Huntsville Real Estate Blog

To Fix or Not To Fix When Selling Your Huntsville Home

That is the question all Huntsville home owners should ask themselves when they consider selling their home.

The first item on the fix-it list: clear the clutter! If your closets, attic, basement, garage, and other storage areas appear neat, half-full and organized, your house will seem to have more storage space. To accomplish the clutter - clearing task, empty the house, hold a garage sale, and use the profits to help offset the next set of fix-it priorities.

Check your house for “curb appeal”. The exterior is the first impression a prospective buyer has of your home. Make it as inviting as you can. Think of it as outside decorating. Clean (or paint, if necessary) the exterior, re-sod brown spots and crab grass, mow the lawn, pull weeds, remove dead trees or plants, and trim the shrubs.

Flowers give warmth and personality to a home. Plant them tastefully in pots or beds at the entrance, on decks and around patios. If it isn’t flower season, at least clean the beds, remove the dead leaves, and cover the ground with fresh wood chips or other clean looking mulch.

If you have a limited budget, make the most of it. Put the money where it is most obviously needed and the return the greatest and most visible.

Fix Little Things

Take care of the little obvious things: fix leaking faucets, stop running toilets, replace broken windows, kill pet or mildew odors, repair holes in screens, remove mildew from tile, and re-caulk around bathtubs and sinks. Walk around; look at your house with a prospective buyer’s eyes. Small things tell buyers whether or not a house has been maintained. 

Paint it! 

A coat of light-colored, neutral paint-white or off-white-will make your home’s interior look crisper, cleaner, and also larger. Many buyers may not be able to imagine their sofa in your decor. White interiors work for the greatest number of people without their having to redecorate immediately. If you just moved, would you want to redo every room?

Your Carpeting

If the carpet is in reasonable condition, have it shampooed. If it is worn, threadbare or a non-neutral color, consider replacing it with beige or gray. You do not need to purchase the best quality money can buy. Lifetime wear is not required. You want it to look great now. Neutral walls and carpet do not offend anyone. Almost all furnishings look good with them. Rental property managers know this and have been doing it for years.

Professional Inspection

Consider having your house inspected by qualified inspector. Safety- and health-related items, such as radon and electrical problems could kill a sale if not properly attended to. It is much better to fix these items on your own time schedule and financial terms than hurriedly during a contract negotiation. Roof leaks, even if inactive, are also deal breakers.

What else do you fix amongst the inspector’s flagged items? Unless you can realistically get money back, fix only the problems with major systems. You want to keep your home’s selling price as low as possible to increase the pool of buyers.

Do not undertake any major remodeling in preparation for sale. It places more limitations on the size of your buyer pool. Tastes vary, and some people will dislike the results of your efforts. You will have to raise your selling price to reflect your fix-up investment, thereby pricing your home out of the range of other potential buyers.

A neutral color scheme in a house that sparkles brings you the highest return in the shortest time. 

Learn more about Huntsville real estate at MoveToHuntsville.com or give us a call, 256-508-0211.

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Huntsville Real Estate - Moving With Children

The US Census Bureau reports that approximately one-fifth of all Americans will move every year. Moving into or out of Huntsville, or just across town, can be one of the most stressful experiences a family ever faces. No matter what the age of the child, change can be a difficult adjustment.

With older children moves interrupt friendships; with younger children a move can cause the child to be more dependent on parents when he/she should be going through the normal separation process that is part of growing up.

Some children do not talk about their distress. Parents should be aware of the warning signs of depression:

• changes in appetite
• withdrawal
• a drop in grades
• irritability
• sleep disturbances
• dramatic changes in behavior.

Properly preparing your child for the move is critical to a good adjustment in your new home.

Timing - Should The Move Be Postponed?

Under some circumstances, the timing for a move just isn’t right, and it should be postponed if possible.

For example, a family that has been subjected to a major life change such as divorce or death might have tremendous problems adjusting to yet another major life change - a move.

Children are affected by parental attitudes and pick up signals about adult feelings. Children depend on parents for reassurance. If one or both of the parents really doesn’t want to make the move, the results can be traumatic for the child.

Communicating with your child and involving your child in planning and decision making (at an age-appropriate level) can go a long way in providing reassurance. Talk early and often in a positive way, and plan ahead.

Under Age 6 - Babies, Toddlers and Preschoolers

Children under age six are the easiest to move, but young children are also by far the most dependent on parental guidance during the process.

