What Are the Benefits of a 20% Down Payment?

If you’re thinking of buying a home this year, you may be wondering how much money you need to come up with for your down payment. Many people may think it’s 20% of the loan to secure a mortgage. 

The truth is, there are many programs available that allow you to put down as little as 3.5%, which can be a huge benefit to those who want to purchase a home sooner rather than later. 

Here are four reasons why putting 20% down is a good plan if you can afford it.

1. Your interest rate may be lower.
A 20% down payment vs. a 3-5% down payment shows your lender you’re more financially stable and not a large credit risk. The more confident your lender is in your credit score and your ability to pay your loan, the lower the mortgage interest rate they’ll likely be willing to give you.

2. You’ll end up paying less for your home.
The larger your down payment, the smaller your loan amount will be for your mortgage. If you’re able to pay 20% of the cost of your new home at the start of the transaction, you’ll only pay interest on the remaining 80%. If you put down 5%, the additional 15% will be added to your loan and will accrue interest over time. This will end up costing you more over the lifetime of your home loan.

3. Your offer will stand out in a competitive market.
In a market where many buyers are competing for the same home, sellers like to see offers come in with 20% or larger down payments. The seller gains the same confidence as the lender in this scenario. You are seen as a stronger buyer with financing that’s more likely to be approved. Therefore, the deal will be more likely to go through.

4. You won’t have to pay Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)
As mentioned earlier, when you put down less than 20% when buying a home, your lender will see your loan as having more risk. PMI helps them recover their investment in you if you’re unable to pay your loan. This insurance isn’t required if you’re able to put down 20% or more.

If you’re looking to buy your first home, you’ll want to consider the benefits of 20% down versus a smaller down payment option. Also, reach out to a trusted real estate professional who can help you decide what fits best with your long-term plans. 

3 Landscaping Ideas That Will Boost Home Value

Spring is said to be a perfect season to do landscaping. Since spring is here, it's time to look at what you can do to increase the appeal of your home's exterior.

Landscape design can boost the resale value of your home by up to 20%. It can also raise property value by 12%, increase ROI by over 50% and decrease the length of the period during which your home is on the market.

Some of the best hardscape landscape renovations are lighting, fencing, garden pathways, fire pits, and decks.  You may also do renovations like the installation of plants, shrubs, and trees. 

It is best to consult with a landscaper so you don’t end up destroying everything in the process or spending too much money on the wrong projects. Get professional help especially with the following.

1. Adding or Designing Your Landscape Around Trees
Some of the most worthwhile ways to allocate funds for landscape design center around trees. You can plant trees that will grow over time and provide protection from the sunlight. Some of the best trees to consider planting are sugar maple, Colorado blue spruce, northern red oak, and eastern red cedar. But remember, if you decide to plant a tree, there will be additional costs for maintenance.

2. Patios and Ponds
There are various outdoor hardscapes you can add to increase the appeal of your home, but the most common are decks and patios. A landscaped patio can increase your home’s value by almost 12%.  You can also erect a deck that easily blends into the natural landscape or a water feature like a small pond, swimming pool, or hot tub. It’s all about comfort and how well everything harmonizes with the natural landscape.

3. Outdoor Lighting
Outdoor lighting can greatly increase the appeal of your home exterior and landscape without requiring you to spend a fortune. It can help accent the beauty of trees, as well as your garden and lawn. You can also increase the security of your lawn by lighting a pathway from the driveway to your door. While it might not seem as helpful during the day, night lighting could be a crucial selling point for potential buyers.

Landscaping could be the crucial selling point for your home, it’s important to choose which spot you want to invest in and make sure it is thoughtfully designed to cater to a variety of lifestyles. Whether it's Luxury Homes or Single Family Homes.

If you need more information about this, click here and let's talk about it. 

5 Signs That You Will Love A Career In Luxury Real Estate 

If you’re thinking about a new career in luxury real estate, the good news is that there’s plenty of opportunity and plenty of other real estate agents who are happy they made the switch.  

Both brand new and experienced real estate professionals can create their own real estate success stories in the luxury real estate market. Often, it’s the smartest choice for those looking for a bigger return on their time spent in the field. 

If you’re on the fence about changing your career, here are five signs you’d love a new career in luxury real estate: 

1.) You Like to Problem Solve

Every client is different — especially in the luxury real estate market. Affluent clients have unique financial situations, work, and travel often, and have teams of people helping them with everything from caring for their children to helping them with real estate transactions.

That means things like scheduling, negotiating, and even working around privacy concerns require strong problem-solving skills. 

