Admirals Cove Blog
Secrets Of Home Selling!
Selling a home can be a tough process but if you are selling your home there are several secrets and tricks of the trade that can help you sell quicker and at more of a premium selling price. Typically every home selling experience will be different but if you try these secrets of home selling you are sure to a successful sale that leaves you completely satisfied. 1.) Staging Half Empty Closets: Storage is very important to probably all potential buyers and it seems to be something that they just can’t get enough of. The key is clearing out half of all the stuff in each of your closets and then neatly arranging and organizing the rest. This is a wonderful way to make your storage options seem more spacious to potential buyers with out really having to do or spend anything. 2.) Optimize Your Lighting: Lighting is also very important and you need to try and maximize the light in your home. Be sure to pull back the drapes and clean all the windows to bring in as much natural light as possible. Also a few strategically placed mirrors can really help brighten up any area and make it more appealing. Plus a brighter home is a friendlier and more inviting home and thus a more sellable home. 3.) Take The “You” Out Of Your Home: It is imperative that you take the “you” out of your home and completely depersonalize it. You want potential buyers to be able to see the property as their potential home and not your current one. The more personal items you have in your home and the more personalized your home is for you the less potential buyers will be able to do so and less appealing your home will be to them. 4.) Always Be Prepared To Show Your Home: Once you have cleaned and staged your home for sale it is very important to keep it that way. You need to be ready to show your home any time a potential buyer wants to look at it. It may be a bit of an inconvenience but you never know when the perfect buyer will want to view your home and you always want to be ready for them. Be sure clean dishes and put away things when you are done using them and consider housing one trashcan that you use in the garage and keeping the rest clean. 5.) The First Impression Is Very Important: The first impression of your home is extremely important and no matter how nice your home is on the inside without a good one your home will be a hard sale. Be sure to give your curb appeal some attention to maximize your homes first impression to potential buyers. Experts say on average you can expect to get 100 percent of any money you put into your curb appeal back when you go to sell your home....
read moreWhat To Do Before Listing Your Home!
So you have made the decision to sell your home and this could be due to any number of reasons. However, it is very rare that your home will sell easy or quick without the right type of preparation or help, unfortunately for most homeowners wanting to sell their home it is difficult for them not to just jump right in and list their home right away. But there are several very important things that should be done before you go listing your home. 1.) Rid Yourself Of All Emotion: Even though this may have been your home for a long period of time and you have created many wonderful memories in it. The first thing that you should do before listing your home is rid yourself of any and all emotion attached to your home and start looking at it objectively. You also need to keep in mind that you can’t take anything personal during the selling process, any feedback or criticisms from your realtor or potential buyers is not a personal attack on you. 2.) Hire The Right Realtor: Once you have cut all the emotional ties between you and your home the next thing you need to do is find and hire the right realtor for the job. The right realtor will help you throughout this process including things like setting a sensible and realistic asking price, marketing your home correctly, finding the right potential buyers, and even negotiating the best deal possible. Be sure and chose a realtor who is a specialist in your area and has a proven track record of success. 3.) Make The Right Renovations: Your realtor will be able to help you make the right decisions on what renovations should be made to your home. You can certainly find information online about what renovations have the best return on investments but your realtor will know what kind of renovations and upgrades that potential buyers in the area are looking for. The worst thing you can do is make a renovation to your home that may alienate the areas potential buyers. 4.) Stage Your Home: You need to understand that you may have loved the way your home was set up but that does not mean your potential buyers will. It is important that you stage your home so that potential buyers can envision it as their potential home instead of your current one. This is anything from depersonalizing your home to hiring a professional to set your home up in the most appealing way...
read moreTop Four Home Renovation Projects From Last Year!
When it comes to home renovation projects it should go without saying that if there is an area or aspect of your home that is worn or needs repair you should address it first. But if your home is already in good repair and you have some extra cash that you want to invest in your home. There are many wonderful home renovation projects that will boost its appeal and have a great return on investment. Here is our list of the top home renovation projects from last year. 1.) Hardwired In Back Up Generator: Installing a back up generator and hard-wiring it into your home is a great renovation project that many homeowners made last year. This is because installing an emergency back up generator that is hardwired into your home is not only an appealing upgrade but a useful one as well. Plus if you go to sell your home you will benefit from about 53% return from your investment. 2.) A Gourmet Kitchen Remodel: Giving your kitchen a major remodel is always a very popular option and comes with a pretty nice return on investment. According to experts you can generally expect to enjoy about a 60% return on its investment when you make a gourmet kitchen remodel. So not only will it boost your homes comfort and appeal but if you ever go to sell it you will get about 60% of your money back. 3.) Converting The Attic Into An Extra Bedroom: Adding an attic bedroom if you have the extra room is a great way to boost the appeal and comfort of a home and adding an extra bedroom is almost never a bad idea. Last year this was a very popular option for homeowners because not only does this boost your homes appeal and comfort but you can enjoy as much as 73% return on your investment if you ever end up selling your home. 4.) Replacing The Siding: If you are looking for a way to change the look of your home and maybe add a little style at the same time consider replacing the siding on the exterior of your home with a newer more durable composite. Composites come in a variety of faux finishes that can really add some style to your home. On average if you go to sell home you will see around an 80% return on your...
