Realty Executives of Kansas City

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WHITE BIRCH PROPERTIES

Realty Executives of Kansas City

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Understanding the Back-Up Offer

(Published on - 2/2/2021 5:54:41 PM)

“When can I consider my home sold? This is one of the most common questions real estate agents are asked. While the laws vary in different states, generally the contract is binding once both parties sign the offer. At that time the closing process begins. This is also the time when sellers must stop considering other offers, but they can accept back-up offers.

What is a back-up offer? This is when the seller accepts an offer contingent upon the first one falling through. There are many reasons why the home purchase might not close—the buyer may fail to secure the loan, the home inspection may find issues the two parties can’t resolve, it could even be that the Homeowner’s Association has rules that the buyer is unprepared to accept. Whatever the reason, real estate agents know that the deal isn’t done until it closes.

A back-up offer should be carefully executed. Both buyer and seller must be able to pursue other options. Unless the buyer is willing to wait without seeking an alternative property, the back-up offer should be written to allow for the possibility that they find an alternative home in the meantime. The seller, on the other hand, must make clear they are currently obligated to another buyer and will consider the back-up offer only if the current one cancels.

Back-up offers can be a great tool in a fast-moving real estate market. Writing the offer virtually guarantees the listing agent will notify you if the home becomes available again. This gives the buyer an advantage in a seller’s market, increasing the opportunity to capitalize on a home that fell out of contract.


Tips to Make Your Home Beautiful and Kid-Friendly

(Published on - 1/21/2021 7:12:49 PM)

 

Have you ever been to a home where it’s clear that the kids have taken over the space? It’s obvious that the home has become more of a playground, filled with toys and bright-colored plastic everywhere. Homes like this often sacrifice style for durability or stain-resistance. Maybe this is your home? The good news is that it’s possible to create a home that incorporates the beauty of a stylish home with the practicality of living with children. Here are a few design tips to help.

  • Be Realistic – You may love the look of crisp white sofas and delicate glass vases, but if you live with kids, opt for more durable choices. Natural fiber furniture in neutrals hide stains while looking stylish; choose a sofa with removable cushion covers you can pop in the wash as needed. Display beautiful wood or stone accent pieces instead of glass, to cut down on accidental breakage.

  • Less is More – Uncrowded rooms allow for the excess energy of fast- moving children. Give them room to play. Less toys also means less mess when they’re all inevitably spread over the house!

  • Double Duty Furniture – Look for stylish bins or hidden storage units such as ottomans where you can quickly dump excess toys when guests pop by.

  • Create a Play Station – Carve out a special place for the kids to play, such as a basement family room or a cozy attic. Keep larger playsets and toys there and help the kids make it a special place just for them. This may keep some of the ‘kid clutter’ contained to one area of the home.

  • House Rules – Develop some simple rules and then be disciplined about it. For example, a good house rule is that toys are gathered into storage units each evening before dinner. Cleaning things up a bit at a time makes it less overwhelming.

    Most of all, strive for a livable home. It’s almost impossible to have a picture- perfect home with kids, but by taking a few simple steps, you can merge a kid- friendly environment with a beautiful adult home.


KEEPING MODERN WHITE KITCHENS CLEAN

(Published on - 11/17/2020 7:23:09 PM)

Modern White Kitchens? Tips to Clean and Maintain Your White Cabinets

Sleek, white kitchens are one of the most popular trends in interior design. Bright and cheery white tiles, sinks, cabinets and even appliances are replacing the dark and heavy wood and granite of the past couple decades. White or off-white makes kitchen spaces seem large and airy, creating a sense of tranquility and freshness.

However, white cabinets and surfaces are less forgiving than their dark counterparts and need to be carefully maintained and cleaned to retain their sparkling appearance. These high-traffic areas can retain their beauty with some simple maintenance tips.

Tips to Clean and Maintain White Cabinets and Surfaces

  • Avoid Direct Sunlight – Design your kitchen to avoid direct sunlight on white cabinets. Watch for ways to incorporate natural light without direct sunlight, which can turn white cabinets and appliances yellow over time – making them seem dingy.

