Sunrise Homes & Renovations, Inc.

Selling This Winter? 4 Negotiation Tips to Ensure a Speedy Home Sale

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Selling This Winter? 4 Negotiation Tips to Ensure a Speedy Home SaleIt’s a great feeling to get an offer on your home, but there can be a lot of details that go into seeing the negotiation through to completion. If your home is currently on the market and you’re expecting buyers to snap it up soon, here’s what you’ll need to know to get your ideal price in no time at all.

Remember To Counter Offer

A potential buyer will generally offer you a price that is lower than what they are willing to pay to see if they can get it, so it’s important to not get so excited by it that you give up on negotiating. While it’s a necessity to be a little flexible on price, it’s still important to get an offer you can feel good about.

Give Them Time, But Not Too Much

It’s important to give buyers the time needed to mull over any counter offers or final negotiations, but you don’t want to stave off other potential buyers in the interim. Instead of missing out on other viable buyers, give the interested party a frame of time to decide so they and you can walk away without hesitation when it’s passed.

Continue To Communicate

If you don’t express any measure of interest for a buyer’s offer, there’s a good chance they’ll walk away, so ensure you’re communicating clearly about your price expectations and the value of your home. By keeping the potential buyer aware of your reasoning and timelines, they’ll probably be impressed by your professionalism, which can work in your favor.

Don’t Forget About Home Repairs

It may be easy to forget about the importance of the home inspection, but any issues uncovered can change the offer price of your home or cause negotiation breakdown if there’s a significant problem. Instead of getting derailed, ensure that you’re willing to drop down your purchase price to cover necessary repairs or get the fixes made yourself so the deal can move forward.

There are a lot of details to work out when it comes to selling a home, but negotiations are key in maintaining a potential buyer’s interest. By keeping the communication lines open and being clear about your timeline, you may be well on your way to a home sale. If you’re getting ready to put your home on the market, contact your trusted real estate professional for more information.

Let’s Talk Cabinets: How to Match up New Kitchen Cabinets With the Rest of Your Decor

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Let's Talk Cabinets: How to Match up New Kitchen Cabinets With the Rest of Your DecorRenovating your old cabinets can be one of the best ways to instantly improve the look of your kitchen, but it can be confusing for the layman to go about making this renovation. With all of the options for cabinetry and the need to match your design aesthetic, it can seem quite easy to make a mistake. If you’re currently wondering how to properly renovate your kitchen cabinets to enhance the overall look of your home, here are some helpful tips you’ll want to consider.

What’s Your Cabinetry Style?

There are a number of cabinet types and details that may instantly appeal, from glass-doored cupboards to more ornamental styles, but certain cabinets will complement the look of your home more effectively. While you may want to experiment with your cupboards and build from there, it’s better to have something a little more streamlined that you can work with so they will adapt to a changing space.

Choose A Neutral Tone

Bright colors can be a great option for small appliances, but when it comes to cabinetry a flashy tone can completely overpower your room and clash with the rest of your home décor. Instead of choosing something bright, stick with shades that are neutral, like gray or white, so they will mesh well with any kitchen additions. Beyond their adaptability, shades like this also have the added benefit of retaining their modern look a little longer.

Consider The Handles

It’s easy to be taken in by a stylish cupboard handle, but high costs can come along with something that’s striking. In addition, they can also clash with the rest of your kitchen if they’re of a completely different style. Instead of going for contrast, consider the kind of pull that will tie in with the rest of your kitchen decor, whether it matches the color of your oven or your countertop tile. This will make for a classic look that still manages to provide cohesion.

There are so many varieties of kitchen cabinetry to choose from that it can be hard to know where to begin with making a choice. When renovating this part of your kitchen, it’s a good idea to be aware of what will work best for your space so that it can retain a customizable and classic look. If you’re renovating in preparation to sell, contact your trusted real estate professional for more information.

Case-Shiller: Home Price Growth Continues

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Home increased in October according to Case-Shiller’s 20City Home Price Index. Home prices rose from September’s annualized reading of 5.40 percent to 5.60 percent. Factors contributing to rising home prices include stronger economic conditions and outlook along with short inventories of available homes coupled with high demand. On average, October home prices rose 5.10 percent on seasonally adjusted annual basis, which was unchanged from September’s reading.

West Continues to Lead Home Price Growth

Top home price growth rates were in Seattle, Washington at 10.70 percent, Portland, Oregon at 10.30 percent and Denver, Colorado with a seasonally-adjusted annual price increase of 8.30 percent. New York, New York had the lowest home price growth in October with a reading of 1.70 percent.

In a separate report, December consumer confidence exceeded expectations with an index reading of 113.70 as compared to an expected reading of 110.00 and November’s reading of 109.40. This was the highest reading for consumer confidence since 2001. Analysts said that the strong reading for consumer confidence was a sign that consumers will increase their spending in 2017, but what will happen with mortgage rates is a big question.

Rising Mortgage Rates May Slow Home Prices, High Demand for Homes

With the Federal Reserve’s decision to raise its target federal funds range in December comes a question of how rising mortgage rates will affect housing markets. Rising fed rates typically lead to increases in consumer lending rates including rates for home loans and refinancing. Combined effects of rising home prices and mortgage rates create challenges for first-time and moderate income home buyers. While higher mortgage rates have not impacted buyer demand so far, rising mortgage rates could sideline some buyers.

A recent compilation of the most expensive places to live in America illustrates the imbalance of home prices as compared to consumer incomes. Brooklyn, NY topped this list with a reading of 127.70 percent of average household income earned in Brooklyn to buy an average priced home in Brooklyn. Analysts reporting this data noted that many Brooklyn homeowners work in Manhattan and earn more than those who work in Brooklyn. Disparities in average home prices and home buyer incomes could “trickle down” to less expensive areas if mortgage rates and home prices continue to rise.

