Things You Should Know Before Buying an Old House

This is one of the important things to consider when buying an old house.

When buying a property, there are certain factors to consider if you want to get a home at a considerably lower price. One of the elements is the age of the house; in the United States, there is a fairly large stock of housing stock that could be considered old houses. Would you dare to make this type of construction your new home? If you do, don't miss the pieces of advice Ace Florida Realty gives you to evaluate your decision.

Considerations before buying an old house

The first thing to look at before you buy your home is what may be considered old or antique today. In the real estate sector, a house from the 1930s is already considered an antique house, while those built in the 1990s are newer. However, several elements can influence the deterioration or maintenance of these type of properties.

In many cases, the house condition can depend on three factors: renovations, materials quality, and climatic and geological aspects. Regarding materials, everything depends on their quality; prefabricated houses, for example, have lower quality standards, so their deterioration can be more significant. However, this may never be a problem if the owners of old houses are continually renovating and expanding; today, there are houses whose history dates back to the early 20th century, but whose foundations, materials, appliances have been replaced so that the deterioration won’t be the same.

Finally, climatic and geological aspects can also affect the conditions of a home. Humid weather tends to damage roofs and basements, and seismic movements can affect the foundations of a property.

These three factors can determine the problems that may or may not have some properties. And what could these problems be? Read on to find out.

Most common concerns about old houses

Older homes can represent an advantage regarding location, neighborhood, resale value, and costs. However, these properties can come with a lot of challenges.

Plumbing problems

One of the essential features in an antique house is the heating system and plumbing. In some cases, they may be in deplorable condition, if there has never been a renovation. Today these systems may be so outdated that they do not comply with today’s building codes. Also, the poor condition of these systems can lead to pipe breaks that can cause flooding, moisture and other damages that cost a lot of money to repair.  

Use of hazardous materials

For decades, the use of specific materials such as lead and asbestos was very common in home construction. However, at present, these metals and components are considered highly toxic and harmful, so their use is prohibited. In old houses, you can still find traces of these materials in pipes, walls, exterior and interior paint, among others.

Bad electrical system

Every electrical system can deteriorate over time. If the wiring has never been renewed, it is possible that when you buy this type of home, it may have electrical problems and could put your home and your family's life at risk. Likewise, these constructions may not be adapted to the electrical needs of new technologies. If you are a device-lover, you may not have enough electrical outlets to connect them.

Pest infestation

A serious problem that can occur in older homes is the infestation and presence of different types of pests. First, there is the wood pest, which can cause irreparable damage to the structure of a house. Among the organisms you can find in wood, there are termites and wood-decay fungi. Other pests that can endanger your family's health and cause damage to foundations, materials, walls, and wiring of a property, there are rats and cockroaches, animals that are often found in humid and dark places.

All these concerns can be addressed with home and pests inspections. These services are a way to evaluate whether it is worth the investment and whether the benefits outweigh the difficulties that buying an old home can bring.

Whether you want to buy a house to live in or invest in a property to sell it later, you should consult experts who can advise you on the best way. To learn more about the viability of a real estate investment, contact Ace Florida Realty brokerage firm, a real estate company that will guide you through the entire acquisition process.

Sources:

Money Crashers  - Buying an Old House? – Common Problems, Hidden Costs & Benefits

Realtor.com - The Pros and Cons of Buying an Old House

Learn all about buying an old house with Ace Florida Realty.

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El arte del home staging en bienes raíces

Es importante mantener la imagen de la casa hasta que la propiedad sea vendida.

¿Estás preparado para vender tu casa, pero no sabes qué hacer para lograrlo rápidamente? Existen numerosas formas para atraer compradores a tu propiedad, tales como resaltar la información más importante en los anuncios y usar las redes sociales para difundir el mensaje.  Igualmente, otra de las estrategias más útiles en estos casos es el llamado home staging, técnica que te enseña a presentar tu casa en venta de una forma muy efectiva y atractiva.

¿Qué es el home staging?

Como el nombre lo indica, es literalmente la puesta en escena de la propiedad. Esto implica el uso de varias técnicas o estrategias para realzar los mejores atributos de tu casa y atraer a los posibles compradores. Se trata de realizar montajes con varios elementos que permitan dar una muy buena primera impresión.

Muchas personas piensan de forma errónea que este método solo considera el aspecto decorativo, pero la realidad es que el orden y las renovaciones son parte fundamental en su implementación.

¿En qué consiste el home staging?

En la actualidad, este método es aplicado por expertos conocidos como stagers. Sin embargo, también puede ser usado por futuros vendedores que quieran preparar su casa para la venta. Lo esencial es implementar el staging para resaltar las virtudes de la propiedad y disminuir sus debilidades; esto no quiere decir que se deban esconder problemas graves, por el contrario, esta técnica promueve la reparación de cualquier defecto.

