Easiest Way to Update a Kitchen or Bath

When you are looking to do the most cost-effective repairs, where do you start? Typically, you will get the highest ROI from kitchen & bathroom remodeling. Those are the two favorite spots for every house! But what is a cost-effective way to make your home stand out?

First things first, what is your budget you are working with to remodel your home? Are you working with $1,000-$5,000 or more? If you are working with the smaller budget then the best thing to do is spruce up, not completely replace.
I would recommend painting your kitchen cabinets, replacing counters, & installing a backsplash. These are all things that you can do on your own that will transform the look of the kitchen!
I wouldn't go overboard with installing quartz or granite counters, I would just go with a nice looking laminate counter that costs $400-$600.

If you wanted to go the extra mile you could even install new flooring in those areas. Flooring is something that may take a professionals help, but normally in small areas, you can get by doing something for fairly cheap. We have had great luck with the luxury vinyl plank floors & that is what I would recommend anyone to do!

If you need assistance or ideas on what to do to spruce up your kitchen please feel free to reach out! We would love to provide you with some FREE resources you can use.

How to Give Tenants A Notice to Vacate - Appleton WI

If you are reading this article you probably own rental property in Appleton WI. As a landlord, it is a never-ending battle on figuring out how to properly give notice to your tenants. From first-hand experience I know what that feels like as we own income property in Appleton. So, in this article I am going to go over a brief summary on how to give tenants a notice to vacate.

How Much Notice Is Needed for Tenants

Depending upon what type of lease you have in place will dictate how you can give a tenant notice to vacate. Are they on an annual lease and locked in for another few months? Or, are they month to month? Tenants automatically go month to month when their lease expires. 

With a tenant who is on an annual lease you WILL NOT be able to give them notice to vacate until their lease expiration. Typically in this scenario you would provide them with a form (months in advance) that states you will not be renewing their lease. Please be curious & give your tenant time. 

On a month to month lease you need to provide at least 28 days written notice. However, if they are already partially through a rental period, you will need to wait till the end of the next period. An example of this is giving a notice to vacate on April 15th. You would provide them the notice on the 15th, but they wouldn't need to move out till May 28th. 

NOTE: Please speak with an attorney regarding the legalities of everything I am providing in this article. I am going off of personal experience & no information provided in fact, only a matter of opinion. 

If you are wanting to sell your property & leave the tenant in place because you don't want to deal with it, please give us a call at 920-215-4201! We are local house buyers and can help you out. 

Difference Between Assessed Value And What You Say Your House is Worth

Assessed value is not the same as market value or appraised value. There are many homes that could be sold for significantly more than an assessed value and others that maybe sold for significantly less. The assessed value of a home is used for the purpose of taxes in your local area. The assessed value of a home is multiplied by the local tax rate to determine what your yearly taxes are. The assessed value has no impact on how much your home is worth to a potential buyer in the marketplace.

Unfortunately, there are many home buyers who believe that a home that is listed higher than the assessed value is overpriced. This is the furthest from the truth. Home buyer’s also question if something is wrong with a home if the list price is much less than the assessed value. There are homeowners who don’t pay attention to their assessed value, just to find out their municipality has been slowly raising it, year after year, even though the market value hasn’t been increasing.

There are a handful of methods that Realtors use to determine the value of a home due to its condition. The most common method to determining the value of a home is by completing a comparative market analysis. A professionally completed “CMA” will consider many features of not only a home, but also the local area and neighborhood. Considerations that a professionally completed “CMA” include:

1. Square footage
2. Number of bedrooms
3. Number of bathrooms
4. Upgrades to kitchen
5. Window quality
6. Roof age
7. Lot features
8. Location primary or neighborhood street
9. Style of residence
10. Flooring type

If you don't want to sell your house through a Realtor and would interested have the process go faster give as a call 920-215-4201

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What to Ask When Buying a House in Appleton WI

If you are looking to buy a house in the Appleton WI area, there are a couple questions you should be asking. The three that I would recommend would be why are the sellers leaving, what’s the neighborhood like and how old are the appliances and major systems?

Why are the Sellers Leaving?

When looking for a house to buy you should get a good understanding of why the seller is leaving. Weather it’s downsizing, financial problems or a job relocation, this can help you know how motivated the seller is. The more motivated the seller mean that there might be more room for negotiating. A good agent will try and find out this information and will help gauge on how flexible the seller is.

What’s the neighborhood like?

When it comes to picking a good neighborhood, you want to look for affordability, good schooling and low crime rates. Appleton has many great neighborhoods to offer, the two that I would suggest are Apple Creek and Darboy. The housing cost in these two areas are mid-high, but with that comes low crime rate and great schooling options. When looking for a family friendly neighborhood in Appleton these areas are a great place to start.

How old are the appliances and major systems?

