How to Choose the Best Offer for Your House

What all goes into the home selling process? Since we're in a great market for sellers, you might receive multiple offers for your home, which means you'll need to carefully consider these factors.

Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for sale

We're currently in a great market for home sellers. How does the selling process actually work, though?

It starts with a Realtor like myself coming to your home to assess it and tell you what it's worth, then providing you with some tips for making it more sellable. Next, we'll list it for sale. If and when offers start coming in, we'll examine a few different factors.
 
Say you list the house for $200,000 and the first offer uses FHA financing and asks for $3,000 in closing costs and the second offer is an all-cash, full price offer wanting to close in 30 with only 10 days possession. Say the third offer is a VA loan from a veteran for $206,000 and asks for $4,000 in closing costs. Let's say the last offer—and probably the best offer—is an FHA financed offer for $208,000 and asks for $3,000 in closing costs with a 40-day closing and 30 days possession after closing, and the buyer is pre-approved by a trusted local lender.

Of these offers, there are a lot of factors to consider. For one, having an offer that's approved by a trusted local lender is important. If an offer comes in from a bank I don't recognize or like, it will probably be shifted down the pile.

With every offer, there are plenty of factors you need to consider.

Also remember that when selling your house, you'll also need time to look for your next home and time to close on it so that you don't have to move twice. In the case of our best offer, the buyer is giving a 40-day window for closing and 30 days free possession, which gives us plenty of time shop for a house and close on it (hopefully on the same day as the other home's closing) and plenty of time to move.

Of course, there's a lot more that goes into examining these offers, but the important thing to remember is how much I study these offers to make sure you get the most for your situation and avoid having to move twice.

If you have any other questions about selling your house, don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an email soon. I'd be more than happy to help you.

 

Why Is Now Such a Great Time to Sell Real Estate?

Why is now such a great time to sell real estate? Today I'll give you a quick explanation.

Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for sale

There are a couple of really exciting things going on in our real estate world right now.

The first is that the market has really jumped—we just surpassed 2006, making now a really great time to sell real estate. If you're looking to take advantage of this market by selling your house, I can give you selling tips and show you how to prepare your house in order to sell for top dollar.

Above all, I can tell you the maximum value you can get for your home.

Just give me a call or send me an email soon. I look forward to hearing from you!

What Happens After Your Grand Rapids Home Sells?

Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for sale

As we enter May, it’s an exciting time in the Grand Rapids real estate market. Homes are selling very quickly.

Since houses are selling quickly, I like to get together with sellers and have a planning session with you to sit down and talk about your goals. What time of year are you looking to move? Where are you looking to move to?

Many people are starting by focusing on selling the home fast and selling for top dollar, but they’re not planning things like where they want to move.

I’ll get together with you and we’ll plan everything out and decide on important timelines.

Additionally when selling, it’s very important to have your house staged appropriately. I’ll visit your home and provide tips on placing furniture, cleaning the garage, or painting a wall or two.

We’ll also send out a professional photographer for amazing, high-quality photos of your home.

Then we talk about what your objectives are when pricing a home. Lately we’ve found that we’re getting multiple offers on homes. If we price on the low end, we can get multiple offers, and if we price on the high end, we might get an offer that’s above what you were even dreaming of. Both options can be very attractive.

I’d love to get together with you. Give me a call or send me an email, I’d love to work with you.

What Are the Best Ways to Add Value to Your Grand Rapids Home?

Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for sale

Today, our expert stager, Julie Stone, joins us to discuss the top three questions homeowners ask when she is on a consultation.

1. What color do I paint my walls? The color you paint your walls really depends on your hard finishes, including your carpet, your wood floors, and your countertops. If possible, we suggest using gray, as it is a color that is still "in" at the moment and works as a neutralizing force in your home. It makes your home look very updated when compared with the boring beige color that was "in" years ago.
2. How can I get the biggest bang for my buck? Whether you’re simply renovating your home or you’re trying to get your money back, everyone wants to know what they can do to add value to their home. Believe it or not, light fixtures will get you the biggest bang for your buck. You need to change out your brass fixtures to update and upgrade your home. Cabinet hardware is another inexpensive thing you can do to add value.
3. What big design trends are in right now? As mentioned earlier, gray walls are still huge. Surprisingly, another color that is hot right now is orange, especially in accessories such as rugs and pillows. Gunmetal finishes are also quite popular for appliances, silverware, and light fixtures, among other things.

