Thinking About FSBO? DON’T!

Are you thinking about going For Sale By Owner rather than listing with an Agent? DON’T do it! Especially when you can take advantage of a brokerage like ours! We offer much more guidance & closure for the same of less price! The fees that you will pay for fees, online services, advertising, legal fees, etc. would cost you more than what it would be to take advantage of us as PROFESSIONALS who can help you with the sale of your home. Check out the chart below for more information. Give us a call today to set up your complimentary consult to see how we can help YOU further!

Lake Saint Louis: DID YOU KNOW???

Good gloomy afternoon Sunshiners!

Today’s spotlight is on our office neighborhood: Lake Saint Louis, Missouri. What an amazing town. 2 man made lakes, the 10 mile blvd, gorgeous parks, plenty of shopping and all the El Maguey you can eat :). Our DID YOU KNOW for today is all about Lake Saint Louis and the community association. In Lake Saint Louis, you are either in the CA or not in the CA. The CA has golf, tennis, a public swimming pool, exercise facility and access to the two lakes via the various marinas. THIS YEAR, the CA raised their yearly fees from $450 to $600. If you are buying a new home at all in the CA, your price will be raised to the $600. If you are already living in the CA, your price remains at the original $450 as long as you stay in the home. If you are in the CA, but decide you need to up or downsize and would still like to live in the CA, your fees will raise when you move. Now you know!

Have an amazing long holiday weekend everyone and stay safe and keep an eye on that bird! 😉

-The Sunshine Team

Ashley, Evelyn & Dana

15 yr VS 30 yr loan

Good morning Sunshiners!

We’ve had several clients lately ask about the difference between a 15 yr loan versus a 30 yr loan. While we are not experts in this area (want even more info? Contact your loyal lender), we found this chart a perfect tool to help explain the main differences! Pretty interesting to think about! See below :). Have a Sunshine day everyone!

Always admiring,

Sunshine Team: Ashley, Evelyn & Dana

Housing Market & Politics

Good morning Sunshiners!

In honor of the nation selecting a new President of the United States, we found the below quite interesting as far as how you can tell how people will vote and their housing market. Of course, it’s not 100 percent accurate, but these have been the past trends. Remember, no matter who you voted for, we need to remain a UNITED nation. Despite who won, we hope to remain a prosperous country. We hope you find this as interesting as we did and your outlook on life is still positive and you know that your dreams can still come true. Keep fighting and keep moving people! We’ve got this. Remember, we are ALWAYS here and ready and willing to help you start searching for your dream home! If you are thinking about buying and/or selling, give us a call today (our contact info is to the right) and we can definitely get you started!

Moving out of the country? We can help you there too! Let us help you sell your home at a more affordable cost!

Have a Sunshine Day everyone!

-Ashley & Evelyn

Photo Credit: Realtor.com (Thanks!)

Click here to read interesting link on housing market, the election & politics!

For your sanity…and ours!

Good morning Sunshine!

This post goes out to all of our amazing lenders, brokers, title companies & agents alike. In the image found below (found on Pinterest…Thanks!), we help map out what we would say, “PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT DO THESE THINGS WHEN YOU ARE PURCHASING YOUR HOME OR THINKING ABOUT STARTING THE PROCESS.” Furthermore, if you are purchasing a home, pretend like all of your assets, name and purchasing abilities are frozen. DO NOT USE THEM. We, as a team, have come across so many clients who do not know you cannot finance that couch you cannot wait to put in your new great room. Or that new truck that will FINALLY fit in your oversized garage. From us, our loyal lenders and your sanity calling, please please wait until you have the key ready to put it in your home. Better yet, the clear from your agent that you have funded and the home is yours, to purchase anything large and/or finance that new, shiny car. See the list below of things NOT TO DO in your home purchase process :). Have a Sunshine day everyone! Winter is coming!

Sincerely,

The Sunshine Team: Ashley, Evelyn and Dana

 

Keep your home clean & your mind at ease!

Good morning St. Louis!

Did you know that a poorly maintained home can cause up to a $20,000 decrease in value and selling price on said home? It is VERY important to make sure you keep your home fresh and in shape in order to sell your home at top dollar value. Some even say that you should keep a separate maintenance fund for your home ranging from 1%-3% of homes value. Here are a few tips of how to maintain your home that may sound obvious, but many people do not know or think of:

A. Caulk around windows, tubs, doors & sinks to make sure there is no air or water leaking through as necessary.

B. If listing, freshly paint and touch up around your home to help it appear clean and new.

C. Wipe down any baseboards and crown molding as necessary as that is an area that can layer up dust which will make your home appear dirty. Nobody wants that!

D. Replace HVAC filters as needed, usually once a month.

E. Wipe down cabinets, appliances & doors. This is an area common for gathering dirty fingerprints and spots. Simply cleaning these areas at least once a week will help your home stay clean!

F. Update or add kitchen hardware and/or backsplash. These cheaper fixes and add ons can add value to your home by making one of the most important rooms more appealing to the eye.

G. Power wash the exterior of your home. This is the first things buyers see when they pull up to your home. Don’t let them cringe at the first appearance! Power washing once or twice a year will keep your exterior fresh and appealing!

These are just a FEW tips to help you maintain the appearance of your home. They are simple fixes and just need to be done a few times a year. Make time to sell your home for more! Don’t wait until it’s time to list. These simple twice a year projects will save you a HUGE headache one you list rather than procrastinating until that time. We hope this helps brighten your day just a little bit more today :). Have a good one!

-The Sunshine Team : Ashley, Evelyn & Dana