5 Things you can be doing now to help you sell your house later

Let's face it. While some days it sure feels like it, this shelter-in-place and coronavirus way of living is NOT going to last forever, I promise.
If you are looking for some things you can be doing to get your house ready to sell when this whole thing blows over, here's a few ideas:

1. Curb Appeal - Curb appeal is one of the most important things you can do when you are getting your house ready to sell. It is the first impression on a potential buyer - whether they are a drive-by or seeing the house in person for the first time. There are so many things you can do to increase the curb appeal of your home!

• Paint the front door. 
• Update your house numbers. 
• Change out your mailbox. 
• Pressure wash your driveway and walkway. 
• Add shutters! One of my clients who bought a house last year added the cutest homemade shutters to their house and it looks adorable!

2. Hardware or Lighting -  Check the hardware in your house - is it outdated or original to the house? There's so much that can be changed out - doorknobs, hinges, faucets, shower heads, and cabinet drawer pulls! When we moved into our house, we changed out all the doorknobs and hinges right away and it made a huge difference! It's such an easy change to do yourself and there are so many fun options to choose from now.

3. Declutter/Organize - Aren't these pictures of organized closets inspiring? I love organizing with baskets because it's SO easy to keep things clean! You don't necessarily have to keep everything "picked up", it just goes in the basket! I especially love the custom baskets with the name of what is written inside so it's easy to find things. There are so many ways to organize - like with the clear containers in the pantry or just neatly stacking towels and blankets. Start with de-cluttering and getting rid of items you don't use anymore and you will have extra space for organizing the items you do use!

 4. Landscaping - Spring is the perfect time to beautify your yard. There are so many easy landscaping projects you can do during this time to spruce up the exterior of your home. If you don't have a green thumb - check out this article by Sunset for landscaping with stone - there are some gorgeous ideas! Add a patio set for two or a potted plant for extra aesthetic!

5. Painting - Painting is an easy way to make a BIG difference to any space! Take advantage of your free time and paint anything - the exterior trim of your house, or an interior "accent" wall, or your front door! See this article for 28 inviting colors to paint your front door.


As always, I would love to hear your comments or questions!
530-391-1576
sarah@sarah-ratliff.com

How Coronavirus is Impacting the Housing Market

FewFew homes look their best in the dirty grays of late winter, which is, in part, why homebuying season coincides with the arrival of spring. This year, however, the crocuses that can make a house look that much nicer are showing up alongside the less reassuring news of a virus circling the globe.

The spread of COVID-19—the disease caused by the novel coronavirus—was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11. It’s already claimed more than 83,000 lives worldwide. Shelter-in-place orders have been issued for cities across the country and almost 10 million Americans have filed for unemployment since the outbreak of the pandemic.

If you’re already in the market for a house, all the uncertainty might have you worried about the housing market. Will COVID-19 cause housing to collapse, as it did during the financial crisis in 2008?

Historically low inventory and rock-bottom mortgage rates would normally set the stage for a highly competitive homebuying season. While recessions normally have only a minor effect on the housing market, the coronavirus is making life and markets anything but normal.

Zillow conducted a study on housing during previous pandemics and concluded that while home sales dropped dramatically during an outbreak, home prices stayed about the same or suffered a slight decrease. This makes intuitive sense because it’s harder for prices to change when there are few transactions. In short, previous pandemics have simply put the housing market on pause.

Read the full article from Curbed here.

Real Estate and COVID 19

Coronavirus, COVD 19 - we are all in this together. 

I am so many things right now - small business owner, mother, wife, daughter, working from home with a 9 month old baby and trying to stay sane!

I have gotten a lot of questions from clients, friends, and family over the last few weeks regarding what is happening in the real estate market. No one can say for sure what will happen once this is all over, but for now, here are some FAQs, answered:

Sellers:

Is it a good time to sell my house?

• For now, the market is holding steady. There has not been a shift up or down in our local market. Demand is still high due to people having to or wanting to move for different reasons and inventory is still extremely low. 

How will buyers see my house?

• Right now, many Realtors, including myself, are offering virtual tours of your home so that buyers don't even have to leave their house to see yours! Or ask your agent to do a video walk through of the house for you so you can really get a feel for the layout. I have a lot of experience doing this with out-of-town clients and have had many put in offers this way. 

What can I be doing during this time to prepare to sell?

• If you aren't quite ready to sell, but are finding yourself with extra time on your hands, now is an excellent time to start getting the house ready to sell! You could be: sorting things into keep, giveaway (donation), and trash. The local library would love the books you don't want! Finding contractors for projects such as painting - or DIY! Deep cleaning, such as dusting doors and baseboards, or cleaning your windows is always something that looks great in listing pictures. Or, get some sunshine and work on the backyard - plant flowers or do some weeding. 

Buyers:
Is now a good time to buy or should I wait?

• Some people may decide to wait until later this year to see what happens to the market. Right now, interest rates are still at historic lows and as long as your job is secure and you can afford the payment, why not continue with your dream to become a homeowner? There are some great homes on the market today!

Is now a good time to refinance?

• Refinance rates have gone up in the last few weeks due to mortgage holders trying to control the enormous amounts of people that are refinancing. It doesn't mean it's not a good time to refi - check with your mortgage holder and see if it's right for you. If you can save a point or more, it may be the right time. 

I noticed interest rates are down, then up again. What's up with that?

• Interest rates were recently down at record lows, but then shot back up when a huge number of people rushed to take advantage of the low rates. As I mentioned above, some lenders artificially raised rates to try to manage the refinance requests. Rates will most likely go down again as demand drops again. Talk to your local lender or compare mortgage rates here.

If you have any questions about what is going on with the current real estate market, I am here for you! Feel free to reach out to me: sarah@sarah-ratliff.com or 530-391-1576