arhome realty blog

Prepare Your Home For Easy Holiday Hosting

prepare your home for easy holiday hosting

The holidays are approaching! What better way to prepare than finding fresh and easy ideas to host? Get your home ready with these 5 steps.

1. pre-stock guest spaces

Make your guests feel right at home with nicely stocked guest spaces, like fresh sheets and extra blankets. Give an extra touch in the guest bedroom with a tray of mugs, hot cocoa, and tea to give that "bed and breakfast" feel.

2. prep your serving areas

Have some sofa tables, counter space or buffet tables that could work as serving spaces? Clear them up and pre-set with a drink station or candies for the season to quickly turn them into a dessert bar or more!

3. add holiday scents

Hosting can be a lot of work, so get in the…

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Vintage Home Trends That Are Now Cool Again

vintage home trends that are now cool again

Did you know that some of today's home trends were actually totally cool a long time ago too? Here's a list of trend you may not have realized date way back:

1. woven furniture is back in style.

About 50 years later, rattan chairs, bed frames, and consoles are appearing in homes and adding extra textured accents.

2. light wood is in.

Everyone is ready to change their floors to a lighter wood again, as opposed to dark cherry tones that were the latest hit. Lighter wood tends to add a bigger + brighter feel to the space.

3. mid-century modern can be found everywhere.

The minimalist style of mid-century modern furniture with legs adds a simple + airy look. It allows you to draw attention to…

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A Breakdown of Buyer Closing Costs

a breakdown of buyer closing costs

Preparing for a home purchase can be daunting - but it doesn't have to be. Know what to be prepared for so you can make a strategic plan. Don't forget to budget for extra closing costs that come on top of your down payment. Get an estimate from your lender and make sure you know what to expect before you set your home price range.

Here's what buyers should expect at a closing:

1. down payment

This is the money that the home buyer pays upfront for the property. Down payments are usually a percentage of the purchase price and typically range from around 3% to 20%, but there is no limit to how much you are allowed to put down.

2. lender fees

Lender fees are the cost of processing your loan, such as…

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3 Mistakes First Time Homebuyers Make

3 mistakes first time homebuyers make 

It costs an average of $25k more to buy a home today than at this time last year!  First time buyers, don’t make these costly mistakes:

1. forgetting about closing costs

Don’t forget to budget for extra closing costs that come on top of your down payment. Get an estimate from your lender and make sure you know what to expect before you set your home price range.

2. lowball offers

Low ball offers are not a good negotiation tactic. Even if you think the home is overpriced, a crazy low offer could offend the seller and hurt your position. In today’s market, where over-asking bids are the norm, this would mean not skimping when bidding on a home you love — if you do, chances are you’ll get outbid and…

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How To Make Your Home Move a Breeze

So you're moving! How do you move to a new home efficiently? Moving is not an easy task - especially when you have years of items stored up in your living space. However, there are ways to make the load lighter on you. A couple simple changes to your moving routine and you can save time, energy, and let's be honest - stress.

Here are 10 tips to make your next move a breeze:

1. do a closet purge

Don't go through the hassle of moving all your clothes to your new home. Try refreshing your closet - it's the perfect time to get rid of all those items you no longer use. This one task alone will make your moving load a lot lighter.

2. start scheduling donation pick-up arrangements

Once your closet purge is done - sort through the rest of your…

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6 Ideas for a Trendy Home Garden

Home gardens are growing! As home-based, outdoor events have become a staple in today's world, homeowners are extending their homes into the outdoors and and getting creative with their open-air spaces.

Here are a few ways to upscale your outdoor garden:

1. incorporate sustainability

Sustainability is becoming one of the biggest trends as we become more educated about the earth and the environment. One way experts say to incorporate sustainability in your garden is to use native plants and include a lot of diversity that "mimics" the nature of the area you live in. Using native plants helps attract pollinators, helpful insects, birds, and butterflies - all creating a healthy ecosystem. Since these plants are already adapted to the soil and…

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5 Things That Will Help Your Home Sell

5 things that will help your home sell

If your home stands out (in a good way), it attracts more buyers, gets more traffic, and that typically results in more interest, more offers and a higher end sale. It's important to make sure your home is truly ready for a home sale, to make the most of its market debut and get more buyers to fall in love with it. And while we generally don't recommend any major projects (exceptions abide - ask an arhome agent for the most profitable approach), the good news is there's a lot that you can control when it comes to making your home above-average. 

Here are some uncommon ways that actually make a big difference in your home sale.

#1. avoid "fake staging"

We don't mean to avoid staging in general -…

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What Does An “AS-IS” Sale Actually Mean?

“AS-IS” sales are becoming more and more popular as home inventory gets tighter and buyers are trying to make their offer the winning one.

But what does that actually mean for you?

#1. what is an "as-is" sale?

An “AS-IS” sale is a common way of saying that the buyer and seller include a contract clause where the buyer promises that after doing the home inspection, the buyer won’t be asking the seller for any repairs or money. This does NOT waive the buyer’s right to do an inspection (unless that was waived in another clause, but that’s a separate topic). It also does NOT waive the buyer’s right to back out of the deal if you don’t like the inspection results and if your contract has that option. It’s just a way of making your offer easier on…

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4 Steps To Win A Multi-Offer

how to win a multi-offer

Don’t lose another dream house in this tight market! Here's our list of 4 steps you can take to make your chances better when you run into a multi-offer situation.

1. prepare for a multi-offer scenario before the right home even hits the market.

Get educated on market value and what you should expect to offer on the kind of home you’re looking for. Prepare your max budget. Go see other homes to learn what you really want. A multi-offer situation is not the time to be on the fence or act under pressure — you need to be prepped to know if you actually want this house, and if you do, be ready to offer a healthy and strong price.

2. try to find out what else the seller is looking for.

Price isn’t always…

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What Will Make a Good Agent in 2022

what will make a good agent in 2022 

With pandemic career shifts and a booming market throughout 2020 and 2021, a huge number of new agents have entered the real estate world. With predicted market normalization in 2022, we're looking at a less craziness left and right. So what will make an agent stand out — or really be the best choice for you — in 2022?

1. consistent training + knowledge.

The market has been changing like crazy since the pandemic started. Virtual showings, fluctuating rates, changing market predictions in all directions and more are moving so rapidly that relying on experience alone is no longer an option in 2022. A good, top-level agent must stay on top of market knowledge more than ever to be the better choice.

Whether…

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