More Happy Clients

How many twist and turns can a deal have? A lot, this is why you want a professional on your side helping protect your interest. Congrats Rachel, good luck on the new adventures! 

Congratulations, it got a little nerve racking toward the end but it all came together. Enjoy your new home!

The market is still hot - Check out this new listing, it came and went so fast I didn't have time to post it.  Also closed 3 another homes under asking price for some first time buyers.

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"Clayton Clark was great to work with! He went above and beyond for us! His advice and guidance was so helpful as first time buyers. He helped us understand the process and walked with us every step of the way! He is very quick to respond and acts quickly on his clients behalf. We highly recommend him! He took our requirements and wants and found us the perfect home! We are so thankful for all he did for us and how he represented us!"

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"We loved working with Clayton. I stumbled on him on Facebook and we decided to use him as he was willing to work around my hubbys night time schedule. He took the time to take us around and get a feel for what we wanted and needed as a family for our new home which we just closed on. He answered any and all questions and requests we had promptly. Our whole family loved working with him and if we ever need to buy another home in the future you can bet I'll be looking for Clayton to help us find it. We LOVE our new home and are looking forward to moving in.

So much to love about this gorgeous mountain cabin with 360 degree fantastic views. 🏡 This home has great design that takes full advantage of the views and has been built to energy star ratings with very low heating bills. 😎Features a split bedroom design w/ large bedrooms. The beautiful galley style kitchen has stainless steel top of the line appliances & high end cabinets. Outside decks front & back are trex deck material so no maintenance there! The shop w/electricity measures 🚗24' x 30' with a 36' carport.

📸💲 http://clayton.boiserealestatesearch.com/…/75-98676201-79-P…

💪 This can be the complete ready to go package for just $325,000, at this price you can get all the (high end -quality) furniture, 3 ATV's, ❄Snowmobile, Snow Blower, ATV plow blade, utility trailer, BBQ, all appliances and more. From this property you can ride your machines everywhere including up to the Bogus Basin Ski Resort and into some historic mining towns.

 What to consider when buying in fall 2017 

Here are some of the topics covered in this PDF download - FREE Buyers guide

1. Reasons Home-ownership Is A Good Financial Investment
2. Is Your First Home Within Your Grasp?
3. Home Prices Over The Last Year
4. Why Pre-Approval Should Be Your First Step
5. Buying Is Now 33.1% Cheaper Than Renting In The US
6. Reasons To Buy A Home This Fall!
7. Buying A Home? Consider Cost, Not Just Price
8. Myths That May Be Holding You Back From Buying
9. How Low Interest Rates Increase Your Purchasing Power
10. Getting A Mortgage: Why So Much Paperwork?
11. Have You Put Aside Enough For Closing Costs?
12. Ready To Make An Offer?
13. Tips For Success

Have you heard about curb appeal and how important it is when it comes time to sell your home? Curb appeal refers to the attractiveness of your home from the street, but in the age of the internet it is more important to have web appeal. Web appeal is not all that different than curb appeal, it is about first impressions. A first impression determines if a buyer wants to look at your home. In this day in age, that first impression comes online and this is where web appeal comes in.

The internet has changed things when it comes to home buying. Home buyers shop online and the speed at which buyers can find your home for sale is fast. With advancements in digital cameras the quality of real estate photography has vastly improved (not true of all agents). Not only has the quality improved, but with the ease of taking photos the quantity has increased (not true of all agents). Prior to internet home shopping, many home buyers would do a drive by to check on a home’s curb appeal and neighborhood. Now they are using internet photos to determine whether they want to schedule a showing.

The Photos of your home are THE BUYERS FIRST IMPRESSION OF YOUR HOME

There is a study done on home buyers viewing an online listing by Professor Seiler. Professor Seiler said “if you don’t capture the home buyer’s attention in the first 20 seconds, you lost them”. Turns out, the front photo or the “curb appeal” photo of the home is the most important. It is the photo most agents use first when posting a listing online of your home and the curb appeal photo is what a home buyer expects for the first photo of an online listing. In fact, home buyers are very suspicious of the home and the curb appeal if the front photo is not first or used at all.

