The number one thing a seller can do to prepare their home before listing is to get a pre-listing inspection. We all know about home inspections during the buying process. They usually happen during the due diligence period after you’ve already accepted an offer. Most of the time, it’s the buyers that are leading the charge on the inspection so they make sure they know what they are buying. Many times, items pop up that the seller actually had no idea about beforehand. There are hidden problems in your home that only an inspector is going to be able to diagnose. We realized eventually that the best advice we can give a home seller is to have a home inspected prior to listing it. Here are three reasons why: 1. You’ll know about problems in advance. You’ll know exactly what’s going to come up during a buyer’s inspection. It’s nice to have this advanced knowledge so you are not surprised later on. You’ll know about problems before the buyer does, and you’ll have the opportunity fix them as well. It’s never fun and always super expensive when buyers find the problem themselves. 2. You can fix problems on your own terms. With a pre-listing inspection, you can get multiple quotes, search for a good contractor, and generally make repairs for cheaper than you would be able to if the buyer asked for them later on.  A pre-listing inspection is our best advice.3. You can list with confidence. With a pre-listing inspection completed, you can list your home with absolute confidence and pride knowing that it is priced right and there are no major problems for a buyer to uncover. This will allow the buyer to buy with confidence as well. 3.5. The home will sell for more. A pre-inspected home is going to fetch a premium from buyers, just like a certified pre-owned car does. If it’s ready to be moved into, people will spend more money. Getting repairs done up front is smart because it will allow you to profit even more. Getting a pre-listing inspection means spending money now to make it up on the final sale price of your home. It may be a bit of an investment, but it’s worth it in the end. We can actually get you a great deal from one of our great home inspectors, so let us know if you want 50% off your pre-listing inspection. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Call me at (616) 942-2449 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation If you’re “waiting to sell” your home, you’re not alone. I’m constantly hearing that inventory is low because sellers are reluctant to list their homes on the market. There are a few reasons why potential sellers are not listing homes right now. The most prevalent is that there are not a lot of homes available to buy, so many are holding off on selling out of fear that they will not be able to find a home to move into. In addition, many people have refinanced their mortgages and don’t want to give up their comfy, cozy, low-interest rates. Finally, the uncertainty surrounding the November election has frozen sellers in their tracks, keeping them from listing otherwise available homes on the market. However, remember that one decision impacts the next. Deciding to hold off on selling your home now is a decision to live with the conditions at play when buying a home in the future, which can have more of an impact on your finances than you might realize. Let’s consider current interest rates. Back in 1981, interest rates were at about 18%. Today, interest rates are below 3.75%. Interest rates have never been this low, and will not remain this low for long. To put this further into perspective, let’s take a look at an example mortgage for a $200,000 home with 10% down. This puts you at a $180,000 mortgage. At the current interest rate of 3.75%, your monthly payment would be about $834 per month (principal and interest only, not including taxes or insurance). Over the course of a 30-year mortgage, you’d pay about $120,000 in interest on that home. This is a pretty typical West Michigan purchase scenario. Now, let’s assume that interest rates rise as the economy improves, as they often do. As shown below, if rates increase modestly by 1.75% on that same mortgage to bring the rate up to 5.5%, the monthly payment jumps from $834 per month to $1,022 per month. That’s a $188 increase, which is roughly the equivalent of a car payment. Annually, that’s $2,256—the cost of a family vacation. Now we’re talking about real money; money that impacts your lifestyle. In terms of the big picture, that $120,000 at 3.75% interest jumps up to $188,000. This is nearly a $70,000 increase just for waiting to list your home. It’s also important to note that this figure does not factor in the price increase for a property. If you can correctly navigate today’s market, it’s possible to end up in a win-win situation in which you’ll get a maximum price as a seller, then take advantage of low interest rates as a buyer. If you’re interested in finding out what your home will sell for in today’s market, give us a call or send us an email and we’d be happy to discuss it with you.

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Call me at (616) 942-2449 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation A recent client of ours named Mary Dykstra just sold her home with us about six months ago. We’ve invited her to join us today to give us some perspective on her home sale. Mary owns a personal organizing business and she’s one of the most detail-oriented clients we’ve had. We wanted to get her unique perspective on what it was like to work with us. Mary tried to sell her home on her own, then hired us, and had great results. Here’s how she did it. Mary recently got married, and has had a home for about three years that she’s used as a rental. Her accountant let her know it was time to let the investment go, and she decided to do it herself. She knew that the market was hot, and wanted to see if she could save the money she would have spent on an agent’s commission by selling on her own. She gave herself a few weeks to get it done. The house showed well, but it didn’t have many buyers coming through who were ready to make a purchase. That’s when she decided to give us a call. “ We were delighted to be able to help Mary sell quicker and take home more money. ” When we initially sat down with Mary, we talked to her about what she was looking to get out of that transaction, and she changed the way she thought about it after speaking with us. Instead of focusing on the commission or how much she would have to give up to work with us, we shifted the focus to what she wanted at the end of the transaction. She gave us a number that she wanted to take home at the end of the day, and we told her that we could make it happen. By listing her home for more than she thought about selling it for, we were both able to get what we wanted. Mary had her house marketed for less than what we thought it was worth, so we changed that. We listed it for what we think it should sell for, and we got offers over asking price, which made everyone happy. We were delighted to be able to help Mary sell quicker and take home more money at the end of the day than she would have by selling on her own. Thanks to Mary for taking time out of her day to join us. If you have any questions for us about this topic or anything else real estate-related, give us a call or send us an email. We’d love to hear from you!

