How to Pick the Best Offer on Your Home

Getting multiple offers on your home is a great thing, but deciding which one is best for you involves examining a few key aspects of each offer.

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If you’re selling your home in a great market, you’re in the right price range, and you get multiple counteroffers, what does that mean to you?

Number one, that’s awesome. Anytime you have competing buyers for your property, it puts you in the driver’s seat in terms of getting your house sold. It allows you to get a much better offer and determine some of the contingencies. But what should you specifically look out for to determine the best of these offers?

The first thing you want to look at is the contingencies. How far out are their home inspection contingencies? I would say that 90% of the properties bought in the Flathead Valley have a home inspection contingency. If a buyer schedules their inspection contingency for, say, five weeks instead of 10 days, which is more normal, then they may have cold feet.

You want to schedule that home inspection contingency as soon as possible. Give them adequate time to inspect the home, but don’t give them forever. You don’t want to keep your home off the market any longer than you need to.

Don’t keep your home off the market any longer than you need to.

The next thing to look at is loan pre-approvals. Obviously, cash buyers are the premium. If you have one, that takes the lender and the appraiser out of the equation and makes the deal a lot easier. If you don’t have a cash buyer, however, make sure your buyer is pre-approved. There are different levels of pre-approval, so make sure you read any and all pre-approval letters to verify that they’ve been through underwriting.

You also want to be mindful of appraisal requirements. Appraisals are a big deal, and oftentimes in hot markets, appraisers can have a tough time finding comparables when values go up. Look at the appraisal contingencies with your agent and really dig into them.  

Lastly, you want to pay attention to closing time. How a buyer handles closing time is a good indication of how willing they actually are to close on your property. If you have a buyer that’s out for a long period of time, say two or three months, that might indicate hesitation on their part or a lack of commitment. If this is the case, talk to your agent and find out why the buyer is extending this time period. Be sure to line the closing time up with what works for you.

If you have any questions about buying or selling, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you.

5 Things to Do Before Your Home Appraisal

When you are preparing for a home appraisal, there are five things you can do to make sure your property looks its best. Tune in to learn more.

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One way to determine home value is to get an appraisal from a third-party appraiser. Whether you are selling your home or refinancing, there are five things you can do to prepare for the appraisal:

1. Clean up your yard to increase the curb appeal. The first thing the appraiser will see is your yard, so make sure it looks great. Trim the lawn, prune bushes and shrubs, and pick up toys or extra lawn chairs. Your yard should not look cluttered.

2. Make the appraiser’s visit a pleasant one. Make sure your home is set at a comfortable temperature. Turn on the air during the summer or make sure the home is nice and cozy in the fall. You should also declutter the home and get pets out of the way for the appraiser.

3. Keep the $500 rule in mind. Appraisers often measure home value in $500 increments, so take care of any minor repairs in your home. A broken mirror in the bathroom or torn carpeting could make a big difference in the appraised value of your home.

Make the appraiser’s visit a comfortable one.

4. Double check the basics. Make sure the lights are on and that everything is in working order. If elements in the home are in disrepair, your home will seem older than other comparable properties on the market. If anything in your home looks outdated, take a look and consider making a change.

5. Keep a list of repairs and upgrades. The appraiser doesn’t necessarily know what you have done to repair the home. If you have added a new porch, hot tub, or outdoor barbecue, make a list and keep the receipts. If you are present during the home appraisal, you can share that list with the appraiser; otherwise, leave the list and receipts on a counter or table for the appraiser to read.

Ultimately, it’s important to make the home as nice as possible so that the appraiser has a pleasant visit. If you have any other questions about home appraisals or about real estate in general, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

5 Mistakes People Make When Trying to Sell Their Home

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Why homes don’t sell is a popular topic with us. We hear about it a lot and can tell you that only 57% of homes listed for sale actually end up selling. The ones that don’t usually fail for the same set of reasons. Today we want to list them so you don’t end up making the same mistakes.

