Which Home Improvement Will Give You the Biggest Bang for Your Buck?

A new garage door is one of the best home improvements you can make in your home. Here’s why.

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Today I’m excited to share with you one of the best improvements you can make to your home to increase its value: installing a new garage door.

I live in a house that was built in the 70s and I recently decided to put a brand-new garage door in. For the last 10 years, I’ve had old, white doors with no lights. After inserting the new door, it totally changed the look of the house. It makes the home look fantastic from the curb. People comment on how much they love the garage doors and that they’re a real eye-catcher.

We spent $1,800 on the new doors, but the actual return on the investment is going to be worth way more than that. I’m probably at at least a 110% return on investment.

If you're thinking of doing one thing to improve your home and get the biggest bang for your buck, my advice is to replace the garage door. 

I’m probably looking at a 110% return on investment.

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I hope this tip helps you. If you have any questions about where you should go to get your garage door or what else you can do to improve your home’s value, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

How You Can Buy a Home for Next to Nothing Down

Here’s how you can spin a home seller’s situation into a rewarding transaction for the both of you.

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Today we’ll be looking at an interesting topic: How you can purchase a home for almost nothing down. We’re not talking about utilizing government assistance programs, VA loans, or FHA loans; we’re simply talking about buying a home for less. Here’s what we do to get our buyers homes for cheap.

We find homeowners who don’t have mortgages and are willing to do owner-financed carries with a low down payment. By doing this, the owner avoids the major hit of capital gains taxes.

Let’s say the house is in a great location and worth $700,000. The owners have no mortgage and want to sell it, most likely so they can retire. At this price point, the capital gains on their property will be very steep. If they’re at the height of their professional career, they’ll be paying even more because of their income.

You want your ideal candidate to be someone who wants to sell but doesn’t want to pay high capital gains taxes. They’ll be willing to let you purchase their property for very little down—a fraction of what you’d pay through traditional financing. 

This is a different route you can take when purchasing a home; one that is rewarding for both you and the seller.

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You could potentially negotiate a mere $20,000 down payment and buy this $700,000 home. You then begin paying the mortgage to the seller immediately—let’s say it’s $3,000 a month. You can now turn your purchase into an investment and begin renting out to receive a monthly cash flow. At this point, you’ve put down very little and have your mortgage being paid for you.

And you didn’t have to go through the traditional methods of getting pre-approved. All in all, this is a different route you can take when purchasing a home; one that is rewarding for both you and the seller.

If you have any questions or need more information, feel free to reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you.

How Do You Know if It’s the Right Time to Move?

Are you looking to make a move, but are waiting for a sign that it’s the right choice? If any of these 16 points sound familiar, then this message could be that sign.

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If you’ve been considering moving but aren’t sure whether now’s the right time, there are a few key indicators you should look out for. Today, we’ll share 16 such signs:

1. Your financial situation has changed. Whether your current home has become too expensive or you’ve earned enough to make an upgrade, a change in budget can be a strong sign it’s time to move.


2. You’ve outgrown your storage space. Sometimes, no matter how tightly we pack our shelves and closets, there just isn’t enough room for everything we own. If this has happened to you, purging some unneeded belongings and moving to a smaller home or hauling your things to a new, larger space may be the next best step.


3. Your family is expanding. Sometimes, a large number of belongings isn’t the culprit behind space issues. The birth of a new child can also be a good reason to find a new, larger home.


4. Fewer people now live in your home. Whether your kids have flown the nest or you previously shared your home with roommates who have decided to move on, a decrease in the number of people living in the home can prompt those who still live there to downsize.


5. Your neighborhood is on the decline. Neighborhoods go downhill for a number of reasons, and any of them can serve as a good reason to move.


6. You have a dream your current home can’t support. Your home should match your lifestyle and the budget that comes along with it.


7. Your city doesn’t appeal to buyers. When there’s nothing in your area drawing new people in, values are sure to shrink. And when this happens, it’s sometimes best to get out while you can.


8. It costs you less to move. If your current property is so expensive that moving would be less so, it may be time to move. 

The people, amenities, and area surrounding your home should be a good fit for you.

