Whether they’re in the market for a first home or upgrading to a long-deserved dream home, buyers have had a lot of opportunities in our market thanks to the affordable interest rates. 

For those potential first-time buyers on the fence, I suggest crunching the numbers on the rising rental rates and comparing them to mortgage payments; you’ll quickly see that homeownership is the better option (at least from a financial standpoint).

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Financially setting yourself up for the future is really something you need to start considering now.

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If you’re one of the lucky people who purchased a home around 2010, then you have a lot of appreciation that could carry you into the next stage of life, whether you want to move up into a more expensive property or move down into a more appropriately sized home. 

Financially setting yourself up for the future is really something you need to start considering now—not just as a goal for the new year, but for the new decade!

If you want to sit down and discuss your situation to determine what the best route for you is, give us a call or send an email. We’ll be more than happy to help you. 

To get the most out of your upcoming home sale, here’s what you need to know about the 2020 market ahead of us:

2. Inventory is low. Some will point out that inventory isn’t as low in the higher-price categories, but the reality is that the condition can make or break your chances of selling; inventory is low for properties in great condition.

3. Prices are rising. As prices go up, buyers expect more upgrades, features, and benefits to justify the price increases.

If you’re considering selling your home in 2020, be sure to think about the year ahead—even the next five or 10 years. Is your current home the property in which you want to live? Now might be a good time to consider taking some of the equity from your property and moving it into a house more appropriate for your needs, whether that’s a larger home for your growing family or a smaller home that’s more manageable.

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Consider taking some of the equity from your current property and moving it into a house more appropriate for your needs.

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Whatever your needs are, we want to help you achieve them. Feel free to reach out to us! We’d be more than happy to discuss your circumstances and what you need to do to sell your home fast and for a great price. Hope to hear from you soon!

Staging is an important part of the home selling process. It’s a tool that you can use to maximize the value of your home. Oftentimes, when I help a client stage their home, we’re peeling away a lot of the items that they currently have that don’t showcase the house in its best light. We want to make sure that all our pictures are appealing and that the first impression a buyer gets when walking through your door is a positive one. There are a few simple things that can be done to stage a home effectively. It’s not about renovating or remodeling your home—it's about designing on a dime to capitalize the value of your home. If you have any questions about staging or how it can add value to your home when selling, don’t hesitate to reach out and give me a call or send me an email today. I’d love to help you

Staging a home is crucial for many reasons, and the No. 1 reason is that most buyers today begin their search online. A well-staged property looks better in pictures and in person. It helps buyers to imagine your house as their future home. 

It’s true that you don’t necessarily have to stage your home, but it’s important to understand that doing so can be majorly beneficial. If, however, you aren’t interested in traditional staging, you may also want to consider digital staging. Through this option, photos of your home will be altered to show buyers what could be done based on the property’s raw potential. 

The problem with virtually staged home photos is that some buyers may wrongly assume the photos reflect what the property already looks like, rather than what it could look like. 

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Staging helps buyers to imagine your house as their future home.

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Ultimately, the decision to stage (or virtually stage) your home is in your hands. We won’t force you into either option if you aren’t open to pursuing one of them, but our team would love to speak with you about what’s best for your listing. 

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

There’s a new education program out there for prospective homebuyers that we want to tell you about today. Home Ownership Money Education is a company in DuPage County that focuses on three main subjects:

1. Providing financial literacy.
2. Helping people improve their credit scores.
3. Helping people get their lives back on track.

With this coaching program, which only costs $20 per household, you can learn all the best practices for buying a home and how to achieve the dream of homeownership. They will partner you with successful Realtors and lenders to help you find the perfect fit. 

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This program will also help partner you with successful Realtors and lenders.

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Finally, they teach you the important lesson of how to preserve homeownership. Whether it’s making sure you have a nest-egg for home repairs or unexpected expenses, the H.O.M.E. program teaches you how to preserve one of your most valuable assets for yourself and for your future.

If you have any questions about this program, visit their website here. If you have any other questions for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Why would anybody want to sell their home in today's market—in particular, sellers who are looking to downsize or relocate?

One of the challenges of preparing big houses for sale is decluttering. Paring down to the essentials and finding a smaller or “right-sized” home is difficult as well. I have helped many people move from big family houses into more affordable and lower-maintenance homes. We actually specialize in helping homeowners with that shift from a large home to a smaller home.

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Paring down to the essentials and finding a smaller or “right-sized” home is difficult.

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In our current market, another challenge we run into involves inventory. With so many people moving from higher-end homes to lower priced midsize homes, there is an inventory shortage. We are able to access properties that are not even on the market. These homes are specifically for you in neighborhoods that you choose.

If this is a service that interests you, please call or email me. I would love to speak with you soon about your buying and selling needs.

Today I’d like to highlight one specific kind of seller I’ve noticed in our market as of late: the move-up seller.

These sellers find that their current home doesn’t meet their needs, and so they are ready to make a change. Right now, move-up sellers are benefiting from a strong real estate market where values have gone up significantly. 

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Move-up sellers are currently benefiting from a strong real estate market where values have gone up significantly.

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And, thankfully for them, homes in lower price ranges are currently selling quickly and for high prices. Move-up sellers also benefit financially from the extra equity they’re able to extract from their home sale.

So ultimately, it is a great time to pursue a transaction if you are looking to move up.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

RE/MAX of Naperville has some really great news about the springtime market for all the buyers and sellers in the DuPage County area.

Inventory is up about 14% from March to April. And sales, meanwhile, increased 11%.

This is your spring market snapshot for the DuPage area from your RE/MAX agents in Naperville, Illinois.

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If you are interested in buying or selling a home, please reach out to us. We would love to speak to you about your real estate needs.

Rents are on the rise across the entire area, and we don’t want you to get caught in the rental trap.

Nationally, rents are up 2.7% across the board. A ton of renters are paying half their monthly income in these rents; don’t get trapped in that cycle. 

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In many cases, it’s better to buy a home than to rent one.

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It’s often cheaper to buy a home than it is to rent one. With 30-year interest rates as low as they are, it’s better to buy than rent in many cases.

We want you to know your options. 80% of millennials want to buy a home, but only 72% say it’s affordable to buy a home.

Don’t get trapped into thinking that renting is your only option. Give us a call and we’ll sort through what’s best for your situation. We look forward to hearing from you!

If you’re buying a home in 2018, let the lessons of 2017 help you make a smart move.

Most homes out there are still worth less than our market’s pre-recession peak, which means now is still a really great time to buy. Yes, prices are on the rise, but there are still plenty of affordable homes out there, and houses are selling quickly. The best of the best houses always have the lion’s share of buyer interest.

Buyers who are looking to have an edge in a competitive buyer’s market need to work with an aggressive agent. House flippers are out there in full force, so always be prepared to put your best foot forward so we can help you find the best deal.

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Now is still a great time to buy.

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Finally, if you’re a first-time homebuyer, you should know that buying still saves you money over renting over the long haul.

If you are looking to buy a home in 2018, give us a call. We’d be happy to help you achieve your goals.