Eric Mitchell Real Estate

  How to Spot Foundation Problems The foundation provides support for your entire house, so keeping it level and in good condition is critical to the protection of the entire structure and the safety of your family. A foundation can become damaged by a variety of problems and natural occurrences. If you notice any of these warning signs, you should have your foundation inspected as soon as possible. Cracks The most glaring sign of a foundation problem is cracking in the foundation, walls or floors. This can be a result of movement in the soil that causes the house to sink. Even if a crack appears small, it can indicate that there is a serious problem. This should be addressed as soon as possible. Settling or Heaving You may notice that the house is settling or sinking on one side. This indicates a significant foundation problem that can result in safety issues. Ignoring even a small change will only allow the problem to get worse. Sometimes the opposite happens and the foundation m...

First Time Home Buyers Guide... Adulting is hard…but it’s a lot of fun! One of the most fun yet stressful things you’ll do in life is buy your first home. It’s a very exciting time in life that brings promise of what the future holds. The way to have the BEST possible experience is to be sure you’re well educated on the process so you can avoid pitfalls that are often very costly. Here’s a guide to help you along the way. Are You Read To Buy? The very first step is to be sure you’re ready to buy a house. Buying a house brings a lot of responsibility that includes, at the least, being able to pay the mortgage and bills as well as the maintenance and upkeep. Have you been saving for the down payment? Since the 2008-2009 market crash, many lenders now want buyers to have 20% of the purchase price for a down payment. There are still plenty of 95% loans available, but you need to be sure if that’s the most suitable finance plan for your situation. Regardless, you’re going to b...

4 Don'ts When Putting Your House on the Market So you’ve decided to put your home on the market. Congratulations! Hopefully, you’ve brought a rockin’ real estate professional on board to help you list your spot, and together you’ve done your due diligence on what price to ask for. As you start checking things off your to-do list, it’s also important to pay mind of what  not  to do. Below are a handful of things to get you started. Don’t over-improve. As you ready your home for sale, you may realize you’ll get a great return on your investment if you make a couple of changes. Updating the appliances and replacing that cracked cabinet in the bathroom are great ideas. However, it’s important not to over-improve, or make improvements that are hyper-specific to your tastes. For example, not everyone wants a pimped-out finished basement equipped with a wet bar and lifted stage for their rock-and-roll buds to jam out on. What if your buyers are family oriented and want a...

6 Myths of Selling a Home As soon as you start to think about selling your house you probably feel pretty confident that you’ve figured it all out…right? Just call your realtor, put it in the MLS system, and put up a sign. Simple. Or, maybe you’re the daring type that wants to save all those selling fees and sell the house yourself. You, my friend, are exactly who I need to clarify a few things for before you begin the process. Selling a home takes science in the form of researching the market to determine pricing, developing a pricing strategy based on comparable homes on the market, and putting together the marketing plan. Yes, marketing is the second most important aspect of selling a home…second to pricing…but arguably, is more important because the right marketing plan can bring a higher selling price. So, before you list your house, check out this list. Myth 1. You Can Sell It Yourself The first thing sellers think about is the cost to sell. Realtor commissions, c...