Property values have levitated and tumbled over the past decade, but one thing will always remain the same, the value of your home will be associated with the value of other homes in your market. Many homeowners know the amount they have invested in their property including monthly mortgage, but not everyone knows what the current value of their property holds. So, how does it matter? If you are intended to continue living in your current house for the foreseeable future and repaying your mortgage then why would you care about its current market value?

There are a whole lot of reasons to know your home’s current market value such as – Insurance purposes, financial future planning, property tax, relocation, downsizing, or trading up, the possibilities are so many.

Online Research

In recent years, a proliferation of online resources has emerged to provide you with an answer before you actually consult any person in the specialized field. There are many websites at your service which offer an online home value evaluation. Such platforms help in examining the data for an estimate.

You would be asked to enter information about the property. Such as detailed measurement of the carpet area, super built-up area (in square feet), date of construction – completion, and the number of rooms, etc. After you have entered all the information given above, the online estimator will evaluate the property’s market value.

Other public records like property transfers, deeds of ownership along with tax assessments could predict your home’s value based on recent sales and listing prices.

BPO or CMA

In real estate broker price opinion is often associated with short sales and foreclosure, but many homeowners and companies like relocation firms call for them. While collaborating with buyers and sellers for listing price or examination value before acquisitions, real estate agents do a comparative market analysis.

A BPO or CMA is another method of estimating your home’s worth. Such evaluation methods rely on the recent sale value of similar properties in the local area or vicinity.

FHFA Index Calculator

Homeowners that are wary of AVMs could opt for the FHFAs House Index Price calculator. The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s House Price Index (HPI) is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The HPI calculator gives you an idea of how much your house is worth, and how its value of it has changed over the past years. The calculator is designed to help you understand the estimated value of your house.

Hire A Professional Appraiser

An appraisal is mandatory for any lender prior to approving a mortgage and carrying out an estimate. Hiring an appraiser is essential for a proficient outlook.  He will assess the condition of your home and provide an expert opinion on its estimated market value.

Things an appraiser will consider before evaluating the property are-

• Verification of property’s existence, acknowledging the location and address in detail

• Examination of the outdoors

• A 360-degree evaluation of the exteriors of the home or the respective property

• Listing down pros like – lakes, shopping centers, parks, etc. will add up to the seen desirability of the home

• Verification of the area in square footage for accuracy in the database

• Evaluation of the prevailing room numbers

• Current conditions of the attic, basement, and garage including their measurements

• Checking for damages (if any) in the property

• Testing functionality and appearance of permanent features such as built-in appliances

• Testing workability of the HVAC systems

• Comparing recently sold homes in your area with your property to determine your home’s market value

Why It Is Important To Know Your Home’s Value?

If you are on the seller’s board then it is incredibly beneficial for knowing the property’s worth, as it helps to derive the estimate or listing price. Even if you are not planning to sell the house, it still stands useful for many reasons.

The benefits of finding a home’s value don’t end with a purchase or sale: Refinances, home equity lines of credit, insurance premiums, and annual property taxes are all based on home value

Determining a property’s worth would allow for evaluating affordability for things in the future.

How To Increase Your Home’s Value?

Little alterations make a big difference! There are many low-cost ways to add value to the home. Homeowners that can afford renovations can opt for it. Given below are some points you can consider to increase your property’s worth –

• Spacing up and removing excess or unwanted furniture

• Upgrading your kitchen, repairing breakages and polishing helps grab the attention of a buyer

• Beautify and keep the bathroom clean

• Painting dead walls and adding beautiful pieces that add to the beautification of the place

• Replacing upholstery, rugs, and carpets

• Hire a certified home inspector

Final Word

The tips for the assessment of your house’s worth given above would surely help you. Whether you want to sell it or just for an idea about the investment you have made to date in your property.

Furthermore, you can contact reputed real estate companies in NY like ‘Elite Properties’ to keep you safe from real estate crises and help in the smooth sailing of your plan of action for the coming times.

