Surviving Moving Day
Moving soon? Are you ready? After countless moves, I’ve learned a lot about the process. Recently I helped my son and daughter-in-law move from one apartment to another. We did some of these things. We wished we had done all of them:
Get help! If you’re planning to rent a truck and do your own hauling, make sure you have plenty of able-bodied friends to help. Also, if you’re moving during spring or summer, consider reserving the moving van plenty of time in advance.
Keep your tool kit handy. You will need screwdrivers, measuring tape, box cutters, scissors, etc. Add some bungee cords and extension cords to this kit, too.
Beg, borrow, steal, or rent a lot of moving blankets. These will save your furniture from scratching. Plan at least one for every piece of solid furniture.
The MVP of safe moving is plastic wrap. The moving companies will sell it to you in a giant spool. Very important! Cover your tables, dressers, bookshelves, etc., with a moving blanket, then secure the blanket by tightly winding several layers of plastic wrap around it. The plastic will stick to itself and keep the furniture safely wrapped. This is the best way to keep furniture from nicks and scrapes. You can also wrap furniture to keep drawers from sliding out and cabinet doors from flying open.
Label boxes with a Sharpie. Write the destination room in the new place (kitchen, bedroom, etc.) on top along with a brief description of the contents.
Pack heavy items in smaller boxes. They will be easier to lift/carry and less likely to be dropped. When packing fragile items, wrap them completely in paper or bubblewrap or fabric. Then wedge paper between the items in the box until nothing can slide around. Tape the box firmly shut and give it a shake to be certain nothing is moving. Label “Fragile” on the box.
Wrap bottles and containers of liquid separately and pack in a plastic tote or tub. Transport these in one of your cars. You don’t want a broken bottle of olive oil anointing all of your furniture in the back of the moving van.
Pack some toilet paper, paper towel, and hand soap where you can find and unpack it immediately. The new place may not have any, and you’re going to need it!
Pack fresh bedding for your bed separately and transport it in your car or someplace where it can immediately be found once you arrive at your new place. Ask someone to make up your bed once the frame and mattress are in place. By the end of the day, you will be exhausted and happy to crawl into your freshly made bed!
Plan plenty of time. Packing things is slow work. Loading the moving van takes a lot more time and thought than unloading. Loading requires strategy to use the space in the van to the best advantage and to secure items during transit.
Designate one helper to be the errand person. She can pick up missing supplies and pick up lunch for your crew. Also stock up on water bottles to keep everyone hydrated.
Have reasonable expectations. You can’t control every part of your move. Items may get damaged, the schedule may not fit together, and people may be irritable. In the end, save your relationships – they’re worth more than your furniture.
Big Ticket Tracking
How old is your roof? Your furnace – how old is that? Have any idea when your water heater was installed? Is your refrigerator old?
When touring houses, buyers have lots of questions. I ask sellers for dates on their roofs and mechanicals in the process of listing their houses – anticipating these questions from prospective buyers.
Why does no one ever know?? That’s not true. Some homeowners have a pretty good idea of the dates on the parts and pieces of their home, but many do not. To be fair, if people buy a home without knowing the roof's age, they still won’t know the age when they try to sell the house three years later. The roof will just be three years older than whatever age it was before!
But, I propose that we do better. Let’s change this situation. How hard is recording the dates when making major changes or home-related purchases? Could paperwork from appliances, mechanicals, roofers, etc., be saved and filed? Imagine the idea!
I don’t really care what system people use. The above photo may or may not be a real example of some people I know (quite well) who throw all the paperwork in the bottom of a file drawer. Is it organized? Hmmm – maybe not, but it’s there! Other people might maintain an entire file system, nicely alphabetized with tabs and color-coding. I’m not judging! I just want people to start some sort of record-keeping. I don’t care if they write dates on a stud with a Sharpie in the unfinished part of their basement! Actually, that might not be a bad idea!
And a side note, you can look up the serial number for your mechanicals online to determine a manufacture date. Hunt around the unit to find the serial number. Even though it might be in code, the internet will help you decipher it. You can feel like a detective!
