Don’t Buy That Fixer-Upper (Unless You Know These 4 Things) Sure-fire ways to spot a fixer-upper that’ll fix you up financially. A fixer-upper isn't necessarily something to eschew. If the right things are wrong with a house, you could not only turn it into your dream home, but also earn serious equity (wealth building!) in [...]
A bleach solution or rubbing alcohol is your best bet for keeping your home sanitized. The Best Disinfectants For your high-touch surfaces, the Centers for Disease Control recommends a bleach solution diluted with water, or a 70% alcohol solution. Follow this bleach recipe: 5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) bleach per gallon of water, or 4 teaspoons of [...]
Now that your home is sold, what happens next? Hometown Realty has put together this quick checklist to help sellers organize their documents and other things in order to ensure the final selling and closing process goes smoothly. Getting your house ready for New Owners Final Walk-Through & Closing Remove All Hanging Items [...]
A DIY painting job doesn’t have to equal crooked lines, besmirched floors, and ceramic sinks speckled with robin’s egg blue. Use these easy painting hacks, to make the process faster and less messy — and ensure a fresh, modern look for your home. #1 Soak Brushes in Fabric Softener to Keep Brushes Soft [...]
If you are thinking about remodeling your kitchen, resist the temptation to buy the latest trendiest materials and stick to tried and true options that can stand up to regular abuse while not going out of style. #1 Plastic Laminate Counters There’s plenty of great laminate out there. It’s the entry-level, plastic [...]
We've all experienced times when those low prices on things for the house seem too good to be true and who can resist saving that "bargain item" in the back room just because "one of these days" it might get used? Bad habits are so easy to fall into. But in the end, we know [...]
With the extreme Minnesota winter temperatures upon us, here are some easy techniques to help save your pipes from freezing this winter. Turn On Your Faucets If the temperatures have dropped into freezing and intend to stay there, turning on your faucets — both indoors and out — can keep water moving [...]
When you make an offer on a home, your agent will ask for a check to accompany it (checks are the same as cash, and the deposit is typically 1% to 2% of the purchase price). Earnest money is made in good faith to demonstrate – to the seller – that the buyer’s offer is [...]
Under normal market conditions, the average time to complete the sale of a home is 30 to 45 days. Though, well-prepared home buyers have been known to purchase properties faster than the averages. Market conditions are a major factor in how fast homes are sold. In hot markets with a lot of sales activity, [...]
The national average for down payments is 11%. But that figure includes first time and repeat buyers. Let’s take a closer look. While the broad down payment average is 11%, first time home buyers usually only put down 3 to 5% on a home. That’s because several first-time home buyer programs don’t require [...]
