Why Are Home Inspections so Crucial in Des Moines?

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 Today, J.D. Nelson, a new team member with an extensive background in home inspections, joins us to discuss that very topic. He has some incredible insight. They are so important for buyers and sellers alike in the surrounding Des Moines area.

Sellers should consider a pre-sale inspection. This is a proactive approach before listing. You will know about any issues and have the opportunity to fix them before potential buyers view your property. The pre-sale inspection helps with the closing process and avoids surprises.

The pre-sale inspection also gives the seller peace of mind. Plus, if you resolve a few repairs before listing the property, you will most likely save money. When a buyer gets the inspection back and wants to negotiate repairs, they tend to overestimate the costs. If you fix something for $200, odds are that the buyer will request a $500 allowance to make the exact same repair.

Doing the pre-sale inspection saves you money in the long run. If you have to make substantial repairs that increase the value of your home, we can also build that into the listing price.

On the buyer side, 80% of buyers invest in a home inspection. This goes over the same things as the pre-sale inspection and lets you know everything about the house before you close on the property. The general inspection will cover things like your HVAC system, roof, electrical system, and more. If the home inspector notices any major issues, they may recommend having a specialist come out to inspect the property.

You can also add a radon and termite inspection to the property. Depending on the square footage of the home, a general home inspection typically runs from $310 to $400. This is a great investment so that you’re aware of any issues with the property before purchasing it.  

One of the benefits of working with J.D. is when he walks into a house, he goes into inspector mode. J.D. saves clients time by pointing out big ticket items that might need to be addressed. He helps them make educated decisions when looking at homes.

If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

The Real Estate Market is Booming in Des Moines

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Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Value Report

Today we are excited to be giving you a market update and talk about some fun things going on in Des Moines right now.

Not only are presidential candidates flooding the city, people who want to live here are flocking to the area as well. We have had some amazing referrals over the last month, from all over the country. People have come to us not only through our large referral network, but through our friends and family that live all over. Those referrals mean a lot to us, and we thank you for trusting us and thinking of us when it comes to Des Moines real estate.

If you're not in Des Moines and reading this, we just want you to know we can help you move no matter where your destination is. We have fantastic agent relationships all over the country with Keller Williams, and we can get you in touch with a great agent no matter where you are.

In Des Moines, we had a huge surge in business in 2016. January is the busiest month I've ever had in real estate. We have a ton of buyers coming in, a lot of businesses coming in, and we are still short on listings. If you are ready to sell, now is the time to make your move. Even if you're just thinking about selling in the future, but don't want to formally list your home, we might just have the perfect buyer for your home. It can never hurt to have the option on the table.

If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you!

What Remodels Are the Best?

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search
Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Value Report

Today I'm excited to answer some questions about remodeling. We are always getting questions from clients about where they should put their money. Today we are going to answer some of those questions. 

There are a few key concepts that I advise people to go by. The first is square footage. Whenever you are adding square footage to your home, you're adding value. 

Another thing that adds a lot of value is an extra bedroom. If you go from being a 3-bedroom home to a 4-bedroom home, your home will be in a higher price bracket. 

Adding another full or half-bathroom is another great idea. Even if you can't add anything, remodeling your bathroom will bring you a pretty good return on investment.

When you do decide to add value to your home through home renovation or remodeling projects, understand that you won't always get a full return on your investment. I found a cool graph in Realtor Mag, that shows how much value certain home repairs bring. If you update your heating and cooling system, you can expect to get around 71% of that cost back. However, with hardwood floor refinishing, you can expect to get 100% of that value back when you decide to sell.

My best advice is this. If you are considering adding value to your home through renovations or remodels, give us a call first. We can help you get started, and put you in touch with some of the best contractors in the area who will be able to take it from there. We are happy to help out, and would love to hear from you. Give us a call or send us an email today!