Don't Do These Things Before Buying a Sandpiper Lakeland Fl Home

Financing your dream Sandpiper Lakeland Fl is an
important step in acquiring it.

Don't Do These Things Before Buying a Sandpiper Lakeland Fl Home

Buying a home is a major financial decision. You want to get your dream Sandpiper Lakeland home financed. Getting financing for our homes means making lenders happy. Given the fact that you are maintaining a good credit, there are still things that can jeopardize your home mortgage.

Here are 3 things you don’t want to do while you’re in the process of buying a home.

Don’t quit or change your job. You want to show the lender that you are stable. Losing your job before applying for a home loan would state otherwise.

Don’t make any major purchases like cars or trucks. In other words, don’t buy anything that you have to finance. This will increase your debt-to-income ratio and it will surely decrease your chance of getting a home loan.

Don’t be late paying your credit card bills or charge excessively. You want to show the loan officers that you are responsible and you are paying your bills on time.

Financing your dream Sandpiper Lakeland Fl is an important step in acquiring it. You should make sure that you are not putting your home loan at risk by maintaining a good credit score and stable finances.

 

To get the best tips on how you can sell your Sandpiper Lakeland FL home for sale, call Petra Norris at (863) 619-6918 today or visit http://lakelandflsandpiperneighborhoods.wordpress.com for more information.

Tips on buying a Sandpiper Lakeland FL home for sale as a Second Home

Purchasing a Sandpiper Lakeland FL home
as a second home is similar to the purchase
of your first home.

Tips on Buying A Sandpiper Lakeland Fl Home For Sale as a Second Home

The prime season for buying second homes in Lakeland was from January through April. Sandpiper Lakeland FL is one of the most affordable towns in Florida to buy a home.

At some point in your life, perhaps you will come to realize that you are financially able to buy a second home.

It is important to understand the process before making a decision to buy a Sandpiper Lakeland Fl  home for sale as second home.

Purchasing a home as a second home is similar to the purchase of your first home.

However, there are also some significant differences that you may not know of. The most important things to consider before purchasing a Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home as a second home are: know what you are looking for and know how much home you can afford.

Here are some tips to help you make a better decision on purchasing a second home:

1. Consider the timing.

Timing is a major aspect in buying a second home. If you are in the middle of your career or about to retire, ask yourself what are your reasons for buying a second home. “Do I want to use this Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale as a rental property or as a vacation home?” “Can I afford this?” “Is this the best time to buy?” Having a good understanding of what the market is like now and knowing when the best time is to buy will get you the home you want at a great value.

2. Hire an experienced Sandpiper Lakeland Fl agent.

Hiring an experienced Sandpiper Lakeland Fl agent will be the best thing you could do when looking for a Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale. The agent’s expertise and knowledge will help you in making the right decisions and will be there all throughout the process to answer your questions.

3. Do your research.

The Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale you are planning to buy can be whatever you want it to be, but always remember that the location and the home need to fit your lifestyle. If you intend to buy a second home as an investment property, a good idea is to buy one near your current home so you can be just a few minutes away in case of an emergency. If you are considering a vacation home, make sure to talk to the residents who live in the same area to get their feedback and if they like living there.

You also need to do some thorough research and analysis of your finances. Know exactly how much the costs (not just the selling price) of buying a Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale are. Remember that there will be stricter mortgage and lending requirements when you are applying for a second mortgage. This is especially true if you will not be living in your second home.

4. Be prepared for the costs.

You should also consider your taxes which will be based on how you will use your second home. The IRS considers a home a “personal residence” if you live in it for more than 14 days or more than 10% of the time it is rented out each year. If these conditions are not met, then your second home will be considered a rental property and all rental receipts must be reported as income.

Interest rates for mortgages on second homes are higher than those on a first home. You might want to consider a home equity line of credit (HELOC). This allows the buyer to use their current home’s equity in order to come up with a higher down payment for the second home.