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Call me at (616) 942-2449 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation The local market is experiencing low inventory right now. That’s bringing some challenges in for buyers and sellers alike. With that in mind, I’m here with Mary Dykstra from Within Reach. At her company, she offers organizing services. For 16 years, she has helped people reduce clutter from their minds and environments, so they can focus on their priorities. A professional organizer can help you with the entire process. “ A professional organizer can help you throughout the real estate process. ” With a clean home, you can maximize home value and sell for top dollar. A professional organizer can help you make decisions, such as what you should keep or throw away. Many people don’t consider going through their belongings before moving; they spend extra money and end up bringing the junk with them. Don’t let that happen to you! To contact Mary, you can reach her at 616-453-2976 and [email protected]. If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home in the surrounding area, give us a call or send us an email! We both look forward to hearing from you. To view Mary's full report on professional organizing, click here.

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Call me at (616) 942-2449 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation I’ve been having some of my clients complain about lender delays that are costing them quite a bit of money. I just sold a home for a family that’s relocating to Ohio. We managed to sell it in five days and the buyer had all the credentials in place. My sellers went ahead and put an offer on a home in Ohio and they were working towards a closing and getting their moving trucks set up. They were even turning off their utilities in their home! Then got a call from the lender saying their buyer in Grand Rapids couldn’t close on time, and this affected the family’s other transaction in Ohio. This is a terrible domino effect, and it’s sad because I see it all too often. Sometimes the problem is lender-related. They do drop the ball sometimes, but we can’t place all the blame on them. If a lender is not getting a fully pre-approved buyer this can cause issues, and if the lender misses or doesn’t properly account for the buyer’s debt obligations, these things can all cause issues. The lender must consider the other debts of the buyer, because these can all throw off the debt-to-income ratio and disqualify the buyer. Lenders need to operate with a sense of urgency, and it’s your agent’s job to ensure that. “ Your agent needs to place a sense of urgency on the lender and the buyer. ” Other times, the buyer is to blame for the delays. If a buyer provides information too late in the transaction, that can also delay the paperwork. Also, sometimes buyers don’t have a sense of urgency in this process. Sometimes buyers will also take on new debts while they’re being approved, and this will derail a transaction quicker than anything! That is a big no-no for buyers. As real estate agents, we try our best to communicate closely with reputable lenders that work with qualified buyers. We hate to see family’s struggle with problems that they did not create, and we work hard to avoid those kinds of problems. If you’re looking for a reputable lender in Grand Rapids, I suggest working with John Seville of Benchmark Mortgage. He can be reached (616) 581-0250. If you have any questions or real estate needs, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Call me at (616) 942-2449 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation We’ve been tremendously fortunate to see our real estate market here in Grand Rapids grow considerably in the last year. What we’re left with is a hot seller’s market, and today we're going to talk about how you can navigate through it, from both a buyer’s and seller’s perspective. A recent article in Forbes claimed that Grand Rapids was the best place in the U.S. to buy a house. We have seen our economy grow by 3.9% and unemployment fall to 3% in recent years. All of these factors are contributing to a hot market for sellers. Sellers are getting the prices they want for their homes because inventory is low, and buyers are competing for the best homes. We’ve seen a massive drop in inventory from this time last year. We’re down by nearly 50%, and our average days on market is down to under 60 days. That’s a far cry from the 13 months of inventory we were seeing at this point back in 2008. Because of this hot seller’s market, home prices are up by 13% from last year. Part of this is also due to increased buying due to low interest rates. Only 32% of buyers out there right now are first-time buyers. The buyers that are out there are having to deal with multiple offer situations due to the market conditions. If you’re a buyer and find yourself in a situation like this, it’s important to not get too hung up on the list price. This price is set by the seller or their agent and while it may be accurate, it is not absolute. If you have your agent do a market analysis of the home as well, you’ll be able to get a more accurate picture of what the home is worth and what you’re willing to pay. In a hot market like this, buyers are at a disadvantage. However, they can still accomplish their goal of purchasing a home with a low interest rate, which will save you money down the line no matter what you purchase the home for now.  Just remember, an extra $1,000 on the list price is an extra $4 a month in mortgage payments. If you’re looking to find your dream home, think about how much extra you’d be willing to pay to get it. If you have any questions for us about the Grand Rapids market or you’re looking to buy or sell in the area, we would love to hear from you. Just give us a call or send us an email!

