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5 Ways to Beat Multiple Offers on a Louisville Home

By Family Realty, LLC

If you’re searching for a Louisville Home you know that the reality with this Real Estate market is that you will face the possibility of multiple bidders who will be interested in the same home as you.

Although facing multiple bidders may have been a problem in the past for some people, you can successfully buy a home during the 2015 Real Estate market by following these simple tips.

Tip #1 – KNOW the Exact Louisville Home You Are Searching For

Before starting your home search make sure you know the exactly Louisville Home you are searching for, because, this will eliminate any delays with finding a home and insure that you have plenty of homes which match your search criteria.

Tip #2 – Hire a Great Local Real Estate Agent

Although it’s important to hire a Realtor ®, make sure you don’t hire just any agent, your Real Estate agent should be someone who is experienced with buying and selling homes in Louisville and really knows the local market well.

Tip #3 – Confirm That You Are Financially Ready

Besides having at least 20 percent saved for a down payment on a Louisville Home, make sure that you also are financially ready to buy a home by confirming your credit score and getting pre-approved for a mortgage loan.

Tip #4 – Take Action

When your agent calls to tell you that there are one or more Louisville Homes which have recently come to market you should take action on those homes by scheduling appointments to go and see them, then if one of the homes meets your criteria you should submit and offer fast.

Taking action during the 2015 Real Estate market is the difference between buying a home quickly and still looking for homes three months from now.

Tip #5 – Be Flexible With the Seller

Last of all, but most important, when you finally do submit an offer on a Louisville Home don’t hesitate to show the seller that you’re flexible with them by removing conditions from your offer or telling the seller that you will be glad to rent back the home to them for 30 to 60 days if they are not able to move out quickly after they sell their home to you.

Buy a Louisville Home

To get started with buying a Louisville Home contact Family Realty, LLC today by CLICKING HERE or calling us at (502) 458-4100.

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What to Do If You’re Selling Your Louisville Home This Summer

By Family Realty, LLC

So you’re planning on selling your Louisville Home this summer.

This is an awesome decision to make since you will be selling your home at the top of the market and also have the unique opportunity of taking advantage of summer buyers.

In this article we will share with you what you should do to get your home ready for sale this summer.

Step 1 – Price Your Louisville Home Right

Yes, there’s going to be a lot of buyer interest this summer but you still have to price your Louisville home for sale right.

When pricing your home make sure you choose one of the three options:

  1. Price it at market value.
  2. Price your home above market value – Example: If your home is worth $150,000 you should consider pricing it at $175,000.
  3. Let the market determine the value – A good way to do this is to price your home just below its market value. Example: if your home in Louisville is worth $125,000 you should price it at $125,000 because, this will generate a lot of buyer interest and possible multiple offers too.

Step 2 – Clean Those Windows!

One of the first things buyers will do upon arrival at your home is to look out the windows and if they are dirty, every buyer will wonder what else might be wrong with your home.

To avoid this window it’s best to clean all windows before buyers arrive and make sure the windows in your home are functional just in case someone wants to open them.

Step 3 – Clean And Stage Your Pool or Spa

Last of all, but most important, if your Louisville home has a pool or spa you should clean and stage those areas because, on hot days every buyer who visits your home will envision themselves enjoying their time in the pool or spa on a hot summer day.

To stage these areas make sure that you have plenty of patio furniture in your backyard available, your grill, and of course pool toys for adults and children to enjoy themselves.

Sell Your Louisville Home

For more information on how to sell your Louisville Home this summer contact Family Realty, LLC today by calling us at (502) 458-4100 or click here to connect with us online.

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What are The “Must Have’s” For the Master Bathroom in a Louisville Home?

By Family Realty, LLC

Does your home have a master bathroom? If so, we will share with you the must haves you should consider adding to the master bathroom in your Louisville Home.

#1 – Storage

Even though you have a master bathroom it’s important to make sure that it also has plenty of storage for you to easily store all of your essential bathroom items.

If your bathroom doesn’t currently have storage, consider adding storage underneath your bathroom sink or over the toilet so you can capitalize on these two often unused areas plus utilize storage racks to insure that your bathroom storage is used efficiently.

