How to Navigate the Home-Buying Maze

By: Marian Camacho - Associate Broker

For most people, buying a home is the biggest purchase they will ever make.  For any buyer, especially a first-timer, the process can be quite overwhelming.  You don’t just find a home you love, write up an offer and receive the keys in a box wrapped with a big red ribbon! We only wish it would be that easy.  There are many different grueling steps in between home search to closing that we as Realtors help our clients navigate. 

So where to begin?... I believe it is vital to start by enlisting the help of a professional, like myself or someone on our team.  As your Realtor, we then connect you with a preferred lender to help you discover how much of a home you can afford. We're talking monthly house payment and down payment.  The most important thing to know out of the gate, is what’s affordable for you and your family. You may love that $300,000 home down the street, but is it worth stretching your finances so thin that your family is eating Ramen Noodles for the rest of your lives?  It’s something you have to think about.

Next comes the fun part... House Hunting!  We sit down with you for a buyer consultation. That's fancy wording for us getting to know what you want in a house.  Is it a big yard, a huge family kitchen?  With that information, we then set you up on a personalized portal search and send the listings straight to your email inbox.  Part of our job is to save you hours upon hours of online searching, often on sites that are unreliable…(I won’t mention any names.) From there we take you to view the homes you choose, in person. When you find something you like, we sit down and write up the offer with you!  The vast experience of a Realtor can not be something you pass up on.  There are too many rigors and rules that can trip you up in the home-buying process if you don’t know what you’re doing.

The greatest piece of advice I can offer to buyers in the process would be to not be afraid to ask questions to your Realtor or lender. If you’re not sure about something, ask!  If you’re still feeling overwhelmed, take a step back and breathe.  Keep your eye on the prize, which is in owning your own home. Purchasing a home is an important and very rewarding accomplishment in life. If you focus on the ultimate end-goal, you should feel much better afterward.

If you or someone you know is looking to buy or sell a home, Call Me Today! 505-264-3344!!

Our team has helped more than 3,800 families move since 1986! We can help you too!!!

Oversupply of Homes? Make Yours Stand Out!

Contributor: Marian Camacho - Associate Broker - Cheryl Marlow & Associates

Keller Williams Realty

Inventory of available homes continues to increase during these warm summer months and that's why I'd like to share some tips on what sellers can do to help their home appeal to buyers! When you put your home on the market, you are entering into what Cheryl likes to call a price war and beauty contest.  That's why I'd like to focus on the top objectives to concentrate on when preparing your home for a showing.

Curb Appeal: Without a doubt, curb appeal is one of the most important things to focus on when selling your home.  It’s the first thing buyers see on the internet, and when they pull up to your home, or even drive by.  Often, it can be a deciding factor on whether to see your home or rule it out. That first impression is everything!  Clean the yard, put some fresh paint on the trim: making your home inviting, is vital.

Creating an Experience: When a buyer goes to look at your home, they’re not trying to view it as your home, but instead, they're trying to envision themselves living there. It's important to remove excessive personal belongings. Too many personal photos can be overwhelming, but a few family photos strategically placed can show that this is a happy home for a happy family! Focus on the primary areas such as the kitchen, living room, and owner’s suite. These are the areas that are likely to make a buyer fall in love with your home or again, rule it out.

Cut the clutter: There’s always a balance between living in a home and having it ready to show, and excessive clutter can be overwhelming to buyers.  Make sure you take a buyer's point of view when looking at your home and then, de-clutter. Reduce the amount of knick-knacks and clean off counter tops! Focus on the primary areas such as the kitchen, living room, and owner’s suite. These are the areas that are likely to make a buyer fall in love with your home or again, rule it out. A common mistake we see is a house looks amazing, and then you open a closet and it’s like an old sitcom scene with things flying out and hitting you in the head.  Remember, a lot of buyers (scratch that..) MOST buyers will open up your closets and take a look inside. So don't just stuff all of your extra things in a closet and call it a day. Instead, look at it as an opportunity to take a trip to a local charity to donate some bags full of unneeded and unnecessary items. 

Staging?: Our clients often ask us for staging ideas, which we are always more than happy to do. There are professional stagers that may charge up to a few thousand dollars or even a percentage of the sales price when you sell the home. One of the benefits we offer our sellers is that we have partnered with a fabulous Stager who will come into your home for a nominal fee for 3 hours and work with you to help rearrange and regroup your existing furnishings and décor!  It helps to maximize the show-ability and sale-ability of your home, giving you the best chance of winning that home beauty contest!

-Marian

Looking to Buy or Sell? Call us today! 264-3344 or email cheryl@cherylmarlow.com!