is much different. The median US existing home sale price in December 2016 was $234,900, which means after splitting the commission and paying their broker, an agent took home about $3500 on the transaction, not including all marketing and related expenses. As a monthly income, this adds up to about $40,000 per year. Not exactly huge.

5. They’re an unnecessary evil

Many people have made the argument that real estate agents are unnecessary and are merely an impediment to a more efficient “For sale by owner” model of real estate. The best way to eliminate this misconception is to try selling your house yourself. There is nothing more sobering than desperately Googling state and federal real estate laws as some unkempt stranger is knocking on your door asking you questions about your FSBO house.

6. They’re sleazy

Unfortunately, real estate agents have joined the ranks of lawyers, politicians, and salespeople in some of the public’s assumptions about their trustworthiness. The financial collapse of 2008 exacerbated this perception. Thankfully, the market correction also weeded out most of the unsavory elements in the business. The truth is, real estate agents are honest, hardworking people, making a living like any other profession. And just like any other profession, there are a few bad apples that unfairly give the others a bad name.

7. They’re uneducated

This misconception really gets under most agents’ skin, because not only do many agents have degrees (and advanced degrees in quite a few cases), but the knowledge required to pass a real estate exam is substantial. There are many people who are unable to get their licensing because of an inability to pass the licensing tests, which makes the concept of an “uneducated” agent laughable.

8. They want you to pay more for a house so they can make more money

If you truly looked at the math involved in calculating real estate commissions, you’d never utter this falsehood again. An agent getting you to pay $10,000 more for a property will net that agent approximately $150, which barely covers the cost of gas required to drive to and from your appointments. The truth is that an agent absolutely wants you to buy a house. What’s not true is that they want you to pay more for one.

9. They’re mostly part-timers or bored housewives

If you ask the average person to describe the archetypal real estate agent, they’ll probably say it’s an older married woman who is looking for something to do in her free time. Ugh. This is stereotyping at its finest, and ignores the hundreds of thousands of male agents, the hundreds of thousands of full-time agents, and the hard-working primary bread winners that make up the real estate workforce. Sure, the stereotypical agents do exist, but they’re the exception to the rule.

10. All they want from you is the deal

Yes, agents want your business. But true professional real estate agents want to be your lifelong real estate advisor. They want you to think of them whenever you or your family and friends have any real estate questions. They want to see you and talk to you more than once a decade, and they want to make sure that you remember your interactions with them as being absolutely delightful.

The post 10 Things Everyone Assumes About Real Estate Agents That Aren’t True appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

Buying or selling a home can be a complicated and stressful experience. There can be a lot of moving parts involved that may come as a surprise to people who have never been through the process before. This is why having a great real estate agent is critical.

Picking the right agent isn’t always easy, but you’ll definitely know if you’ve picked the right one for you. Here are seven signs that you’ve made a great decision in picking your real estate agent:

1. You like being around them

You don’t have to be head over heels in love with your real estate agent, but you need to at least enjoy being around him or her. You will spend a lot of time communicating with your agent, so the relationship needs to be a good one to help make the experience as painless as possible. There’s nothing worse than dealing with a person who you don’t like being around, especially if the going gets rough. If you don’t cringe at the sound of your agent’s voice then you might have found the right one.

2. They’re responsive and available

This point is non-negotiable. A good real estate agent will make themselves available to you and won’t leave you hanging when you’re waiting for a response. If your agent is leaving you feeling like a spurned date, they’re doing something wrong. The right agent understands how important and serious a real estate transaction is, and will always make sure to make your needs a priority.

3. They’ve asked you to get pre-approved

If you’re a buyer and you haven’t spoken with a mortgage professional before going out and looking at houses, a good real estate agent will ask you to. It might be frustrating if you don’t understand the reasons why, but a good agent knows that it’s for your own benefit just as much as theirs. There are a number of important things you might find out by going through the pre-approval process, many of which you should know before spending any of your time searching for a home. A good agent knows this, and wants you to know as well.

4. They’re proactive and not just reactive

This is one indicator that will set the right agent apart from everyone else. The right agent will not just go through the motions and take orders, they will be proactive in helping you identify and find the right solutions. For instance, instead of just sitting back and waiting for you to send properties you might have come across, a great agent is always on the hunt for the ideal property for you, and will communicate and suggest things that you might never have considered before. Being proactive is a mark of a true real estate professional.