#2 – Two Person Sink

Two person sinks are also known as “Jack and Jill” sinks because, this means that two people can use the bathroom to brush their teeth, or get ready in the morning if needed. This is an important element you should consider adding to your bathroom because it will also help to increase the value of your home as well.

#3 – Great Lighting

Besides having excellent lighting at the bathroom sink, your master bathroom should also have plenty of overhead lighting which can be lowered at a moment’s notice to create a relaxing atmosphere.

#4 – Easy To Clean

Although it’s important to have a well-lit bathroom which also is two person compatible, you also want to have a master bathroom which is easy to clean and maintain. Choose furnishings that look stylish but can easily be cleaned at a moment’s notice as well.

#5 – Natural Light

Last of all, but most important, your master bathroom must have plenty of natural light. Consider redesigning the design of your master bathroom to take advantage of that natural light because, this will make your master bath space even more relaxing if used during the day time.

Buy a Louisville Home

To learn more tips you should use to create a master bathroom with lots of “must have’s” contact Family Realty, LLC today by calling us at (502) 458-4100 or CLICK HERE.

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4 Ways To TURN OFF A Louisville Home Buyer

By Family Realty, LLC

So you’re planning on selling your home; this is fantastic news but, before you move forward with listing your home for sale make sure you don’t make the mistake of turning off Louisville home buyers who have showed an interest in your home.

#1 – Dirty House

One of the biggest things that will turn off home buyers is a dirty house.

Before you list your home for sale make sure you clean your home on the inside and outside.

Tip – Focus on cleaning the windows to your home thoroughly because, buyers who look through dirty windows will wonder what else may be wrong with your home.

#2 – Odors

Besides dirty homes, a smelly house is also another major turn off for buyers as well.

Cooking smells are acceptable but the smells which most often turn off buyers are pet smells since most people don’t like to have pets in their homes even if they currently own pets.

Tip – When your home is listed for sale make sure you don’t cook fried food because, greasy or fried food smells are more difficult to get out of a home.

#3 – Old Fixtures

Another big thing most home buyers classify as a “turn off’ is a home with old fixture like: lighting, cabinet hardware or bathroom fixtures.

You may love retro items but if the fixtures in your home look old, they will make home buyers think that your Louisville Home is a lot older than it really is.

#4 – Wallpaper

Last of all, but most important is wallpaper.

Most buyers hate wallpaper, especially if it was hung in the 1970’s, so if you’re serious about selling your home it’s best to remove all wallpaper from your home so you paint the walls in each room of your home neutral colors.

Sell Your Louisville Home

To get started with selling your Louisville Home contact me today by calling (502) 458-4100 or click here to connect with us online.  

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Louisville Kentucky Median Home Price – June 2015

By Family Realty, LLC

What is the Median Home Price for a Louisville Kentucky home?

As of June 2015 the median home price for a home in Louisville Kentucky is $145,000 (Trulia) and this represents an increase of roughly 10 percent or $12,500 when compared to the previous quarter

Home Prices Continue Moving Up

What’s great about the recent increase in the median home price for a Louisville Home is that home prices have also increased by close to 4 percent in the last year alone or 11.9 percent in the last five years.

Average Listing Price

In Louisville Kentucky the average listing price for a Louisville home is $227,971, an increase of close to 2 percent compared to the previous week.

Popular Neighborhoods in Louisville

Right now some of the most popular neighborhoods in Louisville include: Crescent Hills, Old Louisville, Chickasaw, Clifton Heights, Bon Air and Old Louisville.

The Right Time to Buy a Louisville Home is now

If you’ve been thinking about buying a home in Louisville Kentucky don’t let talk of home inventory stop you from buying the home that you really want.

Click here to search for homes online, email Family Realty, LLC here or call us for a free buyer consultation by calling us at (502) 458-4100.

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3 Tips for Pressure Washing Your Louisville Home before Listing It for Sale

By Family Realty, LLC

If you’re planning on selling your Louisville Home in the coming months one of the very best things you can do to get your home ready for sale is to pressure wash it.

