Milford Real Estate Podcast with Josh Lioce

If you’re selling your home and you have pets, following these four steps will ensure that they don’t harm the sale.

Preparing your home for sale is a process, but it doesn’t have to be a complicated one. Here’s what we recommend for home sellers. Buying a Milford home? Get a full Home Search Selling your Milford home? Get a free Home Value Report People ask me all the time about what they need to do to prepare their home for sale on the market. Here are four things I would focus on if I was getting ready to list my home: 1. Decluttering. I walk into homes all the time that are cluttered. When you have lived in a place for a while (or you have kids), this happens. When you get ready to sell, however, you should do all you can to declutter your rooms and get all the little items and knick knacks out. If you can stack things neatly in a spare unfinished room or a garage, that’s great. You could also invest in a storage pod or storage locker while you show it. 2. Flooring. This is another area to really focus in on. It’s one of the first things potential buyers will take note of. If your flooring is outdated or damaged, it makes the rest of the house look bad. You don’t have to have brand-new flooring or high-end carpet, but giving everything a deep, professional cleaning will pay dividends in the end. 3. Paint. Fresh paint goes a long way. Not only does it make the house smell fresh and clean, it makes it look that way too. Scuffed white trim looks awful. A fresh coat of paint will have a big impact, especially on those high-traffic areas. Get rid of those fingerprints on the walls, too. Fresh paint has a big impact on showability and value. 4. A deep cleaning. This isn’t just a tidying up of the house we are talking about. You may even want to hire a cleaning company to come in and do an extensive, deep cleaning. There are many areas of your home that are often neglected that will really stand out if they are sparkling clean, like your windows, walls, appliances, cabinets, and baseboards.. Take our advice and you will sell faster for more money. These are just four of the least expensive things you can do to prepare your home for sale. Take our advice and focus on these areas and your home will sell for more money and faster than your competition. I guarantee it. If you have any questions for me in the meantime, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Preparing your home for sale is a process, but it doesn’t have to be a complicated one. Here’s what we recommend for home sellers.

If you're in the market to buy a home, doing so during the holidays might end up being the best decision of your life. There are a few reasons why. Buying a Milford home? Get a full Home Search Selling your Milford home? Get a free Home Value Report Buying a home over the holidays could end up being the smartest decision you'll ever make. There are a few reasons why: 1. There is less competition. Bidding against other people when there is a lot of activity and little inventory makes it very difficult for a first-time home buyer to get into the marketplace. It can be hard when properties get priced above what you're ready or able to pay for. It can also be intimidating to be in a bidding situation where you need to react very quickly and, sometimes, spend more money than you're ready to spend. During the holidays, inventory may still be low, but competition also slows down. 2. Sellers who have their home on the market during the holidays tend to be more serious and motivated to sell. Many sellers will take their home off the market during this time because they want to focus on the holidays. The sellers who keep their home on the market over the holidays are very focused on selling. They also tend to be more reasonable and open to negotiation. 3. A home you love is a great gift to yourself. During the holidays, you always want something for yourself and your family—what better gift than a new home? Think of buying at this time as you are buying yourself a big Christmas gift. Think of it like a big Christmas gift for yourself and your family! If you have any other questions about buying a home this season, don't hesitate to give me a call and take advantage of this favorable market. Happy Holidays!

If you’re in the market to buy a home, doing so during the holidays might end up being the best decision of your life. There are a few reasons why.

Are you renting now but thinking about jumping in and buying your first home? There are five key things you need to consider when making this decision. Buying a Milford home? Get a full Home Search Selling your Milford home? Get a free Home Value Report If you're currently renting, should you buy your first home or continue renting in our market? There are five key things you need to think about to make this decision. 1. Are you financially prepared? You'll need to make some form of down payment, and even if you're financing 100% of the home, you'll still need to put down a somewhat sizable deposit at offer, purchase, and sale. You'll also need closing costs, which can be around $5,000 to $7,000 to pay for the loan, attorney's fees, and other closing costs. Then there are out-of-pocket costs like the home inspection, the first year's home insurance, or an appraisal to consider. You also should have some reserves so your savings doesn't run completely dry. 2. Be prepared to compromise. You may want the $100,000 kitchen and all the amenities of a dream home, but it's your first home, so you may have to back off a bit to find a home that fits you. 3. Are you emotionally ready? When you rent, you call the landlord if your fridge or microwave breaks, and if the rent goes up, you can move out and move on. If you're a homeowner, you need to be ready to pay higher taxes and replace things when they break. Are you emotionally ready? 4. Will owning a home pay off in the long run? Outside of the recent crash from 2007, real estate has always provided positive growth and gain. Most likely, when you buy, you'll pay the same (or even less) than you would in rent. Even if you're not, there are the advantages of taxes, depreciation, and overall equity gains that you don't get by renting. 5. Has your lifestyle outgrown renting? Have you had kids? Do you need more space inside and outside your home? If you're having these thoughts it's probably time to start considering buying. If you have any more questions about renting versus buying, don't hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. I hope to hear from you soon!