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9. You’ve started cooking more (or less). If you’ve recently picked up an interest in the culinary arts, moving to a home with a larger kitchen might be best. Conversely, those who prefer not to cook and would rather live near restaurants may also find a move to be beneficial.


10. Your kids have stopped having friends over. The fewer guests you have, the less space you need.


11. You’re intimidated by the thought of rising interest rates. If you aren’t in your “forever home” and are worried how rising rates might impact your eventual move, taking the plunge sooner may be in your best interest.


12. You’ve been putting off moving for a while. There’s no time like the present.


13. The neighborhood no longer fits your wants and needs. The people, amenities, and area surrounding your home should be a good fit for you.


14. Your commute is too long. Moving might sound like a hassle, but driving an hour to and from work each day can be quite stressful, as well.


15. Things are getting serious with that special someone. Whether you’re looking to move closer to a long distance S.O. or you and your partner have decided to move in together, these can both be good reasons to find a new home.


16. You want a fresh start. 

There are many more signs that it’s time to move on, but these are just a few of the most common examples. If you have any other questions, would like more information, or want to discuss your real estate goals, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

We’ll Find a Home in the Neighborhood You Love

You’ve found the perfect neighborhood, but there’s nothing for sale. We can change that.

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Nothing sums up our abilities more than this: You pick it, we’ll find it. Tell us what you want and we’ll do everything we can to get it for you. Let’s say you really want a home in a certain neighborhood but can never find a home there that’s for sale. This is where we come in.

We sit down with each of our clients and find out exactly what they’re looking for. We use software that allows us to find the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of homeowners in a preferred area. We contact them to find homes that aren’t on the market yet, which are usually pocket listings or homes that aren’t even for sale at the moment. We will find you a home. 

We guarantee we can find you your home.

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If you’re a homebuyer who already has the ideal neighborhood picked out but can’t find a home for sale, put us to work. It costs you nothing, and we can find you a home that would never be found otherwise. We guarantee we can find you your home, and if we can’t, it’s free. We want to make sure you have an amazing home buying or selling experience. Real estate should make your life better, not worse.

Feel free to contact us anytime if you are looking to buy or sell, have questions, or need further information. We’d be more than happy to help. We look forward to hearing from you.

Why Should You Consider Buying or Selling in the Winter Months?

I’ve got some advice for anyone who is thinking about buying or selling a home this winter. Here’s what you need to know.

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As you know, I always say that it’s never a bad time to pursue your real estate goals. Now that we’re in the fall and nearing wintertime, a lot of people are under the impression that it’s a bad time to get involved in the market. Of course, there are holidays and parties and traveling, but there’s also a lot of off-time for potential buyers and sellers to do a lot of nothing. 

During the summer, a lot of the high-priced homes sell quickly. When an appraiser is pulling comps for the winter, they’re pulling these comps from the summer. Right now there are plenty of sellers in the marketplace who need to sell right now—it’s a great time for you to buy. Whether these homeowners are being relocated, upsizing, downsizing, or whatever, it’s a great time to buy while sellers really need to sell.

If you’re thinking about selling in the wintertime, the beauty of holiday decorations around your home plays to your strengths. It will make your home look great and appeal to those buyers who are in the market and have to buy before the end of the year. If your home is in a great location, the demand will certainly be there and will certainly be high.

Renting out your property instead of selling is always an option.

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The secret to real estate is to buy and never sell. If you’re contemplating whether to sell right now or whether you should rent the property out, there’s always room to discuss that during this time.

If you have any questions about your personal situation and what advantages you can have by buying or selling this winter, give us a call or send us an email today. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

It Takes More Than Using Zillow to Fully Understand Our Market

Zillow can be a very useful resource during your home sale or home search, but don’t rely on it too heavily.

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Zillow is a phenomenal tool. It helps buyers, sellers, and homeowners alike get a grip on some real estate basics. However, putting too much stock in the information you find on Zillow is a recipe for disaster. 

Trying to fully understand the market from the data you see on Zillow alone is like trying to understand the entirety of the Lord of the Rings series after reading just one chapter.

