Home sales are on the rise once again, but this time around many people are not working with a real estate agent. If you’re moving to Fort Collins or any other area of Colorado, you may be thinking about buying a home without the help of a realtor. Do you need an agent? Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of working with a real estate agent.
The Negatives
The truth of the matter is that there are some definite negative aspects of working with a real estate agent including:
1. Real estate agents don’t do all the legal paperwork. This one might surprise you, since that’s the marketing tactic that many agents use to sell properties. But, the fact is that real estate lawyers handle all of that messy paperwork, and you can hire a lawyer without the help of an agent.
2. All the information you need about a home can be found online. Now that the Internet offers many different ways to find a home, you don’t really need an agent to show you around a property. Just find the details that you want to see online, call the buyer, and arrange a meeting. These are basically the same services that real estate agents offer, and you can do all of these things on your own with a bit of legwork.
3. You’ll pay for the service of an agent. Real estate agents take 6 to 8% off of the top.
The Benefits
There are some certain benefits to working with a real estate agent too. Some of those things include:
1. A lot less work for you. If you are busy trying to pack, arrange your life in another town or state, and you work long hours, you probably don’t have the time to look for a home, find a lawyer, and negotiate deals. A real estate agent can do all of those things for you, and that means a lot less work for you.
2. Working with a seasoned real estate agent is a real benefit because these people know what a home should look like, what you want in a home, and they will work for you tirelessly to get that commission.
Some Additional Details
In most parts of the world, it takes less than two weeks to obtain a real estate license. Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest financial decisions that you will ever make, so make sure that the agent you’re working with has experience. It can be really hard to find an agent that you trust too. How do you find a trustworthy realtor?
1. Seek out referrals from friends and family members that you trust.
2. Attend free real estate classes offered by agencies – this would give you some idea of the types of people that work with a specific agency.
3. Go with your gut. If you simply don’t trust or don’t’ like a realtor, look for another one. Sometimes, your intuition is the best tool that you have.
Since finding a good agent is important, we are going to follow-up this post with another post that details that questions you should ask any agent you are considering working with. Yes! You can ask realtors questions, and you should interview any agent that you consider working with. It’s common for buyers and sellers to simply select an agent without seeing any real details about that person’s work history, but that’s a bad idea. Make sure to check back on our blog for the follow-up to this post.
When You’re Ready to Move
CC Image Courtesy of futureatlas.com
We want to make sure that you love your new home. After reading through this post (and the post that will follow this post), you’ll be ready to move into your new place. That’s where Exodus Moving and Storage comes into play. As one of Colorado’s best moving companies, we are here to help you move from start to finish. We also have plenty of rental storage space for anything that you need to leave behind. Call us today for a free referral and additional pricing information. When it comes to moving, we’ve got you covered!
Do you have any real estate questions? Let us know! We are happy to help. Take a look at the blog post that goes with this one to see how you can interview your next real estate agent.
There’s nothing quite like the excitement that surrounds moving into a new home. Before you move in, though, there are a few things that you should do. Take a look at this list of things to prepare before you move that first box!
CC Image courtesy of Brett Levin Photography on Flickr
1. Change all the exterior locks. The probability of the old homeowner coming in and trying to rob you is slim to none. But, you never know who had a key at one point. Take the time to change all of the exterior locks on your new home, so that you can move in without worrying about whether or not there’s a key to your house somewhere!
2. Paint large surfaces. Areas like walls and ceilings should be painted before you move in. Painting a home can take a lot of time, so it’s best to get it done before you make the move. If you want to save time, hire professionals to paint the space for you.
3. Hire a cleaning crew. Sure, the previous homeowner cleaned up your new home. But, a good scrub down is the best way to ensure that all of the bits and pieces that previous owner might have missed are cleaned and put away. Plus, moving into a home that smells clean and new is just part of the overall experience!
4. Have your heating and cooling systems cleaned. This is another job for professionals, but it will be worth it. You may as well have these systems cleaned when the house is empty – it will be a lot harder to clean any space in your home once you have moved in!
