Month: November 2019

The process of buying a home is one of the most emotional journeys you’ll ever take. Other big purchases such as a new car or expensive wedding and honeymoon can also wreak havoc on your emotions – but none is likely to surpass the rollercoaster of emotions that will rise and fall when you purchase a home. You may experience different emotions if you’re purchasing your first home, but even if you’ve gone through the process before, each time is different and you’ll react in different ways.

The rollercoaster of emotions when buying a home may run the gamut of incomparable highs and lows that make you question your decision. If you’ve carefully researched the real estate market such as the most recent comparable sales in the area you want to buy and know the features you’ll compromise on – and those you won’t – you’re probably ready to jump on the home-buying train.

A licensed real estate agent can help you work through emotions that may lead you astray and guide you to the perfect home for you. Excitement is likely the first emotion you’ll feel when you’ve made the decision to purchase a home.

Searching for homes online is a good way to assess what’s out there and the prices you’ll face within certain areas. After the excitement of anticipating home ownership, your excitement may turn to outright fear when you first realize how much debt is involved in home ownership. You may feel overwhelmed at all the information you have to digest and all the real estate buzz words you need to know – especially if you’re a first time home buyer. You’ll likely see many properties before finding one you’ll even consider. When you enter the home search you’ll probably have a good idea about what you want. But, visiting multiple properties can be confusing and you may lose sight of those priorities you set for yourself. You may change your priorities as you proceed. Your realtor will be able to guide you to homes that truly fit your needs, your pocketbook and your price-range. Listen to the realtor and take what he or she says into consideration – especially if she knows your priorities ahead of time.

Stress is another emotion that’s typical of home-buyers. The anticipation of purchasing a home can be much greater than the reality when they come face to face with everything involved. Don’t come to a decision based on stress, feeling overwhelmed and just wanting to get it over with. You may overpay for a home just because your emotions get the best of you and you feel as if you can’t go on unless you get a certain house.

There’s always another house that will make you happy and meet your needs. Perhaps the worst part of buying a home are the emotions you’ll experience when you’ve put in your bid and are waiting to see if you get the home.

Don’t be too hard on yourself if you occasionally let home-buying emotions get the best of you. It’s often the largest purchase you’ll ever make and your realtor should be trusted to lead you to the best deal possible – and one that you’ll feel a great deal of satisfaction about.

When it’s time to sell a house, many homeowners start thinking about sprucing up the place or doing some renovations to get the most out of the sale. While renovations are a good idea, some are more important than others. 

Kitchen and bathroom renovations help a homeowner recoup the investment more than something like putting in new sod or replacing the home’s siding. Some renovations are fairly simple, inexpensive, and are worth doing. Over time, the walls and baseboards in a home can look dull and have marks where the paint has been dinged. An instant renovation that can make the home look up to date and fresh is to paint the rooms in your house that need it. If you have an accent wall in an extremely bold color, you might want to paint anyway, because most potential buyers prefer neutral paints. It helps them be able to imagine themselves living there. The kitchen is one room where you’ll really find that making renovations are worth it. If you have old appliances, you’ll want to update them. If you have a faded looking backsplash, you’ll want to replace it. If it’s not as modern as the ones in newer homes, you’ll want to replace it because an older backsplash detracts from a kitchen’s appeal. Things like new tile look fresh and really spruce up a kitchen. 

Potential buyers also check out the countertops in the kitchen. The most popular of all materials used on countertops is granite. It’s long lasting and will stand up to a lot of wear and tear. If you have old countertops – especially if your home is dated – and you have those old Formica ones, you’ll want to replace them. That doesn’t mean that you have to tear out the cabinets. You don’t want to do that – especially if they’re good ones. You can get granite countertops from a home improvement store and just have it professionally cut and fitted. It’s a lot less expensive than you might think. If your cabinets are in good shape, then you can just spruce them up with some paint or new hardware. In addition to the kitchen, the bathroom is a strong selling point in a house. One that has a stained tub or an outdated vanity doesn’t have much appeal. This is one renovation that will help you sell your home. Put in a new vanity if it needs it and either refinish a stained tub or put in a surround. 

Make sure that you renovate your yard, too. You want plenty of curb appeal so that your home makes a good first impression. This is a renovation that doesn’t have to cost much. You can place some new mulch around trees and shrubs and add colorful flowers in planters on the porch.