All homeowners reach a point where they face a simple question: Should I sell my home? The answer is a very personal one. Everyone’s situation is different. But there are a variety of factors you can weigh to determine if it’s the right time to sell.

If you find yourself in this situation, the first step to take is deciding not to make a purely emotion decision and instead think things through. There is no right or wrong answer. As you will see below, there are almost always good reasons for selling your home or keeping it for at least a little while longer. The key is to consider those factors and decide what works best in your situation.

In general, keeping your home can work well if it meets your current and future needs, it’s a location that meets your personal needs (such as having good schools ) and if prices in your area are low. Selling can make sense if you need a different kind of home or have an opportunity to make a great deal of money.

If you find yourself struggling with this decision, consider the following.

Making a Decision on Selling Your Home

As with any complex question, it helps to make a list of the ways that taking one path instead of the other will benefit you and your family. The following offer some topics to get you started as you consider whether it’s time to sell.

Reasons to Stay in Your Home

While selling a home is a big financial decision, it’s wrong not to also consider the emotional factors. The following touches on both.

You’re Perfectly Happy

While sometimes change is good just for the sake of the change, selling a home does not usually fall into this area. If you and your family are comfortable and happy in your home, there’s no reason to move on. Just make sure that the factors that make you like a home are expected to continue into the future.

Great Schools

There’s rarely a good reason to leave an area if you have kids and the area has great schools. The value of great schools can outweigh any other challenges you might face in staying in your home. Having a home zoned to a great school district is a smart reason to stay put.

Your Current Home Is What You Can Afford

Many times, people make the mistake of focusing in on moving in to their dream home in an expensive area, but it’s really a financial stretch to do so. From a purely financial perspective, it’s best to stay in your current home if making the monthly mortgage payment is comfortable at your current rate of income. Buying “too much house” can quickly have a big, negative impact on your finances.

Prices Are Low

Prices rise and fall on the real estate market, but the long-term trend is that prices rise over time. Don’t sell your house too early and miss out on a chance to make much more money. Patience is definitely a virtue when it comes to real estate.

Reasons to Sell Your Home

Sometimes, you have to move. Your company might transfer you to a different office. Or you might find a better job in a different city. Personal reasons, such as marriage or divorce, also often led to moves. But in all those cases, circumstances take the decision out of your hands. The following looks at factors to consider if the decision is all yours.

You’ve Built Significant Equity

Over time, your monthly mortgage payment starts to create a wonderful gap between what the home is worth and what you still owe. That amount can become so large that people decide they want the cash rather than the house. It’s a personal decision. Determine your equity by looking at the recent sale prices for similar homes in your neighborhood minus what you still own on the home.

You’ve Outgrown Your Home

Many buyers consider their first home a “starter home” that they plan to upgrade from at some point in the future. The typical scenario is that people have kids, the house fills with items, and soon they need more room. This is one of the biggest reasons for selling.

You Can Afford a Better Neighborhood

As mentioned above, many people focus on a dream home in the perfect neighborhood. It’s a mistake to move into that home if it puts too big a strain on your finances. However, if you and your family reach a point where you can afford the bigger home, then it might be a good time to sell your current home and move into your dream home.

Home Values Are High

Sometimes, your equity in your home suddenly increases because home prices in your area jump higher. If that’s the case, it’s a good time to sit down and figure out just how much you can make by selling. Many people choose to take a big payout and sell their homes during house market bubbles. However, just ensure that you have a place to move that still fits within your budget.

Deciding whether to sell your home is a personal decision. It can seem complicated and difficult, but it’s a good problem to have. Weigh the benefits of selling or staying and decide what works best for the current and near future. That way, the choice you make will never be a “mistake,” but one that works best for you and your family.

Thinking About Buying or Selling Your Home? Good Greek Realty Can Help, Call (561) 935-3331 To Get Connected with Local Agent

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That’s not always easy for people to accept, especially when they’ve found the perfect house, but it’s in a less desirable location. While it can be tough, it’s best to move onto another option if you want to have less trouble selling your home when the time comes.

