The last two months of the new normal stay at home has led many homeowners to rethink the way they live in their home.  It has now become an office for working at home; a school for children; a gym to stay in shape; and a place for recreation.

The repurposing has people evaluating whether their home still meets their needs or if some changes are necessary.  In some cases, adult children have moved back home, and, in others, there are parents who have moved in for the first time.

Staying at home and sheltering in place is necessary but how much togetherness can one family take and how long is it going to last?  Temporary is stretching into longer than expected and even when vaccines and treatments are discovered, will things really go back to the way they were?

A home is a place to call your own; to raise your family, share with your friends and to feel safe and secure.  Covid-19 has changed the scope of feeling safe and secure at home and may now be considered a sanctuary of safety more than ever before.

Many of the chief economists in the country feel that real estate will likely lead the country out of this recession.  The housing market is experiencing low inventory and has for almost a decade.  Building has not kept up with demand and prices of existing homes have continued to go up; 8% over last year.  

With 30-year mortgage rates at close to 3.25% and prices expected to continue to rise, an investment in a home can fit your needs and show returns in satisfaction, comfort, enjoyment, and monetary value.
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If you are going to be spending more time in your home for all the reasons mentioned, maybe now is the time to consider finding a home that better suits your needs. It can be done in a responsible and safe manner using an online meeting with your real estate professional.  Find out what is available and what the process entails to protect you and your family.

The convenience of selling your home without the hassle of getting it ready, putting it on the market, showings, open houses, negotiations and repairs comes at a cost ... a significant part of your equity. 

The companies, referred to as iBuyers, that buy homes from sellers are for-profit organizations.  They expect to make a profit from sellers who are willing to discount the proceeds they'll realize as an alternative to the conventional method of selling a home for people who need a quick sale.

The promotions for these companies generally state that you can receive a cash offer in a few minutes after putting your address online.  The discount can be between 10 to 18% compared to normal selling costs from 6 to 9%.  The cost to a person with a $100,000 equity could be as much as ten thousand dollars.

Even after you have accepted an offer, there can be contingencies in the contract that allow the company to inspect the home to discover the condition and reassess the offer to possibly make even more deductions.  If the seller isn't willing to accept them, the buyer can withdraw from the sale without penalty.

This appears on the surface to be a friendly, accommodating service but it can be an adversarial situation.  The seller wants to maximize their proceeds and the buyer wants to buy it as cheap as possible.

Compare this to working directly with a real estate professional acting as your agent.  They have to put your interests above their own.  They have a fiduciary duty of care, integrity, honesty and loyalty in their dealings with you.  Other duties include confidentiality, disclosure, obedience and accounting to the seller.

In this traditional model, your agent will provide you with the facts of what homes have sold for in the area and their opinion and recommendations on what the most likely sales price will be.  Your agent will provide you an estimate of the sales expenses based on different sales possibilities.
 
They can advise you on work to be done prior to putting the home on the market, staging so your home will show at its best and estimate the time it will be on the market.  Based on low inventories in some price ranges, it could be surprisingly short.

As an owner, you made an investment in your home in cash and maintenance.  You are entitled to maximize your proceeds based on the risk taken to purchase a home instead of renting.  The convenience of a quick offer has a cost to it.  You need to compare the two alternatives to see which one benefits you the most based on your individual situation.

For more information, download the Sellers Guide.

The deadline for challenging your property tax assessment this year may be later than normal due to the stay at home orders but when you are notified, you'll want to be ready to decide whether you can save some money on property taxes this year.

There are two elements that determine the amount of property taxes you'll pay for the year: the assessment of value and the property tax rate.  Both determinations occur long before the property tax statement is sent.

Property owners are notified in writing what their assessed value is for the year.  It is estimated that most owners don't challenge that value even though it could lower their tax bill.  Not all appeals are successful, but many homeowners believe that it is worth the effort to try.  Procedures for challenging the assessment are generally included with the letter and a deadline for filing the challenge.

An initial step is to determine the accuracy of the information on your property's record such as market value and square footage.  If the record shows a higher square footage than actual, it can cause the value to be higher than it should be.  Even though it may not be required, an appraisal could be proof of actual square footage that shows the square footage and value by an independent party.

Recent comparable sales are used by assessors to determine market value of a property but are usually not identified in the property record.  Property owners can research comparable sales that indicate a lower value and submit them to the assessor's office either informally or in a challenge hearing.

It is important that the properties proposed to establish the value of the subject property are recent, comparable in size, condition, amenities and in the same area. 

There are companies who will represent the owner to lower their assessment.  The fee charged is usually a percentage of the taxes that are saved.  It is not a complicated procedure and can be very gratifying to make the effort.
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Your real estate professional can be a valuable source of information and experience to guide you through the process.  Call me at  for more information and a list of comparable sales.