Jason Roshek

Contingency Clauses: A Must for Colorado Home Buyers | Colorado Relocation Group

Contingencies are the conditions that a seller must meet before a buyer will honor an offer to purchase the home. For a seller, these clauses are sometimes obstacles; for a buyer, they’re protection. If you’re buying a home in Pikes Peak, Woodland Park or any other area in Colorado, the following three contingency clauses should always be a part of your contract.

Contingency 1: You Must Sell Your Home Before Buying Another – This is especially true if you need money from your existing home to purchase your next one. If your home doesn’t sell, you can’t buy. The seller might not like this contingency, but it’s a better alternative than your taking on loans for both the old house and the new one as there’s no telling how long your old home will take to sell, or how much the final selling price will be.

Another approach is to set up a 21-day contingency for selling your current Colorado Springs home. In this scenario, the seller of the home you want can still keep the property on the market while you hopefully get some buy offers on your home. After 21 days you can either buy the new house or let the offer run out.

In this market, buyers are still somewhat in control. If the seller walks away because of your contingency, move on, or come back to the seller in a few months. Most likely the house will still be for sale.

Contingency 2: You Must Qualify for an Affordable Loan Rate – Even though interest rates are low, lenders don’t always qualify buyers for the lowest available rate. Figure out the highest rate and least-attractive loan terms that you can afford, and write those into your contingency clause. If the purchase price jumps too high, you’ll know you need to back out based on your stated cap.

Contingency 3: No Home Inspection Means No Deal – Your offer should absolutely stipulate that the house be inspected for all possible issues, including termites. If the inspector finds big issues, you can renegotiate the sale price or ask the seller to make the necessary repairs before you buy. Sellers will usually put a ceiling on how much they’ll pay for repairs, but you must then state your own cap as well. If a very expensive problem is uncovered, you’ll have a way out of the offer.

Some real estate agents privately refer to buyer contingency clauses as “weasel clauses,” insinuating that it allows buyers to “weasel out” of an offer penalty-free and with a refund of their earnest money deposit. In reality, contingency clauses are just common sense precautions for Colorado buyers as well as sellers. Planning ahead for contingencies helps everyone to know where they stand, and can often help a deal close with little or no angst.

Whether you’re buying or selling, a qualified real estate agent will help you make the best deal. When you’re ready to buy or sell a home in the Pike’s Peak Area, call The Roshek Group! We are ready to help you with all of your real estate needs.

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Colorado Living ...Where Dreams Come True

The Roshek Group

719-687-1531

PikesPeakRegion.com

via coloradorelocationgroup.com

Pull Out that Smartphone to Buy or Sell in Colorado | Colorado Relocation Group

Real estate is making a huge jump into the technical world. According to the MSN Real Estate site, the technology explosion of the past three years has totally changed how people buy and sell their Colorado homes.

Many real estate sites like Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com now offer applications for smartphones and tablets to make a buyer’s life almost care-free. Drive to a neighborhood you might like, run a search on your phone to get a map with homes for sale in that area, and then use your GPS function to start checking them out.

If you spot a house you like in Pike’s Peak, the Zillow app tells how long that house has been on the market and how often the price has been reduced. You might also learn that another house nearby recently sold for $50,000 less, so your house of interest might be overpriced. This instant, accurate data means you can then walk away and check out the next property on your list with no time wasted.

On the Realtor.com app, you can draw a line with your finger around a particular section of a map and see any homes that are for sale in that area. You’ll “search” only the Colorado Springs neighborhoods that fit your criteria and skip places with, say, more retirees than young families.

Sellers can benefit from these new electronic tools by ditching newspaper ads in favor of the newer web-based or mobile-based technologies. Tech-savvy sellers know that the Gen X and Y buyers will use their phone or iPad when house hunting, not the classifieds.

Realtors® are also catching onto this trend and are letting technology help their bottom line. Because many buyers search by school district, one agency now uses a Twitter feed to alert buyers of home listings in each school district. There are also apps to let homebuyers rate and review their Realtor®.