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (616) 942-2449 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation Welcome to 2016! Today we are excited to cover the real estate forecast for 2016 and discuss some recent numbers in the Grand Rapids market. We also have a few trends to talk about that you should be aware of. Let’s start off with some numbers from last year. Our average sales price has increased by 11% in the last year, and is up to $179,000. That is a great, healthy appreciation rate. In addition to this, inventory is down an incredible 23% from last year and the average days on market is down by 34% and is now at a 52 day average. These are both great signs for sellers, and proof that buyers are gobbling up homes at a much quicker rate. Now we are going to talk about a few trends that we are looking forward to in 2016. We expect these trends to take hold in the next year, and if you’re thinking of buying or selling, they are good things to know.  The market will normalize. We won’t be seeing the kind of drastic improvement as we did this year, but things will normalize and that’s great for the economy.Shifting generational buying trends. Many young, first-time home buyers will enter the market for the first time this year. This is going to boost those lower-end home prices and allow many homeowners to move up into better homes.Higher mortgage rates. The Fed will increase interest rates in March of 2016. We know that is coming. We don’t anticipate anything crazy, just a bit of a hike. It won’t affect affordability too much here in Grand Rapids.Rent will go up. Rent has gone up every year for a while now, and that’s going to continue this year. It makes it more obvious that buying a home is a good option if you plan on ever doing so.Those are the trends you should be looking for in 2016. If you have any real estate questions for us at all, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to being in touch!

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (616) 942-2449 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation Today, I'm here with your November 2015 West Michigan real estate market update! We'll discuss how this market compares to the 2014 November market by looking at the current data from Realtor.com. First off, mortgage interest rates remain historically low. A 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has a 3.76% interest rate. If you are a buyer who's been on the fence, you need to take advantage of these low rates now. Current listings are just over 4,000, which is down by 15% year over year. Additionally, we have seen a 3% decrease in inventory over the last couple of months, which is to be expected this time of year. The median listing price is $188,000, a 19% increase year over year. Over the last 30 days, the median listing price has remained pretty steady. Again, that is very common this time of year. We will see a healthy reset as we head into the spring market, probably around late February or early March. Finally, the average number of days on market is 60 days, which is a 13% decrease from last year. Homes are selling much faster because the market has improved since 2014. Now, over the last month the average number of days on market has gone up by 10%. Again, that is common for this time of year. As for what to expect in 2016, market value should go up between 5% and 10%. No one knows when, but interest rates will increase next year. These historically low rates are great for buyers now, but in the long run, they just aren't healthy for the economy. You can expect rates to go up by 0.5% or 1%, which will still be incredibly low considering the past average. It's important to know that there will be a reset in 2016. If you can buy a home today, this may be the time to do it. Capitalize on the low interest rates and the home prices before they go up next year. If you have any questions, give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (616) 942-2449 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation Some recent home sellers may be eligible for a refund of the state transfer tax they paid at closing. This could mean a big refund for many folks because the Michigan state transfer tax is approximately 0.75% of the sales price. That means if you sold a $275,000 home, you could have paid over $2,000 in transfer taxes at the time of your closing. The exemption itself was designed to protect sellers conducting sales in declining or depressed real estate markets, which was the case in West Michigan from 2006 until about 2012. So, how do you know if you qualify for the refund? According to the application, there are two primary criteria to qualify for the refund. You sold your home when the property's SEV (assessed value) was less than when you bought it.The home must have been your primary residence, not a rental property or second home.If you meet these criteria, you may ask for a refund by filling out the application for the state of Michigan department of treasury. Additionally, sellers must submit documented evidence supporting the request. Required documentation includes the following. Proof you paid the transfer tax.Proof of the date of purchase and the SEV in year of purchase.Proof of date of sale and the SEV in the year of sale.Proof of sale price.The application must be filed within 4 years and 15 days of the home sale. There may be penalties if you submit a request for a refund but do not qualify. Read the application carefully, and check in with an accountant if you're unsure about anything. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (616) 942-2449 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation This is a follow-up video to my latest one where we discussed whether or not the fall was a good time to sell a home. So, what are some tips to help you get your home sold this fall? 1. Say 'Welcome' with fall decorations. Fall is a wonderful time to improve your curb appeal, especially when your leaves are changing and everything looks like it has a tint of gold. Light your fireplace, rake your leaves, and place some decorative gourds around your home. 2. Air out your home. Now is a great time to open your windows to let stale air out of your home. 3. Let the light inside! Open your windows, and leave your lights on. You can go as far as cleaning your windows and removing your screens. Buyers absolutely love to see bright homes. 4. Cut out the clutter. A good time to get organized is when you're already selling your home. Remove any personal belongings that take away from the beauty of your home. One thing I recommend is to keep bins in your rooms so that when a showing is coming up, you can just throw belongings in them and your home will be clean very quickly. 5. Tour the neighborhood. What I mean by this is that if you live near a nice restaurant or a unique shop, have your agent mention it or even leave a menu on the kitchen table to show that you eat there and that the buyer could eat there too if they lived in your home. Every home belongs to a community. 5.5 Create a quick-flip buyer's album. Take pictures of your home year-round so that the buyer can flip through and view your pool during the summer, the driveway during the winter, or the yard during the fall. This works well with a digital photo frame. Hopefully you have found some value in this video. If you every need help selling your home in Grand Rapids, please don't hesitate to contact me!