2.) You’re Passionate About Unique Homes

A new career in real estate is fun, but a new career in luxury real estate earns you an exciting opportunity to gush over some of the most unique homes on the market. You will love luxury real estate if you’re just looking for a new career in real estate because you love learning about architecture, amenities, and even art.

3.) You Love to Learn

Truth is, many luxury real estate clients are real estate savvy themselves. Many of them have made their money investing in real estate, and know almost as much as the professionals they hire.

That means a luxury real estate professional’s job is always to stay a few steps ahead — always learning and growing professionally as a result. Otherwise, you simply can’t offer the type of expertise these clients are looking for.

4.) You Want to Make More Money

Notice this is not the first sign on the list. There’s no question that luxury real estate professionals receive a higher return on their investment, but it doesn’t happen overnight. Luxury real estate does require a bit more legwork at times (again, for a bigger payoff), and money alone isn’t always the best motivator.

5.) You Enjoy Marketing and Understand It

Marketing a luxury home is different than marketing a traditional home — as you may have guessed. Luxury real estate clients are driven more by “desire” than “need,” and marketing in this industry reflects that. Similarly, marketing unique homes also often require a higher marketing budget.

A career in luxury real estate is exciting and challenging at the same time. Working with these kinds of clients is highly rewarding, but the unique needs and demands of these more discerning clients call for a professional who not only can solve problems, but also likes to solve problems. So if you're up for the challenge, just be consistent and passionate and you will grow in this industry. 

Click here for more real estate-related tips. 

When selling a house, most homeowners hope for a quick and profitable transaction. If you’re waiting for the best time to win as a seller, the market is calling your name this spring. Here are five reasons why this is the perfect time to sell your house if you’re ready.

1. There’s a high demand from homebuyers.

Buyer demand is strong right now, and buyers are active in the market.

When your house is positioned to get a ton of attention from competitive buyers, you’re in the best spot possible as the seller.

2. There aren’t enough houses for sale.

Purchaser demand is so high, the market is running out of available houses for sale.  It’s this imbalance between high buyer demand and a low supply of houses for sale that gives sellers such an advantage. A seller will always negotiate the best deal when demand is high and supply is low. That’s exactly what’s happening in the real estate market today.

3. You have a lot of leverage in today’s market.

Many more people are interested in buying than selling this spring, creating the ultimate sellers’ market. When this happens, homeowners in a position to sell have the upper hand in negotiations. Click here to read more reasons to sell!

4. It’s a great way to use your home equity.

Equity is a type of forced savings that grows during your time as a homeowner and can be put toward bigger goals like buying your next dream home.

5. It’s a chance to find a home that meets your needs.

So much has changed over the past year, including what many of us need in a home. Whether it’s a house that has the features suited to working remotely, space for virtual or hybrid schooling, a home gym or theater, or something else, selling this spring gives you a chance to make a move and find the home of your dreams. Click here to see the most exclusive dream homes in Naples!

Today’s housing market belongs to the sellers. If you’ve considered making a move but have been waiting for the right market conditions, your wait may be over. Click here to contact me today. You’ll be positioned to win when you sell your house this spring.

Most buyers aren’t visionaries, which makes selling a vacant home harder. 

On average, a vacant home will sell less and sit on the market six more days than the average sale. 

Here are the expert tips and advice to make selling your vacant home easier.

1. Give your curb appeal extra love

With an empty or unstaged home, the first impression of curb appeal matters even more than usual. Here’s how to maintain curb appeal: 

• Here’s how to maintain curb appeal
• Trim back hedges
• Paint the front door
• Lay down mulch

2. Work with a dedicated real estate agent, like me

A great real estate agent can be a godsend when you’re selling a house from a distance. When interviewing agents, ask about their experience selling vacant homes, or if they offer staging or house cleaning services with their listings. Click here to discuss your real estate needs.

3. Stage your home, prioritizing keyspaces

That includes the living room, dining room, and kitchen.

4. Pay close attention when staging the bed and couch

Not all buyers have the ability to envision items in a vacant space. Make the bed a focal point and space the couch to make the living room look bigger

5. Remove stray items to avoid the ‘abandoned’ look

Leaving small items behind, like an errant lamp or single frame on the wall, can make the space look haphazard as if the sellers fled in the middle of the night.

6. Schedule for regular cleanings through closing

When selling a vacant home, your biggest enemy will be dust and grime. If the house is dirty, buyers will just get a bad feeling touring the property.

7. Manage the thermostat remotely

Put buyers at ease with the ideal home temperature.