When you do a walkthrough consultation with Julie, she will make a list of recommendations of items to do that will appeal to the majority of home buyers in every room. Whether it’s painting, carpet, light fixtures, or just rearranging furniture, she will identify all the things you need to change to make your home appeal to the largest number of buyers. Depending on the size of the home, the consultation typically takes about an hour and a half to complete.

If you would like to set up a consultation with Julie, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!

We Have Clients to Buy Your Grand Rapids Home!

Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for sale

This fall is a great time to be in the real estate market. Values are jumping right now, and it's a great time to sell. If you or anyone you know is thinking of selling, we have eager buyers looking for homes.

Let's go over our buyers. We have three buyers in the Wyoming panhandle looking for homes in the $200,000 to $350,000 range. We have two buyers looking in Grandville for a home priced between $100,000 and $220,000. We have a buyer in Jenison looking for a property priced between $100,000 and $165,000, and another in the Wayland area looking for a property with an acreage, barn, and possibly woods priced between $200,000 and $250,000.

We also have two buyers interested in waterfront property, and they are open to negotiation on the price.

If you or anyone you know is interested in selling their homes, please give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Why Won't Your Grand Rapids Home Sell?

Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for sale

We have had an exciting summer in real estate here in Grand Rapids. Although a lot of people have been successful selling their homes in this market, some have not. If you are one of those who has been trying to sell their home without success, today we are going to talk about the top 3 reasons a home doesn't sell in our market. 

Pay attention to these things, and you should have the answer to your problem. It could be one or all three of these:

1. Improper Staging- Your home may have a smell to it or look crowded when somebody else walks in. We can help identify this problem beforehand so you don't run into it during showings.
2. Photos have to be amazing- Your home will be viewed online thousands of times before it is viewed in person. We have a professional photographer on staff who does a great job at making our listings look great online.
3. Pricing- The home has to be priced in accordance with the market in order to sell. You can't price it too high because it won't get any offers. When we come in and lower the price of your home, it creates demand, and the home sells much quicker.

If you need to know what your home is worth or if you have any other questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send a quick email. We would be happy to speak with you!

How Can You Spruce Up Your Living Room on a Budget?

Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for sale

If you are looking to sell your home, your goal is to get the most money possible in the shortest amount of time. One of the best ways to add value and appeal to your home is through home staging. You have a lot of options for how you want to go about it. You could hire a professional staging company, but that comes with a hefty price tag.Most of the time, a few simple fixes is all it takes to transform a living room. 

Today we are going to go through some of our most favorite, inexpensive home staging tips or you. We hope these will help you save both time and money when it comes time to sell your home.

A fresh coat of paint is always a good idea. Neutral, warm colors work best for highlighting the natural light in your home. This will make it easier to punch up the room with some colorful accessories and pull everything together.

A common design problem facing many homeowners is that they have no real entry way, as their front door opens up to the living room. To fix this, you can add a table, some lighting, and a rug to "fake a foyer" and make it feel like the living room and entryway are two different spaces.

A patterned rug, some pillows, or bright curtains add a ton of texture and an eclectic layer to the space, which is essential to a well-designed room.

In some cases, a "make-under" is just what you need. In the case of most fireplaces, taking some accessories and clutter away enhances the look and feel of the room greatly.

You could spend well over a few thousand dollars with a staging company, or you could do these fixes yourself for around $500. That's a small investment considering the value that you add to your home by adding those pieces.

If you have any questions for us about staging your home or anything else real estate related, give us a call or send over a quick email. We are always here to help, and would love to hear from you!

How Can I Serve Your Real Estate Needs in Grand Rapids?

Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for sale

I'm extremely excited to be back with you today, and to announce that the last month at Keller Williams Rivertown has been one of the best in my entire real estate career. We've sold 9 listings at or above listing price, and seven of our buyers found great homes in Grand Rapids. 

However, last month I sent an email out that required you to ask questions, so now I'll be answering them for you today.

Erin in Hudsonville wanted to know how to avoid paying too much when making an offer on a home. This is a great question, and what I do is look at comparable sales in the area, as well as determine the age of the roof, furnace, and plumbing. If you meet with me, I can give you much more advice on how to avoid overpaying on a home. 

Wendy from Grandville asked me how to determine the best mortgage program for her particular situation. When you meet with me to discuss this, I'll ask you how much you want to spend per month, how much you can put down, and how your credit is looking. Once I have that information, I can refer you to the right loan officer.

Toby and Byron asked what they should do to their home now that they've decided to sell it. There are numerous things to be done when you're selling, but when I come out to the house I'll take a look around and tell you what needs fixing. Everyone's home is different, but usually a thorough cleaning, repainting, and maybe some slight renovations can help improve the value of the home before a sale. 

Once again, if you need assistance buying or selling real estate in Grand Rapids, then please don't hesitate to contact me. I can answer all of your questions and your experience with me should be as painless as possible.

How You Can Avoid a Long Selling Process

If you're a prospective buyer in the Grand Rapids area and are in search of your essential home, search all homes on the MLS, or if you're wanting to place your home on the market, don't hesitate to obtain a free home price estimation tool. If you have any questions, or desire any preliminary information about the Grand Rapids real estate market, feel free to contact me at (616) 532-7200.

I wanted to take today's blog to share a recent success story I had in Wyoming. As some of you know, I grew up in Wyoming and know the area like the back of my hand. One of my past clients had hired a Realtor from another company, who looked at it, gave advice, and priced it. However, she priced the home way too high and the home ended up sitting on the market for 9 months. 

That's where I came in. I took a look at the home, told them the exact price the home would sell for,shared  a few things that needed to be done to the house - like painting and rearranging furniture - and they listened. Once doing what I told them to do, the house was sold in three weeks and closed in two with a cash offer! 

If you need your home sold right away, I would love to help. I've assisted many families that needed to sell quickly and would love to help you! Give me a call and we'll start making a plan today. Thanks, and make it a great day!

What do I need to do to sell my Grand Rapids house?

If you're a prospective buyer in the Grand Rapids area and are in search of your essential home, Search all homes on the MLS, or if you're wanting to place your home on the market, don't hesitate to obtain a Free home price estimation tool. If you have any questions, or desire any preliminary information about the Grand Rapids real estate market, feel free to contact me at (616) 532-7200.

Welcome to My New Real Estate Video Blog!

If you are wondering where to start in regards to listing your home, follow these steps:

1. Know the approximate value of your house. If you look to the right, you can enter your home address into the field and it will produce an approximate market value.
2. Personal home evaluation. My next step would be to personally visit your home and give you the exact market value of your home. I will also give you one-on-one tips for a faster sale, staging the home and any tasks you may be able to complete to speed up the process.

Put Your Trust in Me!

It is also worth noting that I am the area’s number one agent on Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com. This allows me to give your home more exposure in comparison to any other agent in the area! I also utilize professional photography by sending a photographer out to your home. Buyers love when your listing has detailed pictures, outlines and dimensions of your home’s rooms! If you would like to see examples of how my homes are photographed, check out this list:

• Eagle Rock
• Golfton
• Abby Ct.
• Woodhaven
• Mills Ridge
• Secluded Acres
• Blanchard
• Country Springs
• Penny Lane
• Tyler Oaks
• Port Sheldon
• Thoroughbred
• Quest
• Coopers Pass
• Bennington
• Morgan Mills
• Kalamazoo
• Waterford Ct.
• Woodbushe
• Ridgemont
• 32nd
• Ridgetop
• Bridle Creek

I would love to come out to your home and find out how we can get started on a great real estate transaction!