When buying a home in a tight seller’s market, with low inventory and multiple offers you are going to need a bit of luck and some strategies in your home buying success.  A good buyer’s agent who has negotiation skills, assertiveness, quick response time, the ability to find additional options outside of your own online search from syndicated websites like Zillow and the skill to write a winning offer, you are on your way to successfully buy your new dream home.

Follow these 6 Home Buyer Tips To A New House:

1. An assertive agent moves quickly to present an offer to the seller.  The experience they bring will guide a home buyer through options that could prove the difference between success or more house-hunting.
2. The more green you offer up-front known as earnest money can be tempting to sellers saves you money on a mortgage and shortens the length of a loan and the interest you pay.  Of course, cash offers are always king.
3. Build a relationship and stand out from the crowd of multiple offers by writing an offer to purchase letter.  Don’t just be a contract, being human can sometimes give home buyers who are financing or have smaller down payments an emotional edge over other buyers.
4. Look for homes that are selling for less than what you have been qualified for.  Doing so will allow you to offer above asking price.  Just remember lenders will only lend on the lower contract amount or appraised amount.  If your agent has been diligent in preparing a Comparative Market Analysis for you and the price is spot on you can make an offer up to what the lender has qualified you and put you in an over asking price position.
5. Consider waiving things like the appraisal resolution or home inspection resolution.  Still, have the appraisal and inspection of course, but limit it to health and safety items and willingness to make up the difference of appraisal.  Ensure you are comfortable with the house enough to move forward but understand that at a hot price point there are others who may be willing to do more than you.
6. Add an escalation clause.  This can prevent you from blindly overpaying for a home. Maybe $1000 over the highest bonafide offer up to a certain point.  Your agents experience with normal practices and probable outcomes in the market will make your offer more likely to succeed.  Again, make sure you are in the financial position to do so.

You only get one chance to make an offer and the only bad offer is the one not made.  So, with 6 Home Buyer Tips To A New House and St. Patrick’s day behind us may shamrocks, Blarney Stone, hope, faith, love, and luck be with you while house hunting.

Ready to house hunt?  Johanna Williams-Wells a Broker Associate with Redefy Real Estate when acting as a buyer’s agent is legally bound to help buyers thru the complexities of the home buying process.  Guiding you every step of the way from assisting in finding the right property, negotiating offers to help avoid costly pitfalls, recommending reliable resources to expedite the process to a successful sale, and helping to overcome setbacks that arise from home inspector reports or appraisal.  As a buyer’s agent, acting as a buffer between you, sellers and their agent I can ease the way to homeownership.  Home buyers don’t have to worry about a buyer’s agents cost, as the seller pays the commission for both the seller’s agent and the buyer’s agent.  If you are ready to house hunt, Johanna Williams-Wells is the trusted guide that will help you find a home.   303-217-3821 or Jwilliams@Redefy.com

1. Evans the average sales price of a home in Evans is $272,042.  The student to teacher ratio is just 14 to 1 states Westword.  The U.S. Decennial Census in 2016 has the population listed at 21,615.  A sleepy hollow of Greeley, Evans has a wealth of parks with sports ranging from softball, horseshoes, tennis, basketball, soccer, and skateboarding.   It also has one of the lower sales tax rates, at just 7.7 percent, compared to some cities which are over 8.8 percent.  Just 52.4 miles from Denver.
2. Greeley’s average sales price of homes is $301,840 with a population of 98,975 is just 55 miles from Denver.    Average commute times to Fort Collins and Loveland result in $almost 24 minutes.  It’s just 45 minutes away from DIA, making it great for business travelers who want a small town feel.  Local feedlots bring a strong agricultural “scent” which long-time residents say they rarely notice.  Sperlings Best Places ranks Greeley at #68 out of 114.
3. Milliken has an average sales price of a home at $312,495 with a small town vibe of only 6,157, low crime rates, sunny weather and high-income per Capita.  The unemployment rate in Milliken is 2%, which is 58% lower than the national average.  In 2018 Niche ranked Milliken Safest Places to Live in Colorado #15 of 173 and #60 of 151 Best Places to Retire in Colorado.
4. Pierce has an average sales price of a home at $314,400 and is a rural agricultural community north of Greeley along U.S. Highway 85 and provides a small town atmosphere.  Pierce is close enough to the Rocky Mountains to enjoy many recreational activities.  Situated in rolling, grassland plains you can enjoy a slower pace.  In 2005 it was ranked #89 out of 331 in the Best Places to Live Study.   Pierce was established in 1903 when the post office opened and platted in 1906 and in 1907.
5. LaSalle has an average sales price of a home at $326,627, population of 2,588, the Community Center was built by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1907 and became part of LaSalle in 1983.  Rich in small town atmosphere from farming and railroad history, LaSalle scores a 65 in a  livability factor with low crime rates, lots of local amenities and low cost of living.  The town of LaSalle hosts Annual Easter Egg Hunts, Clean-Up Day and LaSalle Days Parade.
6. Kersey has an average sales price of a home at $332,369 with a population 1,664 is an agricultural community in the rapidly growing Weld County area. Approximately an hour away from Denver Internation Airport.  There are two new active subdivisions in Kersey.  Kersey is home to meadows, mountain vistas, unforgettable sunsets and home to the Platte River Fort. The town takes pride in the 5 parks that are maintained by the Public Works Department.
7. Dacono has an average sales price of a home at $334,439 and offers small town atmosphere and a variety of community events where family and friends gather throughout the year.   St. Vrain school district is the eighth largest in the state and the school district is honored with statewide awards for excellence and a high graduation rate.  Whether it’s golfing at Saddleback Golf Club, Colorado National Speedway and ease of access to and from the Denver Metro Area, Dacono is sure to please.