The arrival of mobile apps, social media, and GPS are having a large but very positive impact on real estate, and the change is sure to continue with the development of new technologies.

Whether you’re a self-proclaimed geek or technologically challenged, I will walk with you through every step of the buying or selling process. When you’re ready to buy or sell a home in the Pike’s Peak Area, call The Roshek Group! We are ready to help you with all of your real estate needs.

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Colorado Living ...Where Dreams Come True

The Roshek Group

719-687-1531

via coloradorelocationgroup.com

Give Colorado Listing Photos Curb Appeal

There are two words that every Colorado home seller should know: curb appeal. The better this is, the higher your chance of enticing a buyer the minute they park in front of your house. But the curb appeal also needs to show up in your on-line listing photos, since most buyers will see this before they view the actual property.

To put that pizazz in your photos, try these three simple, no cost options.

• Take Down Window Screens – Most home exteriors can look pretty
  dull, and screens generally make windows look dark. You can shine up door knobs
  and lighting fixtures, but these changes won’t show up in your external photo.
  To spice up your photos and add some dimension, take down window screens on the
  front windows before shooting—but remember to keep and reinstall them after the
  home sells. Buyers likely won’t miss the screens during a showing, but they
  sure will once they’ve moved in!
• Water Your Bark Mulch – When mulch is first put down, it looks
  great and creates a nice clean look in your garden or yard. Old mulch looks
  dull and is a big turn-off. Watering the mulch makes it darker so it contrasts
  with your greenery and makes it seem more vibrant. So pull out the hose and wet
  down your mulch before taking the picture as well as before an actual showing.
• Make The Walkway Stand Out – Turn the front walkway of your Colorado dream home
  into a “runway.” Make sure it’s clean
  and clutter-free, and then dress it up with potted plants, lights or statues. Make
  sure it shows up in your photos by standing on a small ladder to take the
  picture looking down on the property. Or shoot from an angle rather than
  straight on.

The goal is to have your home call to potential buyers whether they see it on the Internet or drive by in a car. And living in a beautiful area like Pike's Peak makes the job even easier. Look around for anything you can do that will make your home stand out among the myriads of other listings so that a buyer’s very first impression will be, “Oh, how beautiful! I’d love to call that my home.”

Along with great curb appeal, you need an agent who’ll bring a steady stream of buyers to your door. When you’re ready to buy or sell a home in the Pike’s Peak Area, call The Roshek Group! We are ready to help you with all of your real estate needs.

Staging : Not just for the interior of your Colorado Home | Colorado Relocation Group

When people speak of staging their home, they are typically referring to the inside of the home – decluttering, de-personalizing and sprucing up the interior living areas to make the home more inviting to potential buyers. However, people often overlook the importance of staging the exterior of the home. While often referred to as “increasing curb appeal” this aspect of staging a home is just as important as ensuring the inside is ready. Remember, people will see your driveway and front porch of your Colorado dream home before they see what the interior has to offer.

Here are ten great tips for ensuring that the outside of your Colorado Springs home sets the stage for a quick sale:

1. Create a “to do” list: Stand at the curb in front of your house and scan your front yard. Jot down anything that catches your eye that needs attention: edging, chipped paint, dirty walkway, etc. Then, have a friend perform the same task and add their items to your list
2. Fresh paint: Exterior walls, eaves, doors, shutters, and visible wood should appear freshly painted or stained.
3. Clean entryway: Clear any clutter from the entryway to your Colorado Springs Home, store snow boots and shoes and sweep leaves and spider webs away.
4. Ensure exterior lights are working: This includes any fixtures on the home, security lights and landscape lighting. If you have a dark entry area, consider adding a new light.
5. Utilize the outdoor living space: Add an outdoor rug if space allows. If you have a large porch, add a swing or bench that faces the best view from your Colorado dream home.
6. Keep the lawn mowed and neatly edged: If the yard is in very poor shape, consider laying sod.
7. Clean the flower beds: Keep them free of fallen leaves and weeds. Consider adding a layer of mulch – it’s cheap, easy to put down and instantly makes the front yard look fresh and cared for.
8. Add colorful flowers: Weather and season permitting, plant or pot some fresh flowers outside the front door. Consider adding potted plants, especially flowers with yellow blooms as they draw the eye’s attention and makes people feel at ease.
9. Trim bushes and trees: Make sure trees and shrubs aren’t hiding windows, or infringing on walkways. Also, trimming tree canopies will help ensure this season’s snow doesn’t topple them onto your home.
10. Power wash the driveway, walkway, shutters, siding, doors, etc.

