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Home » Buyers » Page 2

Home Repairs and Upgrades – What to do When

October 26, 2020 by Karen Baker Leave a Comment

Home Repairs and Upgrades - What to do When

Home Repairs and Upgrades – Purchasing a home is one of the single best decisions you can make to help invest in your future, especially when purchasing a home that is likely to provide a great return to investment. Whether you’re purchasing your first home or your 5th it is easy to want to instantly make improvements or upgrades to bring a true sense of pride and ownership to the house you now call home.

While there is nothing wrong with fixer-upper projects or home improvements, you want to be sure that you pace yourself and plan out the projects you hope to complete. In general, it is best to limit your “to do” list to 10 items at once, this helps you stay organized, create accurate budgets, and helps eliminate the risk of becoming overwhelmed. Once you’ve completed the first list, you can then move on to creating your next list of “to do’s.”

Related: How Do I Refinance my Home?

Once you think of the first 10 projects you want to tackle, you should sit down and figure out a few things. First, try to prioritize your list by need vs. want. You should generally always tackle the “need” section first so that if there are small problems or upgrades that need attention you can fix them before they cause further problems or damages. Upon prioritizing your list, you can then do research on budgets and costs for each project, this will help you figure out what you can afford and when, which will help you from starting a project you won’t be able to finish.

In a perfect world you can complete your items 1-10 and move onto your next list, however, it is important to take a few things into consideration when choosing to start a project. The time needed to complete the job, costs associated with the job, as well as potential risk or damages that could arise are all things that should be considered prior to choosing and beginning to tackle a project.

Related: Making Your Home the Best on The Block

As a homeowner you can take great pride in improving and upgrading your home, whether it be by choice or need. Whether you choose to purchase a fixer upper or a turn-key new construction home, always try to plan for repairs as needed and set aside a small amount monthly to help cover any unexpected costs and repair bills.

Schedule a Consultation

If you are currently searching for a new home, are in need of a qualified buyers agent or listing agent, or have any questions regarding today’s markets, please feel free to contact our office at any time. 

Additional Tips for Buyers and Sellers

  • Home Improvements to Sell  Your House
  • How to Sell a Beach Home FAST
  • Accent Walls that Add Value
  • This One Thing Might Decrease Your Home’s Value
  • How to Improve Your Real Estate Listing Photos
  • Home Stagers Offer 5 Tips to Selling a House

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: home improvement, home repair, selling

5 Ways to Get Your Real Estate Offer Accepted

October 21, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

You want your offer to be accepted but what if there are multiple offers on the table? How do your offers stack up to the others and how can you make it stand out. Because we worked with buyers for decades we know key negotiating strategies that will help our buyer’s offer get accepted, but there are some tricks of the trade. Here are five ways you can get your real estate offer accepted.5 Ways to Get Your Real Estate Offer Accepted

Work with a real estate agent.

Anyone can technically make an offer on a property but if you don’t know all of the legal jargon and real estate terms, you could be missing out on how to write up a solid and tight offer. Always have your own agent representing you, the buyer, when submitting an offer.

Make sure your offer is first.

Some sellers will hold off accepting offers just in case they might get more offers. However, being the earlybird can have benefits. Try to ask your agent to get in an offer early and always be the first one.

Be careful about contingencies.

Sellers technically have the upper hand in a multiple offer situation so the price isn’t the only thing that will get your offer accepted. Minimal contingencies can also be very attractive. While we don’t highly recommend waving home inspection, it can entice sellers to accept your offer knowing that there are minimal things standing in the way from you buying the home.

Consider a higher price.

Sellers are more likely to review your offer if it is over the asking price. You have to be careful, though, because you want the home to appraise for the inflated asking price. If you are in a hot market, writing an offer over the asking price you feel the deal for the seller.

Write a letter.

Agents have long since touted the benefit of writing a letter to the seller but this isn’t always a good idea. We had a seller who received seven offers in two weeks, five of them had letters and they ended up going with the offer that didn’t provide a letter. So it depends on the seller. Having your buyer’s agent talk to the listing agent may make this tactic more clear.

Again, working with a seasoned and experienced real estate agent on how to write up a solid and tight offer is really the key to getting your offer noticed and accepted.

