How to Win a Bidding War as a Buyer in Merrimack Valley

 Looking to buy or sell a home in Merrimack Valley? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (978) 852-3001 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

 The market in the Merrimack Valley is hot right now, and as a buyer you may be finding it difficult to purchase a home. Because of this, you're going to need a good buyer's agent who is willing to ask a lot of questions to the seller and do a lot of negotiating on your behalf. Some important questions to consider when making an attractive offer would be:

• When do the sellers want to close, or would they consider a lease-back option?
• What unique needs do the sellers have that you could satisfy?
• Do the sellers have a series of home inspections that they would like to sell to the buyer?
• Ideally, when would they like to decide on an offer?
• Do they want to carry seller financing?
• Are there any preferences with appliances or amenities they want to include or sell separately?
• Would the sellers consider a sliding scale or variable offer?
•  Could the buyer's agent present the offer directly to them?

These are the questions that you can use to get a feel for the seller's needs, and this can be immensely helpful in writing them an enticing offer. This will surely help you and your buyer's agent to win a bid on a home that you love.

With all this being said, please don't hesitate to contact me if you need any assistance buying or selling in Merrimack Valley. I would be happy to help you!

What's the Best Method for Valuing Your Property?

 Looking to buy or sell a home in Merrimack Valley? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (978) 852-3001 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Hey everyone, thanks for visiting me once again. The topic of discussion today is: "What is the best method for the valuation of my property?"

People use lots of different methods to get a valuation of their property. Let's take a look at some of the most common methods that people employ.

Zillow is one of the most popular home search websites on the web, and offers a tool called a "Zestimate" that is supposed to give you an accurate home value. In reality, this estimate is based on data they collect and it's a gross estimate, and not the best way to get a valuation of your property.

Another thing people do is look at assessor's records. Often times, county assessors don't take improvements, updates, or changes into consideration when determining the value of your home, and their assessments can be as much as 30% off.

Hiring an appraiser is the route others choose. An appraiser is going to evaluate the property for you and in many cases, the appraisal is very consistent with your home's market value. However, if there are not any recent comparable sales or if it's an unusual property that varies from the norm, the appraisal may not be as accurate.

For the best and most accurate valuation possible, hire an experienced real estate professional who has their feet on the ground in the area of concern. We recently listed a property that was the only one under $400,000 in the town it was located in. We had to do constant research to determine the value. If the property were determined by an appraisal, it would have come in around $290,000, when the true value is more towards $320,000. 

If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

What's the Difference Between an Inspector and an Appraiser?

Looking to buy or sell a home in Merrimack Valley? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (978) 852-3001 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Good morning, and thanks for coming back to join us.The focus of our blog today is to  identify the distinction between a home inspector and a home appraiser. We've been getting a lot of questions about this lately, so we thought we would clear the air for you so you know the difference between the two. 

First of all, a home inspector is someone a buyer hires to completely inspect the condition of the home they are about to buy. The home inspector, in many cases, will produce a report of about 50-100 pages detailing all of the science and function associated with the property.

Home inspectors identify problems in every area of the home, whether it has to do with systems, defects, foundation issues, or anything else. Issues regarding mold, lead paint, asbestos, and other health hazards are also covered by the home inspector. They can give you information regarding anything that has to do with issues that need to be identified and repaired on the property. 

An appraiser, on the other hand, has a completely different role in the sale. What the appraiser does is identify what the appraised value of the property is, so that can be shared with the lender who is financing it. If the appraised value comes in lower than the sale price, it can create a challenge for the buyer. If you have a great agent, they can negotiate the settlement so that the difference between the sale value and the appraisal can be resolved amicably. 

If you have any questions, give me a call or send me an email. Until next time!