Do the ages really matter? Yes. Sellers who have purchased big-ticket items in the not-so-distant past may charge more for their homes because of the value of these purchases. Imagine two similar properties, one has a brand new $22,000 roof and one has an older roof. Obviously, the new roof adds value. A new furnace and air conditioning unit add value. And, newer things also add a lot of appeal. Buyers love to know the windows have been replaced, the furnace is new, the patio was recently upgraded. Write down the dates! Extra points if you record the installer and the manufacturer.
Find a system or make a system – just record your system upgrades in some way!
“RIGHT TO CURE”
Have you ever made a mistake and wanted an eraser? Remember back in the day when we used “White-out”? I loved that stuff! How do you feel about Mulligans? Do-overs? We all have moments when we would like to correct an error. That is the basic idea of “Right to Cure” – an extra clause in the Offer to Purchase that allows the seller the right to a do-over, an opportunity to fix defects flagged during the inspection process.
How does this issue play out during a transaction? Let’s say a buyer makes an offer contingent on a home inspection but DENIES the seller “the right to cure”, and the seller accepts. The inspection process may find at least one (probably more) defect(s) in the property. Let’s use faulty electrical wiring for example. The inspector finds outlets and wiring in parts of the home that are faulty and outdated. Not good!
The buyer doesn’t want to buy a property with outdated wiring and potential electrical issues. So what happens next? The buyer can ask the seller to have a licensed electrician cure the problem. Using an Amendment to the Offer to Purchase, the buyer specifies what needs to be addressed.
Now the ball is in the seller’s court. Does he want to pay an electrician to fix the problem? Maybe he doesn’t and says no. Now what can the buyer do? He can buy the house anyway. Or, he can decide he doesn’t want to buy a house with potential electrical problems and can issue a “Notice of Defects” to the seller and end the transaction.
Let’s look at the same scenario, except the buyer ALLOWS “Right to Cure” in the offer, and the seller accepts. The inspection finds electrical problems, the buyer asks for an electrician to repair them, and the seller refuses. Now what? The buyer can still issue a “Notice of Defects”.
This puts the ball back in the seller’s court once again because the offer included the “Right to Cure”. He can still elect to cure the defect, even though he initially said he wouldn’t. He can have one more chance for a “do-over”.
And here is the sticky part, the offer states that the seller must cure the defects in a “good and workmanlike manner”. Does this mean the seller could ask his handyman Uncle Herbert rather than a licensed electrician to update his electrical wiring and call this a cure? Such a great question! Did he do this in a “good and workmanlike manner”? Will the buyer agree? Will the lender agree? Murky waters! The Offer To Purchase leaves a lot of wiggle room with the wording “good and workmanlike manner”.
We are in a sellers’ market. Buyers are doing their best to make their offers as appealing and competitive as possible. “Right to Cure” is almost always offered in this market. And, in some cases, may leave the buyer in a bad spot.
How can buyers protect themselves? They can mitigate risk by examining a property’s details during a showing: the basement, the mechanicals, the electrical box, the exterior, the windows, the roof, etc. While well-maintained houses are less likely to have major problems, most have issues of some sort – even new houses. And, buyers can embrace reasonable expectations. Expecting a seller to fix too many things can backfire.
Buying a home is an investment, a business venture – with an element of risk. I wish I could erase that factor for my buyers, but I cannot. I have no magic wand (or eraser). If I had a magic wand, I would wave away any defects, protecting buyers and helping sellers. And, I would eliminate all risk involved in the real estate market. Stay tuned for when I obtain these magical powers!
The home inspection
Have you heard a lot of chatter about home inspections during these last few years? Do you have friends who waived the home inspection to compete for the property they wanted? What’s the skinny on the home inspection?
The WB 11 Offer to Purchase (the official Wisconsin purchase agreement used for real estate transactions) allows the buyer to make an offer contingent on a home inspection. There is a box on the form that is either checked or left blank to signify the buyers’ choice. Inspection or no?
If you are competing for the home of your dreams against 25 other buyers, waiving the home inspection may give you some advantage. But should you do that? Such a great question! Some buyers waive it and then schedule an inspection as soon as they close the transaction and own the house. They decide to deal with defects themselves after purchase. Some buyers have zero tolerance for the idea of buying without an inspection. They are team “Inspection or Bust”! I work with both types of buyers. Here are a couple of things to consider:
What is the age of the house? If the house is 70 years old, it typically has had several different owners. It may have suffered abuse or lack of maintenance. The current owners may have limited knowledge of pieces of the home. If the house is only a few years old, the scenario is entirely different.
