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There are reasons some homes sell faster than others. We’ve seen more than our fair share of homes, having worked with a lot of clients both buying and selling over the years. So we have the secrets you need to make your home ready for resale and marketable to potential buyers! Check out our top 7 tips straight from the real estate agent: 

1. De-clutter and organize

Be sure to go through your home before photos are taken and potential buyers start coming through to tour the home. Keep only the essentials, and put everything else in storage or give it away. And don’t forget to purge closets as well! Buyers want to know there is a lot of storage space in a home, and if yours looks like it’s bursting at the seams, it’s not going to be appealing. 

Buying your first investment property is exciting! In Chattanooga where home inventory is low, buying investment property or flipping homes is a great opportunity to make additional income. But for any beginner, it’s easy to make mistakes in the process. Here are some of the most easily done missteps and how to avoid them. 

1. Assuming it’s a get rich quick situation. 

Some people paint real estate investing as easy way to make money fast, and that’s just not always true. There is a lot of time and effort that goes into a real estate investment, and your first one may not go as planned. If you buy a home looking for the market to improve later and give you a profit when you resell, that may take longer than you imagined. Understand that

2.…

With technology evolving more every day, it’s easier than ever for scammers to find their way to you and sell you on whatever they may be offering. Between phony telephone calls, get rich quick schemes and fake online listings, it’s hard to know what’s real and what’s not. Let us help you with identifying some of the most notable real estate hoaxes and how to avoid them. 

1. Bogus real estate investment seminars

Chattanooga’s real estate market is booming, and you want to get in on it! So, when someone advertises a  FREE real estate investment or house flipping seminar, that sounds like a great plan, right? Maybe. Many real estate “gurus” will get the public in the door with the promise of free information, but then it goes downhill from there.…

Whether you’re selling your home or looking to buy a home, it’s important to know the reasons why the deal may not work out in order to plan in advance. We’ve made a list of our top five reasons so you can do what you can to avoid them! 

1. The home didn't appraise for the contract price

In a market like ours where there are so few homes available, it’s very possible for a buyer to get into a multiple offer situation. In that case, if you really want the home, it’s important to offer your highest and best. But what happens if the home doesn’t appraise for the agreed-upon contract price? In this case, the buyer might have to bring additional funds to the table, which might not be an option, or get a second opinion. Or the seller has to be…

It's that time of year again! Although many of us dedicate time each day to maintaining a clean home, there are just some things that get put off. Now’s the time to dive head first into deep cleaning—but don’t worry, you won’t have to tackle these again until next year.

1. Let the light in

Wash the windows inside and out, clean the blinds, dust any light fixtures and replace any burnt-out bulbs. If curtains are feeling dusty and dingy, start at the top with a handheld vacuum and make your way down each panel. If they’re machine washable, go for it as long as it’s on cold and gentle cycle. Rehang immediately so as to avoid wrinkles. This simple clean can do wonders, as a room filled with light will feel more warm and inviting.

2. Deep clean…

Nathan Torgerson of The Torgerson Team at Keller Williams Realty was recently presented the honor of Highest Closed GCI (Gross Commissionable Income) By Agent as well as the Most Closed Units By Agent awards. 

“Each year we recognize the top groups, teams and individual agents in our office for their accomplishments in the year before,” says Nathan Brown, chief leadership officer for Keller Williams Realty of Greater Downtown Chattanooga. “For someone to earn these awards in particular, they have to be ridiculously effective and efficient at providing phenomenal service to clients, otherwise (the client) wouldn’t repeat business with that agent.”

Three or more agents working together is considered a group, a team of agents consists of two agents…

Mortgage rates have been on the rise since around August of last year.

Rates, which on a 30-year fixed mortgage were at an all-time low of around 3.25% last year, are now not expected to go lower than the 4% mark anytime soon. This seemingly small hike can add hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars to a home buyer’s yearly payments. 

For example, for a $200,000 house at the rate of 3.25%, your monthly mortgage payment would be $870.41. For the same house at the current rate of 4.25%, the monthly payment would be $983.88. Over the course of a 30-year loan, that extra bit a month adds up to $40,000.

"Experts in the field expect that mortgage rates will remain at this plateau for now or will rise in the near future," says Christina Lane, senior mortgage…

So you’ve finally put your house on the market…and it’s not selling. What’s going wrong? There is usually an easy answer to that question and most likely it’s one of the four things listed below.

1. Price

Of course you feel your home is worth the moon and the stars—it’s your home, and it’s sentimental for you. However, the number you have in your head might not actually match your home’s true value. A good realtor will look into all the comps for an area and guide you to the perfect price for your home. But if you come up with a price and aren’t willing to allow that experienced realtor to help, chances are your home is going to stay put. Today’s buyers are savvy and can sense when a home is priced too high for what it is or the area it’s in.…

Trying to decide what type of home to buy can be daunting for a new home buyer, particularly when you don’t know what your life might look like a few years down the road. Let us help you narrow down the potential possibilities by looking at the advantages and disadvantages of all the options. 

Townhouse

What makes a townhouse a townhouse? First off, a townhouse is attached, sharing at least one common wall with another, similar-designed home. And, living up to their name, townhouses are usually clustered in core areas within a city, directly within all of the hustle and bustle. Because of their close proximity to downtown, they generally have less yard and square footage than detached single-family homes. This can be a bad thing for some, but…

If you’ve recently purchased a home or are looking into becoming a homeowner, the subject of home warranties has probably come up in your research. But what’s the point of them? Do you really need one? Let us help you decide with our answers to these frequently asked home warranty questions. 

What is a home warranty?

A home warranty is a service contract in which a company agrees to pay for fixing or replacing home systems and appliances.

What does a home warranty cover?

Depending on which plan you choose, you can have either a little or a lot of coverage on your home appliances and systems. Basic plans typically include coverage for kitchen appliances, water heaters, plumbing, electrical, heating systems, etc. There are additional options…