read moreThings Not To Do Before You Purchase A Home!
So you have decided that this is the year is the right year for you to buy a home. Well you should know that there are things that if you do prior to buying a home can turn out to be some very costly mistakes. Some of these mistakes can turn out to be more costly than others and even end up costing you a lot more money or worse risk you losing the home all together. 1.) Be Reckless With Your Credit: Obviously it is a poor idea to be reckless with your credit at anytime but it is an especially bad decision prior to trying to buy a home. You should actually even be very careful with all of your minor expenses as well because they can typically add up quickly and end up affecting you when you go to obtain a loan. 2.) Move Your Money Around: It is a big mistake to shuffle your money around prior to trying to buy a home. You will need to explain any unusual or unexpected withdrawals and deposits. Stuffing a chunk of cash away even if it was a gift to help you with a down payment can and will raise some red flags that can end up affect you obtaining a loan. 3.) Change Jobs: It goes without saying that losing your job will greatly affect you obtaining a loan, but moving from job to job can also be a poor move that winds up being a mistake affecting you obtaining a loan. However, if by chance you do have an unforeseen job change make sure that you keep your realtor and loan officer in the loop. 4.) Pay Bills Late Or Get Behind: Having any late payment hit your credit report will affect your credit score and can greatly influence your lender when you go to obtain your loan. Your Payment history directly affects about thirty three percent of your credit score. One singular 30 day late payment can adversely affect your credit score by 60 to 110 points. 5.) Co-Sign On Someone Else’s Loan: Co-signing on someone else’s loan is arguable a poor decision at anytime but is an especially risky choice prior to trying to purchase a home. It basically means that you will be financially liable for the decisions that someone else makes. You never want to add any unnecessary debt that will affect your debt to income ratio and can end up affecting you when you go to obtain a...
read moreStaging A Home 101!
Staging a home is a very important tool when comes to getting it ready for the market and can greatly affect the success of the sale of your home. The goal of staging is to highlight your homes strengths and downplay its weaknesses to make your home feel more inviting and comfortable and increase its appeal to potential buyers. We have developed a list of the top tips on staging to help you through the process and ensure that your home staging experience is a complete success. 1.) Lighting Is Key: Lighting plays an extremely vital role when it comes to setting the mood of your home but is often over looked when it comes to home staging. Dark hallways and living areas are not inviting and can greatly affect the way potential buyers feel about your home. However you don’t need to go renovating your home when a few strategically placed lamps and mirrors can really help brighten up any area. 2.) Clean Clean Clean: Most people think that they have been a good home keeper and so there home can’t be that dirty. But the thing is when you live in a place for a period of time you start to get used to the way it looks and dirt can go unnoticed. It is very important that you do a deep and thorough cleaning throughout your entire home and this means behind sinks, toilets, fridges, ovens, and everywhere else there might be some dirt. 3.) Don’t Underestimate The Little Details: The little details can really help set the mood and increase the appeal of your home. Adding things like fresh towels and decorative soaps to your bathrooms, a bowl full of fresh fruit in the kitchen, magazines on coffee tables, and vases full of fresh flowers throughout your home will set a very comfortable and inviting atmosphere that will be very appealing to potential buyers. 4.) De-Personalize The Entire Home: It is very important that you completely depersonalize your home so potential buyers can envision themselves living in it as their home. This is more than just removing your photos and personal affects you should also remove any personal, political, and religious items that may make your home unappealing to a certain group of people. You never want anything in your home that could risk loosing you a potential sale. 5.) Make Necessary Repairs: It is very important that you make all necessary repairs so that your home is at its optimum appeal. Dripping faucets or cracks in the tile send the wrong message to potential buyers and can greatly damage the success of your home sale. Be sure that you make all necessary repairs so that potential buyers can see the real beauty in your home and not get distracted by things that need to get...
read moreGreat Home Renovations You May Not Think Of!
