Real Estate Information Archive

If you have pets you know all too well just what a mess they can make, what you may not be aware of however is that they have a smell all their own that others who walk into your house may be able to smell more than you can.  If you have your house on the market you may need to do your best to eliminate the pet odor before you home starts showing so that you will be better able to sell your home. 

Below are a few ideas and tips to help you get a head start on eliminating pet odor.

• If your pet has an accident inside of your home douse it with baking soda as quickly as you possibly can after you soak up the urine with a towel.  Allow the baking soda to dry and then pat the area with a dry towel.  Once you have done all of this, be sure to vacuum the area.  The smell that once would have lingered behind after cleaning the soiled area will no longer exist.   
   
• Another great way to rid your home of pet smell so that your home may have a better chance of selling is to make a fabric spray out of white vinegar and baking soda.  1 teaspoon of baking soda mixed with 1 tablespoon of vinegar will do the trick.  Put these ingredients together in a spray bottle and you will have a great way to get pet smell out of your furniture and other fabrics.  Spraying this concoction over your furniture before a showing is a great way to know that your potential buyers will not be able to smell that you have pets living inside of the house with you. 
   
• A  HEPA  air filtration system is also a good thing to have if you have pets and you are planning to try to sell your home.  These types of systems cost as little as $100 and can make all the difference when it comes to the sale of your home.  One hundred dollars may sound like a lot of money but when you think that it may make or break the sale of your home it is nothing.  Be sure to always clean you’re air conditioning filtration system as well so that you will have clean air flowing throughout the house at all times just in case you have someone who wants to take a tour of your home at the last minute. 

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Real Estate Expert Tucker Robbins.

Photo credit: The Family Handyman

You must admit the housing market is booming right now and this means that many folks are getting more than one offer on their house.   Knowing which offer you should accept  can sometimes be a daunting task.  If you do get multiple offers you may think that opting for the highest bidder is the route to go, but not in all cases is this true.  Below are a few tips for making sense of it all and deciding which home offer is best for you and your family. 

1.  If you want your home to be sold to a family member but their offer is just too low as compared to someone who is going to use your house as an investment for example, try coming back with a counter offer.  Just because you get a really high offer from someone doesn’t mean you have to accept that offer.  If you don’t want to see your home be flipped for example, don’t accept the offer from that person.  If you can afford to do so, accept a little bit of a lower offer to keep the house in the family.
2. If you have a potential buyer make an offer with contingencies it may be best to skip over that person.  You don’t want to get involved in things such as waiting for a potential buyers house to sell before they can purchase yours.  In most cases it will serve you best, if you have more than one offer, to skip right over those with contingencies. 
3. If you have a buyer that makes a good offer on your house but they cannot close for a month or two, pick the one that can close more quickly if that meets your needs. 
4. Just because someone makes a really high offer on your house doesn’t mean they are the ones who need to win the bid war.  Many times folks that make very high offers may back out in the end leaving you high and dry.  Be careful not to just accept the highest bid and not look at any of the rest. 

Hopefully these ideas on how to decide which offer to accept  when you have multiple offers on your home will make things easier for you.   Don’t worry too much about it, after all…multiple offers is a good thing! 

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.

The big day is almost here!  You and your family are moving out of your old house into a new home! It’s an exciting time, however moving can be a huge headache if you go into it unprepared.  Below are a few tips and ideas on how to make your move a success.