Are you renting now but thinking about jumping in and buying your first home? There are five key things you need to consider when making this decision.

There are a few things sellers need to do in order to sell their homes during the fall or winter. Today I have my top fall and winter selling tips to help you do just that. Buying a Milford home? Get a full Home Search Selling your Milford home? Get a free Home Value Report Today I’m here with the top tips to sell your home in the fall or winter. First of all, you need to pay close attention to curb appeal. Don’t get too excited and buy every pumpkin, gourd, or fall decoration out there. There is a fine line between having a nice, decorated farmer’s porch and a full-blown farmer's market. Go easy on the exterior decorations. Although people expect the leaves to fall, you should work to keep your yard somewhat clear, especially during a showing or open house. The same thing holds true for the winter. We all expect snow, but you need to keep your driveways and walkways clear. Your home should look nice and accessible in either season. Next, go easy on the holiday decorations. Having some nice decorations for the fall or winter can make your home feel warm, inviting, and cozy, but going crazy with decorations can be a turnoff. Don’t buy every blow-up snowman from Lowe’s and throw them in your yard. Don’t get three different Christmas trees and scatter them throughout the house. You can absolutely decorate for the holidays, especially if you have small kids, but just make sure it’s tastefully done if your home is on the market. Don’t go overboard on the holiday decorations. Let there be light. As it starts to get darker outside, it’s important to make sure that your blinds are open during the day to let in the natural light. In the late afternoon or evening, leave your lights on. Set exterior lights to a timer and light up the inside of your home before you leave. If you have energy-efficient light bulbs, make sure you turn them on early so they have time to warm up. You want people to walk into a home that is warm and bright, not dim and gloomy. Finally, make the fireplace a focal point. If there is peeling paint, repaint it. Clean it out, get a new grate, and make sure the wood is neatly stacked so that it looks fantastic. If you are comfortable leaving your gas or wood burning fireplace on for showings, go ahead. Just make sure the screen is in place. That way, buyers will walk into your warm, inviting home and think, “Wow! I would love a fireplace.” These are just a few things you can do to make sure your home sells in the fall and winter. If you have any other questions about preparing your home for the market, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

There are a few things sellers need to do in order to sell their homes during the fall or winter. Today I have my top fall and winter selling tips to help you do just that.

In the hot Milford seller’s market, how do you make your home offer stand out from the rest? Here are four steps I suggest you take. Buying a Milford home? Get a full Home Search Selling your Milford home? Get a free Home Value Report The Milford market is extremely hot this fall, and as a home buyer, it’s likely that you’ll find yourself in a multiple offer situation. Here are a few tips to help make your offer stand out to sellers and win you the home you want: Be simplistic with your offer. Less is more when it comes to your offer. Focus on the basics, write as strong an offer as you can based on the guidance of your buyer’s agent, and don’t let cosmetic issues concern you. If you’re a first-time home buyer, don’t worry about the cracked tile in the floor or asking for extra contingencies. Make sure your offer is clean, basic, and as aggressive as possible.Consider writing a personal letter to the seller. Take the time to either write a personal letter to the seller or, even better, ask your agent to shoot a video message in which you tell the seller how much you love their home and how you plan on continuing their legacy of proud homeownership in the property. A personal video message, which is even more powerful than a personalized letter, is going to have a major impact on the presentation of your offer. Just like a letter, you can’t guarantee that the listing agent will share it with the sellers, but I guarantee you that a listing agent has never received a personalized video from a buyer to the seller. A personalized video message can make a world of difference to a seller. Have your agent deliver your offer in person. Obviously, ask your agent if they are comfortable doing this. After your offer has been submitted to the agent and that agent has forwarded the seller your personalized video and your offer terms, ask your agent to spend five minutes with the seller to explain the offer in more detail and make sure they’ve seen your personalized video. This is your chance to let the seller learn more about your family, explain why you’re coming to town, and establish a real connection with you. Again, this is something that no other buyer agent will be doing.Present a clean pre-approval with your offer. Make sure your pre-approval is clear about what you can afford, is concise about your loan program, and states that you are approved. Stay away from letters that say “pre-qualified” and make sure it is as strong and as powerful a letter from a lender as possible. Secondly, ask the loan officer to follow up with the listing agent directly. Give your loan officer permission to call the listing agent and divulge as much information about you as they can, especially the information that positions you as a strong client with solid finances. These tips can make a world of difference when submitting your offer to a seller. If you have any other questions about buying or selling a home in our market, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to speaking with you!