In today’s competitive market, staging your home is an important part of the selling process.  With the high number of homes on the market, your home needs to stand out to potential buyers as well kept, a good value, and ready for their family to move in. A well-staged Colorado Springs home appears inviting to potential buyers and allows them to see the home as a place their family can live and make memories.

 

When you’re ready to buy or sell a home in the Pike’s Peak Area, call The Roshek Group!  We are ready to help you with all of your real estate needs.

via coloradorelocationgroup.com

Control Clutter in Your Colorado Home! | Colorado Relocation Group

Collections.  Prized Possessions.  Family Heirlooms.  Memorabilia.  We all have these in our home in some form.  However, have these possessions taken over?  Is every inch of every shelf covered with photos, books, and keepsakes?  Do you have so many clothes that you don’t even know what is at the back of your closet?  Do you even know what the countertop looks like under the stacks of papers and canisters?  If you’ve said yes to any of this, it’s time to take back your Colorado dream home and get rid of the clutter.  Whether you’re looking to sell your home or enjoy another decade in it, there are steps you can take to end the clutter for good:

1. Schedule Time to Clean:  De-cluttering is a time-consuming process.  Taking on all of the rooms at once and trying to do the whole house in a weekend can be frustrating, exhausting, and overwhelming.  Instead, schedule a time each day to work toward your goal.  Set a timer so you don’t have to keep track of time.  Then, methodically work through the clutter, finishing one room before you move on to the next.  Remember, your dream home didn’t get this way overnight – it will take time to get it cleaned.

2. Get Organized:  Now that you have decided when you will work, you need a plan on how you will work.  Pick a room to start in.  Depending on your lifestyle, you may decide to start with either the least cluttered room or the most heavily used area of your home.  Then, label three boxes –Trash, Donations, and Keep so you have an easily, visible way to sort items as you go through the room.  You may also wish to choose a charity to take your donations to – knowing your items will help a family in need can be a great motivator in letting things go.

3. Do the easy stuff first:  It is true that we suggest moving through the room in a systematic way, but it may be best to start with the obvious.  Look around and get rid of old magazines, newspapers and stray “stuff” that can obviously be discarded.  This will open up additional space for you to work in, and get rid of some of the bulk before you spend time thinking and sorting.

4. Think it through:  As a general rule of thumb, discard or donate items that you haven’t used in the last 6 months.  After all, if you’ve lived without them for this long, do you really need them?  However, while you will want to get through this process quickly; don’t fall into the trap of making desperate or rash decisions to “throw it all away”.  The process is designed to rid yourself of unwanted items, not give away everything you love.

5.  How many shelves do you need:  As you de-clutter your Colorado home, you will find that you now have empty shelves, bare tables, and floor space.  Since empty shelves often beg for new items, we suggest removing them as part of the de-cluttering process. This will open up the space in your home and remove the temptation to refill empty spaces.

6. Enjoy your space and plan for the future:  Now that the clutter is gone, sit down, put your feet up and enjoy your area.  Enjoy the mountain view out your window or simply relax in your favorite chair and read a good book in your newly found space.  In order to keep the clutter from taking over again, set aside a few minutes each day to put away items that end up on the table or floor.  After all, you don’t want all of your hard work to be for nothing!

