Buying a home, especially your first home, can be a very exciting time but it also can create stress and anxiety. Here are some tips to help make your home purchase as stress free and exciting as it should be:
1.) Get Pre-Approved before you ever go look at homes. This will allow you to know exactly what you can afford and prevent you from falling in love with a home that is out of your price range.
2.) Work with a qualified Realtor® that knows the area you are interested in. In most deals the commission for the Realtor® representing the buyer is paid by the seller. You want to have someone representing you, with your best interest in mind, that knows the market and the business.
3.) Be ready to move quickly when you find the perfect home for you. That does not mean buy the first home you see but when you get that feeling that this home is the one for you move quickly. In today's market if you do not someone else will because inventory levels are low right now.
4.) Always have a home inspection from an ASHI qualified inspector before you purchase your home.
5.) Get a survey it will cost you a little more upfront but can save you a ton of headaches down the road.
To search for your dream home go to: http://jbrinkmann.buyrealestatestlouis.com
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Tuesday Market Update: Sold Homes Last Week
Here is the homes that have sold in the last week in the South County area. If you are curious what your neighbors home sold for you can find out here every week or go to jbrinkmann.buyrealestatestlouis.com. As always have a great week and let me help you with all of your South County real estate needs.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Quote of the Day
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." -Vince Lombardi
Monday Market Update: New Inventory
Here is the Monday morning market update. For our newer followers we do this every Monday and it consist of the homes that have come onto the market in the last week. If you need more information on any of these homes you can get more information at jbrinkmann.buyrealestatestlouis.com or call me at 314-277-2633. Have a great week!
Friday, December 13, 2013
Quote of the Day
"Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value." -Albert Einstein
5415 Cherryview Lane
$133,900, 2Bd/1Ba Single Family House,
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Thursday, December 12, 2013
Quote of the Day
"Success is something you attract by the person you become, it is not something that you pursue. Success is something you attract by becoming an attractive person." -Jim Rohn
Staging Your Home to Sell
Here are some tips to help you get your home sold fast and for the most money:
1.) The most important thing you can do when getting your home ready to sell is to declutter the home. If you are going to be living in the home while it is on the market get a storage unit or pod and declutter your home. It will make the home look cleaner, more organized and bigger. When you are decluttering your home remember to try to get as much out of your closets as possible. You want them to look as big and spacious as possible since that ranks very high on most buyers list of wants.
2.) Don’t be afraid to move furniture around once you have taken care of the clutter. Just because you bought a piece of furniture to go in a certain spot does not mean it has to stay there when you put the house on the market. You are no longer appealing to your taste but instead trying to appeal to your buyer pool. You can transform a room that use for storage into a crafts room simply by buying some cheap fabric and staging it. Think outside the box to get the most out of the space you have.
3.) Make sure each room is very well lit it will make the house look brighter. I would recommend increasing the wattage in all of your light bulbs to make the current lighting brighter. Also, you should aim to have multiple types of lighting in each room (overhead lighting, lamps, under cabinet, reading lighting, etc.)
4.) Paint your home in neutral colors. This does not mean you have to paint the whole house off white nor do I recommend that. I do however recommend using neutral colors such as beige and pastel blue greens. Bold jump off the wall colors reduce the chance of you selling your home and while you may love your lime green kitchen your potential buyer may not be as enthusiastic about it.
5.) Add some outdoors to the inside of your home. Incorporate some fresh flowers or fall foliage into your home. Use what you have available in the spring and summer you can use fresh flowers to brighten up your home in the winter arrange some holly with berries to warm up your home.
6.) Finish any unfinished projects you have around the house. However small you think they may be the buyer will always think they are bigger and that they will have to do work on the home as soon as they move in. If the siding needs power washing or the gutters need to be cleaned get it done before you put the house on the market. Things you may think are small may be the difference in a buyer buying your home and buying the neighbors home.
1.) The most important thing you can do when getting your home ready to sell is to declutter the home. If you are going to be living in the home while it is on the market get a storage unit or pod and declutter your home. It will make the home look cleaner, more organized and bigger. When you are decluttering your home remember to try to get as much out of your closets as possible. You want them to look as big and spacious as possible since that ranks very high on most buyers list of wants.
2.) Don’t be afraid to move furniture around once you have taken care of the clutter. Just because you bought a piece of furniture to go in a certain spot does not mean it has to stay there when you put the house on the market. You are no longer appealing to your taste but instead trying to appeal to your buyer pool. You can transform a room that use for storage into a crafts room simply by buying some cheap fabric and staging it. Think outside the box to get the most out of the space you have.
3.) Make sure each room is very well lit it will make the house look brighter. I would recommend increasing the wattage in all of your light bulbs to make the current lighting brighter. Also, you should aim to have multiple types of lighting in each room (overhead lighting, lamps, under cabinet, reading lighting, etc.)
4.) Paint your home in neutral colors. This does not mean you have to paint the whole house off white nor do I recommend that. I do however recommend using neutral colors such as beige and pastel blue greens. Bold jump off the wall colors reduce the chance of you selling your home and while you may love your lime green kitchen your potential buyer may not be as enthusiastic about it.
5.) Add some outdoors to the inside of your home. Incorporate some fresh flowers or fall foliage into your home. Use what you have available in the spring and summer you can use fresh flowers to brighten up your home in the winter arrange some holly with berries to warm up your home.
6.) Finish any unfinished projects you have around the house. However small you think they may be the buyer will always think they are bigger and that they will have to do work on the home as soon as they move in. If the siding needs power washing or the gutters need to be cleaned get it done before you put the house on the market. Things you may think are small may be the difference in a buyer buying your home and buying the neighbors home.
This is not an all inclusive list but if you follow these tips I promise you will be on the way to getting your home sold fast and for the highest dollar. For more tips and to get your home sold fast call James Brinkmann "your neighborhood real estate expert" at 314-277-2633
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Home values still rising in South County
As we close out 2013 the real estate market in South County continues to improve. With the year coming to a close over $20,000,000 more real estate has been sold this year than last. We have not seen this volume of real estate sales in the South County area since the roaring market of 2007. The good news for homeowners is not only that more homes are selling but that the median price of the homes selling are up $5,000 over 2012. I think 2014 will bring steady price increases in homes and the market may really begin to take off in spring as the market is flooded with the inventory that the current buyer market has been waiting for. For more information on your market and to search for homes click here: My neighborhood expert
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Inventory levels are very low right now
Right now in the South County market the inventory of homes for sale is very low. As far as homes currently for sale we are at the lowest level we have been in over 2 years. Buyers are out looking at homes but there are not enough good homes on the market right now. As you can see in the graph below there are over 100 less homes on the market than were available even about a year ago at this time. That means right now we have about 25% less inventory which is causing home prices to slowly rise. We are seeing multiple offers in the first week on homes that are priced well and prepared to sell. When buying a home in this market you need to be prepared to move very quickly if you find a home you like because with the lower inventory if you do not someone else will. If you are considering selling now is the perfect time with inventory being so low. For more information on what is happening in the market click here: My Market
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