10 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Home Sale, Part 1

Here's part one of my two-part series on tips to ensure that you acquire the most money from your home sale this year.

Want to sell your Kansas City Home? Get a home value report here 

Want to buy a Kansas City home? Search all homes for sale here

If you’re selling your home this year, here are five of the 10 steps to follow:

1. Recognize that every real estate market is different. By having a deeper knowledge of the market itself, you’ll make well-informed decisions that other sellers won’t. Setting yourself apart in this way will allow you to maximize your equity and dollars acquired from the sale. Your agent should be constantly putting this information in front of you to assist you in your decision making.

2. Be sure to get your home inspected. Have a pre-inspection done on your home before it goes onto the market. This can be likened to a scenario where you’re buying a vehicle and you're trying to decide between two—are you more likely to purchase the road-ready, mechanic-certified car or the one that’s recently been traded in and has yet to be looked at by the mechanic? It’s no contest, right? The fact is a home that’s been pre-inspected is more apt to attract a higher offer.

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By having a deeper knowledge of the market itself, you’ll make well-informed decisions that other sellers won’t.

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3. Shape up before marketing. Simply put, be certain that your home is in tiptop shape before buyers view it. Using the car analogy above, a vehicle that sparkles inside and out, smells great, and would be a point of pride to own is sure to attract a higher offer than a dust- and dirt-coated car sitting on the lot. The same goes for your house. Some tips for preparing your home for sale include:

• A fresh coat of paint in areas such as the front door

• Maintain a super clean entryway

• Clean your windows and glass

• Replace any burnt out lightbulbs

• If possible, plant some flowers

4. Devise a great marketing plan. This is where an expert advisor comes in—their job is to guide you through the decision-making process to help you capture the highest price on your home sale.

5. Check into a company relocation assistance. If you work for a corporation or larger company, there may be some of this available to you.


Don’t forget to check back in a few weeks for part two! If you have any questions related to real estate, please get in touch with me. I look forward to talking to you!

5 More Tips for When Your Home Isn’t Selling

Welcome back to the second part of our series discussing what to do if your home just won’t sell.

Want to sell your Kansas City Home? Get a home value report here 

Want to buy a Kansas City home? Search all homes for sale here

If you missed our first installment, you can check it out here.

In continuation of my video last time, here are a few more tips if you’ve found it hard to get your home sold:

5. Offer your home on a lease option. There are a couple ways to do this: If you own your home outright, you can do an owner finance where, if you don’t have a mortgage on it, you can record that note at the county courthouse. This allows you to be the bank, so to speak, for the people buying your home. If your mortgage company allows it and your insurance company has been notified that your home is non-owner occupied, this can be a good option for those who aren’t able to sell

6. Ask your employer about relocation. There are a lot of corporate employer packages where relocation is an option. These can help with the expenses of selling your home.

7. Lower the price of your home. This will help make your home more competitive. For this to work, we need to do an analysis on the environment of your home’s price point and be sure that the condition, location, and marketing package you’ve chosen are competitive. This way, your home will be a clear pick for the buyers in your market.

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Our guaranteed sales plan for clients says that if we haven’t sold your home in 90 days, we will step in and buy your house from you so that you can go on to buy the next one without contingencies.

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8. Consider a real estate auction. My team does what’s called accelerated marketing, and there are four kinds of auctions that fit different strategies. The great thing about conventional marketing is that you can gauge the market and take your time to draw buyers in—there’s a lot of negotiation in a balanced market. With an auction, you set the terms up front, meaning you get to tell the buyer exactly what day the home is going to close, what terms are attached, and what inspection rights and financing rights the buyer has. The buyer who purchases your home will have to live with whatever terms you’ve set, and then they’ll pay commission. This option isn’t appropriate for every situation, but it is a conversation worth having.

9. Consider our guaranteed sale plan. We guarantee to clients that if we haven’t sold your home in 90 days, we will step in and buy your house from you so that you can go on to buy the next one without contingencies.

If you have any additional questions about what you can do to sell your home in a difficult market, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be glad to speak with you.

Where to Start Your Search for a New Home

If you know you need a different home but are unsure where to start, we can help.

Want to sell your Kansas City Home? Get a home value report here 

Want to buy a Kansas City home? Search all homes for sale here

Are you thinking of moving and buying another home but are unsure what exactly you want? It is fairly common for people to contact me and tell me that they have either outgrown their home or want to downsize but do not know what type of home they want next. My advice to them is that it is a great idea to sit down and begin with some sort of plan. If you have a general idea of what you want to accomplish but you are not sure where to begin, you can start there. There are multiple types of living options to choose from: lofts, apartments, country estates, townhomes, patio villas, suburban subdivisions, etc., which all offer different things for the buyer. The first step to deciding which is right for you is deciding what you must have. Do you have to have a gourmet kitchen? Do your kids need a flat backyard to throw around a football? Or, maybe space for a third garage is a must? Start with the things you are certain about.

