Cheryl Karr - Your Solid Source Realty Agent

  If you’ve given even a casual thought to selling your house in the near future, this is the time to really think seriously about making a move. Here’s why this season is the ultimate sellers’ market and the optimal time to make sure your house is available for buyers who are looking for homes to purchase. The latest  Existing Home Sales Report  from  The National Association of Realtors  (NAR) shows the inventory of houses for sale is still astonishingly low, sitting at just a  2-month supply  at the current sales pace. Historically, a 6-month supply is necessary for a ‘normal’ or ‘neutral’ market in which there are enough homes available for active buyers  (See graph below) : When the supply of houses for sale is as low as it is right now, it’s much harder for buyers to find homes to purchase. As a result, competition among purchasers rises and more bidding wars take place, making it essential for buyers to submit very attractive...

  The COVID-19 pandemic has had a noteworthy impact on homeownership. Although the virus continues to take a toll and unemployment remains above pre-pandemic levels, the housing market has been booming, and trends are starting to emerge, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ newly released “2020 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.” The profile, produced annually, contains a new section this year that examines how the pandemic is affecting people’s attitudes and purchase and sales decisions. This year’s report reflects responses from more than 8,000 Americans surveyed between July 2019 and June 2020. “The coronavirus without a doubt led home buyers to reassess their housing situations and even reconsider home sizes and destinations,” says Jessica Lautz, vice president of demographics and behavioral insights for NAR. “Buyers sought housing with more rooms, more square footage, and more yard space, as they may have desired a home office or ho...

    Homes with pools have become the target of buyer envy since the pandemic began. Pool additions are soaring, and more house hunters say they want one in their backyard, according to HomeLight’s “Top Agent Insights for Spring 2021” report. Prior to the pandemic, many buyers were shunning properties with pools, which present maintenance issues and potential liability. The average pool can cost between $3,000 and $5,000 per year to maintain, according to HomeAdvisor data. Only 2% of REALTORS® in 2018 said that a pool helped to sell a home, according to data that year. But the pandemic has made Americans reevaluate their fondness for pools, which have become a mode of entertainment while sheltering at home. Pool sales have tripled in the last year. Properties with an in-ground pool are selling for a premium, too. Real estate professionals surveyed by HomeLight estimate that prior to COVID-19, a house with a pool would net about $16,137 more tha...

  More generations are living together under one roof since the pandemic, but that always hasn’t led to a increased desire for a multigenerational home. Buyers are mostly split on the need for a home with features to accommodate multiple generations. Thirty-nine percent of buyers said they would prefer a multigen home but another 39% would not, according to the report What Home Buyers Want, 2021 Edition, published by the National Association of Home Builders based on responses from more than 3,200 prospective buyers. Twenty-three percent of respondents said they were not sure how they felt about a home designed for three generations, the survey shows. Researchers said the responses varied by race and ethnicity. For example, 53% of Hispanic buyers favored buying a multigenerational home, followed by 50% of African Americans and 46% of Asian Americans. However, only 35% of Caucasian buyers would prefer a home designed for multiple generations. Mul...

  Homes that are listed on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday tend to sell for $1,700 more than homes listed on the weekend—in some markets that could be even thousands of dollars more. These middle-of-the-week listed homes also sell nearly two days faster, according to new research from the real estate brokerage Redfin, which tracked home sales data from July 2020 to February 2021 nationwide. “Because the market is so competitive right now, most homes will receive plenty of attention regardless of when they’re listed,” says Daryl Fairweather, Redfin’s chief economist. “But sellers can still maximize their potential profit simply by listing in the middle of the week, which gives potential buyers a few days to see the home, talk to their agent, and set up a showing for Saturday or Sunday." A separate study from realtor.com®  also shows the best time of year to list a home is the week of April 18-24. Sellers who list their homes next week could h...

  Being a first-time home buyer can be intimidating. Not only do you need to navigate the house-hunting process, but you also need to find yourself a loan to finance that purchase. And if you don't know much about mortgages, you may have a hard time getting approved for a home loan. With that in mind, here are a few key pieces of information you should have if you'll be applying for a mortgage in the near term.   1. Your credit score matters – a lot Mortgage lenders generally require a minimum credit score of 620 for a conventional home loan. But that's just the minimum, and lenders can insist on a higher score – and deny you a loan if you don't have one. Also, the higher your score, the better the interest rate you're apt to snag on your mortgage. So it pays to approach the application process with solid credit.   2. Keep your existing debt to a minimum Mortgage lenders will want to make sure you're not too overextended with your debt before loani...