  • Clean Regularly – The first step is to clean often. Use gentle, natural cleaning products to avoid staining, or mix baking soda with vinegar and lemon for a simple, effective solution. Clean spills immediately to avoid stains. Pay attention to high-touch areas like cabinet doors or appliance handles, which will accumulate more fingerprints and grime.

  • Invest in an Exhaust System – Grease and food particles in the air can quickly build up on surfaces. Install an effective exhaust fan or range hood to pull cooking debris into the vent and away from cabinets and other porous materials.

    The white kitchen trend is here to stay. Modern, fresh, and bright, white kitchens provide a welcoming space in any home. By caring for your surfaces, you can avoid yellowing and staining and enjoy the tranquility of a pristine white kitchen.


The Reasons Why Your Offer Was Rejected

(Published on - 9/22/2020 5:00:33 PM)

 

You find the perfect house, start creating all of your Home Décor Pinterest boards and BAM – you find out that the sellers didn’t accept your offer. Your dreams of making dinner in the beautiful farmhouse kitchen are crushed and you’re wondering what you did wrong. Well here are a few reasons your offer could’ve been rejected that can help you next time you find a house you want to write an offer on.

 

PS – I promise your real estate dreams aren’t crushed. There will be another one!

 

Reason #1: You’re Missing a Pre-approval Letter – Not only is it important to have a pre-approval letter so that you know how much house you can afford, but the sellers are very unlikely to entertain offers without them. If you haven’t taken the time to get pre-approved and show that you are serious about buying a home, why would the seller risk taking their house off the market before knowing if you can even afford the mortgage.

 

How to Correct This: Talk with local lenders about your options and get a pre-approval letter from them that you have in hand, ready for your Real Estate Agent to scan over with the offer.

 

Reason #2: You’re Unrealistic – This could relate to a few things, one of them being that you have too many contingencies. Do you have a home sale contingency before even having your house up for sale with an accepted offer? Did you include a long list of items that your offer is contingent on in addition to the absolutely necessary ones. Did you ask for the wine fridge and pool table when the sellers said they are not included? Many items can be negotiated but if you really want the house, you need to be realistic and not over the top.

 

Another way you can appear unrealistic is to low-ball the sellers with your offer price. When this happens, the sellers may get offended of think you’re not serious. Have market data that backs up your offer price rather than throwing out a number that you think you want to pay if you want to be taken seriously.

 

One more reason you might be being unrealistic is that you gave the sellers an extremely short turnaround time to respond to your offer. This is a MAJOR turn off. Even if you are in a competitive offer situation, you should focus on strengthening your offer and submitting what you feel is the best you can do rather than pushing the sellers to respond in an unreasonable amount of time.

 

How to Avoid This: Stick to what is the most important to you when it comes to writing offer contingencies. Make sure you’re going over market data with your Real Estate Agent so that you’re backing up the offer price you’re putting out there. Lastly, give the sellers a reasonable turnaround time. Pushing them into a corner will not result in getting what you want and it will only get you off to a bad start with them.

 

Reason #3: The Seller is Difficult or Unrealistic – This one isn’t necessarily you can do much about but it could be the reason your offer didn’t get accepted. Unfortunately there are some sellers who are going to be very difficult to work with or unrealistic no matter how strong your offer is.

 

How to Avoid This: While this one isn’t entirely avoidable, it’s important that before starting your home search that you understand that some sellers are just going to be difficult. Having the expectation that not every seller will agree to what you offer will help eliminate a lot of frustration for you as a buyer when your offer is rejected.

 

Reason #4: Your Buyer’s Agent Isn’t Easy to Work With – You might be wondering what the buyer’s agent has to do with how much you’re offering the seller. Well the buyer’s agent actually plays a very crucial role in this process because whoever you choose is going to be the one communicating with and negotiating with the listing agent and therefore the sellers, throughout the entire transaction. If the listing agent has had bad experiences with them in the past, they may share this with the sellers, making your offer less appealing.