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You need to make a plan to figure out what you absolutely need to have in a new home.

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Next, look at what your budget will be. What do you want your mortgage payment to be per month? To do this, we figure out how much you can qualify for in terms of a loan and how much you need to set aside for a down payment. Also, do you want a fixer-upper home? Or do you prefer a home which is totally maintenance-free? After we know all of the certainties, then we start the process of refining. We can build on what we know to find you your dream home. The key is to have an expert advisor that can help you work through the process. If you have any questions or would like to work with me to help you decide what you want and need in a home, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

The Key Steps of a Mortgage Pre-Approval

If you’re buying a home with a mortgage, you absolutely need to get a pre-approval first. Here’s why.

Want to sell your Kansas City Home? Get a home value report here 

Want to buy a Kansas City home? Search all homes for sale here

There's no doubt about it. It's a very competitive market today if you are looking to buy a home. Inventory is near record lows, and more and more homebuyers are entering the market. This means you need every advantage to grab that perfect home when you do find it. One no-brainer is to get pre-approved for a mortgage. A pre-approval informs you of how much you can borrow and it's something you will need to do at a later point anyway. A pre-approval can mean the difference between having your offer accepted or having to watch your dream home go to somebody else in a crazy market like this. In spite of all these good reasons, less than 10% of buyers who got a mortgage get pre-approved by the lender who originated the loan. In other words, you can definitely get a leg up on the competition by starting your home search at the loan office rather than at the open house.

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A pre-approval definitely gives you a leg up on the competition.

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Here are a few things that you will need: 1. Proof of income. At a minimum, lenders will want to see pay stubs from the past 30 days showing your year-to-date income, two years of federal tax returns, and two years of W2 forms from your employer. 2. Proof of assets. You will need to present statements from your checking, savings, or investment accounts to prove that you have funds for the down payment and closing costs. 3. Good credit. Most lenders reserve the best rates for homebuyers with a credit score of 740 or above. You can still qualify for a mortgage with a lower credit score, but a good lender will also recommend ways that you can improve your credit and qualify for a better loan. These are the biggest and most common things you will need to get pre-approved, though your lender might want to see some other documents as well. Once you are pre-approved, the buying process will be faster, more convenient, and less stressful. Most importantly, it will make it more likely that your offer for that perfect home gets accepted. If you have any questions for me or need any additional assistance, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Should You Hire Your Friend or Family Member as Your Agent?

These days, just about everyone has a friend or family member with a real estate license. Should you hire them to help buy or sell your house?

Want to sell your Kansas City Home? Get a home value report here 

Want to buy a Kansas City home? Search all homes for sale here

When you’re thinking about buying or selling one of the largest assets in your life, should you hire your friend or family member who has a real estate license?

Many people feel obligated to hire a friend or family member as their agent. Whether they’ve had their license for two weeks or 20 years, there are some things to consider in order when determining whether this person is the right one to serve you and your family during this huge financial decision.

For one, sharing private financial information with someone that close to you can be a little uncomfortable at times.

You also want to work with someone who will offer you unbiased opinions and advice. One of the nice things about working with someone who is more objective is that you can get advice and look at things from different angles in order to make sure that you are doing what’s in your best interest for the long run. If you work with a friend or family member, they may be inclined to inject their own personal opinions into your decisions since they know you so well.

As expert real estate advisors, we are able to advise you through a real estate transaction better than most Realtors. I use the term Realtor very loosely. You can go and get a real estate license online in two weeks and pass the test with no actual real estate experience whatsoever.

Truck drivers, nail technicians, and beauticians all have considerably more training and hours than someone who is a Realtor.

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Sharing your financial situation with a friend or family member can be uncomfortable.

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If you are thinking of hiring a friend or family member as your Realtor, I recommend asking the following questions:

• How many homes do you sell per month? 
• How many homes do you sell a year? 
• How much experience do you have in this particular area? 
• What is your list-to-sale price ratio? 
• What is your average days on market? 

It’s important that you know this information before you decide whether or not they are the right person to represent you. One wrong decision or mishandling a really delicate inspection negotiation can cost you $5,000 to $10,000 in the blink of an eye.

I often have clients say, “We really want to hire you, but we feel like we have to hire our Aunt Betty.”

In this situation, we can give Aunt Betty part of the deal and still give you great representation. I think this is a great option for those of you who have a strong sense of obligation to hire your friend or family member.
If you have any questions about this topic, just give me a call or send me an email. I can help you make sure that you are properly represented in your real estate transaction. I look forward to hearing from you.