As we move toward the summer and the most popular time of the year to buy and sell homes, valuable advice from real estate professionals becomes useful to more people.
The advice available in this month’s articles covers a lot of interesting subjects. Whether you want to remove photos of your home from the internet or get advice about staging the exterior, we look at the best articles posted this month.
Understanding TRID
There are many documents involved when getting a mortgage to buy your home. TRID or TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosures is an initiative to protect buyers from increased costs.
It is based on the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974, though more recently updated, and deals with how mortgage documents are handled during transactions.
To help you better understand the loan documents, Bill Gassett provides details to make navigating the mortgage process clearer.
TRID requires that you sign four loan documents, and Bill details the things you need to know and look out for with this paperwork. Buying a home with a mortgage is an important financial decision that you might be dealing with for 30 years.
Understanding the loan process and what it means is crucial to ensure you choose the right mortgage.
Things You Should Ask Before Buying
Buying a home is exciting, but before you rush to make an offer, there are some things you need to find out. If you don’t take the time to ask some important questions, you might regret it later.
Luke Skar reveals things you might not have thought to ask but will be glad you did. There could be some unwelcome surprises if you don’t know enough about the house you are committing to buy.
Some questions will help you decide if you want to buy the home and how much to offer. You might find that the questions lead you to look for another house. But even if that isn’t the case, you will have more confidence in your purchase and know more about what it will be like living in the home.
Helpful Tips to Stage the Exterior of Your Home
When selling your home, you want to get the best price, and part of that means making the home look as good as possible.
While sellers often think about the home’s interior, the exterior shouldn’t be forgotten. Bill Gassett offers some tips to help you make the most of the exterior of your home.
When prospective buyer visits, they will first see the exterior. If they like what they see, it will positively influence how they view the rest of your home.
A positive first impression is important if you want your home to sell quickly and for more. You should spend time on your front yard to ensure good curb appeal. Buyers will expect the inside to match if the home looks well cared for from the outside.
Removing Listing Photos from the Internet
When a home is listed online, the photos appear on many websites. When you buy a home, these images can remain even when the listing is no longer active.
If you value your privacy or have security concerns, leaving these photos online is something you’ll want to avoid.
Conor MacEvilly has had to deal with people demanding photos of their house be removed from his real estate website. Instead of explaining what to do in this situation to everyone who contacts him, he wrote an article.
Conor advises contacting the listing agent who originally uploaded the photos to the multiple listing service. But even if that works, other photos in other places and virtual tours online might still need to be removed. The article takes you through the steps required to deal with the different websites that have images of your home posted.
What You Need to Know About Renting a Storage Unit
Storage units are very useful when you are between moves or need to free up space to better stage your home. But there are many different storage companies and options when renting a unit.
The storage unit rental guide from Paul Sian takes you through everything you need to know about storage units. If you need storage, not all companies offer the same thing.
You want your possessions to be safe, and the level of security won’t be the same for every storage company. You might also need protection from environmental damage so climate-controlled units will be necessary.
Avoiding Bad Roommates
Living with a roommate can be great if you find the right person, but if you choose badly, it can be a nightmare.
While a prospective roommate can seem perfect, it could be months before you realize you’ve made a big mistake.
Many things can go wrong when you have a roommate, and Alex Capozzolo of the Brotherly Love Real Estate blog delves into the potential issues you can have.
The article goes through the things that can go wrong, so you have a better idea of the things you should keep an eye out for. To avoid an unpleasant experience living with your roommate, it is better to identify the warning signs before signing the lease.
Preparing to Buy Your First Home
Buying your first home can be exciting but daunting at the same time. There is a lot to think about and a lot of money involved, so you don’t want to make mistakes.
Joe Boylan expertly takes you through the steps you should follow to prepare to buy your first home. There are many things you won’t have considered but are important before you search for a home. Things like your credit score and the down payment you have saved will significantly affect the cost of your mortgage and your long-term finances.
Joe takes you through improving your situation when buying your first home. He provides tips on improving your credit score and helps you save for a larger down payment.
Buying a home is the biggest financial decision most people ever make, and if you properly prepare yourself, your finances will be better in the long run.
Staging Your Deck
When staging your home, it is easy to focus on the details inside but features like the deck shouldn’t be forgotten.
Kevin Vitali focuses on decks in the second article this month, highlighting the importance of exterior staging. If your home benefits from a deck, it must look its best when listing it.
During showings, potential buyers will notice if your decking is falling apart, which could be why they choose another home. But if you wow them with an outside space where they will want to relax and entertain friends, you could find your home sells faster and for the price you want.
As well as the advantages of staging your deck, Kevin provides tips to make the most of the space when selling your home.
The furniture on your deck could be letting down the area’s appearance. Perhaps your cushions need replacing, or the finish on the furniture needs to be renewed with a fresh coat of paint. These are just a few problems that could make your deck look drab and put off potential buyers.
Can You Sell Your Home With Broken AC?
Replacing a broken air conditioner can be expensive, and it could be a cost you want to avoid when you are about to sell your home. But can you still sell the home with a faulty HVAC system?
The SD House Guys address this question in their informative post on selling your home with an HVAC system that isn’t working. They look at your options if you are in this situation so that you have a better understanding of what you should do when selling your home.
Repairing air conditioning systems can cost more than $2,500, and you might want to try the repair yourself.
However, fixing an air conditioner isn’t easy, and unless you have some experience with these types of devices, it might be better left to the professionals. But if the cost is too much, you can negotiate with the buyer, though don’t expect to sell for the same price.
PREVIOUS REAL ESTATE ROUNDUPS
Look at some of the excellent advice from previous real estate roundups.
- The best real estate articles for March 2022 – get helpful insights on real estate with great tips for buyers and sellers.
- The best real estate articles for February 2023 – see what was hot for real estate content in February.
Final Thoughts
This month has provided interesting articles on unusual real estate topics. The best real estate articles of April 2023 tackle some difficult topics and offer great advice to help readers.
About the author: the above roundup of the best articles from March 2023 was written by Luke Skar. Luke is a 19+ year veteran of the mortgage industry. He strives to stay updated with the latest changes and trends in mortgage lending and real estate.
Through his mortgage blog, websites, and social media accounts, he aims to help the community with as much factual knowledge as possible that benefits all parties in real estate transactions.
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