What things have the sellers disclosed? The more information available, the easier to decide whether or not to inspect. If the sellers disclose that the roof or the mechanicals are old, the buyers can factor that into their budget when making an offer.
How much cash do the buyers have for the purchase? If the buyers have strong cash reserves, they might decide they can afford issues that arise from a post-closing inspection.
How badly do the buyers want the house? When buyers find their dream house, or when they have an extremely short timeline, they may choose a high-risk strategy to win in a competitive market.
If buyers choose to waive the inspection, they are required to sign a document indicating they recognize the risk they are taking and agree to hold the firm harmless. While I can’t recommend that buyers waive the inspection, I always honor their right to do so. Waiving the inspection is an extremely strategic maneuver in this competitive market.
Sometimes buyers offer to pay for defects noted in the inspection. While this strategy does not yield the same advantage as waiving the inspection, it does strengthen an offer. For instance, the buyer might make his offer contingent on having an inspection but then offer to cover up to $10,000 in total repairs/cures of any defects flagged.
A lender recently told me that he rarely sees offers that include inspections. Did I mention we are experiencing a very competitive sellers’ market?
Clean it up!
How do you feel about spring cleaning? I wish I were a big fan. I decided to look for some lists of spring cleaning suggestions. Then I wanted to take a nap! Wow! So many things to clean! And beyond cleaning the inside, spring highlights the endless list of outdoor things that need attention!
Let’s begin by assessing the situation. On the scale of “Can’t find the kitchen sink” to “Martha Stewart” – where are we? No matter where your score lands on the scale, please plan well. Unless you have a week off of work (and life) earmarked for Spring Cleaning Extravaganza, consider breaking down the different tasks you hope to accomplish. Deep cleaning the entire house is too large a project for most of us to achieve in an afternoon. Cleaning two of the living room windows, we can handle.
Schedule your cleaning plans on your calendar like a date. A bad date, perhaps, but a date. Don’t stand yourself up! Then only start what you can finish. Maybe don’t empty the entire contents of your kitchen cabinets at once to clean inside the cupboards. Whew! – Too much! Do one at a time. Clean a shelf of the refrigerator each day.
Take it easy. Rest. Reward yourself for any progress you make. Remember, even if you only clean one window, that’s better than doing nothing!
Need a little motivation to get started? Buy some fun cleaning tools or products that make you smile. Team up with a friend. Invite the inlaws to come for dinner sometime soon!
Here’s a list of the outlier cleaning suggestions I found:
Clean under/around appliances Wash inside drawers and cabinets Clean vents and fans Polish door and window hardware Wash window screens Clean light fixtures Clean/deodorize garbage disposal Dust china in china cabinet Clean dryer vent Wash garbage and recycling bins
How many of these things will we be cleaning at our house? Hmmmm – great question! How about you? And, there’s always the alternative if you don’t want to clean your house – just sell it and buy a new one!
What’s Going on with the big law suit in real estate?
Just in case you missed it, a huge lawsuit has been filed against the National Association of Realtors(NAR) over a perceived violation of Antitrust Laws. A maelstrom of misinformation has flooded the media, drowning everyone in confusion. After attending a seminar to hear esteemed Wisconsin Realty Association(WRA) Attorney Cori Lamont, listening to video response of the entire WRA legal team, and reading WRA and NAR-sourced information, I present this simplified version of the issues at hand.
Multiple lawsuits have been filed against the NAR, some real estate firms, and Multiple Listing Services (MLSs). Buyers and sellers filed to complain about artificially-fixed commissions, higher costs, and higher home prices. These claims hinge on the NAR’s Participation Rule for firms representing sellers to offer compensation to firms representing buyers.
Anti-trust laws prohibit the setting of a standard commission for real estate. There never has been a “standard” commission – never will be. Perceived lack of transparency and claims of “conspiracy” are drivers in this lawsuit. And it’s a huge suit. The NAR is seeking to settle with the following terms:
NAR maintains no wrongdoing
NAR to pay $418,000,000
Proposed settlement is still subject to approval (July 2024?)
