Asifa Zia -The Realtor YOU want

  Before you dive into a home renovation project, think about the goal - are you looking to add long-term functionality now, or just make improvements that will help you sell for more? If selling is in your future, you could spend the next few weeks renovating your home to make it look better, but are you really getting the best ROI? As a homeowner, you want the best ROI. What you don’t necessarily need are the biggest bucks—instead, you want to invest in improvements that give you the most bang for your buck. "The higher the resale price, the more profit you can make and the less of a renovation project you'll have to undertake." If you don't sell it soon after, it may be hard to get top dollar for it and you might end up with a big renovation bill.  The right simple home renovation is a great investment in your future. If you’re looking to get top dollar when selling your home in the future, there are some renovations that'll give you the highest ROI. We'll

  We all know that big home renovation projects can come with twists and turns, but it’s become downright scary for many in our area as labor shortages, supply shortages, and price increases have caused both major delays and cost hikes.  Across the country, homeowners are facing all kinds of chilling challenges in their projects.   In the most extreme cases, contractors accept deposits of thousands of dollars, begin work, and then mysteriously disappear.  Other times, a two week delivery window for materials or appliances suddenly becomes 10-12 weeks, leaving your home or backyard a construction zone for months.   With remodeling nightmares on the rise, we decided to dive into the real horror stories out there to put our collective supply delays in perspective and pass the time.  Here are a few of the spookiest stories we found:    1. Take The Money and Run  “In 2015, we were in talks with a contractor about redoing part of our kitchen. Then our house burned down in a wildfire. A week

  Winter is here, and its time to start prepping your home for all kinds of crazy weather. The snowy cold and wet weather can be disastrous for the homes. Damage caused by ice and water can b very costly to repair. Its better to prepare your homes ahead of the weather, and save on those costs. Here are some of the things you can do: 1. Inspect your roof, 2. Check all your gutters that they are all clean, and not clogged, 3. Test your sump pump to make sure that it is running and get a backup battery pack if you need, 4. Get your dryer vent cleaned,  5. Check your doors and windows for air leaks, Seal all the leaky windows and doors, you will see a big saving in your utility bill.  6. Turn off your outdoor faucets and make sure your outdoor pipes are insulated, to avoid frozen pipelines.  7. Have your fireplace and chimney inspected. 8. Protect your lawn furniture and store away your lawn equipment. 9. Have your furnace inspected, to make sure everything is running smoothly, and ready f

Market often have questions about the importance of getting a home appraisal and an inspection. That’s because high buyer demand and  low housing supply  are driving intense competition and leading some buyers to consider waiving those contingencies to stand out in the crowded market. But is that the best move? Buying a home is one of the most  important  transactions in your lifetime, and  it’s critical to keep your best interests in mind.  Here’s a breakdown of what to expect from the appraisal and the inspection, and why each one can potentially save you a lot of time, money, and headaches down the road. Home Appraisal The home  appraisal  is a critical step for securing a mortgage on your home. As  Home Light  explains: “. . . lenders typically require an appraisal to ensure that your loan-to-value ratio falls within their underwriting guidelines. Mortgages are secured loans where the lender uses your home as collateral in case you default on the agreed-upon payments.” Put simply:

Finally there is good news for the home buyers, they can expect more home inventory and this more choices in Fall 2021. In the residential real estate market, trends generally follow a predictable and seasonal pattern. Typically, the number of homes available for sale (or active monthly listings) peaks in the fall. If we look at the active monthly listings for 2021 , we’ll see that the number of homes on the market has increased fairly steadily since spring this year. New  data from realtor.com  shows that the number of homes available for sale inched up 5.7% in August. That follows 8.8% and 10.4% inventory gains, respectively, in June and July. Since bottoming out this spring, inventory is up 30%.  The  realtor.com  data  shows we’re still seeing an increase in active inventory month-over-month. While that gain is a bit smaller month-to-month , September numbers are still up from the month prior. The buyers faced challenges like bidding wars, multiple offer situations, and not much of