Pressure washing a home is an effective step at removing months or years of dirt from the exterior of a home and get it ready for new exterior paint or cleaner for when prospective home buyers arrive.

Tip 1 – Safety First

Since you may be renting a gas powered pressure washer you should shut off the power to your home to prevent possible electrocution and keep yourself safe when you are washing your home.

Before you start pressure washing your Louisville Home you should close all doors and windows then use electrical outlet covers to cover up and outdoor electrical outlets because you don’t want to get those wet.

Once you start your pressure washer up you will then wan to focus on staying at least 10 inches or more away from the surface of your home to insure that the force from the water doesn’t cause any siding to come off.

Tip 2 – When to Use a Pressure Washer

Since a pressure washer can be difficult to use its best to use one on days when there isn’t a lot of wind or outside distractions.

Tip 3 – About Pressure Washers

Start pressure washing your Louisville home with a wide fan on the pressure washing nozzle or 15-25 degrees then 1500 dpi as your pressure.

No matter which side of your home you may be pressure washing make sure you start washing the top of your home so that the dirt falls downward.

Always be mindful to use low pressure when washing your Louisville home, especially on windows, because, you can easily clean the exterior of your home without causing damage.

Buy a Louisville Home

To get started with buying a Louisville Home contact us today by calling (502) 458-4100 or CLICK HERE.

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5 Tips for Selling a Home during a Sellers-Market in Louisville

By Family Realty, LLC

LOUISVILLE – Are you planning on selling your Louisville Home? If so, there’s never been a better time than right now to sell thanks to low mortgage interest rates and high demand, both factors which classify the 2015 Real Estate market as a sellers-market.

In today’s article we will offer you 5 tips you can use to successfully sell your home during a sellers’ market.

Tip 1 – Get Your Louisville Home Ready For Sale

Preparing your home for sale involves cleaning it thoroughly, de-cluttering, painting (if needed) and staging your Louisville Home for sale.

Tip – When staging your home always remember that less is more so don’t hesitate to box up most of your personal items since you will be moving soon anyway.

Tip 2 – Go Live Thursday Night

By having your home listing go live on Thursday night it will be ready for homebuyers to review first thing on Friday morning and it’s going to be a busy weekend since there will be many people who will be searching for homes for sale and contacting your agent to schedule showings.

Step 3 – Don’t Show Your Home to Everyone

Although it’s tempting to show your home to every home buyer you should consider limiting some showings, or having multiple buyers view your home at the same time because, this could increase the competition between buyers when they realize that more than one buyer is showing an interest in the home.

Step 4 – Start with a Slightly Lower Price

Ask your Louisville Real Estate Agent to price your home slightly below your asking price since this will draw the attention of buyers who feel that they are getting a great deal on a home and increase multiple offers because some buyers will feel like they have a little “wiggle room” to go over your asking price.

Step 5 – Choose One Day and Time for Offer Review

After you start receiving offers make sure you tell buyers that you will review their offers on one specific day and time so they will know when they can expect a response from you regarding if their offer was accepted or not.

Contact Family Realty, LLC

For more tips on how to sell your home during a sellers-market contact Family Realty, LLC today by calling us at (502) 458-4100 or CLICK HERE to connect with us online. 

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3 Easy Ways to Erase Wood Scratches from the Floors of Your Louisville Home

By Family Realty

Over the last 10 years one of the biggest trends that Louisville Home buyers have been searching for is homes with wood floors.

Although wood floors are beautiful in homes the reality is that they can easily get scratched due to day to day living and can sometimes be expensive to refinish and or replace.

In this post we will share with you 3 easy ways you can erase scratches from the wood floors of your Louisville Home yourself.

#1 – “Camouflage” Scratches

One of the easiest ways to remove scratches from the floors of your Louisville Home is to cover up those scratches using crayons, oil pastels or sharpie pens which match the grain or color of the floor which surrounds the scratch.

You can also buy a stain marker which is made by companies like Minwax because, stain markers come with stain and urethane included in the stain marker.

