While the real estate market in Rhode Island is on an upswing, many residents may be considering listing their property in the hopes of capitalizing on the trend. Although there is a shortage of starter homes in the Ocean State, the Rhode Island Association of Realtors recently announced that the number of mid-priced homes sold in 2017 eclipsed previous records — meaning buyers in these price ranges have more options. To make your home stand out from the crowd, J.Christopher Real Estate Group has some tips that can help you sell your home quickly.

“Home sellers can become so excited about listing their property that they can sometimes lose sight of their overall mission,” said Jarrod C. Lewis, owner of J.Christopher Real Estate. “In thinking about the windfall of money they might receive, homeowners might make renovations that can turn off some buyers or discourage potential buyers with a price that doesn’t align with the neighborhood.”

With a team of five real estate agents that are thoroughly informed about the Rhode Island market, J.Christopher Real Estate agents know what buyers are looking for in a new home. As you begin the home listing process, here are the do’s and don’ts when putting your home on the market.

Don’t make niche improvements

While a ‘man cave’ with a bar and ceiling mounted space for cinema viewing may be appealing to you, another family may have to think about the cost of undoing the project for a more family oriented space.

Do make upgrades that are widely appreciated

When making renovations to sell your home quickly, consider fixing peeling paint, cracked fixtures or installing new appliances. These things can motivate a buyer to make an offer quickly.

Don’t overdo the decorations

Setting up bright color themes that are to your personal preferences could discourage buyers looking for a modern look. Sellers should make an effort to choose decorations that are universally accepted, and easy to switch out.

Do make a good first impression

Buyers will form opinions the moment they see your home, which is why it is important that you maintain a clean curb, and entryway. Some flowers, new sod, and an impressive mailbox can set the stage for what buyers could expect to see in your home.

Do make arrangements to exit during tours

It can be difficult for buyers to envision themselves in your home if you are standing in the corner. This can lead some buyers to feel like an uninvited guest instead of being a future homeowner, which is why you should make arrangements for outside activities during scheduled tours. In addition, remove photos, religious items and political posters to give the potential buyer a blank slate when they see themselves living in your residence.

Don’t take offense to offers

There are many reasons why offers may be lower than expected that can include aspects from the appraisal, or comparable home listings. Keep a cool head to make sure you can work towards a resolution that works for both sides.

Do advocate how your home is different

While listing your property at an appropriate price is very important, home sellers should be able to describe why their home is attractive in the years to come. Whether it is a nearby public school with a stellar reputation, the proximity to important areas or amenities, or how your home is situated in a place where home values are expected to grow, there is always something that can make your home stand out.

As some homes languish in the real estate market for months on end, you can rest assured that J.Christopher Real Estate agents have the expertise to sell your home quickly, and at a fair price. For all of your real estate concerns and needs, speak with an agent at 401-830-6906 and see first-hand why we are ranked among the best realtors in Rhode Island.

Reduced prices await home buyers this time of year  

With the holiday season underway, many home buyers do not expect to be celebrating the holidays in a new home because they’re with planning getaways or trips to shopping centers. While signing for a home in December may be tricky, J.Christopher Real Estate Group would like to remind hopeful homeowners that they can still surprise the family with keys to a new home this upcoming season.

“Besides the obvious reasons why sellers might delist their homes in December, many properties will remain on the market. Buyers who continue their search through the winter will find better deals than they normally would in the spring or summer months,” said Jarrod C. Lewis, owner of J.Christopher Real Estate Group.

While buying a home around Christmas can be hectic because of unusual schedules, there are several reasons why December could be considered the best time to buy.

• The number of home listings and total number of buyers tend to decrease in December because few people want to deal with tours or signing legal documents when one could instead spend time preparing for the big celebrations ahead. This means there is less competition for buyers, but they will also have fewer options to choose from this time of year.
• Homes that remain in the market during the winter months tend to be listed by motivated sellers. While many sellers will remove their listings until the spring or summer to get a better price on their home, the sellers who are welcoming buyers into their homes for tours will usually want to close a sale as soon as possible. Add to the fact that there aren’t too many buyers at the moment, and what happens is that buyers have a little more leverage to purchase a home at a lower price.
• Although this doesn’t happen in every scenario, the Christmas season can pull some heartstrings for sellers who want to help make another family’s dream of homeownership a reality.

