Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Why Buy With Us?
We are your partners through the entire buying process – after all, this is the most important purchase you will ever make!
Our team has the experience, knowledge and technology to help you find what you are looking for. Our custom-built home search website pulls directly from the MLS and can send updates immediately to our buyers when a new home is listed or a current home changes its price, so you are the first to know.
Pre-Approval
A pre-approval letter is one of the most crucial items needed to purchase a house! It shows that you are a serious buyer and can afford the home you are submitting an offer on.
With over 25 years years of lending experience, we know the resources you need to obtain the best rates, fees and service! Once you connect with our team, we can recommend local lenders who have proven themselves worthy enough to work with our clients.
Escrow and Closing Costs
When you purchase a home, there will be closing costs which include fees for processing, title insurance, closing, title search, mortgage taxes, appraisals, and more. Within closing costs, there are third-party fees that come from companies that don’t work for mortgage lenders yet provide essential services like holding escrow.
Escrow is when an impartial third party (Title or Attorney Fee Office) holds on to funds and distributes them accordingly to process a transaction. This fund, also known as earnest money, is a form of good faith that the buyer will move forward in a transaction, and can often times be kept by the Seller if a Buyer breaches the Contract. Please consult an attorney if you have a question.
Home Warranty
Buying a home is one of the biggest financial investments you will ever make. A home warranty protects you, the buyer, (for the first year or term of policy) from breakdown to certain mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and appliance systems in the home. We know what to look out for and how to negotiate this into the deal for our buyers and sellers.
Relocation
Are you looking to relocate to Austin? Need more information to help you find the right area and neighborhood to suit your needs?
Our relocation guide doesn’t just tell you about neighborhoods, and schools, it will open your eyes to the magic of Austin, and all it has to offer – Amazing restaurants, The Arts, Hiking and Biking, Running and Cycling, and everything in between, including what Austin is famous for – the MUSIC!!
Contact us today at info@upsidetx.com to get started!
Full buyer/tenant representation on real estate transactions is typically at no direct cost to the buyer/tenant. When you hire us, we work in your best interest and act as a fiduciary to you at all times.
Choosing who to work with is one of the most important questions you’ll ask yourself when selling a home. We are local Austinites and we know our communities! We know the area, not only because we live and work here, but also because we grew up here and are involved. With over 100 combined years of experience and community involvement, our reputation speaks for itself!
Marketing Your Home
We don’t simply put a sign in your yard and wait for it to sell. We specialize in creating demand for your home. We offer pre-inspection walk-through, getting the home cleaned and shining, home staging, and even managing a great group of subcontractors to complete necessary work before going to market. Your home will look it’s best!
We all know selling a home takes a well thought out game plan. We have just that, and cannot wait to list your home.
What's Your Home Worth?
Not sure if this is a good time to sell? Wonder how much you could get for your home? Let us create a comparative market analysis for your home to answer those questions and more.
Escrow and Closing Costs
When you purchase a home, there will be closing costs you need to be knowledgeable about. These costs include lender fees for underwriting, processing, and origination, along with title insurance, escrow closing fees, tax certificates, pro rata share of real estate taxes, homeowners insurance, appraisals, and more. Knowing these fees in advance is crucial to accepting an Offer that make financial sense.
Escrow is when an impartial third party holds on to funds and distributes them accordingly to process a transaction. This fund, also known as earnest money, is a form of good faith that the buyer will hold for the seller if they breech the contract. Please consult an attorney if you have a question.
Electrician? Plumber? Moving Van?
We can help! You can count on us to recommend local moving companies to assist when you move in. When you work with us, you won’t have to navigate all of the uncertain areas of finding the best movers, plumbers, handymen and more on your own – we’re happy to make solid, reputable recommendations to subcontractors across over 40 categories to point you in the right direction!
Steps for Selling Your Home
Every seller wants their home to sell quickly for a large profit, but it takes more than luck to make this happen. It involves careful planning and knowing how to professionally prepare your home to convince buyers to pull out their checkbooks.
Disassociate From Your House
Letting go of your home can be difficult. You’ve lived there, possibly for years, and the house holds many memories. To detach from it emotionally, you must realize that without you in it, the house is just a shell to be filled by other occupants. Look to the future, where can make new memories in your next home.
Sever your emotional attachment to the house by realizing that home is about the occupants who live there, not just the space or building. Your next house will feel like home before you know it because you will be personalizing your space and creating new memories.
Depersonalize Your House
Pack up your personal photographs, family heirlooms, and other objects and clutter that might distract potential buyers and hurt a possible sale. You want to present buyers with an impersonal, clean environment so they can imagine the home perhaps decorated with their own photographs, furniture, and art objects. Depersonalizing your home makes it easier for potential buyers to visualize how the home might look filled with their own items.