• Keep explanations clear and simple
• Stories and books about moving are helpful
• Act out the move with trucks and dolls
• Do not sell any toys if you have a garage sale
• Make sure the child understands during packing that you aren’t throwing his things away
• Do not replace your child’s bedroom furniture
• Don’t start toilet training and don’t take away the pacifier, bottle or any other items of emotional comfort during this stressful period
• Don’t make false promises that you can’t fulfill (e.g., “We can have a dog at the new house.”)

Your child will need a lot of one-on-one attention during the move.

School-Age Children - They’re Less Pliable Than Toddlers

There are two different schools of thought about the ‘right’ time to move. Many people feel that summer is the best time to avoid disruption during the school year. Now, some experts recommend that a mid-year move is best so that children can meet schoolmates right away and benefit from the novelty and attention of being ‘the new kid’.

Middle school children may be the most open to moving since they are already in a period of transition between elementary school and high school.

Just remember that a child’s experiences in school can make or break a move. Before you move, make sure you gather all the information the new school will need including report card, transcript, birth certificate, medical records, standard test results and information about any special programs your child has been participating in. Teachers generally expect an adjustment period of about 6 weeks.

Teenagers - They May Actively Rebel

While younger children may not understand exactly what’s happening when you bring up the subject of a move, teenagers do understand and may actively rebel.

Many teenagers have invested a lot of time in belonging to a particular social group. Some are involved in a romantic relationship. A teenager who participates in multiple school activities - sports teams, musical performances, etc. - may feel you are destroying their life by a move. Do NOT be dismissive about the importance of all of the above. Do NOT say things like “You’ll do fine after we move. Just look at how popular you are here.”

Be supportive and understanding. Point out that the move is a rehearsal for future changes such as going away to college. After the move, allow your teenager to visit old friends. If your teen is strongly resistant (or a senior in high school), you might want to consider allowing him to remain in the old location with a relative or friend.

After The Move - Ease The Transition

Following are a few tips for after the move:

• Get the children’s rooms in order before the rest of the house - they need a safe haven.
• Maintain your regular schedule for meals and bedtime.
• Introduce children to their new school as soon as possible but not necessarily the day after you move.
• With younger children, be sure to accompany them to school and meet their teachers.
• Allow your children to invite new friends over often.

If your child has adjusted after 6-8 weeks, it may be time to seek a family therapist.

Good things can come from a Huntsville move: many families grow closer, parents learn more about their children, and some children experience a new sense of independence and accomplishment.

Learn more about Huntsville real estate and moving with children at HuntsvilleHomesOnline.com or give us a call, 256-508-0211.

Search all Huntsville real estate and homes for sale.

I wanted to follow up our blog post, Is Downsizing Your Huntsville Home For You?  with a reprint on a Money Magazine article from CNNMoney.com, When It’s Wise to Downsize. The article discusses the pro and cons of downsizing, pricing in today’s market, carrying costs involved and lesions learned from other empty nesters. 

Here is the article in its entirety (but don’t hesitate to visit the link to the original article to see the interesting graphs): 

“(Money Magazine) — Last year Rick and Suzanne Pepin moved from the four-bedroom 3,400-square-foot house in Minneapolis where they lived with their three (now grown) kids to a luxury condo that’s a third smaller and offers only a Murphy bed for guests. Still, the couple couldn’t be happier.

“The location of our old home dictated that we drive to the grocery store, pharmacy and cleaners,” says Suzanne, 57, a retired lawyer. Their new digs are across the street from Whole Foods and within easy walking distance of other stores and restaurants. They love the low-maintenance life.

“We have no worries about upkeep. No worries about lawn care. No worries about snow removal,” says Rick, 68, also an attorney.

Maybe you too have caught the bug. After decades of hankering after the most expensive and enormous house you could afford, owning a smaller place is starting to look appealing.

Imagine the possibilities! You could move into a posh new condo with everything from a fitness center to a concierge - or into an energy-efficient little cabin on a lake Your commute could be shorter, giving you time in the evening to do something more than watch TV like a zombie.

And, maybe, just maybe, downsizing could save you some dough. Chuck Petitti, a Boston-area real estate agent, says many of his clients right now are empty-nesters who realize, “Hey, I could be traveling or doing something else with all the money I am paying for utilities and property tax on this big house.”

If that’s what you’re thinking, you’re by no means alone. A 2006 survey by Hanley Wood, a market research firm, found that 58% of affluent baby boomers say they are very likely or somewhat likely to move to a smaller home within the next 10 to 15 years.

