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Surviving a Bathroom Remodel

by | Oct 27, 2020 | Home Maintenance, Real Estate Tips, YourHome

Surviving a Bathroom Remodel

A bathroom is more than a commode. It’s a commodity. When buying or selling a home, the bathrooms are a big deal. And while remodeling a bathroom increases your home’s value, it can be a huge headache. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be.

Here is a quick guide to surviving your bathroom remodel. 

Schedule Wisely

First, consult several contractors and ask them questions about their credentials. Once you’ve picked the perfect one, schedule your bathroom renovation for the time that works best for you. 

Contractors are generally busiest during the summer, so consider scheduling a fall or winter renovation to gain your contractor’s full attention. Factor into your schedule that your renovation will take at least several weeks, and you may have to adjust your schedule if your contractor needs to perform additional repairs. 

Pick the Right Layout 

Examine the current layout of your bathroom with your contractor. Tell them what you want to change and keep, and consult their expertise. 

Research common layouts for bathrooms and see if there’s one that works for you. Choose a layout that maximizes privacy, safety when leaving the shower and bath, and utility for bathing, showering, using the toilet, and using the sink. Leave plenty of open space, and make some room for storage. 

Prepare Temporary Spaces 

Make a temporary bathroom before work begins. Utilize your master bathroom or a bathroom in your basement or attic, and stock it with necessary supplies. If you don’t have a second bathroom, portable bathrooms are easily affordable, and even public bathrooms can meet your basic needs. 

You will also need to prepare spaces for workers to move through your home, and places to store their tools and equipment. Clear the floors, hallway, and staircases around and leading to your bathroom. Provide a table for their tools, and make sure they can use the electrical sockets in and around your bathroom. 

Renovations are still being made through COVID-19, and home improvement professionals are adjusting to the pandemic appropriately. Touch base with your contractor about necessary precautions. 

Expect Setbacks

Setbacks occur during nearly every renovation. Don’t panic. Your contractor is a professional, trained to recognize and deal with problems, and they will fix anything that needs repairs. 

Check-in with your contractor daily to see how things are going. Consult with a plumber, an electrician, and other home improvement experts to see if your bathroom problems will affect the whole house. If you plan to sell your home after renovations, tell your realtor about delays as soon as they arise. 

If additional repairs need to be made, make them as soon as your bathroom renovations are done. This may be an inconvenience, but making sure they’re fixed will raise your home’s value and your comfort. 

After Your Bathroom Remodel, What’s Next?

A bathroom remodel is an important step toward increasing the value and comfort of your home. By selecting and scheduling the right contractor, and choosing the right layout and temporary spaces, you can safely survive your bathroom renovation. 

If you live in the Salt Lake area, contact us today to get the most out of your home. We can help with more than just your bathroom remodel.

4 Expert Tips for Choosing an Investment Property

by | May 29, 2020 | Real Estate Agent Tips, Real Estate Tips

buying-an-investment-property

Are you thinking about buying an investment property? Well, you’re in luck because in this article we are going to give you some essential tips about what to look for in an investment property.

The decision that you make when it comes to the property is crucial because, after all, you’re investing your time, money, and other resources in purchasing this property. We want to help you make the best decision possible.

Tips For Buying An Investment Property

Before you decide to invest in real estate, you must understand somethings first. Its recommended that you do your research because the real estate market can prove to be unpredictable, just like the weather.

1. Are You Fit To Be A Landlord?

When you decide to invest in a rental property, one of the first things you need to understand is that you’ll be a landlord, which can be a full-time job. Landlords are responsible for more than just collecting rent every month.

When your tenant has an issue with air conditioning or heating, it is your responsibility to fix it. You become responsible for payments, repairs, paying bills, and more as a landlord.

2. Decide On The Amount You’d Like To Invest

Before purchasing a property, it is essential to decide how much money you are willing to invest in your rental properties. You should take into account how much work a property may need to make it habitable and estimating the repair costs of the property for the future.

Once you take into consideration the amount that you’re willing to invest, it will dictate how many properties you’re able to purchase.

3. Study Real Estate Taxes

Much like any property you purchase, there will be real estate taxes you have to pay. One of the best benefits of owning rental properties is the ability to use them as a means of tax exemption.

We recommend that you brush up on all of the expenses that qualify for tax exemption. The majority of the costs, such as maintenance and utility payments can be written off when you file your taxes.

4. Study Current Market Trends

Before making your final decision on the investment rental property, you should research the current market trends. The current market trends will give you the information you need about where to invest.

Some of the market trends that you need to take note of are the rates of renting a home, the price of home sales, and more. If you aren’t aware of the trends, you may find yourself with a property that doesn’t make you any money.

Time To Invest

Buying an investment property is a big decision to make. That’s why we provided the tips above to help you make the best decision possible. Remember having an investment property takes also will put you in the position of becoming the landlord.

If you need help deciding on the perfect property to purchase or looking to sell a home, contact us today.

