High quality South Portland realtor advices 2024 from Chelsea Crawford: The Victoria Mansion in Portland, also known as the Morse-Libby House, was built between 1858-60 and was designed by the well-known architect, Henry Austin. This Italian villa-style mansion was used as a summer home by New Orleans hotel tycoon Ruggles Sylvester Morse, and the home is a true expression of decadence in the pre-Civil War era in Portland. The structure features numerous details, like decoratively painted walls and ceilings, rich textiles, wood carvings, detailed plasterwork, gilded surfaces, and a large stained glass skylight. Open as a museum since 1941, the home’s contents have been preserved, including unique carpets, silver, porcelain, and other decorative items. Find extra info at Chelsea Crawford.
Here are several real estate news: There are other loan programs that can make sense too, such as the 5/1 ARM, which often get swept under the rug. Make the choice yourself. If you’ve done your homework and are in good financial shape, you should be able to get your hands on a very low mortgage rate in 2024. In fact, mortgage interest rates are historically amazing at the moment and could even reach new depths depending on what transpires this year. Once again, the 2024 mortgage rate forecast looks excellent, so they may stay put for awhile longer or even hit new all-time lows. In terms of financing, it’s still a great time to buy a home. Consider that the silver lining to an otherwise pricey and competitive housing market. Of course, with home prices creeping higher and higher, even a low interest rate may not be enough to offset that growing monthly payment. So always make time to shop to ensure you get the best rate and the lowest fees, even if financing is on sale.
Your house should always be ready to show at any time because you never know when a buyer is going to come check it out. This means you should not leave dirty dishes in the sink and the dishwasher should be empty. You should also not have dust bunnies rolling around in corners and bathrooms should be sparkling. People who are house hunting are imagining a fresh start and this requires bringing back a few elements that will make your home more appealing. If you have doors hanging off of hinges, holes in walls, or children’s toys scattered all over the yard and in the living room, this is a huge turnoff for buyers because it gives the impression that you do not care about the existing condition of the home.
Top South Portland realtor guides today with Chelsea Crawford: There will be times when you have the opportunity to create more space through proper organization and utilizing it efficiently. There are also some homes that just won’t allow you to store much stuff because there is no attic or basement, and the storage closet outside is relatively small. Millennial attraction to homeownership has grown significantly in recent decades. Mostly because there are now options where a 20% down payment is not the requirement. This gives a much larger pool of buyers the ability to buy a home. Especially, first time home buyers who receive a lot of help!
Develop A Mortgage Shopping Cart. One of the biggest decisions to make before putting a contract on a home is how to finance the purchase. Lenders aggressively compete for your mortgage business in a variety of ways. Today, you can apply for a loan over the Internet or even use a mortgage broker to shop for your loan with hundreds of lenders. When choosing a lender, compare fixed rates to fixed rates, not fixed rates to ARM’s, etc. Create a chart that lists different types of loans, fees, and at least five mortgage providers (including a mortgage broker).
Wow, 2020 was a challenging year. With so much that happened across the country, you might be wondering how it’ll impact real estate trends in 2024. While the pandemic did disrupt home sales in the spring of 2020 (which is usually considered the hottest season for real estate), the market quickly made an impressive rebound. Real estate experts have reported that the surge in home sales toward the end of 2020 actually made up for the spring market losses.1 Will we see more of the same results in 2024? How will the housing market shake out in our current economic climate? Whether you’re selling, buying or staying put, here are the 2024 real estate trends you need to know!
The most important of my home renovation tips is this: your contract should outline the schedule of which the project will be completed and at what point draws will be made. ‘Draws’ is the term for financial payments that the homeowner makes to the contractor usually in percentage form. So for example: weeks 2 & 3 will be for demolition, installation of the framing, base work for the hardwood floors, and wiring for the electrician. 10% draw. From the very beginning, you need to stick to the draw schedule to the T. Let the contractor know that any single delay any of the line items means a delay of payment. Contractors will often tell you that they need more money to finish a certain section but that makes for a slippery slope. Trust me.
Recommended South Portland Maine real estate strategies 2024 from Chelsea Crawford : Have an Emergency Fund: If you lost your job tomorrow would you have enough money to live off while you look for a new one? If not then you’re not alone. This study found that although Americans are doing a better job at saving, around 24 percent of them (57 million people) don’t have an emergency fund. Now I don’t want to be a negative Nancy or a Debbie downer, but emergencies happen all the time. They may not happen to you, but it’s always good to be prepared. You can’t predict an emergency, but you can prepare for one. The best way to do so is to set up an emergency fund of 3-6 months living expenses. That means if you lost your job tomorrow, you’d be able to live off your emergency fund for 3-6 months while you look for a new one. Net worth can seem like a tricky topic, but it’s quite simple. Your net worth is how much money you are worth. If you were to sell everything you own, then pay off everything you owe, how much money would be left?
Renovating increases the house value says Chelsea Crawford : Alternatively, get a builder’s estimate. This is a builder’s best guess of what your renovation project is going to cost, based on what they can see and the information you have provided them with. This is not a quote and the builder cannot be held to it, but an experienced builder should be able to give a fairly accurate guess. Finally, prepare your own budget by listing all tasks, the materials required, and who is going to do the work. You can then go out and get quotes for materials and estimates for each trade. Make sure you allow for skips, scaffold hire, plant hire, and tools.