To Exterminate or not Exterminate: Signs it’s Time for Pest Control PART TWO INSECTS

Pests are… well, they're pests. There is nothing worse than finding an uninvited spider suddenly hanging inform of your face.  Was that roach that snuck up on you a one-off event or do you have a larger problem? How do you know when it's a problem?

• Aren't roaches nocturnal?

Yes, they are. When you are seeing roaches during the day you have a problem. Roach activity during daytime hours is a significant sign that you have an infestation. This is an indicator of the number of roaches that are in your home. They're only out and about because they're looking for more space.

• Is that a Termite?

Is it a termite? Is it small and white? Look up termites. If you've seen even one termite, you are facing an uphill battle. Call somebody immediately!

• SPIDER!?

One spider, not too big of a deal.  Two spiders, okay, chill it's just a spider. Three, okay. More? It's been one day? Nope! Call somebody, not only is that too many for my sanity it's too many not to be a more significant problem. They should be hiding.

• What's that Smell?

It might be bugs. Many bugs give off on oily, musty odor. If you have an infestation of insects, you might notice this smell it might be time to search out the source.  If your Toucan Sam investigation leads you to bugs, it's time to call in a professional. If there are enough bugs for you to smell them… There are a lot of bugs.

• What's That?

It's poop. Unfortunately, insects also poop. If you find a pile of unidentifiable substance that looks like ground pepper or coffee grounds. You might see these piles in corners, on your counters, in the back of your cupboards, or your bathroom. I'm sorry, it may stain.

Delana Cotton servers the north east Atlanta region that includes Dacula, Winder, Lawrenceville, Buford, Snellville, Conyers and surrounding areas. Delana treats every transaction as if she were you, the buyer or seller. If you have a real estate transaction on the horizon, meet Delana for a no pressure chat over coffee.

To exterminate or not exterminate: Signs it’s time for pest control PART ONE RODENTS

Pests are… well, they’re also unclean, germ-ridden, carriers of disease that can infect both yourself and your pets. Lets’ all be honest there’s nothing more disconcerting than having uninvited house guests crawling out of their walls to introduce themselves.  Here are some signs it’s time to call a professional. 

• What was that Sound?

Have you ever settled into bed, on your way to blissful unconsciousness when your peace is disturbed by rustling or scratching sounds? You can’ quite identify the source but you have a creeping suspicion it’s coming from inside the walls? There are only two possibilities. Either you need to get out of your house now, because there are secret passage ways you didn’t know about and this is the beginning scene of a horror movie OR you have rodents and it’s time to call for help. Well, you need to call for help in either case, but rats can wait until morning. 

• Why are There Holes in My Walls?

Mouse holes, unfortunately, aren’t going to look like mini archways in your wall. This isn’t a cartoon, rodents aren’t going to build a front door and hang sign proclaiming who’s its name and its presence. There will be no welcome mats set out for its rodent buddies to wipe their feet on when they visit. Rodents can fit through extremely small spaces. If a pencil can fit in the space so can a mouse. Rodents and weird bone structures… *full body shivers*

• What's That on the Ground?

It’s poop. Those little small black things you found on the ground, on your counters in the morning, in the back of your kitchen cabinets, it’s poop. Carefully sanitize and remove the excrement and throw out anything that and in the surrounding area. I’m not going to put up a picture because ew, but you can look it up, thanks google images. 

If you hear or find these things then it’s likely you have a pest problem. It’s likely not just one mouse, it’s probably several. It’s best to call a professional that can humanely remove them ALL and leave you rodent free. AND NO YOU CAN’T DOMESTICATE THEM AND KEEP THEM AS PETS! IF YOU WANT A PET MOUSE OR RAT GET IT FROM A REPUTABLE BREEDER OR THE DRUGSTORE! Thank you.

Delana Cotton servers the north east Atlanta region that includes Dacula, Winder, Lawrenceville, Buford, Snellville, Conyers and surrounding areas. Delana treats every transaction as if she were you, the buyer or seller. If you have a real estate transaction on the horizon, meet Delana for a no pressure chat over coffee.

