What's My Home Worth?

What’s My Home Worth?

Have you ever wondered what your home is worth?  Are you thinking of selling, but not sure if selling would benefit you at this time?  There are a couple of ways to find out.  One is to have a formal appraisal done on your home but of course, that cost’s money.  The other is to get a free market analysis on your home.  Mick and Jane Goebel, of The Goebel Team in Murphy, North Carolina, are top notch Realtor’s and would be glad to sit down with you and assess your home.  They would be glad to conduct a free property valuation for you.  The article below gives some information about the difference between an appraisal and a property valuation report.  It also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each.  

Go to Mick and Jane’s website here to fill out the form to get started.  It’s FREE – and it’s done by two really great people!  You’ll not regret it, even if you decide not to list your home at this time.  Take a look at some of the reasons a Free Property Valuation Report is a “Must DO!”

Should I Get a Real Estate Appraisal or Market Analysis?

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/should-real-estate-appraisal-market-analysis-48109.html    

Formal Appraisal

The appraiser can use three different methods or approaches to value your property: market, cost and income. The market approach usually yields the most appropriate and relevant valuation for a typical home over a few years old. This approach compares your home to very similar types of homes that have recently sold in the immediate geographic area, to base a value on a going market price. The cost approach will yield a value based on what it would cost to replace your home and the land it's on. The income approach bases a value on the rental income your home can produce.

Market Analysis

The heart of a market analysis is the appraisal market approach. The broker or agent will research other similar homes in your neighborhood that have recently sold and also those that are up for sale. These similar homes are known as comparables or comps. The agent will also analyze how long it took to sell the other homes or how long they have been on the market. This allows for the marketing analysis to spot and consider marketing trends, thus forecasting the future plus using historical data to estimate the value of your home.

Advantages and Disadvantages

A major advantage that most people see in a marketing analysis is that it usually can be obtained for free from local real estate agencies, as compared to paying hundreds of dollars for an appraisal. The major disadvantage is that the agent has a vested interest in getting you to list your property with him and to maximize the value of your home. A professional appraiser is an unbiased third party and should be the most objective. Another advantage for the marketing analysis is that the local real estate agent might have inside knowledge regarding your neighborhood that the appraiser does not.

Buying or Selling During the Holidays

Buying or Selling During the Holidays

Yes, It IS Possible!

So, you’re thinking of buying or selling during the holiday season?   Friends and family telling you that you’re crazy?  Think it’s a bad move?  Here’s some information that may change your mind.  First of all, nothing’s impossible and second, lots of good things can happen during the holidays and we’re here to tell you about them.  Mick and Jane Goebel are here to help, to answer your questions, to show you how to make your dreams come true!! 

Give us a call at: 828-361-9442 and we’ll be glad to sit down with you and come up with a plan that will put a smile on your face!  Read these tips then write down your own questions and give us a call so we can get started.  Happy Reading!!

Top 5 Reasons to Buy a Home During the Holiday Season

http://www.moneytips.com/top-5-reasons-to-buy-a-home-during-the-holidays

1. Less Market Activity – Lots of family, school, and work activities, combined with the weather in many locations, lead to fewer real estate transactions over the holidays. Since fewer people overall are looking to buy houses, you will have less competition for your preferred house – and this gives you leverage.
   Holiday home sellers often have to adjust their price downward or make other concessions if they want to sell. Keep this in mind as you search for homes. Bargains may be available, and listed prices may be more open to negotiation.
2. Motivated Sellers – People who are selling their homes over the holidays often have great incentive to sell, such as an upcoming job relocation. If a house has already been on the market for some time, that incentive is multiplied.
   You may be able to use this urgency to your advantage (assuming you are not in a similarly urgent need to buy). Negotiate fairly but firmly with sellers and you should be able to extract a lower price and/or other concessions like paying part of the closing costs.
3. Better Interest Rates – Within the general trend of interest rates, there is often a cyclical trend of lower interest rates during the holidays – not from the generosity of lenders but due to limited demand forcing greater competition among lenders.
   There are plenty of factors that can obscure or swamp this cycle, but in general, you should see preferable interest rates around the holidays compared to the times immediately before or after.
4. Potential Tax Advantages – If you itemize your taxes, you can deduct any points you paid upon closing, as well as property taxes and mortgage interest. Whether it is to your advantage to buy before or after year’s end depends on factors such as how many other deductions you have this year and expect to have next year.
   It is best to consult with a tax professional before purchase. Even though you do not want to make a decision on a home purchase strictly for tax reasons, it could be to your benefit to close before the end of the year.
5. Faster Closings – Generally, all parties involved have incentive to complete transactions toward the end of the year. Lenders want to close their books, real estate agents want to receive their commissions before the year closes, sellers want to move on to their new home and settle in for the holidays – and just like the sellers, you want to settle in as well.
   Since all parties are motivated and there are fewer transactions taking place during this time, it should be easier to put everything in place for a smooth and rapid closing. These factors do not always apply. For example, if you are trying to buy a home in a winter ski resort area or similar high-demand winter destination, these dynamics may be reversed – except for the tax implications. However, for the majority of Americans, the holidays represent an opportunity to buy a home under mostly favorable economic conditions.

