Florida Homebuilder Centerline Homes | Real Estate Blog

10 Tips to Increase Your Home Value and Help Sell Your Home

1. Reduce Clutter and Excess Furniture.  This helps to make the space feel bigger even though it's not. Open floor plans tend to make a room feel bigger than larger spaces with smaller rooms. 
2. Take care of the obvious cosmetic issues. The stain on the carpet or the spot on the ceiling from the water leak impacts the value and the offer price. It can reduce an offer by thousands of dollars!

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Mortgage Rates Are At Historic Lows

Mortgage rates reached their 2008 apex in July, when the long-term average rate hovered just below 7%. They’ve since dropped to and are around 5%.  The low rates makes financing your home significantly easier, as the money you spend over a thirty year period paying off your house gets lowered to something you may actually be able to afford.

Home Prices have Dropped

Experts indicate that we haven’t seen the bottom yet in all markets, but planning for that bottom and hitting the housing market at the perfect time may be more difficult than worth your while.

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1. Make your storm plan.  You should have a plan laid out for you and your family.  Make sure at least 1 person outside the storm area knows your plan.
   • Are you in an evacuation zone or mobile home?
   • Know your evacuation routes
   • Know what to pack (Food, Money, Clothes, HBC, Sleeping Items)
   • Make sure you have shutters or plywood ready for installation.  Hire a professional if needed.
   • If you have a Pet make sure you make plans for them since many shelters will not allow animals.
2. Trim Your Trees and Shrubs.  Trees should be trimmed by early June, before storms threaten to make landfall.

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1. Always store pesticides and other household chemicals, including chlorine bleach, out of children's reach -- preferably in a locked cabinet.
2. Read the Label FIRST! Pesticide products, household cleaning products, and pet products can be dangerous or ineffective if too much or too little is used.
3. Before applying pesticides or other household chemicals, remove children and their toys, as well as pets, from the area. Keep children and pets away until the pesticide has dried or as long as is recommended on the label.

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1. Check all recreational equipment.
   • Gas Grills - Check that the lines are still good and not cracked or bent. Make sure the burners are not rusted or damaged.
   • Pool Pumps - Ensure your Pool Pumps don't leak and that any electrical wires are still in good shape.
2. Check your driveway, wood deck or concrete patio for possible deterioration.

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