This month’s roundup articles provides resources and information for home sellers, home buyers investors and more.  When buying a home one of the most important things to do is make sure your finances are in order so a pre-approval can be quickly had.  No pre-approval means no new home purchase as most home sellers will not consider any offer without a pre-approval letter.  Home sellers as well need to keep on top of their game and make sure their home sparkles for all buyers who view online and come through in person.  Half the battle is getting people in the door and the remaining is getting a good offer. Check out these articles which are chock full of real estate insights!

Smart Home Maintenance Tips

Spring has sprung and along with it comes the tasks of cleaning up the damage winter may have done to your home.   A home is a long term asset and in order to keep it in shape and performing well, maintenance is a must.  This article from Bill Gassett about  how to maintain your home and keep it in good shape is a great resource for homeowners.  Poor home maintenance can result in a home losing value and the living experience in the home degrading as the elements overtime make it harder to live comfortably inside.  So make sure to keep up on home maintenance to keep your home looking and feeling great.

Closings Costs With An FHA Loan

Many new home buyers plan on using an FHA loan in order to make the purchase of their home.  FHA mortgages often have low down payment requirements which allow buyers to get into a home without much money out of pocket.   There are closing costs associated with the FHA loan (just as there are with many different mortgage loan options) and Eric Jeanette breaks out some of the common FHA closing costs home buyers can be expected to pay.  These closing costs are expected to be paid up front and by knowing how much a buyer will have to pay they can make sure they are ready to close.

Top Real Estate Bloggers From Around The World

Consistently blogging on any topic is a tough activity as many bloggers will share.  Putting out content on a regular basis to help others can be very time consuming and being able to do it well enough to draw in the readers takes plenty of effort.  In the realm of real estate while there are many agents out there, there are not many who actively blog.  Joy Bender collected the names of some of the top bloggers in the U.S. and other parts of the world to share.  These bloggers include real estate lenders and agents who know how to share information in a written format that is both educational and easy to read.  Be sure to check out these authors if you are looking to learn more about real estate.

Advice For Buying Investment Real Estate

Whether you are a first time buyer of investment real estate or are buying again this article from Danny Margagliano about real estate investment buying tips provides some great insight on how to do it right.  Buying investment real estate is a bit different than buying a home to live in as the lending requirements and down payment requirements can be a bit different depending on the type of real estate that will be purchased and what are the goals for the purchase of that real estate.  By having a well laid out plan real estate investors can make sure their purchase is a profitable one for a long time to come.

Tips For Downsizing Your Home

With change in family size due to children moving out and getting their own place it may make sense to sell the larger house and move to smaller accommodations as Eileen Anderson points out.  A smaller home means less work to do around the house, lower energy expenses, lower property taxes, and lower mortgage expenses overall.  More money to spend on other things is great and can be one of the key benefits of downsizing.  The article includes advice and tips on downsizing your belongings, the financial aspects of downsizing as well as the dealing with the emotions of moving and makes for a great read for someone considering that change in their life.

Deck Staging Ideas

A deck in a home is a great feature that many potential homeowners dream about when they think of the perfect home.  Whether a deck is used for entertaining, hanging out or cooking the utility of a deck is pretty versatile.  When it comes to selling a home it helps to emphasize the great features a deck can provide and staging a deck to make it look even better is a smart move as Kevin Vitali points out.  When the season is right for deck usage, making a deck look as great as it can for potential buyers is a great way to show it off.

Taking Curb Appeal From Average To Awesome

Whether one is selling a home or just want to spruce up the yard getting the curb appeal right and making the colors pop is a great way to attract attention for a home.  From the very first picture on the internet to people driving by the first thing they notice is great curb appeal.  Curb appeal involves more than just the landscaping as Sharon Paxson points out in her article on smart tips for boosting a home’s curb appeal. From adding colorful flowers to cleaning up and refreshing the front of the house once done a home’s curb appeal is a great way to show off a home.

The Advantages Of Having A Smart Home

Whether you want to get your home ready to sell eventually or you plan on living in it for some time a smart home is a great way to add value and make your home more functional as Kyle Hiscock points out.   Smart homes can increase security, add functionality, make it easier to monitor your home from afar and much more.  Many smart home features also increase the value of your home which can be especially important when it comes time to sell the home.

Real Estate and Financial Planning

For something a little different be sure to check out this  podcast by Paul Sian where he sat down with  financial planner Scott Trent.  Topics covered during the podcast include what does a financial planner do, what licensing requirements are there for a financial planner, how can a financial planner help me, does homeownership make sense and more.  If you have never met with a financial planner and are considering buying a home now may be the time to meet with one to get on the right path to homeownership.

Final Thoughts

We hope you liked this month’s real estate round up.  Be sure to share this collection and any of the other articles in the round up with your friends.  Also feel free to add other real estate related articles you think would make a great read for others in the comments section below.  

The Real Estate Roundup For April 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.