Home buying and home selling

Dealing with a Smoker's Home

Picture this: you've been searching for your dream home and think you might have finally found the one. You head over to check it out, marveling along the way at the convenience of the location, the exterior's curb appeal, and the great price, only to step inside and realize that the interior is saturated with the smell of cigarettes. Although smoking isn't nearly as prevalent as it was in years past, this is still a common situation encountered by prospective home buyers. The CDC reports that the proportion of U.S. adults who smoke dropped from 20.9% in 2005 to 13.7% in 2018, but this still means that millions of potential home sellers are active smokers. In this post, you can read about some of the methods that smokers and nonsmokers alike might want to employ in an attempt to rid their home of the distinctive smell. Plus, those who still smoke indoors might be interested in learning just how much it reduces the resale value of their home.

Should You Add a 'Bump Clause' to Your Purchase Contract?

In the current pandemic housing market, buyers are looking for anything they can use to sweeten their offer in the eyes of the seller. Enter the "bump clause", a small addition to home purchase contracts that is gaining popularity in some areas. Bump clauses are simple: they allow a seller to continue to market their home after accepting an offer until a buyer's sale contingencies are satisfied. If the seller receives a better offer during that time, the original buyer must either waive their contingencies or get "bumped" for the new deal. Keep reading to learn how you can utilize a bump clause to your benefit.

What Are the Most Common Problems Found During a Home Inspection?

The home inspection is a valuable tool designed to discover defects with the house being sold before the buyer completes the sale. While most people already understand the importance of the inspection, they might not know what to expect to see once they open up the report. I recently wrote about some of the surprising issues that a home inspector might not be able to report on, but what about the opposite? Keep reading to learn about the most common defects found during a home inspection and how much it costs to fix them.