Archive for the ‘Home Sellers’ Category

Newer Entries »

5 Ways to Make the Selling Process Stress-Free

Thursday, September 6th, 2018

For some homeowners, the process of listing, showing and selling their home can be stressful. Fortunately, there is plenty you can do to make it much less nerve-racking—and even exciting and enjoyable. Here are some ideas:

1. Make a plan. Decide when you’re going to show your property, search for a new home, view listings, etc. Block out these times in an agenda book or calendar. That way, you and your family can see what’s coming up.                                 2. Be flexible. Few things go exactly as planned! So, it’s important to build in flexibility. For example, you may plan to see homes for sale on Saturdays, but if an opportunity comes up on a weeknight, give yourself room in your schedule to jump on it.                                                                                                                                                                             3. Eat well. There are numerous studies that connect poor nutrition with increased stress. When people are selling and moving, there’s a tendency to rely on quick fixes, such as hot dogs and pizza! Try to plan more nutritious meals that will keep everyone healthy and energized.                                                                                                                               4. Get stuff done early. Doing things last minute, such as finding a real estate lawyer or getting rid of clutter, can quickly lead to stress and frustration. Whenever possible, get tasks done early. That way, you won’t have to worry about them.                                                                                                                                                                                             5. Hire the right professionals. By far, the surest way to a stress-free move is to get the right professionals working for you: everyone from contractors to mortgage brokers to movers. By the way, a big part of what I do for clients is help make every aspect of buying, selling and moving go smoothly. Contact me to learn how I can help you.

Tags:, ,
Posted in Blog, Education, Home Sellers, Home Sellers | Comments Closed

Four Things You Should Know About Staging

Tuesday, August 28th, 2018

You’ve probably heard about “home staging”. As the name implies, it’s all about arranging each room in your home in a way that will make the best impression on buyers. Here’s what you need to know about staging if you’re thinking of listing your property.                                                                                                                                                                         1. Staging can get you a higher price. On average, a fully-staged home tends to sell for 17% more than an unstaged home of the same type in the same local market. Depending on the current market value of your property, doing some staging in your home could put thousands of extra dollars in your pocket, post-sale.                                                    2. It can speed up the sale. A study by the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) showed that fullystaged homes spend an average of 90% less time on the market. So, if you need to sell quickly – without dropping your price – or you just want the comfort of having offers come in sooner, staging will definitely help.                                                        3. You don’t have to go crazy. Completely staging every room in your home is going to give you the full benefits of this strategy. However, you don’t have to go that far. In fact, just implementing a few simple staging techniques to some key rooms can make a big difference.                                                                                                                                                4. Get professional help or advice. When it comes to home staging, don’t guess at it. Get professional help or advice. As a REALTOR®, I have a lot of expertise in this area and always offer sellers a free Staging Consultation.

Contact me anytime.

Tags:, ,
Posted in Blog, Home Sellers, Home Sellers, Home Staging | Comments Closed

Beware of Over-Downsizing or Over-Upsizing

Tuesday, August 21st, 2018

Buying a new pair of shoes is relatively easy. Once you find the style you like, all you need to do is try them on and see if they fit. If they do, you go to the cash register and pay. When it comes to size, buying a new home can be trickier! Whether your intention is to upsize or downsize, figuring out the right size can be especially challenging. Say for example, you’re downsizing from a large two-story home to a smaller bungalow. You don’t want to underestimate the space you need and end up in a place that feels tight.                                                                                                                    If you’re going the other way and upsizing, you don’t want to end up sinking extra money into a property that’s larger than you really need. So how do you avoid these scenarios? One of the best ways is to start by considering your current home. Do you use all the rooms in your home regularly? Is there a bedroom that’s rarely occupied? Has the recreation room become simply a storage area? If you’re downsizing, subtracting rooms you scarcely use can give you a better idea of what you need in a new home.                                                                                                                                  Upsizing is a bit more challenging because you have to anticipate what you will need in the future. For example, if you have young children, and your place is feeling cramped, then a home with a recreation room or separate family and living rooms may be a good idea. You may also need a bigger kitchen with a spacious eating area (in addition to a separate dining room.) Think about the extra room you’ll need and how you’ll use that space. When I work with a client, I typically sit down with them and discuss the type of home they want in detail — and, based on needs and circumstance, I make expert recommendations. Bottom line, I help clients find the perfect fit in a new home. Contact me if you’d like to learn more.

Tags:,
Posted in Blog, Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Home Sellers | Comments Closed

Does your home match the lifestyle you desire?

Tuesday, August 14th, 2018

Subtle Signs it May Be Time to Sell  Sometimes the reason for putting your home on the market is crystal clear. For example, you might have a job relocation and need to move. Or, you might have decided to downsize because the kids have left the nest. However, there are many other motivations to list your home that are not as obvious, and yet are still good reasons to make a move. Here are just a few examples…

  • You’re bored with your home and are looking for a change
  • There’s something you’ve always wanted in a home that your current property doesn’t have, such as a wooded backyard.
  • You want to be closer to work, or to activities you enjoy, such as golf.
  • There’s another neighborhood you’ve always dreamed of living in.
  • Your tastes have changed and you want to live in a different type of home.

None of these reasons makes it an absolute necessity to list your property and find a new home. Yet, they’re all worth considering, especially if moving will make you and your family happier, and provide you with a more desirable lifestyle. Want to talk about the possibilities?

Call today.