Selling a house is way more complicated than it seems to be. You have to take care of every in and out for ensuring a profitable deal. Of course, you’ll decide the price to sell your home but, still, you may fall in the pitfall of hidden costs and lose a handsome amount of money. Therefore, before you proceed to put your home for sale, you must be familiar with basic home selling issues and legal ramifications.

Here is a detailed list of hidden costs of selling a home in NY…

Pay Off Mortgage

If you have had taken a mortgage loan for buying a home then, it is crucial for you to pay it off prior thinking of selling the property. Legally, you can’t sell your home without paying your pending mortgage payments. The buyer might sue you for a fraud deal in future. To avoid such complications, we suggest you first complete your loan and then only think of the other way around.

Property Taxes

There are so many cases filed against homeowners in NY who didn’t settle the property charges and sold the home linearly.  However, the law states that you can’t enforce the buyer to pay the property taxes on your behalf. Once you sell your house then only he/she would be responsible for paying property taxes. Similar to the mortgage loan, you must clear out any outstanding property taxes.

Deed Transfer Tax

Since you want to sell the property in NY, you will be subjected to deed transfer tax or realty transfer fee. Most people get confused and consider it as property tax. Whereas, it is altogether a different entity that the government levies upon the seller as a part of the home selling process. When the buyer and seller agree on a fair market value of the home, they need to contribute some percentage of it to the government. Its value varies according to the states. For instance, you’re selling the home at $500,000. The government may ask you to pay 1% of the total amount. In another state, they may ask for a 2% share.

Estoppel Letter for HOA

If you are a member of Homeowner’s Association (HOA) then, you will require an estoppel letter or certificate from their end mentioning you’ve cleared all the pending dues or payments. The letter should include the name of the homeowner, their address, a brief description of the property, and the date of clearance of pending fee along with the authorized signature of HOA board member. Here, both the seller as well as the buyer is liable to pay the default fee. Therefore, speak to the buyer before finalizing the price of your property.

Home Inspection Charges

Sometimes, what happens is, people, ask for too much money while selling the property and end up disappointed. The reason is quite simple – Nobody will pay according to your expectations. Parameters like your neighborhood, condition of your house, and amenities it hold play a pivotal role in determining the fair market value of the property. Therefore, for deciding a fair market value of your house, you should hire a home inspector.

Attorney Counsel Fees

If you don’t have much knowledge about what legalities needs to be done while selling a home, it becomes imperative to contact an attorney counselor. They can help you understand the legal matters involved in selling a house in NY in details. Don’t be stressed about the fees because it is a plus point for you. An experienced attorney will ensure your documents are processed in the correct way. Furthermore, you can impart the perspicacity to your friends and relatives whenever they face a similar situation in the future.

Home Preparation Costs

In most cases, home sellers expect that the buyers would pay for the repairing and maintenance costs. To be honest, there’s nothing wrong in that. But, when it comes to negotiating the price of the home for sale, homeowners demand a high amount. This practice is not right. Homeowners should understand that the closing costs are directly proportional to the home selling price. So, as a home seller, if you’re asking for basic repairs, you’ll have to deduct its prices from the final market value of your home.

Closing Costs

All the above-discussed points fall under the closing costs. One needs to go through the entire process for closing a fair deal. However, if you feel that this procedure is exhausting and byzantine, you can simply contact an experienced real estate agent in NY. From handling the paperwork to listing your property for sale to closing the deal with 100% profitability, they assist you through and through.

Real Estate Company in NY

There are thousands of real estate companies in NY who claim to close the deal within a few days. Howbeit, that’s just an advertising gimmick. Don’t fall in the honey trap of fraudster real estate firms and choose a reliable and trustworthy real estate company like ‘Elite Properties’. After serving in New York for almost a decade, ‘Elite Properties’ is counted among the top-notch real estate facilitators in New York. Transparency is the main feature that drives their business. Therefore, you can approach their team for a hassle-free home selling experience in NYC.

The Bottom Line

A crystal-clear communication with the buyer and maintaining a fair practice in terms of fulfilling necessary legalities is the key to getting a favorable home selling deal. Furthermore, the guidance of an experienced real estate company such as ‘Elite Properties’ can also prove fruitful. Take your time and decide your plan of action. We wish you all the success.