Schedule a Consultation

If you are currently searching for a new home, are in need of a qualified buyers agent or listing agent, or have any questions regarding today’s markets, please feel free to contact our office at any time. 

Additional Tips for Sellers:

  • What is Luxury Real Estate?
  • How to Sell a Beach Home FAST
  • Accent Walls that Add Value
  • This One Thing Might Decrease Your Home’s Value
  • How to Improve Your Real Estate Listing Photos
  • Home Stagers Offer 5 Tips to Selling a House

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: real estate offer

3 Mistakes When Buying a House Sight Unseen

October 1, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

3 Mistakes When Buying a House Sight Unseen

In a world full of virtual tours and social distancing, sight unseen home purchases have increased drastically. With virtual tours, 3D tours, floorplans, and good listing photos, despite never seeing a property in person, you can actually get a pretty good feel for the flow of a home without ever stepping foot inside the front door. In order to purchase a house sight unseen there are a few key factors that you want to be sure to include throughout the purchase process.

Never Rely on Photos

There is a reason that virtual tours are offered. While photos definitely aid in your perception of the home, a virtual tour will allow you to put the rooms together into a floor plan and experience the flow of the home, something photos cannot provide. What may look like a large open room in a photo could actually be closed off by a wall that wasn’t photographed and could thus change the room completely.

Related: How to Improve Your Real Estate Listing Photos

Tech Savvy Real Estate Agent

Unfortunately, many agents are not up to speed with the technology of virtual tours. When selecting an agent for your purchase make sure that they are not only knowledgeable of the real estate market, buying and selling processes, but also come highly recommended and are very familiar with sight unseen purchases as well as the tech that is needed to view the properties you are considering.

Smells

This is crucial. When touring homes in person you have your senses to rely on, unfortunately with virtual tours you may miss a few things that could be easily discovered in person. The main one being unwanted smells. While you can do some research to find things like nearby sewer plants, farms, etc. other smells derived from mold, musty attics, dust, etc. will not be as easily detectible. Be blunt and always ask your agent to discuss your concerns with the seller’s agent. In addition, you can make sure to bring up any concerns regarding smell with your inspector who should find any signs of mold or other sources or unpleasant smells within the home.

Related: Best Features to Look for When Buying a Coastal Home

As with any real estate purchase, never be afraid to ask questions. You always want to do your research on the property prior to placing an offer. Things like the neighborhood, school district, commute to and from work, surrounding areas, etc. should all still be looked into just as you would with a regular in person tour and potential purchase.

If you are currently searching for a new home, are in need of a qualified buyers agent or listing agent, or have any questions regarding today’s markets, please feel free to contact our office at any time. 

 

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: buyer, buying, home buying sunset beach, sight unseen, sunset beach homes

Best Features to Look for When Buying a Coastal Home

September 8, 2020 by Karen Baker Leave a Comment

Best Features to Look for When Buying a Coastal Home

It is a common dream worldwide to own a coastal home. While it does seem that any coastal home would be a good home, there are a few things you should look for prior to signing the purchase agreement. When making a purchase as large as real estate, it is vital that you think of your long-term happiness as well as your investment protection should you choose to sell the property later down the line. When purchasing a coastal home, try to keep the below checklist in mind.

Related: Why Beach Homes Are So Desirable

Outdoor Space

When purchasing a coastal home, oftentimes you spend your days and evenings outside, and thus should ensure that you have a great space for outdoor living or entertainment. Whether this is a backyard patio with a build in fire pit, front porch with a swinging bench, or a master bedroom with a large balcony to enjoy a morning cup of coffee, always check to make sure the property has the outdoor space you need and want.

Storm Resistant

Coastal homes are subject to high winds, rain, and salt from the ocean air. This can cause storm-related damages as well as corrosion. When looking at coastal properties always ask about the building materials used for the properties construction to ensure they are able to withstand the coastal weather. In addition, you should always review the areas flood warnings and flood zones.