When the time comes for you to decide on buying a Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale as a second home, do  your research and weighing your options is important. Keep in mind that buying an existing Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale is cheaper than buying land and building a home. These tips will help you avoid the financial mistakes many homeowners make when buying second homes then looking to sell it immediately to cut their losses.

5. Protect your investment.

Before making a major decision like buying a second home, it is very important to be aware of what you are getting into and do your own research. Take the extra precautions to protect your investment like you did with your first home.

 

To get the best tips on how you can sell your Sandpiper Lakeland FL home for sale, call Petra Norris at (863) 619-6918 today or visit http://activerain.com/blogs/pnorris500 for more information.

7 Tips on Taking Great Photos That Will Sell Your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl Home Quickly

Taking great photos of your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home
for sale can go a long way in acheiving a successful sale.

7 Tips on Taking Great Photos That Will Sell Your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl Home Quickly

When it comes in putting your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale, the visual impact plays a key role in helping you sell it quickly. You can attract many possible buyers through excellent photos on your listings.

Unlike the common notion, you don’t have to hire a professional photographer or own an expensive DSLR just to achieve this. Taking good photos that will sell your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home is rather simple.

Here are 7 tips on taking great photos of your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home especially when selling it as a for sale by owner:

1. Take photos after sunset. The best time to take photos outside your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale is right after sunset when the sky starts to get dark. The worst time to take photos is midday, when the light is too bright, showing any flaws in the home and casting shadows everywhere

2. Look for the best places to take photos of your house before it gets dark. Choose 3 or more areas of your home that looks best just before it gets dark. That way you can take all the shots quickly in one evening and maximize the half light.

3. Turn on all the lights in your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale. This includes lamps by the bedside and in the lounge room. Turn on all exterior lights as well in the patio, porch, walkway, etc. having the lights on makes your home for sale look warm and inviting. The light also brings out the contours and shape of your house in the evening light.

4. Take photos from different angles. Use wide angle shots and close up shots of the entrance or patio and experiment with them to see which looks best. Make sure you grab the buyer’s attention through your photos.

5. Remove unnecessary items. Be aware of items that might be included in the shot. Remove personal items, trash bins, toys, dog beds, and clutter lying around. Move the cars off the driveway. Make sure there are no distractions in your photos. Avoid having power lines or washing lines in the photo.

6. If your home for sale has a large driveway, take photos from closer to the ground or high up by stepping on a ladder. This will give more focus on your home by reducing the driveway perspective.

7. Placing flowers on the dining table, a bottle of wine and some wine glasses on the outdoor lounge table, or even a dinner setting could make your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale much more inviting to potential buyers. When you add a sense of scene, your potential buyers will be able to imagine themselves living in your home and will be more attracted to you Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale.

You could use all these professional tricks in getting the best photos of your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale. If you intend to put the homes on the website, you shouldn’t worry too much about resolution or quality. Some websites actually reject photos with very high resolutions; therefore, a simple digital camera will do the trick.

As your last option, if you are still not confident or satisfied with your photos, you could hire a professional photographer to take photos of your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale.

Those great photos of your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale can go a long way in achieving a successful sale.

 

To get the best tips on how you can sell your Sandpiper Lakeland FL home for sale, call Petra Norris at (863) 619-6918 today or visit http://lakelandfl-shortsaleagent.com/ for more information.

What’s the difference between an Appraisal and a CMA when it comes to selling your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home?

If the price of your Sandpiper Lakeland FL home for sale is
based on your agent's CMA, chances are good that it will
match the buyer's appraisal.

What’s the difference between an Appraisal and a CMA when it comes to selling your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home?

You can determine the value of your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale in two ways - through a professional appraisal or a comparable market analysis (CMA). What is the difference? A professional appraisal is a formal process to determine the value of your home, a licensed appraiser conducts the appraisal. On the other hand, a CMA is a professional report prepared by a listing agent, it shows you the recent sales of comparable homes in your market.