A steady job is the most important parameter to keep up with the mortgage loan. If your boss has fired you or you have left the job due to the frustrating work environment, and you don’t have any other source of income to pay the mortgage then, we have some tips that can help sail your ship smoothly.

Stay calm and read the mortgage loan payment tips to understand what practical options are available for paying the mortgage loan when you’ve lost your job.

Calculate Your Money and Start Saving

First things first, try avoiding the stress as much as you can. Keep a positive attitude that everything is going to be fine. Without a stable mental state, you won’t be able to cope with the situation. Once you settle down, calculate the total money you have. By ‘total money’ we mean your savings and emergency funds. Once you know the total amount, outline your basic monthly budget and utilize the rest of the money for the mortgage payment. In the meanwhile, start searching for a new job. You will surely get one.

If this option is not feasible, you can try the next one.

Sell the Unnecessary Items

There are many household items such as furniture or kitchen accessories and even clothes which we don’t use on a daily basis. You can collect such items and sell them right away. A garage sale might seem an insignificant thing to do in such a stressful situation but, it could help you arrange mortgage loan payments. If you are worried about the buyers then, you can try placing free ads over various portals and holding an online auction. Otherwise, you can opt for a traditional way of selling.

Rent a Room

To be honest, there are thousands of people in NY who are looking for a suitable place to live. So, if you have an ‘extra’ room in your home then, you can try renting it out. Let’s say your family is small and you have got enough space to accommodate more people. In such cases, you can permit people to stay in your guest room or the room which is spare. It will not only arrange mortgage payments but also, give you the satisfaction of helping a needy person.

Contact Your Lender

Most people make the mistake of hiding from their lenders when they know they are short of money. Therefore, we want to specially tell you that it’s not a wise thing to do. Maintaining transparency is the key to convincing the lender. Please, make sure you talk to your lender at the earliest. Understanding your situation, your lender might offer you another plan on a temporary basis. For instance, your lender can ask you to go for the forbearance unemployment agreement. It allows you to repay the pending payments after a certain time interval. For the time being, you can pay less money. This will save you from losing your house. Once you get a job, you can fill the gap by repaying the mortgage amount.

Sell the House Before it falls under Foreclosure

‘Foreclosure’ means your property can be taken legally by your lender if you fail to pay three consecutive mortgage payments. If the foreclosure occurs, you won’t have any choice but to lose your home forever. Thus, foreclosure is extremely risky. You should do whatever it takes to avoid foreclosure. If you’ve tried other authentic ways and still you aren’t able to find a staunch solution, selling your home in NY is the last resort. Selling your property before foreclosure or a short sale will at least ensure you get some money back. This money can be helpful during a crisis until you have a decent job in hand.

Contact ‘We Buy Houses for Cash’ Companies in NY

Selling your house in NYC as soon as possible could be a hard nut to crack. The easiest way to approach the situation is to find a ‘we buy houses for cash company in NY. Such real estate companies help you throughout the transition right from listing your house for sale to speaking to potential buyers about the important paperwork. You don’t need to go deep into the legalities once you hire an experienced real estate agent. Just make sure to get in touch with a trustworthy and reliable real estate firm in NY.

Fraudster Alert

While we are advising you to take assistance from a real estate company in NYC, you must take care of a few things. To be honest, there are many fraudsters who will promise to sell your house fast but, when the time comes they won’t fulfill their commitments. Such companies ask you to pay in advance and then, don’t answer your calls/emails. Beware of sugar talkers and research thoroughly about the company’s past projects and clients on the internet. You can also take guidance from your relatives and friends who have relevant knowledge or experience associated with the real estate sector.

Final Word

Try to get a new job and meanwhile follow these tips to deal with the mortgage payment failure issue. Remember that every dark cloud has a silver lining. If you need assistance, you can contact ‘Elite Properties’, one of the highly reputed real estate firms in New York. The real estate agents at Elite Properties are known for being transparent and faithful to their customers. Most importantly, don’t lose hope and stay positive. It can work wonders for you.