Selling your home during the holiday season can be stressful, but it does have its advantages. Homebuyers will take the process a lot more seriously and competition won’t be as tough as in other seasons of the year because there aren’t as many houses on the marketing during the holidays or winter months.

Here are some tips to help you sell your home quickly and easily:

Since the holidays are here, most of us will have our homes decorated a little more with trees, wreaths, and garland. Make sure you don’t go overboard with the décor because it can overwhelm a buyer and might make them move onto another home. If there are too many distractions, your home will probably not sell as quickly as you hoped.

If your home feels welcoming, buyers will be willing to buy. Cold winter months along with the holidays is a perfect set up for making your home feel cozy and warm. This will attract buyers and help them picture themselves living in that home.

Find a real estate agent who will be available all throughout the holidays and will do anything they can to help you sell your home. You’ll feel less overwhelmed if the listing agent takes over the process and lets you enjoy your holidays without the stress.

During the winter months, those searching to buy a house are mainly doing it in the comfort of their own homes. When it’s cold out or even snowing, not many homebuyers want to go out and search for a home in person. Try to take photos that will impress a buyer online. Make these photos appeal to the buyer and if they see what they like online, they might make the trip out of their home to come see yours. It might even help if you made a video tour of your home. It’s simple and easy and it lets the borrower walk through your home without actually being there in person.

Your listing agent should be able to help you find buyers who are motivated to purchase a home this time of year. The best homebuyers to search for are college students, anyone relocating for a job, and even military personnel, if you happen to live near a military base.

If it’s that time of year where the leaves have fallen off of trees, your home is exactly what will be catching everyone’s eye. Try to keep up with maintenance around the home. Clean your gutters of any leaves and even paint the outside of your home if it needs to be updated. Also make sure your walkway and driveway are clear of snow or ice especially during those cold winter months.

By Day: Tracey has been with Norcom for over 2 years where she works up front as a Receptionist and Final Document Specialist. She has many different tasks every day which include answering phone calls and transferring these calls to the appropriate departments. Tracey also works closely with the Post Closing Department where she helps with sending and receiving final documents. She loves her job at Norcom because of the people she gets to associate with each day and the diversity that comes with the position. The interaction she has with her coworkers makes her job exciting and fun because she gets to meet so many people.

By Night: Outside of work, Tracey’s day consists of going home and having dinner with her husband, Roy. She then heads off to the gym and when she gets back home she continues working on her second job, Ebay. Tracey has been selling products she finds at estate and tag sales for over 17 years, where her daughter jokingly calls it, “hillbilly handpicking”.  She really enjoys the connection she makes with people through this business as well as being on the hunt for items that are often requested. When it comes to having some fun, Tracey loves to try new restaurants and going on long drives with her husband where they have no particular destination to get to, just wherever the road takes them. Tracey’s husband and her children mean everything to her and she could not imagine her life without them. 

If you’re planning on selling your home or looking to buy a new one, curb appeal plays a key role in whether you or a potential buyer want to take a look at what the inside has to offer. Here are a few ways where homeowners can improve the outside look of their homes.

-Symmetry!

Everyone likes to see objects in the right place. If it doesn’t look pleasing to the eye, a potential homebuyer might have uncertain feelings going into the home from the start. The front door of your home can be decorated with light fixtures on both sides as well as planters on each side to offer the home a welcoming and beautiful entry. A nice wreath hanging on the door wouldn’t hurt either!

-Mailbox makeovers

If you have a post mounted mailbox, it should match the home. Wooden mailboxes can be painted to match the exterior of the home, or by adding a beautiful flower garden around it. You’ll have to make sure the flowers don’t overgrow around the mailbox but it definitely leaves an appealing area for anyone looking at your home.

-Adding Art

Complimenting your home by adding artwork to the outside is a great way to catch the eye of a homebuyer (remember that these art pieces should be weather-resistant). Examples of these pieces include, water sculptures and bird baths. Make sure not to overdo it with a ton of these pieces all over the yard but one piece near the garden will really bring potential buyers to imagine their future home to look beautiful and elegant with their own artwork.