With the magic of the season all around, J.Christopher Real Estate Group wants to help you move into a Winter Wonderland that you can call your own. Speak with one of our agents today at 401-830-6906 so you can kick off the New Year with a fresh start.

Jarrod C. Lewis, owner of J.Christopher Real Estate Group, has been named one of the top five Keller Williams Realty agents in all of New England.

J.Christopher Real Estate Group is an affiliate of Keller Williams Realty, a real estate franchise that has more than 139,000 associates from over 790 market centers around the world.
Across the New England region, Lewis outpaced hundreds of fellow Keller Williams agents by placing 5th for most closed units for October, 2017.

Carl Nardone, regional director of Keller Williams Realty, congratulated Jarrod for reaching this significant milestone, stating: “We are so proud of the great things Jarrod has achieved and for the difference he is making in people’s lives along the way.”

Jarrod was pleased to be recognized by Keller Williams for his hard work. “This distinction is incredibly humbling, and reinforces my belief that our clients should always be our top priority,” he said. “One of the reasons people enjoying working with our agency is because we take great care in ensuring every person is treated with respect regardless of their financial situation. I thank Keller Williams for recognizing our commitment to our clients.”

On days when Jarrod is not helping Southern New Englanders find homes, he can be found helping the community in other ways. Jarrod regularly donates a percentage of his real estate transactions to non-profit organizations such as Hasbro’s Children’s Hospital, the ASPCA and the Alzheimer’s Association. He is also a regular sponsor of the North Providence Senior Center.

­­­Fueled by the popularity of home renovations shows on HGTV and the DIY network, home buyers are touring houses with a fresh pair of eyes and an open mind. With median home prices in Rhode Island expected to rise, younger home buyers are taking the plunge on buying fixer uppers or ‘bare bones’ homes in the hopes that their investment will be worth it in the end. J. Christopher Real Estate Group cares about getting you into your dream house and wants to ensure you take certain considerations when buying a home that needs renovations.

There is another reason why home buyers are gravitating towards fixer uppers, according to Jarrod Lewis, owner of J. Christopher Real Estate Group. “Many Rhode Island homes have been around for a long time, but homes built in the 1990s with outdated designs and features are the ones primarily saturating the market,” Lewis said.

With a team of five real estate professionals, J. Christopher Real Estate Group understands that buying a home can be complex, especially when you’re considering buying a home that needs touch ups. In order to assist you in this important milestone, we have developed a list of things to consider before making an offer.

Check ‘comps’ for the area

Home buyers that have toured homes with real estate agents have probably heard the word ‘comps’ thrown around a few times. Comps is a short word for comparable prices around the same neighborhood. Real estate agents look at prices for similar homes — square feet, number of rooms, area code, and other factors — to determine whether you are paying a comparable price. If you know how much the house should be worth if it didn’t need repairs, you can make an offer that takes into account how much you will need to pay in remodeling costs. Ideally, if homes around the area are $250,000, and you know the house needs $50,000 in repairs, then it’s not unrealistic to offer $200,000 for the home.

Know when you need a professional

Home buyers should be careful about taking on projects they aren’t capable of doing themselves. Removing carpets, installing laminate flooring, painting and changing appliances are all DIY projects in which home owners can save money. For issues that involve plumbing, electrical work or home additions, call an appropriate professional because fixes can not only be dangerous, but they can also require permits and unforeseen expenses.

Factor in other costs

Depending on the home and the type of work that needs to be done, renovations can vary from $4,000 to over $50,000. You may have budgeted appropriately, but you should also consider the costs of eating out every day if you won’t have a functioning kitchen for a month. Besides these considerations, many contractors also suggest you put aside an additional 10 to 20 percent as a financial cushion if something goes wrong during the remodeling process like having to re-pipe the entire home.