En general, el home staging consiste en cambiar el estilo de la casa por uno más neutral en el cual los compradores puedan visualizarse. En estos casos puedes usar tus propios muebles y otros elementos del hogar para crear un espacio armónico. También es necesario ordenar y despejar las áreas, recurriendo a almacenes en los que puedas dejar pertenencias que no resulten atractivas para los visitantes.

Consideraciones a la hora de hacer un staging

Para poner en práctica esta técnica de venta, es necesario no olvidar ciertos elementos y actividades:

Considerar el exterior: la fachada de tu hogar es la carta de presentación. La primera impresión es importante y la misma comienza en el exterior de la propiedad. Reparar grietas y agujeros, cortar el césped, ordenar los artículos de jardinería y mantener limpios los alrededores de la casa son algunas de las acciones que debes tomar para empezar con tu staging.

Despejar los espacios: como ya se mencionó, la idea es crear un ambiente armónico y agradable que les permita a los compradores imaginar cómo podría ser su vida en esa propiedad. Es por esto que es importante guardar objetos y pertenencias que no vayan con el diseño neutro del montaje y que no permitan a los visitantes visualizar todos los espacios de la casa, incluyendo los clósets.

Hacer las reparaciones o renovaciones pertinentes: la técnica promueve generalmente el uso de elementos propios para armar el montaje. Sin embargo, en algunas ocasiones es necesario invertir dinero para aumentar el valor de la propiedad y las posibilidades de venta. Si algún área de la casa necesita reparaciones o una renovación, es recomendable realizarlas. Esto incluye cambiar la pintura de la pared y reemplazar la grifería.

Estilo: en estos casos, no se recomienda el uso de colores fuertes. Puedes hacer contrastes con blanco o usar colores suaves que armonicen. En cuanto al diseño, debes escoger un estilo universal, sin temática, para intentar complacer el gusto de la mayor cantidad de clientes potenciales. Recuerda llevar esta visión a todos los espacios de la casa y usar plantas para crear un ambiente agradable y natural.

Las mascotas: si tienes mascotas, es conveniente sacarlas a pasear mientras se hacen los recorridos por la propiedad. De esta forma, evitas incomodar a compradores que no se sienten a gusto con los animales y mantienes tu casa libre de potenciales olores.

Mantener el staging: el aspecto más importante del home staging es el mantenimiento del montaje. Si aún vives dentro de la propiedad una vez que esta se pone en venta, es necesario que cuides todos los detalles. Limpia y ordena constantemente para que el estilo y el aspecto se mantengan.

El home staging es una técnica que ayuda tanto a vendedores como a realtors. Cuando una propiedad resulta atractiva y acogedora para los compradores, esta pasa menos tiempo en venta, por lo que el dueño recibe un pago más rápido y el realtor reduce los días de una propiedad en el mercado.

Como puedes ver, cambios sencillos pueden lograr aumentar las probabilidades de venta y optimizar el potencial de tu casa. Si quieres vender tu propiedad, no dudes en comunicarte con los expertos de Ace Florida Realty y consultar con ellos cualquier duda que tengas sobre el staging y su efectividad.

¡Aprende a usar esta técnica y vende tu propiedad fácilmente con Ace Florida Realty!

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Considerations Before Applying for a Home Mortgage Loan

This is one of the factors that could affect your chances of getting a mortgage.

Owning a home is part of the American Dream, and if it is located in Miami, Florida, it sounds even more attractive to any buyer. However, every dream has its share of reality and in the real estate market is represented by home mortgage loans for which in most cases you must apply before buying your property. Have you already considered all the financial elements to apply for one?

Applying for a home mortgage loan

Before you make an appointment with your mortgage lender and purchase a home, you need to consider certain factors that may facilitate or hinder the acquisition of a mortgage loan and affect your financial situation. What are these factors? Ace Florida Realty describes them below.

Consider your credit history

Today, a positive credit history is essential and very important, since it is a report of a person's entire credit history. This record shows the ability and responsibility of a person to account for payment of his debts; it contains information on the number and types of credit accounts, account antiquity, timely payments, amounts owed, credit inquiries and even bankruptcies.

This information is used by mortgage lenders or credit card companies to decide whether to extend a loan or not. It is also used to calculate the credit score discussed below and to define the terms of a loan; for example, lower or higher interest rates.

The idea is to keep a positive credit record, avoiding delinquent accounts, those with payments that are at least 30 days overdue; foreclosures; bankruptcies and irresponsible use of credit.

