Buying A Home

How to Spot a Solid Buyer for Your Home

When prospective buyers put an offer on your house, how can you tell if they are solid prospects? To avoid needlessly tying up your house, look for these seven indicators....

They are preapproved for a mortgage. It’s easy to confuse the terms “prequalified” and “preapproved.” The first means a lender has taken a cursory look at the finances of the applicant while the latter indicates the buyers have undergone an in-depth assessment of their credit and know how much they can afford. Your agent should ask immediately if the buyers have a preapproval letter from a lender. While they will still have more loan processing to go, they’ve taken a major step toward purchasing your home....

They’ve already been shopping. Through your agents, find out how long they have been shopping. If buyers have looked at several homes, it likely means they’ve done their homework, made their comparisons and mean business....

They took their time touring your home. Through online feedback, your agent should be able to find out how long buyers spent touring your house. The longer the better, obviously. Your agent should also be able to tell you if they returned for a second or third visit. Another solid sign of seriousness....

They ask about things you’ve done. Serious buyers want to know about repairs and replacements, improvements and whether you’ve kept up maintenance on systems. This likely means they are assessing what they may need to repair upon purchase....

They have an agent helping them look. Buyers who have sought the help of an agent are truly on the hunt for a home....

They make a reasonable offer. Buyers who’ve been at it a while, and especially if they have an experienced agent coaching them, will make a solid offer. They may offer 10 percent less than asking, but not 25 percent less. Unreasonable offers just beg to be rejected, and a serious buyer won’t do that....

They ask about contingencies that convey urgency. Look for telling requests such as asking for appliances to convey or a specific closing date, especially if it’s soon. These are signs they know exactly what they need and when....

Outdoor Living, Ownership,

Choosing the Right Trees for Your Landscape

Selecting trees to landscape your home can be a difficult task. Buy them too small and your yard looks skimpy. Buy them too large and you may end up living in a jungle of overgrowth. Here’s an overview of what to consider when selecting and planting trees....

Choose for your soil and climate. Consult your local nursery on what types of trees thrive in your region. Soil type, temperature, and average rainfall are all things to consider....

Fast- or slow-growing. How quickly do you want to see a young tree grow to maturity? While fast-growing trees will provide a mature look more quickly, they also tend to have softer woods and shorter lifespans. And unfortunately, soft-wooded trees are prone to damage in windstorms. They also tend to be more vulnerable to disease. Slower-growing trees tend to be sturdier hardwood varieties that live much longer....

Putting down roots. Before planting any tree, consider its placement in relation to your house and any nearby hardscapes. Tree roots may damage nearby sidewalks, driveways and even your home’s foundation. Trees with shallow roots are more vulnerable to being uprooted in a windstorm....

Watering. Proper watering is essential for any tree, so learn what your tree needs. Too little watering may cause shallow roots since the tree is seeking water near the surface. If you have an irrigation system, it can be adjusted to a particular tree’s needs....

Foliage. Choose what kind of foliage you desire. Do you want large leaves that together provide almost complete shade? Do you want deciduous trees that drop leaves, or evergreens that maintain their foliage year round? Regardless of whether they keep foliage or not, virtually all trees drop seed pods such as acorns or pine cones....

Proportion. Consider the size of a tree at maturity when deciding whether it’s a good fit for your house and the surrounding yard. An oversized tree for a small house and lot may seem to swallow the property, whereas a tree too small for a large house and land will seem diminutive. Homeowners often underestimate a tree’s potential for growth and within 10 years their three-foot saplings have overtaken their yards....

Placement. Several factors determine where you choose to plant trees on a property. Are you primarily interested in shading the house from intense sun, especially in the summertime? Take note of the path the sun follows from daybreak until sunset and place trees accordingly. In hot climates, trees on the west and south sides of a house provide shade during the hottest, most intense sun of late afternoon....

If you want a privacy screen, select trees that provide foliage from the ground up. Evergreen trees, which keep their foliage year-round, provide the best privacy. Measure the space between trees providing just enough room so that the trees will touch at maturity....

As trees grow and mature, be vigilant about trimming branches near your home’s roof to prevent damage in wind, snow or ice storms. Overhanging branches also serve as a direct route for unwanted critters such as squirrels, raccoons, and rodents. These animals may leap from a nearby branch onto the roof and then chew a hole to access the attic....

Home Improvements, Ownership,

Your Need-to-Know Plumbing Fitness Checklist

As a homeowner, you must remember several important things to ensure your home’s plumbing fitness. This list includes what to do and what not to do. Here are 14 things you should know to keep your plumbing system operating well....

