There are a few unexpected costs and chores that arise during the home selling process. We like to prepare our sellers up front so you know exactly what to expect when selling your home.

The first thing I recommend is getting a seller’s net sheet from your broker. This sheet takes your mortgage, any back taxes you may owe on the property, and common closing fees so you know how much money you will get from your home sale. For example, if you sell your home for $100,000 and you know that there will be $20,000 in closing costs, you can expect to net $80,000 to put towards your next home.

The next thing you should do is get pre-approved for a mortgage. Get pre-approved before you even put your current home on the market. If you wait to get the pre-approval after you accept an offer, things may come up that change the loan amount. For example, there might have been some changes in your credit score, income, or debt-to-income ratio.

Once you have your finances in order, you can make the home market-ready for the season and the competition. When my team and I come to your property, we look at everything from paint color to foundation issues. There can be a lot of issues in a property that add up to a big cost at the end of the day.

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A fresh coat of paint does wonders for any property.

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Most houses don’t need a lot of work, so don’t worry. However, even if your home is only 5 years young, we do recommend adding a fresh coat of paint. Fresh paint does wonders for the house and helps net you more money.

You should also consider staging your home. Every property should be depersonalized, so take down any family pictures or things of that nature. You want the buyer to look at your home, not your stuff. Sometimes, further staging is needed.

For example, if you have overstuffed couches or a dining room set for 12, your home might look small and cramped. Get rid of the couch and take a leaf out of the table so that it only seats six and your home will look more spacious and inviting. 

If you have any questions about preparing your home for the market, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you.

Today, we will discuss six questions a seller should ask before they get swayed by a buyer’s emotional appeal. Check them out below!

Does their price meet your goal? You want to look at the amount of money you will net after paying commission. We’re excellent at pricing strategies, and we’re able to create many multiple offer situations. That can help drive up the sale price of the property.

What are the terms of the contract? Price is important, but so are terms. Let’s say your home is on the market for $500,000. One person is putting down $490,000 in cash, and the other is offering $500,000 but they need to get an FHA loan. FHA loans can be difficult to get, so you might be better off accepting the $490,000. You should also pay attention to other terms, such as the closing date, when deciding which offer is best.

Is the buyer likely to close? Are these people really worth what they say they’re going to pay for your home? In other words, does the buyer seem financially stable enough to close on the deal? You want to make sure that their debt to income ratio is good, and that the buyer’s broker has advised them against making major purchases after they go under contract. Sometimes a buyer looks like they are set up for financing, but then they buy a BMW before you get to the closing table and kill the transaction.

What is the size of the down payment? The more money a buyer puts down, the more likely the deal is to close. A larger down payment is always a good sign for you.

What is their reaction to inspection issues? Every home inspection reveals some sort of surprise, so that buyer’s reaction is important. Sometimes repairs can be negotiated, but sometimes buyers will panic and terminate the contract.

Can we get a backup contract? We are always looking for the next best offer in case a deal falls through so your home doesn’t sit on the market for a long time.

A good broker should make sure their buyer is prepared for all of these questions. As a seller, you need to ask these questions so you don’t get swayed by a buyer’s emotional appeals.

If you have any questions, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Today, we'll discuss my 60 Day Guaranteed Sale Program. A lot of clients ask how we can make such a bold offer. I saw a need in the market to give motivated home sellers an opportunity to sell their home quickly.

On average, my team and I can sell a home in 54 days thanks to our 14 point marketing plan. We turn up stones to find buyers for homes, and we make sure your home is marketed and priced correctly. Marketing and pricing are the two keys to selling a home.

Of course, there are terms and conditions with everything. If you are interested in the 60 Day program, we first come and look at your house. We look at the location, lot size, and determine the marketability of the home.

If we feel it's a marketable house, we then walk through the property to determine how to make it market ready. Maybe you need to touch up the paint here and there, or replace the shag carpeting. Most homes benefit from staging. Whatever it is, we want to make your home 110% ready for the market so that buyers are compelled to look at your home.

Finally, we will price your home correctly from day one. We use an aggressive marketing and pricing strategy. For example, let's say the average sales price of homes on the market is $150,000, but these homes are sitting on the market and selling at $125,000. We will get rid of the fluff that we mentioned in a previous video and price your home at $125,000. You're not leaving any cash on the table, and you will sell quickly.

If you have any questions about today's video, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

When you decide to buy or sell your home, you need the help of a professional. Why is this? It's because real estate agents consistently sell homes for more money in less time.

There are a lot of real estate agents who have been licensed, but not all of them are created equal. A lot of real estate agents work part time, but I have a full team dedicated to satisfying each and every one of your needs. There are mounds of paperwork involved, but we take care of it all for you.

Another benefit that we bring you is the fact that we're trained negotiators. We are familiar with other professionals in the industry, and this makes it easier for us to communicate. We have to speak with tons of different professionals from a variety of fields, so we can save you a lot of time just by having established relationships already in place.

We also have the ability to price your home correctly because we keep a pulse on the current market conditions. We know what's happening in the market, and this allows us to put the most attractive price on your home.

We would love the opportunity to sell your home in Southern New York. Please contact us to set up a free consultation.

