Category: Home Selling

Would you move if it was to your advantage?

1/4/2021

A much-repeated investment strategy is to buy low and sell high.  Some people who purchased around the financial crisis of 2010-2012 are poised to make considerable profits.

The median home price in America is now $295,300 up from $155,600 in February 2012 which calculates close to an 8% annual increase.  The median equity that homeowners have earned during the same period is $140,000.

Inventory is in short supply while demand is high which has caused prices to increase.  Factors that continue to contribute to the lower number of homes on the market are record low mortgage rates and housing starts have not met expectations since the Great Recession.  This year, people spending more time at home due to the pandemic has caused some people to rethink their current living space which has added to the demand.

Some experts believe that a significant portion of the workforce will continue to work from home after the pandemic has passed making the motivation for a larger home more of a long-term effect.

The median days on the market for a listing is 24 which is a direct result of the low inventory and heightened competition.  Sold homes are receiving an average of three offers with some situations ending in a bidding war.  This is an advantage for a seller who can not only realize a higher sales price but also accelerate a move into another home.

While the pandemic has certainly wreaked havoc on some businesses like the hospitality industry, real estate has continued to boom. Seven out of ten sales contracts are closing on-time which can give sellers a great deal of confidence.

Taxpayers can exclude up to $500,000 of qualified gain if they are married and up to $250,000 if single.  Some homeowners are taking the profit from their homes while at the top of the market, reserving part of their equity for investments, and purchasing another home with a higher loan-to-value mortgage at the incredibly low mortgage rates now available.

If you're curious to see if this might work for you, contact us at to find out what your home is worth now and what homes are available that may fit your lifestyle better.  Download our Sellers Guide.

Vacation Home Sales Up 44%

12/7/2020

Vacation home sales are up 44% year-over-year according to the National Association of REALTORS® based on sales during the July to September period.  Not only are the number of units up, but they are also selling faster than in previous years.

On a national basis, 72% of existing vacation homes closed in October were on the market for less than one month.

The increased desirability and affordability of vacation homes, according to the National Association of Realtors, seems to be influenced by the pandemic and low mortgage rates.  The ability to work from home seems to be contributing to this increase.
Freddie Mac reports the average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage decreased to 2.83% in October compared to the aver commitment rate for all of 2019 which was 3.94%.

There may also be a safety factor involved with these decisions to purchase vacation or second homes.  Contagious diseases flourish more in highly populated areas like big cities and suburbs. The locations of the vacation or second homes are generally in areas with less residents.

The slower pace from the city may also add to the appeal of considering second homes.  Proximity to the mountains or water, whether it be the ocean, rivers or lakes, have become a lure to people who realize that if where they work doesn't matter, they can select a place where they want to be.
Historically, Americans on the east coast left the cities during the 1793 yellow fever epidemic.  The same migration took place in the mid-19th century during three waves of Cholera and Scarlet fever.

Trends have yet to determine whether some of these new vacation home buyers may consider moving permanently or may reconsider the decision after the pandemic.  Currently, it does have broad-based appeal and offers a lot of flexibility to owners who can afford it.

Home Inspections

11/30/2020

A home inspector is another key professional involved in a real estate transaction.  Many times, the sales contract will have a provision that allows the purchaser to have inspections made to discover issues that are not readily apparent or have not been disclosed by the seller.

It is important to have a qualified individual perform the inspection.  Regardless of whether a license is required, buyers should ask about the inspector's experience, training, years in business and if they are familiar with the area and type of property involved.

Membership in professional associations can indicate an inspector's commitment to education and training.  References from both customers and agents are helpful and may be more meaningful.  You are encouraged to call the references, especially, if you are concerned about any specific areas.

Errors and Omission insurance is intended to cover mistakes made during an inspection.  It would be good to find out if the inspector has this type of insurance and how mistakes are handled or if omissions are made.

Find out exactly what is included in the inspection and what will trigger the inspector to recommend that you get an opinion by a specialist.  They should be able to provide you with a sample report so you can see the detail with which the items will be explained.  Ask if items that need attention will also be documented with pictures.

Some inspectors will allow you to accompany them during the inspection.  They will be able to point out their concerns and answer any questions you may have about different things.  An inspection can take two to three hours depending on the size of the property.

