Welcome to 2017!

I hope you‚Äôre feeling good about buying, investing and selling in 2017. No matter what your real estate goals, it's good to learn everything you can in order to make the best deal.

Predicting how the real estate market will behave is never an exact science. January and February tend to have fewer homes sales, as people are recovering from the holiday. Though it is true that houses tend to sell faster in spring and summer, in large part it is because families want to be settled before the new school year begins, that doesn‚Äôt mean you should wait until then. More homes on the market in the spring and summer equal more competition for home sellers. Since spring is approaching, more buyers and sellers will emerge. With the combined low inventory and increasing demand, you may get more for your home than you think this time of year.

Remember that in order to sell your home as quickly as possible it needs to be in the best possible condition and priced correctly the day it goes on the market. If you want to move in three months or six months or even in one month, start working on your home now. Expectations of a move-in ready home means your home needs to be as squeaky-clean as possible and neutralized in terms of your d√©cor and as clutter-free as you can make it. How long it takes to get your home ready for sale depends on whether you tip the scale toward being a hoarder or a clutter-phobe and whether you‚Äôve kept up with regular maintenance.

While getting your home market ready, here are a few helpful suggestions to get you going. First, have your home pre-inspected and any issues taken care of. This will save you the headache of negotiating price/repairs during the process. Although this is not a necessity, any major issues that come up during the inspection period could make or break a deal and start you back at square one.

Secondly, recognize every market is different. Some sections of town can have higher market values than others. Getting to know your local market can help you understand your market value. This research is not necessarily your responsibility and talking to a local, educated, Realtor can give you a better idea. Get a Comparative Market Analysis on your home. Don‚Äôt be shy, call your Realtor and ask them for a price point or helpful tips and pointers to get more out of your home. They will be more than happy to hear from you and help you.

If you are buying a home, get in contact with your lender or ask your Realtor for suggestions. It may be as opportunistic a time to buy as you‚Äôre going to get to lock in a rate now as interest rates begin slowly rising. Create a list of wants and needs for purchasing your next home but remember not everything has to be checked off the list.

Your dream home may not be any less expensive then it will be now, so if your goal is to sell your current house, DO IT NOW! Because of a strong market and the increase of interest rates, Buyers are out early.

Home selling and buying can go smoothly even without any research and preparation. A real estate agent is professionally trained to ensure that the sale of your house proceeds smoothly. When trouble arises, your agent will let you know and take care of as many issues as they can.

How to go about property buying in 2017?

Welcome to 2017!

I hope you‚Äôre feeling good about buying, investing and selling in 2017. No matter what your real estate goals, it's good to learn everything you can in order to make the best deal.