5. They’re honest with you, even when it hurts

Just like honesty is important in a romantic relationship, so is honesty in a real estate relationship. The right agent will tell you the truth when you need to hear it, even if it’s inconvenient for them. It takes a lot of guts to be honest with someone when it might cost you money, but it’s also an ethical imperative, and a great agent will always put their own character, honesty, and integrity ahead of making a buck. And if they have to tell you the harsh truth that what you’re looking for is impossible, the right agent will do that too.

6. They don’t give up easily

A real estate transaction rarely goes off without a hitch these days, and sometimes it feels like the universe is conspiring to keep you from buying or selling a home. But it’s much easier to throw your hands in the air and say “I give up,” or “Someone else can figure this out,” than it is to buckle down and come up with a solution. The right agent doesn’t give up, and will uncover a way to keep things moving, even it takes some creativity. The right agent fights for you, and doesn’t throw in the towel after getting jabbed.

7. They want to build a relationship

One of the best signs that you’ve picked the right agent actually occurs either before or after you work with them on a deal. Even though real estate is transactional, the best agents look to build a relationship with their clients instead of just working with them on a deal and then disappearing. If your agent stays in touch, presents themselves as a constant resource, and is in it with you for the long-haul, then you’ve definitely found the right one for you.

The post 7 Signs That You’ve Picked the Right Real Estate Agent appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.

So you’re thinking about selling your home? I realize you didn’t arrive at this decision lightly, and that you might be nervous or scared. There are so many things that are probably going through your head right now. I’d like to help you by offering some advice, and hopefully putting your mind at ease.

First, do some research.

It’s important for you to understand how much money you can expect to get for your home. We need to be realistic. Unfortunately, checking online sites like Zillow or Trulia isn’t going to give you the most accurate picture of your home’s value. This is why it’s important to sit down with a real estate agent that understands the market and will give you a realistic home value estimate by comparing similar properties that have recently sold in your area.

This meme is pretty funny (and rather sarcastic)… but at the same it illustrates a painful reality.

Discuss your situation.

Discussing your situation with a real estate agent will also help you identify any other aspects of the transaction that you might be forgetting. For instance, there might be something glaringly obvious that could get in the way of a smooth home inspection that you might not be considering… or, on the other hand, a unique feature that your home might have which could help maximize its value. Also, discussing the process with an agent will help you understand how much money you can expect to walk away with after the closing.

Considering braving it alone?

If you’re considering selling your home without an agent, remember that you’re doing so at your own risk. There are quite a few things that can go wrong (many of them legal) which an agent is trained and perfectly setup to handle. Also, do you really want to deal with random strangers showing up at random times throughout the day, wondering whether they’re even qualified to buy a house or if they’re just bored and looking for something to do.

Or said a different way…

Let an agent worry about these things; you’ll thank yourself later.

Pick the right agent.

Working with the right person can mean the difference between a smooth transaction and a less-than-memorable experience. How do you pick the right one?

First, make sure you feel comfortable with the person. You might spend a lot of time with them, so it’s important that you have rapport.

Secondly, if the agent is giving you some inconvenient feedback or information, don’t dismiss them. The best agents will tell you the truth because they understand that setting the right expectations is more important than promising you the world.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Lastly, ask as many questions as you need to until you feel comfortable with your level of understanding. The right agent will be patient with you, and will understand just how big of a deal this is.

Don’t stress!

This might be easier said than done, but try to keep things in perspective. Your home is probably your most valuable asset, and the most consequential transaction that you’ll ever work on. But people buy and sell their homes every day, and there’s a very comprehensive system in place that helps facilitate those transactions. Your agent will help guide you through the process and will help you feel at ease. Remember, you’re not the first and you won’t be the last person to feel the stress.

Expect the unexpected.

It would be lovely if I could promise you that everything will go perfectly smooth, but it rarely does. Obstacles almost always come up during a real estate transaction, but that doesn’t mean you should pull your hair out worrying. Agents know there will be bumps in the road, and they’ll also know how to get over them and get your home sold with as little stress for you as possible.

So don’t stress, be realistic, find the right agent to help, and remember that small hiccups are just part of the transaction.

The post An Open Letter from an Agent to Anyone Considering Selling Their Home appeared first on Lighter Side of Real Estate.