5. Put up some shades. A home that doesn’t have any shades or curtains is a home that anyone can look into. You don’t want to show the neighborhood that the home is empty for safety reasons, and it’s nice to have some privacy when you move in, right? Put something up on your windows when you move in, or see if the home you are purchasing includes these items (most of the time, previous owners will add curtains and fixtures to the overall price of the home).
Moving Into Your New Place
After you get all of those big things out of the way, the only thing you have to do is move your stuff. Moving companies that offer full service solutions are the way to go when it is time to move. These companies can help you pack, move, and get set up in your new home. Once you have moved, you’ll probably see a lot more thing inside of that new space that need some work.
Don’t worry, though, you have plenty of time to make sure that the rest of your home is in top shape. The important thing is to paint large spaces, conduct a thorough cleaning, and make sure that you have a bit of privacy when you move in. Not only will this make moving day nice for you, but it’s also the ideal way to make sure that you’re somewhat setup when your neighbors stop by!
Moving To Fort Collins
We’d love to help you move to Fort Collins, Denver, or any of the surrounding areas. At Exodus Moving and Storage, we offer full service moving solutions. Whether you are moving a massive home or just a few boxes, we can help. We also have large storage facilities in both areas that can safely accommodate anything you don’t want to bring with you.
Call us today to ask about our services, get a free estimate, or find out what we can do for you. You’ll find that Colorado is full of excellent painting and cleaning companies too, so make sure to take advantage of what your new town has to offer. Moving day is an exciting day full of a new home and new possibilities – what could be better? With just a bit of prep work, your home will be completely ready to move into.
What did you do when you moved into your new home? Do you have any tips or advice for other people that are about to move? Let us know what your thoughts are below, and make sure to call us today for all of your moving needs!
Before you even start looking at moving companies, you have to find the perfect home. But, this isn’t quite as simple as it seems! Even without the help of a home inspector, you can spot some things that might be wrong with a property right away. To help make your life simpler, we’ve put together a list of 10 things to look out for when you’re shopping for a new home.
CC Image courtesy of denisp12 on Flickr
1. Water damage. It’s hard to know what to do when standing inside of a kitchen or bathroom. Do you look in the cabinets? Do you pretend to be interested in the fixtures? Something else? The one thing that you should be doing is looking underneath sinks. That’s right – get down on your hands and knees and take a look at the underside of any sink. What are you looking for? Water damage. Run the tap, look for leaks, and check under all sinks for mold. Mold is a big problem (and it will give you a good bargaining chip!).
2. Windows and doors. Have you ever been inside of a home, about to open up a window, and heard a realtor say: “oh! Don’t open those!” Yeah, that’s not a good sign! All windows should open properly – test them out, even if it’s cold outside. Doors should also open and close without any kind of issue, so make sure to give the doors a good try.
3. Up on the roof! Take a look at the roof when you arrive and when you leave. Look for shingles that are curled, damaged, or not in good shape. And, make sure to ask when the roof was last repaired or replaced.
4. A mix of wires. Wires that are dangling, are mashed together, or go nowhere are not a good sign. You can usually spot these problems with a naked eye, but you do have to look.
5. Tile issues. Most of the time, sellers will refinish a kitchen before a bathroom. So, take a look at bathroom tiles to see if grout is needed, if tiles are loose, or if other issues show up.
6. Bug screens. This might not seem like a big deal, but you’ll need some summertime screens on all windows and doors. If screens are not included in the property price, you’ll have to shell out a lot of cash to purchase them.
7. Heating. If you can’t control the heating system in a condo, find out who does. Inside of a home, ask the realtor how old central heating or cooling is, and when the unit was last updated or inspected.
8. Floors. You can’t rip up carpets, but you can ask the homeowner how a carpet was installed. Some carpets aren’t easy to rip up, and this means that you will have to spend a lot of money on renovations.
9. Wood flooring. In order to quickly raise the price of a home, some sellers will install floating floors in just a few rooms, while hardwood runs throughout the rest of the home. In order to make the floors match, you’ll have to rip up the floating floors and put down hardwood, which can be expensive. Make sure to consider the types of materials used throughout the house on floors, so that you can lower the overall price of a home in order to compensate for those needed renovations.
