How Home Equity Can Help Fuel Your Retirement

  How Home Equity Can Help Fuel Your Retirement If retirement is on the horizon, now’s the time to start thinking about your next chapter. And you probably want to make sure you’re set up to feel comfortable financially to live the life you want in retirement. What you may not realize is you likely have a hidden goldmine of cash you’re not thinking about — and that’s your home.  Data  from the  Federal Housing Finance Agency  (FHFA) shows that home values have gone up nearly 60% over the last 5 years alone (see graph below): And that appreciation gave your net worth a big boost. According to  Freddie Mac , over the same five-year period: “ . . .  Boomer overall wealth increased by $19 trillion, or $486,000 per household, half of which is due to house price appreciation.” So if you’ve been in your house ever longer than that, chances are you have even more equity in your home. If you want to have access to more of the wealth you’ve built up throughout t...

Why do Homes Listed with Professional Real Estate Photos Sell Quicker and For More Money?

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If you are planning to list your home for sale, you probably already know that you need to prepare your home for the market. The point is to create the most attractive, welcoming version of your home to entice buyers into the home and encourage offers. Your listing needs attention also! Professional photography is the best way to attract those buyers and to ensure you get the best possible price in the shortest timeframe. Most buyers now start their home search online. Online listings with professional photography receive significantly more views than those without. Buyers tend to linger on the site longer as well. Professional photographers do far more than snap pictures with the right lens. They understand how to create the right emotional response in the viewers. They have experience working with listings and homes and normally they specialize in real estate. You already know that homes must be staged to some degree for sale. Buyers must be able to envision themselves living in your home. Photography is about lighting and angles. A good photographer can bring out the best in your home by using these techniques in their shots. Professional pictures can play with light and position to allow your home to appear spacious and bright. Professional photography is no longer reserved for luxury property listings. More and more agents are seeing the value of beautiful pictures. Make sure your home stands out among the sea of listings as potential buyers sort through properties online. Professional photography will help you sell your home faster and for a higher sales price than those without. Present your home in the best possible light to attract those buyers and encourage them to visit and write you an offer.

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