Sell a Home

Inheriting a House and the Taxes You Need to Know About.

by bchandler on 8:49 pm

Over 4,000+ Homes Purchased Since 2003

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Inheriting a House and the Taxes You Need to Know About.

You just inherited a house, and you’re deciding to either sell the house or move into the place. Well, before you decide anything, you should hear about all the taxes that you might have to pay. Depending on your state, this could mean inheritance tax, and possibly capital gains tax. But don’t worry, knowing what to expect is half the battle. To find out which of these taxes apply to you, keep reading!

Inheritance Tax

The first thing you need to know about inheritance tax, it’s completely different from anestate tax. It’s extremely important to know the difference because the two terms are often used interchangeably. But don’t be fooled! These taxes are NOT the same thing. Inheritance tax is a tax that a person pays when they receive an inheritance. An estate tax is a tax that is paid with funds found within an estate. Many people get these two confused is that they consider a house to be an estate. When in reality, a house is only part of an estate. An estate is everything a person solely owned before passing away. This can include cars, money, antiques, life insurance and more.

Now that you know the difference between inheritance tax and estate tax, it’s important to know when inheritance tax applies to you. If you’re inheriting a house from a deceased person, you have to check if your particular state has an inheritance tax.

For example, states like Washington D.C. and Virginia don’t have an inheritance tax, but Maryland has a 10% tax on inheritance. If you live in a state with inheritance tax, don’t worry just yet. You could be exempt from paying inheritance tax. In Maryland, for example, immediate family members of the deceased person and certain non-profits are exempt from inheritance tax. So make sure to check your specific state laws and check to see if your state has any exemptions.

Capital Gains Tax

If you just inherited a house and want to sell it, you may have to worry about capital gains tax. This is a tax that occurs if you sell an inherited property, without living in it for at least 2 of the last 5 years. If you have lived in the property for more than two years in the past 5 years, you can be exempt from capital gains tax up to a certain amount. If you are single, the amount is $250,000. If you are married, the amount is $500,000.

But how do you know how much tax you pay? Well, there’s a formula.

(Sale Price) – (Fair Market Value of the House at the Date of the Owners Death)

If the number is positive, then you pay capital gains tax on that amount.
If the number is negative, then a capital loss can be claimed on your taxes and $1.5 thousand of that can be deducted from your income taxes ($3 thousand if filing with a spouse).

Here are two examples:

Sarah inherits Brad’s house. She has the home appraised, and it’s found to be worth $600 thousand. Sarah then sells the house 2 months later for $605 thousand. Sarah then pays capital gains tax on the $5 thousand ($605 thousand-$600 thousand).

Sarah inherits Brad’s house. She has the home appraised, and it’s found to be worth $600 thousand. Sarah then sells the house 2 months later for $550 thousand. Sarah then claims a capital loss of $50 thousand ($550 thousand- $600 thousand). Sarah is not married and therefore deducts $1.5 thousand from her income taxes.

*Here’s a http">Capital Gains Calculator to make things a little easier for you.*

Selling Your House

If you’re thinking of selling your inherited house, call https">Express Homebuyers to receive a fair cash offer in minutes! And once we make a deal, we’ll also provide you with a free probate attorney to help you through the entire probate process. Call us today to find out more information!

DISCLAIMER: State and Federal tax laws change on a frequent basis. As a result, the following information may not reflect current tax laws and is in no way a substitute for legal advice. For tax or legal advice, please consult with an accountant or attorney.

Get Your Fair Cash Offer to Sell Your House, Fast!

or Call us at (877) 804-5252

Corporate Office

6564 Loisdale Court, Suite 315
Springfield, VA 22150
Phone: (877) 804-5252
Email: expresshomebuyers@expresshomebuyers.com

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Staging or Renovating – Which Will Sell Your House Faster?

by bchandler on 3:13 pm

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Staging or Renovating – Which Will Sell Your House Faster?