When Buying a Home, The Most Important Considerations Are Related To Location

But what factors go into making a good location? They include the following.

Great Schools

If you have kids, no one needs to tell you about this factor. But if you don’t, it’s possible you might not have schools at the top of your list of factors for great locations. But you should. Highly rated schools elevate a neighborhood’s value, even if you don’t (yet) have children. Homes zoned to great school districts are far more likely to retain their value and resell for a higher amount.

Proximity and Convenience

This applies especially to larger cities. Since land is finite, the areas around the city center often get redeveloped to provide residential housing that tends to retain its value. This can also hold true of some of the suburban areas. However, outlying areas tend to have more neighborhoods that people leave permanently, leading to pockets of deserted homes and boarded-up businesses. Living near the city center can be more expensive, but also help you earn money in the long run. That said, if you pick a suburb, make sure it ticks all the boxes on this checklist.

Crime Rates

You can check the crime rates for specific neighborhoods with a service such as City Protect. The sad truth is that most of the time, areas with a high crime rate tend to have a high crime rate for a long time. Conversely, low crime rate neighborhoods tend to stay that way for decades. While there are exceptions, it’s important to make a thorough check on the history of crime rates.

Your Neighbors

A great way to check out a neighborhood is to drive through it during the morning commute hours, during a weekday evening, and on a Saturday. That gives you a good feel for what the neighborhood is like at different times, and allows you to see the neighbors in action. If you see people who are loud, have a lot of unleashed dogs, tons of cars parked on the lawn, etc. – those are all signs of bad neighbors. And even in a good neighborhood, bad neighbors can drag down home value.

Home Prices

Home prices represent another area where history can tell you much about the future. By looking at how much prices have appreciated, you can get a good idea of where your home value will go in the years to come. The higher, of course, the better.

Your Personal Choices

Most of the other areas can be determined using statistics and observation. But another factor in location is your own preference. Depending on where you are in life, you might want a neighborhood full of young single professionals, couples with kids or seniors. Keep in mind that you should also assess the neighborhood by the other factors, but your personal preference can tip the scales if you’re trying to decide between two options.

Location ranks as the top concern for home buyers, and for good reason. You want a home that suits your needs and provides you the most value. As time goes by, you’ll be glad you considered all the different good location factors.

Planning A Move? Call For A Free Quote Today: (561) 683-1313

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About 40 million people move every year, according to federal government statistics. With that much opportunity, it’s no surprise that the moving business attracts its share of scam artists.

But how can you know the difference between the good guys and the bad guys? What are some red flags you should watch out for when hiring a moving company?

Good Greek Moving & Storage CEO Spero Georgedakis has addressed some of these issues as part of his video series on moving tips. He’s an expert at spotting scams because he not only has decades in the moving business, but also formerly worked in law enforcement.

Check out the most common moving scams.

For some of the most common moving scams, read on. Knowing this information can save you a lot of heartache – and a lot of money.

Handling It By Phone

Beware of the company that doesn’t offer to come to your house and assess what you need for your move. If they just give you an estimate over the phone, you can bet that estimate is going to be way too good to be true. Professionals know the only way to get an accurate estimate is to do an in-person, thorough inspection.

An Insanely Low Price Estimate

Speaking of “too good to be true,” price estimates that seem far lower than you expected are a major red flag. The biggest scam in all of moving is to get your belongings on a truck and then ask for more money beyond the original price estimate, essentially holding your belongings hostage. If a price estimate is just ridiculously low, it could be a red flag that a price switch is exactly what is going to happen.

A Cash Deposit

If a company asks for a cash deposit before a move has started, that could be a red flag. Professional, reputable movers do not ask for cash in advance. Rather, you pay after the moving services are finished.

Frequent Name Changes

Reputable companies don’t change names very often, if at all. Companies that have changed their name frequently could be trying to outrun problems from the past, including fines and ripped off customers. When it comes to movers, you want to hire a company that has proven steady and reliable over a long period of time and is prominent in the community.