Directional Facing

Are you a sunrise or a sunset person? Make sure that your home faces in a way that will allow you to enjoy your morning sunrise, evening sunsets, or both. Oversized windows, balconies, patios, etc. should all be looked at when it comes to purchasing a coastal home, if all of these features are facing the wrong direction, they may not provide the enjoyment you are looking for. Purchasing a coastal home that is faced in a way that provides no views will not only decrease the value but could also decrease your happiness in the home.

Related: Top 10 things First time Home Buyers Should Know

Location

As mentioned above, any coastal home seems to be a good home, right? Wrong. A great home in a bad neighborhood can ruin the home completely. Prior to purchase, you should always research the area to make sure that the property is in a friendly neighborhood. This is especially important if you plan on using the property as a rental property for a portion of the year or weekends as your renters will want to be surrounded by friendly neighbors to ensure they have an enjoyable stay.

If you are currently searching for a coastal home, need a qualified buyer’s agent, or have any questions regarding the real estate within the Carolina Coast, please feel free to contact our office at any time.

Additional:

Best building materials for a storm-resistant home

How to Avoid a Bidding War

 

 

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: beach home, buying, coastal home, sunset beach

Why Beach Homes Are So Desirable

August 14, 2020 by Karen Baker 1 Comment

Why Beach Homes Are So Desirable

When you hear the term, “Beach Home” you tend to take a deep breath, and instantly think of relaxing days spent listening to the waves with a nice salty breeze blowing through the palm trees, however, what is it about a beach home that is so appealing to buyers? There is of course the main fact, it’s on or near the beach, but there are so many other factors that help make beach homes desirable.

When purchasing a beach home, you are nearly always guaranteed a protected investment. This is a huge bonus as home purchases are generally one of the most expensive transactions you will make, so having that extra cushion of protection provides great relief. Beach homes have and will most likely remain one of the more coveted housing options on the market, which not only protects your investment but allows you to feel confident and safe when making your purchase knowing that your return to investment is nearly always protected.

Related: 3 Things to Consider When Buying a Beach Home

Beach vacations have always been popular and within the last 5 years the options to rent out privately owned beach homes have skyrocketed with the help of rental companies such as Airbnb. While each area may have specific rules or guidelines on rentals, purchasing a beach home often gives the buyers a chance to rent out the home for a portion of the year. This provides exceptional investment opportunities to the homeowner and can provide a substantial income to help offset the costs of living as well as pay for needed maintenance, repairs or upgrades the homeowner may desire.

Why Beach Homes Are So Desirable

Additional: Do all homes need an inspection?

There’s a saying, “Create a life so grand that you don’t need a vacation” and by purchasing a beach home you are oftentimes doing just that. When purchasing a beach home you are purchasing a year round vacation. Whether your home is beachfront, has beach access, or is a short walk or drive away, a beach home provides year round fun and entertainment for all. Having a home that doubles as your vacation home could quite possibly be the simplest and most true reason as to why beach homes are so popular and why so many people dream of owning one.

Related: What is Earnest Money and How Much do I Need?

If you’re looking for a beach home, have questions regarding beachfront real estate, or are searching for an agent to help you in the buying or selling process, please feel free to contact our office at any time.

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: beach home

Furnished Condo for Sale in Sunset Beach for Sale

August 7, 2020 by Karen Baker Leave a Comment

Furnished Condo for Sale in Sunset Beach for Sale 137 Avian Drive #3518 – 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath, 792 SF – $149,900

137 Avian Drive, 3518 Sunset Beach, NC 28468

Looking for the perfect vacation condo or investment property? Maybe just a quaint little home near the beach? Check out our newest listing at 137 Avian Drive #3518 in Sunset Beach. New on market – Nestled in the BYRD Golf Course at the Champion at Sea Trail. Spacious living, dining and kitchen area, perfect for one or two.

137 Avian Drive, 3518 Sunset Beach, NC 28468

Wonderful opportunity to own an updated and FULLY furnished condominium on the TOP Floor overlooking the BYRD Golf Course in the CHAMPIONS at Sea Trail! Enjoy the morning sun rise on the EAST facing screen porch! The building is equipped with an ELEVATOR!

