As the housing market continues to heat up, buyers are finding themselves competing aggressively over properties. When you find yourself in a multiple offer situation, you always want to figure out creative ways to make your offer stand out. Have you heard of an Escalation Clause? This nifty tool might be your next best friend when it comes to dealing with an aggressive seller’s market.

 

If you know you want a specific property and are willing to pay a premium to ensure you get it, let’s consider adding in an escalation clause. Here’s what that looks like. First off, we need to write the contract with a full set of attractive terms - Strong sales price, solid funding, minimal requests, quick closing timeline, etc… Then it’s time to add the icing to…

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The days of simply writing an offer with the normal inspection, appraisal, and financing contingencies are behind us. Today, if you want to grab the seller’s attention, you have to take risk and be creative. While all situations are different, here are a few key techniques to consider:

  1. Pass or Fail Inspections - most buyers are not willing to buy a house without a professional looking at it. By all means, keep the right to inspect in your offer, but take out the concern for the seller. Let them know the inspection is a pass or fail - meaning you won’t ask them to fix anything. You will simply accept the property as-is if you don't find anything catastrophic during the inspections. You still retain the protection of being able to walk away if…

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Gutters are the #1 maintenance item to pay attention to during the winter months. We have the most leaves and debris in them as well as the most water in them during this time of year. Most people don't think about how much damage can be caused by a gutter holding excess water. A clogged gutter can lead to:

  • Filling with water. The overflow can back up under the base of the shingle and cause wood rot - damaging your roof and the interior wall underneath it.
  • Filling water can cause excess weight which can cause the gutter to break away from the house - damaging many things in this process.
  • Gutters can freeze up. During the thawing process this can cause ice dams to form. This can force water underneath the shingle causing water damage to the…

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The experts are forecasting some very interesting trends for the housing market in 2021 - very positive trends. Here are a few key points to ponder: 

  • Affordability will continue to be a struggle for buyers as prices will hit new heights - expecting +5.7% increases.
  • Home selling should return to normal seasonality with Spring and Summer being the usual strongest seasons.
  • Home sales are expected to continue to grow - expected to be up +7% based on strong demand.
  • Millennials continue to dominate and will now be taking over the “move-up” buyers as they have children and need more space.
  • Covid 19 has created new reasons for people to move such as:
    • The need for new home work space
    • The need for new home virtual schooling space.
    • With…

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