Buyer in a Sellers Market Part 2

As a buyer in a sellers’ market, there can be a lot of pressure to act quickly, snatching up the
house you think you want for fear that you will lose it forever. How do you know that you’re not
moving TOO fast? Buying a house is a large commitment with equal financial risks. How can
you be sure that by moving fast you aren’t missing anything that you could have caught if you
had taken your time?

One Way is to Work with a Realtor®. A Realtor® is your advocate in the home buying process,
another set of eyes looking out for your interest and a guiding hand keeping you on the path
you want to be on. They have connections and access to information that isn’t available to you
without a real-estate license. They can walk you through the process beforehand, so once you’re
ready to make a decision you won’t waste time figuring out the process on your own.

Tour a lot of Houses. So, you’ve decided to buy a house? Go ahead and start looking at houses
now. Going to open houses is a great way to meet agents, maybe that’s how you’ll meet your
Realtor®. I know you’re not ready to buy one yet but seeing as many homes as you can help
you solidify what features you’re looking for in a house, what type of house you want,
what type of neighborhood or community you want to be a part of, what all of that realistically costs.

Be armed and ready for the Negotiation Process. So once you’ve found a home that you want,
make sure you have all your eggs in a row. Have an inspector ready! I cannot stress that enough,
the inspection is one of the key steps standing between you and potential disaster. Know how
much your willing to spend on the house, not just how much you’re willing to bid, how much
you willing to spend on fixing anything the inspector found that the seller is unwilling to fix,
things you may want renovated, furniture, etc.

Be Okay with the Idea of Losing a few Houses.  I understand you’re afraid of losing your dream
home, but it’s not the end of the world. Maybe the house you lost out on was a dream but if
you rush and skip important steps, such as inspections, your dream house could end up turning
into a nightmare. Understand that features can be built in, things can be renovated, there
are more properties out there, dreams can be made.

Delana Cotton servers the north east Atlanta region that includes Dacula, Winder, Lawrenceville, Buford, Snellville, Conyers and surrounding areas. Delana treats every transaction as if she were you, the buyer or seller. If you have a real estate transaction on the horizon, meet Delana for a no pressure chat over coffee.

Buyer in a Sellers Market

As a buyer, you are already in a vulnerable position in this process as the party looking to spend money in order to gain new (a newly constructed home) or used product (an older, lived in property). This vulnerability can be compounded by being a buyer in a market geared toward sellers. In this position, it is important to remember a few things.
First, be prepared. When you are buying in a sellers’ market, you need to be able to move quickly when you find a house you think is right for you.  A couple of things you’re going to want to do to avoid any untimely stalls in the homebuying process is:

•  Know your finances. Get pre-approved by your lender. Being pre-approved by your lender is allows sellers to know that you can afford a mortgage or loan.  Fix your credit. While having outstanding credit isn’t exactly necessary it is definitely a boost. Know how much money you have ready for a down payment. Again, you don’t have to be able to put down as much as some people may tell you. However, having more money is a boost when competing with others over a home.

•  Make a good bid. The list price isn’t set in stone; it’s more like a suggestion. However, it’s definitely something you need to pay attention to. The seller listed that price because they are hoping to get at least that much, if not more. This is where an inspector comes in. Don’t pay more than the house is actually worth; there might be things on the property that needs fixing that either you will need to take care of or you’re going to need to get the seller to fix themselves. Once your inspector has surveyed the property make a bid that is fair to both parties if you want the house. When you are buying in a sellers’ market, you’re going to want to keep the negotiation process short. Remember, there are likely other people also bidding on the property.

Second, know what you want. Make two lists, one full of all things you dreamed of having in your new home. Then make a much shorter list of non-negotiable features that you need in a house for it to suit your NEEDS. In a sellers’ market, you are not going to have much time to go back and forth over this decision. By all means, think it through thoroughly, there’s nothing worse than buyers remorse on something as big as a house. When buying a house in a sellers' market it’s essential to be FLEXIBLE about the things you WANT, some of them are things you can add on later, and KNOW what you NEED

PART 2

Delana Cotton servers the northeast Atlanta region that includes Dacula, Winder, Lawrenceville, Buford, Snellville, Conyers and surrounding areas. Delana treats every transaction as if she were you, the buyer or seller. If you have a real estate transaction on the horizon, meet Delana for a no pressure chat over coffee. 

