Category Money Tips

How to Find a Home in ID

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Idaho has some of the best potatoes in the world, but it has more to offer than just that. It’s also dubbed the Gem State, with over 70 precious and semi-precious stones found within its bedrock and streams. The real gems of Idaho are its national parks, friendly people, and a range of real estate deals for buyers looking to maximize value without breaking the bank.

Finding an amazing home in Idaho is easy if you know what to look for and have the top tools and professionals on your side.

What to Look for in an Idaho Home

In Idaho, you can have your pick of beautiful homes and properties with stunning natural backdrops. To narrow down your list, you may want to keep a few things in mind.

Proximity to Employment

The capital of Idaho, Boise, is a major draw for many homebuyers due to its impressive list of corporate and boutique employment opportunities. If you’ve already landed a job at a powerhouse like Boise’s Micron, Hewlett-Packard, Clearwater, IDACORP, or St. Luke’s you will want to look for a home in or around the Boise area. If you haven’t scored a job yet, being close to the city can only help your search and prospects.

With the Homie app, you can narrow down your search using the city or town of your current or future job. Whether you are looking in Boise’s Bench or North End, Garden City, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Kuna or some other area, you can find what you are looking for. You can then collaborate with a Homie agent to decide which homes you may want to make an offer on in Boise.

The Lot the Home Sits On

Even though much of Idaho’s real estate sits on predictable, easy-to-manage land, in some cases, a property could have hidden issues. Keep an eye out for the following when evaluating where your home sits:

  • Setback regulations that may limit where and if you can put on an addition
  • Easements put in place that may limit what you can do
  • How fences, hedges, trees, and other things at the edges of the property sit in relation to the actual, registered boundaries of the lot

Check the Available Utilities

Particularly in the more rural areas of Idaho, you will want to double-check the utilities at your disposal. In the more urban sections of the state, you may have multiple options for handling sewage, as well as heating your home. However, other parts of the state have far fewer choices. It’s best to decide ahead of time how you will deal with:

  • A septic system instead of a town sewer
  • Limited heating fuel options—and the extra expense that may involve
  • Getting a back-up energy source in case there’s a blackout due to a storm and crews are delayed in fixing it

In most cases, any inconveniences can be overcome with a little planning. The more rural sections of Idaho more than make up for it with their natural beauty.

Energy Efficiency

Idaho’s temps can dip below zero degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and push the mercury above 100 degrees in the summer months. To keep comfy, whether you want to be cozy or cool, it’s important to try to find a home that’s energy-efficient. Focus on both the insulation and the mechanical system.

If there’s no information available for the insulation used in the home, you can often gauge its efficiency based on the thickness of the walls. Two-by-six construction tends to be better at maintaining inside temps than two-by-four walls. Likewise, single-pane windows allow more heat loss or gain than a modern dual pane window filled with argon. A quick trip to the attic can reveal the kind of insulation between the roof and living spaces below.

The Importance of Using an Agent

Enlisting the assistance of a Homie agent can make the buying process easier and save you thousands of dollars, not to mention peace of mind. Here are some of the top advantages of using a Homie agent instead of trying to DIY your home purchase.

Getting the Best Deal

Making the right offer is a fine art and skill. Often, a homebuyer may have a number they think reflects the value of the home, but even a thoughtful figure may be skewed by a number of subjective factors. With an agent from Homie, you’ll get a dedicated professional that knows the local area, how its prices have fluctuated over the years, and how well homes tend to hold value.

A local agent from Homie also knows how long properties tend to stay on the market in a given area, as well as the infrastructure and municipal projects in the works that may influence the value—present or future—or a home. With this store of data and insights, a Homie agent can help you nail the best offer and earn you a great deal.

Work With Experienced Professionals

When you work with Homie, you not only get to work with some of the top agents, but Homie also helps you find the best providers for all your needs through Homie Marketplace. The Marketplace is a list of partners that we know do amazing work in things like home inspections, warranties, and moving services.

Finding trusted professionals for each part of the home buying process is essential. A good home inspector will tell you what types of repairs your potential home needs. This important information to have so your agent can help you negotiate a fair price.

You’ll also want a good home warranty to protect against any unexpected issues that might come up after you move in. Instead of hunting all over the place to find each of the providers you need, our Homie team will help connect you with the right people.