10. Hire a home inspector. This is the step that you’ll want to take after you’ve looked at everything listed above. You can see some major problems without a detailed inspection, but you can’t see everything that might be wrong with a home without hiring a home inspector. Look for someone that comes highly recommended (and not by the home seller or realtor).
Time to Move In!
After looking at a number of homes, you’ll likely find one that’s just right. What’s next? Moving time! There are lots of moving companies in the Denver and Fort Collins area to consider, but Exodus Moving and Storage will get the job done right the first time. Call us for a free estimate, for information, or for any other moving or storage need.
Smartphones are amazing things. They can help you hail a cab or find your friends. They can also help you move in many different ways (and even decorate your new pad!). If you’re glued to your phone, this article is for you!
CC Image courtesy of MIKI Yoshihito (´???) on Flickr
Check out our collection of the five best moving apps.
1. Jack of Tools Pro: did you know that your phone contains a digital toolbox? It does if you download this app ($2). The Jack of Tools app will provide you with lighting, a handy level, and all kinds of other tools that exist in the virtual sphere. If you’re lacking the right tools, just download this app.
2. Sherwin Williams ColorSnap: have you ever picked up an item and thought, “I’d love to paint my walls exactly this color”? Well, that’s what the ColorSnap lets you do. Take a photo of a color that you love, and this app will find the exact match based on the many colors that Sherwin Williams offers. How simple and great is this app? This app is available on iOS and Android.
3. Moving Day: make checklists, print inventory lists, check to make sure everything has been delivered on time – is there anything that this app doesn’t do? Moving day is available on iOS.
4. Red Beacon: moving to a new area may mean hiring new people. If you need to find any kind of service provider from a housekeeper to a gardener, Red Beacon is the app that you need. All of the providers listed by this app developer have been reviewed and tested for quality service too.
5. Pocket: this app doesn’t exactly help you move, but it will provide hours of entertainment if you have to travel a long way, or if you’ve packed up all of your magazines and books. Pocket lets you bookmark articles to read at a later time, and you can simply return to the app to flip through your bookmarked parts.
When to Decorate
Some of the apps listed above will help you when it comes to decorating your new home. But, you may not know when to start working on your décor. The rule of thumb is to implement any large scale changes before you move (refinishing floors, painting, installing built-ins…), so that you can move all of your boxes into your new place, and just focus on positioning furniture. As far as smaller decorative items go, take your time.
Shop around your new town for items that you may want to add to your home. You never know what you might find, and some of your old things just might not go with your new décor. If you aren’t sure how to decorate, you may also want to hire a professional decorator to help you out. In fact, you may want to hire a few people if you are on your own.
Who Do You Need to Hire?
In addition to combing through professional moving companies, you may need to hire some help for your new location. Sometimes, working with a housekeeper or cook can be just what you need to help you settle into a new place. Think about the things that you may need the moment you move, and consider hiring someone to help you out for a few days. This can be especially useful if you are moving to an area where you don’t know anyone – let someone else help you out!
You will also need the services of a professional moving company like Exodus Moving and Storage. Look for a company that is insured, knows the area you’re moving to, and can provide the suggestions that you need to make your move a smooth one. There’s nothing worse than dealing with an inexperienced moving company!
We’ve built our reputation on helping people move to the Fort Collins area or to the Denver, Colorado, area with expertise and ease. Ask us how we can help make your move much simpler by taking all of those little concerns off of your hands. We’re also more than happy to provide you with an estimate. If you need a storage solution, we can do that too! Give us a call today!
With all the moving companies in Colorado competing for the same business, it’s nice to branch out and help to move people into the state who are moving from outside. It’s not an easy endeavor to undertake considering that there is usually a lot of travel involved and a lot of long distance hauling a very large objects. However, for professional moving company this should be no problem.
The amount of travel that’s involved with long distance moving is not generally considered to be a large hurdle, however it can be one of the greatest hurdles to exist when moving. Distance may be dead when it comes to technology with the advent of the Internet, but the movement of physical objects is still very limited. Until the day that teleportation is created, distance is always something that must be considered when moving. However, if you hire the right moving company to help you move your things from out-of-state into Denver, then you should be golden. Understanding the highways and byways that lead to and from Denver is really kind of an important aspect to being a mover. Understanding how to handle objects over these long distances is really what makes movers different from the average Joe who puts everything in the back of a truck. It’s really what it comes down to.