What the Hell is a Buyers/Sellers’ Market?

While searching the internet looking to buy or sell a home you may have come across these two terms, Buyers’ Market and Sellers’ Market. There is article after article full of advice and tips on how to navigate these markets, but most of them neglect to tell you what that means!  

The terms Buyers’ and Sellers’ market is referencing the shift of supply and demand in the real-estate
market. These shifts are often controlled by the rise and fall of the interest, which usually
determines whether  or not people can qualify and afford to buy homes. When people have
the ability to buy the market floods with new consumers looking to upgrade or move.
When people aren’t able to afford homes the amount of prospective buyers decreases leaving the
market full of sellers.

If that wasn’t clear, put simply, a Buyers’ Market means that there are less people looking to buy
homes than sell them, while a Sellers’ Market has fewer people looking to sell homes than buy
them. Get it? It’s supply and demand.

In a Buyers’ Market, the market is tipped towards the interest of people looking to buy new homes.
There’s moreof a supply of homes on the market than there is a demand of people looking to buy.
Meaning there are fewer people trying to buy then the supply of people looking to sell their homes.
As a buyer in this kind of market you’regoing to be able to get a better price on a home
then you would be able to otherwise. Sellers will be more willing to lower their asking price
giving you a boost in the negotiation process, especially if the other party has been looking to sell
for a while. However, a seller in this market is more likely to have their house sit for a longer
period of time since buyers have a surplus of options. They’re also more likely to have to make
concessions in the negotiation process to keep a buyer from moving on to a better deal.

A Sellers’ Market tilts the market in the sellers’ favor. There is more of a demand of people looking to buy new homes than the supply of homes on the market. As a seller in this market, you’re going to have the upper hand in any negotiations. Buyers are willing to act fast and are willing to concede more to you in order to beat out other prospective buyers. However, a buyer in this market will have to deal with more competition for a property and has to be willing to pay more in order to outbid other buyers.

Delana Cotton is a REALTOR ® and servers the northeast Atlanta region that includes Dacula, Winder, Lawrenceville, Buford, Snellville, Conyers and surrounding areas. Delana treats every transaction as if she were you, the buyer or seller. If you have a real estate transaction on the horizon, meet Delana for a no pressure chat over coffee. For more information visit GreaterAtlantaAreaHomesForSale.Com

Choosing an Agent: PART ONE

Choosing an agent PART 1

While there are several important aspects to consider when hiring an agent,
the most important thing you should keep in mind while searching for one
is, you need to LIKE them. You need to connect withh your REALTOR ®.
You are going to be spending a good amount of time with your REALTOR ®
so it’s important to establish a good and friendly working relationship.
You need someone who understands and connects with you so you’re not
unintentionally fighting each other to get you into your new home.

You and your perspective REALTOR ® should be interviewing each other.
They should be asking you questions, and you need to ask them questions
as well. You need to ascertain if:

1. They have any experience/What are their Credentials

It’s not a deal breaker if they don’t have a ton of experience; being new
doesn’t mean they won’t be good. However, you should know either way.
Ask questions like, “how many clients do you/have you had?” Ask for a
resume and credentials “Can I see your references?” or “Do you have
references or previous clients we can contact?”. You will also need to
know whether or not if they’re a REALTOR ® (Visit the Article
REALTORS ® vs, Real-estate Agent for More)

2. Do they have time for you?

This brings us back to the question “how many clients do you have/usually
have at once?” This again is where new can be better. Does this agent really
have any time to devote to you?

3. What area do you work in?

You want an agent who is familiar with areas and communities you're looking
to move to.  You want someone who is familiar with the local market without
being spread out too far too keep up with the local area. What is that person's
territory?