And therein lies a big fat problem. With millions of boomers competing for smaller homes, you may find it hard to catch a break on price. Even though the downsizing trend is in its infancy, over the past five years smaller homes (under 1,200 square feet) have shown a greater rise in value than larger houses (over 3,000 square feet) - 5.2% a year as opposed to 3.5%, according to Zillow.com.

On top of that, you have to get money out of your old house - not an easy proposition with prices in the 20 largest metropolitan areas down 18.4% from their July 2006 peak, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller index. As of July there was an 11-month backlog of existing homes on the market nationwide. The happily downsized Pepins have yet to receive an offer close to the $1.25 million asking price on their old home.

What’s more, smaller isn’t necessarily cheaper. Depending on where you move, you may face carrying costs that are as high as or even higher than you pay now.

The trade-offs are complicated. You may cut gasoline costs by moving closer to your job in the city and using public transportation, but those savings could be eaten up by costlier car insurance. You could move to a small condo nearby but be unprepared for the dues and fees that condo living entails.

So you have to plan carefully, sizing up the finances underlying both new and old houses, or the savings you’re counting on could be skimpier than you anticipate.

Get the prices right

To start you need a clear-eyed assessment of the two markets that make up your downsizing, the one in which you’re selling and the one in which you plan to buy. A real estate agent can give you an idea of your home’s value, but you should also check how much houses in your area are selling for on Zillow.com, which lists sales prices of comparable houses.

Hanging on to past high prices only delays a sale. Dodi Christiano, 55, a psychotherapist, and her husband, Paul Waldrop, 56, a producer of TV public-service announcements, put a price of $850,000 on their 4,000-square-foot Fairfax, Va. colonial last year - about what nearby homes had fetched a couple of years earlier.

For six months they received nary a nibble. Finally, after slashing the price by more than $100,000, they were able to sell. “We had to face the fact that not everybody loved our home as much as we did,” says Christiano.

You can’t assume that a home’s price is simply a function of its square footage. The national median sales price for condominiums, which are typically smaller than single-family houses, is now 5% higher than that for houses, according to the National Association of Realtors.

If you hope to reduce costs dramatically, you may have to buy your new place in another town or state. Think Decatur, Ill. or Mishawaka, Ind., where single-family houses cost just $79,400 and $80,900, respectively.

George Pollock, 67, a retired engineer, and his wife Marian, 66, wanted to get rid of the mortgage on their house in suburban San Francisco. Pollock worried that if he died before his wife, she wouldn’t be able to meet mortgage payments with the 50% portion of his pension that she would receive.

No matter how much they shopped, however, they couldn’t find a place they could afford in the Bay Area (median price: $701,700) without a mortgage. So they moved to much less pricey Sacramento (median price: $258,500), where their two grown children live. There they bought a 1,400-square-foot home for $380,000, leaving them with nearly $250,000 extra.

Says Pollock: “My wife is closer to the kids, and I know she has long-term financial security.”

Downsize carrying costs

Buying without taking out a mortgage would certainly reduce expenses. At the very least you should look for a house whose price is low enough to allow you to buy with a mortgage that’s smaller than what you have now.

If you’re at or near retirement, taking on a new 30-year mortgage is overwhelming. You may be long gone before you can repay. Consider one with a 15-year maturity; the payments may look daunting, but you will save money. The interest rate is only about 0.10% lower than that of a 30-year mortgage, but over the life of the loan, you would save about $141,000 in interest.

Another option: Take out a traditional 30-year fixed-rate loan that does not charge a prepayment penalty. Then just send in extra payments each month as if you were on a 15-year repayment plan. You’ll be saving by paying the mortgage off quicker, but if you run into unforeseen financial trouble, you’ll be able to make lower payments.

Runzheimer International, a management consulting firm, estimates average annual savings of $1,300 in utility costs and $2,600 in property taxes from down-sizing from a 2,800-square-foot house to one with 1,800 square feet.

But the devil is in the downsizing details: You need to crunch the numbers to calculate your net savings. Start by totting up the annual cost for ongoing expenses such as property tax, utilities, lawn service and snow removal. As you shop for a new place, you should be gathering comparable information.

Other potential cost savings: If you move from suburb to city, you may be able to ditch one of your cars and its trailing expenses - insurance, financing, taxes, maintenance and fuel. If you gave up your 2006 Honda Accord, for example, you’d save nearly $26,000 in the first five years, according to Edmunds.com.

On the other hand, some costs could rise. In a condo or a house that is part of a homeowners association, there are monthly maintenance fees, and every so often you’ll be on the hook for assessments to replace the roof or carpet the lobby.