First Contact Seems Off

There are many ways that the first contact with a company can put you off. Beware movers who don’t make it easy to find their phone number on the company website. Also, movers should ask questions about when and where you plan to move and the size of your belongings. They should want to send someone to your place to make an estimate. If they seem elusive about an appointment, it could be a sign of trouble.

Insurance Issues

There is a lot to consider in the area of moving insurance. The mover is required by law to provide basic carrier liability. If they don’t or put you off to discuss this, move on. Also, they should explain that you can purchase more comprehensive insurance, such as full replacement value protection. Any company that cannot explain in full detail how insurance works is waving a giant red flag.

Weight Vs. Cubic Feet

If you are moving a long distance, your price should get based on the miles of the move and the weight of your belongings. Some movers might try to use cubic feet, meaning the space needed in the truck, but that can vary spending on the packing expertise of the movers. Go with companies that use weight.

All the above provide potential warning signs that the cost of your move is going to go up once movers get your belongings in a truck. The smart move is to take your time at the beginning and do thorough research to find a moving company that provides professional, trustworthy service.

Planning A Move? Call For A Free Quote Today: (561) 683-1313

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That’s perfectly understandable, and why we create checklists like the following. It will help you quickly get the items you will most likely need.

Cleaning Supplies

It seems like such a hassle, but you’ll be glad you planned and set aside all the cleaning supplies you will need. An important tip is to pack all the supplies in one box and take it with you in your own car. That way you will have them handy from the moment you arrive. Just as a reminder, you’ll want:

• All-purpose kitchen and bathroom cleaner
• Window and mirror cleaner
• Toilet and tub cleaning spray or foam
• Gloves
• Toilet brush
• Paper towels or wipes
• Disinfectant wipes
• A pipe declogger (just in case)

Tool Kit

As our elders always tell us, it’s much better to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it. A nice toolkit with the basics is a great thing to have as you start in a new home. Something always comes up eventually, and it’s good to have the hammer, screwdriver or wrench that you need.

Shower Curtain

If you don’t have doors on the shower, then make sure to bring a shower curtain. Otherwise, that’s a run to the store in your new location if you want to clean up (and prefer a shower to a bath).

Hangers

Hangers are inexpensive and it’s nice to start with a complete set of new hangers in your new home. Simply buy as many as you think you will need and put them in a special box. That way you can take proper care of your clothes from the moment you arrive.

Fire Extinguisher

Safety first. If you haven’t checked to see if there’s a new fire extinguisher in 00your home, make sure you bring one. The same goes for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
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Toilet Plunger, Toilet Paper

Most people throw away the toilet plunger when they leave one home and may forget to get another one for the new home. If the toilet clogs in the first couple of days, it’s off to the store, once again. You’re going to need this eventually, best to have it from Day 1. And obviously, you want toilet paper from hour one, much less Day 1!

Garbage Bags

Getting liners for the garbage is one of those things you do automatically at home – but then forget all together during a big move. Just a few will at least get your through the first few days, but a whole, brand new box is better. That way you don’t have to worry about it for a while.

Batteries and Light Bulbs

Two items that you will eventually need, but that you will forget about for years until you need them. That’s why you want these from the start, as well. Just place them wherever you keep the extra stuff (pantry is always a good choice) and wait for the day the TV remote needs new batteries or the lamp in your office needs a new bulb. It’s just a matter of time.

Window Blinds and Shades

Unless your new home comes with these, you’re going to feel pretty funny without them, especially once the sun goes down. Buy in advance so you can put them up as needed.

Air Filters

It’s best to change the air filter on your AC unit the day you move in. You don’t want dirty air in your new home, and you don’t know the last time the previous owner changed the filter (if they did at all). Best to start with a fresh filter.

These are some of the things you will need – and some of the things people often forget. Just check them off this list as you do them, and you’ll be set for your move in. That is, until you start decorating.