While searching through all my old staging photos the other day, I came across these pictures from eight years ago. The memory of working with this particular Realtor® and the story of this house flooded back. It’s worth sharing as an example of exactly how staging can help you sell your house faster.

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The homeowners had already moved to their new house in another state and they knew the house didn’t show well enough to put on the market for top dollar. But they understood that if they invested a few dollars in the right areas, they could list at a higher price and possibly yield a better return at the closing table. Plus, they anticipated staging would help sell their house faster and save them both the holding costs and need to suffer through a price reduction.

At first they thought the poor condition of the hardwood floors in their newly vacant house was the most prominent problem. To fix this issue, they were willing to spend $8,000-9,000 to have the wood floors sanded and refinished. Even though sanding and refinishing would have given new life and beauty to the old, worn floors, it wouldn’t address all the other visual deficiencies. And while the house had a ton of positive assets, because it was completely vacant, many of those minor things appeared more glaringly obvious.

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The Realtor® convinced the home sellers that staging the entire property and giving potential buyers something beautiful to look at in every room, instead of focusing only on the rustic hardwood floors, was a better use of funds.

You never want to conceal obvious defects in a home. But more importantly, it’s better to play-up the obvious and not so obvious assets in a home. Among these assets is the home’s lifestyle potential. People tend to only see what they see right in front of them; they don’t see what “could be.” Therefore, a stager “sets the stage,” so to speak, and shows buyers the full potential of a home through the placement of beautiful furniture, rugs and décor.

What many sellers and buyers don’t realize is that home buyers are buying more than simply a house; they’re buying the lifestyle the home represents. And when the house you’re selling is staged to represent an appealing and aspirational lifestyle, buyers get a “good feeling” they can’t explain. That’s when you’ll sell your house faster.

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In the end, most home buyers purchase based on emotion, not on financial sense or calculations. So, if you want top dollar, don’t take shortcuts. Make the effort to present your home in its best light and stage your home properly.

Tracy Kay Griffin is a member of Express Homebuyers Design Team. She was the Series Designer for HGTV’s “Get It Sold,” a Guest Designer for HGTV’s ” My First Place” and the Lead Stager for Washington DC’s premier staging company, Red House Staging & Interiors.

If you don’t have the funds for proper staging to sell your house faster on the open market, and you’d prefer to sell your house as-is, call Express Homebuyers at (877) 804-5252 for a fast and fair offer. Find out how our https">easy 3-step process works.

Get Your Fair Cash Offer to Sell Your House, Fast!

or Call us at (877) 804-5252

Corporate Office

6564 Loisdale Court, Suite 315
Springfield, VA 22150
Phone: (877) 804-5252
Email: expresshomebuyers@expresshomebuyers.com

How Furniture Can Help Sell Your Home

by bchandler on 4:04 am

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How Furniture Can Help Sell Your Home

It’s a difficult concept around which to wrap your brain. Your furniture does not convey with the house, but it certainly does depreciate or elevate the perceived value of your house and can hurt or help sell your home.

Of course when you’re living in your house, your furniture is perfect! It’s perfectly arranged to suit you and your life style. However, when you’re selling your house, the furniture and its positioning can have a great impact on the bottom line of your house-sale profits. That’s why it pays to pay special attention to your furniture along with the rugs, art and décor that go with it. Understand that your house is now a product on the market and it has competition. You need to make it shine brighter than the other houses on the market in your area, since these homes are competing against your home for the next buyer.

Getting an objective, professional opinion from a respected Home Stager or a reliable Realtor® is your best option. They will tell you what you need to know. If you choose to keep and use your present furnishings while the house is on the market, they may need cleaning, slip covering or rearranging. You want to keep just enough furniture in a room so a buyer can easily walk around, as well as in and out of, the room with ease.

