Preparing Your Home for a Showing & Getting a Pre-Approval

St. Charles Real Estate Podcast with Kari Kohler

If you’re a seller, how do you prepare your home for a showing? If you’re a buyer, how do you prepare for getting a pre-approval? To answer the first question, there are two main tips to remember. First, make sure everything about the exterior of your front door is perfect. Everything should be perfect on the interior and around the foyer as well. These are the two areas where people make buying decisions: They make it on the way in, and they make it on the way out. “Depending on your price range, cleanliness can get you anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 more for your home.” Second, make sure your home is clean—clean countertops, dressers, bathrooms, etc. The home should even have a clean fragrance to it. Depending on your price range, cleanliness can get you anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 more for your home. Remember to hire professionals for this work. We have plenty of vendors we’d love to refer you to who’d do an excellent job. Now, what about preparing for a pre-approval? According to Bill Pendley of Caliber Home Loans, there are three factors lenders look at that you need to examine as well: 1. Income: You need to have a monthly income in order to pay your bills. 2. Assets: You need to have the funds available to pay your down payment and your closing costs. 3. Credit: 740 is the credit score you want to shoot for, and making a couple minor adjustments will help you get there. Paying off revolving debt, for example, can improve your credit score 20 or 30 points and save you thousands of dollars when closing on your home. If you have any questions about these topics or you’re interested in scheduling a showing for the beautiful home we shot today’s video in, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to help you.