Meanwhile, builder confidence is strong and is expected to lead to higher levels of home construction in 2017.

Helping a Disabled Relative or Friend Buy a New Home? Here’s What to Look For

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The search for a new home is difficult enough for the average person, but if you’re helping a friend or relative who has a disability, there are even more things to be aware of. If you’re not sure quite how to tackle the housing market, here are a few things to look out for so that you can be sure your friend is getting the home they’ll need.

Consider The Flooring

Hardwood can be a great benefit when it comes to clean up, but it’s also the type of surface that can make it a lot easier to slip and fall. While carpet can be a better option for this reason, hardwood is not necessarily a deal breaker if your friend wants to utilize the option of area rugs.

Handrails And Grab Bars

In all likelihood, there will not be available handrails and grabs bars located in many houses you view, but it’s important to ensure that these can be installed without incident. While the shower is one area that you will not be able to avoid this, it can be quite expensive to replace so this may serve as a deal breaker.

Look Out For Levers

It may sound like a strange detail, but doors knobs can be inaccessible for many people so it’s important to check out the handles throughout the house. Lever handles are a relatively easy install, but the costs can stack up in a home with a lot of doors, so it may be best to choose a home that already contains the levered option.

With A Wheelchair

While there are many things that can assist the disabled in a home, there are a lot more things required if your friend uses a wheelchair. In addition to having walk-in closets that are accessible, it’s also important that the home features wide doors and hallways, open areas and wheelchair access to all entrances, if possible. Many of these items may not be present, but the ability should exist to have them added in if they’re required.

When helping a disabled friend search for a new home, there are a variety of things you’ll need to look for, from handheld bars and grips to lever door handles that will make their life easier. If you know someone who’s currently in the market for a home, contact your trusted real estate professional for more information.

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – December 26, 2016

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Last week’s economic news included readings on consumer spending, core inflation new home sales and regularly scheduled readings on mortgage rates and new jobless claims.

Consumer Spending Dips in November

Commerce Department reports on consumer spending in November indicated that consumer spending was lower in November with 0.20 percent growth as compared to October’s reading of 0.40 percent growth. November’s reading for core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy sectors, was flat as compared to expectations of 0.10 percent growth and October’s reading of 0.10 percent growth.

New Jobless Claims Rise to 6–Month High

New jobless claims jumped to 275,000 last week as compared to an expected reading of 258,000 new claims and the prior week’s reading of 254,000 new claims. New claims typically rise during the holiday season due to school and other workplace closures.

There was good news as new jobless claims remained below the benchmark of 300,000 new claims for 94 consecutive weeks. This streak of new claims below 300,000 new claims is the longest since 1970. Increasing numbers of “contingent” workers contributed to volatility in employment; The Rand Corporation reported that 10.10 percent of the workforce was contingent workers in 2005; the percentage of contingent workers increased to 15.80 percent of the U.S. workforce in 2015.

Mortgage Rates, New Home Sales Rise

Freddie Mac reported a jump in mortgage rates last week; the average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage was 14 basis points higher at 4.30 percent. The average rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage was 15 basis points higher at 3.52 percent; the average rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage rose 13 basis points to 3.32 percent. Analysts said that the 10-year Treasury rate rose 10 basis points in response to the Fed raising its target funds rate. New home sales gained in November with a seasonally adjusted annualized reading of 582,000 sales as compared to 285,000 expected sales and October’s annual rate of 563,000 sales of new homes. This was the second highest reading for new home sales since early 2008. Builders will be watching mortgage rates and new home sales in the New Year to determine how rising mortgage rates will impact new home sales.

What‘s Ahead

Next week’s scheduled economic news includes Case-Shiller Home Price Index reports, pending home sales and weekly readings on mortgage rates and new jobless claims. U.S. Financial markets will be closed Monday in observance of the Christmas holiday

3 Simple Tips for Boosting Your FICO Credit Score Before Applying for a Mortgage

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3 Simple Tips for Boosting Your FICO Credit Score Before Applying for a MortgageThere are a variety of factors that are involved in getting your mortgage approved, but few things will have more of an impact than your FICO score and the credit history that goes along with it. Instead of leaving your score up to chance when submitting your application, here are a few ways that you can boost your financial wellbeing and leave your credit score better off than it was before.

Put More On Your Card

It’s important to put purchases on your credit card that you can afford to pay off consistently, but many people are not aware that how much debt you owe can actually positively contribute to your credit score. While it’s good to use up to 30% of your available debt load, a significantly higher percentage than this can be a signal to lenders that you are experiencing financial difficulties. By putting everyday items on credit, it will be easier to give your score an instant boost.

Clear Your Credit History

Many people who think they have bad credit are too afraid to even review it, but it’s very important to take a look at your credit history when it comes to taking control of your finances and your FICO score. If there happens to be incorrect information on your credit report, this will enable you to contact the appropriate lenders and dispute the charges so they can be corrected prior to your mortgage application. It may not seem significant, but this can actually have a marked impact on the outcome of your application.

Make Your Payments On Time

It’s often the case that those who are struggling with debt may push away the bills altogether and give up on the minimum payment, but it’s very important that the minimum is made to keep your financial health in check. It may take a few months to see the results of putting down this amount before the due date, but it will improve your credit over time and forge good habits for the future.

Your credit score is an important aspect of determining your financial health for lenders, and this means that your credit history is of significant importance when it comes to your mortgage. Instead of leaving it up to chance, ensure that you’re making the minimum payments and correct any discrepancies in your credit report. If you’re currently in the market for a home and are considering your options, contact your local real estate professional for more information.