Before buying, ask how much fees have risen over the past five years and whether new assessments are in the offing. If your new place is appreciably smaller, make room in the budget for new purchases to replace an oversize sectional or a king-size bed that won’t fit.

Sell before you buy

Tempting as a pristine new condo looks next to your drafty old five-bedroom Victorian, don’t plop down earnest money until you have a buyer with solid financing. Otherwise you could get stuck with two mortgages, two property tax bills and - well, you get the idea.

At least have your lawyer include a contingency clause in the sales agreement that obligates you to close only if you manage to sell your home by a set date. In the bubble-licious sales frenzy of yesteryear, sellers could make bidders do somersaults and had no incentive to agree to such a clause. But with so many homes on the market for months, sellers may now show mercy.

What downsizers learned

• Don’t price your house like it’s 2006. Paul Waldrop and Dodi Christiano of Haymarket, Va. asked the same amount that nearby houses had sold for two years earlier. “We had to realize that what had happened during the boom was not the norm. It took six stressful months to sell,” says Dodi.
• Get the old place sold first. Rick and Suzanne Pepin of Minneapolis moved into their dream condo but now can’t sell their house. “Don’t wait to put your home on the market if you decide to buy. We waited for renovations on our new condo to be complete, and by then we couldn’t sell,” says Rick.
• Plan for smaller rooms. John and Polly Smart of Houston had the wrong stuff. “Smaller rooms may not accommodate your old things. We spent about $20,000 on new furniture and more on a smaller Silverado because the old one stuck about two feet out of the garage,” says John.

Do you (and your spouse) make more than $170,000 annually and worry about tax-efficient retirement planning? If so, send your name, age, occupation, income and questions, along with a recent photo, to makeover@moneymail.com. We will be providing advice to a family in this situation in an upcoming article - and it could be you! ”

Interested in learning more Huntsville home prices and possible downsizing? Visit our website, MoveToHuntsville.com or give us a call at 256-508-0211.

What’s my Huntsville home worth?

You just dropped your youngest child off at college and have officially joined the ranks of the empty nesters. One of the first questions that usually comes to mind is should we downsize our Huntsville home. The kids are gone and we probably don’t need this big house. But is buying a smaller home right for you?

There are pros and cons to downsizing. Consider your finances and lifestyle before making a decision.

Reasons not to downsize your Huntsville home:

• You want a place for your children and grandchildren to stay when they visit. The family is spread all across the country and you want to have a place for everyone to gather for the holidays and vacations.
• You can’t bear to part with your cherished belongings. You have been in your current home for many years and have filled it to the gills with mementos you don’t want to part with.
• You aren’t you emotionally ready to leave? You are not ready to pack up and leave a lifestyle you worked hard to create. Leaving family, friends and familiar surroundings is more than you can bear.
• You enjoy the prestige that goes along with your luxurious home. A smaller home will not portray the correct image of success.

Reasons to downsize your Huntsville home:

• The lower house payments that accompany a smaller home would give you more discretionary funds to travel and enjoy other recreational activities.
• A smaller homes means less to maintain and more time to play.
• You or your spouse, are not able to navigate the stairs like you use to and a single level home is more desirable.
• A smaller, newer home is more efficient and better for the environment.
• You need to be closer to a spouse who is in a nursing home?

Make sure downsizing your Huntsville home is affordable:
If you decide to downsize, make sure the place fits both your pocketbook and your lifestyle.

Talk with a real estate professional about how much money you will net from the sale of your current home, as well as the costs of buying another one. This will help you determine if the move benefits you financially.

Under current tax rules, up to $500,000 (if you are married and file jointly) in profits from the sale of your principal residence are not taxable as long as you’ve lived there for at least two of the previous five years. Up to $250,000 in profits are not taxable if you’re single. Consult a tax advisor to discuss your situation.

Look into how much it would cost to move and to maintain a smaller home. Make sure it really is cheaper to live there.

Decide to downsize only once you’re satisfied that the finances make sense.

Buy into your new lifestyle
A smaller house in your current neighborhood could be the right decision if your priority is maintaining close ties to neighbors. Just make sure there are amenities like public transportation and stores nearby if your health begins to deteriorate.

A condominium or a unit in a retirement community could be perfect if you never want to mow again, or if you want to focus on travel, hobbies and perfecting your golf stroke in the company of other seniors. Just remember you’ll have to pay maintenance fees for the upkeep of the common areas. Talk to current residents to see whether they’re happy with the way things are run. Also investigate the rules. If the association forbids pets and you’re a devoted dog-owner, be prepared to move on.

