How to Avoid Losing the Lafayette Home of Your Dreams

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Today, I want share some advice on how to submit a powerful offer in a multiple offer situation.

When you're looking at a home that is getting attention from other buyers, there are a few things we can do to get a leg up on the competition. It's important to remember that not every multiple offer situation results in a bidding war. 

We pride ourselves on staying in touch with the listing agents on the other side to get inside information about what exactly is going on with negotiations. We're also experts at identifying what is most important to the sellers - whether it be price, negotiations, or something else entirely. 

Making yourself known as a buyer is key. Any way you can give the seller some insight into who you are and what your family is like will go a long way. Writing a handwritten note about why you want the home is a great and highly effective way to personalize the offer. We've seen it work in the past and highly recommend giving it a shot. 

If you have any questions about staying ahead of the competition in multiple offer situations, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, don't hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email. I would love to give you a hand! 

How we helped Bonnie sell her home by accommodating her needs

"My house sold to the first viewer. His team helped stage my home, and I think that’s why it sold so fast. He stayed in touch with me, and his team helped me with things over the computer that I wasn’t real familiar with, like e-signing. They were really accommodating and easy to work with! "

How we helped Laurie sell her home by going above and beyond

"We had thirty days to sell our house, and we sold it in two and a half weeks! Everyone on the team was awesome, but I especially appreciated the work Amber did. I had a lot of questions, and she definitely went above and beyond by answering them all. Everything went well. "

Why Now Is the Ideal Time to Make Your Move in Lafayette

Selling your Lafayette home? Click here for a free Home Value Report

Buying a home? Search all Homes for Sale

The numbers for February are in! Today, we take a look at what they mean for the health of the Lafayette market and what it means for you! 

Sales are about dead-even from where they were last year - we had 222 in February of 2014 and 228 in 2015, for a total increase of 2.7%. The most surprising trend is the appreciation we've seen, as the dollar volume has increased by 9% over this time last year. This is likely because more homes have sold in the $300,000 and above price range. 

We're really not seeing any signs that the market is going to slow down. We've seen a 6.5% increase in pending sales and a 17% increase in resale homes. On the other hand, new construction listings are down 22%, so you'll probably see fewer options out there if that's what you're looking to do.

Rates are still incredibly low, hovering around 4%. This is great news, as we were expecting rates to jump to around 5% by this time. If you have any questions about these ideal market conditions, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, give us a call or shoot us a quick email. We look forward to hearing from you soon! 

How we helped Boyer find a home by being flexible with our schedule

"We worked with them for about two and a half months. We were able to purchase a home that worked out well for us. Both my wife and I have hectic schedules and a small child. They were incredibly flexible with their schedules in order to help with ours, and that was much appreciated."

-Boyer Derise, Home Buyer

How we helped Kevin with his real estate transactions by creating a seamless transition

"He sold my house fast, and he was able to help me find a house fast. He made it a seamless transition. He was very flexible. Even if it was after hours, he was always willing to meet us at any time. That was very helpful with our schedules."

-Kevin Piker, Home Seller

Vendors We Recommend for Your Home

Selling your Lafayette home? Click here for a free Home Value Report

Buying a home? Search all Homes for Sale

Today I just wanted to let you know of some vendors that I can personally recommend to you in the event that something goes wrong after you purchase your home.

The contractors we recommend provide consistently good service at fair prices. We have plumbers, roofers, electricians, painters, and even maid services. 

We'd also like to extend the offer to you, if you have any great vendors that you would like us to know of. We're always looking for good contractors.

Also, if you're new to Lafayette and want to know of any good restaurants, gyms, grocery stores, venues, or other places to go and enjoy, please don't hesitate to contact me. 

If you have any questions about the Lafayette real estate market, don't be afraid to reach out to my team!

What Do Recent Lafayette Market Trends Mean for You?

Selling your Lafayette home? Click here for a free Home Value Report

Buying a home? Search all Homes for Sale

Hello, and thanks for stopping by! Today, we're going to give you a quick market update for the Lafayette area! 

• Average sales price is up 9%
• From $203,000 to around $222,000
• Median sales price is up $7,000 
• From $188,000 to $195,000
• Pending sales are up 8% 
• Compared to January of 2014
• Listings are exactly the same 
• Sitting at 375 for January of this year
• Interest rates are between 3%-3.5%.  

As you can see, the Lafayette area real estate market is continuing its steady growth. We're expecting to see these great conditions to continue through 2015, so don't miss your chance to make the market work for you! 

If you have any questions about the market in your specific area, or would like real estate assistance of any kind, don't hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love to help you out!

Need a Good Contractor to Fix Your Home?

Selling your Lafayette home? Click here for a free Home Value Report

Buying a home? Search all Homes for Sale

Today I just wanted to let you know of some vendors that I can personally recommend to you in the event that something goes wrong after you purchase your home. 

The contractors we recommend provide consistently good service at fair prices. We have plumbers, roofers, electricians, painters, and even maid services. 

We'd also like to extend the offer to you, if you have any great vendors that you would like us to know of. We're always looking for good contractors.

Also, if you're new to Lafayette and want to know of any good restaurants, gyms, grocery stores, venues, or other places to go and enjoy, please don't hesitate to contact me. 

If you have any questions about the Lafayette real estate market, don't be afraid to reach out to my team!

Why Foregoing a Home Inspection Could Cost You Thousands Down the Road

There are many great Lafayette area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (337) 267-4099 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

If you plan on purchasing a home, or if you're interested in learning more about the process, you need to be familiar with how home inspections work. 

Once you and the seller agree on the price and terms of the transaction, we go through what's called an inspection period. This is typically a 10-14 day period after an agreement is reached. During that time frame, it's your duty as a buyer to do your due diligence to ensure the home is exactly as you expect it to be. 

We usually commission a general home inspection as well as a termite inspection. The job of the inspector is to look for symptoms - leaks, breaks, and other defects - that affect a home's value. If any problems are found, we call a specialist to give further detail about the extent of the damage. Once that's done, it's time to negotiate the repairs. The cost of defects could be subtracted from the sales price, the closing costs, or there could be an exchange of cash at the closing table. 

People often wonder whether it's necessary to have a home inspection for a new home. New homes Even new homes can have water penetration issues, or a faulty foundation. Sometimes, buyers just want to walk through the home with the builder and correct any small errors they find. It's great to find and correct cosmetic issues, but the big, costly defects are often the ones you can't see.  are built by humans, and humans make mistakes. 

An inspection will help you identify those defects before it's too late. Home inspections are important, and more than worth it, because of the money they save you down the road. Taking care of big defects is a lot cheaper if they are addressed early. 

If you have any questions about this process, or about buying or selling real estate in general, give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love to hear from you!