Additionally, arrange each room to portray one purpose. So you want a living room to look simply like a living room, not a living room/office or a living room/toy room or a living room/trophy room. Move your extra furniture to an off-site storage location, give it to relatives or donate it to a charity.

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Sometimes you can swap furniture from one room to another. I’ve often switched a dining room table with the kitchen table because the table in the kitchen was a better scale and style for the formal living room. I’ve also used extra bedroom dressers as console tables in family rooms, dining rooms and foyers.

In some cases, you may have a room with not enough furniture. In such a situation, borrow an extra piece of furniture from a nearby family member or purchase something. If your current furnishings are outdated or worn, it’s smart to replace one or two pieces, if not the entire room.

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It’s easy to start feeling overwhelmed, especially when you don’t have a clear idea of what to keep, rearrange, store or replace. This is why it’s best to bring in a professional stager for a consultation BEFORE you put your house on the market. Stagers are trained to know exactly what every style of home, in every area, and at every price point needs to help sell it quickly. Whether you need one piece or an entire house of appropriate furnishings, a stager can also bring it in for you and arrange it properly.

So once you have repaired, de-cluttered and cleaned your house in preparation for putting it on the market, remember to address your furniture. It’s like icing on a cake. If used correctly, your furnishings can actually help sell your home and increase your home-sale profits!

If your home needs more than decluttering, cleaning and a fresh coat of paint to make it ready for sale on the retail market and you don’t have the time, energy or resources to do the work, https">call Express Homebuyers at (877) 804-5252 today. We’ll make you a fair cash offer on your home, as-is – no repairs necessary.

Get Your Fair Cash Offer to Sell Your House, Fast!

or Call us at (877) 804-5252

Corporate Office

6564 Loisdale Court, Suite 315
Springfield, VA 22150
Phone: (877) 804-5252
Email: expresshomebuyers@expresshomebuyers.com

Home Staging Expert Will Transform Your House And Sell It Fast

by bchandler on 3:29 pm

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Over 4,000+ Homes Purchased Since 2003

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Home Staging Expert Will Transform Your House And Sell It Fast

Staging done well can help a seller sell their home faster for more money. Careless or poor staging can prolong the sales process and force a seller to lower their sale price. With that fact in mind, choosing the right stager is imperative for positioning your house correctly on the market. Since no two stagers are the same, you may find searching for the right stager a daunting task.

Ask These Questions or Proceed at Your Own Risk

The best ways to find a home staging expert are either through word of mouth or via an internet search. Look at their online portfolios. Their presentations should be absolutely stunning! Confirm that the photos on their websites are actually stagings they have completed and not stock photos.

One way to find a home staging expert is by word of mouth.

Find out if they have a warehouse of furniture, rugs and décor or if they out-source these items. An established and experienced company will have its own warehouse of goods, which allows them to service your needs better.

Ask how long they have been in business, how many homes they have staged and who some of their high-profile clients are. Request references. A great stager has a list of clients, including well-known real estate agents, investors and developers. Finally, make sure they have insurance.

What Happens First?

If you will be living in your home while it’s on the market, you’ll need to book a Staging Consultation. During a consultation, a stager comes in to look at your home and provides you with a step-by-step staging plan. Sometimes, they will recommend renting a few pieces of furniture.

A good staging company will offer you a verbal or written report. Expect to pay for this important report. It is an investment on the quick sale of your home. In the Maryland, Washington, DC or Virginia areas, this service generally costs $275 to $375. Save the receipt because the expense is a tax deduction.

Having this staging plan gives you the opportunity to stage your own home if you wish. If you prefer to have the pros manage it, this report allows you to know what to expect, as it will all be in writing.

Another way to find a home staging expert is via an internet search.

When you’re leaving a home vacant while it’s on the market, all staging companies will provide you with a free quote for bringing in the necessary furniture, rugs, art and décor to make your home show like a model. But now is where it gets tricky.