Familiarity With Legal and Paperwork Requirements

There’s a lot more to buying a home than writing a check and grabbing the keys. The legal landscape can get tricky, particularly when it comes to the paperwork. Even well-meaning sellers can include clauses in the contract that could put you at a disadvantage.

Work With a Homie

If you’re digging for an Idaho real estate gem, a Homie professional can help you as you prospect for your prize. Whether you’re looking for the perfect starter home, an upgrade as your family grows, or a lovely investment property, your Homie agent will help you score a great deal and have a smooth process. Click here to start working with Homie to find your Boise home today!

For more tips on home buying, check out the articles below!

4 Ways to Outsmart the Competition When Buying a Home
5 Tips to Help You Afford Your First Home
Common Home Buying Fears and How To Overcome Them

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The post How to Find a Home in ID appeared first on Homie Blog.

Source: homie.com

How To Tour a House Today: Tips To Make the Most of Virtual or In-Person Showings

By in DIY, Home Buying, Money Tips Tag , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

schedule a home tourd3sign / Getty Images

Touring a house is like going on a first date: It’s your chance to get a sense of whether this home is the one. Can you envision baking cookies in that kitchen, or cracking a beer on that back deck?

But in this day and age, with so many houses to see and so little time before they get snapped up, the prospect of finding this dream home in the real estate haystack can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. Add in the coronavirus pandemic, and the idea of checking out houses all around town might feel unsafe, too.

But here’s the good news: The rules on how to tour a house have changed in ways that can save time, lower your exposure to COVID-19, and curb your workload and stress levels, too. Here’s what you need to know to ace your house-hunting game for the modern day.

How to schedule a home tour

Most home buyers start their house hunt online—that’s a given. But once you spot a home you love, what’s next?

In the olden days of real estate, a home tour would kick off with several rounds of phone/email tag. You’d call your real estate agent, who would then contact the home’s listing agent, and once they’d talked you’d get looped in to when you can finally see the house. Talk about complicated! And that’s for just one house; most home buyers are juggling multiple home tours.

But today, the process is much simpler. For one, many real estate listings have a button you can click on to learn more about a property, sans the annoying phone games. On some listings, you can schedule a tour simply by clicking on your preferred day and time to visit. (See the Schedule a Tour option on the right side of the sample listing below.)

In short, the process of scheduling a tour can now happen in a few seconds, no harder than ordering lunch on Seamless. After you submit your information, you’ll be assigned a local real estate agent, who will reach out to you directly to confirm your tour time and format. (More on your options there next.)

Select the date, time, and format of your next home tour.

Realtor.com

Should I schedule a virtual tour or visit in person?

It wasn’t long ago when the only way to tour a house would be to visit in person. But today, you also have the option to take a virtual tour. You just schedule a tour as you usually would, but request a virtual home showing where a real estate agent shows you around the house via a live video stream on Google Hangouts, FaceTime, Zoom, or other app.

So should you opt for a virtual tour, or go for the real thing? According to many real estate experts, a virtual tour is the faster, easier, and safest place to start. While buying a home “sight unseen” as they say is a risky move few are willing to take (although it is done now more than ever), virtual tours are still a great way to whittle down your options and spend less time running around town.

“Virtual tours can act as a clearinghouse for buyers to narrow down their search,” says Jack Smith, a real estate agent with Shorewest Realtors in Milwaukee. From there, if you like what you see, you can proceed to an in-person tour to get a closer look.

What to look for on a home tour

Whether you’re conducting a virtual or in-person tour, it’s important to get to know every nook and cranny of the property. Breezing from room to room is not enough—particularly if you’re doing a remote tour where small details might be out of view.

As such, you’ll want to check out some less obvious features to make sure the house is in good shape. Here are some areas to home in on that many buyers might miss:

  • The HVAC and hot water systems: The age and quality of these big-ticket systems can make or break your budget, so while they’re not quite as fun as that gigantic kitchen island or the bonus room above the garage, they should be top priorities during your tour, even if you plan to hire an experienced home inspector.
  • The exterior: Don’t limit your tour to the house itself. Be sure to check out the garage, front and back yards, and any structures on the property such as swimming pools or gardening sheds.
  • The neighborhood at large: You’re not just buying a home, but the neighborhood. Try to see the homes surrounding the one for sale to get a sense of what your life there would be like. Tons of traffic whizzing by might be a deterrent if you have kids or a dog; nearby restaurants and bars might be nice but will add to ambient noise. To get to know this area better, check out local neighborhood apps like Nextdoor.com.

