Double Check Your Homeowner’s Insurance Policy!

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Today we are going to talk about something that your homeowner’s insurance policy may not cover that could greatly affect you, especially here in Cedar Valley.

Just last week, we had a situation where we found bat droppings in an attic during an inspection. This has happened about 20-25 times over the past year, even though most of the homeowners have no idea they have bats. 

Brown house bats are becoming an epidemic in our area. The ridge vents that are on our houses to keep ventilation flowing are the perfect housing space for brown house bats. Most insurance policies cover bats, however, not all of them cover the bat droppings.

Bat droppings are considered pollutants on certain policies, and they are an expensive fix. This particular seller had about $5,000 worth of expenses that they had no idea about. 

Double check your homeowner’s policy that it covers things like this, because it can be an expensive fix, up to $20,000 in some cases. You never know what’s happening in the places you don’t see every day, and it's better to be safe than sorry.


If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

We’re Sponsoring a Great Holiday Concert in Cedar Valley with the Brazilian 2wins

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It’s an exciting time to be alive, and an exciting time to be in the Cedar Valley. It’s holiday time, people are cheery, and all the holiday hoopla is starting up.

Today we just wanted to take a moment to tell you about a special event that we are sponsoring this holiday season. The Brazilian 2wins is a great band, and we are hosting a concert series with them this holiday season.

The first show is Friday, December 18 at Independence High School. The shows on Saturday, December 19 and Sunday, December 20 will be at the Oster Regent Theatre right here in Cedar Valley.

To get more info on the event, head on over to our Facebook page. If you have any other questions for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We can’t wait for you to see the shows!

How Should You Handle an Early Offer on Your Home?

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Getting an offer on your home right after listing it is a great problem to have. Should you accept it? Or is it a sign that there are better offers to come?

I've been in the business 22 years, and the old adage that says the first offer is the best is true 99% of the time! I recently had a client who listed their home and received an offer within $9,000 of their list price. They ended up countering the offer for $2,000 and ended up losing the buyer. Nine months later, they sold their home for $60,000 less. You don't want this to happen to you!

The longer your home sits on the market, the less negotiating power you have; if your home has been sitting on the market for a long time, many buyers have seen it and there isn't a sense of urgency about it. When your home has been on the market for only a few days or a few weeks, on the other hand, there is a lot more urgency because buyers aren't sure how long it will be available for.

For more real estate advice and assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!

Prepare to List in the Winter in Cedar Valley

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If you list your home in the winter, you need to prepare adequately. Living in a snowy area during the colder months means all landscapes are hidden beneath blankets of snow.

During the holidays, put a wreath on your door. Make it warm. Add lights. Play up your front door. When a prospective buyer pulls into your driveway before touring, they should feel welcome. They should be able to picture themselves in your home. Decorations add pizzazz to attract potential buyers through curb appeal.

When a house is vacant, it needs to feel warm. It shouldn’t feel empty or abandoned, even though no one is currently living inside of it. It needs to feel like a home more than just a house. Keep your heat up and warm the property up, even when you are not there. Additionally, you’ll need to stage your home minimally if it’s vacant.

The biggest piece of advice I can offer is to keep your sidewalk, driveway, and other paths plowed of snow. Walkways should be clear and easily accessible. Plus, do some decorating inside and outside of your home. These strategies pay off when bids start flowing in!

If you have any questions about this topic or more, give us an email or call today. We’d be happy to hear from you.

Should You Have an Open House when You Sell?

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To open house, or not to open house? This is a question we’ve been getting a lot lately, and today we’re going to give you our answer. We are huge believers in open houses and always have been because we have found great success with them.

Here’s the reality of it: Today’s buyers are getting very detailed with their online searches. The problem this leaves you with as a seller is a lot of buyers missing out on your home due to one or two small details being off. Having an open house creates energy, opportunity, and it may be the only way that certain buyers see your home.

Our team has had 23 sales alone this year from open houses, which is amazing. You owe it to yourself to have an open house when it comes time for you to sell. It only will increase the chances of your home selling for top dollar.

If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

How Can You Give Your Cedar Valley Home that WOW Factor?