Comparing Apples to Apples

Some companies will use very cheap furniture, such as a folding card table as the dining room table and plastic side tables from IKEA. Other staging companies will use very high-end furnishings, chosen based on the appropriateness of the quality, style and scale of the piece. You can generally tell what type of furniture they use by looking at their online portfolio and knowing if they have an A-List of repeat clients.

An established and experienced company will have its own warehouse of goods, which allows them to service your needs better.

Stagings vary in price depending on the size and price of the house, scope of work to be done and whether or not the house is occupied. A home that already has furnishings in it is generally less expensive to stage because a stager can use all or most of what is already there. Vacant stagings are more expensive since the stager needs to bring in all of the furniture, rugs, art and décor. In general, a vacant staging for a 1 bedroom/1 bathroom house costs between $2,000 and $3,000. Each additional room adds approximately $500 to the investment.

Recommended Staging Companies

To make things a little easier, here are a few home staging experts in the Washington DC Metro and Baltimore areas I like, have used and would recommend:

https">Red House Staging & Interiors
https">Twisted Spaces
https">Marsocci Interiors
https">Charm City Staging

Choosing the right home stager is imperative for positioning your house correctly on the market.

Your Home Transformed – Maybe You Should Stay!

It can be inspiring and magical to watch the home transformation your home can go through in just one day! Once your home is staged, you may never want to leave! Keep in mind though, you can always hire the stager to help arrange your new home.

Tracy Kay Griffin is a member of Express Homebuyers Design Team. She was the Series Designer for HGTV’s “Get It Sold,” a Guest Designer for HGTV’s “My First Place” and the Lead Stager for Washington DC’s premier staging company, Red House Staging & Interiors.

Not everyone is willing or able to stage their house properly themselves or hire a stager. But maybe you still want to sell your house quickly.

Get Your Fair Cash Offer to Sell Your House, Fast!

or Call us at (877) 804-5252

Corporate Office

6564 Loisdale Court, Suite 315
Springfield, VA 22150
Phone: (877) 804-5252
Email: expresshomebuyers@expresshomebuyers.com

Selling Your Home During a Divorce in Washington DC

by bchandler on 10:07 am

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Selling Your Home During a Divorce in Washington DC

With over 50% of American marriages ending in divorce, many Washington DC residents are searching for advice on selling a home during a divorce.

A home, one of the most valuable joint assets, cannot be divided without first http">liquidating. While divorce is an extremely stressful and emotional life changing event, it is important to remain rational. There are several factors to consider when facing divorce in a real estate market that has yet to rebound from the http">housing bubble burst.

Determine if (and when) You Will Be Selling Your Home During A Divorce in Washington DC

A spouse may decide to keep the home, buying out the other spouse’s share. Or agreements may be made allowing a spouse to use the house for a set period of time (this is usually the case when children are in the home), and then the house will be put up for sale at a certain date (typically when the children reach a certain age).

Get Professional Help – Agents and Home Buyers / Investors

Selling a home can be a long and difficult process. During a divorce, with emotions, a million different things going on, and a lot to consider, selling your house shouldn’t be one of the things you have to take on by yourself. Disagreements over selling price or other issues, can add to the already stressful situation. By partnering with a real estate profession, either a reputable agent or real estate investment firm, you’ll have a neutral party who can help you determine a fair selling price and take on the task of marketing your home.

If you need to https">sell your Washington DC house fast, Express Homebuyers is your number one choice. Firms like ours actually BUY HOUSES (rather than listing them like agents do), pay cash and can close quickly.

If you have the time to wait, listing with a real estate agent to sell it on the http">open market is probably your best bet.

But if you can’t wait the 3-9 months it sometimes takes to sell a house in the Washington DC market, https">chat with us to see what we can offer you for your house during your divorce.

Set (and stick to) a Timeline

It’s important, when selling your home during a divorce in Washington DC to keep a timeline.