Generally, there is a time allotted in the sales contract for the inspections to be made and not completing them in a timely fashion could waive your right to use the contingency.  Your real estate professional will be able to guide you through this process.

More Time at Home

11/16/2020

We are all spending more time at home and will probably need to continue to do so for a while longer.  Depending on the makeup of your family, your home is now a home office, a gym, a virtual classroom and considerably more meals have been prepared in your kitchens in the past six months than normal.

Some businesses have undergone a metamorphosis that has shown them that maybe they do not need the big commercial spaces for their employees.  They realize that they can be just as productive with their work force offsite which will cut expenses.

If this scenario sounds familiar, it may be worth exploring what moving would look like for your situation.  To analyze the options, you will need to know what your home is worth and what the net proceeds will be after selling it.

You will need to know what homes are available with the amenities you are looking for together with the prices and mortgage money.  Depending on the interest rate on your current mortgage, there may not be much difference in payment for a larger mortgage at today's incredibly low rates.

Another option that some homeowners are considering is to not reinvest all the proceeds from the sale of their existing home into the new home.  They are reserving some of the cash as a contingency fund for the unexpected. This strategy is providing peace of mind in uncertain times.

It is said that an investor is faced with three decisions every day: buy, sell, or hold.  The equity in a home represents, for most people, their largest investment asset.  While it is an asset, it is also an amenity.

Prudential thinking would insist on protecting your investments, but it would also suggest that you would evaluate alternatives to avoid missing opportunities.  Having the facts available will make the options clearer and possibly, the decisions will become obvious.

We are available to help you assemble the information you need to consider what is best for you.

Moving "Down" in an "Up" Market

11/9/2020

Selling a home and buying a lower priced home that meets your current needs can be to your advantage in an "Up" market like the current one with low inventory.  The advantage is that you can maximize the price for the home you're selling and not have to reinvest it all in your replacement.

Just to illustrate the point, let's say there is a 10% premium in the sales price of a home currently.  If you're selling a home for $750,000, it would be $75,000.  If you replaced the home with a $500,000 home, the premium would be $50,000 which means you're $25,000 ahead.

Let's further assume that your home is debt free so that when you sell it, you have a large cash equity.  Instead of paying cash for the replacement home, get an 80% loan at today's low interest rates and reinvest the proceeds to supplement your retirement.

You may be able to get as low as a 2.5% mortgage and earn significantly more on the proceeds in other investments.

Home prices are up significantly over last year and they're selling on average in three weeks.  Inventory is down and there is less competition for your home than normal which can lead to a higher price. Closed sales increased 9% from August to September according to a Zillow report.

Moving down in an "up" market may be to your advantage.  It could lower your cost of housing by saving on property taxes, insurance, utilities and maintenance while being able to take cash out of your home to reinvest in your retirement.

You'll be using "other people's money" to free up your equity that you can reinvest at a rate higher than you'll be paying on your mortgage.  The difference would be profit.

To explore this opportunity, give me a call at 208.946.7816 and we'll look at your numbers.

Four Things Sellers Should Do Before the Sign Goes in the Yard

10/12/2020

Just like buyers should be pre-approved before they begin to look at houses, Sellers should have their home pre-approved.  The reasons are similar: appeal to the "right" buyers, discover issues with the home early, improve marketability, increase negotiations position and close quicker.

For the seller, there are few things that need to be done before the sign goes in the yard and definitely before prospective buyers see the home.  The first is to understand that once you decide to sell the home that it needs to appeal to the broadest base of buyers and that means depersonalizing your home.

Once the home is sold, you will need to pack your things for the new home.  Think of this as starting the process early.  Get moving boxes and make decisions on what you intend to give away or discard in each room and closet.  Identify and pack those items before the home goes on the market. This will be the first wave of making your home more marketable.

When your home hits the market, it needs to be a neutral commodity and not "your" home.  A good rule of thumb is to remove items that involve religion, hunting and sports.  That means removing personal items like family photos or collections displayed in the room.

Next, in round two, go through every room to remove the items that make too large of a statement or take up too much room.  Pool tables may be appropriate in a game room, but they are not in a dining room or a living room.

Personal collections may have taken you years to accumulate and you're proud of them but the people who come to see your home will either not appreciate them or they will become distracted by looking at them instead of the home.  The livability of your home needs to be the focal point.  The buyers need to visualize themselves living in the property that will become "their" home.

