Best of The Best Real Estate Articles

As we finish the first quarter of 2020, top Real Estate bloggers continue to share relevant information to provide education for buyers, sellers, landlords, and other real estate professionals. In this month’s of the Best Real Estate articles, you will find a variety of real estate articles.

You will find insider secrets from top listing agents, which is a must-read for anyone selling their home, updating your decor to a more modern look, how to appeal to millennial buyers, and much more!

What Do Real Estate Agents Charge For Commission

When you are selling a home, it is smart to understand all of the fees you will be paying. One of the highest costs of selling a house is the real estate commission. It is no wonder that lots of folks will ask how much they will pay in real estate commission to agents they are interviewing.

What consumers need to know is that there is no set rate for real estate commissions. They are entirely negotiable and are different from one real estate company to the next. The article at Maximum Real Estate Exposure is the ultimate guide on commissions. You will learn about everything from flat fee MLS agreements to agent bonuses. Be sure to check it out and get all of your commission questions answered.

Six Ways to Give Your Home a Modern Vibe

Are you considering updating your decor in your there? If so, there are many different styles to choose from, including shabby chic, farmhouse contemporary, and much more. Michelle Gibson has written an excellent article about how to give your home a more modern feel. Some of the ways to improve the decor in your home are to swap out outdated lighting fixtures, which will also be energy efficient.

Consider painting a wall a bold color to add an accent or utilize textured wallpaper to create a new look. This is an excellent resource if you are considering changing the style of your home.

Inspection Versus Appraisal

Best Real Estate Articles March 2020 If you are purchasing a home, you will likely be having an inspection and an appraisal. Bob Gordon has written a detailed post about the inspection versus appraisal and offers a detailed description of both.

In the article, he describes a home inspection is to discover the major operating systems of the home. The buyer and their agent will attend the home inspection, and the buyer will have the opportunity to ask questions about the home inspector findings. The appraisal is completed by an appraiser if you are obtaining financing on the property. The appraisal will determine the current value of the property you are considering purchasing.

Rent Versus Buying in 2020 – Is Housing Affordable?

You will find the answer to this question renting versus buying in 2020, written by Karen Highland. In the article, she discusses that the answer is based on the buyer’s own personal situation and the current economic conditions.

In the article, Karen discusses housing affordability, and whether or not it is beneficial to rent or buy. Other essential factors include if the buyer has accumulated savings for a down payment and closing costs. This is an excellent resource for housing affordability.

The Best of Both Worlds With Renting to Own

Sometimes trying to decide between renting and owning can be very difficult. There is the best of both worlds option that more and more people try to take advantage of if they can find the opportunity to do so. It is what’s referred to as renting to own. In this situation, you start with paying a landlord a set amount of money for rent with the intention at some point to become a permanent owner of the property.

The article at Realty Times provides an excellent summary of what you need to know about rent to own. You will learn about both the pros and cons of these types of real estate contracts.

How to Make Your Listings Pop for Millennials

Millennials will get married later in life, and they may also be more reluctant to make a significant commitment when it comes to purchasing real estate. Danny Margagliano has put together an excellent post about purchasing a house that millennials want. Millennials represent the largest segment of the market, at nearly 32%, so that is an important demographic to consider when selling a home.

In the article, Danny discusses the items that are important to Millenials, including green features, an updated kitchen, open concept, and technology. Ensuring the listing has excellent photography and a video walkthrough will also be appealing to Millenial home buyers.

Top Listing Agents Share “Hot Insider Secrets” to Sell Your Home

Kevin Vitali reached out to 12 top listing agents to find out their best secrets to sell your home. With his research, he found consistency among these 12 experts who in general, agree the most important factors to take into account when selling a home is the following:

  1. The property needs to be adequately prepared for the market
  2. The home needs to be priced at market value
  3. Outstanding real estate photos are a must!

Other factors that were shared are that a well-maintained home always presents well. Remember that the first place that a buyer will see your home is online. Therefore, the seller must have excellent photography, which properly showcases the home. This is an excellent read for any seller considering selling their home.

You Can Sell Your House For a Flat Fee

Lots of folks would love to sell their home as a for sale by owner and forgo paying a real estate commission. After all, the commission is a ton of money. In recent years there is another option that has cropped up that assists for sale by owners in getting their property sold.