The public record available on Zillow is an awesome resource, but you should still collaborate with a local, experienced Realtor when it comes time to pursue your real estate goals.

If you’re selling, for example, Zillow may set your home’s value as much as 20% above or below what it’s actually worth. Agents, on the other hand, will be able to reference specific, comparable properties to help you determine a more accurate home value.

Trying to understand the market from viewing Zillow is like trying to understand the Lord of the Rings after reading one chapter.

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It takes a local expert to achieve the best results from your home sale or your home search. Zillow is a great tool, but it isn’t the only resource you should rely on.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

3 Ways to Help Your Closings Move Along Faster

All home sellers want a quick closing. Here are three tips to help you get there.

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What slows closings down and what can you do as a seller to help them move along faster? Here are a few tips to help you speed up your next closing:

1. Answer things quickly. If you get an offer, you may think that it’s wise to wait a few days for more offers to come in or let the seller sit on it. I recently learned that’s not the best idea. I listed a property that got a full-priced offer on the day it was listed. Instead of waiting for multiple offers, we decided to take the cash offer, which also allowed my sellers to stay in the home for 60 days after closing. They made the right decision by accepting that offer. They could have gotten a higher price, but probably wouldn’t have been able to get as good of terms. We certainly wouldn’t have been able to close within 1.5 weeks

2. Get information to the buyer in a timely manner. They might have questions about a radon mitigation system, insurance reports, and other repairs or warranties about the home. Get those things to them quickly.

Having a sense of urgency is key when selling your home.

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3. Respond quickly to inspection, appraisal, and document requests. Don’t let you be the reason that things don’t get done. If we worked with you, we would make sure to have all this documentation and scheduling done in advance if things get done.

All in all, having a sense of urgency is key when you’re selling your home. If you’re slow with things or have some delays, it could derail your closing altogether.

If you have any questions for me in the meantime about selling your home or about anything else related to real estate, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Why a Real Estate Agent is Advantageous for New Construction

If you are buying a new construction home, you may want to consider getting an agent on your side. Today I will explain why.

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Today I want to talk about why working with an agent is advantageous for you when buying new construction and how we can help you through the new construction buying process.

Buying a new home is a lot like buying from a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) listing—if you were buying from a very savvy, shark-like homeowner. You are actually buying from an investor who is trying to sell you the home while still keeping their own best interests in mind. This is why I would like to go over a few quick points that you need to think about when buying a new home, with emphasis on why you want to get your real estate agent involved.

1. We advocate for you when you buy a new home. The Anderson Group will look out for your interests while the builder is not. The builder wants to sell the house for the price that they chose which is why they don’t want to negotiate at all.
2. We provide you advice on location. A builder may not want to sell you a certain lot until he has sold others in less optimal locations. We can negotiate to get you a better location for maximum value.
3. We give you advice on lender selection. Most builders will encourage you to work with a lender with whom they have negotiated a business arrangement, telling you it’ll save you money, but this may not be true. It is our job as your Realtor to negotiate a better financing option for you.

As your agents, we do your bi-weekly walkthroughs to see the progress and hold the builders accountable.

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4. We negotiate so you don’t overpay. Suppose the new neighborhood is brand-new and they’ve put a huge markup of $50,000 on the listing because it’s located in a prime area—this is always negotiable.
5. We do bi-weekly walkthroughs. Once you get a property under contract, it pays for you to show up every other week to see the progress—builders are infamous for letting things drag past the projected closing. As your agents, we’ll do your bi-weekly walkthroughs to see the progress and hold them accountable.
6. We help you set a budget for the design center. New builds are only selling a base model with the base products. Builders would love for you to upgrade everything. If you work with us, we can act as your advocate to look at the builder’s upgrades and choose the right options for you when it comes to flooring, appliances, or bathroom upgrades.
7. We give you advice on resale value. Will the deck or the bonus room be better than the finished basement? The Anderson Group can help you decide which upgrades to add that will help you get a maximal return.
8. We keep track of all your costs. The $500,000 base price of your house may end up being $600,000 or $700,000 if you don’t reign it in and stop overspending.

