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Why do I need a home inspection?
Whether you are buying or selling, you can benefit from the information gained by having a professional inspection performed to advise/alert you of any deficiencies that are present. This gives a SELLER the opportunity to make repairs and avoid a negative negotiation position in the future. Although it is optional, it is my opinion that a BUYER should always have an inspection to disclose any deficiencies that my otherwise go undected and avoid expenses after closing.
What should I do to make my home ready to put on the market for sale?
Depending on the circumstances, some areas suggest engaging a staging professional to assist in preparing the home for market consideration. In many cases, a prudent homeowner will realize that they should look at their home from a buyers viewpoint and de-clutter, clean carpets, apply fresh paint where needed, clean windows, prune and trim landscaping and ask your professional ERA Realtor to advise.
How is the real estate market in Ruston compared to the rest of the country?
All real estate professionals know that real estate is “local.” Some states, like California, Nevada and Florida, have reported a 12-25% dip in residential property values. However, in those same states, you can find areas that are flourishing with 6-16% increases in values.
Research reveals that residential real estate values in the Ruston/Lincoln area have increased, on average, about 5% per year over the last 10 years. Some property values increased as much as 12-14% during that time. However, in the last two years, appreciation was flat to 3%. If you look at the big picture, the last 10 years have shown stability.
Prudent local lending practices have kept foreclosure rates to almost nothing, leaving us with better than average appreciation rates, compared to the rest of the country.
I want to buy a house. Now what?
The first step in buying a house is to engage a professional Realtor, preferably one with an ABR designation who has been specifically trained to represent a buyer in the home-buying process. A Realtor will help make all the steps to homeownership as simple and easy as possible and present all information in a way that you can comprehend.
Please give an update on forclosures and short sales in the Lincoln parish area.
Locally, we have only two bank foreclosures that are being resolved by the lenders. Limited available research finds only five outside lender foreclosures in the area. Lack of local foreclosures has kept this agency focused on brokering existing properties. With so little foreclosure activity, we have found that out of area banks are difficult to communicate with and that time is not of the essence in regards to resolving issues associated with foreclosed properties.
FSBO
Statistics from the National Association of Realtors indicates that 17% of For Sale By Owners succeed in selling their own home and 83% end up contacting a real estate agent. We would like to be that agent! If we could guarantee you a buyer for your home, wouldn’t you be interested?