8 Things to Consider Before Renting to Tenants

There are great reasons for renting an apartment that is above the garage of your home to earn extra cash, or alternatively, you might want to take an extended vacation abroad while renting your entire home to tenants. If you want to make money from your Greenville home, then there are several things that you should do first.

Check Your Local Zoning Regulations

Before you rent a room or an entire home, you must check the local zoning regulations. You may need a permit to rent to tenants, and in some cases, an inspection of your property is required first. Failing to follow these guidelines can lead to financial fines or other penalties.

Check Your Tax Situation

When you are renting a home or a…

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Selling your home, whether on your own or with a realtor, will take some work. However, if you can start early and do it in small chunks of time, you'll find you can market your home successfully, only move the items you want and get moving with a minimum of stress.

Repairs

Review your home with a critical eye for easy fixes. Walk around the inside of your home and seek out damaged trim, tired wall paint and loose tiles. Do the same outside your home, looking for torn or loose screens, missing or aged weather stripping, or dried out caulking.

Cleaning

If you choose to repaint, clean carefully along each wall as you work. Something as simple as washing outlet covers in a bowl of warm soapy water before reinstalling can brighten your…

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In today's cut-throat and volatile real estate environment, sellers often find themselves struggling to attract suitable buyers for their properties. We live in a world where the housing market is brought to us at our fingertips, and platforms such as Zillow, Trulia, and Redfin are virtual online shopping catalogs for houses.

In order to attract buyers and sell successfully, one needs to understand and adapt to the fast-changing technology. Although other factors are important, the key to attracting buyers in today's world is making a strong first-time impression.

A strong impression can be efficiently achieved by providing as much visual detail as possible in a given property listing. If your goal is to attract quality buyers and truly showcase the…

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Dealing with demanding home buyers or sellers can be a daunting task. Below are a few tips to guide you when dealing with difficult buyers or sellers.

Listen

Listening is a sign of respect and professionalism. You will know about the concerns of the seller or buyer and whether they are legitimate. Don't interrupt them when talking to avoid a misunderstanding even when you know where they are aiming. This way, you will be showing them that you care. Encourage them to be open and transparent for clarity. Additionally, you ought to ask questions and support their statements. As an agent, you have to be straightforward when communicating whether it is a text or verbally. You should use a professional language when dealing with first-time clients because…

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 Moving into a new place can mean a lot of things to remember, and can leave you feeling like maybe there’s something you’ve forgotten to do. Once the boxes are packed and the moving vans are lined up, we all want it to be bliss-free unpacking from that point, with the only concern being making the new place feel like a home. Unfortunately, it really never works out that way: there are endless t’s to cross and i’s to dot, and taking the time to track down and notify everyone of your move can be quite a challenge.

Luckily, there’s plenty of information out there on who to notify aside from your friends and family; although, it is nice to pick up a pack of nice “we’ve moved” cards to send out to your loved ones giving them your new address. For everyone…

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Even first-time home buyers know that there are closing costs associated with buying a home. But they don't always know what the words "closing costs" actually mean, what they include, or why they have to pay them. When you're handing over that much money, however, it's important that you understand exactly why you're doing it.

What are closing costs?

Closing costs are the fees associated with buying a home that you pay at closing. Closing is when the sale of your home is closed, and the title to the home is transferred to the buyer from the seller.

What fees are included in closing costs?

There are many fees that can be included in closing costs. Such fees include:

  •         Application fee
  •         Appraisal
  •         Attorney fee

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When you find the home you want to buy, the next step is putting in an offer so the seller knows you're interested. But how much do you offer? Do you offer the asking price, or more, or less? There are several factors you should look at when deciding how much to offer initially.

Comps (Comparable Sales)

You want to first take a look at comparable sales. Comparable sales are the sales in the same general area, with homes that are roughly the same size, the same number of rooms, and otherwise similar to the house you want to buy. They should also be recent, usually within about the last three months. The comps can help you see how different the seller's asking price is from how much comparable homes have sold for. This will give you a starting point…

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The Most Important "To-Do's" on Your Spring/ Summer Cleaning List

Spring cleaning can offer a way to freshen up the indoor and outdoor spaces of your home, while cleaning away the dirt and dust that has accumulated over the winter season. Many people also take advantage of the spring cleaning season to de-clutter throughout the home and clean up storage spaces like the attic and garage. Whether you live in a small apartment, or a large multi-level home, spring cleaning can help make your home a happier place to live in. The following are some of the most important things to consider when writing out your spring cleaning "to-do" list.

 

Clean Out Attic and Garage

Both of these areas tend to be catch-all spaces for junk that you don't know what…

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It seemed a great idea at the time. Save yourself the 6 percent commission that you'd have to pay a realtor by selling your home on your own. After all, how difficult is it to put up a “For Sale By Owner (FSBO)” sign on your front lawn and to put an ad on the local paper and in a real estate website. You've even seen enough housing shows to know that you should stage your property inside and out to make it attractive to buyers. You certainly don't need a sales agent to tell you that.

So here it is, six months later, and your home is still on the market with no buyer in sight. Before you reach that sorry state, learn to recognize the four signs that it's time to list with a realtor.

 

You don't know how to price your home.

You think the formula…

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Not Everything Increases The Value Of Your Home- Here Is What Does

There are plenty of things that increase the value of a home. A little repair here or a layer of paint there can add to the value of your real estate. However, not everything that one does makes a difference on that sale price. It is a common belief that doing just about anything will improve your chances of getting a higher price. That is just not factually accurate. You will want to avoid doing some of the repairs that don't add value. It would be a waste of money and time.

 

Converting a Garage

 

There is a strong pull from some to convert an attached garage into a family room or an office. This may be what you consider to be the best use of the space, but those who are…

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