Real Estate by Elba

There are a lot of factors that go into choosing a buyer's agent, but one that a lot of people overlook is local knowledge.

Finding your perfect home is more than just the house itself. You want an agent that knows the area really well because we'll be able to answer questions that other agents won't know.

Are you looking to buy? Let's first discuss what's important about the neighborhoods that you want to live in.

Did you know that the #1 reason people look for that first home is just the simple desire for homeownership?

I get it!

Owning your home feels like freedom. No more worrying that your landlord will freak if you paint a wall, not to mention the freedom to do renovations. And the power of building equity instead of throwing away money on rent every month.

One thing I love about this job is that I get to help first-time buyers achieve that dream!

This quote has been giving me life lately! Part of working in real estate is dealing with rejection. Offers get rejected -- it's just part of buying in the market right now. But a rejected offer isn't the end of the road. It's just a bump.

My job is to help my clients push through. A rejected offer isn't the end of the world! It's a chance to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and find the next home to write an offer on.

Sure, it's a letdown when you don't get a home you were excited about, but your agent is here to offer perspective and be your cheerleader during those bumps in the road.

Real Estate by Elba Real Estate Agent for Central Florida

What did 95% of sellers have in common last year?

They sold their homes for a profit
If you ever wondered whether real estate is a good investment, I think that this statistic puts that question to bed.

Of course, we saw a huge spike in home prices last year, but even as the market "cools," prices aren't going down. They just aren't going up as astronomically as they were last year. That means that most homes are still appreciating in value.

Have you been thinking about selling? I'd love to help you make the profit you deserve from your home sale!

You probably know that getting pre-approved for a home loan is critical before you start house hunting. But I encourage my clients not to rush that important first step.

Your mortgage rate has a big impact on your monthly payments. Even a fraction of a percent adds up to big savings over time, so it's worth it to talk to multiple lenders. You might also consider a mortgage broker, who will look at many lenders and present you with options.

Need an intro to a break mortgage broker? I know many great ones locally. Let's talk and see who would be the best fit for you.

Wow, has this quote meant a lot to me in this line of work! Guiding clients through the buying and selling process is incredibly gratifying, but it can definitely test the limits of an agent's scrappiness at times.

Unforeseen circumstances are par for the course in real estate, so being flexible while keeping my client's goals in mind is a huge part of what I do.

Are you looking to buy or sell? Let's talk about how I can help you stay focused and reach those real estate goals!

As an agent, you know that I love watching HGTV, but how are these couples buying these homes on House Hunters? It's mind-boggling.

I know, it's so easy to go onto sites like Zillow and get a home price estimate.

Unfortunately, those Zestimates aren't super accurate. (This is one reason that they stopped buying homes directly!)

They can give you a ballpark idea, but you really need a local professional to give an accurate price for your home.

A comparative market analysis (CMA) from a real estate agent is a lot more detailed.

It takes into account not just size and location but things like the age of your home, its condition, what's happening in the local market and a tons more that online algorithm just won't know.

Are you thinking about selling? Step away from the Zestimate, and let's talk about doing a CMA for you today!

The short answer to this question is NO.

In almost all real estate transactions, the seller pays the buyer's agent's fees. Plus, having an agent can help you get a better deal on the home you're looking at.

Your agent (ahem) also takes care of the trickier parts of the transaction, like drawing up contracts and other paperwork.

Have you been wanting to buy? Let's talk today about how I can help you!

Did you know that experts are saying that now is the optimal time to sell your home?

Right now, most homeowners stand to make the most money off their home sale than at any time in the history of this country! Isn't that wild?

If you're ready to take advantage of the market, let's talk! Even in a seller's market, you need a good agent to look out for your interests and make sure you make the most from the sale of your home.

A tub in the master bath is definitely a selling point in a home, and there are so many styles to choose from!

Which of these tubs would you put into your dream master bathroom?

When you're shopping for a home, it's important to take the whole family into account, even those fur kids.

If you have dogs, chances are you want to live close to a good vet and in an area with good sidewalks to make walking them more pleasant.

It's also really nice to have a fenced yard, so you can let the pups out to potty when the weather isn't stellar.

Are you house hunting? I'd love to help you find a home that's the perfect fit for you and your doggos.

If you've been thinking about buying a home in the next year, there are quite a few things you can do to get ready.

One key thing that I wish more people knew about it improving their debt-to-income ratio (DTI). A lower DTI not only means that you can borrow more for your home, but it can help you get a lower interest rate.

This might sound complicated, but it's actually a very simple thing to figure out. It's just how much debt you owe versus your annual salary. This might feel like something you don't have a ton of control over, but if you make a plan and give yourself time, you can improve this number!

Real estate is a long game, so take a beat to prepare! The payoff is definitely worth it.

A lot of agents -- myself included! -- will recommend painting the walls when getting your home ready for sale. But before you throw down that drop cloth, read this.

When it comes to painting, the color you choose matters. Some colors sell better than others!

I'm always happy to make color recommendations to clients, so you can be sure that the time and money you invest in repainting actually helps your home sell!

I love this quote, because both the literal and metaphorical meanings are so powerful.

Sure, your home keeps you safe from the weather. That's bare minimum, right?