Written Buyer Agency will be required
No offers of compensation (commission) will be included in the MLS
What does this mean for Wisconsin buyers and sellers?
The NAR might agree to settle, but they maintain that no wrongdoing occurred. The amount of money involved in the lawsuit is extreme. The $418 million is only the settlement amount, and I won’t be paying (or receiving) any of that. Most agents (depending on firm involvement) are exempt from the suit. And, this proposed settlement hasn’t yet been approved. The approval date should occur in mid-July, with additional actions in December.
While some states have not required a written Buyers’ Agency Agreement, WI has used these documents for at least 15 years. (If I helped you buy a house, you can check your paperwork to see this agreement we both signed.)
Currently, agents can look at the MLS and see what the listing firm is offering by way of compensation to the buying firm on any property. In the future, that information will no longer be included in the MLS. Brokers and agents may post compensation offers on their public websites. Also, offers of seller concessions can still be listed in the MLS.
Wisconsin real estate statutes already provide for the practice of many pro-consumer policies addressed in this case. Our current contracts contain blank spaces for negotiated compensation amounts to be delineated, providing transparency for consumers. No copycat cases have been filed in Wisconsin.
Have more questions? Thinking of buying or selling? Call me! We will negotiate our contracts, and I will help you buy and/or sell!
Spring Real Estate Market
Why do people buy/sell real estate in the spring?
The spring real estate market has been a thing for as long as I can remember. Why? Why is buying and selling real estate a spring sport? Is it just tradition? While I sometimes wonder if tradition does color this issue, the more logical reasons include weather, school schedules, and apartment leases.
Who wants to wade through snow and ice to look at houses? Wisconsin winters add an additional layer of hassle to home searches. Sellers are usually not excited about the amount of dirt and salt potential buyers drag into their homes either. And, with a deal in place, both the buyer and seller need to navigate shuffling all of their worldly goods out of the house, through the snow and slush, onto a moving truck – then the entire process in reverse at the final destination. No wonder most people prefer to wait until spring! The only tricky part in Wisconsin– finding those elusive spring days!
In our area, landlords plan to rent their properties in the spring. If the lease covers one year, the tenant is either signing on for another year or looking for a property to purchase. Finding a house or condo before the lease runs out presents a challenge in a sellers’ market. If people don’t find anything, they may end up signing another lease. Renters face a challenge to time a move for the perfect spring month. No one likes paying double—house payments that overlap with rental agreements and rent payments.
People with school-aged children house hunt in the spring, hoping to settle into a new property during the summer when the school schedule allows better opportunity and flexibility. This is especially true for families planning to relocate to a new community. Moving a household with young scholars presents enough stress. Trying to do that on a weekend while managing homework, sports practices, and band concerts could put any parent over the edge.
Other factors may also influence the spring market: fluctuating interest rates, restless feelings of wanting new spring things, better curb appeal with green grass, budding trees, and early blooms. Thinking of selling? Now’s the time with the strongest appeal. Thinking of buying? This time of year provides the strongest inventory for you to consider (along with the strongest amount of competition). Either way, I’m always happy to help!
are you diggin’ your digs?
Do you love your house? Do you ever look around your place and think I can’t believe I get to live here? Or are you feeling like I can’t believe I have to live here? Or maybe you are somewhere in between. What makes us love our spaces? Usually our love affair with a property depends on location, size, function and aesthetic.
If you bought your house during the last 5 plus years, you may have feelings about your home that reflect on the sellers’ market we’ve been facing. If you offered on multiple properties, you may be super grateful that you have a roof over your head and finally won a place of your own. Or, you may feel like the market forced your hand, and you bought something that was available rather than something that made your heart sing.
The location of your home is a big deal. You might like the house but hate your commute which starts to bleed into not liking your house so much. You might be too near something undesirable or too far from family. Do you like your lot and your yard? You can fix up the basement, but moving your house to a new spot is, well – extremely tricky!