So everyone knows that the kitchen, living room, and dinning room are always very desirable renovation projects but what happens when these areas are done. If you still have some money left over after the major renovation areas are finished and you still want to invest into your home there are a variety of other great renovation projects that will help increase the value and appeal of your home. So here is a list of great renovation projects that you may not have thought of. 1.) Your Garage: Your garage is a great place to start and this can be anything from a new door and paint job to adding an entire second level. A dirty damaged garage can really detract from the appeal of your home that can wind up greatly affecting the value of your home. But a fresh new looking garage especially one with a second level can really set your home apart from others. 2.) Your Yard: Everyone has heard of the term “curb appeal” but a lot of homeowners don’t really understand the importance of a clean and well-kept yard. This is anything from eliminating any unsightly weeds and broken branches to purchasing a new storage shed or stone bench. Upgrading your yard will directly affect the appeal of your home to potential buyers and help create a great first impression. 3.) Your Basement: Finishing off your basement is a great way to create more living areas in your home, which will directly affect the appeal and value of your home. Using this space wisely is very import be sure to give this area its own bathroom. A finished basement can be listed as an extra bedroom, media room, den, or whatever potential buyers in your area are looking for. 4.) Your Attic: Much like your basement your attic is a great renovation project and all that extra space should not go unused. A finished attic can greatly boost the appeal and value of your home. However, with an attic there is no real need for a bathroom but adding one will boost the appeal and value of your home even further. You should design the are more towards an guest bedroom or study/office...
read moreHome Selling Advice!
So you have decided that you want to sell your home right? Well you need to be sure that you are prepared and that your home is inviting, comfortable, and ready to show in order for you to have a successful sale. Proper preparation and planning is the key to selling your home quick and at a premium price. However, all too often sellers fail to realize how important preparation and planning actually is to the selling process until its too late. But when the preparation and planning is handled correctly the actual selling process tends to go much smoother and stress free. So here is some advice on how to properly prepare and plan to help ensure that your home selling experience is a success. 1.) Hire A Professional: It is very important that you hire a professional to help you through the selling process and get the word out on your home. The right real estate agent will make your selling process less stressful and their experience and knowledge will help you sell your home quicker and at a more premium selling price. Try to find an agent who specializes in your area and has a proven record of success. 2.) Clean And Keep Clean: Most sellers understand the importance of cleaning their home but don’t understand the importance of keeping it clean especially if they are still living in the home. It is very important to give your home a complete scrub down and then try your best to keep it that way until you get your home sold. Every little thing you can do to ensure your home stays clean can really help you sell your home quick and at a premium price. 3.) Set The Stage: Home staging is a very important and valuable tool that can really help increase the appeal of your home to potential buyers. The goal of setting the stage is to make your home feel as comfortable and inviting that you possible can so that potential buyers fall in love with your home. Staging involves a variety of things that range from de-cluttering and de-personalizing to rearranging your furniture in a more appealing way. 4.) Understand Your Home’s True Value: Selling your home can be a very emotionally charged experience and if you can’t control your emotions it can greatly affect the sale of your home. The true value of your home has nothing to do with your memories, needs, or wants. You should use data from comparable homes that have recently sold in the past six months to help determine the market vale of your home and help you set an accurate and reasonable asking...
read moreJobs Coming To South Florida!
The Cancer Treatment Center Of America Is Coming To Boca Raton It was recently announced that the Cancer Treatment Center Of America has chosen Boca Raton for the location of its new corporate headquarters. Making it the second major company to be lured to Boca Raton and South Florida in the past month and a half. The jobs that these two companies are bringing to the area carry an average salary of more than $90,000 and the Cancer Treatment Center Of America alone will bring over 200 jobs. The state of Illinois recently raised its taxes making it the highest in the nation so the Cancer Treatment Center Of America was lured to the area with an aggressive economic package from the state, county, and even the town itself. The package included $1,260,000 from the state and $357,000 from the county and town. Microsoft To Put Its First US Innovation Center In South Florida Microsoft also announced that they would be placing their first US Innovation Center in South Florida. An Innovation Center works to create a “synergistic environment” by working with area governments, academics, and start up companies using Microsoft branding and products. There is a heavy focus on start-up companies with a program called Bizspark where Microsoft will provide free products to start-up companies for three years or until they reach $1 million in revenue then Microsoft starts charging them for licensing fees. Microsoft has opened 90 of these innovation centers in other countries and internationally has helped more than 50,000 start-up...
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