Consider your credit score

A credit score is a three-digit number that indicates how likely you are to repay your debts or credits. It is calculated by analyzing information provided by your credit history and considering the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) score range. The calculation of the score takes into account the payment history, total debt, length of credit history, new credit and types of credit.

And what number is favorable for getting a home mortgage loan? Below you will see the ranges provided by FICO and will obtain the answer:

Exceptional: 800 points and above.

Very good: 740 to 800 points.

Good: 670 to 740 points.

Fair: 580 to 670 points.

Poor: under 580 points.

The higher your score, the better the chance of getting a loan with better repayment terms. Does this mean that you can not get a loan with a low credit score? As indicated by Intercorp Mortgage Solution, a mortgage company located in Miami, with low scores you can get a loan; however, the payment terms including interest rates will be less favorable.

Consider your debt capacity

Another aspect to consider before you apply for a mortgage loan and acquire a house is your debt capacity. Generally speaking, debt capacity is the maximum amount of debt a person can assume and payback in a specific period without jeopardizing its financial integrity.

It is calculated by identifying a person’s monthly fixed income and fixed expenses, which may include rent, credit payments, food, transportation, education and even vacation expenses. When you calculate the total of fixed income and payments per month, the two amounts are subtracted, resulting in the total net income.

Finally, the net income is multiplied by 35% or 40% to calculate the amount of money you can use from that net income to pay off your future debt or, in other words, your debt capacity. This method tells any lender what your ability to repay monthly loan payments is.

All of the above elements are taken into account by any financial institution or mortgage lender to analyze if you are a right candidate for a loan. If you do not have a good credit history and your credit score is low, you should try to improve them to have a better chance of getting a home loan. Likewise, a high and stable income and low expenses ensure you a better opportunity to pay off your mortgage.

If you want to get the house of your dreams and enjoy a long life in that property, consider all the factors that can influence your acquisition. If you have any questions about the purchase process, please feel free to contact the Ace Florida Realty brokerage firm. Their team of qualified real estate agents will know how to guide you on the best way and get the property that meets your expectations and respects your budget.

Before you apply for a mortgage, take into account these considerations that Ace Florida Realty brings to you.

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Retos del mundo inmobiliario para agentes de bienes raíces

Uno de los retos que debe enfrentar un realtor es mantenerse al día en cuanto a zonas en crecimiento y costos de vivir en cada una. 

El mundo inmobiliario es un entorno cambiante lleno de oportunidades y beneficios, pero también de retos que todo realtor debe estar en la capacidad de manejar. El mundo y las sociedades cambian, así como sus necesidades, por lo que que todo experto en bienes raíces debe estar preparado para esos cambios y considerarlos como eje principal en el desarrollo de una carrera exitosa. ¿Por qué? Porque solo así logrará solventar todas las dudas de sus clientes y proporcionarles la casa que cumpla con sus expectativas y necesidades.

Retos del mundo inmobiliario para los realtors

¿Quieres saber cuáles son los mayores desafíos que debe superar un realtor? En términos generales, todos los retos en el mundo inmobiliario tienen que ver con el conocimiento y manejo de la información. Además de tener la capacidad de proveer información sobre los tipos de préstamos hipotecarios o cómo escoger un prestamista hipotecario, los agentes de bienes raíces deben tomar en cuenta otros aspectos que Ace Florida Realty explica a continuación.

Estar informado sobre el mercado

Unos de los mayores retos a los que un realtor se tiene que enfrentar es el cambio del mercado inmobiliario. En general, Miami ha tenido un gran crecimiento a nivel de bienes raíces, con un alza en los precios de las propiedades, pero sin sufrir estancamientos en las ventas. Detalles como estos deben ser ampliamente estudiados por los agentes para poder proveer el mejor servicio a sus clientes y lograr mejores ventas.

Características como tipo de vivienda con mayor adquisición, condominio, familiar o de lujo; y situación de los préstamos hipotecarios, deben ser tomadas en cuenta cuando se busca actualizar la información sobre el mercado inmobiliario.

Igualmente, es necesario entender el mercado desde el punto de vista del comprador. Quiénes son, cuál es su capacidad de pago y quiénes serán los futuros compradores. Hoy en día, los llamados millennials representan una gran fuerza laboral al igual que una atractiva oportunidad de venta, no se les debe subestimar.

Entender las necesidades de los compradores

El mercado cambia al igual que la economía, características y necesidades de los compradores. Entender este factor es fundamental para proporcionar el mejor servicio de compra y venta de propiedades. Cada comprador representa un tipo de familia distinto, una procedencia distinta y unas necesidades particulares. Saber identificar y evaluar bien esos aspectos asegura una mejor relación entre el realtor y el cliente y puede llevar a una compra o venta exitosa.