Maybe buying what you could afford left you with a decent-sized mortgage but not a lot of square footage. When you feel jammed into a space, you can feel uncomfortable. And if you or someone else under your roof has a lot of clutter, you might feel extremely squished. The opposite can be true as well. The nest has emptied, you miss your kids, and the house feels overwhelmingly large, empty, and sad.
Functionality can be a bit of a mystery initially. When looking at a beautifully staged property or a vacant house, we can’t always envision how our lives will operate in the space. Will shoes and backpacks constantly be blocking the doorway? Will dirty clothes be spilling out of the laundry closet all over the kitchen table? When friends come for dinner and stand around your kitchen, can you still serve up the charcuterie? Often function can be improved with some ingenuity and thought – and probably money. Sometimes a little fix reaps major benefits, but other times a large fix is in order. Fixing issues can be worth the time and investment because better function equals better quality of life.
When choosing a new house, we often notice the cosmetic choices first – the shiny things – or the not-so-shiny things. Paint colors and carpets, countertops and surfaces all play a part in helping us love our homes. Maybe you don’t like your home because you never got around to repainting your bedroom. It’s still the icky brown you inherited from the previous owner. That’s on you, my friend. But I’ve been there, too. I hated the color of my room, but I never spent a weekend to repaint. Taking a little step to improve the asthetic of your home can be super rewarding.
If you’re not loving your place, maybe you need the home-owners’ serenity prayer: Grant me the courage to paint and repair the stuff I should, the serenity to overlook the junk in my neighbor’s yard, and the wisdom to know when to call my realtor.
JANUARY — What’s the plan?
Happy New Year! How do you feel about January? What's your take on New Year's Resolutions? While I don't make resolutions, I do like to take advantage of the fresh start. January is a great time to set new goals, clean my closet, organize my desk, open my new day planner, purge, donate, toss.
Any chance buying or selling real estate is on your list for 2024? That’s a great goal! And I would love to help you with that! When you break down that goal, what are your steps?
Goal: Buy a new house!
First, let’s sit down together to talk through the buying process and strategize your best buying plan. I would love to hear your wishlist for your dream house! And I can explain the different steps involved in purchasing it!
You will need to start by obtaining a letter of pre-approval from a reputable lender – preferably a local one. I know some fantastic lenders who would love to help you — great interest rates, low fees, and superlative service.
Next, decide where you want to live. When you consider what communities you prefer, you can check school ratings and crime reports to determine what neighborhoods are the best match for you.
Then think about your priorities in a property – what are the must-haves, the things you can’t live without? Multiple bathrooms? A 3-car garage? Finished basement? Windows and natural light? A fireplace?
I will set up a search for you on the local MLS site. When you find something that you like, I will schedule an appointment for us to go see it. Then you can evaluate if you have found the one!
Goal: Sell your house!
First, tell me a good time for me to come see your place! I will do a market analysis to determine the value based on nearby comparable properties. We will formulate a plan and a timeline for putting your home on the market.
Our timeline will start with identifying any repairs that need to be made or improvement projects that need to be finished.
Next come cleaning and clearing. Buyers love clean houses with lots of space for imagination. Cleaning and clearing and then staging – very important!
Once we have your home looking tip-top amazing, we will have the photographer take quality shots to show your property to its best advantage.
Then we list! And everyone will want to buy it!
Buying and/or selling are great goals for 2024 – and I can’t wait to help!
FEELING THANKFUL
November is one of my favorite months of the year. Not only is my anniversary in November, but also my birthday! And, Thanksgiving is in my month as well. I am never ready to lose our Daylight Saving time, however - also a November thing. Despite the dreaded darkness at 4:00 pm, I still love November.
The Thanksgiving holiday gives me an extra excuse to think about all of the good things in my life – and there are so many! I am especially grateful for so many things in my real estate business – but top of the list are the people I have met. I continue to meet all sorts of interesting people! There are fellow agents who have turned into friends and mentors. There are other professionals, like lenders and title agents who have also become friends and have taught me a lot of things too. And, co-brokes – the agents on the other side of the table, some good, some not so good – but they all teach me things.
