Date Archives: April 2019

We recently posted a blog detailing the reasons to buy instead of rent. Here is a closer look at the cost savings and value of purchasing a home over a 60 month period versus paying rent over that same period of time. 

Spring time has finally arrived in Cleveland and with the nice weather comes a competitive housing market! With the increased competition, it is especially important for homeowners currently selling or looking to sell to make sure that their home is looking its best and to the standards of potential buyers. Here are a few tips to improve your home's appearance and increase the likelihood of selling quickly:

1. Update your hardware! A quick way to spruce up your home is to update the knobs and drawer pulls in your kitchen, bathroom, and any other room as necessary. Another tip? Replace all of the outlet covers to make sure they are clean, consistent, and fresh.
2. Freshen up with a new coat of neutral colored paint. In rooms lacking luster, repaint with a neutral color such as grey, cream, or white. This allows potential buyers to better envision their furniture and personal items in the space.
3. Add extra lighting! When potential buyers view a home, they want the spaces to be light and bright. Extra lighting helps brighten the space and make it more appealing for potential buyers. Be careful not to over-clutter rooms though. Only place lamps and new lighting in places that limit clutter.
4. Re-caulk windows, bathrooms, kitchens, etc. and re-grout any floor tiles. This helps the bathrooms and kitchen windows and tiles look cleaner, adding more appeal to your home! When a potential customer walks into a home with a dirty looking bathroom or kitchen, they are likely to be discouraged and possibly unable to envision themselves living there.
5. Revive your curb appeal! Plant some fresh flowers, foliage, and more in your yard. Trim back any trees and bushes that may look unruly or overgrown. For spring, summer, and fall, keep leaves and any other foliage raked up, leaving your lawn looking nice and kept.
6. Provide potential buyers with local insights! Cleveland has a number of trendy neighborhoods with tons of exciting restaurants, cafes, shops, entertainment, and more. When new buyers are walking a house, leaving out a neighborhood guide for potential buyers might set your property apart from another. Include accessibility to local shops as well as any other quick information that might be of value to the potential home buyer.

Before making any changes to your home, be sure to check with your realtor to ensure that any changes are in line with current trends that are popular with home buyers. In need of a realtor? Visit our website contact page to submit your information to receive expert guidance to get your home sold quickly and for the best price.

Paying a fixed mortgage stabilizes your budget. In popular neighborhoods, rent is likely to rise as the neighborhood becomes more desirable and developed. With a mortgage your monthly payments stay the same, making your monthly budget easier to maintain and follow.

Buying a home costs less than renting over time. Although the monthly payment may be more initially, most mortgages have a fixed rate over the life of the loan meaning that you pay the same amount each month for the duration of the loan. Not only are you paying a monthly payment toward a property that you own unlike paying monthly rent, you are also likely to make a return on your investment during the time that you live at the residence.

Home ownership can be built-in savings account. When you purchase a home, the more money you pay toward your mortgage or put into fixing it up, the more equity you build and the less that you owe on the loan. The more work you put into your home, the more equity you build and the value of your home most likely will increase. It truly pays to take care of your home and make updates!

Affordable options exist. Other options for purchasing a lower cost home include purchasing a home in an up-and-coming neighborhood or a fixer upper in your first choice neighborhood.

You put down roots when you own a home. Owning a home is a personal experience and is a place where to make memories. Every change you make to the home directly affects you and investment in the property.   

There's pride in homeownership, which also closely ties you to your community. When you love where you live, there is a desire to add value to the neighborhood you live in and take care of the property that you own. A home is more than just the property that you own. It also includes the people, businesses, and the other homes in the community as well.