The Terranova Team

  From time to time, every homeowner mulls over the possibility of selling their current property and finding the next place to call home. Let’s get a better understanding of if it could be time to move on by examining these 5 signs it is the right time to list your house in Delaware. Priorities Have Changed Over time, every homeowner’s wants and needs change whether they want them to or not. Perhaps you’re getting married, starting a family, or finding yourself with a lot of empty space now that all of the kids are grown up and moved out. In all of these cases, it’s at least worth it to take a look at your local market and see if there could be another home that better suits your needs. Moving to a home that is tethered to outstanding schools, near a park, has better commuter routes, or ease of access to convenient shopping could all fulfill these needs. Think about what’s important to you now and what you will need in the future to best determine if a new home ...

  No matter how pristine your new home may look, chances are there’s some work that could be done ahead of time to make your life just a bit easier over the coming months. In order to help you figure out what needs to be done and which tasks you feel are priorities, let’s go over 5 DIY projects to consider before moving into your new Delaware house. Paint Always one of the big-ticket items to consider before doing the big move, painting is a relatively inexpensive way to immediately put your mark on your home while updating its look.Having furniture and other bulky items in the way is an easy excuse to prevent anyone from giving this task a real go. Therefore, we suggest dreaming up a color scheme ahead of time and being ready to put those aspirations into practice prior to cluttering up the living space with anything that will make getting the painting done a real headache. Set up Your Security In all of the excitement of moving into your new property, it’...

  Finding the right house for you and then taking the steps towards closing on it is an exciting time that can sometimes hamper judgment in favor of racing to the finish line. To help you from turning your next home purchase from a success to a financial blunder, let’s take a look at 4 signs you are paying too much for a house in Delaware. The Initial Asking Price Is Already High Before even giving yourself the chance of being tied up by the process of inspections, appraisals, and closing, take a step back and evaluate the home relative to similar nearby properties. Agents do this all the time when setting prices for properties, and you should do the same to get a better understanding of the true market value of any property in which you are interested so you can avoid paying too much for a house. Take into consideration the neighborhood, the property’s location and proximity to destinations that are important to you, and even how you would sell the property if t...

  With enough time and patience, anyone can sell their home, but it takes some careful and creative thinking to stand out above the other homes for sale in your neighborhood. To get your home sale adventure headed in the right direction, let’s go over how to quickly sell your Delaware house in a competitive market: Preparation Is Key Before your listing is out in the wild and interested parties come to take a look at what your property has to offer them, you need to be meticulous in getting your home ready for the market. Deep cleaning absolutely every single nook and cranny is an obvious must, but the more overlooked process is decluttering every storage area and room. The goal of decluttering is to maximize the available living and storage space by removing unneeded and personal items to a separate location for temporary storage. Taking the time to get family photos and heirlooms out of your home now means they will remain secure while selling your home and als...

  There are few things as rewarding for a parent than to watch their child purchase their first home and begin flourishing as an adult in their own way. If you’re thinking that you could provide some assistance for your child in acquiring a home, let’s start by looking at 5 things parents should consider before buying a Delaware property for their children. Establish Goals First and foremost, you will want to sit down and have an earnest discussion with your child to figure out how you can best help them in purchasing a home. Setting a realistic budget and helping them prepare for paying for a hypothetical home should be an initial step. Every little bit of planning that can be done now is likely to help out both you and your kid as you take further steps toward closing on a home, so don’t hesitate to go over the numbers a few times. Once you feel that you have constructed an acceptable budget, only then should you move forward with anything else. Understand Y...

  There’s no doubt about it: older homes have character. From that grand fireplace to the superb craftsmanship in the woodwork to the overall nostalgic appeal, older homes have a lot to offer. But they also have drawbacks, such as greater maintenance requirements and higher utility bills. So which should you opt for – a newer home or an older one? To help you with your decision, here are both the pros and cons of buying an older house in Delaware.    Pros of Buying an Older House in Delaware ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN As you know, older homes often have “character,” unlike the cookie-cutter modern homes. They tend to have architectural individuality, coming in a variety of styles ranging from Victorian to Tudor to Colonial. In addition, it’s easy to see the superb craftsmanship and attention to detail lacking in newer homes. So architectural individuality is important to you, then buying an older house in Delaware would be a good move. LARGER LOT ...

  There’s more the cost of buying and owning a home than the mortgage payments you’ll make each month. You will also have several other annual expenses. One of these, which can be fairly substantial depending on several factors, is property taxes. Your property taxes are critical to your community and directly affect the cost of owning a home, so you need some understanding of just what they are and what they are for. With that in mind, we offer this home buyer’s guide to property taxes in Delaware. What Are Property Taxes? Property taxes in Delaware and anywhere else in the US, is an amount of money property owners pay annually to their local government or municipality. These are used to cover the costs of providing services needed for ordered and civilized life, such things as public schools, roads, libraries, and more. The tax is assessed by the local government on tangible real estate. The exact amount you pay is a percentage of your home’s value, which,...