December is upon us and so is the holiday season.  Cold nor holidays should stop the sale of a house as there are buyers who are ready to make a move.  While there are buyers there are fewer buyers looking for a home in general and getting the price right of a home is critical to make sure it gets sold.  These articles provide great tips for buyers and sellers of residential as well as investment real estate.

Earnest Money

Earnest money is what shows home sellers the buyers are serious about buying a home.  While legally not required earnest money is strongly encouraged and a higher earnest money amount can put one offer ahead of another where everything else is equal as Bill Gassett points out.  Earnest money is refundable and non-refundable depending on the terms of the contract and where in the process the buyer is.  Earnest money should not be confused with the down payment which is more something the lender is looking at.

Getting The Best Real Estate Return On Investment In 2020

Not every home improvement is a great deal and will return a good return on investment (ROI).  Some actually can result in a negative return on investment since they are so unique and tailored to such a small subset of buyers that when it comes time to sell it will be a challenge.  This article from Karen Highland talks about some of the key home improvements that can lead to a positive ROI.  Homes get outdated and age overtime and home improvements will be needed to help a home retain its value.

Tips For Finding Leaks In A Roof

Whether you are looking to buy a new house and want it to be a sound investment or you want to keep up on the maintenance of your existing house identifying a leaking roof is a critical as Fred Franks points out.  Roof leaks sometimes can start off slow and can quickly spiral out of control causing extensive damage in between walls that includes structure damage, wood rot, mold and more.  Homeowners and investors should be keeping an eye on their property and making sure the roof is repaired or replaced to make sure the house does not become unlivable due to extensive water damage. 

Things To Avoid When Selling A Home

With homes being as expensive as they are it helps to make sure when selling a home the more buyers who are interested the better chances of getting it sold will be.  There are certain things homeowners should be doing to have the most effective home sale and this article by Kevin Vitali covers some critical things.  Selling home as-is, using bad listing pictures, being inflexible on price, and more all will be potential pitfalls when it comes to selling a home.  

Buying A Fixer Upper Home

With housing inventory as tight as it is in many locations sometimes homebuyers need to step outside of the box and consider the non-traditional house purchase.  In this case the house that needs repairs can be a great home for any home buyer who knows what they are doing.  One does not need to be all that handy themselves and instead can contract the repairs and even get a mortgage to cover both the cost of the house and the repairs as Sharon Paxson points out.  By considering homes that need work homebuyers can expand their options and get a home that is more customized to their desires after the repairs have been done.

Home Staging Tips

A well-staged home will attract more buyer attention and can sell for more money than an un-staged home.  With the staged home buyers are able to see home at its full potential. Danny Margagliano talks about the home staging actions that can make a home shine and provides a great infographic.  Homeowners can stage homes on their own using the tips in this article or work with professional home stagers to determine what will be best for the house.

Can You Be Sued By A Real Estate Agent?

The answer to the question is yes a real estate agent can sue their clients.  Whether the agent wants to sue their client is another story but this article from Geoff Southworth provides some valuable insight on how real estate buyers and sellers can protect themselves from litigation.  Most everything involved in real estate is governed by laws and written contracts.  Those contracts do provide certain levels of protection but it is also important to understand the terms in those contracts so that if a dispute does arise the contract should be the first thing that is looked at.

Social Media Post Ideas For Realtors

For the real estate agent looking for ideas on what to share on social media this article from Ruby Rusine provides thirty one solid examples of what successful agents post on social media.  Social media is a great free platform that agents can use to generate leads and meet clients who are ready to buy or sell.  Lead generation is critical to real estate agents to make sure they are able to make a good living.

Additional Roundups Articles

• Top Real Estate Articles 11-2019 by Eileen Anderson
• Best Real Estate Articles From Nov. 2019 by Bill Gassett

Found anymore great real estate articles?  Feel free to share them in the comments below.

The Real Estate Roundup For November 2019 was provided by Greater Cincinnati Area Luxury Realtor Paul Sian of United Real Estate Home Connections. Paul is a licensed real estate agent in the states of Ohio and Kentucky and has over 14 years of experience. Feel free to contact Paul for all your Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky real estate needs.