4 Real Estate Tips For Selling Your Home in The Fall

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If you’re selling a home in the Fall months, we have 4 really good real estate tips that will help bring potential buyers to your listing. Whether you’re buying a home or selling a home in Dayton Ohio, it’s important to understand that fall is the second busiest time for home sales in the Miami Valley. Fall is an extremely popular time of year for home buyers (first time home buyers, retirees, and those who are relocating to Wright Patterson Air Force Base). Currently, home buyers also want to take advantage of record low mortgage rates (under 4.0%) and they want to close and be moved in before the holidays. With fewer houses on the market, sellers may even get more attention in the fall than other times of the year.

Follow These 4 Important Tips When Selling A Home In The Fall

Curb Appeal

Whether you are buying a home or selling a home, curb appeal is the very first thing a potential buyer views. Generally speaking, buyers will search homes online before settling on 4-5 homes to view in person. If the buyer drives by your home and the exterior is looking it’s absolute best, they are more likely to contact a local Realtor and schedule a showing.

Price Your Home To Sell

The average home buyer searches over 50 homes before settling on 4-5 to view in person. Home buyers are smart, they are well informed, and they have compared home values from places like Zillow, Trulia and even the County Auditors website. When selling your home, you can price the home at any value you like – but the price your home will actually sell for is determined by the your local real estate market. If your home is priced too high, buyers won’t even look at the property, let alone make an offer. This time of year buyers are ready to make an offer and close on the home rather quickly, which is why you should price the home correctly the first time. Remember, if your home is not priced correctly, you could be holding onto the home throughout the entire Winter.

Increase Your Homes Web Presence

A strong web presence is the new “curb appeal.” When listing your home for sale, make sure you choose a web savvy Realtor with advertising knowledge that is effective in today’s real estate market. Make sure to showcase plenty of pictures of your home online. Colorful fall foliage helps make your home look warm and welcoming.

A Move In Ready Home

Buyers are looking to buy homes that are move-in ready, so take care of improvements and repairs now. Home buyers are less interested in working on a home in the fall than springtime. If the home needs new carpet, have carpet installed. If you need to paint rooms, hire a local painter or paint the rooms yourself. When potential buyers view your home, you want them to imagine themselves moving in and relaxing. The same thing can be said for repairs. If the home needs minor repairs, make the repairs yourself or hire a professional. Note, hiring a professional is much less expensive than an offer from a potential buyer who feels like he/she has tons of work to do.

Homeowner Tax Deductions For 2012 Federal Income Tax

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If you have some extra time to spend on your taxes this season, itemizing your deductions could save you some extra money. Of course, you can’t take the standard deduction if you do itemize — so you’ll want to do your homework before submitting the forms. The 2012 standard tax deductions are:

– $5,950 for married couples filing separate tax returns

– $11,900 for married couples filing joint tax returns

– $8,700 for heads of household.

Compare this amount to the total expenses you can itemize. Then, file your taxes using the method that saves you the most money. If you decide to itemize, you’ll need to file the long version of Form 1040 and the Schedule A form. And since filing taxes can be a bit anxiety-producing, we recommend you consult with a tax professional who can help you find appropriate tax deductions – without throwing up major red flags for a tax audit.

Which Expenses Can I Deduct From My 2012 Tax Return?

 

Mortgage Interest

Deduct the interest you pay with each mortgage payment. During the early years of home ownership, you’ll probably find that a big portion of each payment goes toward your interest – which ends up being a big benefit during tax season.

Deduct Paid Points

If you paid points to a lender in order to get a better rate on your home loan, you’ll be able to deduct those points – but only in the year you paid them. There are a few stipulations regarding this deduction: point payment has to be an established business practice in your local area, the loan must have been used to purchase or build your main home and the points must be within an accepted range.

Property Taxes

Any property taxes you pay to your state and local governments can be deducted from your federal income taxes.

Moving Expenses

If you’ve saved your receipts, you can usually deduct job-related moving expenses.

Energy-Efficient Upgrades

You may be able to deduct certain expenses associated with energy-efficient improvements to your home. These deductions typically include insulation, windows, exterior doors, roofs, central air conditioners, heat pumps and furnaces. There are several stipulations regarding these tax deductions, however – so make sure you consult with a tax professional before filing your forms.