Regarding furniture, only leave understated pieces that are not a distraction and don’t create an unintended impression. For example, it would be difficult for a buyer to visualize their own antique furnishings in place of the existing zebra couch, bright yellow chair, and bear rug.
The goal is to make it easy for a potential buyer to see the house as their future home.
Declutter Your House
People tend to collect an amazing quantity of items over the years. Reasons for keeping items include an emotional attachment, an intention to reuse or fix the items in the future, or a wish to pass them on to others. However, for many items, if you haven’t used them in over a year, you probably don’t need them.
Discard items in a useful way by donating them to a charity or nonprofit organization such as the Salvation Army or Goodwill. These items not only help those in need but are tax-deductible. For items that are not accepted, call your town to inquire whether the items can be picked up. Many towns schedule this service once or twice a month.
Also, remove books from bookcases and other knickknacks, and clean everything off your kitchen counters. Essential items that you use daily can be tucked away in small boxes that you can place in a closet when they’re not in use. Consider this process an efficient start to your packing.
Organize Bedroom Closets and Storage Cabinets
Buyers will be curious about storage space and will want to check closets and cabinets. It’s important to ensure these are organized, as it sends a negative message if your storage spaces are cluttered with items falling out.
When a buyer sees everything organized down to the last detail, it shows that you take care of your possessions and likely took good care of the house. In kitchen cabinets, alphabetize spice jars, neatly stack dishes, and turn the coffee cup handles so they’re facing the same way. In closets, shirts should be buttoned and hung together, and shoes should be lined up neatly.
Consider Renting a Storage Unit
Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage, along with distracting furniture, artwork, and empty bookcases.
Removing extra leaves from your dining room table will make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture to showcase the room’s purpose with plenty of room for buyers to move around.
Remove or Replace Favorite Items
If you plan on taking certain window coverings, built-in appliances, or fixtures with you, remove them prior to showing the house. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great-grandmother, be sure to take it down before a buyer sees it and asks that it be included with the house. Telling a buyer they can’t have an item that appears with the house and enhances its appeal can hurt the sale.
Make Minor Repairs
In some sellers markets you can sell a home in lived-in condition without much complaint. But in normal markets or a buyer’s market, repairs can make or break a sale.
Replace cracked floor or counter tiles and patch any holes in the walls. Fix leaky faucets and doors that don’t close properly, as well as kitchen drawers that jam. Consider painting walls neutral colors, especially if they’re currently hot pink or purple. Don’t give buyers any reason to remember your home as “the one with the orange bathroom.”
Replace burned-out light bulbs and also consider replacing those that have been in service for a while. Avoid the potential of having a bulb blow out when you flip the light switch during a showing. It’s a small incident that can easily be avoided if you are mindful. You want the buyer’s experience to be as positive as possible. Throw open the curtains and blinds and turn on those lights. Houses show better when each room is clean and bright.
Make the House Sparkle
Preparing your home to be viewed by potential buyers may require hiring a professional cleaning crew. Cleaning may include washing the windows inside and out; renting a pressure washer and spraying down sidewalks and the exterior; recaulking tubs, showers, and sinks; and polishing chrome faucets and mirrors. Make sure all of the dust is removed from under the furniture, in the cabinets and closets, and everywhere else it could be hiding.
Try to maintain this cleanliness by vacuuming daily, waxing floors, dusting furniture, and keeping the bathrooms and kitchen spotless. Hang up fresh guest towels. Also, keep the toilet lid closed when it’s not in use.
Kitchens are a big selling point for many buyers, so make yours as spotless and uncluttered as possible. In the event someone opens your refrigerator, make sure it appears clean and orderly.
Above all, clean and air out any musty areas. The night before a showing, avoid cooking particularly odorous foods such as fish, garlic or cabbage. These smells can linger the day after. Also, if you have pets, monitor litter boxes or any other areas affected by pets.
Scrutinize Curb Appeal
A potential sale is lost quickly if a buyer won’t even get out of their agent’s car because the exterior of your home can be unappealing. Make the exterior more appealing and welcoming by painting your front door and, perhaps, adding a wreath of dried wildflowers, or placing one or two flower pots on your front porch. Hire a landscaper to clean up your lawn and add a few shrubs or flowering plants. Consider hiring a contractor to fix any cracks on your front steps or walkway. Also, make sure visitors can clearly see your house number.
The Final Step
Back inside your home, linger in the doorway of each room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer. Examine how the furniture is arranged and rearrange pieces until the room achieves visual appeal. Make sure window coverings hang evenly. Once you’ve cleaned and gotten everything repaired and organized, you can begin staging your home.
Copyright © 2024 Upside Realty - All Rights Reserved.
Texas Real Estate Commission Information About Brokerage Services
Texas Real Estate Commission Consumer Protection Notice
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.