Living in an open, clear space will allow you to enjoy all that your home has to offer.  It will cut down on the time needed to clean your home, and allow you more freedom to do the things that are important to you.   If you are considering selling your home, this is also the first step to preparing it to show potential buyers.  After all, a buyer won’t put an offer on your home if they can’t see its potential!

Buying and selling your home can be an emotional experience, especially in today’s market.  Let us help ease your stress.  When you’re ready to buy or sell in the Pike’s Peak area, call the Roshek Group! We are ready to help you with all of your real estate needs.

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Colorado Living ...Where Dreams Come True

The Roshek Group

719-687-1531

PikesPeakRegion.com

via coloradorelocationgroup.com

Selling your Colorado Home in Today’s Market | Colorado Relocation Group

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In today’s market, what is the difference between a Colorado Springs home that sells and one that sits on the market… is it location?  Price? Square footage?  With the abundance of homes on the market, buyers definitely have an advantage right now… and they are using it to negotiate great deals.  So, how do you get those buyers to take notice of your home and give you the best possible price?  We have a few tips:

1. Don’t take it personal:  Yes, the mountain view house was your home for the last 5 years, but no one wants to buy YOUR home… they want to buy THEIR home.  Remove personal objects, such as family pictures and mementos so a buyer can imagine themselves living there.  Replace any favorite items you are not willing to part with as part of a sales deal — the antique chandelier your parents gave you, special lighting fixtures or fans, draperies (including rods) or appliances.  Remember, a buyer won’t ask for something he hasn’t seen!
2. Fix it:  Take the time to make minor repairs — replace damaged grout or tile, fix the leaky faucet, take care of any damaged wood soffits. Many of these items will be identified on a home inspection, so go ahead and fix them now so your buyer has one less reason to negotiate a better price or eliminate your home from consideration!

3. 

   Clean and De-clutter:  Nothing is more of a turn-off to buyers that a dirty home full of stuff!  Before listing your home, take the time to clean the windows, walkway floors, carpets, closet floors, cobwebs in the corner, etc.  Make sure the bathrooms stay clean, and the kitchen dishes are done and counters cleaned.  Clear out items you aren’t using — this is a great time for garage sale or donation to the local charity thrift shop!  Store last season’s decorations and any additional furniture you don’t need — rent a storage unit if you have a lot of items so that rooms and closets are clear and seem more spacious.  This will allow potential buyers to see your Colorado home as a place they can live in.
4. Curb Appeal:  When you arrive in your driveway, what do you see?  Do you have a clean walkway or is it covered in black dirt with grass growing over the edge?  Do you notice neatly trimmed hedges and flowers or weeds poking through last years’ mulch?  Does the home and shutters look freshly painted or faded from the sun?  Consider painting the front door a complementary color, updating patio furniture (if it’s visible from the road) and ensuring the entry way is clear of shoes, broken or empty planters and other clutter.  Remember, the outside of your Colorado Springs home will provide a buyer’s first impression… make sure it’s a good one!
5. Take your agent’s advice:  Remember, you hired a real estate agent for a reason — their experience and expertise.  While you are focused on your home, they have a pulse on what homes are selling in the areas and why.  With their guidance, your home can be one that sells.
6. Price:  In this competitive market, it is extremely important to price your home right.  Many of us remember what our home could’ve sold for 5 years ago and we all know how much money, sweat, and tears we’ve put into our houses. But in today’s competitive market, you need to consider the facts.  With your agent’s help, you can see what similar homes in your area have sold for as well as homes that are still on the market.  With this information, your agent will help guide you to a competitive price for your home.

Selling your home can be an emotional experience, especially in today’s market.  Buyers are looking for the best possible deals, and are willing to wait for them.  Let us help ease your stress and get you the best possible price for your home.  When you’re ready to buy or sell in the Pike’s Peak area, call the Sharon Roshek Team!  We are ready to help you with all of your real estate needs.