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That happens a lot in South Florida, a place where thousands of seniors move each year, often from other states or even countries. Leaving their home where they have lived a long time – sometimes decades – makes this a particularly tough move.

Here are some tips to keep in mind as you prepare to start downsizing and make a move, compiled from the experience we at Good Greek Moving & Storage have had moving seniors to South Florida for many years.

Keep The Big Goal In Mind

When you downsize, the main goals are getting a smaller place and cutting down on costs. It also allows you to more easily move to be closer to grandchildren or medical services that you need. A secondary benefit is that you clean out all the clutter that has accumulated over the many years, meaning you have less stuff to worry about.

It’s a great feeling once you’ve accomplished it, but it does require having a plan and strong discipline. But one of the advantages of being older is that you understand the concept of delayed gratification! The hard work you put in will be worth it.

Start As Early As Possible

Anytime you are downsizing, the actual work takes longer than you expect. That’s because each room will contain smaller items that might take you much longer to handle than you expect. Don’t give yourself just one week to handle the job. Try to start at least a month in advance.

One Room At A Time

This is going to require all the lessons in discipline you’ve learned through the years, but the thing to do is to take one room at a time. Completely clear out one room and pack it up before moving on to the next one. It’s a systematic way that builds step upon step until you are finished, but keeps the work in doable chunks.

When cleaning out rooms, keep these things in mind.

• Eliminate any duplicate items. It’s amazing how many of these pile up over the years, especially in the kitchen.
• Eliminate rooms. Chances are you are moving into a smaller place that might not have a second guest room or large kitchen. Get rid of items that will not fit into your new home.
• Be decisive. Everything needs to be a hard yes or a hard no – no giant “maybe” piles to sort through later.

Making Tough Choices

Moving is an extremely emotional time for everyone, but it’s especially tough on seniors. You have decades of “stuff,” much of it with emotional attachments to children, friends and family. Throwing out sentimental items can be difficult. It’s best to decide beforehand how much you’ll allow yourself to keep (just a box of your most precious mementos, for example). As for other items, a good rule of thumb is to get rid of anything you haven’t worn or used in a year or longer.

Have a Yard Sale

When the time comes, don’t hesitate to sell some of your items through a yard sale or through online markets such as eBay. A little extra cash can help pay the costs of your move. However, keep in mind that most items won’t bring in much cash, so limit the time you want to spend in this area. It might be better to consider giving many items away to charity.

Hire Professionals

Another consideration to hire professionals movers who have experience in handling moves, as well as all the supplies you’ll need to pack your items. They also can offer advice on how to manage your move, including fragile items such as artwork that you might have accumulated over the years.

Keep these tips in mind as you prepare for your move. By planning and starting early, you can make this emotional time in life go much more smoothly.

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Cleaning Services

When you move, you’re going to need your existing home cleaned from top to bottom. This will be the case for a home that you own or rent. Either way, you will want to work with a cleaning company that handles deep cleans. The more home you have, the more expensive it will be. Often, cleaners will come to tour the home before giving you a quote to know just how in-depth they will need to be.

Cleaning companies may bring their own supplies, including mops and vacuums. This will be ideal so that you can go ahead and pack all of your supplies. Particularly if you are moving out of an apartment that you want to get your deposit back on, ask the cleaners to follow a cleaning checklist to ensure that everything is taken care of.

Moving Services

Full-service moving companies can reduce the stress of moving. According to Habitation Homes, when it comes to price, things such as truck rentals, gas and mileage, packing, loading, transporting, unloading, unpacking and the number of workers all factor into the costs associated with moving services. You will want to get quotes from a few different moving companies so that you can anticipate their total cost for full-service moves. Otherwise, you could get surprised by last-minute expenses that you forgot to consider, such as how to get your second vehicle to your new home.

