5 Reasons to Hire a Real Estate Agent to Sell Your Home

Whether you are buying or selling a home, it is definitely a journey that brings exciting challenges. Although one may feel it is not necessary to hire a real estate agent with the internet at our fingertips, a professional guide will help guide you on the path towards your ultimate goal. The award winning realtors at Choice Properties make it their mission to go beyond your expectations, making the home selling process a stress-free experience. We have listed 5 reasons to hire a real estate agent to sell your home, eliminating unwanted stress and worry.

Correctly Price Your Home

Experienced agents know every little detail of your local home-selling market, allowing them to correctly price the home. Pricing your home too high adds a risk of no bids meaning your home will sit on the market for a long period of time, whereas pricing too low puts you at risk for losing money. An experienced Indian Lake real estate agent will assure your home is priced accordingly for the Logan County market, helping you sell in a faster time frame.

Negotiating the Final Steps

Negotiations can be stressful and you do not want to go blindfolded into a market you don't fully understand. Selling your home is a huge business transaction and should be handled by a professional seller. The selling process has three negotiations: the initial offer, the counter offer, and the post-offer with inspection. Being unfamiliar with how to negotiate these steps may potentially cause you to lose the offer, having to start over with a new buyer. At Choice Properties, we want to see you sell your home in the most profitable way, so we ensure the negotiation is handled properly.

Home Exposure and Marketing

Not only does a realtor put your house up for sale, they also handle all the marketing involved. You want your home to gain maximum exposure to the greatest number of potential buyers, which is part of your realtor's duties. A devoted realtor will go above and beyond, marketing your house the best way possible. This goes with posting online listings, hosting open houses, and networking with other agents who have similar buyers.

The Buyer's Agents Prefer to Work With a Seller Agent

Most home buyers are represented by a local agent, who prefer to work with a seller agent during the home buying process, rather than with the seller directly. If you are a For Sale By Owner listing, that can push away agents who are seeking to work with another real estate professional. Avoid losing potential buyers by working with an expert realtor.

Stay on Track

Licensed realtors know each step involved in the home-selling process, making it easy to stay on track. They have the experience needed to work through the sales process efficiently, know when there are financial issues, and are knowledgeable on how to deal with negotiating.

If you are ready to list your home, it's important to remember the benefits an expert realtor can offer. Going through the process alone can feel overwhelming, not knowing which step is next or how to handle little details. At Choice Properties, our award-winning agents are eager to assist your home selling journey.

Choice Properties understands your needs and desires when it comes to the home search. We are here to help you define what you want, seek the best property and move forward feeling educated and able to make good decisions throughout the process. You can trust us to help you navigate it with the best real estate agents working for you. Call us to get started on your dream home search today.

What You Can Do if you Get Bad Home Inspection Results

Home inspections come with a nervous feeling of "what if," with the results potentially scaring away an interested buyer. Although home inspections are required, they should not be a step in the process you stress over. Remind yourself to stay relaxed and calm during the inspection, knowing you are equipped to tackle any results. At Choice Properties, we know the anxious feeling associated with the process, so we created a list of what you can do if you get bad home inspection results.

Be Prepared

Although you should not always expect the worse, being prepared for shocking news allows you to mentally process in a healthy way. Going into the inspection knowing you have physically and mentally prepared will let you welcome the results in a breeze. It can be hard to stay patient during this process as you are one step closer to selling to a potential buyer, but repairing any damages or concerns without rushing will ensure a promising reward.

Repair As Needed

When receiving a bad report, your mind is probably running circles wondering where to start. Take each project with a grain of salt, and remember to discuss with your trusted realtor and interested home buyer to develop a plan of action. If you agree to help the buyer with repairs, it is common to have them waive liability for later problems in exchange.

Even if you are surprised by the inspection findings, it's best to keep quiet until the buyer has presented you with a request of repairs or price reduction. The potential home buyers may not interpret the report as negativity as you do, saving you the stress and effort. If the buyer is interested in resolving the issues, schedule a chat with your realtor to review and discuss standard negotiating.

Selling your home the easiest way possible comes with learning to accept what you cannot control. Don't get ahead of any repairs before speaking to your realtor and determining a logical solution.

Choice Properties understands your needs and desires when it comes to the home search. We are here to help you define what you want, seek the best property and move forward feeling educated and able to make good decisions throughout the process. You can trust us to help you navigate it with the best real estate agents working for you. Call us to get started on your dream home search today.

How Does Your Credit Card Debt Affect Your Mortgage Rate?