8. Set up security

The for-sale sign signals an opportunity for burglars.  The for-sale sign signals an opportunity for burglars:

• Alert the neighbors
• Invest in smart home tech
• Motion-activated floodlights

9. Use lamps and lighting to warm up stark spaces

Buyers will feel turned off touring a dark, empty property after sunset. Make the space feel warm and welcoming before they even open the door with smart light bulbs and timers.

10. Lighting is everything

Buyers will feel turned off touring a dark, empty property after sunset. Make the space feel warm and welcoming before they even open the door with smart light bulbs and timers.

Click here to ask me anything about real estate.

Real estate is one of the best long-term investments you can make.

While homeownership is a common starting point for many hopeful investors, there are a lot of types of real estate investments worth having.

There are four main categories of real estate investing:

• Residential (buildings that house people)
• Commercial (spaces in which businesses operate)
• Raw land (undeveloped property)
• Third-party (investments into crowdfunding deals, investment trusts, and so on)

Let's focus on residential real estate investing.

1. Peer-to-peer lending

Particularly if you’re interested in helping others, peer-to-peer lending can be an interesting option. This style of investing involves putting your money toward individuals or projects you really believe in, such as helping someone to buy a home or make major repairs to a property.

2. Crowdfunding

Similar to peer-to-peer lending, crowdfunding involves multiple people pitching in toward one cause. 

3. Real estate investment trusts (REITs)

You can look at a REIT as a way of niching down in real estate investing. Trust acts as a company that focuses on a specific type of income-producing real estate — such as hotels, apartment buildings, senior housing, and so on.

4. Fix-and-flip homes

Find a home in need of renovation, buy it for a low price, fix it up, make it look pretty, sell the property at a profit.

5. Short-term rentals

With platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com offering diverse alternatives to traditional hotel accommodations, maintaining a second (or third) property as a short-term holiday rental can be a lucrative investment.

6. Long-term rentals

Long-term rental properties are those with tenants who sign extended leases. Becoming a landlord is one of the most popular forms of real estate investing.

7. Rent-to-own lease options

While renting-to-own (RTO) isn’t always the best strategy for a buyer, if you’re the one with a home to sell, entering into a well-structured lease agreement that provides your tenant with an option to buy can serve as a type of real estate investment.

8. Buying and dividing the land

Requiring high levels of expertise, subdividing land involves purchasing large tracts of undeveloped land and then dividing it down into separately saleable parcels.

Real estate is an investment of money and time. Whether your goals are focused on the short-term, long-term, or as a healthy mix of both, there are numerous pathways into real estate investing. Click here to view available land in Naples.

Have more questions about investment properties in Southwest Florida? Click here to send me a private message today.

This blog is for my fellow real estate professionals.

Real estate marketing software lets you automate or streamline specific steps in your real estate funnel, helping you generate more leads and close sales.

Here are some of the Best Real Estate Marketing Software in 2021 that will help you with your business: 

1. Real Geeks: Best overall for agents and brokers who want an all-in-one marketing solution.

This software is the only option on the list that provides a range of services instead of specializing in one area of marketing.

2. Market Leader: Great for real estate professionals who need warm leads to begin their marketing efforts.

The platform generates exclusive ZIP code-specific leads via Google, Facebook, and third-party network ads.

3. Zurple: Ideal choice for agents and brokers who want to focus on maximizing conversions from new leads.

With automatic personalized messages, timing, and follow-up, Zurple helps you build a genuine relationship with new leads.

4. BoomTown: Excellent option for real estate professionals who want a support team to automate their marketing

It is a premier real estate marketing software that includes lead generation tools, IDX websites, lead management, and mass marketing.

5. Mailchimp: Recommended for agents and small teams looking for an affordable option to optimize their landing pages and email marketing.

It is a robust email marketing platform that offers marketing automation tools, such as customer journey builders and send-time optimization.

6. Placester: Best for real estate professionals who want to gain passive leads using IDX (internet data display)-enabled websites.

It is a website builder designed specifically for real estate agents and brokers. 

With all these tools available, still keep in mind that before deciding on which tool to choose, you should also be equipped with a solid marketing plan.

Click here to discuss my successful selling strategies.

With mortgage interest rates near record lows and the real estate market booming, you may be on the hunt for a new home purchase this year. 

But what many prospective homeowners don’t account for are the less obvious expenses that go beyond a mortgage payment. These can surprise new homebuyers and their budgets.   

Here are some of the cost that you should prepare for:

1. Moving Fees 

You can hire movers or do it yourself with a rental truck.