And, then there are my people, my clients – the people who trust me with their business – the people who join forces with me to buy or to sell. And, I have had the most amazing clients over the years – fantastic people, amazing people, savvy, resourceful, hard-working people. People with plenty of money, people with limited funds, people who worry, people who don’t. Risk takers and the risk-averse. Mostly young, occasionally not quite so young. But I do find common themes. I find my clients to be persevering. No matter how tricky the market is, they keep trying. They might take a break, but every time my clients come back to the party, and find a way to buy or sell. My people are plucky! And they are kind. I’m always touched by how thoughtful my clients are to me. They are respectful and courteous and so generous. These people are the best part of my business, and I am so, so very grateful for them!
Scary october
How do you feel about decorating for Halloween? I’ve read that more than 70% of households decorate for fall. To me, there is a bit of a difference between a pumpkin on the porch and a 12-foot skeleton in the front yard, but I suppose both get dumped into the same data study. Personally, I don’t like scary things: movies, books, stories, or decor. You won’t find ghosts and ghouls in my front yard.
The scariest thing I have seen this October has been the interest rate! Yes, Mortgage News Daily did report an average rate of 8% at one point this month. No one is excited about that! I have been a homeowner for years and years – over 30 – and never have I ever had a mortgage with an interest rate over 8%.
I have definitely heard of higher rates. Realtors who have been in the business for 40 years will talk about rates in the high teens, even 20%. Now that sounds really scary! In conjunction with those rates, let’s remember that housing prices were extremely different back then as well.
So what should buyers do about this? What can they do? I think that depends on their circumstances. Do they need to buy? Are they in an apartment paying rent? Are they bursting the seems of their little starter house now that they have added 6 children to the mix?
If you need to buy a house, I would suggest you start searching today. Will rates go down later? Maybe. If they do, you can refinance. (I know a lender who will allow new home buyers to refinance for free after making 6 payments.) What if rates don’t go down?
I’ve heard another lender talk about people who are putting off buying, thinking that they will look again in the spring, hoping rates will go down. Will they? Maybe. Can you imagine the competition in the spring market if rates do go down? Personally, I’d prefer to buy in the fall market with less competition and plan to refinance if rates are better in the spring.
No one really knows what the future holds. There are no guarantees regarding the rise or the fall of interest rates, and I cannot fix that. But, maybe I should go a little crazy and decorate for Halloween this year. You’ll know which house is mine – it will have a large 8% sign in the front yard.
Where is the Clearance Rack?
Here in the Midwest, we take the clearance rack seriously. We know where the good stuff is – the deep discounts. We are heading to the back of the store and don’t get in our way! We love bargains, sales, mark-downs, coupons, and deals! We do not pay full price for anything! And we are more than happy to tell you about our savings.
Is there a clearance rack in real estate? Sadly, in this market, not so much. The current market favors sellers and leaves the buyer with no discounts. I heard a realtor say the other day, “Getting a house is the deal – that’s the deal right there!” Demand is high, supply remains low, and sellers with well-priced properties may still receive multiple beautiful offers, well above the asking price, with few if any contingencies. If buyers manage to have their offer accepted – they get a deal!
But here’s a secret I believe to be true. While I cannot offer buyers a “clearance rack special”, I often encourage them to shop in the fall – the late fall – the holiday season if they can manage that. I have seen buyers during the last several years face less competition and pay closer to the asking price when they shopped during the deep discount days of the year.
Is shopping late in the year convenient? Not necessarily. Did you want to spend Christmas Eve hauling your furniture down the steps, out the door, into the moving van – only to repeat the process in reverse at your new address? Maybe not. However, purchasing a house without competing against other buyers might make the timing more attractive.
When buyers decide to “wait until spring” to buy, I’m always a little bit sad inside. I know they are going to face stiffer competition and pay more. But, many leases on rentals and apartments renew in the spring. Renters rush into the market in March, hoping to find something quickly, begin building equity, and stop throwing rent money away. And then they encounter all the other renters trying to do the same thing. I often wonder if renters would save money by buying at the end of the season – even if they have to pay a couple of extra months of rent to finish out their lease – as opposed to waiting and spending thousands competing against other buyers in the spring. I wish I had some data on that!
