By Sharon Lee

But if you can buy a house with cash, should you do it?

Most people try to avoid getting into debt; it’s a much wiser financial decision. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible. On big-ticket items such as higher education, purchasing a car, and buying a house, loans are a common occurrence. But if you can buy a house with cash, should you do it? What are the benefits of making a cash offer on a home or accepting a cash offer for your home?

Benefits of Buying a House with Cash

If you have the means to be a cash house buyer, then you’re in a great position. According to the National Association of Realtors, roughly 30% of U.S. homebuyers are making their home purchases completely in cash, and it makes sense.

There are many reasons why paying cash for a home is better than getting a loan, even when it comes to the effect of a cash offer on house closing costs.

No Mortgage Payments: If you purchase your new home outright, you won’t have to worry about what type of interest rate you get or how much your monthly payments will be. Instead, you can enjoy financial freedom without a mortgage. This also means that you’ll be saving money on interest. You paid for the house in full, so you don’t have to worry about thousands of extra dollars over the years in interest payments.

Lower Purchase Price: In most cases, sellers love for cash homebuyers. It makes everything easier on the seller’s end, which means that you can probably negotiate a better price. The seller will know that you won’t back out at the last minute due to loan issues so that you can haggle a little more.

Fewer Closing Costs: You might be surprised by the impact of a cash offer on house closing costs. Many typical closing costs have to do with a mortgage, but if you’re paying in cash, you can avoid various loan fees including:

• Property appraisal fees
• Notary fees
• Private mortgage insurance
• Credit report fees

Quicker Closing: With a mortgage, closing a home requires you to wait 30 to 45 days on average. Paying in cash, you can finish the purchase transaction in one to three weeks.

Quality Investment: If you have a large sum of money in cash, it won’t be earning you any extra sitting in the bank or a CD. On the other hand, real estate investment is a great idea, even when the market may not be ideal. If you’re willing to hang on to your property for a few years, you’ll get out more than you put in on a cash deal.

Benefits of Selling a House for Cash

What about when it comes to selling your home? Should you sell a home for cash or is it better to go the conventional route? Beyond the fact that there may be negotiating for a lower selling price for a cash offer, there are many benefits to accepting a cash deal.

Fewer Deals Fall Through: If you’ve ever tried to sell a house, you understand that it can be risky. Too often, buyers lose loan backings or don’t qualify for enough to complete the purchase. With a cash offer, you don’t have to worry about this as much.

Faster Closing: If you need to get out of your home quickly, a cash offer is a great way to do this. Normal closing times are four to seven weeks. A cash offer can cut that time down to one to three weeks.

Fewer Fees: Typically, a cash offer means that you’ll be able to avoid many annoying closing costs, so you keep more of your sale money.

Cash offers in real estate can be a great idea if you know what you’re doing. At Coldwell Banker, we suggest talking to a financial expert, as well as an experienced real estate agent, to help you decide the best option for you.

No one likes spring cleaning (except maybe Danny Tanner) but here are some easy ways to get the job done quickly!

Guest post by Andrea Davis

After a long winter, nothing feels better than having a clean and sparkling home. But, actually jumping into a deep clean is another story. Here are some simple tips to whip your home into shape without breaking a sweat:

#1 Wall Cleaning

A Magic Eraser is your best bet for tackling walls — it can spot clean anything from splatters to crayon marks. It’s tough enough to reach the cobwebs that collect in the corners of your walls and ceiling. You can also cover the bristles of a broom with a cloth or old T-shirt and use it to knock down any dusty spots.

#2 Carpets and Rugs

Take a little more time vacuuming the high-traffic areas of your house. (Make sure you don’t forget to spot treat any stubborn stains with a stain-removal product.) If your rug or carpet has lingering odors, sprinkle some baking soda over it and let it sit for a few hours. Vacuum up the baking soda and you’ll find the odors have disappeared.

#3 Mattress Ideas

Give your mattress cover a thorough cleaning in the washing machine — don’t forget to throw in a cup of white vinegar to boost the cleaning process. Sprinkle baking soda on your mattress while you’re washing the cover. You can vacuum it up later when you’re making the bed.

#4 Shower Care

Don’t knock yourself out trying to clean glass shower doors. Add a couple drops of water to your dryer sheets and use them to wipe down your shower doors. You can even let your showerhead clean itself overnight while you sleep. Simply tie a bag filled with white vinegar around your showerhead and let it soak overnight. Remove the bag in the morning for a non-clogged shower experience.

#5 Toilet Scrubbing

Have water stains built up in your toilet? Cola can help you attack these stains with little effort.  Just pour some in the toilet, let it sit for several minutes, then flush.

#6 Oven Shine

If you have an oven with a self-cleaning feature, spring is a great time to finally run that cycle. Otherwise, mix baking soda with a bit of water and use it to quickly clean up grease and various other spills inside the oven.

#7 Clutter Solutions

When you don’t have time to clean but you need your house to look presentable, tackling clutter is the quickest way to create the illusion of a clean house. Zip through each room of the house and put anything that doesn’t belong into a basket. This strategy requires very little work and can make a big difference in your home’s appearance.