No one likes to buy a house and within a year already has appliances breaking down on them. When buying a house have a good understanding when it comes to the lifespan of essential systems, such as the air conditioner, furnace, water heater, washer, dryer and stove. Having to repair these can cost you a lot of money. If some of these appliances are in rough condition, ask the seller to purchase a home warranty. This would help cover the replacement cost if there were something to break down.

If you are looking to buy an under-priced or a newly remodeled house in the Appleton WI area contact us today 920-215-4201

How Long it Takes to Sell Your House

Are you thinking about selling your house, but your worried about how long it will take? Having to keep your house in perfect condition for those short notice showings can get annoying. Then there is the inspector that can make things worse.

Going Through a Realtor
The most common way to sell your house is to go through a Realtor. By doing this it may take anywhere from 35-50 days to find a buyer. This timeline can be affected by a slow market, which can make that number reach triple digits! Another factor to consider when going through a Realtor is a house inspection. An Inspector can cost you a lot of time and money due to outdated/damaged appliances and property foundation that you'll have to pay to get fixed.

Other Option
Another option would be to go through us! At CB Home Solutions we help to make this process move as fast as possible. Unlike Realtors we are willing to buy your house in as is condition for cash! This saves you a lot of time and annoying short notice showings, by not having to wait for us to find a buyer because we are the buyer. 

Give us a call at our office line 920-215-4201 & have a conversation with Carter. He will walk you through the process & explain everything.


 

How to Wholesale Real Estate - Appleton WI

If you are just looking to get started in real estate investing, wholesaling houses might be your best option! You can do this with very little to no money down & make huge profits! So, how do you get started?

The first step in wholesaling real estate is to become educated. You don't want to be known as the investor who says you are going to close & then at the last second you have to back out because you realize the property is not a good deal. If you say you're going to buy a house & have a contractual obligation, you better go through with the purchase.

Now, how do you become educated? The biggest resource nowadays is either online via Youtube, or actually attend or sign up for other Real Estate Investors courses on how to get into the business. Most of the time the courses are $500-$5000 but they will teach you everything you need to know to get into the business. Personally, I went the course route & believe it was the best investment I could have made.

After you learn the basics then you need to start marketing for homeowners & cash buyers. The homeowners to actually make a deal happen & the cash buyers you will be assigning your contract to once you have a deal. If you don't have at least 150+ cash buyers, I would recommend using the tool called propstream.com 

This is a great resource to build your cash buyer database at a rapid pace. Once you get the deal under contract you will need to schedule a time with the owner to bring your investor partners through aka your cash buyers. Make sure you disclose to the seller what you are doing so they are fully aware of what is taking place. The last thing you need is a lawsuit because you didn't disclose the right information.

If you want to be mentored 1 on 1 & the cost of mentorship is the splitting of your first 3 deals please reach out to us at 920-215-4201

Thanks for reading!

Best Place to Buy a Duplex in Appleton WI

Hey you guys, Carter here with CB Home Solutions... Are you considering buying a duplex in the Appleton WI area? Do you want to live Downtown or on the out skirts of the city? In this article I will go over the need to know information so you can find your next house! 

What Style Duplex Fits Your Needs?

Are you looking to stay on the cheaper or more expensive side of things. One thing I know forsure is that an upper/lower duplex will be significantly cheaper then a side by side. Upper/lower duplexes are more common in the downtown area as they are an older style duplex & very rarely built nowadays. 

In most situations, the side-by-side duplexes are more expensive and they’re more popular. This is because you won't have neighbors running above you & hearing footsteps at all hours of the day. People will pay a premium for quality housing.

College Campus or Normal Neighborhood?

Then, one thing I would say to watch out for, things that you need to be aware of prior to buying a duplex, and finding one in the best place in Appleton. Do you want to be close to campus? So, there’s Lawrence University in Appleton, which is a private university. The average rents are college campuses are higher just based on the fact that there could be more damage from the tenant base. Most college rentals are re-leased every year causing high turnover expenses.

With most college rentals I would recommend have 2x the security deposit and having parents co-sign on the lease. Most parents want their children living in nice quality housing so they don't have a problem doing this. 

What Style Duplex is More Expensive?

Like I had mentioned previously, the side-by-side duplexes are more expensive than an upper lower. People will always pay a premium for a higher quality house & that is present in the side by side duplexes. I personally own a more expensive side by side. 

Do You Want to Drive Past the Duplex Everyday?

Are you the type of person that needs to have a pulse on what's going on everyday. Well, if you are then I would recommend buying as close as possible to your current residence. 

What is the Better Investment Vehicle?

It depends if you're looking for immediate cash flow or long term appreciation. Most upper lower duplexes cash flow very well, but the long term appreciation is much less. It is totally up to you to decide, & the best part.... you can have both! 

You can call me on my cell or text me, (920) 252-2864, if you have questions on where to buy a duplex in the Appleton WI area.