#2 – Create Your Own Homemade Floor Polish

Use equal parts of vinegar and olive oil to remove dirt and grime from the wood floors in your Louisville Home then pour the solution on one or more of the scratches, wait 24 hours then wipe off and or repeat the process until the scratch is no longer visible.

#3 – Use Steel Wool And Fine Grain Sand Paper For Light Scratches

If the floors in your home have light scratches you should use steel wool or fine grain sand paper to remove light scratches from the wood then wet a rag with mineral spirits to wipe over the area of the floor where the scratches once were to clean the area thoroughly.

What Is Your Louisville Home Worth?

To get started with finding out what your Louisville Home is really worth contact Family Realty, LLC today by calling us at (502) 458-4100 or CLICK HERE.

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3 Easy DIY Projects for Your Louisville Home for Under $300 Each

By Family Realty, LLC

LOUISVILLE – Summer is perfect time of year because thanks to longer days we have more time to spend outside and if you plan on selling your Louisville Home in the coming months you can use that extra time to increase the value of your home with one of these simple DIY projects.

Garden Arbor

Tools needed – Screwdriver, cordless screw driver, tape measure and hammer.

Time – Between 3 and 6 hours

Cost - $200 to $300

Tip – Choose a climbing plant like a rose bush or fragrant plant for your arbor because, you can literally have those plants grow and climb your arbor over time.

Garden arbors are especially easy to install and they look fantastic especially if you use them as an entry point to your lawn or garden.

Most garden arbors come in ready to assemble kits and typically are about seven feet high and between three and four feet wide.

Window Awnings

With the summer heat it literally pays to install window awnings on your Louisville Home because this will help you to use your air conditioner less and they will also help your home to be more energy efficient at the same time.

Tip – Install window awnings on south and west facing windows.

Tools Needed – Adjustable wrench, cordless drill, tape measure, hammer and drill.

Time – 1 to 2 hours per awning.

Cost - $150 to $200 per awning kit.

Air Conditioner Condenser Screen

Another great renovation which you can easily add to your Louisville Home is an air conditioner condenser screen.

Tools Needed – Hammer, screw drivers, saw and wood working tools.

Time – 2 hours or more depending on if you buy a kit or build an A/C screen yourself.

Cos - $100 or less

A/C screens are an easy DIY fix because you can easily build one out of used fencing materials or purchase a ready-made kit online.

Cover that ugly air conditioner condenser with an attractive A/C screen and keep you’re A/C running this summer when buyers come to view your Louisville home

Sell Your Louisville Home

To get started with selling your Louisville Home contact us today by calling (502) 458-4100 or click here.

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7 Terms Every Louisville Home Buyer Should Know

By Family Realty, LLC

LOUISVILLE – Buying a Louisville Home is an exciting experience for sure but you will hear a lot of terms that might seem unfamiliar or strange to you if you’ve never heard them before.

In this post we will cover seven terms you need to know in order to be better educated when buying a Louisville Home.

#1 – Adjustable Rate Mortgage

Also known as ARM, an adjustable rate mortgage is a mortgage loan that has an interest rate which can change over a period of months or years depending on current economic conditions.

#2 – Closing Costs

These are the fees you can expect to pay when buying a home. You can expect to pay closing costs to your inspector, attorney, surveyor and title insurance company. Most closing costs will range anywhere from 3 percent to 6 percent of a Louisville home purchase price so it’s best to confirm all closing costs BEFORE you commit to purchasing a home.

#3 – Down Payment

This Real Estate term refers to the amount of money you are expected to put down when you buy a Louisville home. Most down payments range from 5 percent to 20 percent of a home’s purchase price.

#4 – Escrow

Your escrow will be a third party (account) which will protect money you have decided to use on your down payment rather than paying that money directly to the seller.

#5 – Principal

Principal is the money you are borrowing (mortgage loan) to buy the home. Your principal amount will end up being more over time due to interest.

#6 – Private Mortgage Insurance

Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) is something you will have to deal with when you don’t put down 20 percent of a home’s purchase price. You can expect to pay private mortgage insurance as a monthly fee over time but the good news is that PMI will cancel once you have a specific amount of equity in your home.