1. The home is in poor condition. Check out your competition. If the majority of the homes on the market are not selling, then your home needs to outshine the top 10%. Look at how many are listed in your price range versus how many sell. If that’s a low number, then you better be the best one out there because there aren’t many buyers to choose from.
2. Not using professional photography. Buyers love photos. Oftentimes their quality determines whether a buyer wants to make the effort to walk through your house or not. Take the perspective of the buyer and make sure yours convey the proper layout of the home in an artful manner.
3. Have you paid for extensive marketing & advertising? In our business, there isn’t one thing we do that sells a home; there are several things. If you’re trying to sell it on your own and wondering why it hasn’t sold, it’s probably because your avenues for marketing are very low. When you hire an agent, find out how much money they’re spending, and where that money is going. You want as many buyers looking at your property as possible.



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The number one reason homes don’t get sold is that people didn't research their price.

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4. Have you hired the wrong listing agent? Before you hire an agent, review their business history. Look at things like how many homes they sell a year, and what they spend on marketing. Checking their track record is the best method of judging their ability to sell your home.
5. Not pricing the home to sell. Probably the number one reason homes don’t get sold is that people didn’t do their research on price. If you’re more than 3% above the market, the chances of you getting an offer are pretty slim. Many people prefer to start their price high and, if need be, lower it until they get an offer. I can honestly tell you that this strategy is a trainwreck. You’re much better off pricing the home right where it needs to be to begin with.

Remember these things when trying to get your home sold. If you’d like us to come and take a look at the home and offer our advice, we’d be happy to help. Otherwise, if you have any other questions don’t hesitate to give us a call or send an email. We’ll see you next time.

6 Signs That It’s Time to Sell Your Home Today

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How do you know when you’re ready to start thinking about selling your home? Today I’ll be discussing six of the surefire signs that it’s time to list your house on the market.

1. You’re feeling cramped. If you find that every time you turn a corner you are running into a family member or stepping around objects, it may be time to look for a more spacious living area.

2. You have too much space. If it feels like you’ve got too much house and that you’re paying too much for space you’re not using, you might want to take a look at selling, especially in today’s market.

3. You’re over the neighborhood. You can’t change your neighborhood and you certainly can’t pick your neighbors. If you feel like you’re having issues with the area that you live in, or that the home values of the neighborhood are declining, give us a call. 

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If you want to remodel, there’s a chance that you won’t get a return on that investment.

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4. Remodeling won’t return on investment. I see people do this a lot, so look out for it. If your home is in the top half of your neighborhood’s home values, that means that the bottom half is bringing your property values down. This also means that if you want to remodel or renovate, there’s a chance that you won’t get a return on that investment if you’re the nicest house on the block. In this case, a dollar in doesn’t necessarily equal a dollar out since your home value might not be in the same place when you decide to move.

5. You can afford to sell. If you would like to take the equity out of your home and use that money to invest in something else, it may be time to consider cashing in.

6. You’re ready to compete. It’s a seller’s market right now across the country, especially in certain price ranges. People are competing for your home. If you were thinking of selling a few years ago but the values weren’t there, take a second look now because the market has definitely changed. There is a lot of demand, and rates have gone down once again—now is a great time to look into selling.

If you’ve got any questions about selling or whether it may be time for you to sell your home, don’t hesitate to reach out to me or any of my team members. We’d love to answer any questions you may have!

How to Find the True Value of Your Home

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Summer is upon us and things are moving along nicely. A lot of people have been putting their homes on the market, so we figured it was a good time to talk about how to price your home accurately and find the true value of your home.

The number one thing we look at when it comes to pricing is comparables. What have other homes in the Flathead Valley like yours sold for? We are looking for homes with a similar lot size, square footage, age, and with similar updates.

The other most important thing to look at is what you’re competing against. You want to get into the mind of a buyer and see things from their perspective. Stepping back and asking yourself how your home fits in with the other homes already for sale is a great exercise.

Another thing to consider is contingencies. There are special needs you will have that will show up in the form of contingencies. If you’re not as flexible in your offer or won’t budge on certain contingencies, that will affect the sale price.

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You want to get into the mind of a buyer.

