In the world today it is all about planning. We see it from the smallest parts of our lives to the biggest choices we have to make - such as selling our homes. From when to sell and when to let the listing go live it all affects the ability to make the best sale.
Studies have shown that the best time to sell your home is in the spring and early summer. The specific dates will change from state to state but you typically see a faster turnaround time and more money being spent starting around April 1st all the way up to June 15th. You can see trends for 2019 here: https://www.zillow.com/research/early-may-best-time-to-list-23044/ . Not only are you going to have better weather during this timeframe and more daylight hours to spend to go out and tour homes for the buyers of these homes, your sellers will have plenty of time to do small but impactful updates to home during the winter hours when people like to stay home anyway.
The day you list your home can also influence the number of people who will see your home. Listing your home on a Sunday vs a Tuesday could get you up to 20% more views which means you will have a higher chance of these people coming to take a look at your home.
Two things to look for (aka keep your fingers crossed to see) is local job growth and low mortgage rates! These two things are a sellers dream. Job growth means people are going to be looking for homes closer to their jobs, which in turn means they are going to be willing to pay more for the right home with the right conditions to make things easier for them. Low mortgage rates are a no brainer and will get anyone looking for a home.
It’s truly about research and knowing your market. Your realtors are there to help you with these thing, it’s their job but as we always like to say it's never a bad idea to do some of your own research so you can make your wants and needs known.
If you're a home seller or a real estate agent and haven't been able to sell your home, consider getting an appraisal!
1. Get Accurate Square Footage For an Accurate Price If you don't know what the accurate heated and unheated living area of the home is, you will not be able to determine the most accurate value for it. So getting an appraisal will help.
2. Take Into Consideration Solds and Listings That Have Occurred Since the Listing If you want to sell your home, then getting a more accurate list price that reflects the current market will help you. If there are other similar homes for sale that are priced more competitively than yours, they're probably going to sell more quickly.
3. Get a Fresh Set of Eyes From an Unbiased Third Party Bringing in an appraiser who has a fresh and unbiased perspective on your home could result in arriving at a price that is based on the market rather than what you think your house may be worth. 4. Use a Floor Plan as a Selling Tool Knowing where rooms are located and the flow of the home can help buyers envision where their stuff will go, which can help sell your home quicker! 5. Market it as a "Pre-appraised" Home A home seller will have peace of mind knowing that the likelihood of their deal falling through due to a low appraisal will be decreased by getting a pre-listing appraisal.
5 Reasons Your Real Estate Appraisal Matters
Getting an appraisal back within a reasonable time frame can make or break a deal. If you’re in a rural area or in an area where the real estate market is booming, you could wait up to 3 weeks or more just to get the appraisal results. This can be even more frustrating if the appraised value comes in low or repairs are needed.
Right now there are even some areas in the country where appraisers are flat out declining appraisal orders because they know they do not have the capacity to turn the appraisal report around in a timely manner.
When the purchase contract states that the deal needs to close within 45 days, and it takes 40 days to get appraisal results, expect an extension to the purchase agreement.
Condition
If you’re getting a mortgage, the property needs to meet some basic standards for the lender to give the thumbs up on acceptable property condition.
Common property condition issues that pop up on appraisals and cause issues: mold in the attic or basement, peeling paint on the outside of the home or garage, trip hazards, broken windows, and missing fixtures.
Anything noticeably wrong with the property is likely to be pointed out on the appraisal report including photos. When there are repairs noted on the appraisal the seller will need to complete those repairs prior to closing, and the property needs to be reinspected by the same appraiser to confirm the requested repairs have been made.
Comparables
When coming up with an opinion of value, the appraiser selects recently sold homes within the market that are similar in size/condition/location/amenities.
The appraiser then compares those homes with the subject property and makes adjustments based on differences and similarities between the homes.
For example: if the subject property is a 3 bed, 2 bath ranch on .5 acre, the appraiser would look to include 3 bed, 2 bath ranches that sit on a .5 acre lot. The appraiser would not be including a 3 bed, 2 bath condominium.
It doesn’t have to be identical and size and condition, but it does need to be the same property type. Unique properties can be very difficult to finance. If there are no similar properties sold within a reasonable distance and time frame (underwriter discretion) the deal could be dead. There is also a limit to how much an appraiser can make adjustments on value based on the differences in homes.
If the adjustments made are too high, the comparable property used could be considered irrelevant or unacceptable and would need to be replaced by a better comparable if possible.
Confidence
For some buyers the appraised value can have an impact on their ego.
Let’s say you get under contract on a house for $300,000 and it appraises for $380,000. There might be an increased warm and fuzzy feeling knowing you got a good deal. Another confidence booster in a case like this is that if you’re going to be paying private mortgage insurance (PMI) due to a low down payment, you may be able to refinance in a year and then use the new appraised value to drop your PMI (which could save you hundreds of dollars a month).
Knowing that you have instant equity in the home that you already loved to begin with can really add a nice cherry on top.
Compliance
The collateral (the house) used to secure the mortgage must comply with lender guidelines.
One of the biggest issues when talking about compliance has to do with finding out if the home is a non-warrantable condo (does not apply to single family homes). If the property is a condominium the appraiser will reveal information pertaining to the number of units that are owned by 1 entity, number of units that are not complete, and other important information about the condo that could cause issues. [more on non-warrantable condos here]
Another fairly common issue that can come up as a compliance issue is number of acres the property sits on. Depending on what type of loan program you’re seeking, there may be an issue with giving any value to acreage beyond 10-20 acres. For someone buying a 50 acre property, this can be a deal breaker if most of the value is in the land.
If the appraisal states subject property was recently was sold, there could also be flipping restrictions depending on what type of loan you’re seeking.
The appraisal can clearly make or break the deal in several unique ways other than home value.
Question: How do appraisers account for a difference in year built? Do appraisers give an adjustment when to comps there is an age difference?
Read more here ... http://sacramentoappraisalblog.com/2015/06/01/how-do-appraisers-account-for-a-difference-in-age-between-comps/?utm_content=bufferbc904&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin.com&utm_campaign=buffer
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