The weather may still be frightful, but your opportunities to buy a home around the holidays may be just as delightful. Enjoy the holiday season as you explore your options. Don’t forget to give Santa your new forwarding address!

(*Disclaimer:  All these may not apply in every geographical location throughout the US)

Top 10 Tips for Selling Your Home During the Holidays

http://www.hgtv.com/design/real-estate/top-10-tips-for-selling-your-home-during-the-holidays

1. Deck the halls, but don’t go overboard.
   Homes often look their best during the holidays, but sellers should be careful not to overdo it on the decor. Adornments that are too large or too many can crowd your home and distract buyers. Also, avoid offending buyers by opting for general fall and winter decorations rather than items with religious themes.
2. Hire a reliable real estate agent.
   That means someone who will work hard for you and won't disappear during Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's. Ask your friends and family if they can recommend a listing agent who will go above and beyond to get your home sold. This will ease your stress and give you more time to enjoy the season.
3. Seek out motivated buyers.
   Anyone house hunting during the holidays must have a good reason for doing so. Work with your agent to target buyers on a deadline, including people relocating for jobs in your area, investors on tax deadlines, college students and staff, and military personnel, if you live near a military base.
4. Price it to sell.
   No matter what time of year, a home that’s priced low for the market will make buyers feel merry. Rather than gradually making small price reductions, many real estate agents advise sellers to slash their prices before putting a home on the market.
5. Make curb appeal a top priority.
   When autumn rolls around and the trees start to lose their leaves, maintaining the exterior of your home becomes even more important. Bare trees equal a more exposed home, so touch up the paint, clean the gutters and spruce up the yard. Keep buyers’ safety in mind as well by making sure stairs and walkways are free of snow, ice and leaves.
6. Take top-notch real estate photos.
   When the weather outside is frightful, homebuyers are likely to start their house hunt from the comfort of their homes by browsing listings on the Internet. Make a good first impression by offering lots of flattering, high-quality photos of your home. If possible, have a summer or spring photo of your home available so buyers can see how it looks year-round.
7. Create a video tour for the Web.
   You'll get less foot traffic during the holidays thanks to inclement weather and vacation plans. But shooting a video tour and posting it on the Web may attract house hunters who don't have time to physically see your home or would rather not drive in a snowstorm. 
8. Give house hunters a place to escape from the cold.
   Make your home feel cozy and inviting during showings by cranking up the heat, playing soft classical music and offering homemade holiday treats. When you encourage buyers to spend more time in your home, you also give them more time to admire its best features.
9. Offer holiday cheer in the form of financing.
   Bah, humbug! Lenders are scrooges these days, but if you've got the means, then why not offer a home loan to a serious buyer? You could get a good rate of return on your money.
10. Relax — the new year is just around the corner.
    The holidays are stressful enough with gifts to buy, dinners to prepare and relatives to entertain. Take a moment to remind yourself that if you don't sell now, there's always next year, which, luckily, is only a few days away.

 

Reflections of the Season

Enjoy the Music and Slideshow!  

Reflections of the Season

We, at the Goebel Team hope you had a blessed and beautiful Thanksgiving Day.  We hope you enjoyed a wonderful meal with friends and family.  We hope you reflected on your many blessings and gave thanks in your own special way.  As we enter this 2016 Holiday Season, let us not only give thanks for the year behind us but also for all that lies ahead.  I personally, as assistant to Mick and Jane Goebel, would like to take this opportunity to give thanks for them.  Mick and Jane are not only a wonderful couple, but also wonderful friends, as well as incredible people to work for.  I am thankful to not only call them my bosses, but to call them my friends.  I have been so blessed to be a part of this office and specifically, a part of The Goebel Team.  And I know that Mick and Jane are also thankful for 2016.  It has been a year of change for them in adding me to the team and it has also been a year of growth which I know they are grateful for.  They have had new clients which have turned in to new friends.  They have had joyous times, both professionally and personally.  Their hard work this year has paid off in many ways.  We are a team of professionals that work hard to help others with one of the biggest decisions in their lives; buying or selling their home.  I know that Mick and Jane Goebel take that responsibility seriously and are very conscious of what it means to the clients they work with.  As we come to the end of 2016 and look ahead to the new year, may we all give thanks for the many blessings in our lives; our friends and family, and all those in our work place, including co-workers as well as clients.  May this Holiday Season be a very special time for all of you and may the coming year be filled with all your hopes and dreams for the future!   God Bless you all and thank you for being a part of our lives!