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Planning to sell your home? If so, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the details. Preparing to put your home on the market involves cleaning, marketing, and plenty of paperwork. It’s stressful. We know that. All you have to do to make your life easier is set aside a few weekends and follow these three steps. Be ready to make an impression, because potential buyers will eat your home up once you make the listing live!

Clean and Declutter

Now is the perfect time to clean and declutter your home. Purge the entire household of unwanted or unnecessary items. In addition to donating your old goods, you may consider selling them for some extra moving cash. Furthermore, recyclers are often w...

When selling a home, it’s easy to make mistakes. The market is turbulent, after all. That's why your first step should be locating a realtor who has experience selling homes. At first glance, a seller may simply want the highest price possible and the lowest commission from their agent. Real estate agents are not equal, though. Each one is unique. It’s often said that about 10% of agents do 90% of the business. Each has their own marketing techniques and advertising methods. You’ll need to find one who works with your goals.

Gather Referrals

At first, you might be overwhelmed by the number of realtors out there. It’s best to start out by talking with friends and family. If you know some...

Before you find a suitable rental space, you’ll want to carefully consider the location, neighborhood, and your real estate agency. Running a business is no easy task. As such, you’ll want services and locations that best suit your personal style and services. First off, selecting the right commercial real estate agency can alleviate most concerns. You’ll need to perform some background research beforehand, though.

What to Look For

Locating a commercial real estate agency is like selecting a doctor or dentist. You’ll need a bit of common sense, professional or personal connections, and some good, old-fashioned research. Here is what you’re looking for:

• Expertise – Your commercial bro...

Shopping for a home may begin as a pleasant experience. In fact, you’re probably looking forward to what the future has to offer. However, serious homebuyers need to consider the financial aspect of home buying. The process all begins in a lender’s office, not at the open house. Potential buyers should always consult with a lender first and obtain a pre-approval letter before seriously considering a home. You’ll have an advanced opportunity to discuss loan options and budgeting, too. The benefits outweigh a headache.

Pre-Qualification vs. Pre-Approval

When it comes time to buy a home, many prospective buyers get excited to hear they’ve received pre-qualification. While useful to estimat...

When it comes time to sell your home and list it on the open market, most sellers have just two questions to ask their real estate agent: How much will I get and what is the commission? While these are certainly two great questions that could hold a lot of sway, they’re too close-minded. It’s important to broaden your spectrum and ask a variety of questions to select the right real estate agent. You don’t sell a home every day, so make the most of it now.

Questions to Ask

If you’re preparing your home for sale, a real estate agent can make all the difference. Let’s rephrase that: The right real estate agent can make all the difference. Ask them the following questions beforehand:

• Wha...

When it comes to buying a new home – whether it’s your first, second, or third – there are a lot of choices to be made. Where will you settle? How many rooms? How large of a yard? These are all factors you’ll need to consider before making a purchase. You’ll need to decide whether you want to live in a rural location or suburban neighborhood. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. You’ll need to evaluate both adequately.

Rural Advantages

If you’re considering a move to a rural area, you probably enjoy the comfort and solitude of country life. These areas tend to be safe, community-driven regions where everyone enjoys their time and working hard.

Furthermore, rural locales tend t...

No matter when the peak home buying season may be in your area, there are steps you can take to ensure a quick sale. By setting the right price, doing a bit of preliminary research, and making the right first impression, you’re capable of attracting new buyers. Well, we have some terrific tips that ensure you can sell your home faster than ever before.

The Price is Right

Many sellers believe they need to start with a high asking price. This results in a slower sale, though. Do a bit of research and price your home adequately the first time.

Enhance the Appearance

Improving the appearance of your home may include adding new sod, planting flowers, or painting the home before putting it ...

Finding the right home for your family can certainly pose a challenge. There are many things to take into consideration, especially if you have young children. At Cindy Petty Realty, we've put together some top tips on how to find the perfect style of house for your family. 

Envisage Living in the Type of Home You Want

If you can picture the perfect home for you and your family and see yourself living in it happily, that's the style of home that you should be looking for on the market. If you have a vision, stick with it and don't deviate from it as you may then end up viewing houses that are not what you're looking for which is a complete waste of time. 

Leave Room for Growth 

Things...

Open houses really do work which is why they've been around for so long. A good open house makes it possible for potential buyers to view a property at a certain period of time, without a pre-arranged appointment.

Many new buyers use an open house to get a feel for a certain house or the market in general. But how do you make the most of an open house? Well, Cindy Petty Realty is here to tell you. 

As A Buyer

Maybe you're ready to buy or you simply want to shop about and see what's on the market, either way, an open house is an excellent option. If there's anything you want to know when you're at an open house, don't hesitate in asking the realtor. That's what they're there for. An ope...

The single largest investment that an individual will make in their life, a new home, should be everything they want it to be. With this in mind, is it better to buy a home or build your dream home from scratch? Both have their pros and cons, and if you're stuck on what to do, we've put together some helpful information that should assist you.

Buying a Home

Buying a home means you already have the structure and foundation in place. It's essentially a blank canvas for you to get creative with and put your spin on. It can take a while to find the right home for you, but buying a home is often cheaper and quicker than building your own home from scratch.

Buying an existing house or flat g...