The professional appraisal uses three approaches to determine the value of your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home home. The Cost Approach is derived from a calculation of the cost to replace the home, less depreciation and other factors, plus the land value. The Income Approach is pertinent to investors which involves estimating what an investor would pay based on the income produced by the property.  The most common and accurate approach is the Sales Comparison Approach. This involves providing a comparison to other similar homes located nearby that have recently sold.

In a Sales Approach, the professional appraiser will visit the home he or she is contracted to appraise and will compare it to other homes currently for sale, homes under contract and homes sold in recent months in the area with similar square footage, condition, age, amenities, number of bedrooms, and more. The data gathered by the appraiser will be compared to property tax records, along with recent market trends to determine if prices have gone up or down. Information from the MLS is also used by appraisers.

If an appraisal comes in lower than the asking price of the subject Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home, the bank may not grant the buyer the loan depending on the terms and condition of the sales contract between the seller and the buyer. Therefore, the seller will most likely need to reduce the price so the buyer can purchase the property.

A Sandpiper Lakeland Fl real estate agent not licensed as an appraiser can’t perform appraisals. Appraisals are generally requested by the bank to protect its interests and to make sure they don’t loan too much money for a home currently under contract to be sold.

A CMA is done by a professional real estate agent and is used to determine a home’s current market value. The seller can then determine the best listing price for their home where it will sell for the highest amount possible in the shortest amount of time. Hiring a real estate agent to do a CMA is equally important to hiring an appraiser. You want to hire an agent that is experienced providing you such an analysis.  He or she must be knowledgeable and have a true understanding of the real estate market, trends and valuation concepts and is familiar with your community.

Your real estate agent will get information from the MLS (multiple listing service) on similar listed homes for sale, sold data, property tax roll data, historical trends and use this data to generate a CMA. The CMA includes homes for sale in your immediate area as well as recently sold properties that are similar to your home in square footing, number of bedrooms, appearance, features, and price range. Such analysis may also include comparable homes that are no longer on the market and homes currently under contract.

Establishing the fair market value of your home is very important to buyers and their lenders. Once your buyer applies for a loan, the lender will order an appraisal on your home for sale. If the price of your home is way above comparables, your home may not  sell and may stay on the market for a long time.

If the price of your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale is based on your agent’s CMA, chances are good that it will match the buyer’s appraisal. This means your buyer will most likely be approved for the loan and you can quickly sell your home.

 

To get the best tips on how you can sell your Sandpiper Lakeland FL home for sale, call Petra Norris at (863) 619-6918 today or click here for more information.

Tips For Sandpiper Lakeland Homes For Sale By Owner

Tips For Sandpiper Lakeland Homes For Sale By Owner

Marketing your Sandpiper Lakeland home for sale is the key.

Tips and advice on how to market your home when doing it alone as a FSBO.

As the number of homes available in the market of Sandpiper Lakeland Florida continue to decrease, I see quite a few signs popping up that read “For Sale By Owner”. I am writing this blog to offer you some help and guidance.

I completely understood that many sellers are not open to working with a REALTOR® in selling their Sandpiper Lakeland home. This may be because they want to save on the commission or they might have had a bad experience with a listing agent. I do respect their decision to sell their Sandpiper Lakeland home on your own.

However, I would be glad to give you a free Comparative Market Analysis. This neighborhood analysis will give you a good idea of what is currently on the market, what has gone under contract, what has sold or not sold within recent months.

If you would like I can preview your home – free of charge – to see where your home’s appearance can improve, explaining what to fix or replace that may improve your profit before selling.  

Marketing your Sandpiper Lakeland FL home is key and photographs should be taken seriously.  Most home buyers begin their home search online. Buyers love lots of great pictures. 

Consider hiring a photographer to create a virtual tour and advertise the virtual tour link in your marketing materials.  All the marketing should be targeted toward making your phone ring.

Advertise on sites like, Craig’s list, Zillow, Trulia and put a home video on YouTube.  With the money you’ll be saving on the commission over hiring an agent, I encourage you to mail out oversized four-color postcards.  Local printing companies may even have a mailing list to target the buyers you want to reach.  

Selling real estate is complex and can be very confusing.  Once you find a buyer, I would be happy to connect you with Title Companies and mortgage brokers that can help you and your buyer through this process.

