Don’t Miss Out on this Great Opportunity in Our Market

Certain conditions have created a great opportunity for home sellers in our market. Here’s how you can take advantage.

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Something amazing is happening in our Eastern Idaho market right now.

If you look across the board, we only have 1.5 months of inventory, which means there is a shortage of homes available. Some price ranges are even below a one-month supply. Any time a market has an inventory of less than five months, it’s considered a seller’s market.

This lack of inventory isn’t surprising for most people, but the cool thing is that in our area, it’s still a buyer’s market above $300,000. In that range, there’s still an excess of inventory, so buyers can still get a pretty decent deal there.

"The best way to take advantage of a market is to sell a house in a seller’s market and then buy a house in a buyer’s market."

What does this mean? If you’re transacting on both the buyer and seller side in the same market conditions, it doesn’t matter if it’s a buyer’s or seller’s market. Everything is a wash. If you take a hit on one side, you can make it back up on the other side, and vice versa.

The best way to take advantage of a market is to sell a house in a seller’s market and then buy a house in a buyer’s market, and that opportunity exists right now in Bonneville, Jefferson, and Bingham counties. If you list a home that’s under $300,000, you’re listing that home in a seller’s market, which means you’ll be able to sell it quickly and for top dollar. After that, you can look in the price range above $300,000 and take advantage of the conditions there.

If this opportunity sounds like something you’d be interested in or you have any other questions about our current market, don’t hesitate to reach out to my team. We’d love to help you.

How to Avoid a Disastrous Idaho Falls Home Sale

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This is the time of year where people are thinking about getting their home ready for the market. Since there are a lot of things you should be aware of in order to get results, I want to share three tips to help you with the process!

• Clean, clean, clean: You would be surprised at the impact this has on buyers. It takes a lot of energy and effort, but it's free. This includes baseboards, ceiling fan blades, light bulbs, fixtures, you name it. There shouldn't be any dust or dirt anywhere in the house -- you want it to feel like new!
• Make repairs: Loose doorknobs need to be tightened and blinds that are missing slats need to be replaced. Have a friend walk through the house and identify little things like this; you may have grown used to them, so they may go unnoticed without the help. Go through every room and jot down things you should repair. Don't expect the buyer to do it for you!  
• Make upgrades: There are two different types of upgrades. Maintenance upgrades are a matter of keeping the home in-line with current trends. Dave Ramsey says that you need to spend between 2-3% of the value of your house each year to keep it maintained. The other type of upgrades are enhancements. You need to be careful with these and know the difference between personal value and resale value. If you would like help figuring out which upgrades you should make, don't hesitate to give us a call.

These three things will help you sell your home fast and for the highest dollar amount. If you have any questions or concerns, we would love to hear from you. We're always available to help!

How Home Inspections Benefit Buyers and Sellers

There are many great Idaho Falls area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home,click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (208) 227-5357 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today, we'll discuss the home inspection process. The home inspection is a crucial part of the process for both the buyer and the seller, although it is designed primarily to protect the buyer.

When you're looking at a house, you want to be able to focus on whether or not it's the right house for you. You don't want to worry about the nuts and bolts of the home. Once you have your house under contract, there will be a contingency that allows you to have an inspector examine the nuts and bolts for you.

Inspectors keep an eye out for safety concerns and things that will affect the home value. The inspector will climb up into the attic and check insulation, and look out for wiring issues as well, among other things.

It's important to choose the right inspector. Don't choose a lax inspector. We know the best inspectors in the area. You want someone thorough, but also someone who won't cause unnecessary alarm. If there is a major issue with the home, and the seller won't fix it, you do have the option to back out of the house.

From a seller's standpoint, it's important to understand that you should designate some money for inspection repairs. No house passes an inspection 100%. An inspector will find something, and it's smart to have a budget set aside. Some sellers even have an inspection ahead of time so that they can make the repairs before an offer has even been made.

The most important thing is to choose the right inspector. Listen to your real estate agent, because they will have an inspector they know and trust to work with you. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

What Should You Know about Home Warranties?

There are many great Idaho Falls area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home,click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (208) 227-5357 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Hey everyone, today I am excited to talk to you about home warranties. People are always asking us questions about this topic, so today we want to clear the air.

A home warranty is from a 3rd-party company that will cover different components of your house for the first few years you own it. It's very similar to the coverage on an insurance policy, but the deductible is a little lower and the claim response is a little faster.

We recommend home warranties for all of our buyers and sellers. For sellers, you can buy a home warranty and advertise it as an incentive to buyers. If you use one of our home warranty companies, your coverage starts on the day you list your home with us, and transfers over to the buyer, who will have it for a full year. We think this  is a great option for sellers, especially if something goes wrong. In that case, you don't have to deal with the hassle of renegotiating repairs, you can simply give the home warranty company a call, and they will have someone come out and fix it for a low cost. 

Generally, a home warranty is around $400, but you can add different components to give you more coverage. If you have any specific questions about this, or any real estate questions at all, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to speaking with you!

How Do You Pick the Best Possible Offer on Your Idaho Falls Home?

There are many great Idaho Falls area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home,click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (208) 227-5357 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

The Idaho Falls marketplace is in great shape right now. Multiple offer situations are basically a regular occurrence, which is great news for homeowners. Sometimes listings are getting up to three offers in only a matter of days, so today we want to give some tips on how to handle these situations.

Generally, multiple offer situations are indicative of a market with low inventory. In an ideal market we like to see around six months of inventory, but we currently have just under five months. Sellers are in a fantastic position to sell quickly and for top dollar, as there are more buyers out there than available homes. 

Receiving multiple offers can be overwhelming for sellers, so it's crucial to work with an experienced agent who has been through the process hundreds of times. No multiple offer situation is the same as another, and having an agent with experience could make all the difference!

A great agent will help you look through the offers and determine which combination of terms, conditions, and price is the most beneficial. We are expert negotiators and have time-tested strategies to help you reach your selling goals. It's not as simple as picking an offer; we will look at the offers and create a bidding war among the interested parties to ensure you get the best possible price for your home!

If you have any questions about how we can help you make the most of a multiple offer situation, or if you have real estate questions of any kind, give us a call or shoot us a quick email. We would love to give you a hand! 

How to Get Your Home Ready For Sale

There are many great Idaho Falls area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (208) 227-5357 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

How to Get Your Home Ready For Sale

A question that we get a lot from potential sellers is, "How do I get my home ready to sell?" 

For starters, making sure your home has great "curb appeal" is essential. People will find your home online first, drive by it, and then schedule a showing if they like what they see.

To increase your curb appeal, make sure your lawn and landscaping are pristine and sharp. It will be less critical in the winter, but before the snow comes, you want to make sure all your leaves are picked up in your yard and the grass is freshly cut. 

You should also pay attention to the way your front door looks. That's the first place that potential buyers will look when they see your home for the first time. Make sure it's clean, and throw on a fresh coat of paint if you feel you need to.

On the inside of your home, the first thing to do is declutter. This is the most important step in getting the inside of your home ready to sell. The majority of the homes we see need at least a 50% decrease of items in their home before we can even start organizing it to stage. The inside of your home should be dramatically scaled back when you are trying to sell, almost to the point where it's uncomfortable  to be in there.

If you have any questions about getting your home ready to sell, or would just like some advice, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We work with professionals everyday in our office that know exactly what you need to do to get your home sold quicker and for more money.