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Today I just want to talk for a moment about a few simple ways you can tweak your home, take it to another level, and add that wow factor for potential buyers. Kitchens and bathrooms are always a hot topic, which makes sense, because we spend a lot of our time in these places.

For kitchens, glass tile backsplash is the greatest value out on the market today. It’s inexpensive, and it’s easy to install if you are even remotely handy. It adds huge value to your home, and is a wow factor for buyers.

When you’re competing with a strong new construction market, any leg you can get up on the competition is worth it. Glass backsplash tile really enhances your home and makes it more interesting to buyers.

If you have any questions for us, or want more tips on adding value to your home before you sell, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Sell Your Cedar Valley Home Now

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A lot of people have been asking me, "Is now a good time to come onto the market, or should I wait until spring?" I'm here to tell you that it is a great time to be on the market.

Contrary to popular belief, the market doesn't stop when school starts. Some people subscribe to that line of thought and take their homes off the market. What this means for you is there is less competition in the fall.

Serious buyers are still looking for homes in the fall and winter. If you wait until spring to sell, you will have a lot more competition. Also, interest rates are low right now, making it a great time for buyers to purchase a home. You may be surprised, but in the last three years, December has been the second biggest month for homes sales.

As you can see, you can absolutely sell your home in the fall or winter. There is no bad time to be on the market. If you have any questions for me, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Why You Need to Be Careful with Zillow

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Zillow is a giant in the real estate industry. They aggregate tons and tons of data, and a lot of it is actually quite useful to the average consumer, but you need to take some of it with a grain of salt.

One thing in particular that you need to watch out for is the Zestimate, which is Zillow's valuation of your home. How accurate is that value that Zillow places on your home?

On average, these Zestimates are off by 5-15%. A 15% difference on a $300,000 home is a matter of $45,000! It has also been stated that nearly every home value on the website is off by at least 5% or more. This is a huge margin of error.

These estimates work well with communities that have similar homes, but with mixed communities like we have here in Cedar Valley, it's hard for Zillow's algorithms to place accurate values on homes. Some homes may sit next to a highway and they'll be valued the same as a home next to a cornfield with a great view.

I don't recommend anyone to use the Zillow Zestimate as a true market value. Always talk to a Realtor when you're pricing a home or putting an offer on a home.

If you truly want to know the value of your Cedar Valley home, please don't hesitate to contact me. I would be very happy to assist you!

No Credit vs Bad Credit

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I occasionally get people in my office who want to buy a home, but they have no credit history whatsoever. This leads me to a good question: is it better to have bad credit or no credit?

From the perspective of a lender, it is riskier to lend to someone with no credit history at all than someone with bad credit. They have no way of telling if you are good at making payments or not. When you have bad credit, we can fix it. But if you have no credit at all, there is no way of telling what kind of borrower you might be.

A lot of the time, no credit ends up getting you no mortgage. This is why it's not a terrible idea to start building credit now. You can buy a credit card and put a very small balance on it, and pay it off month to month to build a little bit of consistent credit history.

It's surprising to most people, but it is better to have bad credit than no credit at all. If you want to buy a home in the future, I highly suggest that you begin to build credit now.

If you need help buying or selling in Cedar Valley, please don't hesitate to contact me!

The Secret to Making Your Home Attractive to Millennial Buyers!

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Today, I want to discuss a few Cedar Valley buying trends that I've noticed lately. All over the country, millennials are entering the market - but "what are they buying?" and "how are they buying?" are questions on everyone's mind.

It's a fact: the millennial buyer thinks and acts differently than all other buyers. If you're selling, the key is to eliminate maintenance, as this is the biggest objection millennial buyers will have. If you don't understand that, it could cost you thousands!

Millennials subscribe to the "less is more" philosophy. They prefer white woodwork, high ceilings, gray tones, and other neutral features. Millennials, generally, would rather have more quality and less space. A big house that needs a lot of work is something they simply aren't interested in.  

If you would like more tips about how to sell your home to millennial buyers, we would love to help. We have some younger agents on our team who help keep us current with the latest trends, so we know exactly what you have to do to get your home sold! Give us a call or shoot us an email for the service you deserve! 

We would love to hear from you!