Credit card debt is a common discussion in today's age and, when handled responsibly, can be a great way to boost your credit score when applying for a mortgage. Although a little credit card debt can do wonders, having too much can hurt your chances of obtaining a mortgage loan. Most Americans set a goal of buying a home, making it important to keep credit card debt under control. If you find yourself asking, "How does your credit card debt affect your mortgage rate?", then stay tuned to hear our expert realtors of Choice Properties explain the potential outcomes.  

Having High Credit Card Balance

If you have a high credit card balance, be prepared to show proof of available funds used to pay off the balance. If you lack the funds you could be subject to a higher interest rate on your loan. Having a strong credit history with monthly payments will help show your financial security, preventing a rise in interest rate. It is important to remember most lenders check credit in the final stages of your loan approval. You do not want to risk running up your credit card debt before closing, even if you are approved for a favorable loan rate as this could delay closing.

Having Zero Credit

When applying for loans with a history of zero credit, you may be asking yourself what options are available. Although the mortgage loan process is different, there are ways to secure a loan with no credit score. Applying for a government loan, or FHA loan, requires more paperwork as you must show you have paid rent or bills in the past. These typically come with a larger down payment. A second option is to have a co-signer, preferably someone with a history of good credit. If you prefer to avoid both of these methods, we suggest taking 6 months or more to build credit.

By lowering your credit debt or even paying it off, you are lowering your interest rate on a mortgage loan. Controlling unnecessary spendings and maintaining a strong monthly payment will set you on the right track of a good mortgage rate. Once you are ready to go, the realtors at Choice Properties will be waiting to help find the home of your dreams!

Choice Properties understands your needs and desires when it comes to the home search. We are here to help you define what you want, seek the best property and move forward feeling educated and able to make good decisions throughout the process. You can trust us to help you navigate it with the best real estate agents working for you. Call us to get started on your dream home search today.

5 Ways Homeowners can Avoid Foreclosure and Rebound

Owning a home comes with the responsibility of not only maintenance, but a financial obligation to pay a mortgage. As life happens, individuals may be presented with challenges and financial stress that can result in missing a payment. If several payments have been missed without contact with the homeowner's leasing company, a foreclosure might be presented by the lender. Although this is one possible outcome of falling behind on mortgage payments, there are several ways to avoid the foreclosure process even if a homeowner cannot afford the debt. The expert realtors at Choice Properties have listed 5 ways homeowners can avoid foreclosure, and rebound out of the rut.

Foreclosure Workout

During the time between the foreclosure announcement and the house auction, lenders are encouraging a compromise rather than proceeding with the auction. Lenders want to see homeowners stay on the right track, and are willing to negotiate a mortgage payment suitable for the current lifestyle.

Short Sale

Following the Notice of Default filed by the lender, but before the auction, there is a time where new potential buyers could make an offer on the house. If an offer is made on the house, lenders have the ability to consider accepting or declining the offer. If the homeowner presents a reasonable short sale offer, the lender may see this as saving them the time and effort of finding a qualified buyer in a soft market.

Bankruptcy

The only option to immediately stop foreclosure is to file for bankruptcy. Once bankruptcy has been filed, federal law prohibits any debt collectors from continuing collection activities, including foreclosure. This means the homeowner will face the creditors in court, buying the homeowner more time to recover financially. This law requires mortgage companies to work in-hand with homeowners, compromising to find the right solution.

Deed in Lieu

In this step of the foreclosure process, homeowners voluntarily sign the deed of the home over to the bank. Although this option sounds easy, it can significantly impact a homeowner's credit score. Lender's can be reluctant to sign over the home, as they fear homeowners are manipulating the system and being dishonest about their financial stress. This makes it difficult for lenders to agree to a deed in lieu.

Assumption/Lease-Option

Most loans in today's world are no longer assumable, meaning the average mortgage contains a clause where the borrower agrees to pay off the loan entirely. If a homeowner is facing foreclosure, they may have the advantage of persuading their lender to modify the loan. This allows another buyer to assume the loan, making it a win-win for all parties.

Consider taking action to avoid home foreclosure, rather than ignoring the situation. There are multiple ways homeowners can steer clear of a completed foreclosure, all of which are easy to navigate.

Choice Properties understands your needs and desires when it comes to the home search. We are here to help you define what you want, seek the best property and move forward feeling educated and able to make good decisions throughout the process. You can trust us to help you navigate it with the best real estate agents working for you. Call us to get started on your dream home search today.