I’m already starting to see a little bit of the “autumn clearance” effect on properties. If you’re thinking of buying, let’s get going! October starts this weekend – that’s autumn in my book. I’d love to help you find the “clearance rack”!
End of Summer Clean-up
The school bus is rounding the corner before the swim towels are completely dry on the line. Backpacks are replacing beach bags, and we feel a slight shift in the atmosphere. The sun starts to go to bed a trifle earlier – and sleep a little later. Summer is packing up her bags and prepping to leave us once again. Are we ever really ready to see her go?
Whether we are reorganizing our schedules to meet the challenge of the school year or are trying to savor the last days of the season, we know Autumn is right around the corner and necessitates a shift in the way we enjoy our homes and properties. Ready or not, we will be spending less time on the deck, the patio, and in the garden.
Do you keep an end-of-summer checklist of chores and maintenance issues that you routinely handle at this intersection? Or do you wait until the weather actually turns from kind to unfriendly? At our house, we usually let the season and the schedule dictate the jobs, trying to squeeze in the gardening and the lawn care around everything else. And we don’t remember to do all the things. But in a perfect world, one might want to consider a few items:
Deck maintenance – repairing, staining, sealing
Patio furniture – cleaning and storing
Grill – cleaning (and storing if you don’t use it in the winter)
Gardening tools – cleaning and storing
Hoses and sprinklers - emptying and storing
Garage – cleaning, sweeping, organizing
Labor Day is right around the corner, so we’re still using and dirtying most of these things. This conversation is probably premature, but we can plan and pace ourselves over the next several weeks. Besides, college football starts soon, meaning that one of the key maintenance people at my house will be busy most Saturdays.
Let’s squeeze every drop of goodness out of these last few warm weeks – one more cookout, one more trip to the park, the last outdoor concert, a final pool party, the final lap around the lake, more time outside with those we love. And maybe Autumn will treat us gently, with plenty of mild weather and more good days to come!
FAQ
Frequently asked questions when buying a house
While attending a real estate event, I heard a speaker encourage agents to prepare a one-sheet list of frequently asked questions. He pounded home the issue and later provided his own list. I took some of his suggestions and compiled this set. I think his answers were a little cheeky with a dash of attitude, but hopefully you will still find this helpful.
How many properties do people usually see before buying? How often do people find their house on the first day of their search? Surprisingly, buyers often do find their house on the first day of their search! Other buyers take longer. The National Association of Realtors reports average buyer search: 8 weeks, homes viewed: 9 properties. (I’m sure these stats change depending on the year/market.)
What if I can’t find my dream home? Buying a home is a process of elimination. Remember the 80-10-10 Rule: If you like 80% of the property, you can probably fix 10% of what you don’t like and live with the remaining 10%.
When do I need to make an offer? Although some properties appear to be accepting offers over the course of a weekend or several days, a seller can still accept an offer at anytime. If you like the house, offer as soon as possible. If you need time to sleep on it — you might not get to sleep in it!
What is the likelihood of a multiple offer situation? Extreme.
Do I need a home inspection? Yes. Dropping the home inspection contingency remains a highly effective strategy in winning against multiple other offers. Buyer beware.
How long does a home inspection take? Four hours approximately. You will need to schedule this to take place in the first 7-10 days after your offer has been accepted.
What is earnest money and what happens to it? Earnest money secures your contract. Break the contract, lose the money. The money sits in a trust fund until closing when it becomes part of your down payment.
What if I change my mind? Until the moment your offer is accepted, you can withdraw it. Once accepted, you have a legally binding contract. Breaking that contract will easily cost you your earnest money — and may even result in legal action.
What if the property doesn’t appraise? We will renegotiate the purchase price. If you have offered to cover the appraisal gap (difference between offer price and appraised value), you will need to bring extra cash to closing.
How long will this take to close? A good lender can close a deal in 30 days. A cash deal can close more quickly. A large bank will often take 45—60 days.
Is the closing date in the contract guaranteed? No. It’s the first target but can still be moved or negotiated throughout the transaction.
Can I get back into the house during the transaction? After your offer is accepted, you can enter the property during the inspection and later at the final walkthrough. Take extra photos and measurements then. Don’t poke the bear.
When will I get the keys to my new house? Keys are awarded at closing.