Everything is a negotiation

Home owners often fail to realize that if they didn’t get the price they wanted for a home, they can still negotiate other aspects of the deal. You can suggest a number of fixes that need to be done before buying a house, or you can ask for the down payment to be partially, and in some cases completely, paid for by the seller. If you don’t have your heart set on a particular house, and the house has been on the market for several months, you may have some leverage to negotiate a better price. Without these conditions, however, the conversation can also go the other way and the seller can choose another buyer, so be careful how you approach any deals.

There is nothing wrong with buying a home that needs a cosmetic makeover or even a significant overhaul, but before getting involved in this process consider the tips mentioned above.

J. Christopher Real Estate Group wants to ensure clients understand what’s involved when buying a home that needs renovations. Call us at 401-830-6906 to learn more tips when buying a home that needs renovations or for any other real estate issues that concern you.

From the real estate ads on the web to the open house signage sitting outside of that beautiful house you’ve been eying, first time home buyers are bombarded with information that can be overwhelming. Despite the wealth of information available, one of the least talked about topics is the emotions first time home buyers experience.  J. Christopher Real Estate Group understands that buying a home can be an exciting time. However, it’s also important that home buyers keep their emotions in check in order to make a logical home purchase.

“Buying a home is usually the largest financial decision someone will ever make, yet many home buyers are unprepared for what’s involved and therefore aren’t well equipped to make a good purchasing decision. Besides the heartaches that can result, unprepared home buyers may end up spending more money than they initially thought,” says Jarrod Lewis, owner of J. Christopher Real Estate Group.

J. Christopher Real Estate Group has a team of dedicated professionals that can improve your home buying experience and is committed to ensuring home buyers are happy with their decision. In order to assist you, we’ve developed a checklist for you to keep in mind before you officially kick off your house hunting.

Know your maximum price point

We know a home buyers’ time is valuable and when realtors have a good idea of a buyers’ maximum price point, we can narrow down the search and move the process more quickly.

Leave your emotions at the door

Buying a house is a business decision, and one that will impact your day-to-day living. While the prospects of moving into a new home are exciting, it becomes problematic when it influences the decisions you make. Home buyers who ‘fall in love’ with a specific house can find themselves overlooking major problems.

Get a pre-approval letter

Arguably, one of the saddest things that can happen for new home buyers is being denied for a home mortgage. Since the housing bubble, banks have become more stringent in offering mortgages to people of all backgrounds. After a long and grueling process to find the right home, many home buyers are denied mortgages at the last stage. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as not being at the same employer enough time; recently making a large purchase that bankers feel will get in the way of paying mortgages; or having large student loans that can interfere with your financial obligations.

Have an emergency fund for unexpected costs

Bankers make an effort to ensure you are not strapped for cash immediately after paying the down payment, realtor fees and other costs. This is a strategic decision because they have loaned you money and want to ensure payments are made on time. Because of this, banks want to make sure you have a sizable amount equal to a minimum of 6 months of mortgage payments stashed in the bank.

Practice budgeting for the real thing

A mortgage is a financial decision for the long haul. Many home buyers might not be accustomed to the financial obligation when they sign a 15 to 30-year mortgage. The transition is a little bit easier if you’ve been paying rent in the same amount every month for years. Additionally, it might be worthwhile to put away money that is equal to the amount you will be paying in preparation.

Think about your current living situation 

New home buyers rarely give a second thought to their current landlords when purchasing a home. This often places landlords in financial peril because of a lack of communication. When you get a firm timeline for the mortgage process, we’d advise you to alert your landlord the next time rent is due that you have found your new home.

Find a good realtor

Real estate agents and home buyers develop special relationships during the home buying process. Although you may not realize it, realtors are learning your preferences on home styles that interest you, different color paints you like, and patterns you didn’t even realize you dislike. We will do whatever it takes to meet you at your convenience.

This is where we can help.

There are many moving parts to consider before deciding to buy a home. J. Christopher Real Estate Group wants to ensure clients are well informed before house hunting so they are adequately prepared throughout the process.

Speak with a J Christopher Real Estate agent today at 401-830-6906 to learn how we can help you make your home buying dream a reality.