What role does a real estate agent play in a home tour?

A real estate agent can serve as an excellent sounding board when touring a house. Plus, if you’re conducting a virtual tour, your agent may be able to visit the property on your behalf and answer any lingering questions you have, says Tony Mariotti, a real estate agent with RubyHome in Los Angeles.

“Buyers have asked us to check the number of electrical outlets and data ports in a room they intend to use as an office,” Mariotti says. “We’ve also measured and ‘reality checked’ rooms that looked big in listing photos due to wide-angle lenses.”

What to ask when touring houses

During a home tour, you’ll want to delve deeper by asking your real estate agent questions about the house. Here are some topics to hit.

  • How old is the home? How old are the various systems and structural elements, like the roof and the water heater?
  • Has any renovation work been done? If so, were the proper permits pulled and can I see them? Was the work performed by a licensed contractor, electrician, plumber, etc.?
  • Are there any previous insurance claims that could affect insurability? Are there any special insurance policies required for the home?
  • What were the average costs of utilities (water, electric, gas, sewer, and trash) over the past 12 months?
  • What is the home’s listing history, including any price reductions or contracts that fell through? Why did the seller drop the price? Why did the home fall out of contract?
  • Are there homeowners association fees? If so, what do they cover? How are the fees billed?

How home buyers can make the most out of touring homes

When touring bunches of homes, it can be hard to remember which house had that spa bathroom or sunroom you adored. To keep one home tour from blurring with the next, keep a notebook where you can make notes and reminders to help keep all the homes straight. Give each house a name if that helps you, and be sure to highlight any important concerns that jumped out during the tour.

And lest you get swept up swooning over home features that won’t really matter that much in the long run (e.g., that outdoor hot tub is nice but not all that necessary), it may help to write down a list of your top house-hunting priorities.

“Buyers should have a list of their ‘must haves,’ their ‘like to haves,’ and things they are willing to compromise on in a property,” says Cara Ameer, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker in California and Florida.

Similar to dating, you should probably just accept that you can’t have it all, and that some flexibility will be needed if you want your house hunt to end anytime soon.

The post How To Tour a House Today: Tips To Make the Most of Virtual or In-Person Showings appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

Source: realtor.com

Homie’s Utah Housing Market Update November 2020

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Utah’s real estate market has been hot nearly the whole year. How did it perform in November? Homie has your update!

Data from Utah MLS from November 1, 2020 to November 30, 2020.

Monthly Sales

According to data from the Utah MLS, Utah had 4,335 sales from November 1, 2020 to November 30, 2020. Of those sales, 75.6% were single-family homes, while 24.4% were multi-family residences.

The sales this month are slightly lower than the 5,602 sales in October of this year, but it’s a +18% increase from November 2019, which is an even larger percentage increase than the year-over-year comparison we saw in October. This means the market is following the usual end-of-year slowdown, but the market is still quite strong compared to a year ago.

Data retrieved from Utah Real Estate .

Sale Price

Even though monthly sales saw the usual end-of-year slow-down, sale prices continued to rise. At $379K, Utah’s median sale price rose +2.4% from October of this year and 16.8% from November 2019.

Monthly Sale Price Graph

Data retrieved from Utah Real Estate .

List Price (Per Square Foot)

List prices in Utah rose during November along with sales prices. November’s median list price per square foot was $175.92, which is up from the previous months’ median of $170.25 per square foot.

November List Price Per Sq. Foot

Data retrieved from Utah Real Estate .

Days on Market (DOM)

Homes in Utah continue to sell quickly. The Average Cumulative Days on Market (DOM) during November was 9. This is a 72% decrease from November of last year. Prospective Utah homeowners will need to act quickly to get the homes they’re interested in.

Average Days on Market Graph

Data retrieved from Utah Real Estate .

Number of Homes Listed With Homie

A total of 182 homies listed their homes with Homie during the month of November. This number is up from 154 during the same time period last year.

