by Erin Romanski | Mar 6, 2023 | Homeowner Tips
As we enter the busy Spring Market, are you preparing your Greater Lafayette, IN home to sell in 2023? Here are just a few item to remember to take down or out of your home before listing. 10 Things to Remove 1. Excess Furniture – Consider removing extra chairs, ottomans, side tables, etc., anything unnecessary. It opens the space and makes it feel bigger! 2. Family Photos – The general principle is that buyers need to be able to visualize their own lives in the home in order to buy the house. There is nothing new about this, but in this complicated age of security challenges, there are also safety reasons to remove your items before showings. You do not know who is coming through your home; protect your family by removing any identifiable pictures, awards, certificates, etc. 3. Religious Art/Collectables – Minimize all wall art. 4. Laptops and Cell Phones – Anything easily picked up and removed should be safely stowed. 5. Jewelry – Again, anything of value should be secured out of sight. 6. Important Files and Papers – Hide any papers that may havebanking or social security numbers that can be used for fraudulent purposes. 7. Firearms – Protect yourself and others by securing any firearms. 9. Half of All Décor – Think about removing about half of any decorative items such as pillows, vases, books, etc. 10.Pets – Keep your pets safe and away from visitors. If you’re ready to start showing your home, reach out to one of our professional realtors with proven marketing skills to see your home in the Greater Lafayette, IN area. Additionally, taking a little time to depersonalize can...
by Erin Romanski | Feb 11, 2023 | Homeowner Tips
Having good credit is essential for a number of aspects of your life, ranging from the interest rate on a car loan or credit card to background checks for employment. Poor credit can be incredibly expensive, costing you thousands of dollars in higher interest rates over the course of a home loan. Fortunately, with proper care and attention paid to your finances, it is possible to maintain a good credit rating. When buying or selling in the Greater Lafayette, IN area, these factors are important to keep at the forefront of your mind. Credit score is a major factor in the buying and selling process! We are here to help, making your real estate transaction smooth operating! Here are six factors that could damage your credit score: 1. Not paying your bills on time – Bills not paid within 30 days can be reported to the credit bureaus. 2. Utilizing all of your available credit on credit cards – It is important to not max out your credit cards without a plan to pay them off. 3. Not having a diverse mix of credit – Having different types of credit, such as car loans and revolving credit, could help improve your score. 4. Applying for too much credit – Multiple applications for credit cards in a short period of time can be a bad sign. 5. Not using credit at all – You must show that you can responsibly use and manage credit in order to maintain a good score. 6. Closing credit cards – Keeping long-term accounts open is important, as closing them removes the positive history from your report. Good credit is especially...
by Erin Romanski | Jan 15, 2023 | Homeowner Tips
Winter months in real estate traditionally slow some. The opportunities to sell you home still exist, but it is essential to stage your home in a way that might make it stand out above the crowd. Here are a few key points to make sure you check off when you go to list your Greater Lafayette, IN home during the winter months! What is Home Staging? Let’s start with the basics. Home staging is actually a marketing technique! It is the process of creating an environment within the home for sale that a buyer can see themselves living. A properly staged home provides a good balance between having empty rooms that seem uninviting and overly personalized touches that detour potential buyers from creating a home in it themselves. It’s essential to the home selling process, and we are here to walk you through it! Maximize Light To begin with, lights are inviting, and quality lighting in the interior of the home is essential during short, winter days. Draw blinds to allow as much natural light in as possible, and make sure those windows are clean as well to insure as much natural light as possible makes its way into your home. Artificial lighting can be a huge help to illuminate dark corners or pockets, so don’t be afraid of it! Just start with as much natural light as possible, and supplement artificial light wherever needed. Curb Appeal Making your home stand out from the get-go can be tough in winter. Now, more than ever, it’s imperative to repair any cosmetic errors such as fresh paint or broken doors. Buyers...
