The Home Warranty

1. Who ya gonna call?

If and when something in your house breaks, leaks or otherwise fails – anything – call your home warranty company FIRST. If you call Roto Rooter to fix an emergency leak, and then later you realize that a bigger plumbing problem was the real cause, your home warranty company might refuse to cover it because they were not able to have their plumber look at the original problem. The home warranty companies all have service reps available by telephone 24 hours a day, so they are well-equipped to handle your emergency home repair calls.

2. Cash is good

If you would prefer cash to having a repair completed, ask your home warranty company. Say, for instance, that you wanted to upgrade from a standard water heater to a tankless, on-demand system. Your home warranty company will replace broken items with similar items, but you might be able to get the equivalent of the replacement cost for your old water heater in cash that you can apply toward the installation of your new system.

3. Renew, renew, renew

Your home warranty is renewable for as long as you own your home (though some providers won’t allow you to re-up if you have had a gap in coverage), usually for about $350 to $500 per renewal year. A single major repair can pay for years’ worth of coverage – if your home warranty provider pays to replace a $7,000 furnace, that policy has paid for itself for as long as 20 years! Of course, big repairs aren’t needed every year, but when they are needed, they always seem to come at Christmas, or when you have just had a new baby, or started a business — times when cash is tight. So, it is a no-brainer to just keep on renewing your home warranty when it comes due – that $400 check will be a lot easier to write than the $5,000 one you’ll have to write if the air conditioner breaks after you let your coverage lapse.

Making The Dream Reality

Everyone has a dream they want to come true in life. Whether it’s having the Ultimate job, living where you’ve always wanted, starting a family or a combination of all these, our aspirations motivate us to pursue these passions and interests. But reaching your dreams starts by setting goals for yourself and having the tenacity and initiative to achieve them.

Adding Curb Appeal

Whether you’re interested in starting a remodel project or just want to create more curb appeal with one you’re already working on, industry experts agree there are a number of easy, budget-conscious ways you can add value to a home.

There are 10 home-improvement projects that can make life in a current home more enjoyable in the short term and pay big dividends for the homeowners when the time comes to sell the home.

Project 1.

Create a designated home-office space. Whether it’s just part of a room partitioned off with an obscure acrylic-block wall to create a private nook or an entire room, home offices are essential parts of today’s living. The multifunctional space can be used for studying, paying bills, writing or running a home business.

Project 2.

Treat ceilings as the fifth wall of a room. Accent and embellish them with beaded plywood, paints or decorative finishes. Consider adding a lightweight urethane ceiling medallion around ceiling lights and fans. Two-piece medallions snap into place in less than five minutes to add more ambiance to a room. Check out what’s available at www.fypon.com, which also offers videos about installation.

Project 3.

Invest in the lawn. Nothing makes a better first impression than a well-manicured lawn and continuously maintained shrubs and flower beds. Buyers immediately form opinions of how well the interior of a home is cared for by the look of the exterior.

Project 4.

Replace old, leaky windows with energy-efficient vinyl windows. Not only will new windows make the whole house look better, but Energy Star-compliant windows help save on heating and cooling bills all year long. For added safety and security, consider impact-resistant windows. Much like a car windshield, these laminated windows won’t shatter if they’re broken, thus reducing damage inside the home from storms or break-in attempts. The clients may benefit from a discount in their insurance premiums, too.

Project 5.

Expand living space by adding a deck or sunroom. Increasing the amount of usable space in a home always equates to adding more value. Whether it’s placing an awning over a patio area, converting a screened-in porch to a sunroom or adding a deck, the creation of more living space makes life more enjoyable for homeowners now and adds an appealing selling feature for the future.

Project 6.

Remove mildew from a home’s exterior and prevent it from coming back. Start by killing any mildew by using a garden sprayer and a mildecide, which kills mildew without harming your siding, shrubs or grass. Once the mildew is dead, prevent it from coming back by using a mold- and mildew-proof paint.

Project 7.

Trim out exterior windows and doors. If there is old, rotting wood around windows (or no trim at all), suggest low-maintenance, all-weather PVC millwork, which resists insects, rot and termites.

Project 8.

Upgrade the master bathroom with a tub window. Durable acrylic-block windows provide privacy in the bathroom while allowing light into the room. A decorative bathroom window over the tub serves as a focal point in the room.

Project 9.

Replace rotted columns and porch posts with fiberglass columns. Suggest to homeowners that when they start spending several weekends each year repairing and repainting exterior rail systems and columns, it’s time to invest in low-maintenance fiberglass columns.

Project 10.

Bump out to a bay or bow window. Along with adding extra living space, bay and bow windows add instant visual interior and exterior appeal to homes. People value the extended space that can add room for a window seat, highlight a Christmas tree or simply bring more light into the home.

Certified Probate & Trust Specialist

As a Certified Probate & Trust Specialist you can rest assured that as a Real estate professional, I have the understanding of the Probate transaction and can represent sellers or buyers in probate transactions, as well as investors looking to purchase probate properties.

Seller Secrets

Selling Secret #10: Pricing it right

Find out what your home is worth, then shave 15 to 20 percent off the price. You’ll be stampeded by buyers with multiple bids — even in the worst markets — and they’ll bid up the price over what it’s worth. It takes real courage and most sellers just don’t want to risk it, but it’s the single best strategy to sell a home in today’s market.