SOME FACTS ABOUT PROF. SEILER’S STUDY

- 95.1% of the viewers viewed the curb appeal photo first before anything else.

- More than 20 seconds was spent on the curb appeal photo on average.

- Over 60% of a home shopper’s time was spent on viewing the photos.

- The curb appeal photo was viewed for over twice as long as any other photo.

- Over 41% of the viewers never read the agents remarks.

Here are some takeaways from this study:

1.) The curb appeal photo of your home is a crucial point for drawing in buyers.

2.) The other photos are important to keeping the buyers attention… It’s the old cliché “pictures are worth a 1000 words”

3.) The study showed that after the first few photos, average time for each consecutive photo became less and less.

4.) The order of photos is very important. Make sure your agent is using high quality photos, if they are walking around snapping photos with their phone, you might want to rethink who you are hiring. It’s all about the photos, quality well thought out photos.

5.) Put your money shots first. What are money shots? They are the rooms or spaces with the wow factor. This is an important strategy and believe it or not, not all agents do that!

HOW TO GIVE YOUR HOME WEB APPEAL?

As you should now know, your homes web appeal should not be taken lightly. Your web appeal/curb appeal photo can make or break you in a matter of seconds!!

Here are some things that sellers need to do when it comes time to take the curb appeal photo.

1.) Get the yard is cleaned up and in tip top showing condition. This means all play equipment, lawn equipment and trash cans should be removed for the photos. It should remain this way all the time while on the market.

2.) Remove cars from the driveway.

3.) Do you need to add some landscaping to make your house pop?

4.) Is the front entrance and door clean? Does it need a fresh coat of paint?

5.) Power wash exteriors and walkways.

Now, step out to the street and take a look and pretend you’re a buyer. Are there any negatives you can fix? Is there anything else you can do to improve the curb appeal?

ALL PHOTOS ADD TO YOUR WEB APPEAL

Once you have captured the home buyers attention with the curb appeal photo they will move onto the rest of the photos. Make sure your home is in perfect showing condition before the photos are taken! Quality real estate photographs are the single most important factor in presenting the home online to potential buyers.

When interviewing and agent, ask them about the quality of photographs they use. Many agents are now hiring real estate photographers or have taken the time to learn how to properly photograph their own listings. In this day of internet home shopping, photos are so critical and a good listing agent will provide high quality images of your entire home.

… Cell phone photos, dark, crooked, out of focus and off color images are simply unacceptable and can be disastrous to the speed at which your home sells and possibly how much money you make.

Again, the “curb appeal” shot is so important to capturing and retaining a home buyers attention. If it doesn’t capture their attention, they will move on. You and your agent should do everything possible to give the curb appeal shot maximum web appeal. Take the real estate photography of your home seriously. They are the first line of marketing your home.

FINAL RECAP

Web Appeal, or how your home is visually presented online is as important or more important than curb appeal. The homes web appeal is the first experience most home buyers have of your home, and is often how they decide if they want to view your home or not. The photos of your home will be what compels today’s home buyers to at least do a drive by of your home if not schedule a personal showing.

Web Appeal starts with preparing your home properly and hiring the right agent who will then take or hire a photographer to take great, compelling real estate photos.

The decision to view or buy your home is being made by home buyers just by the photos of your home. Make sure your home and yard is at its very best when it comes time to take the listing photos. When it comes time to hire an agent, don’t be afraid to ask to see some of the listings they have done so you can check the quality of their real estate photography.

Happy Selling!

Just Listed to Pending

😜 Got our offer after day 1 and by the time we were done negotiating we had 2 more offers. It was a pleasure to list this home and show it off in a great way. What a great backyard!😍

Seriously, if you are thinking of selling give me a call. I haven't had a home 🏡 I have sold in the last 16 months last longer than a week, most don't last the weekend. I don't list it and pray🙏, I work hard to present your home in the best way possible, accentuate the highlights and get the word out there.