137 Avian Drive, 3518 Sunset Beach, NC 28468

This lovely condo features elegant decor and furnishings! Functional Kitchen with Bar is open to the living room for optimal social space! Spacious Bedroom and Bath! With a Queen Sleep Sofa in the Living Room there is room for four people to sleep comfortably. ALL appliances included! Screened in Porch w/excellent view of the Golf Course! Very positive Rental History with an established rental company!

137 Avian Drive, 3518 Sunset Beach, NC 28468

Majority of the winter months are already booked, if the new owners want to continue renting it. The Champions Condominiums have their own pool! ALL amenities in Sea Trail can used by the owners of the condos! The condo owners also receive access to the Sea Trail Parking lot at Sunset Beach! The Renters of the Champion Condos are allowed access to the Village Activity Clubhouse as well as the Indoor and Outdoor Pool! Sunset Beach has been named one of top beaches in the world by National Geographic! The wide beach and soft sand along with the private Bird Island Preservation and Kindred Mailbox are a delight for all visitors! A few miles down the road you can enjoy many restaurants in Calabash, the Seafood Capital of the World! Great Location only about 40 minutes from Myrtle Beach or Wilmington!

137 Avian Drive, 3518 Sunset Beach, NC 28468

Clean and move-in ready. Pure white bathroom. 

137 Avian Drive, 3518 Sunset Beach, NC 28468

Washer and Dryer in the unit yet tucked away.

137 Avian Drive, 3518 Sunset Beach, NC 28468

Sit out on your balcony and enjoy the landscape and people playing golf. Spacious enough for morning coffee or alfresco dinner!

Call us for a private tour or virtual tour or to learn more about this great condo and the golf packages available

Furnished Condo for Sale in Sunset Beach for Sale

Take a dip in the pool! Relax in the spa, or hang out at the clubhouse! Champions has some great amenities.   The Village Activity Center is a recreational facility on-site that offers indoor/outdoor pools, hot tubs and exercise facility for a minimal daily fee. Plus, you’re just minutes to the beach!

    Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: condo for sale

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    What our clients say

    Ken and Linda Foltz

    “Life will lead you to where you belong. Five years ago life led me to meeting Karen Baker at an...
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    “Life will lead you to where you belong. Five years ago life led me to meeting Karen Baker at an Open House. Our relationship continues as Karen and her husband Frank have been outstanding not only in helping my husband and I find the right retirement relocation home, but we have watched their commitment in helping many others find their homes. She and Frank treat every client as if they are the only ones that exist. They provide thorough research of areas and homes of interest and present you with the options. They are not your typical hard sell, must-buy-now realtors. They are here to help you find your next home?. You won’t go wrong with the Bakers!
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    “The Bakers treated us like family during our whirlwind weekend of looking at houses. Prior to our on-site visit to Sunset Beach they created a portal and populated it with properties that met our ever-evolving criteria. By time we arrived we had a good feel for what we could afford and what was available that met our criteria. The Bakers, especially Karen, were able to make sense of what we thought we were looking for and eventually matched us with a house that we ended up purchasing — Karen called it the “This is it” house and she was right. We are loving our 2nd home and appreciate how painless Karen and Frank made the process. All the paperwork was done seamlessly and quickly and the closing went off without a hitch. The Bakers do not believe in the hard sell — they gave us the knowledge we needed and the guidance we needed to make our dream a reality.”
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    Amy and I have bought and sold four properties in the past twelve years. Both of you are the best realtors we have ever dealt with. Amy and I both felt we could trust you to look out for our interest. The level of service you provided was outstanding, from taking the trash out, helping the buyer with inspecting the irrigation system, dealing with our tenants, always being there if we needed to ask a question, providing constant updates on the market and always keeping us informed on the sale of our house. I think your next venture should be training other realtors, because both of you have mastered the art of providing excellent service. I will be sure to recommend the Frank and Karen team to anybody looking for a trust worthy, knowledgeable and top performing realtor. It was a pleasure working with both of you.”
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    “Karen & Frank Baker are the best. They are very knowledgeable with the area & showed us many homes. When we made up our minds which one we wanted, they got us the best deal on it. We were very satisfided with them. After the purchased was made & we moved in, they were still there to answer any questions or problems that we might of had. Like I said, they are the BEST.”
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    “Thanks again for all the time you spent with us, As overwhelming as it was, you two made it fun”
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