Selling Secret #9: Half-empty closets

Storage is something every buyer is looking for and can never have enough of. Take half the stuff out of your closets then neatly organize what’s left in there. Buyers will snoop, so be sure to keep all your closets and cabinets clean and tidy.

Selling Secret #8: Light it up

Maximize the light in your home. After location, good light is the one thing that every buyer cites that they want in a home. Take down the drapes, clean the windows, change the lampshades, increase the wattage of your light bulbs and cut the bushes outside to let in sunshine. Do what you have to do make your house bright and cheery – it will make it more sellable.

Selling Secret #7: Play the Agent field

A secret sale killer is hiring the wrong broker. Make sure you have a broker who is totally informed. They must constantly monitor the multiple listing service (MLS), know what properties are going on the market and know the comps in your neighborhood. Find a broker who embraces technology – a tech-savvy one has many tools to get your house sold.

Selling Secret #6: Conceal the critters

You might think a cuddly dog would warm the hearts of potential buyers, but you’d be wrong. Not everybody is a dog- or cat-lover. Buyers don’t want to walk in your home and see a bowl full of dog food, smell the kitty litter box or have tufts of pet hair stuck to their clothes. It will give buyers the impression that your house is not clean. If you’re planning an open house, send the critters to a pet hotel for the day.

Selling Secret #5: Don’t over-upgrade
Quick fixes before selling always pay off. Mammoth makeovers, not so much. You probably won’t get your money back if you do a huge improvement project before you put your house on the market. Instead, do updates that will pay off and get you top dollar. Get a new fresh coat of paint on the walls. Clean the curtains or go buy some inexpensive new ones. Replace door handles, cabinet hardware, make sure closet doors are on track, fix leaky faucets and clean the grout.

Selling Secret #4:

Take the home out of your house. One of the most important things to do when selling your house is to de-personalize it. The more personal stuff in your house, the less potential buyers can imagine themselves living there. Get rid of a third of your stuff – put it in storage. This includes family photos, memorabilia collections and personal keepsakes. Consider hiring a home stager to maximize the full potential of your home. Staging simply means arranging your furniture to best showcase the floor plan and maximize the use of space.

Selling Secret #3: The kitchen comes first

You’re not actually selling your house, you’re selling your kitchen – that’s how important it is. The benefits of remodeling your kitchen are endless, and the best part of it is that you’ll probably get 85% of your money back. It may be a few thousand dollars to replace countertops where a buyer may knock $10,000 off the asking price if your kitchen looks dated. The fastest, most inexpensive kitchen updates include painting and new cabinet hardware. Use a neutral-color paint so you can present buyers with a blank canvas where they can start envisioning their own style. If you have a little money to spend, buy one fancy stainless steel appliance. Why one? Because when people see one high-end appliance they think all the rest are expensive too and it updates the kitchen.

Selling Secret #2: Always be ready to show

Your house needs to be “show-ready” at all times – you never know when your buyer is going to walk through the door. You have to be available whenever they want to come see the place and it has to be in tip-top shape. Don’t leave dishes in the sink, keep the dishwasher cleaned out, the bathrooms sparkling and make sure there are no dust bunnies in the corners. It’s a little inconvenient, but it will get your house sold.

Selling Secret #1: The first impression is the only impression

No matter how good the interior of your home looks, buyers have already judged your home before they walk through the door. You never have a second chance to make a first impression. It’s important to make people feel warm, welcome and safe as they approach the house. Spruce up your home’s exterior with inexpensive shrubs and brightly colored flowers. You can typically get a 100-percent return on the money you put into your home’s curb appeal. Entryways are also important. You use it as a utility space for your coat and keys. But, when you’re selling, make it welcoming by putting in a small bench, a vase of fresh-cut flowers or even some cookies.

Making The Dream Reality

Seller Advice

Home Selling Tips

Your home is more than an architectural structure. Often, it’s an extension of who you are – your personality, style and values. That’s why selling it can be an emotional experience. But it can also be exciting and rewarding. This section provides some simple home selling tips that can help lead you to a successful, timely sale.

Once you’ve made up your mind to sell your home, you need to do your “homework” – and RudyRodriguez.us is a great place to start! Getting a signed contract is a great accomplishment, but that’s only half the journey. The typical home sale today involves more than 20 steps after the initial contract is accepted to complete the transaction.¹

A real estate professional can provide the experience and local knowledge to guide you through the entire process, and selling your home within the ideal time frame and at the most effective price point. As the representative of your best interests, your Rudy Sells Realty Agent has state-of-the-art marketing resources to showcase your home’s best assets, and help you determine what improvements will make the biggest difference.

Much of what needs to be done before the closing is the responsibility of appraisers, loan processors, attorneys, and inspectors. Your Rudy Sells Realty Agent’s role also includes coordinating those responsibilities, helping to ensure that others do their jobs promptly and correctly.

Many steps between contract ratification and closing involve the cooperation of both buyer and seller, and attentive real estate professionals on both sides of the transaction will troubleshoot and keep everyone on track.

¹ Source: National Association of REALTORS®

Category: Selling A Home

The Home Warranty

1. Who ya gonna call?

2. Cash is good

3. Renew, renew, renew

Adding Curb Appeal

Adding Curb Appeal

Project 1.

Project 2.

Project 3.

Project 4.

Project 5.

Project 6.

Project 7.

Project 8.

Project 9.

Project 10.

Certified Probate & Trust Specialist

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Seller Secrets

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Seller Advice

Home Selling Tips

Certified Probate & Trust Specialist