But home is also a feeling. It's a place where you feel protected and safe. When you walk in, it feels...like home! What makes a house feel like home to you?

When you're thinking about home renovations, resale value should be top of mind. The kitchen is always a good place to start, but that's not the only room where upgrades can pay off.

A recent study looked at what features buyers are looking for and how much of a premium, on average, they'll pay for them. These are the top 4 results:

🛠Central Air: $2500
🛠New Appliances: $1850
🛠Walk-In Closets: $1350
🛠Granite Countertops: $1600

More and more buyers are looking for homes that are energy efficient and otherwise gentler to the planet. And that's good news for homeowners!

There has never been a better time to make efficient upgrades to your home. Not only do they offer a great return on investment, but you can often cash in on government incentives to do it, which offset your costs. Energy.gov is a great place to start looking for things like tax credits and rebates on specific projects.

Do you need help prioritizing? I can take a look at the projects you're interested in and help you decide which ones will add the most value to your home.

Have you been thinking about selling but worried that you'd have trouble, because your home doesn't have an en suite master bath?

Sure, this is a desirable feature, but you may be surprised to learn that it's only a deal breaker for about half of buyers. And when it comes to impacting the sale price, you're usually only looking at a difference of a few thousand dollars.

Looking to list? Let's talk today about how I write you a listing that sells.

If you're updating your home to sell, not all renovations are worth the money. When I'm helping clients prepare their homes for sale, these are three of the things I always suggest:

1. Add insulation to the attic. This might not be sexy, but efficient homes sell better, and improving attic insulation is an affordable way to deliver that to buyers.

2. Paint. Repainting the interior and/or exterior of your home makes a big difference and costs relatively little to do.

3. Address lighting. Again, don't just think interior here. Yes, a well-lit home generally sells better, but exterior lighting matters, too. Buyers are looking for homes with nice, outdoor spaces, so consider upgrading outdoor fixtures, too!

Need more help getting your home ready to sell? Let's talk! I can help you create a checklist of small fixes to help you sell more quickly and for more money.

Any time I have a client getting their home ready to list, I encourage them to take a good look at their lighting situation.

If your home gets great natural light, you're ahead of the game! Make sure that you have light-colored window treatments and that you leave those shades open for showings.

For homes with smaller windows, though, you can brighten things up with strategic lighting. That might mean bringing in a few more lamps, as needed. It can also be as simple as swapping out lower-wattage bulbs for brighter ones.

Are you looking to list? Let's talk about how I can get your home ready to SELL!

With the market moving so quickly, it's tempting to make an offer on a home without doing all of the necessary homework, like a thorough viewing and checking out the neighborhood.

One thing I encourage you to keep in mind is that you can change a lot of things about a home -- wall colors, fixtures, even layout. What you can't change is the location.

If you want to be prepared to move quickly while house hunting, I recommend starting at the neighborhood level. Where do you want to live? Make a list of neighborhoods in town that would work for you and your family. If you know that, you can move forward on an offer with a lot more confidence.

Looking at houses is easy, right? Here's the thing.

Viewing homes is just one piece of the house shopping pie. It's the easy, fun piece, so it's the one we like to focus on. But those other pieces? Those are the ones you need an agent to help with.

According to a National Association of Realtors survey, the two hardest parts of house shopping are paperwork and understanding the home buying process. Those are the pieces that your agent is here to help with. Let me handle the paperwork and guide you through the process, so you can focus on the fun part!

What kind of flooring do most buyers want: carpeting or hardwoods?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is, "It depends."

Younger buyers tend to prefer hardwoods because they're thinking more about foot traffic from kids' dirty shoes and weekend dinner parties.

For older buyers, though, carpet is king, because it's more energy efficient, especially in colder months.

This might feel like a lose-lose, but it's actually good news! It means that no matter what kind of flooring you have, there's a buyer out there who's going to love it. What you may want to do as a seller is lean into that demographic with the rest of your staging choices, depending on what sort of flooring you have.

You know that curb appeal matters when you're selling your home, and in fall, there are some specific spruce-ups that I encourage clients to do before taking those listing photos.

- Give your lawn some love. Rake any leaves and patch up brown spots in the grass.
- Clean your gutters and downspouts.
- Pressure wash your siding, if you're not planning to paint your home's exterior.

I know -- this might seem like a strange quote for a real estate agent to share, but it's so true!

Sure, it feels good to close on a new house. But at the end of the day, it's the memories you make and the little, personal details that turn that house into a home.

What makes your house feel like home to you?

If you could remodel your kitchen or your bathroom, which would you choose?

Both of these are great rooms to revamp, from a resale perspective, so you really can't lose!

Pretend that money is no object -- which of these rooms would you want to take a sledgehammer to and start fresh?

I've been an agent for a long time and have seen quite a few potential buyers skip over homes because...well...they had a weird smell.

This can be a tricky thing to address with clients, but it's so important that your home smell neutral or inviting.

Things like a cat box are relatively easy to address, but if your home has a musty smell -- even a slight one -- I strongly encourage you to address it before listing. In a lot of cases, dealing with a musty odor can be an easy thing to address.

Are you thinking about selling? You need an agent who will be real with you, so you can sell your home for the best possible price. Let's talk today about how I can do that!