 

How to Avoid This: Make sure you’re interviewing your Buyer’s Agent before committing to working with them. Find out what their negotiating style is and get a feel for their personality. Do they seem easy to work with or like they’d make others mad?

 

Reason #5: You Didn’t Find Out the Seller’s Timeframe or Situation – If you and your agent write an offer without ever asking the listing agent what is important to the seller such as their timeframe for closing or any other factors that might be deal breakers, you might put yourself out of the running when the seller has to decide whether or not they want to accept your offer.

 

How to Avoid This: Make sure your agent takes the time to get in touch with the listing agent and find out any details that may help you write a more desirable offer.

 

If your first offer got rejected, there is likely a reason. The best way to make sure your next offer is accepted is to go in fully prepared. Following these guidelines will not only prepare you for what to expect but can help set you up for success! Soon you’ll be entertaining in that beautiful open concept space you’ve been dreaming of (insert your #1 home wish list feature)!


How to Stage Your Master Bedroom to Feel Like An Oasis

(Published on - 9/8/2020 4:47:17 PM)

 

Our bedrooms are our space to get a good night's sleep so we can wake up refreshed and recharged for the day! That's why it's important to create a space that feels peaceful and relaxing. Whether you're looking for great staging tips to prep your home for sale or your Master bedroom is just in need of a makeover, you can put these tips to work to get it to the oasis level!

Start with the windows. Swap out plastic blinds for floor to ceiling curtains.Even if your windows aren't floor to ceiling windows, it will help add height to your room and make your ceiling seem taller. Opt for neutral colors or patterns unless your room needs a splash of color.

How are your linens looking? Do you have mismatched sheets, two flat pillows and a comforter thrown over the top? Your bed is most likely the focal point of your bedroom so let's treat it that way! Add neutral or white linens to give your room a clean, crisp look. Try a white duvet cover, a cozy ivory throw at the end of the bed and fluffy white towels in the bath to give your master suite a luxurious feel. Next, accessorize with pillows. Have you ever stayed at a hotel where the pillows are piled on so perfectly it feels like you're laying on a cloud? Why not make the bed you sleep in every night have that same fancy hotel look? Throw on a couple of Euro sized pillows and you're ready to climb in bed with a good book and relax in comfort. You'll also want to add in some accent pillows but don't go too crazy here. When it comes to accent pillows, don't be afraid to try different shapes, patterns and textures. This is the best place to add pops of color to your room.

Bring the outdoors in by adding some greenery to the space. Fresh flowers on the nightstand is a simple yet striking touch. Consider adding a taller plant next to a floor length mirror or to a lonely corner.

Don't forget, lighting is the key to staging any room to look more put together. Light and bright makes everything look nice. Invest in updated lamps on your dressers, nightstand and the ceiling. A chandelier can give a romantic, upscale feel but if you're the type of person who needs a fan when you sleep, you can also add in a nice looking ceiling fan if yours is starting to look a little shabby or outdated.

Clear the clutter! Do you have jewelry laying out on the dresser and other things starting to pile up? I know I'm guilty of this and the only solution I found was to purchase some decorative jewelry boxes and a catch all tray. That way I can still keep my everyday pieces out without having things look cluttered and messy. Anthropologie has some beautiful pieces for storing jewelry.

Lastly, let's consider the paint color. Do your walls need a refresh? Try to stick to neutral paint colors for the bedroom so that it feels like a peaceful space. If you want to turn your bedroom into an oasis, you'll want to leave the bright colors for the accessories and opt for bright whites and lush ivories when it comes to paint. You can always balance out the room with a darker statement wall if you love the idea of breaking up the white. This is also a great room to try out a modern wall paper pattern to accent the wall behind your bed. Remember, you don't want every single item to be white to the point where the room looks cold and uninviting. Strike a good balance between neutrals and pops of color. Blush is a gorgeous and popular color right now that can be used as a neutral while also adding in some color.

Grab your phone and start making a list of the items you're going to need to focus on. Then you're ready to whip out your laptop and start online shopping! Before you know it you'll be sneaking off the bed early to relax in your beautiful new space!

 
 

 


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