• If you plan to hire a moving company to take care of your move for you, don’t be afraid to do your homework on the different moving companies.  There are some moving companies out there that will help to make your move a lot easier while there are others that can simply make the entire process a nightmare.  You owe it to yourself to do a bit of research and to find the best moving company you possibly can.
• Another bit of advice for moving from one house to another is to prep for the move ahead of time.  Make sure that your movers know if they will be moving heavy things such as kitchen appliances and have them unplugged and cleaned out before the movers arrive so that they can easily and quickly get the heavy objects taken out of the way. 
• Get your packing done before the big moving day arrives.  Moving companies do not want to be tripping over you while you are frantically packing last minute items into boxes that have yet to be taped and ready to move.  If you have your job done before the movers arrive, they will be able to get their job done in a quick and successful manner.  It’s also a good idea to stack your boxes against the walls of the rooms so that the movers can easily move about as they are working.  Again, if your job is done, their job will be easier and all will be happy. 
• Label your boxes so that movers will understand what room it goes in.  If you label the boxes with your kid’s names, it’s likely the movers will have no idea which room the box belongs in once they arrive at your new home.  Keep it simple and label the boxes accordingly. 

If you do your part to make sure you have done all you can do to make the move an easy process,  the moving company will be free to do their job and do it right.

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Real Estate Broker Tucker Robbins.

We have all been inside of friends and families homes that have pets and we all know just how smelly pets can make a home no matter how clean you keep your pets.  In fact, most homes these days have at least one pet in them.  If you are trying to sell your home having a pet may make it harder to do so.  Let’s take a look at a few ways pets make things harder on someone who is trying to sell their home.

• You may have your home staged to the max but if you have a pet inside it is likely that the odor will be noticed by folks who come to take a tour of your home.  You may think that if you give your pet a bath daily there will be no odor, think again.  Pets have an odor that is all their own and it is easily noticed by the human nose. 
• Cats tend to make the most smell when it comes to having animals inside of your home because they do their business inside, in the litter box.  It is important to take litter boxes outside when showing a home so that the smell may be somewhat masked at least. 
• Pets that shed are ones that may cause an issue when someone comes to tour your home because there is absolutely no way you can get rid of all of the hair inside of your home.  If you need to have a pet, perhaps opting for one that doesn’t shed such as a poodle is a better option for you.  You can run a lint brush over all of your furniture before a showing but as I said there is basically no way to get rid of all of the hair.
• An air purifier may be a good idea to invest in if you have pets and you are about to start showing your house.  These types of machines go a long way to helping take the pet smell out of your home. 

Don’t worry, if you want to sell your home and you have pets you don’t have to get rid of your pets just be diligent and do your part to make sure those who tour your home have no idea you have animals living inside.  Once they finish the tour you can go back to normal life until the next showing and then you will repeat the entire cleaning process over again.  Another thing you can do if you have pets and you are trying to sell your home is to look up some tips and ideas online of how to make your home show better and therefore sell faster. 

Courtesy of New Castle County Realtor Tucker Robbins.

Many times when someone puts their house on the market they are so excited at the possibility of getting their home sold quickly that they lose their bearings a bit when they finally have a serious buyer.  You as the seller need to be sure not to say too much to your potential buyer so that you don’t end up losing the sale before you get it.  Below are a few things you shouldn’t say when selling your home. 

Things You Shouldn't Say When Selling

• Be careful not to tell your potential home buyer  that your house is in top shape and that there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.  You most likely don’t know if your house is in perfect shape and will only know for sure the shape that it is in when the inspector comes to do his or her job.  There is nothing wrong with verbally selling your home to a potential buyer but be careful not to say things unless you know for certain those things are true. 
• Another good thing to keep to yourself when it comes to talking to a potential buyer of your home is exactly how long your home has been on the market.  It is likely that the buyer already knows how long your home has been on the market and if you talk too much about that, they may try to get you to lower your price as a result.  Information about your house that is already in the system doesn’t need to be shared over and over again.  Let the house speak for itself. 
• There is also no need to talk to a potential buyer about how much you spent on remodeling different areas inside the home.  The buyer doesn’t really care how much you spent fixing “x,y,z” , they just want a good and fair price.
• If you talk to your potential buyers and you tell them that you are not willing to negotiate on the price from the start, it is likely that they buyer will shut down and won’t even make an offer.  Always be willing to negotiate and have a set lowest price in your mind and then don’t go below that price. 