For plumbing fitness, do this, not that

Check under sinks for leaks two or three times a year. Reach through the cabinet doors under the sink and feel the drainpipe and water supply lines from the top, where they join the underside of the sink, moving your hand to where each enters the wall. Feel the cabinet floor for moisture. Even small leaks over time can saturate flooring and sheetrock.
Conduct the same procedure with the water supply line and drain hose to the clothes washer, feeling the supply lines and drain hose from the machine to the wall and the floor.
The dishwasher may be mounted to the underside of the counter, so it can be a chore to slide it out to check behind it. However, you can remove the kick plate grid at the bottom front and shine a flashlight underneath, looking for signs of water.
Go to where your water heater is and check for leaks.
Also, examine your air-conditioner backup drip pan for signs that the main condensation drip line is clogged and backing up into the pan. If so, you must clear the main drip line of mold clogs.
Do not pour cooking grease down the kitchen sink or disposal. Even if it is warm and liquid, it cools and congeals into a solid mass that can clog the “P-trap” under the sink.
Do not grind fibrous vegetables like broccoli or asparagus stalks in the disposal. The fibers are tough enough to seize up and stop the disposal.
Do not flush anything other than toilet paper and bodily waste down the toilet.
Bathroom sink and shower-bath drains clog most often from accumulated hair and soap scum. Take off the drain cover and use a wire hook or needle-nose pliers to remove the gruesome hair monsters.
Do not use harsh drain-clearing chemicals like sodium hydroxide or sulfuric acid, as these can severely damage your pipes. Instead, use enzymatic cleaners that dissolve organic waste, which is the likely culprit of clogs.
If you have a septic system, any household cleaners you use should be rated “septic safe.” Bleach should be used on laundry at a minimum. Septic systems use bacteria to devour organic waste, and bleach and harsh cleaners kill the bacteria, causing the system to fail.
Test your basement sump pump once per year.
Drain your sprinkler irrigation system of water before winter. In spring and summer, periodically check each sprinkler head for leaks.
Cover your outside faucets with winterizing covers before the first freeze in the fall, and uncover them after the last possible freeze date in the spring.

Building a Home, Buying,

What Are Accessory Dwelling Units, and Could You Add One?

Homeowners sometimes construct extra living spaces on their homestead properties, known as accessory dwelling units (ADUs). They may do so within their primary homes or build separate structures. These additions create areas for hosting guests or housing family members. Is an ADU right for your situation?...

Accessory dwelling units: beginning of the boom

ADUs are sometimes called granny flats or mother-in-law suites. They may be called guest cottages or casitas if they are separate from the main home. ...

An ADU may be a converted garage, attic space, or even an added room in the main house. ...

Whatever the configuration, an ADU has these characteristics: ...

It has a kitchen, living area, bath, and separate entrance from the main house.
It usually uses the same utility lines as the main house.
The ADU cannot be sold separately from the main house.

How are they used?

An ADU is used to accommodate guests or as a residence for another family member, particularly an elderly parent who cannot live independently. In the age of Airbnb and VRBO, many owners use ADUs as short-term rentals....

Steps to Create Your ADU

Here’s how you should approach developing your ADU:...

If you have one, research local zoning laws, building codes, and your neighborhood HOA. Learn the regulations on ADUs. Starting construction without research could cost you significant fines and wasted dollars for a project facing legal hurdles.
If you get the green light, consider the available space within your home or in a separate structure.
Factor in the additional parking needed for another vehicle on the property.
Another zoning law may require you to live on the property if you intend to rent the ADU.
Sketch out the floor plan you have in mind, then get referrals on three possible builders. Read reviews and ask each for a construction bid, terms for payment, and a copy of their bonding and liability insurance. Don’t skip these steps. They are essential protections for you.
Plan how you will adjust to life during construction, whether the job is inside your main home or involves construction vehicles taking up outdoor living and parking space.

Building a Home, Buying,

The Three Ms: Modular, Mobile, and Manufactured Housing

For many, an alternative to costly housing has renewed interest in the three Ms: modular, mobile, and manufactured housing. The housing industry has swung from the Great Recession in 2008 to the price mania of 2022 to a dramatic slowdown in 2024 (due to rising inflation and interest rates). All of the three Ms can be less expensive than homes built on-site. How do they differ?...

Defining the three Ms in housing

All three Ms—modular, mobile, and manufactured housing—fall under prefabricated housing....

Modular homes are factory-built, but the key difference is that once the house is moved on-site, it is set upon a permanent foundation and cannot be moved again. This type of home can be placed on a slab foundation, have a basement, and even have two stories....

