If you are planning on selling your home, you should know that it is emotionally challenging and can be a time-consuming process. You have to make sure that you are making all the right decisions if you hope to be successful, and it begins with choosing a real estate agent to list your property. Make sure that you find a real estate agent who can effectively promote your home, educate you as a homeowner, and can gain your trust from the start. The real estate agent that you choose will have all the responsibility of selling your home, from engaging with prospective buyers to running open houses.

 

Before you make the decision to hire an agent, here are the five most important questions that you need to ask to ensure that you have picked the perfect…

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Moving can be one of the most stressful events of life. Packing up the belongings of a home pales in comparison to the memories which must be left behind. Pets, too, suffer their own forms of anxiety during a move. Your animal companion has far less information than you do about what is happening. A dog or cat can even become physically ill during the process of a move.

 

Thankfully, there are some things you can do to ease the tension your pet may feel. Taking the time to perform a few simple tasks will help your pet make a happy transition to their new living environment.

 

Board a Pet While Packing and Loading

 

As you are packing boxes and loading them in a vehicle so they can be moved to your new home, your pet may be at risk. Pets…

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When you are ready to sell your first home, it is a new process. If you want to sell a home quickly, then it is important to hire a real estate agent. When you are emotionally invested in a property where you have raised your children or had fun times, it may feel challenging to sell a home. However, if you are transferring for a new job or downsizing to a smaller property, then it is essential to follow a few guidelines.

Tip 1: Hire a Knowledgeable Real Estate Agent to Sell Your Home

To sell a home, you must have a qualified real estate agent who understands your geographic region. You can talk to relatives and friends about the real estate agent who they hired, but you should also interview several agents before making a decision. You must hire a…

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People often wonder whether they should buy or rent their home. There are many things to take into consideration, not all of them financial. We’ll cover some of the pros and cons of buying vs renting so you can decide which one would be right for you.

 

Renting

You’ve probably heard the saying 'renting is throwing money away'. This is because people equate renting with giving away your hard-earned cash. You’re not building equity when you rent, so when you move out you cannot sell your property or make money from it.

 

Renters, on the other hand, do not have to pay for upkeep or repairs. They are able to move whenever they wish depending upon the lease and often only have to pay a penalty if they would like to be released early. It may be…

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If you're someone who is seriously concerned about the state of our planet, and you certainly should be, then you might be wondering if there is anything you can do to help protect it. As it turns out, you can actually start having a positive impact on the environment right from your very home. With that in mind, here's a look at eight simple ways in which you can transform your home into a more environmentally friendly place.

 

1. Move Away from Incandescent Bulbs

 

Incandescent bulbs use up a tremendous amount of energy and are only nominally brighter than their more eco-friendly counterparts. Compact fluorescent bulbs cut down on the amount of energy your houses uses and come in enough varieties that you can easily find one to naturally…

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Today’s market for buying and selling a house may be different that last year’s and next year’s. Your home may have been perfectly competitive last year, but overlooked for one minor detail or another. Maybe you were firm on the price and passed up a few offers that you wish you would have taken. If you believe that your house is priced at exactly what you would like to get out of it and you can’t see any reason why it is not selling, try one or more of the following tips.

 

 

Do A Little Landscaping

Every home, no matter the size of the yard, can benefit from a little bit of purposeful and tasteful landscaping. You can take this idea and make it completely your own. Maybe you would like to add a little trail of stepping stones to a bird…

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When designing a small room, there are several tricks to make it feel larger. Furniture placement and choice, color pallet and lighting can either work for or against your space. Following some simple guidelines will give you a larger feeling and functional room.

 

Paint Colors

 

Using lighter paint colors is perhaps the easiest way to make a smaller room feel bigger. Generally, neutral or lighter colors are recommended for smaller rooms. A monochromatic look will help the space feel clean and open. Paint the trim, walls and ceiling complementary shades of the same color. Don't forget to use light colors on the floor too. For a more unusual technic, use a fun, patterned wallpaper or bold paint color on the ceiling. This will draw your eye up…

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When purchasing a big ticket item, such as a house, it is common to seek financing. Applying for a loan enables you to pay for these high-dollar items slowly over time with regular monthly payments, but it is customary and often even required by the lender for you to make a down payment at the time of purchase. If you are preparing to apply for a loan on a house, you may be wondering how much money you need to contribute as a down payment. With a closer review of some common considerations, you can make a more educated decision about your down payment amount.

 

What the Experts Advise

Your down payment amount will play a direct role in your loan amount and monthly payment. It will also impact your starting equity, and it can even affect your…

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Staging a home is a crucial time in the selling process. It is common for a homeowner to start to feel overwhelmed when preparing to stage their home. However, there are tips that you can follow in order to stage your home like a professional. Implementing these tips will help to ensure that you sell your home as quick as possible. In this post, you will learn six fool proof home staging tips.

 

1. Start with Curb Appeal: It is often said that first impressions are very important. The first thing a buyer will see, when pulling up, is the outside of your home. A small investment in landscaping work can provide a big boost in the appeal of your home. Planting flowers can add much more color and visual appeal to the curbside view of your home.

 

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An HOA. Say this three letter to someone and you will get one of two responses: You may find some homeowners love living in one, while others find it a total nightmare, doing whatever it takes to avoid it at all costs.

Depending on your personal preferences, a homeowners association can be a good or an evil thing, depending on how you look at it. Like anything, there will always be a positive and negative, so let's dig deeper to see what people boast and complain about.

The Positives

1. A Great Looking Neighborhood

Because these HOAs will have strict rules, this means all of your neighbors will have to abide by the same rules you do. This may mean keeping your trees trimmed, painting your house a certain color or hiding the car on cylinder…

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