Of course your number one priority when trying to sell your home is to sell it, however take a few of these  tips of what not to say to a potential buyer  to heart and you will likely end up with the result you are looking for. 

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtor Tucker Robbins.

Whether you are selling your home or you are looking to buy a home, there are a few things that you need to know to help your home inspection go as well as it possibly can.  Home buyers need to know that the house they are buying is in good shape and home sellers need to be on the up and up when selling their home. When it comes to home inspections there are a few tips that can help the inspection go smoothly and the process be as stress free as possible. 

• If you are selling your home and you have a home inspection on the schedule, do your part to make it easy on the inspector by getting your pets out of the house while he or she is doing the inspection.  Your home inspector may love and adore animals as much as you do but your pets being under their feet during the inspection will not make the job any easier. 
• During a home inspection, typically the potential buyers are inside alone with the inspector and they may want to look around to take one last look at things before making a final decision.  If you want to make a good impression on those potential buyers, you may want to clean up the clutter you have left laying around.  Believe it or not clutter can cause a potential home buyer to walk away without making an offer.
• As a home buyer don’t freak out if the home inspector comes up with a list of things that need to be taken care of in the house.  You need to realize that most houses have some sort of upkeep or maintenance that needs to be taken care of and that inspector’s are known for being nitpicky.   Realize too that most everything can be fixed.  Even the dreaded mold and radon.  Realize as well that home inspectors cannot predict the future and won’t be able to tell you how long something will last; they will just be able to tell you that it needs attention. 

Hopefully these tips will help you out the next time you have a home inspector coming to your home, whether you are selling or buying.  Remember that the home inspector is there to help you not to harm you or to ruin your dreams.

Courtesy of New Castle County Real Estate Expert Tucker Robbins.

If you are thinking of selling your home this spring why not get started on some home improvements so that you can get your house ready to put on the market!  Below are a few ways you can get started on home improvements both inside and out.

• A fresh coat of paint inside your home is a great way to improve the way your home looks and get it ready to put on the market.   Try to keep a neutral theme if you can when painting because you want others to be able to see themselves living in your home and not the other way around.  You will likely be amazed at just how much difference a fresh coat of paint will make to your home. 
• Panting your front door a color that pops is a great way to get awesome curb appeal.  Many folks will love your home simply because it has a red door and it stands out above all the others in the neighborhood.  Use a pop of color on your front door to your advantage when trying to sell your home!
• Pressure washing your home is a great way to make it shine if your home is vinyl siding.  You may have lived in your house so long that you forgot what color your siding actually is until you pressure wash it.  This is another way to have great curb appeal when you put your house on the market. 
• If your house has columns at the front it may be a good time to replace them or at least give them a fresh coat of paint.  Over the years columns tend to expand and crack and make the house look older than it actually is.  Give your home a facelift by taking care of issues like these before you put it on the market.
• Refinishing your hardwoods is another way to make your home look its best.  You can do this yourself or you may want to choose to hire someone to do it for you.  Either way, refinishing your hardwoods is a great home improvement idea!

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Real Estate Expert Tucker Robbins.

You may think that it might be impossible to sell your home while you and your children are living in it, especially if you have a lot of small children.  Selling your home doesn’t have to be a major headache as there are many tips and tricks to get the job done even with the little ones running around making messes everywhere.  Let’s take a look at a few tips on how to sell your home despite the "little people".

• A good idea to get your kids involved in the process of selling your home is to get them to take care of any clutter they may see around the house.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be clutter they created, just any kind of mess that may be lying around will do.  Kids love to feel helpful and what better way to help them feel helpful than to get them to help.  If you have older kids you can perhaps motivate them with a bit of cash to get the job done correctly. 
• You and your kids need to make a plan for when someone comes to tour your home so that you can all get out of the house together and have something fun to do.  When you have a last minute showing you and your children will easily remember that plan and head out together to wherever you have already decided upon.  A good place to go if it is summertime or springtime is the local park; if it’s cold the library might be a good option. 
• Have your children be in charge of packing their own rooms away for the future move.  They can easily pick through their toys and pick out the ones they don’t play with as often and go ahead and pack them away in boxes.  This is also cool to do because once you finally make the big move it will feel like Christmas to them when they open the boxes filled with toys they had forgotten they had. 