Delana Cotton is a REALTOR ® and servers the northeast Atlanta region that includes Dacula, Winder, Lawrenceville, Buford, Snellville, Conyers and surrounding areas. Delana treats every transaction as if she were you, the buyer or seller. If you have a real estate transaction on the horizon, meet Delana for a no pressure chat over coffee. For more information visit GreaterAtlantaAreaHomesForSale.Com

REALTOR ® vs. Real Estate Agent

Have you ever seen that episode of ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver', about Retirement Plans? Hold on, I'm going somewhere with this. In that episode, he compared the difference between financial advisors and fiduciaries. In that episode, he cited FINRA the Financial Industry Regulatory Industry warning that Financial Analysts and other such titles are pretty much meaningless generic job titles for people, under no legal obligation to look out for your best interest instead of their own. The difference between a financial and a fiduciary is comparable to and advice real-estate agent and REALTORS ®. 

A real-estate agent by definition is literally anyone who has earned a license to sell property by taking approximately 100 hours of courses and then passing a certification test. Sort of like the process of getting your first driver's license. While financial adviser can give you guidance and help you with your finances, but they ultimately are there to further their personal interests. A fiduciary on the other hand is both morally and legally obligated to put your best interests before their own when advising you through financial decisions. A REALTOR ® is like that. A REALTOR ® is an agent, broker, or another type of real estate professional who took the extra steps to become a member of the National Association of REALTORS ®, who have to a code of ethics and standards of practice that put the seller or buyer's interests before their own. Regular real estate agents are held to no such standard. See I got back to the point.

 It's also important to have a good relationship with your REALTOR ®. You appoint a REALTOR ® as someone to guide you through one of the largest, complicated, financial decision you'll make. It's important to sit down and talk to prospective REALTORS ®; this is a symbiotic relationship, interview each other. Find out if this person is a REALTOR ® or just an agent/broker? What is their availability usually like? Ask them about their home buying/selling process. If they can't walk you through their process, then you need to walk away and find someone else. Here's what I want to leave you with:

• Interview your REALTORS ®, don't just settle for someone who's good enough. 
• Get a REALTOR ® who's right for you.
•  When you're looking for someone to help you buy or sell your home, it's always important to ask anyone you're interviewing if they are a REALTOR ®, not just an agent or a broker.

Since you're in the mood to make financial decisions here's a video of John Oliver talking about Retirement Plans. 

Delana Cotton is a REALTOR ® and servers the northeast Atlanta region that includes Dacula, Winder, Lawrenceville, Buford, Snellville, Conyers and surrounding areas. Delana treats every transaction as if she were you, the buyer or seller. If you have a real estate transaction on the horizon, meet Delana for a no pressure chat over coffee. For more information visit GreaterAtlantaAreaHomesForSale.Com

Do I Have to Hire a Realtor?

Should you hire a REALTOR ®? I say yes, but of course I’m biased but let me try to convince you. What would be the difference between hiring a REALTOR ® and taking on the process by yourself? I’m not going to lie and tell you that it would be impossible to buy a house by yourself. The internet exists, of course, you can but here’s the question. How much risk are you willing to take on?

Here’s the scenario, let’s forget about having a real-estate agent or a REALTOR ® just for a second. What do you need to do to buy a house? You need to check (maybe fix) your credit, you need to get a lender to tell you what your options are financially, that lender gives you a pre-approval letter (you need this or nobody selling or building will give you the time of day). That’s all before you can start looking for a home. Then you embark on the most difficult and most important part of the process, finding a home that suits you and your needs.

As a buyer, the person spending money, you are already in the most vulnerable position in this transaction, especially if you're doing this on your own. Without a real-estate agent or a REALTOR ®, even with a pre-approval letter, your options are immediately limited. Most sellers, especially if they have an agent won’t allow someone without one to go through their house. So you’re already down to people selling their homes by themselves and builders. Say you’ve somehow found a suitable house or are in the process of building one, now you need an inspector. So unless you’re alright with casually throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars into getting completely screwed into a home with more problems than you can afford to fix have an inspection. You 1000% can take all that on by yourself, but why would you want to?

A REALTOR ® is an advocate. An advocate armed with experience, the tools, and the infrastructure already in place to get you through the process. REALTORS ® have at their disposal, all the things that just aren’t open to you without a license. An advocate, your REALTOR ®, can guide you through the process, give advice, find you suitable homes to tour, and connections to trustworthy people in the home buyers and sellers’ market that you would otherwise be missing out on.