-Painting your home

Whether it’s painting the siding or just the trimming, any little project will improve the look of your home. Choose colors that will appeal to the eye of the beholder. Grays, blues, and whites are just a few colors that bring out a sort of elegance and highlight the home in a rather pleasing way.

-Walk the walkway

The walkway to your home should be as inviting as possible. If your walkway consists of uneven stones or cracked concrete, a potential homebuyer might lose their interest in taking a look inside. Take the time to make small changes, it won’t break the bank and it will improve the chances of selling your home.

These little improvements really make a big difference in the curb appeal of a home. Whether you’re looking to sell or buy, take a minute to look outside. Would this home catch your eye if you were looking to purchase a new home? If you’re not appealed to it, chances are neither will anyone else.

Fall has officially started and although this marks the beginning of shorter days and colder weather, there is also a lot to look forward to! Connecticut shows off nature’s beauty, especially during the Autumn months. Many state parks and forests allow visitors to enjoy a beautiful view of the fall foliage that Connecticut has every year.

Below is a list of some of the best viewing areas in Connecticut:

Macedonia Brook State Park – Kent

Take a hike on the Blue Trail across Cobble Mountain where you can view the Catskill and Taconic Mountains. The trails are narrow and include rocky terrain which becomes challenging for some but once you make it to the top, you’ll come across breathtaking views.

Pachaug State Forest – Voluntown

Pachaug is known as the largest State Forest in Connecticut with 24,000 acres of land within six towns. There are miles of roads and hiking trails through the forest, where you get to enjoy all the beauty that nature has to offer.

Peoples State Forest – Barkhamsted

Located in the Pleasant Valley section of Barkhamsted, this State Forest has amazing views and includes other attractions, such as the Barkhamsted Lighthouse.

Sleeping Giant State Park – Hamden

This State Park includes two miles of mountaintop of the south central Connecticut skyline that resembles the “sleeping giant”. You can take a 1.5 mile walk up to the stone observation tower of Mt. Carmel and also get a view of Long Island Sound.

Mohawk State Forest – Cornwall

Once you hike to the top, you will get spectacular scenic views of the Catskill and Taconic Mountains as well as The Berkshires.

Talcott Mountain State Park – Simsbury

Take a hike up to the Heublein Tower where you can see the beautiful view of the Farmington River Valley.

Mt. Tom State Park – Litchfield

Here, you can hike up to the stone lookout tower to take a look at the amazing views this State Park has to offer. Mt. Tom is one of the oldest state parks in Connecticut.

Dennis Hill State Park – Norfolk

Checking out fall foliage in this State Park is like walking through an autumn wonderland. Hike up to the top where it’s 1,627 feet above sea level and you can enjoy a nice picnic while looking out at the view.

The best time to check out the fall foliage in Connecticut would be in the middle of October. At this time, the leaves have reached their peak and the amazing views will take your breath away. 

Private mortgage insurance (PMI) is required by lenders when a homebuyer makes a down payment on their home of less than 20%. It is a type of insurance policy that protects the lender from losing any money if your home ends up in foreclosure. PMI is also required if you decide to refinance your home with less than 20% equity.

Borrower-paid PMI (BPMI) is when you have monthly PMI payments, you are required to continue paying PMI until your loan balance reaches 78% of the original value of your home. If you would like to cancel your PMI, you must obtain approval from your lender in doing so and your home must reach 20% of the purchase price or appraised value. It is also required to have adequate equity as well as a good payment history.

Single-premium PMI means that the premium is paid upfront in a single lump sum. This does not require any monthly payments and can be paid at full at closing or financed into the loan.

Lender-paid PMI (LPMI) is a permanent part of your loan. The cost of the PMI is included into the mortgage interest rate and allows for lower monthly mortgage payments. However, with this type, you will end up paying more interest in the life of the loan.

Payments for PMI can be avoided entirely if you originally make a down payment of 20% of the purchase price of your home.