Modular home-quality standards are typically set by the local and state building codes where the house will be placed, and these standards can vary by jurisdiction....

Mobile or manufactured homes are built according to factory requirement standards set by HUD. Under HUD regulations, manufactured housing is the official term for a house built in a factory on a chassis with wheels rather than being constructed on-site. ...

Commonly called a mobile home, this type of house is movable to its location and movable again if needed. Once on-site, the wheels can be removed or covered with a skirt. These homes come in single, double, or triple sections assembled on the property. If the home is moved later, it is split into original parts and reassembled on its new site....

Pros and cons of modular, mobile, and manufactured housing

The most significant advantage of factory-built housing is affordability. The factory construction process is not subject to conditions that can drive up the price, delay completion, and create issues with local building inspections. It is a more efficient operation that reduces costs....

Like site-built homes, buyers are offered various customizable choices in floor plans, paint colors, flooring, cabinets, colors, hardware, and more. ...

Though building in the factory is more efficient, moving the sections to the home site incurs transportation costs: the specialized moving vehicle and crew, a pilot vehicle many states require to accompany the move, and the location of routes that allow the home to clear overpasses and overhead power wires. ...

Financing for modular homes can be challenging. The builder may require a substantial down payment or full payment in advance. The house may have to be built using a construction loan, which can be converted into a regular mortgage after completion. Finally, weather awareness is essential for those living in these homes....

Indoor Living, Ownership,

6 Outstanding YouTube Channels for Home Decorating

Nothing inspires homeowners quite like witnessing masterful decorators at work, showcasing their transformative magic on YouTube channels before our eyes. Here are some favorite DIY resources where decorating maestros demonstrate miracles that you, too, can perform at home....

With these home decorating channels, seeing is believing you can do it!

Studio McGee. Here, Shea and Syd McGee offer dazzling high-end home designing projects interspersed with episodes of their at-home family life with their adorable kids. Hosted by a pair of genuinely gifted designers, this channel will grow your imagination as a DIY designer. ...

The Kinwoven Home. Sharrah Stevens shares a fountain of imaginative DIY ideas on this channel at a reasonable cost. Always budget-conscious but never mundane, Sharrah makes bold statements with dashing colors and textures. ...

Celine Interior Design. This channel offers refined elegance in home decorating. If your taste tends toward a sophisticated ambiance, this is your channel....

At Home with Nikki. Do you desperately need to declutter your home but don’t know where to start? Nikki will help you restore order and inner peace. Each episode is a master class in curating and organizing your living space so you can breathe easily....

Apartment Therapy is the go-to channel for making the most of a small space. Here, you’ll learn stellar tips on furniture arrangement, maximizing the use of limited space, and making cramped rooms feel cozy. ...

House Beautiful. Finally, you must pay homage to the undisputed masters of home decor. For more than 100 years, the editors at this magazine have transformed living spaces into gorgeous, comfortable places to call home sweet home....

Selling, Selling Your Home,

Setting the Right Price with the Right Agent

When you decide to sell your home with an agent, one of the most important decisions you will make together is the asking price. Set the price too high and your home could languish, causing buyers to wonder what’s wrong with it and forcing you to drop your price. Set the price too low and you may sell fast, but realize that you left money on the table. So what can your agent do to help you set that all-important asking price?...

Choosing the agent

Setting the right price starts with the right agent. You should get recommendations from people you know and trust. Don’t just talk to one agent. Have three or more come to your home and interview them. Avoid agents who only sell part-time and avoid agents who are friends or relatives....

The agent should come to your meeting with a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) that includes prices of comparable homes in your area that have sold in the last six months. The CMA helps the sellers set a list price for the property. Ask lots of questions and gauge each agent by their experience, their attention to detail, and thought they put into pricing your home. The best agent isn’t necessarily the one who sets the highest price. Also, choose an agent familiar with your neighborhood or area and has sold homes there....

Elements that go into pricing

The biggest factor in determining the market value of your home are the selling prices of comparable homes that recently sold in your area. Agents will include three to four homes that are most like your home in size, floorplan, and lot size, making allowances for upgrades. Once the comparisons to your home are determined, the agent should provide the actual market price that the homes sold for and how long it took to sell them, known as “days on the market.” Days on market can be affected by how strong the overall market is but also by how well the home was priced. The agent should also know what buyers are currently looking for in a home. Agents deal every day with buyers and can spot things about your home that will help or hurt your pricing....

As for homes currently on the market, remember that the prices are merely asking prices. While you need to know your competition, ultimately your neighbors can set a price arbitrarily high or low. The final sales price is the last word on value....