It works! Give me a call 208-996-6507👊

Just Listed Home For Sale in Boise Idaho

🚨 It's Here! - Just Hist The Market 🚨

✔ 3 Beds, ✔ 2 Baths, 1 Half Baths, ✔ 1,949 Sqr Ft ✔ 3 Car Garage

📜 http://clayton.boiserealestatesearch.com/proper,ty/75-98659619-3922-S-Argonaut-Ave-Boise-ID-83709

 💕 This lovely home boast a desirable open living space and is gorgeous both inside and out. Outside is a large patio and beautiful just like camping 🔥 fire pit area perfect for entertaining🕺. The kitchen has stainless appliances, island, pantry and is open to the living area that features a gas fireplace. 🏠 ✔Home is located in a quit community close to town and has room for your toys galore with a 3 car garage and enough room to park an rv and a boat 🚤 & more on this ¼ acre lot with large mature 🌲 trees. A must see!  📞Call me for a showing 208-996-6507

🌻🌷🌼Happy Mothers Day🌼🌻🌷

To all the great mothers and mothers to be!

What is Avimor"

Have you heard about Avimor? Here are the facts: The future plan for Avimor involves a 30 year process that includes building 10,000 homes - it will be bigger than Meridian. Highway 55 will be re-routed to the west. The boundaries of Avimor's land extend from Shadow Valley golf course to Horseshoe Bend hill, from Eagle Road to Hidden Springs. Commercial construction is starting in a couple of months with breaking ground for a microbrewery and pizza restaurant.


Want to know more? Give me a call today! 208-996-6507


View the currently available homes in Avimor - Available Homes

It's Sellers Market in Boise Idaho

📢 I need your HELP! 📢

We are experiencing a problem in the Treasure Valley, what we have going on here is a sellers market. It's not just a sellers market it is a mega sellers market. Now is your opportunity to help and be part of the solution. The only way to cure this situation is for more people to sell there homes, call me to day at 208-996-6507 to make your contribution to help balance the market.

I know you are likely hearing this from every Realtor® in the the Treasure Valley, but home buyers just *CANNOT* find homes. It has been a hot market but in the last two weeks has really turned up the heat. This is the current reality, when a new house hits the MLS it's gobbled up faster than Grandma's apple pie. It's an all out dog fight, buyers are crying and tossing $$$ bills at the sellers. Buyers are bidding above asking price and sellers are getting multiple offers in the first 24 hours. You should sell your house if the thought has even crossed your mind for one single millisecond. 

To help make it easier, here are some ways to say goodbye to your home - How To Say Goodbye

What else besides the house affects the value?

Some the features that increase property values are obvious—like a remodeled bathroom, a modern kitchen, or a sought-after neighborhood. But here are a few features and circumstances you have not have realized can affect property values.

1. The neighbors: Not every neighborhood or community has an HOA that can keep the neighbors from going overboard with decorations or neglecting to care for their home. Homes adjacent to crazy neighbors can potentially be undervalued.

2. Trendy groceries and coffee: Recent statistics suggest that if your home is a short walk from popular grocery stores like Whole Foods or coffee chains like Starbucks, it can actually appreciate faster than the national average.

3. Mature trees: A big beautiful tree in the front yard is enviable, and it’s not something that can be easily added to any home. Homes with mature trees tend to get a little boost in value.

4. Parking: This isn’t too much of an issue if you live in the suburbs or in a rural area, but residents in dense cities can have real problems with parking, and homeowners might need to rent a spot just to guarantee a place to park each night. That’s why having guaranteed parking in urban areas will raise property values.

5. The front entrance: First impressions matter to buyers—many will cross a home off their list within 10 seconds of stepping through the front door. An appealing front door, a friendly entryway, and a functioning doorbell are all necessities for getting top dollar.

Should I Downsize to a Smaller Home?

What are some advantages of downsizing the way you live? Some homeowners are now realizing that bigger isn’t always better. There are several benefits that come with downsizing into a smaller home. Whether you decide to downsize because you now have an empty nest, would like to relocate, would like to save money or get out of debt, there are plenty of benefits to downsizing your home.

1. Save Money

The bigger the space we have, the more things we buy to fill every square inch of it!  One of the great things about downsizing your home is the ability to stop wasting money on furniture, decor, and home items that are used to fill space rather than to fulfill your life. Downsizing into a smaller home will you help you prioritize your life, with only space for the things you need, you will spend less on random purchases and only bring what is necessary in your life.