How We Market Selling Your Home (and why we do it that way)

by | Oct 31, 2019 | Salt Lake City, Staging, YourHome

Knowing the right way to market your home to sell is vital. Market Source Real Estate has been providing home sellers with excellent service and extensive local expertise since 2007, securing the highest price and quickest sale possible for you in the best and worst times in the market. We excel in evaluating homes, making them better with staging, advising of needed repairs and setting the right price to get the best outcome for our sellers. We set realistic expectations based on anticipating repairs needed after a buyer’s home inspection, preventing most of the typical drama that comes up during a sales transaction.
Staging:

Staged homes sell an average of 17% faster than homes that are not. There are many statistics to be found from many sources but staged homes also appear to sell for 1-5% more than a home that is not staged. We work with many different staging companies so we can tailor staging services to each unique home’s needs.

Photography/Video:

Professional photos and/or video tours of your home is a part of your listing which greatly helps our marketing efforts. If you don’t have great photos, most people will not make an appointment to see your home!

 

Signage:

When Market Source Real Estate lists your home for sale, a professional, oversized and easy to spot sign will be placed in your yard. Our company colors have also been specifically chosen to stand out. The two most memorable colors in marketing are red and yellow.

Community Outreach:

We will implement the appropriate community outreach strategy either through sending out flyers, alerting neighbors through community social media sources, sending postcards to neighborhoods or reaching out directly to neighbors to try to secure a buyer for your home.

Open Houses:

If determined to be in the right location for open houses, we will also host open houses at your home. Only 1-3% of homes sell from an open house but it can be effective if your home is in a high traffic area or fast-moving market.

 

MLS/Website:

We market homes for sale on the MLS and utahrealestate.com, where most buyer’s agents are searching for homes as well as saltlakeopenhouse.com, redfin.com, facebook.com, thinksaltlakecity.com, realtor.com, ksl.com, youtube.com and all other brokerage websites that broadcast MLS feeds.

Social Media:

In addition to advertising your home for sale on websites, we will create a branded social media strategy for your listing so we can best target potential buyers for your home through the appropriate social media channels. Our developed social media channels include: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Showings:

Sellers should be aware that same-day and even last-minute requests for showings are
common, so a seller with a ‘24 hour notice to show’ stipulation often cuts himself out of a good chunk of the buying market.
In Utah the standard is 24 hours notice.

More information on moving can be found here:

Home Buyer Checklist

Tips for Getting Your Home Ready to Sell

Stress Management for Home Buyers

Stress Management for Home Buyers

by | Sep 5, 2019 | Moving, Moving Tips, Real Estate Tips, Salt Lake City, Sold Listings, YourLifestyle

Everything about moving can be stressful. We have a few tips to help you manage stress during the process. From the selling or buying of a home to the packing and unpacking, there are moments of excitement and moments of anxiety so having your ducks in a row so to speak will help make the later moments minimal.

Start Small– this will allow you to see progress along the way and hopefully keep you motivated without the tasks seeming to daunting. Whether that is packing up all the bathroom drawers only leaving items that you may need up until moving day, to picking a section of basement or garage to make some headway.

 

Allow for plenty of time– trying to rush through the moving process will do nothing but put added stress on the situation. Pre-planning for moving trucks etc., will help you also feel more prepared. Try not to leave anything to the last minute.

Try to stay organized– sorting and labeling boxes is the key to having a less stressful unpacking experience. This includes keeping all documents you may need in an easy to access place. Upfront planning is essential to coordinating all the ‘moving’ parts.

 

Hire professional movers-if you can fit it into your budget, having professionals come and pack the truck, haul the items, and unpack the truck in your new space is a lot less work for you. In addition, it will not only save your back from heavy lifting but will give you peace of mind knowing all your stuff is in one place.

Ask for help– if you need it, ask! Family and friends are a great resource if you are feeling overwhelmed by the move. Having an extra set of hands or two, can help tremendously.

 

Meet your new neighbors– who knows, they may even be nice enough to come help you unpack.

 

Rest– be sure to rest when you need too. Try and get as much sleep as possible and drink plenty of fluids. This will help you both mentally and physically.

 

 

A few more helpful moving tips:

Tips for Moving with Pets

Tips for Getting Your Home Ready to Sell

Tips for Moving with Children

Broom Clean and Free of Debris

by | Aug 1, 2019 | Home Maintenance, Moving, Moving Tips, Salt Lake City, Staging

What exactly does “Broom Clean and Free of Debris” mean when selling a home? For starters, this does not mean the home has been professionally cleaned by any means. Also, when sellers take down art and or photos off the walls, there are often nail holes left behind and the seller is not obligated to spackle them.

 

In addition, once furniture is removed, there can be spots on the carpet and other surprises that the buyer should anticipate potentially dealing with as there is no way to see everything when a home is occupied and there is furniture in the way.

 

Often times when a seller moves out and the home is vacant, many things that were not visible in photographs when furntiure ext. where still in the house, are now visible when empty. This can include stain on carpets, holes in walls and perhaps even issues with other types of flooring, like laminate floors with stains or damage.

 

Be prepared to either hire a professional service to clean the house to your satisfication or factor in the time to do it yourself. Expecting that it will already been done, is an unrealistic expectation and one that cathces a lot of buyers off guard.

 

“People’s perception of broom clean is very different, so buyers should plan on hiring a housecleaner so the home is clean to their liking,” Monique Higginson said. “Often sellers will leave paint or other items at the home, but those should be removed by the seller unless the buyer gives them permission to leave the items.”

 

For more tips visit:

Tips for Getting Your Home Ready to Sell

Tips for an Easy Move: 7 Strategies To Save Your Hassle and Headaches

Tips for Moving with Children