2. Closing Costs and Earnest Money

Down payments and closing costs are entirely separate. A down payment is an initial up-front payment made by a buyer. Closing costs consist of all fees associated with closing on a home, including title insurance, appraisal fees, broker fees, and interest. This cost can range between 3%-6% of the purchase price.  

3. Maintenance and Home Repairs 

The older the home, the higher the chances of a future home repair.

4. Homeowner’s Insurance (HOI)

This is a type of hazard insurance covering any losses to your property or liability coverage from accidents that occur on your property. 

5. Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)

Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) is a type of mortgage insurance your lender may require you to pay. PMI applies to homebuyers who make less than the lender’s preferred 20% down payment or with any loan backed by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA). 

6. Lawn Care

When switching from an apartment to a house, one of your new responsibilities maybe a yard

7. Homeowners Association Fees (HOA)

Some neighborhoods have a monthly or annual homeowner’s association fee. These fees are collected and managed by the neighborhood HOA.

8. Utilities

Electricity, Water and Sewer, Gas, Internet and a lot more.

9. Property Tax

Aside from your principal mortgage payment, you will have to pay property taxes. Some lenders will roll this into your monthly mortgage payment, but it’s essential to understand this additional cost when you compute your budget. 

10. Decorating

If you plan to decorate with new curtains, paint, furniture, etc., make sure to include these into your budget.

Have more buyer questions? Click here to email me directly. I'd be happy to answer your questions.

Congrats! You recently listed your home. Are you prepared for the photoshoot?

Sometimes your home is so cluttered that it is hard to know where to start. You are not alone! Clutter even overwhelms organizers.

Concerns about where to start an organizing project keep many from ever starting. If you don’t start, it will get worse over time.

Here's how to declutter fast and easy steps:

1. Toss the Trash

In every area, you organize, start by tossing the obvious trash. Look for packaging and the broken bits first. Get them out of the way.

2. Move Non-Kitchen Items Out of the Kitchen

Everything ends up in the kitchen! Before you start arranging the stuff in the cabinets, get non-kitchen items out of your way. 

3. Tidy Reading Material in the Living Room

Reading material tends to pile up in the living room. Minimize that unpleasantness by squaring up paper piles and reading materials.

4. Organize the Bathroom One Drawer at a Time

Eliminated most of the overwhelm in the bathroom by working on one drawer and shelf at a time. Quickly toss all unused open items. 

5. Let Go of Unused Items in Your Home Office

Your home office is notorious for harboring lots of clutter. Now is the time to let go of items that are not complete enough to work. 

Now You Have a System to Declutter Your Home. Start with the obvious, decrease the volume, then focus on what’s left one area at a time.

Have more questions on how to prepare your home to sell in record time? Click here to get started!

Getting a home improvement project to pay off is notoriously tricky. There's no guarantee you'll recoup the money you pour into a bathroom remodel or an outdoor kitchen. Plus, the COVID-19 pandemic has made completing even minor projects more difficult, as many nonessential construction projects have been halted.

According to experts below are the improvements under $10,000 that buyers are perennially interested in, plus the trending ones whose popularity is likely to last.

1. Deep cleaning: $500 or less

Scuffs on doors, counters, cabinets, and walls; a ring of scum around a drain; cobwebs in basement corners; toys or tools peppering lawns and patios—these all look bad in the eyes of potential buyers. Luckily, eradicating these blemishes doesn't take much.

2. Front-door upgrade: $2,000 or less

The front door is the first part of a home that a potential buyer will see. A fresh coat of paint, new hardware, or updated accessories like house numbers, door knockers, and attractive lighting are all easy and relatively inexpensive to obtain.

3. Touchless fixtures and fresh-air systems: $200 to $5,000

During the pandemic, certain fixtures have become more relevant than ever. What buyers want right now are touchless fixtures like sinks and toilets that eliminate your need to come into contact with a germ-filled surface

4. Better kitchens and bathrooms: $9,000 or less

Kitchens and bathrooms that look outdated or cheap can sink the value of an entire home.

5. Backyard upgrades: $500 to $10,000

Backyards are now thought of as an extension of the home.

6. Home office: $10,000 or less

And while it might seem crazy to take on a big-ticket project in a time of economic uncertainty, many home buyers are still looking for turnkey properties with attractive amenities. So if you're a seller with a house in need of a little TLC, you should focus on relatively low-budget upgrades that will seriously juice your home’s value.

Now that you've checked off your easy upgrades, it's time to list and sell your home in record time. Click here to get a free property valuation.