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If you’re still concerned about value, realize that if you price a home more than 3% above its market value, it can sit on the market and the only way to get an offer will be to reduce the price. After you’ve went through comparables and you’re still concerned with price, have an appraisal done. They will be able to give you a fair, unbiased market value. They can really take a look at your home from a neutral standpoint.

The most important thing is to know where you want to be. Know what you need to sell the home for and what you want in your pocket at the end of the day. Make sure the numbers work out.

If you have any questions for us or want more information, give us a call or send us an email anytime. We look forward to hearing from you!

8 Critical Things to Do Before Buying a Home

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Before you actually buy a home, there are a few things you need to take care of. More specifically, there are 8 critical things you need to do to ensure your home purchase goes smoothly:

1. Crunch your numbers: Know what you are financially capable of affording and get a pre-qualification or pre-approval from a lender before you start looking for homes to buy.

2. Know your credit score: When you talk with that lender, make sure you know where your credit score is and what you can do to bump it up a bit. The better your score is, the better rates and terms you will receive.

3. Get a down payment: There are a few lending programs out there that allow you to get a home with 0% down. However, the more you can put down on a home, the better rate you’re likely to get.

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Don’t stretch yourself to make payments.

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4. Get educated with a local home buying seminar: There is a lot of information out there you can learn about how to buy a home intelligently and how to stay objective throughout the process. Attending one of these seminars can really make the buying process simpler.

5. Interview real estate agents: Ask them questions like how many homes they’ve sold, how long they’ve been in the business, and if they do real estate full-time. You want someone who has a great track record and is easy to work with.

6. Ballpark closing costs with your lender: After you’ve figured out your down payment, figure out the total amount of money you’ll need at closing. Closing costs aren’t cheap, so you want to make sure you’re prepared beforehand.

7. Consider any future financial problems: Make sure you will be able to handle your payments if for some reason you suddenly lose your job or income.

8. Live below your means: Don’t stretch yourself to make payments. You want to be able to consistently make them, and having a lower payment will make things easier.

If you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you!

Five Ways to Avoid Buying a Money Pit

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When you buy a home in Flathead Valley, you don’t want to end up getting trapped in a money pit. Here are five ways to avoid buying a home that will leave you with a headache and expensive repairs.

1. Get a thorough home inspection. Once you’ve found the perfect home, get a qualified home inspector to come in and take an in-depth walkthrough of your property. Talk with them at length about what is wrong with the home and what your options are.

2. Read the reports and disclosures. Take time to thoroughly examine the report you get from the inspector, and make sure you have all the necessary disclosures from the seller so you know everything you possibly can about the condition of the home.

3. Get multiple bids on repairs. If you end up coming to an agreement with the seller that you will make some of the repairs, make sure you get multiple bids on them. 

4. Don’t get too overconfident. Be skeptical when buying. Don’t let little things get you down about a home, but make sure you’re not buying something that will be more trouble than it’s worth, either.

5. Prioritize price reductions and credits over seller repairs. If a seller reduces the price or gives you credit for repairs and it doesn’t affect your financing, don’t worry so much about having them fix everything.

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Be skeptical when buying.

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These are all great tips to remember, but the most important one to keep in mind is that you need a great home inspector. If you have any questions for us or would like a recommendation for an inspector, give us a call or send us an email. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Common Seller Questions in the Flathead Valley

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When selling a home in the Flathead Valley, there’s a lot of questions to ask a real estate agent. Knowing what to ask is important, so I wanted to share the most common questions with you.