by Erin Romanski | Oct 28, 2022 | Homeowner Tips
Inflation: Economics- a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money. Inflation effects everyone in one way or another. The Romanski Group is here to help lessen that impact in any way we can. Fortunately, there are steps you can take toward lightening the overall load, and a great place to begin is paying off your mortgage faster. Payments toward your loan’s principal can drastically cut months and even years off the tail end of your loan. Check out these long-run-minded ways to reduce your monthly expenses by taking seemingly small steps now! Learn more about your Mortgage Before jumping in, let’s just take some time to simply dissect the different pieces of your mortgage. Experian gives great insight breaking down the details of your home loan by stating: “Principal on a loan is the original amount you agreed to pay back. Over time, the principal balance goes down as you make payments. But because of the interest you also pay on a loan, only a portion of your recurring payments goes toward paying down the principal. The principal balance helps determine how much interest you owe with each of your monthly payments, so paying down your principal can help you save money on interest charges.” 3 Mortgage Tips to Fight Inflation Make an extra mortgage payment each year. Just one extra mortgage payment toward the principal amount can shave years off the tail end of your loan! Such a small step that makes a huge impact on your life! Apply any extra or unexpected income toward the principal of your loan. Do you have an unexpected...
by Erin Romanski | Jan 9, 2022 | Homeowner Tips, Uncategorized
Many people allow January to spark fresh ideas and new beginnings. It’s a time of refection on things past and vision for things to come. In Greater Lafayette, IN, January days are short and chilly, but your home could easily be a beneficiary of this winter-seeded zeal. These days are a great time to refresh your home’s existing spaces and project goals for 2022. Here’s a short checklist for a jump start! Research and Plan this Year’s Projects Let’s start with a plan! If this is the year to make moves toward an updated kitchen or bathroom, plan our your steps during these winter months! Guage pricing, formulate details for creative spaces, pick colors, etc. Organize and Restock the House These, “catch all” type spots in your home can seem daunting to tackle, but YOU GOT THIS! Game closettoss games or puzzles with missing piecesdonate games you don’t frequently play!sock and warm layer drawerstoss all garments with holes and replace for the coming seasonsundershirts, pajamas, base layers, sockspantrydonate unused, unintended canned itemstoss outdated itemslinen closetsort through extra sheets, towels, blankets, lotions, soaps, etc. and donate to alleviate clutterrestock necessities such as toilet paper, Kleenex, toothbrushes, etc. Refresh Toy Room After so many new toys added to the mix for Christmas, the toy rooms probably need some love! Try rearranging, adding a fort, or storing some groups of toys in totes and occasionally swapping them out. Pull out broken toys or ones with missing pieces to get rid of clutter. Then encourage the kiddos to play in their new space during their winter, indoor woes! Deep Clean Kitchen After the...
by Erin Romanski | Dec 9, 2021 | Homeowner Tips
Fraser Fir, Caanan Fir, Scotch Pine, White/Concolor Fir… we love them all! Many Greater Lafayette, IN Tree farms produce of all types of pine tree varieties. We know you probably have a favorite kind, but honestly, it doesn’t matter what type of real Christmas tree you select for your home… The true goal is always to keep it from drying out as long as possible. With proper care, your tree can last weeks after being cut! Here are a few tips for keeping your real tree fresh and fragrant! This list is inspired by an article by Good Housekeeping! Click here to read it! Select a tree that looks healthy! It’s worth the time spent on the farm scoping out the best tree available. Get one that’s full looking. Maybe even gently run your finger over a branch or 2 to make sure that it’s not already drying out before you get it home. Cut and shake the tree. Most local farms will help you prepare the your tree for your home by shaking it for you with a fancy machine they have available. Trim the tree trunk slightly (about 1 inch) to place it into the stand. This ensures no resin build up on the cut to keep water from absorbing into the trunk.Place the tree in your home away from heat sources! It keeps the tree from drying out. Lowering the temperature in your home or keeping a humidifier running might help keep it too.Water, water, water! Once the tree is up, make sure to place water immediately into the stand. Then, proceed check it daily. Water...
