What to Expect When Selling Your Home

Emotions
Moving is a big decision and a big change in your life, and can be an emotional time.

Moving Plan
Like I said, selling your home is a big step, so it’s important to have a plan! Know where you are moving and make sure you are pre-approved for a loan on your new home before selling your current one.

Choose a Professional Realtor
If you’re serious about selling your home, this is a necessity. A professional Realtor can guide you through the selling process and ensure that your home gets adequate exposure & is sold quickly.

Prepare Your Home
Make sure your home is ready to sell – make any needed repairs, stage your home, neutralize paint colors, make sure your home is clean & not cluttered, etc. Make sure you’re not spending your money in areas that won’t improve the value of your home. Ask your Realtor for advice!

Plan Your Finances
Have an idea of what you will get for your home so you can plan for what’s within your reach financially for your next home.

 

 

When selling your home, there are a lot of things to consider to make it successful!  First of all, moving at any stage of your life can be emotional and overwhelming.  Those emotions can run the spectrum from really excited to pressed for time and wishing you didn’t have to move at all.  Whatever your reason for moving – isolate your motivation and think it through.  Having a moving plan can alleviate any stress and extra costs in your move.  Know where you are moving and take some time to preview houses, either online or even by attending open houses.  This will help you decide the area you want to be in and what you can afford.  To protect yourself and prevent disappointment, it’s also a good idea to get pre-approved by a lender to make sure the lender agrees with your moving budget!

 

Once you’ve made it through these pre-planning steps, get your Realtor involved to help you market your home and help you get the most for it.  Be sure to interview your Realtor to make sure they are experienced and educated about the current local market.  You can also expect your Realtor to help you get your home prepared for sale by providing resources, helping you stage your home and pricing the home correctly. Hire a trustworthy, experienced Realtor, even check their references, and then trust their advice!  If I need medical attention and the doctor said I need a certain prescription, I’m going to listen to them before I listen to my neighbor who thinks they are a prescription expert.  Using a professional as a guide will help you save money and energy by helping you avoid unnecessary, costly repairs.

 

As you are completing your selling plan, be sure to ask your Realtor for a net sheet.  This is an estimate that will show you how much money you will make once your home is sold.

 

With all of these steps in place – your move will be more successful, profitable and enjoyable!

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Stay Informed: Housing Trends

It’s our job to stay up-to-date on housing trends and real estate news, and we like to keep you in the loop, too!

Our Housing Trends Newsletter has national and local housing information that you may find useful whether you’re in the market for a new home, thinking about selling your home, or just interested in homeowner issues in general. The newsletter contains the latest information from the National Association of REALTORS, the U.S. Census Bureau, Realtor.org reports and more.

Check out the newsletter here.

Interested in determining the value of your home? Get a free evaluation here.

As always, we’re here to serve you, so if you have any questions, or need any assistance, please let us know!

Until next time,
Your Friends at The Loken Group

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First Quarter Recap

Did you see our recent Facebook post about our awesome first quarter?  In case you missed it, or want some more info, here’s a rundown of how we did.

As always, our goal is to sell homes that we list within 30-60 days.

This quarter, our AVERAGE days on market of homes we’ve listed was just under 25 days!! 6 of the homes we listed were on the market for less than 5 days, and 3 sold the first day they were on the market. Even the home that was on the market the longest (51 days) was within our 60-day goal!

The Loken Group brings results. Get your home sold by listing with us.

We’re here to help whether you’re buying or selling a home. Contact us today at Lance@TheLokenGroup.com or give us a call at 281-861-4624.

Until next time,
Your Friends at The Loken Group

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10 Tips for a Greener Home

This Earth Day, we’re bringing you 10 practical ideas you can use to make your home a more eco-friendly place!

Happy Earth Day!

1. Conduct a Home Energy Assessment
Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Energy, this simple audit can help you pinpoint energy efficient upgrades you can make in your home – be “greener” AND save money!
LEARN MORE

2. Switch to cloth napkins
Buy matching cloth napkins for the whole family, or let everyone choose their own pattern! Reuse napkins that aren’t too soiled, washing once a week.

3. Harvest your own rain water
Rain barrels of all shapes, styles & sizes are available from online retailers and local home stores.

4. Start using reusable shopping bags
Buy one every time you shop until you have enough.

5. Buy Energy Star Appliances
Energy Star Appliances help you conserve energy, and can help you save money! PLUS, Texas offers a Sales Tax Holiday on Energy Star Appliances Memorial Day Weekend (May 26-28, 2012).

6. Recycle!
It’s easier than you think! Click here for the City of Houston’s recycling resource.

7. Wash laundry at the coldest setting you can
This conserves energy and can help you save money!

8. Turn lights off when you aren’t using them
During the day, enjoy natural light instead of using the lights in your home.

9. Skip disposables
Repurpose when you can, and opt for reusable containers when possible (washable storage containers for food instead of disposable bags; washable water bottles filled at home instead of the pre-packaged kind).

10. Invest in a programmable thermostat
Programmable thermostats give you more control over the temperature in your home, so you can use less energy heating or cooling your home when you’re not there (and make sure your home is comfortable when you get home)!

 

These are just a few ways you can make your home a “greener” place. Have more ideas? Leave us a comment!

Happy Earth Day!

Until next time,
Your friends at The Loken Group

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Tax dates you should know about

Tax day is almost here, but it’s not the only day to keep in mind (don’t worry, you have until April 17 to submit your tax return)! Here are some important tax dates every homeowner should know about.

Got questions? We’d be happy to answer them! Give us a call or email us at info@thelokengroup.com.

Cheers,
Your friends at The Loken Group

PS – Special thanks to our friend Justin at First American Title for this important info!

Tax Day Calendar


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FHA Changes You Should Know About

As always, we want to keep you in the know on what’s going on in the real estate world, and if you’re planning to get an FHA loan after April 1, 2012, this is definitely something you should know!

Effective April 1, 2012, FHA is rolling out a new premium structure for FHA-insured single-family mortgage loans. Annual mortgage insurance premiums (MIP) will increase by 0.10% for loans under $625,500. In addition, upfront premiums (UFMIP) are increasing by 0.75%. After June 1, 2012, MIP for loans greater than $625,500 will increase by an additional 0.25%.

So what does this mean for you? Well, FHA estimates that increases to the upfront premium will cost new borrowers an average of approximately $5 per month.

These changes only apply to new borrowers. If you already have an FHA-insured mortgage, this doesn’t apply to you.

Got questions? We’re happy to help! Respond to this post, call us at 281- 861- 4624, or email Houston real estate expert Lance at lance@thelokengroup.com.

References: Hud.Gov

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