Buying a new build is very exciting and your emotions can get the best of you. This is why we are here to help advise you all the way to closing. We will even help after with the inspection to help you insure your warranty.

If you have any additional questions about this or if you are interested in buying or selling, please feel free to reach out to me. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Tips for Getting Your Children Excited About Your Upcoming Move

Moving can certainly be a stressful time, especially for your children. Here are some tips for getting your kids excited, rather than angry or unenthused, about the move.

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I recently had the opportunity to work with two homeowners who wanted to sell their home in our neighborhood. They have several kids each, which was no small aspect of the process. Today I want to discuss how you can prepare your children for a move, whether you’re buying or selling.

Involving kids under the age of 18 with a move can be a challenge for any parent. Getting a child ready to move means, often, uprooting them from their school, their friends, and everything else they’ve grown accustomed to as long as you’ve lived in that house.

My first recommendation is to get the kids involved as soon as possible so that they feel a part of the process. This could mean asking them to stage the house or sorting through their things to donate any unused items. Passing unwanted things down to other kids who might enjoy them should make your children feel good.

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Get the kids involved as soon as possible so that they feel a part of the process.

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Second, get them excited about the next house. Discuss the layout of the new neighborhood, or better yet, drive them to it so they can see with their own eyes. Help them get to know the new school they’ll be attending and the fun areas around that they’ll be able to enjoy. It’s so important for a child to be able to visualize their lives after the change of houses, so doing these things will help them understand just how great the next step of the journey can be.

Finally, ask them what they want their bedroom to look like. Bring them to your new home and let them start making plans for how they want to arrange their new space. Give them options for colors, furniture, and so on so that the move can be a fun, memorable event with lots of good things to look forward to.

If you’re moving soon and have questions about how it will impact your children, feel free to reach out to me. I have plenty of stories and ideas to give you that should help make your move a great transition for everyone.

Don’t Make These 3 Costly Mistakes When Listing Your Home

If you want to sell your home quickly and for top dollar, price it right, advertise it right, and make it presentable.

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There are three costly mistakes some homeowners tend to make when listing their home that you should avoid:

1. Overpricing. When you ask too much for a house, it usually sits on the market because nobody will pay for something they don’t see the value in. I typically price houses right at or just below their market value. Think of it this way—if I’m fishing and I put the right bait in the water, I’ll get a lot of fish to bite. If I put old, dried-out bait in the water, I won’t get any bites. It’s the same with pricing a home—if you list it at a price that’s very attractive to a lot of people, you’ll attract a lot of offers for it and potentially sell it above its market value.

2. Not advertising the home enough. If you don’t advertise your home enough, you won’t get any fish on the line either. Putting a sign out is one way to go, but in our digital age, you can do so much more. That’s what we specialize in—we can get a listing on to thousands of different websites, including Zillow, Trulia, and Redfin. We pay money to be on those sights so we can advertise your home to as many people as possible. We also shoot many different types of video and photography for our homes.

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If you don’t advertise your home enough, you won’t get any fish on the line either.

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3. Not making the house presentable. If buyers step into your house and it’s not presentable or it doesn’t live up to its portrayed value, its value will drop. To continue with my fishing analogy, not making your house presentable will cause fish to steer clear of it.

From the time a buyer sees your home’s price to when they see its advertising to the moment they step inside its doors, all three of these factors need to be consistent. If you price your home right, advertise it right, and present it right, you’ll sell quickly and for top dollar.

If you have any other questions about selling your home or you have any other real estate needs, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help you.

Big House, Small Yard vs. Small House, Big Yard

When you are buying a home, there are two general combinations that each provide different benefits to you, the buyer—would you rather have a big house and a small yard, or a small house with a big yard?

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Should you buy a big house with a smaller yard or a smaller house with a big yard? Today I will discuss the pros and cons of each scenario.

Big House/Small Yard:

With this combination, you’ll have a lot of entertainment space inside. Additionally, large families tend to buy larger homes, since they’ll inevitably have more bedrooms. Other options include an in-home theater, a library, a game room, a rooftop deck, or a multi-car garage.

The cons of this arrangement must be considered as well. With a larger house, you will undoubtedly have a larger utility bill, as well as more to clean. And, of course, you will not have much space in your yard.