The four most important rooms to address are the primary bedroom, kitchen, living room and dining room.  These rooms have a major influence on buyers when determining whether "it is the right home."   Bright colors, possibly used as accent walls, should be neutralized.

After you have depersonalized the home and removed non-essential items that could make the rooms or closets look small, you might want to consider another technique referred to as staging.  Rearranging furniture so the room shows to its best advantage is simple and doesn't cost a thing.  You might decide that a coffee table or statement piece would be nice and your REALTOR® or stager can suggest a place to rent it rather than buying it.

Once the home is depersonalized and staged, you are ready to have a professional photographer take the pictures that visually describe your home to potential buyers long before they ever look at the home physically.  These will be used on websites, portal sites, MLS, and social media.  Anyone with a point and shoot camera thinks they are a photographer but a pro with the correct wide angle lens, who understands lighting and has an "eye" for what makes a great picture is worth every dime you'll spend.

One more consideration should be to have the home inspected before it goes on the market.  It won't replace the buyer's inspections but it will discover any items that need repair and they should be done before the home goes on the market.  This will probably save you money because it might cost less to repair them than they'll want in second round of negotiations when their inspector finds it.

Another benefit is that if their inspector identifies a problem area that your inspector did not, you have a basis for legitimate disagreement that could just be personal opinion instead of a "fact."
While the process of depersonalizing should take part before you put the home on the market, you'll want you have the benefit of your real estate agent's experience to help you with the process.  At age 18, a person can expect to move nine more times but by age 45, they may only expect to move another 2.7 times.  Your REALTOR®'s experience can be valuable not only in saving your time and money but actually, make the difference in a successful sale.

Selling or Buying Smart Homes

10/5/2020

More and more homeowners are employing smart home technology within their homes. It may start with a video doorbell or lights and progress to other devices. The smart-home device market is rapidly growing and Forbes research expects it to grow from $55 billion in 2016 to $174 billion in 2025.

The popularity of these high-tech features will require a few additional steps to consider when selling a home. The seller should determine which items will and will not stay with the sale of the home and identify them in the listing agreement.

Confusion can arise when a home's marketing mentions its smart-home technology and is unclear if a piece like the hub, which is easily considered personal property but is integral to the working of the system. Some might consider it an accessory and others a component.

A smart home can contain multiple technology devices connected to the Internet that allow them to be controlled or accessed from computers, tablets or most commonly, on mobile apps. Many of the devices can also be accessed through a hub like an Amazon Echo or Google Home.

Thermostats and lights may have been some of the first such devices but the video doorbells added a new level of WOW factor by being able to see and talk to the person at your door and even get a video recording. Porch pirates are now seeing their images on social media caught in the act thanks to these devices.

Homeowners sometimes start with one item like a smart sprinkler system control. When they find out how cool it is and that it actually saves them money not to mention how convenient it is, they starting planning their next smart-home device purchase. Some of these items absolutely are permanent and become real property and others, border between personal and real property.

If the seller is including smart devices with the sale of the home, they should have administrative access and any personal information removed and return the devices to the default settings. The seller should also review the privacy settings and delete the permissions for their personal mobile devices. For the benefit of the buyer, any manuals or warranties should be left for the new owner.

Equally as important, the buyer should verify that the smart devices have been returned to their factory settings and no longer coupled with the seller's mobile devices. The buyers can create their own account to register the devices in their name. Then, as security updates are available, they will be notified. At the same time, the buyer will want to create new access codes and preferences.

How Does It Measure Up?

9/14/2020

People are always looking for a "down and dirty" way to determine the value of a home and square footage seems to be one of the most common things used by people whether they are buyers, sellers or real estate agents.  While it seems straight forward, there are several variances that can lead to inaccurate determinations.

The market data approach to value uses similar properties in size, location, condition and amenities to compare with the subject to arrive at a price.  Differences in any of these things can affect the price per square foot.  Appraisers are trained and licensed to make these adjustments but the differences are not necessarily objective and that is where opinions start to influence the value.

Even if a person were to make accurate adjustments, they would be based on the assumption that the square footage of the comparable properties is correct.  That leads to the next area of concern: how was the subject property measured.

It is commonly accepted to the measure the outside of the dwelling on detached housing.  Is it customary in this area to include porches and patios under roof and if so, do they get full value or only partial value?  Is there any value given to the garage since it isn't living area?  What about other areas that do not have HVAC coverage?