You may prefer to purchase a duplex or something similar. Renting one of the units will bring in extra income, and you’ll have built-in neighbors.

Thinking of downsizing your Huntsville home and want to talk with a real estate professional? We are glad to provide you the information you need to help you make the right decision for you. Give us a call at 256-508-0211.

Search all Huntsville homes for sale.

What’s my Huntsville home worth?

Also read:
Huntsville/Madison County Real Estate Sales Statistics-July 2008
How Does Housing Recovery Act Help Huntsville Home Buyers
Huntsville AL Real Estate: Wall to Wall or Buy it All?
Re-capturing the American Dream With Huntsville AL Real Estate

Does your Huntsville home have a façade only a homeowner could love? Selling a home can be an emotional experience, and people can lack objectivity when it comes to their own abode. Presenting a home in its best light is always important, but it’s imperative in our current competitive real estate market.

Professional advice and assistance can make the difference between “Wow!” and “Whaaa?” – a recent industry study found that staged homes sold for 6.9 percent more than homes that were not staged. Another study compared listing times before and after staging. Homes that had first been offered for sale without staging were on the market an average of 4.5 months; the same homes sold within a week, on average, after being staged.

Below are 7 tips to ‘setting the stage’ and making your home more appealing to buyers:

1. Thoroughly clean from top to bottom, especially kitchens and baths.

A dirty house an immediate buyer turn-off. The two most important areas are the kitchen and the bathrooms. If you have not deep cleaned all counter and tile surfaces to a spotless condition, you stand the chance of having the buyers walk right back out the door.

2. De-clutter the entire house.

Clutter makes it extremely hard for the buyers to visualize moving into your home. The disorganization affects the buyer’s ability to focus on your home and they will most likely overlook your key selling features. In addition, clutter has the affect of making your home appear smaller than it is as the “open” feeling is gone.

3. Remove the personal memorabilia.

People are generally curious and when you want them to notice the beautiful entryway they may be focused on all the family pictures on the piano or all the “stuff” stuck to the front of your refrigerator. Your objective is to change the view of your home from “lived in” to “ready to move in.”

4. Neutralize inside and out.

best way to present a home is for the wall colors to be painted a neutral color. This goes for the outside as well – a loud or non-neutral color may just keep the buyers from even stopping to see the inside.

5. Let the sun shine in with spotless windows.

Nothing is more distracting to a buyer than to be looking at a view through a dirty window. What you don’t see is often more important that what you do see.

6. Make your pets go away.

While your pets are a loving member of your family, for the buyers their presence, food and boxes are generally a turn-off. Every trace of their presence should be removed so, once again, the buyers are not distracted from the prime objective – viewing your home in the best possible light.

7. Add curb appeal.

A healthy, neat, trimmed and well maintained yard and flower beds are the keys to getting the buyers up to the front door. A well-maintained exterior translates to a well maintained home in the mind of the buyer.

Need help setting the stage and showing off your Huntsville home in its best light? Give us a call, we are glad to help.

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Huntsville Second-home Sellers Pay For Tax Credits

You have probably heard, President Bush recently signed into law the Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act. This is the most comprehensive housing bill to be enacted in over a decade. The bill is designed to help more buyers of Huntsville real estate realize their dreams, as well as, boast the struggling housing and mortgage markets.

One of the biggest benefits, and probably one of the most talked about provisions in this legislation, is the $7,500 tax credit to first time home buyers. Tax breaks are all well and good, but they have to be paid for somehow. While first time home buyers are getting a break, second home sellers will be paying for the $15.1 million dollars in tax cuts.

Up until the new legislation went into effect last week, homeowners could exclude up to $250,000 taxable profit on the sale of their home if they’re single taxpayers and $500,000 if married filing joint returns. The catch being, they had to live the in house as their primary residence for two of the five years before it is sold.

Many second home owners took advantage of this by moving into a property that was once a rental or vacation home, live there for two years prior to selling and benefiting from the tax-free profit.

With the new legislation, owners selling on or after January 1, 2009 will have to factor out the period when the property was still a rental or vacation home and pay taxes on that portion of the profit.

Here’s an example courtesy of BankRate.com:

Jim and Joan are in their 50s and next January buy a vacation home for $200,000. Ten years later, they retire, sell their old principal residence and make the vacation home their new principal residence. Fifteen years after that, Jim and Joan, now in their 80s, move to an assisted-living community and sell the vacation-turned-primary-residence for $700,000. That nets them a gain of $500,000.