Conclusion

Although these tips won’t completely eliminate the effort involved in spring cleaning, they’ll make the job a whole lot easier. Spring is a time of new beginnings — if you use even a couple of these ideas, your home will enjoy a clean and fresh start to the upcoming season.

LINDSAY LISTANSKI View full article here

Stop and Look Before You List

Putting your home on the market is a big project with a lot of different steps along the path to “SOLD!” But if you take the time and effort to make sure some key pieces are in place, the transition to the new homeowner can be swift and smooth.

Prepare yourself

Over the years spent in your home, you will likely accumulate a mountain of paperwork. Even if you are super organized and have everything carefully sorted and filed, it is still a lot to gather together when the time comes to pass it all along.

Your buyers may want to carefully review HOA documents and accumulated addenda to be sure they understand the ins and outs of the community rules and procedures. In some cases, pet restrictions, visitor guidelines or the approvals process for home décor and improvements might influence potential homebuyers in the decision to relocate to your particular neighborhood. This is important information to provide upfront.

It is helpful to have appliance manuals and warranty information on hand as well. Notes on any service calls or brochures for replacement parts will aid your home’s new occupants. Records of repairs may also be needed to verify information that is relayed to the potential home buyer. Plumbing or electrical issues that have been addressed should have backup paperwork with detailed information regarding the contractor (in case future issues arise), the scope of work performed and the cost.

The survey of your property is another important document that can provide the potential new homeowner with a plethora of information. It will note if any portion of the property is in a flood zone for insurance purposes, as well as indicate property lines and setbacks so that designs for a pool or fence can be correctly laid out while still in the planning phase.

Prepare your house

There are a number of reasonably quick and inexpensive upgrades that can make a big impact on your home’s selling power. By addressing the more obvious issues upfront, you will be ahead of the game when the ball really gets rolling.

Take care of any obvious concerns such as a leaky roof or loose pavers that should be fairly simple fixes, especially if you are pretty certain they will be noticed during a first showing. You want your home to make an excellent first impression, so get those problems out of the way immediately.

Ensure that the house will photograph well. Remove any overhanging tree limbs that obstruct a nice view of the façade. A fresh coat of paint will work wonders in giving your residence an instant facelift. That first shot of the exterior is the image that will greet visitors to your listing and hopefully entice them enough to look into your property further, so do what you can to make it beautiful at first glance.

Prepping yourself and your house in these ways during the early stages of listing your home will help make the entire selling process as stress- and hassle-free as possible.

Post created By Adam| February 6, 2018 | View Full article

The overall fundamentals in luxury housing are stable and strong, according to the highly anticipated 2018 edition of “The Report” presented by the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury® program. 

Released at the beginning of each year, The Report is a comprehensive guide to high-end property buying and selling, covering annual trends, statistics, demographics and analysis from a wide range of vantage points. For the very first time, The Report brings together a powerful knowledge base provided by local market experts affiliated with the Coldwell Banker® brand and leading luxury insiders from The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, Wealth-X, Unique Homes and others.

Here is a snapshot of what’s inside The Report for 2018:

• “Year in Review”: Significant Trends and Insights of 2017 – The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing analyzed median sales prices, number of sales, median sales-price-to-list-price ratios, median days on market and price per square foot in the top 5% and 10% of nearly 50 U.S. luxury metro areas — dubbed “Power Markets” — to identify key trends coming out of 2017.
   
• 2017 Landmark Listings  – The editors of Unique Homes compiled the year’s noteworthy residential listings across the globe ahead of their May/June 2018 “Ultimate Homes” issue.
   
• Ultra-High-Net-Worth Growth – The rise and diversification of property ownership among ultra-high-net-worth individuals, according to Wealth-X.
   
• Top Luxury Property Must-Haves – A collection of the most-wanted luxury property attributes and amenities as curated by the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing.
   
• Power Markets: A Comparison of U.S. Luxury Metro Areas – The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing analyzed median sales prices, number of sales, median sales-price-to-list-price ratios, median days on market and median price-per-square foot in the top 5% and 10% of nearly 50 U.S. luxury metro areas, identified as “Power Markets” — the destinations where the wealthiest and most powerful players tend to own property.
   
• Luxury Buyer and Seller Markets to Watch – The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing examined metrics such as sales-price-to-list-price ratios, median days on market, median list price and inventory to determine five buyer markets and five seller markets to watch.
   
• Domestic Spotlight: What Defines Luxury in U.S. Resort, Vertical, Lifestyle and Evolving Markets? – What are the most important emotional and financial considerations for affluent homebuyers when making a purchase decision? The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing took a look at 12 distinct locales across four key market types — resort, vertical, lifestyle and evolving — and some of the leading indicators used to determine their desirability.
   
• International Spotlight: The Most Desirable Cities for Real Estate – Based on a recent report from Wealth-X, five global cities were analyzed for luxury real estate desirability.

Download the full edition of The Report, above.

presented by the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury® program. View full article!