Based on the comparables, set the price as close to what you reasonably think the market will bear. You must also decide how much you are willing to negotiate. What is the range between your asking price and the lowest offer you’ll take?...

One other crucial element

Your house must appraise well with the buyer’s mortgage company. The buyer’s lender will send a professional appraiser to establish an official value of your home after a sales contract is signed. The appraiser will depend heavily on comparables, just as you and your agent did. Lenders will have a set amount they will lend on the property. If the sales price is too high above the appraisal, then either the buyers must put more cash down or they will ask you to come down on price to be in line with the appraisal. Avoid this problem, which could sink a sale, by pricing correctly at the start....

Other price factors

If you have upgraded your home, this may add value to your home or at least enhance the saleability of the property. Nice granite counters, recent appliance upgrades, and a fresh coat of paint — all things that make a home move-in ready — will help sell your home more quickly and for a good price. Adding high-value items such as built-in pools, expensive landscaping, or technology systems may not translate into a higher sales price. On the other hand, if you have a dated kitchen, for example, a buyer will mentally add up these costs and make a lower offer....

There may be other factors that add value to your home, such as the reputation of the neighborhood and schools, the location of mass transit, shopping, and restaurants. They may not add in terms of dollars but can be used as selling points to move the buyer your way in negotiations....

Home Improvements, Ownership,

Can They Do That? 10 Annoying Neighbor Behaviors

While most people living in a subdivision are considerate and agreeable, some exhibit neighbor behaviors that can be downright annoying. You could have a cantankerous guy or a nosy lady living nearby. Here are some common issues you may experience and safeguards you may have on your side....

When dealing with difficult neighbor behaviors, what rights do you have?

While a neighbor can commit some behaviors with impunity, local zoning laws, deed restrictions, or a Homeowners Association (HOA) should address some common problems. ...

Before complaining to authorities, it is always best to talk with the offending neighbor in an unthreatening, calm way. It may or may not work, but it’s always better to give people the benefit of the doubt, as they may not realize the impact of their actions. ...

Loud noises at certain times of the day. Running machinery such as lawnmowers, leaf blowers, and electric saws during the day is perfectly legal, even if it wakes your sleeping baby. Most municipalities have noise restriction ordinances before certain hours in the morning, past certain times in the evening, and against excessively high-decibel sounds. ...

Parties and music. If a loud party goes late into the night, it can disturb your peace. You cannot do much if it happens before the local ordinance curfew time, such as 10 p.m. If it occurs later, you may have to speak to your neighbor, call the police, or contact the HOA....

At-home businesses. Many online businesses are operated from people’s homes. If your neighbor’s at-home business receives or ships directly using large trucks, this may violate zoning laws. If a neighbor runs a transmission-repair business from his garage and has customer vehicles parked in the street, auto parts lying in the driveway, and pneumatic wrenches screeching all day, that’s probably a violation of HOA rules, deed restrictions, and zoning laws....

Dogs roaming freely or barking excessively. Cities, counties, and states have leash laws that disallow dogs from roaming freely. If a neighbor’s dog barks incessantly, it would fall under the restrictions of local noise ordinances....

Tall fences or storage sheds. Deed or HOA restrictions may set how tall a shed or fence may be and if an outbuilding must be set back a certain distance from property lines. ...

Unmaintained landscaping. Is your neighbor’s grass knee-high? Are the bushes wild and overgrown? Try talking to your neighbor first. You may find that he or she has been sick and needs help. But if the yard is simply neglected, reason with them calmly before contacting the HOA or the city. ...

Cars parked in front of your house. Your neighbor is free to park on the street, except when a red fire-lane stripe runs along each side of the road or HOA rules forbid street parking. Also, a street-parked car cannot fully or partially block a driveway, nor should it block a mailbox....

Smoke and other smells. Delicious-smelling barbecue may be tolerable, especially when you’re invited to share it! However, cigarette smoke or chemical smells are different, and there may not be anything you can do about them....

Ring and security cameras. Your neighbor’s security camera captures his front porch, but its viewing range may capture your comings and goings across the street. There’s nothing you can do about that....

Flags and yard signs are on display. HOAs cannot legally forbid the display of the American flag but can set rules on how it is displayed. In most states, HOAs can forbid political yard signs and banners....

Indoor Living, Ownership,

5 Steps to Make Your Rooms Multitask Like a Pro

With today’s busy schedules, families need their homes to work harder for them. That means some rooms may need to do double duty — and sometimes even triple duty. Here’s a five-step guide to make sure the rooms in your house mirror your multitasking life....