Some areas don't give consideration to basement square footage at all.  Others might give some value if it is finished or has access directly to the outside like a walk-out basement.  Similarly, attic space could be finished and under HVAC but if the ceiling height is not standard for the home, it may not receive value.

The problems become exacerbated when different comparables are not treated consistently and yet the common denominator ends up being an average of the square foot price of each.   This is calculated by taking the sales price and dividing it by the number of square feet being quoted.

The source of the square footage should be listed to help determine the accuracy.  It could be what the builder said it was to the original purchaser.  If there is a set a plans available, that might seem credible but it is not uncommon for the builder to make changes while the home is being built which could increase or decrease the square footage.

Another source is the tax assessor.  In many cases, they don't actually measure the home but take the word of the builders or appraisers for it.  If permits were obtained to add on to the home since it was built, it should be reflected in the square footage.  However, sometimes permits are not secured properly.

After reading this, you may think that more doubts have been introduced than solutions and you are correct.  It takes diligence on the part of all parties to determine the correct amount.  The most highly trained person will be the appraiser and they should be measuring the home in its "as is" condition but understand that even a competent person can inadvertently make a mistake.

Things Have Changed

8/3/2020

The soothsayer in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar issued his famous warning "Beware the Ides of March."  Who knew that in 2020, around the middle of March, the world, as we knew it, would force such dramatic changes on us from the Coronavirus.

In America, it has brought our economy to its knees as we sheltered in place for over four months.  During this time, changes have affected our lives and many of those changes could be permanent.

Previously, smaller homes were becoming the trend for not only efficiency but upkeep so owners would have more time to do things including travel.  Now, travel is minimal and our world, in some respects, is reduced to our home.

For families with children, their home has become a school.  With so many people working from home, it has become our office or store or studio.  If there is more than one working adult in a home, it needs to have space for each party to work.  The home fitness industry is experiencing record sales in exercise equipment so the home can become a gym.

Since we're all spending more time at home, it is also the place to recreate.  We're cooking more; a larger kitchen and dining area would be nice.  We want to enjoy the yard, garden, pool or balcony and our current home may not even have them or we'd like to upgrade.

People are wanting and needing more space to do all of these things at home.  Many experts are anticipating that these changes we thought were temporary may be part of the new normal even after a vaccine and cure have been discovered.

If you have had any of these thoughts and would like to know more about how to buy or sell a home in our current market, we would love to tell you about the many options available while being responsible to stay safe.  Whether it is buying for the first time, moving up or moving on, I would like to help.  Call me at 208.946.7816.

Do you like to negotiate?

7/27/2020

Whether you like to or not, buying and selling a home involves negotiation at all stages of the process.  It is not like the retail world where once you decide to purchase, you pay the price.  It is easily the most expensive purchase or sale that most people experience and emotions get involved that could affect the negotiations adversely.

The word "home" by itself conjures up emotions and selling a home you've lived in for a while could even complicate things more.  A real estate professional can separate their emotions from the process to be able to help the one they are representing.

The price of the home, the type of financing and concessions, closing costs, personal property, closing dates and possession are just a few of the many things that can be negotiated in a contract.  Since the seller wants to get the most for their house and the buyer wants to pay the least, their objectives are diametrically opposed.

Even after the contract is signed, removing the contingencies can cause considerable negotiations.  The appraisal, the inspections or the repairs could be a source of reevaluating the terms and provisions of the contract.

Negotiating the sale or purchase of a home is a competition; for one person to get something, someone has to give something up.  If you don't feel comfortable with this, it is important to work with an agent who can bring their skills to the table on your behalf.  As your advocate, they can champion your position.

I'd like to share how my skills, training and experience can benefit you in a sale or purchase.  Call me at (208) 946-7816.

221 E Sherman Ave
Coeur d' Alene, Idaho 83814

200 Main St
Sandpoint, Idaho 83864

Tomlinson Sotheby's International Realty

Josh Ivey (208) 946-7355
josh.ivey@sothebysrealty.com

Jennifer Ivey (208) 946-7816
jennifer.ivey@sothebysrealty.com

©2016 North Idaho Fine Homes. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated.

Photo used under Creative Commons from Mary P Madigan