Home Expenses

When you move out of one place and into another, there may be a number of home expenses to get yourself established. According to CUInsight, homeowners can spend between $7,000 and $16,000 a year in hidden costs. With an apartment or house rental, you may need to put down first and last month’s rent along with a security deposit. It will also require some money to turn on the utilities. The electric, water and cable companies may require a deposit from you before they turn anything on.

Ultimately, it’s a good idea to call a few different companies to find out what expenses you’re going to have to incur. A bit of planning will allow you to establish a moving budget. This way, you’ll be prepared for any expense that comes your way. 

If you need help moving or storage while you find a new place, check out our deals!

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Plan Carefully if You’re Buying at the Same Time

One of the best ways to buy a new house is to sell the one you currently have to generate a large down payment. However, if planned poorly, this could spell disaster for some. Most sellers will want to avoid paying two mortgages at the same time if possible. You can avoid this conundrum by carefully planning your timing and offers. For example, placing a contingent offer on a house you wish to buy allows you the failsafe of being able to rescind your offer if your home does not sell. Another way to avoid having to pay two mortgages at the same time is to ask for an extended settlement period. For example, you can request to close on your new house within a 90-day period, which will afford you extra time to get your home sold.

Repair as You Go

Ongoing home maintenance can be the key to preventing a larger disaster that may cause a buyer to back out or a home inspection to go awry. Get big repairs done and out of the way before your listing goes live. Attracting potential buyers becomes much easier when they know that any repairs or sprucing up needed are minor in nature.

Create Visual Appeal

One way to distinguish your home from others on the market is to create eye-catching visuals. Buyers often make their decision on whether to put an offer in on a house within the first few minutes of arriving at the property. Something as simple as replacing landscaping or removing clutter and staging the home is enough to give your property a face-lift. Other inexpensive ways to improve the appeal include adding a fresh coat of paint to the trim and doors or adding fresh flowers.

Selling your home does not have to be an arduous process. Taking small steps, such as paying attention to ongoing home maintenance or investing in some sidewalk sprucing, can yield a significant return on investment. Take care to consider the timing of listing and purchasing homes to avoid the headache of a double mortgage. With careful planning, you’ll have multiple offers in no time!

Once you’ve sold your home and are ready to move, we’ve got your back! Let Good Greek Moving help you move to your new place!

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Selected Blend Cost

Artificial turf options are available at price points ranging from $1–$4 per square foot. As we know in the home improvement game, great quality isn’t cheap. Cheaper blends often have a shiny finish that looks like plastic and will be on the low end of usage which is around 5 years. The top-quality blends – made with nylon or polyethylene – will look and feel much closer to real grass. In addition, they will have much better longevity than cheaper blends, lasting up to 10 years or more with proper care and maintenance.

Installation Difficulty

The regularity of your lawn in shape and level may impact the cost of artificial turf installation. There are several, necessary steps that must be taken to make sure your yard is completely flat and prepared for laying turf:

1. Remove and properly dispose of your current lawn. There may be extra steps such as rock removal in order to get the soil nice and flat.
2. Add a layer of weed-control membrane so that weeds don’t pop up through your turf
3. Add a smooth layer of sand
4. Cut and fit a layer of shock-absorbent material to fit your lawn
5. Cut and fit the artificial turf

This is a lot of labor, which makes installation the most expensive part of this project, but professional installation is your most cost-effective option, and you’ll have peace of mind knowing that this tough task was done right.

Infill

Infill may seem like an afterthought, but with costs ranging from $0.50–$1.00 per square foot of turf, that’s a few extra hundred dollars to tack on to your project. Just like the blend of turf you choose, the quality of your infill is important. Infill acts as the “soil” of artificial turf, helping to weigh it down and hold up the individual blades of grass for a natural look. Cheaper infill is made of rubber, which can absorb a lot of heat in the summer months making it uncomfortable to walk on. However, there are organic infill options that are not only better for the environment than its rubber counterpart, but also feel more comfortable under bare feet.

Now that you have an idea of what the costs of turf installation entails, you can set a budget that affords all of your needs. Even if it seems expensive upfront, the low costs for maintenance will pay for it in no time.