Al entender sus necesidades y también sus criterios de búsqueda, el agente de bienes raíces puede guiar con mayor eficacia a su cliente y lograr conseguir una casa que se ajuste a su presupuesto, situación y necesidades.

Conocer las zonas en crecimiento

Actualmente, las zonas más cotizadas de Miami siguen siendo Miami Beach, Coconut Grove, Brickell, entre otras. Sin embargo, en la Ciudad del Sol puedes encontrar otras áreas que podrían satisfacer todas tus necesidades y respetar tu presupuesto. En estos casos, el reto del realtor reside en estar al día con el crecimiento de las zonas de una región para evaluar las posibilidades y oportunidades que ellas ofrecen.

Se trata de evaluar sus infraestructuras, inversiones y desarrollo con el fin de conseguir un mayor entendimiento del mercado inmobiliario y ofrecer un listing de propiedades que puedan satisfacer a los futuros compradores.

El mundo inmobiliario está lleno de oportunidades y retos que todo buen realtor de saber aprovechar y superar. A pesar de los desafíos, los beneficios de ser agente de bienes raíces se presentan como una aventura única para todo el que quiera emprender una nueva carrera. Si consideras que este es un buen camino a seguir, conoce todos los pasos a seguir para ser realtor y sigue a Ace Florida Realty a través de sus redes para saber sobre sus cursos de entrenamiento.

Toda profesión tiene sus retos y el mercado de bienes raíces no es la excepción.

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Recruitment Ideas for Real Estate Brokers

Maintaining a good relationship with employees and demonstrating that their efforts matter will attract and keep agents in your company.

The advantage of starting a real estate career is the opportunity it gives you to grow. Realtors can go from being agents who work for a real estate broker to get their license to create their own brokerage firm. And once they have their agency, what is missing is to attract agents to work with them. But how can they do this efficiently? Ace Florida Realty gives them the answer.

Recruitment ideas for real estate brokers

The question is: how to attract and keep real estate agents rooted in your brokerage? Nowadays, certain elements must be taken into consideration, such as the fact that one of the greatest work forces you can find is the so-called millennials, and that the working culture of each agency can be different.

The idea is to show your future agents that you handle all the necessary tools and that your agency is unique among others. And how can you do that? Following Ace Florida Realty tips.

Offer training and updating courses

A good real estate broker must know how to differentiate himself from his competition, and one of the characteristics that can attract a new agent and keep him in the company is the possibility of receiving training and updating courses in certain areas. It is important for a brokerage firm to have training programs or systems that offer training in lead generation, customer service and sales strategy updates.

Use of social media and digital marketing

Nowadays, most people manage social networks, and the young people or millennials are often dependent on these applications as well as on Google search. A real estate broker must know how to make the most of this behavior to find and attract the best agents.

The first step is to find a team that can help you with social networking campaigns. Companies, such as 786.Marketing, rely on digital marketing and inbound marketing to create strategies that help you reach more people through the networks and get them to become potential clients or, in this case, possible employees.

You also need to optimize your website. It has to be adapted to the needs of today's day-to-day use of smartphones and tablets. You need to create a website with good content, design, and a mobile responsive platform. Likewise, a platform such as WordPress to create blogs is a great tool to position your agency in the Google search engine and create interesting content to attract clients and agents.

Offer a personalized treatment

This works both to recruit and to retain your agents. From the moment the candidate arrives at your agency, you have to take every opportunity to impress him and interact with him in the best way possible. In these cases, it is necessary to customize each interview to learn more about the agent’s tastes and hobbies and demonstrate the interest you have in him.

The idea is to take into account their interests to attract them through little gestures, such as sending a personalized present to candidates that we want to recruit or incorporate their interests and hobbies in the workplace.

Create your own working culture

When speaking of work culture or company culture, reference is made to the development of a sense of belonging and unity in the working environment. These are the features that make you different and make a realtor want to keep working, either permanently or as an independent contractor in your brokerage firm.

This is about creating a unique brokerage model that all employees are familiar with. The important thing is to highlight the characteristics of your agency; for example, if it is essential for you that there is a healthy working relationship in the workplace, you should focus on achieving it. Sending personalized messages to your agents to celebrate the closing of a purchase or specific accomplishments is a good way to encourage employee proximity and motivates them.

As you can see, attracting your future agents is not only about advertising but also about keeping up to date with new technologies, humanizing the working environment, taking into consideration the needs of future agents and being faithful to your company’s culture.

If you are thinking of starting a career as a real estate broker, and you still don’t know where to start, come to the offices of Ace Florida Realty. This brokerage firm has training courses for agents and realtors and a great working environment. Follow them through their social networks and learn more about their services and work culture.

Today there are several ways to attract real estate agents and recruit them to work for your agency.

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