These large objects that are tied down in the back of moving trucks are not supposed shift. No matter what any moving company will tell you, if a large object like a couch shifts in the back of a truck, the amount of weight on one side or the other during the turn dramatically alters. This in turn could cause the truck to tip over if enough of the weight ends up on the wrong side. So before you let any moving company take your belongings and move them along distance in the back of a truck, make sure that you take a look and that you agree with the set up of everything that has been tied down. Make sure it’s tight, and don’t leave anything to chance. It’s great to trust people with your belongings, otherwise moving companies wouldn’t exist, however you should never take any chances when it comes to the safety of your belongings.
The range that moving companies in Denver cover is essentially bound to the entire state of Colorado. Denver so centrally located that it has the advantages of having a short distance relative to where you need to go in the entire state and having a highway system that can go North, South, East, and West for good long ways. Colorado is not generally known for its highway system but in this case it can get you from Denver to a lot of places pretty quickly.
If you look at the state of Colorado and Denver’s placement relative to Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Vail and the other ski resorts, and even places like Strasburg, it is in an exceptionally good place. I’m sure that when Denver was founded, it was not only for the reason of its placement, but to this day it remains a central hub. This makes it easy for any moving company to really get people from one side of the state to the other without having to extend themselves beyond their reach. In reality, the city of Denver’s one of the best placed cities in the United States relative to where the rest of its towns are. So moving to and from here to the rest of Colorado or from the rest of Colorado is essentially a cakewalk.
Partially due to its placement, the highway system of Colorado allows you to get to the four corners of the state, or five sides should I say, with relative ease. Let’s be honest here, ask anyone in Colorado and they will tell you that the Highway system here is absolutely atrocious when it comes to traffic and relative ease of access. However, the placement of the highways in Colorado are exceptionally good. They lead through every major town and at least close to the majority of smaller ones. Sure, there’s quite a few that can be off the beaten path, but the highway system for moving companies allows them easy access and quick access to all of the town’s in Colorado. Sure, the highway system here could use a lot of improvements, but as far as its placement goes you’ll find that it’s very handy.
People travel all over the United States and especially businesses. It’s not always true that a business can stay in an individual spot for very long. Sometimes they are forced to move in order to make ends meet. We know that it can be a big challenge to move a business from one side of the country to another, let alone from one state to another. It’s the job of moving companies like us to make this transition as easy as possible for you. In order for this to work though, we must have some benefits for you to take advantage of.
One such benefit is the service provided by a full service moving company like us. It’s not up to you entirely to move everything that you own, or rather that the business owns, out of your current establishment and moving it to another place. You will at least have two very strong and capable guys who will help you get everything in the truck, move it, and then unpack it. Now granted, depending on the distance our drivers can’t exactly go cross country so there may be some give and take here. However, you can bet that getting a full Service Company is going to be a lot easier than getting one that requires you to do all of the work.
Another benefit of hiring a long distance moving company is the peace of mind. Doing it with a company who isn’t used to moving people across the country means that things could get lost in transit. If you go with someone with a great deal of experience who really personifies that meaning of being a national moving company, you can feel a lot safer in the fact that your belongings are going to reach their destination. If that experience that really gives us, or people like us, that distinct advantage.
So if your business is one of those that has to go through the slightly frightful experience of moving, don’t have as many doubts about the process. If you hire someone who has the experience that you want and the full service that goes along with it, you will be just fine.
After every move Exodus Moving & Storage completes, we will request your input about your moving experience with us. Continuous improvement is the hallmark of our success as a company and we are always anxious to get your feedback on how well we did our moving job.
Competitive and Accurate Estimates
The Cost of relocation is either based on weight or number of men and trucks needed as well as distance traveling. At no charge to you, one of our experienced and courteous Move Coordinators will review their move in great detail and provide you with an accurate move quote. Our Move Coordinator will also confirm requested pick-up and delivery dates.
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