182 homes listed with homie

Data retrieved from Utah Real Estate .

Turn to a Homie

Homie’s local real estate agents can help you navigate Utah’s hot housing market and find your ideal home. Work with a Homie to get an amazing deal whether you’re buying or selling. Click the links to get in touch with your dedicated agent.

The post Homie’s Utah Housing Market Update November 2020 appeared first on Homie Blog.

Source: homie.com

Avoid These 5 Mistakes When Buying a Home Sight Unseen

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buying sight unseenViorel Kurnosov/Getty Images

Buying a home sight unseen might seem like a massive gamble: plunking down hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of dollars on a property you’ve never set foot in, your fingers crossed it looks just like the photos and doesn’t have major issues! So how lucky do you feel, anyway?

But during the pandemic—when stay-at-home restrictions made touring a property difficult and folks were eager to get out of densely populated cities—greater numbers of buyers than ever before were more game to buy sight unseen.

One of those buyers was Jenny Haiar of Sioux Falls, SD, who recently went through the virtual process of purchasing a new condominium in Scottsdale, AZ. She purchased a one-bedroom, one-bathroom with a view of the mountains.

How have Haiar and other buyers like her successfully bought a home sight unseen? Sure, the process comes with risks and challenges, but, if done right, it’s possible to land a property that checks all your boxes. Just be sure to avoid the following mistakes.

1. Not asking the right questions

Zach Combs at Northrop Realty in Maryland says asking questions is the No. 1 tool in purchasing a home. The simple equation: the more you ask, the more comfortable you will be when it comes time to sign the paperwork—so let the queries fly.

“I ultimately compiled a list of everything I thought of regarding my day-to-day and work-life needs, goals, and expectations,” says Haiar. “This was about eight months of questions and answers to gain a full understanding of the homeowners association, rules, policies, buying process, and more.”

Combs says you can never ask your real estate agent or potential new HOA too many questions, so jot down each and every one.

2. Not hiring the best local agent for the job

A local real estate agent can serve as your eyes and ears when buying a home sight unseen.

Haiar knew exactly what she was looking for, but she didn’t live in Arizona.

“I felt a local agent based in Scottsdale could give me the best overall bird’s-eye view of properties. I never felt pressured to look at anything that didn’t fit my criteria,” says Haiar.

Vet agents by looking at personal testimonies, and don’t be afraid to ask them for a list of references. You can use a real estate site (such as this one!) to uncover more info about how long the agents have been at the job, their sales volume, the areas they specialize in, and client reviews.

3. Not fully using all technology

FaceTime tours, Google Street View, and online property listings are all useful tools you need to take advantage of when buying a house sight unseen.

“Use every bit of technology available for the listings you are interested in,” says Combs. “Not all listing agents or sellers pay for a 3D tour, but if they have one, use it to understand the flow of the house.”

He says at the very least, buyers should always video-chat with their agent to see the house and get a feel of the space.

4. Not demanding a floor plan

While a floor plan may not always be available, it is an important detail buyers should not overlook.

“If you have an open space in your current dwelling, either outside or inside, where you can tape off the actual room sizes, then you can make a mock layout with your furniture. This will help you truly understand if the space really can work for you and your family,” says Combs. 

If a floor plan is unavailable, ask if your agent can measure the rooms and give a crude layout of the space. If an agent can get the measurements, Combs recommends buyers use Floorplanner.com, a free tool that can help you visualize your potential new home.

Understanding the floor plan was crucial for Haiar. When coordinating furniture delivery, she says, it was important to know the items fit in her space.

5. Not getting an appraisal and a home inspection

Giving a home a good walk-through is important with any home purchase, but buying sight unseen means calling in the experts.

“If you are purchasing the home with a loan, your lender will require an appraisal for them to be able to close the loan,” says Combs. “If you’re buying with cash, then it would be up to you.”

But regardless of how you’re financing the purchase, Combs says buyers should get a home inspection when buying sight unseen, “so you know exactly how much work the house needs and if you are comfortable handling those repairs.”

Haiar says it’s also important to have an insurance broker review insurance requirements and your HOA policy and coverage (if applicable).

The post Avoid These 5 Mistakes When Buying a Home Sight Unseen appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

Source: realtor.com