It is what’s known as flat fee MLS. The big draw with entry only listing companies is that they will put your home in the multiple listing service for short money. Most people realize the importance of having a house in MLS because it lets a significant amount of people know your property is for sale.

There are, however, pros and cons to going with a flat fee MLS company. One of the downsides is that it does not relieve you of doing all the necessary work to get your house sold. Take a look at the detailed article at Active Rain on what to know about entry only flat fee MLS.

Home Staging and The Best Paint Colors To Sell Your Home

Are you considering selling your home? And every agent will always recommend that you add a fresh coat of paint. Nothing freshens a home more than a fresh coat of paint. Adam Slivka has written an excellent article about home staging and the best paint colors to sell your house. In the article, he discussed what colors are the most appealing to the most amount of buyers.

Although you may have a room that is painted red, that may be a turn-off, and keep in mind buyers want to move into a home with little work. He discusses the importance of avoiding bright yellow or multi-color rooms, which will likely discourage home buyers. It is important to stick to a neutral palette that flows well with the home. An excellent article for anyone getting their house ready to sell.

Factors to Consider When Aging in Place

Seniors want to remain in their homes for as long as possible. The most important factor is that the senior is safe in their home if they are living on their own. They don’t want to be forced into a skilled nursing facility or assisted living facility. If you like the idea of aging in place and staying in your home for as long as possible, then there are some modifications to help seniors to remain in their homes.

There are many things to consider when aging in place. Ensuring the bathroom is safe with the use of adaptive equipment, including a raised toilet seat with handles, grab bars in the shower, and a bath bench if needed.

5 Potentially Risky Home Buyer Offers in Multiple Offer Situations

In a hot real estate market, it is pervasive to have multiple offers on a home. In multiple offer situations, some buyers will resort to doing “whatever it takes” to win. Conor MacEvilly has put together a detailed article about the home buying process and risky offers in multiple bid situations. In the article, he shares some risky clauses written into the contract in order to “win.”

These include writing an escalation clause, which is the buyer willing to match and beat a higher competing offer by a set amount of money up to a stated maximum amount. In this scenario, the buyer may be going well over their budget.

Another risky clause is to waive the home inspection contingency, which is risky. The buyer is then taking the chance of purchasing a home that has overwhelming faults. This article should be shared with any buyer in a multiple offer situation. There are ways to “sweeten the deal” without creating too much risk for the buyer.

Do FHA Loans Have Higher Interest Rates

The APR for an FHA loan may be slightly higher due to the associated FHA costs and fees. Eric Jeanette has written an excellent post on whether FHA loans have higher interest rates. In the article, he discusses the primary factors which may influence the rate for an FHA loan: credit score, loan amount, and the loan type. He explains that the credit score is the most important factor when determining an interest rate.

He explains that interest rates vary as much as 2% when comparing rates with a 600 versus a 700 credit score. This is a detailed article about FHA loans and what influences the interest rate.

Who Should You Hire to Sell Your Real Estate Investment Property?

There are agents who specialize in different areas, including luxury homes, waterfront homes, and there are agents who specialize in investment real estate. Paul Sian has written an excellent article about what type of agent you should hire to sell your investment property? In this post, he discusses that a seller can undoubtedly hire “any” agent to sell their investment property. However, it is ideal to hire one who has experience in this arena.

Real estate investment buyers want detailed information about the condition of the building, financials, and the grade of the neighborhood the property where the property is located. He discusses the importance of adequately marketing the investment property in order to obtain an offer and ultimately sell it. This is a must-read for any seller considering selling their investment property.

Final Thoughts

As we head into spring, we hope you enjoyed this month’s Best Real Estate Articles for March. Top bloggers from across the country. There is information about aging in place, selecting a proper paint color, hiring the right agent to sell your investment property, and much more. Let us know which article you liked the best. Please let us know what topics you would like to see covered in the future.

Other Best Of Real Estate Articles

Want more great real estate content to read? Take a look at some of the previous issues in the best of real estate series.

Sharon Paxson

 

About the Author: Sharon Paxson is a top Real Estate agent in Newport Beach, CA, with the Compass and has been specializing in residential real estate since 2005.