Selling Your Home? Be Ready to Spring into Spring
LOUISIANA REALTORS • March 12, 2018
After a strange winter that was actually filled with snow, ice, and frigid temperatures; spring is being welcomed even more than usual, and not just for baseball games and crawfish boils. Warm temperatures and sunshine aside, this is the time of the year when prospective homebuyers come out of hibernation. If you are planning on selling your home, this is the time of the year to make sure it is ready to be shown, and ready to shine. Here are 5 tips for preparing your home for a spring sale.
Take Care of Small Repairs and Maintenance
While you have a home inspection done before any sale is finalized, it’s a good idea to take care of some of the more minor repairs you may have been putting off before your house goes on the market. If a prospective buyer notices something small, it can give them the impression that there are larger issues looming. Tightening knobs and handles, replacing light bulbs, and fixing a small leak can all pay major dividends.
Clean the Outside of Your Home
Curb appeal is a major factor when it comes to selling your home. This will be the first and most important impression for anyone considering purchasing your home. Cleaning out your gutters, pressure washing, and adding a fresh coat of paint are well helpful ways to ensure you put your best foot forward.
Address Your Landscaping
Likewise, the landscaping
around your home can be a great visual enhancement. Seed any bare spots in your lawn, keep it freshly mowed, trim bushes, weed, and plant some fresh, bright flowers.
Update and Refresh Your Front Door
Make your front door pop. Adding a fresh coat of paint, possibly a color that compliments and contrasts with the rest of your home, and replacing old and worn out door numbers can make for an inviting entrance.
De-clutter and De-personalize
Buyers want to be able to visualize their stuff in your home. You can make this easier by de-cluttering and de-personalizing as much as possible. Not only will this make the space appear bigger, but it will easily allow visitors to mentally envision this home as theirs. Removing any knickknacks, photos, refrigerator magnets, and other items like excess and bulky furniture can go a long way in selling your home.
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Lastly, once these and other items are taken care of, hire a REALTOR®. Your REALTOR® will make sure your best interests are protected, as well provide great insight, expertise, and resources for the sale of your home.
From the Louisiana Department of Insurance: During a press conference today with Governor Jeff Landry, Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple announced that registration for the next round of the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program (LFHP) will open at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 1, and will include 3,000 grants. The registration period for this lottery will be open for three weeks, closing at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 19. During the press conference, Gov. Landry signed HB 1187 by Rep. Paul Sawyer, which will allow Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation to transfer $50 million in additional Katrina bond assessment funds to the LFHP. Combined with the $30 million in funding the program will receive through taxes and fees on insurance entities, the LFHP will receive a total of $80 million this year. “By lowering overall losses, we can reduce insurance and reinsurance costs, draw more insurers into the market, motivate existing companies to write additional policies and lower insurance premiums,” said Commissioner Temple. “That is exactly what the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program is designed to do.” The list of coastal parishes that are eligible to participate is expanding to include Acadia, Jefferson Davis and Lafayette parishes. Additionally, homeowners who live in the portions of Ascension, Calcasieu, Iberia, Livingston, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Vermilion parishes that were previously not included in the program will now be eligible to participate. A map showing the full list of eligible parishes is available on FortifyHomes.La.Gov . “Louisiana is the fastest growing state in the country for Fortified roofs, and that growth is not by accident—it is the result of strong support from Governor Landry and legislators like Chairman Talbot, Chairman Firment and Representative Sawyer, targeted program design, and a clear recognition that strengthening homes is one of the most effective ways to reduce insurance losses,” said Commissioner Temple. “At the end of the day, this program is about more than just roofs. It is about protecting families, it is about strengthening communities, and it is about putting Louisiana in a stronger position—both physically and economically—to face the challenges ahead.” To participate in the lottery, homeowners must register during the June registration period. Homeowners who registered for a previous round but were not selected must register again to participate. People who register on the last day of the registration period have the same chance of being selected as those who register on the first day, so there is no need to rush to register as soon as the period opens. When registering, homeowners will need to upload their homestead exemption, insurance policy declarations page that includes wind coverage, and flood insurance declarations page if the residence is in a flood zone. Homeowners who need assistance obtaining a copy of their homestead exemption should contact their parish tax assessor. Homeowners can contact their homeowners and flood insurance companies or agents for a copy of their policy declarations page. Homeowners are required to create a profile in the LFHP system before registering for the lottery and may do so by visiting the LFHP website and clicking the Login button. Homeowners who previously created a profile may use the same one for this and future rounds. Once the lottery registration period closes, the LFHP will randomly select 3,000 participants and send email notifications to registrants about whether they were selected to participate. These selection notices will be sent via email beginning on Monday, June 22. There are several program requirements that homeowners should be aware of before registering. Those interested in the program are encouraged to review eligibility information and frequently asked questions at FortifyHomes.La.Gov to determine whether their home meets the requirements for the program. If selected to participate in the grant program, homeowners will be financially responsible for having the home evaluated by a FORTIFIED-certified Evaluator as well as costs for the roof upgrade including permits, inspections and construction costs beyond the amount of the grant The LFHP provides grants of up to $10,000 for homeowners to upgrade their roofs to standards set by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. The program helps Louisiana homeowners strengthen their roofs to better withstand hurricane-force winds.
Learn how to lower your debt-to-income ratio before buying a home in Louisiana and why working with an experienced real estate agent can help.
NAR is pleased to share the latest new consumer guide, “Overcoming Roadblocks to a Sale or Purchase,” which helps buyers and sellers prepare for the most common potential pitfalls so their transaction closes smoothly. As a reminder, all guides in this series are available for download—in both English and Spanish—on facts.realtor . Please allow up to two weeks for the Spanish version of the latest resource to be translated and uploaded. For ease of reference, below is a list of the most recent guides: NEW: Overcoming Roadblocks to a Sale or Purchase How Solar Impacts a Real Estate Transaction Navigating Interest Rate Shifts Financing a Renovation When You Buy Staging Your House for a Sale Thank you for your continued engagement with the “Consumer Guide” series and for sharing the resources with prospective clients to ensure they have the information they need to find success in their home buying or selling journey. Remember that these guides are for informational purposes only and are not meant to enact or change any existing NAR policy. On June 3, we’ll have a new consumer guide on unpacking after a move and a refreshed guide in the value of MLS.