What do you lose by hiring a REALTOR ®? Nothing, not even money. A real REALTOR ® gets paid at the time of closing by proceeds from the sale of the property. Meaning the seller pays the REALTORS® commissions percent which was already negotiated.  Since in most scenarios the commission is paid for by the seller, why not hire a REALTOR ®? By not hiring a REALTOR ® you're technically wasting a totally free resource? Why not let someone who knows the ins and outs of the process make a grueling process as painless as possible.

Delana Cotton is a REALTOR ® and servers the northeast Atlanta region that includes Dacula, Winder, Lawrenceville, Buford, Snellville, Conyers and surrounding areas. Delana treats every transaction as if she were you, the buyer or seller. If you have a real estate transaction on the horizon, meet Delana for a no pressure chat over coffee. For more information visit GreaterAtlantaAreaHomesForSale.Com

Home buying Myths: Misconceptions of the Home Buying Process

1.       You Need a Perfect or Near Perfect Credit Score to Buy a House

Mmmm, not exactly. By all means, cultivate a good credit score, it can only make this process if not your entire life easier. However, your credit score does NOT need to be perfect! The function of your credit score in the home buying process, according to Fannie Mae, The Federal National Mortgage Association, "knowing your score lets you know what type of mortgage you might qualify for." Meaning that your credit score is directly attached to your mortgage and the types of mortgage you can get.

2.       You Need 20% for Your Down Payment

Not even close to being true. According to Fannie Mae, you can put down as little as 3% depending on your credit score and the state you live in. Here's the thing, if you put down more money then you will end up paying smaller monthly payments, you will likely pay less in interest over time as well. It is all up to your finances. What do you gain by putting 20% down? Do you need some of that money for moving costs? Updates to the new home?  Furniture? Repairs? Other fees crop up when you are buying a house, not just the down payment and the closing cost. Part of deciding on your down payment is determining how much you can pay out of pocket in this process.

3.       The List Price is Final

Wrong. The list price is a starting suggestion; the asking price is just the approximate amount that the seller is hoping to get for the home. However, buying a home is like entering an open bidding process. There are many factors that might affect the amount you should pay for a house. You could end up paying more or less than the original listed price. Be ready and willing to negotiate, this is where a  REALTOR ® is beneficial. 

4.       Buying a Home is a Good Investment

Eh, Maybe. It is indeed an investment. You put more time and money into a house than you will in almost anything else. However, like all other investments, it comes with risks and a fair amount of uncertainty. Many different and sometimes unpredictable factors go into whether or not a home will end up being a good investment. Like any other kind of investment, you invest because you believe in the provided opportunity could pay off. At least with homes, unlike other types of investments, it offers actual, physical shelter and can provide you with a sense of comfort and the potential of shared love and good memories of a life built inside of its walls.

5.       You Have the Internet, You Can do This on Your Own

I'm not going to tell you that you can't, we are living in the information age. It is definitely within your ability to buy a house on your own, but do you want to? How much will taking on this process by yourself undercut your own best interest? REALTORS ® have tools, infrastructures, and insight at their disposal that you can't just acquire without being a REALTOR ®. Even in the age of information, there are still some things out of reach. All of that comes before the connections that a REALTOR ® has at their disposal that you would be missing out on that could make the home buying process infinitely more manageable for you.  Who's going to do your inspection? Someone may have told you that you could skip that step, but you really can't without taking even more risk onto yourself. Why not let someone who knows the ins and outs of the process make a grueling process as painless as possible.

Just remember that deciding to buy a home is a big decision that triggers an entire series of significant, important decisions that have to be made. Be prepared, do your research. Hire a REALTOR ® someone knows real-estate and can help guide you through the minutia of home buying process so that you can make the best decisions for yourself and your situation.

Delana Cotton is a REALTOR ® and servers the northeast Atlanta region that includes Dacula, Winder, Lawrenceville, Buford, Snellville, Conyers and surrounding areas. Delana treats every transaction as if she were you, the buyer or seller. If you have a real estate transaction on the horizon, meet Delana for a no pressure chat over coffee. For more information visit GreaterAtlantaAreaHomesForSale.Com