What's the Secret to Selling Your Cedar Valley Home?

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If you're looking to sell your home in Cedar Valley, look at your front door! What exactly do I mean by this, you ask?

Your front door is one of the only replaceable items that will get you a 100% return when you sell your home. First impressions are critical when selling - you have one opportunity to get online buyers to stop and take a closer look at your home. Your front door is representative of what the buyer can expect to see inside. If they see a worn-down front door, they are going to enter the home with a pessimistic attitude. 

Spring is here in Cedar Valley, so there's no better time to start thinking about making your front door look spectacular. It's a great time to clean the porch and give your front door a bit of a touch up. Make the front door pop with a fresh coat of paint, some artwork, or potted plants. Just remember: the power of the front door cannot be overestimated! 

If you would like some free tips to help you spruce up your front door, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, give me a call or shoot me a quick email. I would love to chat about other small fixes that will pay huge dividends when selling your home! 

Is Now the Ideal Time to Buy in the Cedar Valley?

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A question we're often asked here at Wienands Real Estate is, "When is the right time to buy?" Today, we answer that so you can make informed decisions in the Cedar Valley marketplace. 

If you're unsure whether the time is right to buy, the first thing you should do is reach out to us. We have preferred lenders who we trust and depend on, and whom we would love to introduce you to. Some of the questions you'll be asked are:

• Do you have a solid job?
• Have you been there for more than two years? 
• Do you have a lot of debt?
• Do you have school or deferred loans?
• How is your credit? 

These are some basic questions that can get the buying process rolling. We'll put you in touch with a great lender, who will take a look at your financial standing and determine whether you qualify. If you have less-than-stellar credit or student debt, there are still programs that you may qualify for. The only way you can really know if moving is right for you is by talking to a professional!

With interest rates as low as they are right now, a lot of people are unaware that they could secure monthly payments that are lower than their current rent. This isn't something that happens very often, and we're unsure how long these conditions will last. 

To see if buying is the right move for you, or if you have any general real estate questions, give us a call or shoot us a quick email. We would love to chat and see whether now is the time to make your real estate dreams come true! 

Where's the Cedar Valley Market Heading?

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Are you on the fence about making your move in the Cedar Valley area? Today we will discuss current market conditions so you can make an informed decision.

Right now, interest rates are at 3.75%, which is incredible. Many experts were expecting rates to jump a full point by now, but we have not yet seen that. In addition to low rates, FHA has reduced its mortgage premium substantially, which means more people will be eligible for financing. 

It's important to keep in mind that people are still expecting rates to rise this year, but no one is sure exactly when it will happen. A 1% rise in rates will substantially affect your buying power, so there's no reason to wait if you're ready to move. In our area, there's a lot of tax abatement and tax incentives for new construction, making now an ideal time to build a new home!

Give us a call at (319) 269-2477 or shoot us an email at Amy@AmyWienands.com, so we can begin working for you today! We look forward to hearing from you soon!

What Do Recent Market Trends Mean for Your Home Sale?

The Cedar Valley real estate market is diverse with both buyers and sellers alike seeking a variety of different properties. As a prospective seller, you can find out the market value of your property with a free home value report right here, or if you're looking to purchase in the Cedar Valley area click here for full MLS access. Always feel free to reach out to us for any questions regarding the current market conditions, or the value of your property at 319.269.2477

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first edition of our video blog! We're going to send two videos a month to update you on current market conditions, provide useful tips to increase the value of your home, and discuss relevant trends in our Cedar Valley market.

Lately, we've received a lot of questions about the best time to put a house on the market. The market is currently pretty active, but usually I tell people that the third week of January is the real start of the spring market. Recently, interest rates dropped as low as 3.75%, which means payments are as low right now as you're likely to see them for quite some time.

There's a lot of new construction around town right now. If you take a drive around our area, you'll see three new subdivisions going up right this very moment. Bottom line: the market is incredibly active right now.

If you're out there looking to buy, or are on the fence about making a move, don't hesitate to give us a call or shoot us a quick email. We would love to give you some advice and discuss your options. We think 2015 is going to be a fantastic year for real estate in our area, so you don't want to miss out!