Ready to house hunt?  Johanna Williams-Wells a Broker Associate with Redefy Real Estate when acting as a buyer’s agent is legally bound to help buyers thru the complexities of the home buying process.  Guiding you every step of the way from assisting in finding the right property, negotiating offers to help avoid costly pitfalls, recommending reliable resources to expedite the process to a successful sale, and helping to overcome setbacks that arise from home inspector reports or appraisal.  As a buyer’s agent, acting as a buffer between you, sellers and their agent I can ease the way to homeownership.  Home buyers don’t have to worry about a buyer’s agents cost, as the seller pays the commission for both the seller’s agent and the buyer’s agent.  If you are ready to house hunt, Johanna Williams-Wells is the trusted guide that will help you find a home.   

First Day of Spring is March 20th, what will you do to celebrate?  For many folks who are thinking of preparing their home for sale or just want to save their equity, taking the vacuum cleaner for a spin might not be exciting but spring cleaning to make or save you money just might change your attitude.

Vacuum the refrigerator coils.  When’s the last time you did that? Clean refrigerator coils save about 6% of your refrigerator electric bill plus increase energy efficiency.  Coils can be underneath or in the back of the fridge and should be cleaned at least once a year.  Not cleaned, worst case scenario you burn the compressor out.  Unplug the fridge, roll out for ease of access, grab the vacuum, a bucket of warm, soapy water and get’er done.  Not that much fun, but you save the cost to purchase a new fridge and the money you save on the long term can be significant.

Replace the AC filter to save 5-15% on your electricity bill.  Dirty air filters cause the AC to cycle more frequently, restricted airflow creates uneven cooling, causes ice to form on the coils, causes allergens to be released into the air ducts, reduced efficiency, and lead to a serious maintenance issue and replacing your AC prematurely  To replace: slide the old filter out and swap with new.  Easy peasy!

Washing windows, according to Money Magazine (June 2008) is the number one Return On Investment in presale home improvements.  Buyers like, open, light, bright and airy and clean windows generate the best ROI, improves the showcase appearance of a home for sale that is then measured by a higher selling price.

Your home’s exterior, whether you are selling your home soon or just plain sick and tired of the same old thing, according to landscape economist John Harris contributes to 28% to the value of a home.  Pruned trees, manicured lawns, sans the weeds, a pressure wash to the siding, driveway, and sidewalks is one of the most inexpensive and important updates you can give your home.

As a Real Estate professional and certified home stager I recommend to clients keeping every single room of their house clean and de-cluttered, for marketing photos and showings.  People are buying space and should every inch be filled with (visual distractions) clutter, the buyer misses out on viewing the architectural attributes of a home and space within the home.  Consumer Reports shared that the potential return on investment can range from 3-5%.

It’s unbelievable what regular home maintenance, cleanliness the reduction of clutter can do for you in your everyday life and when it comes time to sell.  Remember clean and well maintained never goes out of vogue and there’s nothing like spring cleaning to make or save you money.

As a Redefy agent, I help home sellers preserve their hard-earned equity when selling their home for a flat-fee of $3000 to preserve a seller’s hard-earned equity, I provide a full-service experience and work hard to help buyers find their dream home!  I have served the Real Estate industry for over 20 years, starting with Norwest Mortgage, and various other lenders provided me the lending skills that have helped home buyers achieve purchasing a new home. As a home staging professional since 2005, I assist home sellers in preparing to sell their homes for the broadest range of potential buyers. 

Would you rather pay a flat fee of $3000 and keep that hard earned equity in your pocket when you would receive the same full-service as a traditional brokerage?  Yes, you heard me right, full service.  We use technology to standardize processes for transparency and fairness to clients, you receive the support of a team of real estate licensed experts, not to mention that the flat fee of $3000 saves you thousands of dollars of hard-earned equity.

There are many reasons why a homeowner would sell their home.  If you are a homeowner your time to sell and move will come.  Do any of the examples below sound like you?

1.  Home to small
2. Too large
3. Oops, I made a mistake buying this house
4. Job Transfer
5. Marriage/Divorce
6. Empty nest
7. Want to see the family more or sometimes less
8. Retirement
9. Health problems
10. Deferred Maintenance
11. Fix and Flip
12. Cash Equity
13. Prefer to travel
14. Death

What would you do with the money you save by working with the Redefy Real Estate flat-fee full-service model?  Call or text me at 303-217-3821 or email me at  jwilliams@redefy.com for a free no obligation personalized estimate of value for your home.