Set firm closing dates, moving dates and times, and coordinate which spouse will be handling the sale (or talking to the real estate agent). Make sure that each of these agreements are in writing, and negotiate penalties for breaching the agreements.

This will help ensure a smooth, surprise free home sale.

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Selling Your House Fast For A Fair All-Cash Price

One option that many divorcing couples have turned to in recent years is making a quick sale to a real estate investor like Express Homebuyers.

Reputable local real estate investors like us, purchase houses quickly, without stress and the process can often take as little as seven days.

Deciding how to sell a marital home in Washington DC doesn’t have to be as stressful as the divorce itself.

Selling fast to a real estate investment firm like Express Homebuyers, moving the process as quickly and according to an agreed upon schedule, all parties can walk away from the sale without stress.

If you are ready to see if we can help you save time, reduce stress and get out of this situation fast …

Give us a call anytime at (877) 804-5252 or

https">Just fill out the form through this link to get started

or fill out the form on the top right of this page.

We’ll evaluate your house, https">quote you a fair price, allowing you to decide if selling your home to us is the best fit for you. We’re here for you, just reach out and let’s chat.

Get Your Fair Cash Offer to Sell Your House, Fast!

or Call us at (877) 804-5252

Corporate Office

6564 Loisdale Court, Suite 315
Springfield, VA 22150
Phone: (877) 804-5252
Email: expresshomebuyers@expresshomebuyers.com

Selling a Rental Property after the Tenants Vacate

by bchandler on 4:53 pm

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Selling a Rental Property after the Tenants Vacate

We received a call in August about a rental property that the caller’s mother wanted to sell. Roberta owned a house in the Chateauneuf area of Alexandria, VA, and the tenants had recently moved out. After debating on whether to keep the home, Roberta decided it wasn’t worth the headache anymore and wanted to sell it. http">Tenants often damage the property and leave the owner to deal with the hassles of fixing the mess. The owner didn’t want to go through the hassle. Roberta’s daughter Anne had seen one of our TV ads.

Anne knew that her mother wanted to sell the property, and so decided to look up our site and get a bit more information. After reading, she thought that we were trustworthy and gave us a call, explaining the situation. We asked her about the condition of the house, and she told us that the house was in good condition, with very few repairs needing to be made.

Selling a Rental Property after the Tenants Vacate

After hearing about the home and the condition, we gave her our initial offer over the phone. She said that her mother was hoping for a bit more, and we told her that this was just the initial offer. We still needed to do ourhttp"> inspection, and that often we find the property to be worth a bit more than we thought at first. This soothed her mind, and she wanted to move forward with the process.

We set the walkthrough date for little over a week later.

Everything looked as expected, so we told her that our initial offer still stood should they choose to accept it. Anne said she wanted a bit of time to confer with her mother and that she would call us back. She ended up calling back the following day, saying that Roberta was willing to accept less than what she was initially asking for, but slightly more than our current offer. We negotiated for a bit, and were eventually able to settle on a price that worked for everyone. We all met at Arlington Library to sign the contract and finish up all of the necessary paperwork. We finalized the purchase shortly after.

No matter why you’re selling, https">Express Homebuyers is here for you.

http">Selling a rental property after the tenants vacate is simple when you call Express Homebuyers. We’ve purchased over 2,500 homes and have dealt with nearly any situation imaginable, and we always handle it with the least inconvenience to you – the homeowner. We’re even backed by an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, so you know you can trust us. And while we always work on the seller’s schedule, we can purchase your home in as little as 7 days! No other company out there can buy your house that fast! If you want to sell your home in Virginia, Maryland, or https">Washington, DC, then give us a call or fill out our https">online form to get a fast and fair offer!

Get Your Fair Cash Offer to Sell Your House, Fast!

or Call us at (877) 804-5252

Corporate Office

6564 Loisdale Court, Suite 315
Springfield, VA 22150
Phone: (877) 804-5252
Email: expresshomebuyers@expresshomebuyers.com