1. How much needs to be done to my home before putting it on the market? Sometimes there’s construction issues that must be addressed, and they happen on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes it’s a new handrail, sometimes it’s a major foundation issue, and sometimes it might be mold.
2. How much is my home worth in today’s market? This depends on your property and where it’s at. We’ll look at homes in your neighborhood or similar homes in the Flathead Valley and try to get as many comps as we can - we try to do seven.
3. How long will my home take to sell? It usually depends on the price bracket it’s in. Homes under $400,000 move a lot quicker than homes above $600,000 in the Flathead Valley, so you need to be a bit more aggressive. If you’re curious about this and know your home’s exact value, we can provide you with the average days on market per price bracket.
4. Is staging important? It’s very important! While I can’t give an exact percentage for money that goes into your pocket because of it, I can tell you that there’s a totally different perception by buyers in staged homes. They can really picture themselves there, where their furniture will go, and how the home flows.
5. Should I be present when buyers view my home? Buyers fall in love with the home while going through and picture themselves in it. When someone is there who they don’t feel comfortable with, they tend to pull away from that emotional connection.
6. What is the agent’s commission? That varies. I always tell sellers to focus on how much money they’re going to make and the agent’s statistics. I can tell you that we’re very competitive with that. We have different commission packages to choose from.

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Buyers fall in love with homes because of emotional attachments

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If you have any more questions, please feel free to reach out over the phone or by email.

Look at Your Flathead Valley Home With Fresh Eyes When Selling

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When you’ve lived in your home for a long time, you barely notice any changes in the house. When it’s time to sell, you need to make an excellent first impression, so take a step back and look at things from the buyer’s perspective.

Pretend you’re walking into your home for the first time. Look for things like overgrown bushes that cover the windows, dirty sidewalks, or broken window screens. Get your cars and RVs out of the yard in order to make the parking space look larger.

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Pay attention to the day-to-day details.

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One crazy thing that most people don’t usually pay attention to is the doorknob on the front door. It’s the first thing buyers will grab onto. If you have an out of date doorknob, subconsciously, the buyer will think you’re not taking care of your home. Go to a hardware store and purchase a $40 doorknob. It can make a huge difference!

When selling your home, it’s incredibly important to pay attention to the small things you wouldn’t otherwise notice. Imagine what the buyer wants to see. If you have any questions, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

The Key to Selling Your Flathead Valley Home

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Today, we’re going to talk about the number one mistake for Flathead Valley sellers to avoid.

The National Association of Realtors recently conducted a study on homebuyers and their online search processes. They found 8 out of 10 buyers look for high quality photographs when deciding whether or not to visit a property. This is the number one factor for those buyers.

Professional photographs allow the buyers to see what the house is like. It’s also important to know that 90% of buyers begin their home search online. Without a doubt, the most important thing you can do is post professional photos of your homes. Just because everyone has an iPhone these days doesn’t mean you should let your agent take pictures of your home with one.

You never get a second chance at a first impression, so make sure that the buyers see awesome photos of your home. Get your home staged correctly and set it up perfectly so that you have an easy transaction from the very beginning.

If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

Find the Right Price in Flathead Valley

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Overpriced homes will not sell. That’s why it’s so important to find the right price for your home when listing. Here are two simple tips to help you price your Flathead Valley home correctly the first time around!

Find comparable homes. Hire a Realtor with access to the MLS and previously closed properties. Since Montana is a non-disclosure state, this information isn’t accessible to the public. Sites like Zillow and Trulia likely aren’t accurate.

Figure out which homes receive active searches. You face competition automatically as a seller and you need to know what’s out there. Familiarize yourself with the current market climate and conditions.

One of the most important things to do as a seller is to price your home correctly. That’s the most efficient way to sell your home in the Flathead Valley. If you have any questions about this topic or anything else real estate related, contact me by phone or email!

Avoid These Mistakes When Building a Home in the Flathead Valley

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If I could build a home all over again, I’d approach it differently. Here are some ways to avoid making mistakes when building a home in the Flathead Valley.

Get solid blueprints and multiple bids. Know exactly what you want to build. Wait to get multiple offers from different builders and go with the best offer. Be sure to compare prices side by side.

Get the price of an upgrade up front. Builders have different rates for upgrades, so it’s important to know these before you commit to a change. Get a firm price if you change anything to avoid surprises at the end!

Understand you’ll probably go over the budget. There will be changes, including any repairs or renovations inside the home. From the beginning, be conscious of and plan for this especially.

If you have any questions about this topic or more, feel free to reach out by phone or email. I’d be happy to address any concerns and mediate the conversation.