Blog

Why landscaping can make your home sell faster and for more money

by Mike Oddo

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      Plain and simple, the quality of your landscaping determines whether or not your home feels inviting from the outside.   Curb appeal is what people call it and it’s a key ingredient in the decision to buy a home to more than 71 percent of homebuyers. As you know, landscaping plays a huge role in the curb appeal that you present to prospective buyers for your home. The first impression is key: if buyers don’t like what your home looks like from...

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How much money will go into your pocket after your home is sold?

by Mike Oddo

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  It’s not what you make, it’s what you keep that matters. This holds especially true when it comes to the sale of your home.   The sales price you see at the top of the closing paperwork is rarely, if ever, the amount of money that ends up in your pocket as the seller.   There are often a variety of costs and fees associated with getting a home sold, so it’s important that you understand exactly what you’re going to walk away with before you...

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Why You Should Get a Home Warranty When You List Your Home

by Mike Oddo

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    Home warranties aren’t just for buyers anymore. In the past, buyers have asked sellers to pay for a home warranty to give the them a year of protection after it sells on roughly 16 major systems in the house including things like the electrical system, appliances, hot water heater, furnace, etc. Overall, it makes sense because the first time claim on a home warranty for most buyers runs around $1,100 - $1,200 including the $75 deductible that comes with making the...

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To Stage or Not to Stage Your Home for Sale

by Mike Oddo

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        Up until the early 2000’s, most home buyers would have only experienced the eye-popping appeal of home staging if they went and visited a model home at a new construction site. Builders know that it’s much easier for people to make a home-buying decision when they see a home decorated beautifully and set up like someone lives there. These days, staging is highly recommended whether the home is brand new or currently occupied because it has...

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How to sell a home that didn't sell

by Mike Oddo

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        The housing market is faring much better than it was a few years ago, but that doesn’t mean every home sells for top dollar or for that matter, sells at all.   So, if your "for sale" sign has been sitting on your front lawn a lot longer than you expected, you might be wondering how to sell your home that didn’t sell when you thought it would.   As a best practice, it ideal to consult your real estate agent, assuming that...

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What does a real estate agent actually do?

by Mike Oddo

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    Being a real estate agent requires you to employ a significant number of skills to complete a variety of different tasks on a daily basis. Trying to put what an agent does each day in one or two sentences is virtually impossible to do. It would be like trying to tell you what a chef does “cooks food” or what a nurse does “takes care of patients”. There’s a lot more that goes into what they do than just “helping people buy or sell properties”. If...

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Why you should make a list of the top 20 features you love about your home when selling?

by Mike Oddo

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    Who knows your home better than you do?   The short answer is nobody.   And because of that, you should take the time to make a list of the top 20 features you love about your home before you put it on the market.   You see, if you like those things about your house, then so will someone else. And, in an effort to help your agent get your home sold faster and for more money, it will help if you point out the things you really dig about your home that...

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What's the right amount of money to spend in upgrading your home?

by Mike Oddo

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  You’re wanting to freshen up your house a little bit and you’ve already determined what you think you should do to make it amazing for you to really enjoy it. Before you jump into your renovation project, make sure you set a budget so you can spend the right amount of money upgrading your home. Without a plan and a budget, you can spend tons of money on all kinds of neat options — from a new marble island-top for your kitchen to a swanky hot tub for your backyard...

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Your home is under contract, what’s next?

by Mike Oddo

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    Great news, you’ve put a home under contract and you’re excited to move in one day soon.  There’s a lot that has to happen before you can take occupancy: home inspection, appraisal, financing paperwork, contingencies and other dates to be met. Here’s what you can expect to happen over the coming weeks. Due Diligence Now that the home is yours to negotiate exclusively with the seller, you have a due diligence period that allows you to...

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Top deal breakers for a home under contract and how to fix them

by Mike Oddo

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    Selling your home, while exciting, can also be extremely stressful. Even the best of real estate agents have to deal with complicated issues that arise with a home sale. In fact, you’ll find that even when seller and buyer get along great and the sales process is humming along smoothly that challenges can crop up requiring lots of negotiations and may delay the transaction weeks before you can close on the transaction.  Conversely, some deals are complicated...

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