Step 1: Decide function and location. Going through your house room by room, decide what activities will occur in each. What items are needed in each space to accomplish those activities? What times of day will the rooms be used? Experts suggest thinking of each space as a zone because spaces and activities will likely overlap....

Step 2: Use color to define spaces. Color is one of the most powerful design tools. It can unify a space or define separate spaces. If you have a large great room, a coordinated color palette can harmonize and pull things together. But if you need to create distinct zones for various functions, you can distinguish them with color. For example, if you have a home office area set up on one side of a large living area, choose an accent color to define that space. Or, use color variations in your flooring to define different zones. Area rugs work well for this purpose. If you prefer to keep your colors consistent, try changing textures instead....

Step 3: Make your lighting work. Lots of light can make a space feel airy and large. If you’ve got a lot going on in a room, this is important. You want the entire room to be lit in layers. But light can do more than that. It can help distinguish specific spaces. Use different kinds of lighting, including multiple types of ambient light (overhead, sconces, recessed), as well as task lighting that supports your functions. A great table lamp can serve as accent lighting as well as a task light for a desk....

Step 4: Choose great furniture. This may be the most important step because the right furniture piece will allow a room to change from one function to another with ease and save space at the same time. The perfect ottoman can function as a coffee table, footrest, or even additional seating for guests. A sofa in a study or playroom can fold out to accommodate overnight guests. You can hide a home office or an entertainment center in an armoire. A murphy bed can fold away completely leaving floor space open for other furniture or play. Also, furniture with casters allows you to rearrange as needed for your different activities....

Step 5: Maximize storage. The more activities you do in a space, the more stuff you’re likely to have in the same area. The last thing you want is chaos. The easiest way to keep things neat is to make the most of storage systems. One way to do this without losing square footage is to leverage a room’s height. Take shelving all the way to the ceiling. Not only will you gain storage, you’ll make the room look bigger. When you purchase a piece of furniture, look for styles that include drawers or other space-saving features. When purchasing an ottoman, for instance, select one with a removable top for storage or consider repurposing a low trunk as an ottoman....

Selling, Selling Your Home,

Seller Responsibilities to Close a Home Sale

The moment a sales contract is signed, the clock begins ticking for both buyer and seller to fulfill contractual obligations. The seller must provide important documents to the buyer. Many, but not all, of these items, are procured by the title company or attorney hired to facilitate the transaction....

Items the seller provides. A title company or attorney, which varies by state, acts as a third-party administrator of the transaction between the buyer and seller. The title company or attorney holds money in escrow, researches and provides documents that each party will need, and delivers them at closing. In some states, both an attorney and a title company play a role. These documents include:...

Certificate of title. A title company examines the public record and determines that the seller has the legal right to offer the property for sale. If the title is clear, a certificate of title is issued.
Survey. Although the buyer’s mortgage company will order a new survey of the property, the existing survey will serve as a reference point for the surveyor hired to do the work.
Encumbrances. If the property has any liens or encroachments by neighboring property owners, the title company will report those. Liens will need to be settled for the deal to close and the property conveyed to the buyer. The seller must provide proof that liens have been satisfied and the title is clear. Liens can be the current owner’s mortgage, tax liens, or mechanic’s liens for unpaid contractor work. Both liens and encroachments must be settled for the new mortgage company to underwrite the loan for the buyer.
Deed. Upon closing, the seller provides a deed to the property. This is the key document that legally transfers title to the property to the buyer or to a trustee who holds it during the years that a mortgage is being paid.
HOA transfer documents. In a neighborhood with mandatory membership in a homeowners association, the seller must provide the covenants and declarations of the organization as well as the residents’ rules and regulations. Typically, a transfer fee is paid to the association for the change in homeowner membership.

Besides these documents and payments, the seller, in many states, will be required to provide a detailed description of the property’s condition on a state-approved form shortly after contract signing. Sellers must also provide access to the property for the buyer’s inspector and for the mortgage company to send an appraiser. The seller must have all personal property removed by closing or a date agreed upon in the contract....

Through the title company or attorney, proceeds of the sale must be applied against the current mortgage and that lien released. Finally, the seller must provide all keys, garage door openers, lock codes, and other access devices to the property at closing....

Throughout the process, breaches by the seller can trigger clauses in the contract allowing the buyer to terminate the deal without loss of earnest money. Depending on the terms of the contract, the buyer may be able to recover any costs incurred as part of the transaction. In some cases, the buyer can sue for “specific performance,” requesting that the court force the seller to complete the sale as originally spelled out in the contract....

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