Under pre-housing bill statute, Jim and Joan wouldn’t face any tax on the entire $500,000 gain. The new law, however, means that Jim and Joan can exclude only 15/25, or 60 percent, of the gain. That would give them $300,000 of nontaxable property sale profit and $200,000 upon which they would owe long-term gain taxes.

As you can see, the new legislation significantly affects second home owners and their retirement strategies. The second home market has remained strong in the last few years, but this may change dramatically in the near future….something congress may not have intended.

If you own Huntsville real estate and are in the middle of converting your second home to your main residence, you could be out of luck. If you don’t have enough time left in 2008 to meet the two year lived-in rule and sell the property, when you do sell next year, you will pay.

If you need to sell your second home before January 1, 2009, give us a call at 256-508-0211. We will help you get the highest price for your Huntsville real estate before the end of the year!

Get the current market value of your Huntsville home.

Skeptics thought the Internet would be the extinction of the real estate agent. Let’s face it, all the information in the world about how to buy and sell a house is at your finger tips. So why hire a real estate professional to represent you in the purchase or sale of your Huntsville home, when you can save the big fat commission they charge and do it yourself. If you have asked yourself this question, you are not alone. Here are the Top 10 Reasons To Hire A Huntsville Real Estate Professional, compliments of About.com:

1. Education & Experience

Most people buy or sell homes 2-3 times in their lives. Many Huntsville real estate professionals are involved in buying and selling real estate 2-3 times a month. Henry Ford once said that when you hire people who are smarter than you are, it proves you are smarter than they are. You don’t need to know all there is to know about buying or selling real estate, you just need to hire the people that do. Hire someone with more experience and education than you that can help you get the best possible deal and save you precious time and money.

2. Agents are Buffers

If you are a buyer, agents will insulate you from builder representatives and listing agents, who can be piranhas when going after a sale. And if you are a seller, your agent will weed through the ‘lookie loos’ and bring you only well-qualified buyers. Real estate professionals save you time…and as they say, ‘time is money.’ 

3. Neighborhood Knowledge

Your neighbor may know that the people who sold the house down the street were asking $350,000, but your Huntsville real estate agent will know that the house actually sold for $295,000 and paid $5,000 of the buyer’s closing costs after being on the market 45 days. 

4. Price Guidance

Your real estate agent is able to guide you through the decision making process to help you make the right choice for yourself and your family. Whether a buyer or seller, agents are able to provide you with the data you need to choose a correct price and then put together a negotiating strategy based on market supply, demand and conditions.

5. Market Conditions Information

Real estate professionals can also provide you with market data such as price per square foot, median and average sales prices, days on market and list/sell ratios that will have a bearing on your buying and selling decisions.

6. Professional Networking

The network of other professionals known by real estate agents, many of whom provide services that you will need to buy or sell, can be invaluable. Isn’t it better to have a service provider, who is known for quality and professionalism, recommended to you than having to pick someone out of the yellow pages?

7. Negotiation Skills & Confidentiality

Top producing real estate agents are skilled negotiators, not just messengers delivering paperwork to a buyer or seller, who are able to remove themselves from the emotion of the situation…and be assured, buying and selling a home is emotional! They are professionals who are trained to present their client’s case in the best light and agree to hold client information confidential from competing interests. 

8. Handling Volumes of Paperwork

Purchase Agreements in the 21^st Century are 10 pages or more and include state and federally mandated disclosures which can be overwhelming and confusing to the inexperienced. One omission or mistake could land you in court or cost you thousands of dollars.

9. Answer Questions After Closing

Issues have a habit of cropping up after closing…things such as taxing authorities that collect property tax assessments, doc stamps or transfer tax can fall months behind and mix up invoices. Your real estate professional is there to answer questions, provide documentation and help clear up questions. You won’t be left out in the cold to handle issues by yourself.

10. Develop Relationships for Future Business

Referrals are the basis of am agent’s success. Your real estate professional will provide you with ongoing market updates, news and information. Keeping you informed and staying in touch will help insure your repeat and referral business.

Bottom line, Huntsville real estate agents are highly skilled, knowledgeable professionals. They will help you sift through the mountains of information you find on the Internet and make sense of it in order for you to make good buying and selling decisions.

Learn more about Huntsville real estate at MoveToHuntsville.com or give us a call for more personal service, 256-508-0211

Search all ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Huntsville real estate and homes for sale.