2. Make Money

As you prepare for the downsize, you will find many things you have and don’t need.  As you find these items, sell them on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Depending on how much stuff you have collected to fill all the spaces, you may make thousands of dollars just selling things you don’t need anymore.  There is also a good chance your old “large home” will sell for more than your new “smaller home” will cost.

3. Lower Stress

Most homeowners can agree that having a larger home leads to greater stress and upkeep. Time slips away with all the cleaning, home maintenance, yard upkeep and can lead to a home that is stressful and costly. Downsizing your home can be the first step to minimalizing and lowering the stress of your day-to-day life. You will be surprised how reducing your daily to-do list and maintenance will free up your time for leisure activities, spending time with your family, getting more rest, and you just might end up loving your home more than loathing it.

4. Save Energy

If you have ever lived in a large home you know one of the big downsides are the high energy costs. From heating and cooling a smaller space, to fewer electronics and the water savings, you will enjoy lower utility bills year round. A smaller home will also give you the added benefit of reducing your carbon footprint.

5. More Traveling

You might not have thought of it before, but when you leave town it requires a lot of work and planning.  With the high cost associated with a larger home there are less funds for travel. Living smaller provides more free time and allows you to save more. If you decide to travel with these newly saved funds, it can be less of a hassle when you need to leave your home for extended amounts of time, especially if you downsize to a townhome or condo. Consider opting for a smaller home that has less upkeep and look for a  homeowners association that will maintain the grounds and amenities. This allows you to enjoy the time you’re home and requires less planning, that way there's less to worry about while traveling.

6. New Adventures

For many, downsizing their home can lead to a new chapter in life. Whether you are an empty nester, newly widowed or just looking to change things up, downsizing can start a new beginning. With all this new free time and saved money you might just pick up a new hobby or restart and old one. From the things you could learn, to the places you can see and the people you may meet, a whole new part of life can begin.

7. You Can Splurge

With less space to fill, you can afford to spend a little more on the things you do need. Some people might think of a downsize to mean they are going to live a less fabulous life—think again! Splurge on a few things and/or hire a designer to get the most out of your new space. Your new home may be smaller, but it can be fancier.       

8. Debt Reduction

If you’re not just downsizing to enhance your life, you might consider downsizing to get back on track.  While it won’t be true for all homeowners, changing to a smaller living lifestyle can help keep you from overspending, overcharging, and the overspending that you may be doing for your large home. A smaller home will help reduce your monthly bills and curb shopping because there isn’t enough space for unnecessary things! If you’re trying to save money, repair your credit and change your ways, consider downsizing your home. Your future self will thank you for it.

9. Earlier Retirement

If you make the right moves, you might find your fiscal independence a lot sooner in life. If you have reduced bills, a higher saving rate and reduced your spending habits, you may find that you can bring an early demise to the ole’ 9 to 5 routine.  For more information on this subject, visit the Mr. Money Mustache blog.

Featured Kuna Homes for Sale

01/26/2017

Thinking about buying soon? Make sure your credit is in order

There’s no more important time to work on your credit score than when you’re about to apply for a mortgage. Improving your credit can save you a ton of money—we’re talking about thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. Here are the actions you can take that will have a notable impact on your score.

Pay down your credit card balances
Credit utilization is one of the biggest factors in determining your credit score. Your credit utilization should at least be less than 30 percent of your limit, and it’s even better if you can get it below 15 percent. This rule applies to both individual cards and your overall credit limit.

It may even be worthwhile to use some of the cash funds you were planning to use for a down payment to pay off credit card balances.

Do no harm
While you certainly want to improve your score if possible, at the very least you’ll want to keep it steady. Avoid opening new lines of credit if you’re applying for a mortgage in the very near future. This will cause a hard inquiry to show up on your credit report.

Take care of negative items
It’s good practice to check your credit report for negative items a few times a year—you can get one free report from each of the three major bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) per year.

If you find any negative items (collections, late payments, etc.), write a letter to the original creditor. Explain the circumstances that led to the negative item, and request that it be removed from your report. It can be surprisingly effective, and removing a negative item will improve your credit score in a hurry. You can find some good templates for a request letter online.

You can search all the Boise and Treasure Valley MLS Homes for Sale at Clayton.BoiseRealEstateSearch.com