Q&A With Q&A: Your Real Estate Questions, Answered

By Jeremy Qualley

Jeremy is a North Dakota native with deep roots in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Known for his integrity, dedication, and local expertise, he approaches real estate with a client-first mindset, guiding buyers and sellers through every step of the process.

Some real estate questions come up every week, and some never get asked at all, even when they should.

We’re starting a monthly series to answer them, and we’re calling it Q&A with Q&A, Question and Answer with Qualley & Associates. Each round covers the questions we hear most often, the ones coming up a lot lately, and the ones buyers and sellers don’t ask nearly enough.

If a question is on your mind, or someone you know has one, comment or send us a message, and we’ll be sure to answer it.

Here’s the first round.

You don’t need 20% down. This is one of the biggest myths out there, especially among first-time buyers. Most people have heard it somewhere along the way, usually from something on the news years ago, or from a parent, an uncle, or a well-meaning relative.

The truth is that it simply isn’t so. Mortgage lenders offer excellent programs, some that let you into a home with as little as 0% down, and in most cases somewhere between 3% and 5%.

Start with a conversation with a trusted lender, and we have plenty of resources to help you there. Better still, a buyer strategy session with us lets us walk you through which path fits your situation and connect you with one of the trusted local lenders we work with. If you already have a lender you trust, by all means reach out to them, but don’t let the 20% myth keep you on the sidelines.

Start with fall curb appeal. If you’re thinking about listing soon, curb appeal is one of the best places to start, and it’s often the thing sellers underinvest in. It’s the first thing that sells a home, because it’s what a buyer sees before ever reaching the door.

In the fall, once the leaves have dropped and the shrubbery has died back, that’s where we’d begin. Clean it up, clear the dead growth, and get everything ready to show.

It’s easy to assume curb appeal only shines in late spring, with lush green grass. The fall season has its own warmth, though, and the colors can make a home genuinely inviting before the front door even opens.

Foundations are a major red flag. After as many years in this business as we’ve spent, we’ve watched buyers walk away from plenty of things, but foundations are one of the red flags that truly gives us pause. Whenever we’re touring a home, whether with a first-time buyer, a move-up buyer, or a seasoned one, we pay close attention in the basement.

The reason is local. Here in the valley, we’re dealing with clay soil, which means the ground moves, and basement or foundation work can get costly in a hurry, particularly for someone who doesn’t know what to look for.

So in the basement of any home, older or newer, watch for signs of movement, like bowing walls or heaving floors. We point it out not to scare you, but to prepare you, and it’s how we protect your interests and help you avoid an expensive surprise when we find the right home.

Fall is a great time to list. The common assumption is that spring is the moment to sell, because that’s when buyers are out in force. It’s also when everyone else lists, which means a lot more competition.

Right now, from roughly the beginning of October through mid-November, is a good, even great, time to put your home on the market, for two reasons. First, there’s less competition. Second, the buyers looking right now are serious, people who want to get settled before the snow flies and the holidays arrive.

If you’ve been considering it, we’d love to walk you through our marketing plan and show you exactly how we’d get your home sold before the Christmas season.

Send us your questions. We hope these answers help with questions you’ve had. If you’ve got others, send a message, give us a call, or shoot us a text, whatever works best for you.

We’ll be doing this at least once a month, answering the questions you’re curious about, whether they’re about the market or the West Fargo and Fargo-Moorhead area specifically, along with a few fun tips worth focusing on here at home.

Call or text us at 701-306-1823, email jeremy.qualley@exprealty.com, or visit blog.qualleyhomes.com. We can’t wait to hear from you.