Interest Rates At 10 Month Low

Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey reported interest rates to be at their lowest since January, with the average rate at 6.18 percent. This is down from last week's 6.24 percent. Full story...

Top Tips For Selling A Home During The Holidays

Consider potential buyers spiritual backgrounds in your market before decorating for a holiday.

-Minimize holiday decorations to keep focus on your home and its features and benefits.
-Less is more when decorating a home for the holidays while you are trying to sell. Streamline the amount of holiday specific decorations you display.
-Christmas trees and other large holiday decorations consume space that might make rooms appear smaller.
-Install and remove exterior holiday decorations 2 weeks before and after holiday.
-Turn off lighted holiday decorations before showings, buyers should focus on your home and not your decorations.
-If you are having out-of-town house guests, ask your agent to postpone showings until after your guests depart.
-Leave out a plate of home-made holiday treats for potential buyers.
-Display summer photos of home and gardens to inform buyers of the features of the home in other seasons.
-Before showings remove snow, ice and leaves from walkways and driveways. Don't overlook outside entrances to basements, garages, and porches.
-If you plan to close the purchase or sale of a home near a holiday, check with your agent, title, company and lender to verify two business days before closing that they have all the required documents and funds have been wired to complete the transaction.
-If you are closing on your new home, select a mid-week day, early in the day, to schedule your closing time, to accommodate last minute delays by a mortgage loan processor, insurance or title company.
-If you plan to move during the holidays, keep in mind that moving companies will require more notice and could charge additional fees for packing, moving and delivering household goods on week-ends and holidays.

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Should You Try to Sell Your Home During the Holiday Season?

A common misconception is that trying to sell a home during the holidays is a bad idea. If you are serious about selling, it can be an excellent time to list. During the holidays buyers are more serious. They have a different motivation like using vacation time to search for property. They're doing that because they have to buy, rather than want to buy. Remember Thanksgiving and Christmas is one day a piece not two months.

10 reasons why you should list your home during the holidays

1. Most November and December buyers are particularly serious and very likely facing some sort of deadline.
2. January is the biggest transfer month of the year and job transferee’s use the holidays to house hunt.
3. Many people want to buy before the end of the year for financial and tax reasons. Investors usually want to close escrow by year-end for tax purposes.
4. Most sellers wait until spring or summer to list their home. This means that during the winter months your property will have far less competition versus any other time of the year.
5. Homes show well when decorated for the holidays creating a sense of family and people are much more emotionally drawn to the house, emotion sells.
6. Many people take vacation around the holidays allowing more time to look for a home.
7. Remodeling, decorating, appliance installation and other services are more available and at less of a premium.
8. There is plenty of mortgage money available for buyers.
9. Lenders aren't as busy and can process loans faster.
10. Showings will be fewer and less intrusive, but more likely to be fruitful with motivated, qualified buyers.

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