Finding the right home can be a grueling task, but finding the right home that comes with a good amount of acreage is even harder. However, we have a few tips to follow when it comes to finding your dream house with that lovely extensive land attached. 

Consider Moving to the Country 

It may go without saying, but if you're looking for a home that packs a lot of punch in the land department, you want to avoid built-up or busy towns and cities. Moving away from the hustle and bustle not only means that you may be able to purchase a large country house for less money than a city apartment, but it's guaranteed to come with more land than a boxed-in terrace overlooking the main street. 

Ho...

When your home is about to hit the open market, the first task you will take is to hold an open house. If your home has been listed with a real estate agent, your agent will help you prepare and organize the entire home for resale. Without an agent, however, and the task of an open house falls solely on you. Perform a bit of research beforehand to really make a difference when it comes to showing newcomers around your home.

Basic Tips

For starters, try to remove the excess clutter in your home. Renting a storage unit or a portable pod can work wonders to safely store your items for a short period of time. You want a bit of breathing room throughout each room in the home, allowing pote...

It is common knowledge that all realtors need to be licensed in order to practice but did you also know that realtors can increase their credibility and skill with certifications? The certifications a realtor can obtain range over a wide spectrum of focuses. They span from skills such as certified negotiating to providing better quality service to seniors citizens. It is very important to check on your realtor’s certifications because this can affect their ability to assist you in your housing goals.

General Certifications

You will almost always want to work with a realtor who has GRI and CNE certifications. GRI stands for “Graduate of Realtor Institute” and is an intensive series of ...

The truth of the matter is neither Richardson or Plano is a good buyer's market currently. The Dallas housing market is literally booming and there
is a huge demand for housing but no where near enough supply. Here are some pro and cons for each market and some tips for how to find a house in these difficult buyer's markets.

Richardson

• Is not as old of an area as Plano so more of the available homes will be newer.
• Slightly closer to Dallas if you are looking to commute.
• The average house value in Richardson is lower than Plano’s, $256,600 in Richardson compared to $300,900 in Plano.

Plano

• Is more than double the size of Richardson, which means more houses to choose from.
• Curre...

Plano homes are a hot commodity right now, so here are 5 tips to ensure you are ready to nab the house of your dreams in Plano, Texas.

Let Your Fingers Do the Work

1. Find a realtor who will represent your interests, one who listens to your needs and shows you houses you are actually interested in: a realtor who is a good communicator and easy to contact in case you need to move quickly on a property is always best.

2. Do your research. Look at what neighborhoods are the most attractive to you, what you can realistically afford, and so on.

3. Make your list. In at tight housing market like Plano, your “must haves” and “would like to haves” should be nailed down before you start ...

Selling your home is no piece of cake. It can seem overwhelming and arduous to not only invest the time, but also the resources in selling. However, you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Millions of Americans all over the country have successfully sold their homes. This all started with advertising. 

Top Tips for Advertising a For Sale Home

First, you'll want to put power in the "word of mouth" avenue. It never hurts to tell friends and family that you're looking to sell. This could open up an opportunity for a buyer that didn't know he or she was looking. How often do you get compliments on your home? Well, using word of mouth to tell folks it's up for sale might get others think...

In buying a home, there are some key things you need to consider first. In short, there are definitely some top questions you need to ask yourself before buying your future home. Let's discuss those questions and figure out how to get those answers. We here at Cindy Petty Realty understand the value in knowing all your options before making that home investment; hence, we're blogging about it!

Questions About Your Family

First, we suggest you start to ask questions about your family and their needs. Some common question include:

• Does the school district matter?
• How big of a community does your family want to live in?
• Is your family more sociable or more home-bodies?

The answers ...

It is an often-considered factor for families when moving: are we in a good school district? It is a legitimate concern, and we here at Cindy Petty Realty understand this. It is something that we take into consideration when showing homes to buyers. Knowing this, we thought we'd use this month's blog as a sort of How-To guide. In this post, we'll discuss the top ways to determine how to find a home near the best schools.

Research Options

When seeking out a new place to live, we suggest first doing your research. Some key sources you should be using for this include...

Your Realtor - The realtor you go to will be the most knowledgeable person on the subject. He or she will be able...

If you're looking to purchase a new home in Dallas, Cindy Petty Realty knows how important it is to make sure you find the house you want inside the budget you can afford. In this article we'll look at some of the ways you can use to determine what your home-buying budget should be.

Things to Consider When Putting Together a Home-Buying Budget

First and foremost, you'll want to meet with a mortgage broker and see how much you can afford to pay for a home.Once you know this, you can look into getting pre-approved for a mortgage loan. This puts you in a better position to negotiate with sellers.

You also want to make sure that you get the right loan amount for you that works with your bu...

Since we have covered the basics of what a seller's market is in previous blog posts, you might now be wondering what a "buyer's market" is. This particular post is dedicated to explaining just that. That's because Cindy Petty Realty focuses on the customer knowing what's in store. If you're informed, we feel we've done our best work as your realtor. 

Defining a Buyer's Market

As you could guess from reading the seller's market post, a buyer's market is completely different. Instead of the situational advantage being in the seller's hands, it is now in the buyer's. This means there are a lot of properties within the area to choose from. It also means buyers don't have to immediately jum...