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Think through whether you and your family will benefit from more inside space or more outside space.

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Small House/Big Yard:

If you are an outdoor person, this is a great combination. You have a lot of area to walk, think, entertain, and add certain features, like a pool, clubhouse, greenhouse, or a guest house. What is more is that all that outside space lends you quite a bit of privacy. You will not have as much to clean, and likely the utility cost will be lower.

There are drawbacks here as well. Naturally, this combo will require a large amount of landscaping to maintain—sprinklers, fences, trimming, mulching, and so on—but perhaps that is something you enjoy doing. On the inside, you will have less to maintain, but also less room to spread out or entertain with.

When you are thinking about purchasing a home, think through these pros and cons; decide whether you and your family will benefit from more inside space or more outside space. Also consider the neighborhood you would like to live in, as that will affect what is available to you.

The Anderson Group is good at helping you find the best fit for you and your family, so if you need any help finding a home to suit your needs, please reach out to us. We are here to make your life better because of real estate.

How to Avoid Costly Damages Caused by Poor Drainage

Cracks in your foundation from poor drainage cause damage which is costly to repair. Here is how you can avoid that becoming an issue.

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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come to a house where water has damaged the foundational walls, causing them to crack. This major home issue is caused by poor drainage.

One of the easiest ways that you can protect your house is to make sure that your drainage is coming down the downspouts, away from the house. Some people have landscapes that grade toward the home—this should be corrected immediately because melted snow and rainwater will be funneled toward your concrete foundation wall. Over time, this will erode and deteriorate it. That will eventually cause so much pressure on the wall that it cracks; once that happens, you’ll immediately lose $50,000 or more in value, since you’ve now got a structural problem that must be addressed.

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One of the easiest ways that you can protect your house is to make sure that your drainage is coming down the downspouts, away from the house.

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If you try to sell that house, the crack won’t go anywhere. You can cover it up with a band-aid or try to reinforce it, but it will be super difficult to overcome that flaw. Buyers won’t feel safe knowing that it could get worse over time or that they’ll have to pay to fix it if they purchase the house.

My advice to you is that if you have any sort of drainage running into your foundation, re-landscape it so that it flows away from your home. You’ll thank me for this because fixing a foundational crack is immensely costly.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us. We’d be glad to guide and advise you however we can.

8 Home Repairs You Shouldn't Avoid, Pt. 8: Peeling Paint

Peeling paint seems like a minor issue, but it can expand into much larger and more expensive problems.

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For today’s eighth and final installment in my series on home repairs that you should not avoid, I want to discuss peeling paint.

If you have paint that you have not touched up in a long time, it will begin to peel. As it peels, water will seep into the wood, causing it to deteriorate. With each new problem, the expenses will grow exponentially.

Paint will typically begin to peel in areas of the house that are most exposed to the sun. Check those areas of your home first and scrape off the peeling paint, touch it up, or apply a fresh coat altogether. It is a relatively inexpensive gesture that could end up saving you thousands of dollars in the long-run, especially if you plan to sell the home or end up having to replace any damaged wood.

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Paint will typically begin to peel in areas of the house that are most exposed to the sun.

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I recommend having the paint refreshed every other year, just to ensure that the minor problems are taken care of before they escalate into bigger headaches.

If you have any questions or need referrals to painters or handymen, please feel free to reach out to me. I would be glad to help.

The 7th Repair to Not Avoid: Water Leaks

You want to avoid unexpected, costly repairs in your home’s future, correct? It is possible if you fix water leaks before they become a larger issue.

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Today I’m continuing my series on repairs that you should not avoid. For this installment, we’ll be talking about water leaks.

Water leaks may not seem like a big deal, but that small drip under your bathroom sink or in your basement can turn into something much larger. The issues get worse, rather than better. If you know there is a leak anywhere in your house, get it taken care of immediately.

The funny thing about leaks is that you cannot always tell where they are. I saw a leak in my garage but there is nothing over my garage, so I knew it could not have come from above. It came from 30 feet away in our master bathroom’s tub which had a crack in it near the drain. When it was full, the water seeped through and down the line into my garage. It would have been near impossible to know where the water was coming without speaking to a plumber who was, luckily, able to discover the source.