If you’re moving to a new home, we’ve got your back! Contact us today for a free moving quote!

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Dimensions

Knowing the dimensions of your new home will really help with planning the setup. This includes knowing the exact square footage of the entire property, each floor, and each room. Compare the dimensions of each room to those of each large object you’re bringing in. You don’t want to end up in a situation where your king-size bed can’t fit through the doorway of your master bedroom. You also want to know the floor plan so that you immediately know where everything is supposed to go, come move-in day. While an empty house might seem very spacious, you may quickly realize just how little space you actually have for everything.

Safety of the Building

Some home safety problems are immediately recognizable, such as severe dilapidation and mold. Others might not be caught until a home inspector comes around. Even if a home inspector gives you a positive report, you should still perform the same checks you do before you buy. You should always check your outlets before you actually move in as electricity problems can be a major problem. You should also make sure the locks are changed and that all the pipes are in good condition.

Insulation

If you buy a home in the warmer months, it might not faze you to check insulation or furnace quality. However, when the temperatures plummet and you find yourself piling on the blankets, you’ll wish you had looked into it. Have the insulation of your home checked and beef it up as necessary. If you live in a particularly cold climate, your furnace might need a tune-up. Look for one that’s more energy-efficient so that you can save money on bills and put less of a burden on the environment.

These are all important considerations when moving into a new home. While you might not find issues with any of these things, it’s better to be safe than being sorry you didn’t check for them later. Making sure a home is ready for inhabitants will help ensure you have a successful move-in.

Once you’re all set to move in, let Good Greek Moving and Storage help! We help with local, residential, long distance moving and more. Check us out today!

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Send in an Offer

When making an offer on a home, you want to hear those magic words, “The owner is motivated to sell.” This is when you put in your offer. Working with your real estate broker, you’ll put together an offer that takes in the current appraised value of the home and what other homes are selling in the same neighborhood.

If the home you found is actually under what you expected to spend, then perhaps you can go above the asking price to lock it down. Your broker will be handling the back and forth for the offer negotiations. Once the number has been accepted, a purchase contract will be drawn up and you can move onto the next steps.

Survive the Underwriting Process

The time between a signed purchase contract and the final closing will be the underwriting process. This can be a very delicate part of the home buying process. The housing crisis of 2008 caused every major lending institution to rethink how they do business. A lot of that is from new government regulations meant to prevent another crisis.

The underwriting process is as strict as ever, and many factors will come into play when they decide if you can pay for this home or not. Those include your credit score, the amount you have in savings, and your employment history. Even though you submitted all the documents, there might still be additional documents required to verify everything. A lot of money is put on the line and the banks want to know you’ll be good for paying it all back.

Getting a Home Inspection

You will need to get the home inspected. A good inspection can take several hours and it can be “make or break” when it comes to deciding whether you want to buy the home. Yes, even though an offer has been made it won’t be finalized until the inspection is passed. Suppose it is discovered that there are leaks in the plumbing or the roof is damaged from termites. What would your options be then? While you can always explore home restoration options,  it’s important that you know what you’re getting into before finalizing your purchase. That’s why a home inspection is a necessary next step in the home-buying process.

Renegotiate the Offer

After the inspection, you can renegotiate the offer. This should only happen under extreme circumstances like finding out you have to replace the plumbing or electrical wiring. The homeowner might offer to make those compliance repairs in order to keep the offer the same. They could also settle on a lower amount that would be based on how much you would have to pay to make the repairs. Any time there is a renegotiation of an offer, it will slow the whole process down.

The closing time can vary between 30 days to 90 days. The seller of the home might put in a condition that they are allowed to stay in the home for a certain period. If this is the case, you have time to find and price out moving companies. Many moving companies have promotions that you can take advantage of. While you figure out your move, you could end up charging the sellers rent that might pay for your first few mortgage payments. Being flexible with the owner is always a good way to lock down your deal.

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