While January is typically a quiet month in the real estate world, it is actually a perfect time for buyers and sellers to do their homework. This is the time of year for would-be sellers, those expecting to put their houses onto the market in the spring, to begin the process of getting the house ready to be seen by potential buyers. This process includes de-cluttering, touching up paint, and organizing and tidying closets and basements. When the time gets closer, the windows should be washed, exterior paint should be touched up and the landscaping should be cleaned up. It makes sense to take a few pretty winter photos of the home's exterior now for use in the marketing process. With older homes, the owner may want to hire an inspection company to do a pre-inspection of the property. Sometimes problems frighten buyers so this is a way to address this issue without a buyer present. Necessary repairs that turn up at the inspection should be completed. Would-be buyers may want to begin both looking online at homes and going to weekend open houses. They should read about the transfers in the newspaper. Their purpose should be to educate themselves about current home values. Buyers should meet with a lender to organize their finances and learn what needs to be done before they are in need of a new mortgage. For example, sometimes funds have to sit in an account for a certain amount of time before a mortgage can be approved. Buyers may also want to contact a real estate agent in order to become educated about the process, laws, and procedures in a real estate transaction. These dark, cold days of winter are actually a great time to begin daydreaming about and planning for a new home.Time To Do Your Homework
- By Michael McCann
- Posted
While January is typically a quiet month in the real estate world, it is actually a perfect time for buyers and sellers to do their homework. This is the time of year for would-be sellers, those expecting to put their houses onto the market in the spring, to begin the process of getting the house ready to be seen by potential buyers. This process includes de-cluttering, touching up paint, and organizing and tidying closets and basements. When the time gets closer, the windows should be washed, exterior paint should be touched up and the landscaping should be cleaned up. It makes sense to take a few pretty winter photos of the home's exterior now for use in the marketing process. With older homes, the owner may want to hire an inspection company to do a pre-inspection of the property. Sometimes problems frighten buyers so this is a way to address this issue without a buyer present. Necessary repairs that turn up at the inspection should be completed. Would-be buyers may want to begin both looking online at homes and going to weekend open houses. They should read about the transfers in the newspaper. Their purpose should be to educate themselves about current home values. Buyers should meet with a lender to organize their finances and learn what needs to be done before they are in need of a new mortgage. For example, sometimes funds have to sit in an account for a certain amount of time before a mortgage can be approved. Buyers may also want to contact a real estate agent in order to become educated about the process, laws, and procedures in a real estate transaction. These dark, cold days of winter are actually a great time to begin daydreaming about and planning for a new home.
