Why Is Selling Your Home a Two-Step Process?

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Today I want to talk about selling your home. Specifically, I am going to talk about why you need to sell your home twice in order to reap the benefits. 

The first time you sell your home is when the property is on the market, properly priced and marketed, a buyer submits an offer, and you accept it. That’s the first sale.

Then, unless the buyer is paying in all cash, they will be required to have an appraisal contingency. The appraisal is the second sale. The appraisal must meet or exceed the contract price in order for the financing to go through. If the appraisal does not come in at or above the contract price, I always advise my sellers to fill out an appraisal questionnaire online whenever there is doubt. The questionnaire is detailed and will cover all the figures that go into your home’s price. We will then send this over to the appraiser.

So remember, the sale of your home is not complete when you come to terms. It also has to pass the appraisal test and if it doesn’t, the deal will fall apart. If you have any questions for me, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

How we helped Melissa Mayer remain calm during the selling process

“Anant was very helpful in helping me get my condo sold so I could move out of the city and get on to the next chapter of my life. So I was very happy to have completed that. I think for this transaction there was a little bit more back and forth anticipated between the sellers, the attorneys and my attorney and he did a fantastic job of keeping me apprised of what was going on and letting me know what it meant, what was significant and what was not significant. So I kept my wits about me during the course of the final stages. So he basically helped me keep my sanity.”

-Melissa Mayer, Home Seller

Tips for Holiday Decorating on a Budget

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Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Value Report

The holidays are approaching. Today, we thought we'd do something a little different and share this festive video on holiday decorating tips from HGTV. Designer Angelo Surmelis shares several great ideas to spread holiday cheer throughout the home. Here are some of our favorites.

1. Pay attention to the mantle. If you don't have some already, buy some kind of garland to drape over the mantle. Next, use leftover ornaments and candles to add light and texture. When choosing ornaments and candles, ensure they are in the same color-palette. This helps make your mantle a great focal point!
2. Use smaller Christmas trees. Every house has their main Christmas tree. In addition, you can also purchase smaller, inexpensive, eco-friendly trees to place throughout the home. Decorate these trees with strips of fabric from a T-shirt in holiday colors to save money for the main tree.
3. Use what you have. Be resourceful. Adding a plate charge and place mat to your everyday dining set adds some jazz to your table. Fresh-cut flowers and candles will help finish the look. You don't need grand, expensive candles -- a little candlelight goes a long way!

As you can see, it doesn't take much to make your home feel more festive. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!