Ohio State Fair Time!!

A long standing tradition across America is the County or State Fair. What a great way to spend time with your family enjoying the sites, sounds, food and displays! No surprise to those that know me the animals are ALWAYS where I start my fair visit!! It never ceases to amaze me the creativity people have when I go through the art exhibits, quilting and baking. So much pride and commitment!

So before you say goodbye to summer make sure to stop at your local fair!!

For more information on the Ohio State Fair visit:

http://ohiostatefair.com/

Is It Time To Buy a Home?

Sorry I don't have a crystal ball that looks into the future. What I can say is this - the economist are telling us prices will continue to rise both for homes and for rents. They have also said we will see a slight increase in interest. What that means to you as a buyer the higher the interest rate the less home you will be able to buy and ditto for the rise in home prices. 

So is it time to buy - it may be if you are financially ready and emotionally ready. There are some really great deals out there and some homes ready for a new owner's imagination to freshen up things. 

If you decide you are ready here are a few initial steps you should take. 

Gather your financial documents and create a financial resume. Your lender will ask for paycheck stubs, tax returns and anything that plays into your finances. Call a few lenders find out what loan products they offer, interest rates, loan costs and how long does it take to process a loan. It is imperative you get a pre-approval prior to looking at homes. Get a Real Estate Agent - preferably a Realtor. Your agent is a very important resource - they can help line you up with a lender too. Agents know the market, they will represent YOU and most of the time their pay will come from the seller. Having someone to negotiate on your behalf, help with inspectors, title, and generally coordinate all the parts of your transaction is so important. 

Lastly get an idea of where you want to live, what your must have features are and what will be a deal breaker. If you are not sure where you want to be drive through different areas and see what amenities they provide, work on figuring out what you want from your neighborhood. Then call your Realtor and start your search.

Shut Up! The Front Door Was What color?

Oh the psychology of color.

Without realizing it color often affects our moods or motivation. So can you affect potential buyers of your home – while the wrong color won’t make your home unsalable, a complementary color that helps reflect the style of your home and is well balanced with the exterior component will definitely help buyers get excited about seeing your home!

Picture a typical formal colonial, now picture that colonial with an over the top art deco style door painted neon orange. Ok so that’s bit crazy, but you get my point. Door styles need to fit in with the home to create a harmony. If you have a more rustic setting with a ranch a more rustic door is going to be better visually than a stately door with rod iron. A more contemporary style home needs a door that is not elaborate, clean lines and a currently popular color.

So what does color say? There are many articles about colors and their meanings and many different opinions of what a color says. However, most will agree yellow is a happy color, a red door is welcoming, looking for a cool sophisticated look? – black is your color, blue is calming and a brown door feels very grounded. Set the tone with your front door color and make sure the flowers and foliage you choose carry the same tone- the results will give the buyers a feeling of a well cared for home.

You Had Me At The Front Door

Are you thinking about selling your home in the near future? If so, I have a confession to make. Last fall my husband and I were touring open houses. We identified a few areas, knew our budget, open to different styles but getting down to the nitty gritty we wanted something we could snag under market. There were certain conditions we did not want to correct. We targeted neighborhoods where market conditions of homes were good to excellent and values were headed up.

We had our route set for the day and we headed to our first neighborhood. What luck there were three advertised open houses in our price range. As we drove down the first street we noticed two additional unadvertised open houses. I pulled both up on my phone, one was in our range and was obvious it needed work; the other was out of the price ranges we had searched.

We decided to look at both just because we were there and had the time. The home that needed work, REALLY needed work I felt totally overwhelmed from the moment I walked thru the first level.  So, on we go the higher priced home. Wow! I knew the moment I hit the front steps this home could be the one. The house was creamy tending toward yellow siding with not quite brown, not quite green trim and a purple door. Here comes the confession; that door was such a turn off, the color was wrong, the condition was suggested the home wan not well maintained, the storm door was a disaster and it told me right away the seller’s had put no thought into their curb appeal and I could get this house well under their asking price.

Too often sellers do not take into consideration their front door. When you pull up to a home you immediately, often unconsciously, scan the front of the house for the front door. Keeping in mind how you live in a home and how you sell a home are two different life styles. While a purple door is not inherently a no no. For this house it threw off the whole entry. The color did not complement the style, the brick or any of the exterior. The condition of the door and storm door led us to believe the home had not been loved - made it feel like it was lacking in maintenance, style, and generally unkempt. As we walked through the home my negative first impression of the house played a role as I evaluated the floor plan, condition and what I would offer. Lesson one is start your buyer’s tours on a high note and then keep meeting their expectations and end that tour with an offer!