Whatever you do, try to make the packing and moving as low key as you possibly can, for your sake as well as your children’s.  Kids can sense when you are upset or stressed about something and then they can upset and stressed.  Do your part to make the transition of selling your home as smooth as possible. 

Courtesy of Wilmington DE Realtor Tucker Robbins.

Although the economy has improved some over the last few years, it doesn’t seem to be getting a whole lot better for most Americans.  A good way to save money is to downsize your home.  This is especially a good idea if you have already raised your family and you and your husband are left paying a mortgage on a home that is too large for you.  Let’s take a look at how downsizing your home will help you to save a bit of money, to live more comfortably as well as some easy ways that you can downsize.

• One easy way to downsize is to look for a home that has a small garage or even no garage at all.  If you and your spouse are living in the home alone and your children are grown it is likely that you don’t have a bunch of stuff to store in a garage.  Buying a home without a garage is a great way to get more house for your money and to downsize your payment. 
• Finding a home without a lot of land is another way to downsize and to save big.  You can find a lot of cute houses on the market these days that don’t have a ton of land with them.  It is also good to find a home without a lot of land if you are older and don’t have the stamina you once had to do all the yard work that is involved with a house with a lot of land attached. 
• Buying a home that is one story is also a good way to downsize and to save when it comes to buying a new home.  Buying a home without stairs is good for when you get older as well because you won’t want to or may not be able to climb them once you get up in years. 
• Realize that you don’t have to give up on the home of your dreams when you downsize.  There are plenty of adorable houses on the market that won’t break your bank account that are 1500 square feet or less.  Don’t let society dictate to you that you need a large house in order to fit in.  There are plenty of upsides to downsizing to a smaller home!

Once you set your mind in the right direction and you realize that you don’t need to have a huge house and that it’s no longer important to “keep up with the Jones’’ you will be well on your way to saving a lot of money.

Courtesy of New Castle County Realtor Tucker Robbins!

Home inspectors are good at their jobs but they are not above missing some things because they are human.   There are several things that home inspectors have been known to miss during a home inspection so you might want to keep your eyes open and pay close attention during the inspection so that you don’t end up having to pay for expensive repairs once you move in to your new home.   A few things that may be missed by your home inspector  are below.

1. Inspectors do not always go over all the bells and whistles of a home and appliances are on the list of things they do not always pay a lot of attention to.  The last thing you want is to move into your new home to find out that you have a leaky dishwasher that needs to be replaced.  If you want to make sure appliances have not been overlooked you may want to check them yourself. 
    
2. Leaky faucets are also things that can be overlooked by home inspectors.  Take your time to walk through your soon to be new home and check the faucets for leaks just in case your inspector may have missed something.   It’s a good idea to check outdoor faucets as well.
    
3. Cracked sewage and drainage pipes might also be something that your inspector doesn’t take a look at and may therefore miss.  It may be worth your while to pay a bit of extra money to have an in depth look at your drainage pipes. 
    
4. Sometimes home inspectors will not pay a lot of attention to decks, porches and balconies.  There can be problems in these areas such as safety issues and cracks that may not arise until right before you make the purchase of the home.  Perhaps a second follow up inspection may be a good idea if you feel that one of these areas may be a potential problem. 

Again, home inspectors are human and they are not above missing some potential problems  with your new home.  Realize this fact before you have your home inspection so that you too can keep your eyes open for any potential problems you see in and around your prospective new home.  Once you move in you will be able to rest assured that you have not bought into a money pit. 

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtor Tucker Robbins!