Everyone needs somewhere to live, and whether a person or family is renting or buying their living space, real estate is involved. Today’s real estate market is a big one, and a major aspect of this is the housing market. This market has largely recovered from the 2008 crash, and Americans are buying and selling homes at a healthy rate. Finding houses for sale or selling one’s home is not always easy, though, so a real estate company may provide its services. Agents from a real estate company can help a client find good homes for sale or apartments to rent, and a real estate company may also help a homeowner sell their property. A person may search online to get started, such as “apartments for rent in Lakeview Chicago” or “buy a house in Boston MA”. This may yield a list of local real estate company names and contact information, and the client can find help from there. What might a client expect from a real estate company or real estate lawyers?
Selling a House
A home is a long-term purchase in any case, but sometimes, a person is ready to sell that property and move out. This is not an easy or simple process, but there are some basic strategies to follow, and a real estate agent can help out. For one thing: what price to set? A homeowner, especially a first-timer, may not know how to value their property, so a real estate agent can be hired to handle this. Such an agent will use CMA, or comparative market analysis, to determine a fair price for the property. To do this, the real estate gathers the price and other information on nearby, similar houses and uses them as a reference point for what the client’s property should sell for. The client may choose to include or exclude properties that are in the market or those that have already sold. In this way, the homeowner won’t set a too-high price that scares off buyers, nor will they set a price so low that they suffer a huge loss in the sale.
Homeowners should also know that landscaping and interior remodeling are major factors, and many real estate agents agree. A property’s land matters, and an attractive front or back yard can make a property more appealing on the real estate market. A wooden deck or patio, a storage shed or wooden fence, shrubs, or even a swimming pool or outdoor grill can boost a property’s value on the market and draw buyers’ attention. Investing as little as 5% of a property’ value into landscaping may yield an ROI, or return on investment, as high as 150%. Interior remodeling works much the same way, with the kitchen and master bathroom being the most popular room to remodel. Newer and better features, such as toilets, sinks, floor tiles, stoves, cabinets, and more can make a house much more appealing to buyers, and room remodeling may yield an ROI as high as 70-80% or so. Even the bedrooms and basement can be remodeled for similar results.
Buy That House
Meanwhile, there are just as many strategies for purchasing a home. There are too many factors to list at once, but some common elements may be described. For one thing, a buyer may consider the classic ingredient: location. A home or neighborhood may be desirable, or sought out to begin with, because it has important features nearby. Someone who moved to a new city for their job will want a house close to their office, and families with under-18 kids will want nearby schools and playgrounds. Other features such as grocery stores, auto repair shops, cinemas, highways, and more add to the appeal.
A house’s photos and description are all available online, but a property should always be visited in person before the deal is closed. Minor or major repair issues must be seen in person, and they may vary from drafty windows and door to termite damage, water stains on drywall, creaking floors, faulty plumbing, and more. And to put it simply, exploring the house in person lets the buyer “get a feel” for it, which certainly can’t be done online. Being there in person makes all the difference.