#7 – Interest

Last of all, but most important, interest is defined as the charge which you can expect to pay for the money that you want to borrow.

You can expect higher or lower interest due to your credit and financial history.

Buy a Louisville Home

To get started with buying a Louisville Home, or to view Louisville Homes for sale, contact Family Reality, LLC today by calling us at (502) 458-4100 or CLICK HERE.

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Why an Empty Louisville Home Won’t Sell Fast

By Family Realty, LLC

LOUISVILLE – Are you thinking about selling your Louisville Home but aren’t sure if you should stage it to sell or not?

In this article we will share with you three problems which come from not staging a home, and a simple strategy you can use to stage your home for sale.

Problem #1 – An Empty Home Will Amplify Negative Thoughts

One of the first things a home buyer will do when they enter an empty Louisville Home is have more negative thoughts about the home compared to positive thoughts.

Home staging is an effective way to eliminate the negative thoughts a buyer might have and help them to focus on the positive aspects of your home like: square feet, bedrooms, bathrooms and outdoor space.

Problem #2 – Empty Homes Lack Vision

Did you know that the biggest problem which comes from not staging a Louisville Home is lack of vision?

If you’ve completely moved out of your home by the time buyers arrive it will be more difficult for buyers to envision themselves living there, especially if they won’t be able to see how the home will flow, or how furniture can be used to improve the space.

Problem #3 – Homes That Aren’t Staged Have No Emotion

Last of all, but most important to know is that homes which are not staged lack emotion.

People buy homes based on emotion and if they can’t see themselves living in your home they will be more inclined to check out another Louisville Home which is staged and has plenty of character.

How to Get Started With Staging Your Louisville Home

To get started with staging your Louisville home to sell you should do the following:

  1. Clean your home thoroughly.
  2. De-clutter your home and move all un-used items to a storage facility or to your garage.
  3. Start staging each room in your home one room at a time by removing excessive or oversized furniture to emphasize the space each room offers.

“A staged home may seem like it has furniture that’s fixed in place; but what is going on in the buyer’s mind is a very kinetic process. With a home that is staged, they see a family – celebrating home.” –Julea Joseph

Now that you’ve learned the problems which come from not staging a home before listing it, and a simple way to get started with staging your home to sell, you will be able to sell your home quicker than other Louisville Homes in the area.

Contact Family Realty, LLC

To learn more tips on how to stage your home to sell contact Family Realty, LLC today by CLICKING HERE or calling us at (5020 458-4100.

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Buying a Louisville Home? Don’t Make These Costly Mistakes

By Family Realty, LLC

Are you planning on buying a Louisville Home? If so, you’re not alone.

Now is a great time to buy a home, and you can have the advantage over other home buyers by avoiding these costly home buying mistakes.

Mistake #1 – Overestimating the Home You Can Afford

Just because you’ve been prequalified for a certain amount of money that doesn’t mean you will really be able to afford the home you want to purchase.

Before saying yes to buy a home make sure that you will be able to afford paying the closing costs, which could amount to $4,000 or more.

Besides closing costs you should also confirm that you will be able to afford your monthly mortgage payment on top of your other housing costs.

Mistake #2 – Getting Emotional When Buying a Louisville Home

If you can afford to buy the Louisville Kentucky home you really want, the next step is to also set the maximum price you’re willing to pay for that home, so you don’t go over budget and pay more for the home than you originally planned.

Mistake #3 – Not Planning For the Future

Last of all, but most important, one of the biggest mistakes you can make when buying a Louisville Kentucky home is not planning for the future.

Plan for the future when buying a Louisville home by answering these questions:

  1. Is the home located in a great school district?
  2. Does the home have a minimum of 3 bedrooms?
  3. Did you have the home inspected by a qualified and experienced home inspector?
  4. Will the home need work before you can move in? If so, how much work?

All of these questions will affect the resale value of your home and insure that you’ve make a smart investment.

Contact Family Realty

To get started with buying a Louisville Kentucky home contact Family Realty, LLC today by CLICKING HERE or calling us at (502) 458-4100.

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