The Hidden Costs of Selling Your Home




When you’re thinking of selling your home, there can sometimes be hidden costs you don’t know about. You expect things like the commission, but what other costs might you incur?

Some repairs are better to 
pay for, but some should 
be negotiated.

  • Repairs. I think it’s a good idea to have a home inspection done up front to prevent any unwanted surprises, but in case there are, it’s good to get that done up front and check them out so you don’t have to spend more money. Some of these repairs are better to pay for, but some are better negotiated against the asking price. We can help you decide what is better to do in this case. Sometimes the return on the investment is less if you actually pay for it, so we would be happy to help you walk through it.
  • Title Policy. A title policy is when the title to your property has been thoroughly checked out by an attorney to make sure the deed is free and clear of any encumbrances or liens. In our area, some are paid for by the seller, and some by the buyer. If there’s a cost you’re going to incur, we can break that down for you.
  • Staging. This is an important thing to do because houses that are staged sell very quickly. This is a cost that you will incur, but it’s money well spent.
  • Tax consequences. There may be tax consequences when you sell. If you’re an investor and you’ve owned the property as an investment property, you’ll have issues to think about regarding capital gain. If the home has been your primary residence and you meet certain criteria, you won’t have to pay any capital gains. Regardless, you’ll want to check all of that out with your real estate professional.
If you’d like more information on selling and a full list of costs of exactly what it would take to sell your home, we’d be glad to get that to you. Just send me an email or give me a call.

How to Keep Cool This Summer





It’s really hot out there right now, so I have five tips to help you keep your home cool this summer:

  1. Check that the ceiling fans are pointed in the right direction. You want to create a breeze in your home, and if you’ve got ceiling fans, you want to be using them properly. Be sure you’ve got them pointed the right direction by blowing air up from the floor to the ceiling. Pulling that air up will help keep your house cool.

  2. Wash out or replace your AC filters
    to keep everything working right.

  3. Check your air conditioning filter. If need be, you should be washing out or replacing your air conditioning filters to keep everything working as it should be.
  4. Use a retractable clothesline. Your dryer can heat up your house by three or four degrees. Having an old-fashioned clothesline to dry your clothes can occasionally spare you this discomfort. Just make sure it’s retractable, because many areas (especially subdivisions) have rules against permanent ones.
  5. Check thermostat location. In my own house, we have a thermostat located on a wall directly accessed by our attic, so naturally it’s temperature gauge gets thrown off by extreme hotness or coldness. It’s a great idea to check the location of your thermostats and move them around to ensure accurate readings.
  6. Use shade trees. Planting some sort of natural shading around your heating and air unit is a good idea so it doesn’t have to work so hard in places like our Chattanooga/North Georgia area where it’s not only hot, but humid as well.

If you’re thinking about buying or selling, we would love to talk to you. We need inventory right now, so particularly if you’re selling don’t hesitate to shoot me an email or give me a call.