So, take a look at your leaks so they do not affect your electrical system, damage your drywall, or result in unexpected, costly repairs. Have a plumber come out on a yearly basis and get leaks repaired immediately to avoid the potential damages.

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Look at your leaks so they do not affect your electrical system, damage your drywall, or result in unexpected, costly repairs.

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If you have any questions about this or anything else real estate related, please feel free to contact me by phone or email. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Rabbits and Rodents, and Bugs, Oh My!

In the sixth of my eight-part series about home repairs you shouldn’t wait to address, I’ll discuss my recommendations about pest control.

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For the sixth part of my eight-part series about the most important home repairs that you should not put off until the last minute, I want to discuss one of the big ones: pests.

Pests can be a big problem for a home. I’ve had issues myself with mice, rabbits, bats, and ants. Though I didn’t have an issue with them personally, termites are also a heavy-hitter in the pest-damage department.

I recommend that you get a yearly evaluation done by an exterminator to see what you’re dealing with, if anything at all. Termites, if unchecked, can eat through wood and cause a lot of structural damage. Mice can nest in your walls and leave messes with their droppings. Rabbits can damage your lawn and other landscaping features.

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Termites, if unchecked, can eat through wood and cause a lot of structural damage.

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It will only continue to add value to your house to keep it clean and pest-free. When it does come time to sell, you won’t be worrying about the presence of rodents or whatever else.

If you have any questions or need any assistance, feel free to reach out. I’m here to help.

Is It Time to Replace Your Furnace Filter?

It’s time for another installment in our home maintenance series. Today I’ll be talking about a particularly important, and particularly easy, project: replacing your furnace filter.

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I’m back today with the fifth installment in our eight-part series on home maintenance projects you shouldn’t put off. This time I’d like to talk about cleaning your HVAC unit. 

This is one of the simplest, least expensive projects you can undertake when it comes to maintaining your home. A furnace filter costs just around $3 and can be purchased from a number of other stores including Target, Walmart, or your local hardware store.

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Changing out your furnace filter is as important as it is easy.

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Changing out your furnace filter every 30 days is as important as it is easy. So make sure you don’t put it off. Regularly replacing your furnace filter will increase the lifespan of your HVAC unit and also help to prevent fires.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

A Cure for the Flue: Chimney Maintenance Tips

For today’s installment of my home maintenance series, let’s talk about chimneys.

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Welcome back to the fourth part of my series on things that you should be doing to maintain your home. These are all items that you should not put off until later when they could cost you more.

Today, let’s talk about chimneys. If you have a chimney in your house and it hasn’t been recently cleaned, here’s what you need to do. 

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Allowing creosote to build up, birds and bats to nest, or foliage to creep inside your chimney is putting you at risk of fire.

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Clean your chimney out. Don’t let creosote build up, don’t let birds or bats nest in there, and don’t allow foliage to creep inside. These are all ways to potentially start a fire, which can be avoided with regular maintenance.

Ideally, you should have it cleaned out once a year, just to know that it’s safe for you and your family.

If you have any questions about chimney maintenance, home maintenance in general, or real estate, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. The Anderson Group is here to make your life better.

8 Home Repairs You Shouldn’t Avoid, Part 3: The Roof

It’s important that you have a professional roof inspection done once a year so it doesn’t end up causing leaks in your home.

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In the latest installment of our series covering the eight home repairs you shouldn’t avoid, we’re focusing on the roof. 

Whether your roof is made of tile, clay, asphalt, or stone-coated steel, it’s important that you have a professional inspection of it done annually. 

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Get up on your roof and make sure it’s in good condition.

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Once the openings in your roof become evident, water can seep in and cause leaks inside your home. This season, get up on your roof and make sure it’s in good condition for this year and the next. 

If you have any questions about roof repair or you have any other real estate needs, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help you.

8 Home Repairs You Shouldn’t Avoid: Part 2

The second home repair you shouldn’t avoid is simple: clean your dryer vent. Doing so can help prevent a house fire.