We look forward to speaking with you!

How can you recognize an admirable offer on your listing? We receive multiple offers on our listings, and often have to sort through many offers to find the best one. When you dig a little deeper, you can start to recognize the signs of a good offer. Here’s what they are.

The first thing to look for is that the offer comes with a valid purchase agreement contract. The offer has to be in writing, with all the information on the buyer and their offer. If someone makes a cash offer, that’s great, but we’ll need to double check that their funds are valid.

Look for a letter of prequalification. If a buyer wants to put 20% down, they need to have that letter of qualification from a (reputable) lender to make sure they are going to cover the other 80% of the purchase price.

Watch out for any contingencies. When a buyer agrees to buy your home, but only on the condition that they sell their home first, that’s a huge red-flag. We try to avoid contingent offers if possible, but if you end up accepting one, we will go out to the buyer’s property and make sure they are pricing, marketing, and going about selling their home properly.

These are just a few of the things to look for to make sure you have a serious offer. If you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to reach out. We would love to assist you!

As the weather continues to get colder here in the Northeast, it's becoming more and more important to ensure that your home is weather-proofed. Here is our winterizing checklist: 

- Check the seals of your windows for drafts.

- Check your attic for leaks.

- Check your insulation.

- Have your boiler checked.

These are just a few of the many things you need to do to ensure your home is energy efficient this winter. For more tips and real estate advice, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!

Today we are going to be discussing why the fall and winter seasons are a great time to sell your home in southern New York. Most brokers are under the impression that the spring and summer are the best times to sell your home because the property will look better from the outside, the days are longer, there are more buyers out looking, etc. However, during the winter and fall months we have found that we get more offers at asking price or better, even with fewer showings.

One explanation for that kind of increase in high offers has to do with the fact that buyers out in the market during this time are generally very serious about buying quickly. Things like death, divorce, relocation, and downsizing are reasons to move that don’t adhere to a specific season or time of year, they could happen any time. When they happen in the winter, people need to buy in the winter. That’s where being on the market at this time of year has its advantage.

If you’re thinking of listing your home in the fall or winter, you’ll see numerous benefits to doing so. For one, homes decorated for the holidays show better because they appeal to buyers' emotions and sense of family, both reasons that could cause them to pull the trigger. The fall and winter are also a good time to sell because there is less inventory to compete with. This means your home will stand out more to buyers and will also allow you to command more market value.

We generally see a ton of homes sell in the fall and winter season. It all comes back to those serious buyers. If someone is out and about, knocks on your door, and wants to see your house while there is two feet of snow on the ground, don’t you think that person is more serious than a buyer who can cruise around in good weather, and come to your home at their leisure? It does to us, and it’s why you should consider selling this fall or winter.

If you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to reach out by giving us a call or sending us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

There are two things that sell homes: pricing and marketing. You need a strong broker with an aggressive marketing plan and a strong pricing strategy like we do.

Compared to similar homes in the local market, your home must be the most attractive, lowest priced home to sell successfully. You will get your equity out of your home, depending how aggressive and serious your asking price is.

Homes fail to sell because they are priced incorrectly. Most brokers use market value to price your home above that. That space between the true market value of your home and the asking price is fluff. The thinking is that the buyer will make an offer above market value but below the asking price.

My advice: remove the fluff! When you price your home over market value, it stays on the market longer. Let's say the market value of your home is $100,000 and you price it at $125,000. You won't receive any offers on an overpriced property because buyers will realize it! Your broker will recommend a price reduction. Even if you reduce the price to the market value of $100,000, buyers will make offers of $75,000 or $80,000 because they'll think you're desperate to sell.

When your home is priced at market value, buyers know it won't be on the market for long. If your home is in top condition in a desirable location, you can easily end up with a bidding war, which could increase the property price.

You need to price correctly initially if you want to sell your home quickly for top dollar. If you have any questions about real estate, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

How do you make yourself a more desirable home buyer in a bidding war situation? There are a few key tips and tricks I can teach you that will make your offer more desirable.

The first thing you have to do is get pre-approved. This is the most important thing for you to do. I recommend getting pre-approved before you even start looking at homes. Getting pre-approved lets sellers know that you are serious about buying a home.

Also, have at least 20% to put down. I know there are mortgages out there that don't require 20% down, but the more money you put down, the lesser of a risk the seller's going to have when taking your offer. Just think that if you go in with 10% down and another offer comes in with 20%, the seller is more likely to go with the 20% down payment. You don't want that to happen.

Don't lowball the seller. You have to come in with your best offer. Price and terms are the two most important things a seller looks at when examining offers. We've seen buyers win bidding wars against higher prices due to better terms.

Finally, make sure your contingencies are reasonable. If there are any inspections you can skip - pest inspections, sewer inspections, etc., - do so. You want your offer to be as clean as possible. The fewer contingencies you have, the more likely the seller is to take your deal.

If you have any question's about today's topic, give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

Today, I cover what's on everyone's mind: the state of the Northern Westchester and Putnam County market! If you're thinking about selling your home in this market, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

These are the three key things to focus on when selling in our current market. If you have questions about selling or need real estate assistance of any kind, give me a call or shoot me a quick email. I would love to hear from you!