  Open-air rooms, year-round use and high-tech connectivity: This year's top landscape design trends reflect a shift towards daily living outdoors. Home is where the heart is, but over the past year it has also become where the office, classroom, restaurant and cinema are, too. Many Americans are spending more time than ever at home, which has made us take a new look at our private outdoor spaces. “We’re definitely seeing outdoor living areas shift from entertainment-focused spaces to true living spaces,” says Joe Raboine, director of residential hardscapes at Belgard, a landscape design firm. “The increased time spent at home in 2020 has given many homeowners pause to reevaluate how they utilize their spaces and the need to make them more functional.” This move toward considering outdoor spaces an essential extension of the home is the common thread that runs through many of the top landscape design trends for the upcoming year. “Homeowners need space for home offices, as well...

  Gmail has been part of our lives for what seems like forever, and while it works well enough on its own, there are plenty of ways to make it more useful. These five extensions require very little setup or tweaking, most are free, and all of them do a great job of helping you wring every little bit of utility out of your email sessions. Add notes to messages and threads For those times you need a little more context than a giant email thread can give you, there’s the free Simple Gmail Notes extension. Available for Chrome , Firefox , Edge , and Safari , this handy little tool lets you leave yourself little sticky notes inside individual messages and threads. Notes are stored in your Google Drive, can be color-coded, and will show up next to their respective subject lines in your inbox as well. Declutter and beautify If Gmail feels a bit busy to you, do yourself a favor and check out Simplify Gmail . Built to make Gmail more visually appealing, easier to use, and less dist...

  The pandemic is renewing interest in living on a golf course, according to Sotheby’s International Realty 2021 Luxury Outlook report. After five years of closures around the country, golf courses are once again gaining popularity, with Sotheby’s reporting a 26% increase in golf property searches globally from January 2020 to February 2021 compared to 2019. “2020 was the year that golf homes became hot commodities,” Philip A. White Jr., president of Sotheby’s International Realty, told The New York Times . The states with the most golf courses include: Arizona California Florida Georgia Hawaii North Carolina South Carolina Texas “Most of our clients are having record years in rounds of golf played and golf club memberships sold,” Mike Kelly, managing partner of the 59 Club USA, which analyzes customer service and trends in the golf industry, told Mansion Global. “Those that are selling real estate into these environments, especially those in more v...

  Facebook launches new ways for content creators to monetize In case you weren’t aware: we live in a content economy. And Facebook is doubling down on its role as a central marketplace for creators. From 2019 to 2020, the number of content creators making over USD 10,000 monthly grew by 88%. This year, creators will probably make even more, as Facebook introduces new ways to monetize their work on the platform. Short video monetization Creators may now earn revenue from short-form video. Previously, only videos three minutes or longer could be monetized. Now pre, mid, post-roll and image ads can be added to videos as short as one minute. In the coming weeks, the platform will begin beta-testing the monetization of Facebook Stories with ads that look like stickers. Looser eligibility requirements Along with the broadened scope of video comes a broadened scope of eligibility. With loosened criteria, more creators will be eligible to tap into this revenue program. To...

  Homeowners across the country have transformed their kitchens and living rooms into temporary workstations. But have they created an optimal setup for remote work? Kelsey Stuart, CEO of Bloomin’ Blinds, offers the following tips to make a home office more inviting and motivational. Give the walls a fresh coat of paint. Whether you have a designated home office or plan to repurpose a spare bedroom or basement, try a quick and fresh paint job to transform the room. Lighter tones reflect more light, helping to make a home office feel roomier. Try a light, simple color scheme in order to promote high energy and creativity. This will also provide a professional background for video conference calls. Good lighting is key. Lighting is critical to productivity and professionalism in the age of Zoom calls. There are two ways to control the lighting in a room: through natural light via windows and artificial light, using lamps and bulbs. If you haven’t already, swap out ex...