Articles Tagged "Home-buying tips"

First steps to buying a house from Sioux Falls homes for sale? Bet you hoped we'd say you need to start looking at pretty pictures on the Internet, then finding a real estate agent to show you around, and then moving in. Alas, the first steps are not nearly that much fun. 

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If you're a new homeowner, you have many decisions to make when it comes to packing, moving, and decorating your new home. With everything to keep track of, it's easy to forget something important or to fail to consider everything you should before making decisions about your new home.

Our real estate agents point out the following common mistakes new homeowners should avoid after buying one of our listed Sioux Falls homes for sale:

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Buying a home for the first time can be exciting but also somewhat daunting. It's a multistep process, and it's easy to make some costly mistakes along the way.

Our real estate agents have the experience to guide you through the process and help you avoid these common mistakes - as well as any others — that first-time homebuyers often make:

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If you're preparing your home to list with other Sioux Falls homes for sale, completing a few repairs and DIY projects can increase your home's appeal. Don't feel as if you need to invest a small fortune in tools; instead, focus on adding versatile pieces to your collection that you can use for various home improvement plans. Here are some tools homeowners should have on hand for all their DIY projects. 

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If you're buying or selling a home, you may be tempted to try completing the process on your own rather than working with a REALTOR®. This, however, can make every detail of your purchase or sale much more stressful than it has to be and open you up to costly mistakes.
  
Our REALTORS® point out the following 5 ways working with a REALTOR® benefits you, whether you're looking for Sioux Falls homes for sale or would like to sell a home in the area:

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The best time to clean your new home is before you bring the first box through the door. Even the cleanest Sioux Falls homes for sale can benefit from a deep cleaning before move-in day is over. The following checklist will help you get your new home spic and span.

1. Get Your Supplies Together
   It's a good idea to pack your mops, brooms, cleaning agents, rags, etc. at the back of your moving truck. Having them right there and ready to go when you arrive at your new home will save you time and energy.
2. Aim High
   Clean from top to bottom. Start with ceiling fans, shelves, walls, cabinets, and counters. Working your way down ensures that you don't have to clean up the same dirt twice. Also, slip a pillowcase over the blades of your fans when cleaning them. This will help trap most of the dust before it can rain down on the floor.
3. Clean the Appliances
   Give the refrigerator, stove, microwave, washing machines, etc. a thorough cleaning inside and out. Make sure to clean out coils, hoods, vents, and other areas that are often overlooked. 
4. Make the Windows Shine
   Cleaning the windows is worth every ounce of effort. Clean windows not only help you see what you're doing, but they also provide a visual reminder that you're making progress. Use newspaper dampened with vinegar to clean windows. This is like a magnet for dust, and it will give you a streak-free shine.
5. Scrub the Fittings and Fixtures
   Give the light fixtures, door handles, stair rails, cabinet fobs, and other fittings and fixtures a solid wipe down.
6. Scrub the Sinks and Toilets 
   This is always a good idea because bacteria and mold love to grow here while a house is unoccupied. Be sure to clean these with disinfectants.
7. Mop Hardwood, Tile, and Linoleum Floors 
   In most cases, cleaning these surfaces requires little more than a damp mop and a little elbow grease.  
8. Go Deep into the Carpet
   Once you have everything else done, go ahead and give the carpets a steam cleaning. You can use a portable steamer or hire a professional to do this for you.
9. Carefully Pick Cleaning Supplies
   One thing that you will want to be very careful about is the types of cleaning agents you use. Surfaces and materials will react differently to bleach, vinegar, polish, and oil. When moving into a new house, use extra caution, and verify compatibility before applying a cleaning agent to any surface. Don't mix cleaning agents. Mixing bleach, ammonia, vinegar, etc. in a cleaning bucket can create toxic chemical reactions.
10. Home Remedies
    Boiling hot water can easily remove grime from the fridge, glue and gunk from counters, tiles, and mirrored surfaces. Want lemon fresh clean without a chemical residue? Take the peels from two lemons and add them to 1 liter of vinegar. Shake up and let sit for a week. When you're ready to move in, you can use this mixture to clean windows, mirrors, etc.  

Our real estate agents are always happy to help our clients! Contact us, and we will help you find the perfect place for you and your family. 

Whether you are relocating to a new apartment or have just closed on one of our fantastic Sioux Falls homes for sale, we can all agree that moving from one residence to another is quite an endeavor. With so many priorities to juggle — along with your daily responsibilities like work, school, and family life — it comes as no surprise that important tasks can be easily forgotten. Our real estate agents have discovered that most people forget to do these five things after they move.

1. They Forget to Update Information
   While most people immediately make sure that the USPS receives their updated address, some homeowners forget to update their addresses elsewhere. Not only do you need to update your address for anything mailed to you, but you also need to update your address at your financial institution, fitness center, insurance providers, and switch your utilities over to the new address. 
   
   

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Are you thinking about taking on a kitchen remodel? While this can be an excellent investment, it's not without risk. Throughout their careers, our REALTORS® have seen plenty of gorgeous kitchen renovations. Unfortunately, they've also heard more than their fair share of horror stories. 

The good news is that you can avoid the most common remodeling problems by learning what not to do. The following are the top seven easily-avoidable remodeling mistakes. 

1. Trying to DIY
   While there's no harm in taking on small projects around the house, trying to DIY a major remodel is almost always a bad idea. Doing a kitchen remodel correctly requires a specific set of skills, and even a small mistake can create a big disaster. You may also need permits and inspections, so do yourself a favor and leave this project to the pros. 

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Moving to a new home is exciting, but there's no denying that most people don't enjoy the process of packing and transporting their things. Decluttering before a move helps you cut down on the number of boxes and overall moving stress. Our real estate agents also advise clients with Sioux Falls homes for sale to thin out their belongings before they put it on the market. After all, if you're making a fresh start in a new home, the less clutter, the better, right? Here are a few tips for clearing out clutter before a move.

1. Start early.
   Waiting until the last minute to go through your stuff adds stress to the moving process. Starting weeks or months before the move also allows you to break it up into more manageable chunks of time and makes it easier to decide what you're going to keep, donate, sell, or throw away.
2. Take it one step at a time.
   Going through something like a closet can make the decluttering process a lot less overwhelming. As you move from one room to another and keep getting rid of more and more stuff, you'll feel motivated to continue.

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Sometimes when you're so close to securing one of the great Sioux Falls homes for sale, you find yourself in a situation of deal or no deal. But this is far from a game — it's one of the most important financial decisions of your life! When you're stuck in this unfavorable situation, you need to know when it's time to move forward or when it's time to save yourself from making the wrong decision.

Our real estate agents understand that no homebuyer ever wants to be caught in this scenario. We've gathered this list of tips to help you identify when it's the right choice to walk away from a house negotiation.

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By the time you get to your final walk-through before buying a home, you're so close to the end that you probably already celebrated with a bottle of champagne on ice. But be careful—it's easy to get complacent when you're in the home stretch, and our real estate agents have seen deals go south at the last possible second. 

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It's always been your dream to own your own home. But when you're self-employed, getting approved for a mortgage can be a little tricky. Don't worry though, because it can be done. You just need to know the appropriate steps to take to make it happen. Our real estate agents are here to help you if this is the situation you're currently in. 

Mortgage Process for the Self-Employed

By the year 2026, it's estimated that there will be more than 10 million self-employed workers in the United States. And of course, many of them will want to become homeowners. In order to do that, they have to qualify for a mortgage, which isn't always easy when you're not getting a W-2 from your employer every year. 

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