Check out this article concerning feedback when selling your Sandpiper Lakeland FL home for sale by owner by clicking here. 

Please call me at 863-619-6918 or email me at petra@petranorris.com. If you get my voicemail please leave me a message.  Rest assured that I will call you back promptly. I promise.

Know The Costs of Selling Your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl Home

Know The Costs of Selling Your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl Home

The largest portions of your budget in selling your
Sandpiper Lakeland FL home is the real estate commission.

In order for you to determine your net income from selling a Sandpiper Lakeland Fl, you must first determine the cost of selling it.

One thing that may eat up the largest portion of your budget in selling your home is the real estate commission. One of the most common mistakes sellers make is not hiring a Sandpiper Lakeland Fl listing agent trying to avoid paying real estate commissions. Little do sellers know that hiring a REALTOR can actually help them save them financially but also in time and effort. It is actually worth of your money.

These costs are actually deductible from the final selling price of your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale for tax purposes. Your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl agent can also help you track these expenses. Having an accurate amount of the total costs when selling your home is beneficial when the seller submits income tax documents.

Other expenses involved in selling a Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home is the property taxes and transfer taxes. Legal fees involved in the closing of the Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale are also part of the cost of home selling. If you still have an unpaid mortgage balance, this will be deducted from the selling price of your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale as well. You could request a payoff statement from the bank to confirm the correct amount owed. The bank may charge fees for this service, which can also be deducted as an expense of the Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale.

Another expense of the sale is repair costs to get the Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale in a good condition to attract buyers. To determine the extent of repairs, the seller may get a home inspection, which is another cost of selling a home.

Depending on the terms in the sales contract, it might be necessary to replace or update appliances and this could a large expense for the seller.

You should also include the cost of moving to your new home after your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale has been sold.

Storage of household furniture and items during relocation might also be a cost of  selling a home and changing residences. 

Relocation may require a large amount of money depending on the distance of the new home from your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale.

Other expenses that decrease the net proceeds from your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale is paying off liens attached to the property.

Unpaid HOA fees must also be settled when you put your Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale.

Unexpected expenses and last minute disagreements between the buyer and seller of the Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale may also increase the costs the seller needs to pay in order to sell the home.

The seller must assume all these expenses and be prepared for it in order for the Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale to close.

To get the best tips on how you can sell your Sandpiper Lakeland FL home for sale, call Petra Norris at (863) 619-6918 today or visit our website http://lakelandfl-shortsaleagent.com/ for more information.

How To Improve Your Home Loan Application Credit Score?

How To Improve Your Home Loan Application Credit Score?

How to improve your home loan application credit score?

The housing market in Sandpiper Lakeland FL is a competitive buyer’s market. You will have an advantage when submitting an offer if you already have your loan completed and approved.

One thing that plays a major role in the approval of your home loan application is your credit score. Cleaning up your credit report and increasing your credit score will increase your chance of getting preapproved.

Here are the top 3 ways to prepare your credit score before getting a home loan.

• Check your credit reports. Order a copy of your credit report. Your minimum score should be 720 to be viable for a home loan. If the score is lower than this, read the analysis and see what's bringing it down and address the problem.

• Pay off outstanding balances. If you have late payments, bury it with timely payments. You have to convince the lender that you pay promptly. If you have recent late payments, wait at least 6 months before applying for a home loan. The older the delinquency, the better.

• Reduce your debt to income ratio. If you have a high percentage of debt, you are at a great disadvantage. Make sure that your debt is at most only 12% of your income. Don't make any major purchases six months prior to applying for a home loan.

It is best that you start preparing at least six months before buying a Sandpiper Lakeland Fl home for sale. This way, you will be able to repair our credit history if necessary. Contact an experienced Sandpiper Lakeland Fl listing agent to help you prepare for buying a home.

 

Hire an experienced listing agent to sell your Sandpiper Lakeland FL home for sale, call Petra Norris at (863) 619-6918 today or click here for more information.