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We’re continuing our eight-part series about home repairs you really shouldn’t avoid. 

The second repair you need to keep up with is cleaning your dryer vent. 

This is one of those hidden things that you don’t even think about, but clogged dryer vents are one of the leading causes of fires in homes. Take a few minutes to call Ductworks or Monster Vac to come out and clean your dryer vent. 

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Simply cleaning out your dryer vent can prevent a major catastrophe.

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While they’re at your home, they might as well clean all the ducts around the house. 

These companies will get the kindling out of the dryer vent. A clogged dryer vent can also make your whole house smell like the laundry room, so cleaning the vent can help with that too. 

This simple repair can prevent a major catastrophe, so make sure you get your dryer vent cleaned this month. 

Again, our goal at The Anderson Group is to make your life better. If we preserve our real estate and take care of our things, our things will take care of us. 

Stay tuned for the next can’t-skip repair item. In the meantime, give us a call or send us an email with any real estate questions you might have. We would be happy to help you!

8 Home Repairs You Can’t Afford to Skip: Part 1

In this first part of our series about eight home repairs you shouldn’t avoid, I’ll go over everything you need to know about caulking.

 

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Call me at 303-974-9471 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

I’m excited to start our eight-part series about home repairs that you can’t afford to avoid. These home repairs are extremely important, so don’t skip them.

The first important repair is caulking. If you’re not a big home-repair person, caulking is the part that goes around the window frames, along the edges and seams of tiles in the kitchen and bathroom, around the chimney—caulking is everywhere.

Caulking prevents moisture from getting inside your property, which can cause major damage. Water can deteriorate a window, cause damage around your shower, tub, or sink, and more.

Regular maintenance and fresh caulking is invaluable to prevent you from having major repairs.

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Caulking prevents moisture from getting inside your property and causing water damage.

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Caulking can help when you paint a room, too. One of my friends shared this great trade secret: If you are taping off a room and using blue paint tape, add caulking along the ridge where the tape is going to define the line between colors. Caulking makes a smoother line than just using the tape alone.

So, don’t skip the caulking. Regularly update caulking around your appliances, tile, and windows.

Stay tuned for the second home repair that you should never avoid. In the meantime, give me a call or send me an email if you have any real estate questions. I would be happy to help you!

3 Steps to Make Your Home Stand Out to Buyers

There are three essential steps to follow if you want to sell your home for top dollar.

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In order to successfully sell your home for top dollar, there are three must-do steps to follow:

1. Boost your curb appeal by painting. Curb appeal is the first thing that people notice when they come to visit your home. One of the cheapest things you can do to add value to your home is adding a fresh coat of paint. If you have an old, worn-out base color without any flow, we can repaint to give your home an entirely new feel.
2. Revamp your landscaping. Seed your lawn to fill in dead spots, and add vibrant plants to give your yard a splash of color.
3. Clean and declutter the interior. Minimalism is a big trend right now in interior design, so in addition to cleaning, also remove extra stuff from the home. This will make the place feel more open and allow the viewer to imagine themself living in the home.

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One of the cheapest things you can do to add value to to your home is adding a fresh coat of paint.

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In addition to these steps, we also have resources to help you stage the property. We provide this service for almost 50% of the houses that we sell. The Anderson Group can help you make your property, inside and out, look bright, fresh, and clean to appeal to any potential buyers coming through

If you have any questions about preparing your home for sale or anything else to do with real estate, feel free to reach out to me. There’s nothing more important to us than your success.

Why Do Real Estate Agents Charge Commission?

Why do real estate agents charge commission? The answer lies in the value our services bring to you.

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Why do real estate agents charge a commission? 

In most cases, the one selling a home will be the one to pay a real estate agent’s commission. After all, the seller is the one using their resources to find a buyer for a home, and part of that includes paying for title insurance, loans, water, heating, and, yes, hiring a real estate agent.

In fact, one of the biggest expenses is actually hiring the professional that will help market, negotiate, and sell your home. Luckily, real estate is a commission-based business, so you don’t spend much money until the home actually closes.

