One of the very first steps you should take in the home buying process is getting your pre-approval letter from a lender. Imagine, you are looking at homes and you see the one, it's priced beautifully, has everything you could ever want, and it is way better than anything else on the market. Then imagine, you are not the only buyer in the world and while you are scrambling at the last minute to get the pre-approval letter so you can put in an offer on the home of your dreams(99.9% of sellers will not entertain offers without a pre-approval), another buyer(with a pre-approval) makes an offer and gets the home for less than you would have been willing to pay. Could that home have been yours? Yep, if you had gotten your pre-approval in advance it more than likely would have been.
Some sellers are tempted to undertake massive renovation projects prior to putting their home on the market, I would advise consulting your Realtor prior to doing so. More times than not these projects are going to cost far more than they will ever yield on an a sales price increase. Usually your best bet is to do minor projects that focus on increasing the curb appeal of your property to attract buyers.
Buying a home, especially a first home is a very emotional experience. Do not let yourself get swept up in that emotion and make the mistake of buying your "Dream Home" after the first time you see it. You should view the home two times at least and drive through the neighborhood at different times of the day prior to making your decision to purchase.
Buyers, this one is for you, because so many of you miss the importance of this step in the process until it is too late. Sellers are usually quite thorough when interviewing and choosing their agents. Buyers on the other hand tend to more or less stumble into an agency relationship with their Realtor. Probably, because they typically don't have to pay for their services. Well, Mr. and Miss Buyer you should be just as thorough as the Seller, you are expecting the same level of service. Interview your Realtors, choose one whose knowledge and skills best suit your needs and sign an agency agreement with them to hold them accountable for the service you expect. Their services are still funded by the seller the difference is you have gotten yourself a Realtor that is right for you and a binding agreement to have them serve you to the best of their abilities just as the Sellers always do.
Most potential sellers are under the misconception that spring is when they should put their home on the market. I will tell you, spring is when you have your highest numbers of buyers, but it is also when you have your highest number of sellers. Another secret, houses really do sell year round! You will want to market it differently, such as in the winter focus on fireplaces and family rooms, in the summer focus on pools and decks, and in the fall 3 season rooms and hot tubs, etc. Consider whether or not putting your home onto the market when there is less competition is right for you, not blindly following a myth that you should only put your home on the market in the spring.
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I'm a full service e-Pro REALTOR serving the Pekin / Peoria Area. Whether you're buying or selling a home in Pekin, Dunlap, East Peoria, Metamora & Germantown Hills, Morton, Peoria, or Washington.
There are many qualities and skills that go into being an excellent real estate professional - integrity, in-depth community and market knowledge, marketing savvy, effective negotiation skills and a high-quality professional network, all of which are hallmarks of how I work.
That said, in my experience as a Pekin real estate professional, I've also found that providing the very best service is essentially about putting my clients first. This means keeping myself accessible, being a good listener as well as a good communicator, and responding quickly to your needs.
This "client first" philosophy has always been my approach and it requires me to continually improve my skills and ways of doing business. In addition, I've found that the latest technologies are enabling me to do everything I've always done, only much more quickly and efficiently. They've also helped me to extend the range of services I provide to my clients.
So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Peoria & Surrounding areas, please contact me.
I specialize in first time buyers and relocation.
Jana and I recently accomplished a corporate relocation from Denver, CO to the Peoria, IL area. We conducted online research as to homes and realtors that represented the Peoria and surrounding communities. Jim's web site, coupled with the Maloof Realtor site provides the best home information data backed by visual media that made the home search easy by focusing on a few key potential properties that met our expectations.
Jim coordinated our visit to Peoria to ensure that the limited visitation time was utilized by setting home viewing appointments, meetings with financial and mortgage representatives, and completing required paperwork while we were in Peoria. Jim's punctuality and preparedness eliminated any lost time providing further evidence that our selection of Jim and the Maloof Realtor firm was a correct one. Further evidence of Jim's professional service commitment was during the first day of home visits; Peoria was hit by a snow storm of nearly 6 inches, yet Jim conducted us to all the home visits without occurrence while ensuring our ability to return to selected homes for follow up and walk through.
Meanwhile, upon our return to Denver, CO, Jim conducted much of the leg work and follow up on the home status and closing process ensuring a smooth transaction. Upon, closing day, the procedure was seamless and simple with my wife and I taking possession of our new home. Jim's professionalism and committed to clients did not end there; he has followed up with additional information concerning the local area such as shopping, restaurants, Doctors, Vet's, etc. We can say that through our years of numerous corporate relocations, this experience with Jim has been the best we have had. Jim sure makes life easier.
Darrell and Jana C. - Dunlap
I was satisfied with the service provided. Jim was patient enough to help me find the right house, even
though it sometimes meant traveling long distances, going to areas he hadn't been to before, and resulted in several months of looking at houses. While looking at houses, Jim would point out flaws in the house we might have otherwise overlooked. Despite several opportunities to make a quick buck, Jim instead offered his opinion on houses he felt uncomfortable with while I was considering these houses, typically due to the potential of the house being a money pit. If I choose to sell and/or buy a house later, I will again use Jim, and suggest him to friends and family that later decide to sell and/or buy a house.
David C. - Peoria
We recently relocated to the Washington, IL area and were very unfamiliar with the towns, schools and businesses. I contacted two realtors on line-one of them being Jim Sikes, and immediately knew I wanted to work with him.
Jim always responded to my many questions when searching for a home and was the one that first suggested we look at some homes in Washington. He was so patient and professional with our home search and provided very useful information about the cities and schools, which was a concern for us.
I know we will someday need another realtor and Jim will be the one we use for our home.
Kerry and Barry O. - Washington
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