Who you choose is critical. With the wrong person, you could be wasting a lot of time and they could be costing you thousands of dollars. Do they have the experience to accurately price your home? Do they have a team to help carry out the tasks associated with getting you to closing? Are they prepared to be available for you when you need them? 

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With the wrong agent, you could be wasting a lot of time and they could be costing you thousands of dollars.

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What is a job well-done worth to you? If you had to have surgery, would you draw a doctor's name out of a box or research doctors and look at online reviews to determine if they were the right pick for you?

Being in business for over 15 years, we have the experience of selling thousands of homes here in Denver with an average days on market of 20 days or less and a 98% sales-to-list price ratio. This year, we’ve even increased that ratio to 101%. 

Our team of eight is available at any moment during the transaction. The yard signs we put out direct people to call us on a recorded number so that we can get their information right there and then, after which one of our team members will be able to meet them at the house in 30 minutes or less.

The commission that we charge is the industry standard. We believe in giving you the best value for the lowest cost. With our team of highly specialized experts, we can help you make more money by selling your house at the highest possible price.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

How We Can Make Your FSBO Dreams a Reality

If selling your home on your own sounds like the right option for you, we’d like to encourage you in that decision. We’d like to assist you through our For Sale By Owner program.

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search

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Call me at 303-974-9471 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

When it comes to those of you who are thinking of listing For Sale By Owner (or FSBO), I don’t blame you. I completely understand the connection with your property that comes from being a homeowner. 

No matter the reason you want to list on your own, there’s a FSBO program my team offers that can help. We totally support you in your decision, and we want to give you the tools to get things done. 

My team’s For Sale By Owner program allows us to help you market your property and find a buyer by giving you all of the marketing materials we would normally use when we represent sellers. 

On top of that, we’ll begin circle prospecting for you—without putting your home on the MLS. Instead, your property will be presented to buyers as what’s called a “pocket listing.” 

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We want to help you get top dollar in the least amount of time and for the least amount of hassle.

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If you find a buyer on your own, that’s fantastic. All we ask is that if we find the buyer for you, you allow us to cooperate with you in getting the property to the closing table. When we assist you in this kind of situation, we do so at a greatly reduced rate. 

Of course, there’s no charge at all if you find the buyer on your own. Either way, we hope you’ll give us a chance to help market your property for you. The bottom line is that we want to help you get top dollar in the least amount of time and for the least amount of hassle.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Is It Wise to Sell Your Home on Your Own?

Selling your home on your own might sound tempting, but us Realtors are here to protect you and make you the most money possible on your home sale.

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search

Selling your home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation 

Call me at 303-974-9471 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Should you sell your house on your own?

Let’s say you have a great property and decide that, because the market is so hot, all you have to do is yell outside your door and someone will come by your house. 

Unfortunately, selling a house doesn’t work that easily. If you do that, you might attract somebody, but not necessarily the right somebody. It pays to sell your home the right way—the professional way. Sure, it’s easy to put a sign in the yard and have people say they like your house, but it’s another thing to get to closing. You can court as many people as you want, but it’s another thing to get married. 

To sell a house, you have to be experienced in real estate and know the legal ramifications of signing a contract because as a seller, once you sign on the dotted line, there is not much you can do to get out of the contract. Do you really want to sign on that dotted line and know everything that’s implicated in that contract? In most cases, the answer is no unless real estate is your full-time job. 

Secondly, what’s the experience going to be like along those dates and deadlines? From the first inspection to the title work to all the buyer requests and everything in between, there’s a ton of stuff that can happen that can hurt you along the way. Why not have a professional hold the weight of all that legal responsibility on their shoulders? We’re here to protect you. 

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We help people save money because we help make them more money than what they could’ve made on their own.

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On a final note, we help people save money because we help make them more money than what they could’ve made on their own. We’re also able to find the right buyer who could buy your house with cash or very few loan setbacks. 

It’s like I always ask my friends: Who would you let babysit your kids? Only the best, right? The same logic applies to real estate. I have to trust these people, and I won’t let my buyers partner with someone who can’t take the sale all the way to closing. 

Our whole job is to make your life better because of real estate—not worse. 

If you’re thinking about selling your house, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help.