Tags:,
Posted in Blog, Home Sellers, Home Sellers | Comments Closed

Using Neighbourhood Data to Help Sell Your Home

Sunday, August 12th, 2018

Your neighborhood has a lot of features that can help sell your home faster. Unfortunately, buyers don’t usually notice those features just by driving around. So, you need to make sure they get all the information they need about your neighborhood. For example, say homes don’t go on the market often in your area. That’s an indication that the quality of life in the neighborhood is so good that no one wants to leave! In real estate we measure the area’s “turnover rate”, and it’s handy data to have when listing your home.

Another bit of data that buyers can’t simply see is the local crime rate. But, most police departments keep those statistics. If your neighborhood has a low crime rate, that’s an obvious plus to sellers.

Demographic data can also be helpful when selling your property. If your neighborhood has a lot of families, for example, that’s going to be appealing to buyers with kids. Even local development plans can play a role in making your home more attractive to buyers. If a new ramp to a major highway is in the works nearby, getting to work is going to be easier. That’s a big benefit to commuters.

Other types of data that can help sell your home include:

• Planned local construction

• Proposals for neighborhood improvements. (For example, a new playground.)

• Rates at which local property values are increasing. Any information that shows the advantages of living in your area is going to be useful when selling.

By the way, this is the kind of information I put together to provide to prospective buyers when selling your home. Contact me today.

 

Tags:, ,
Posted in Blog, Home Sellers, Home Sellers | Comments Closed

The 5 Reasons Homes Don’t Sell

Friday, November 18th, 2016

Most people believe there are lots of reasons why a home doesn’t sell. However, there are actually only five. If you address these five common mistakes, then you will never have a problem getting your home sold.

Over Pricing and Speculating

We all wish we could ask whatever we wanted for our homes, but unfortunately price is set by comparable properties and market conditions. If you are priced above either of these, then your home will sit for a long time.

Looking at the price of homes currently listed for sale in your neighborhood only tells part of the story. You must research how much homes are actually selling for, and price your home accordingly. Your home will only sell for what buyers are willing to pay for it.

Exposure

Even a well priced property can’t sell, if no one knows about it. If you are not marketing your home where the buyers are looking, then you will not sell it. The greater the percentage of your target market that sees your home, the better chance you have of selling.

More and more, people are using the Internet as their primary source of research. Be sure your home is easy to find in the most common places that people look.

Poor Marketing

You have to make buyers WANT to look at your home. If your marketing makes your property look like every other listing, then you are simply “rolling the dice” and hoping for the best. Is your marketing truly compelling?

A great question to ask is… Why should someone buy my home, versus any other home in the neighborhood or city? If you don’t believe that you have a compelling reason, then the buyer won’t either.

Presentation

So now you’ve got someone to look at your home, but it’s a mess, smells bad, or simply shows poorly. If a buyer doesn’t feel comfortable in your home, you can forget about the sale.

If you can, don’t be around during showings, keep the house clean, and do some research on staging your home for selling. A small investment can make, or save you thousands.

Lack of Buyer Confidence

Purchases fall through every day, because sellers cannot confidently answer the buyer’s questions, provide accurate paperwork, or verify important details. If you are not organized before you sell, then you may watch all of your hard work go to waste, as a potential buyer walks away due to a lack of confidence.

Do Your Homework

You need to be very realistic with your goals when you are selling and you must do your homework. As the marketplace changes, so must your strategy. Too many people spend thousands of dollars, hours of their time (not to mention stress) and miss the best opportunities to sell because they don’t have the proper information to make a sale possible.

“Get the advice of experts when you can.”

Gather all of the information that you need and get the advice of experts when you can. At the end of the day, hiring a professional to ensure your sale is handled properly may be one of the best investments you can make.

For a free home consultation contact us. 

 

Tags:,
Posted in Blog, Education, Home Sellers, Home Sellers | Comments Closed

10 Ways to Get Your House in Tip Top Shape Prior to Selling It! And Maximize the Most Income!

Monday, November 14th, 2016

Many people want to know what the secret is to getting the most out of their real estate and to appeal most consumers looking for real estate today.  This report will guide you through doing many of those things to help get the most dollars when selling your property.

  1.     Paint the interior!  Most buyers appreciate a good fresh coat of paint and this will help enhance your properties value.  It will also help brighten your rooms giving a new clean                       appearance.  Stay away from bold and bright colors and focus more on lighter and softer earth tone shades.  This will also help make the rooms feel larger and appeal to a bigger group of         potential buyers.
  2.     Paint the outside!   Curb appeal is important and there is nothing worse for area estate professional to try and market a home that has peeling paint or is in desperate need of painting.         Of course depending on the time of year and the weather conditions if you can paint but if at all possible paint the exterior.  As noted with the interior suggestion of using soft lighter                 neutral colors do the same for painting the outside of your home.  Stay away from bright colors that others may not like.
  3.     Pick Up Any Outside Debris, Trash or Clutter!  First impressions make a huge impact on potential buyers.  Should your property have unwanted clutter at the initial greeting to               consumers when your property is shown, it will not help in the marketing and selling of your home.  A few hard hours of raking cleaning and picking up odds and ends could add                         “thousands” to the sales price of your home.
  4.     Reduce Extras and Odds and Ends From Your Home!  Rooms with too much furniture or decorations can often detract from the showing of your home.  Usually too much décor           can make the rooms look smaller and hurt your chances of selling your home.  Store unneeded furniture or items that you can do without during the marketing stage of your property               listing.  Your goal is to make your property look spacious and comfortable.  Buyers also want to see rooms that appear and look spacious to them.
  5.     Be sure and Open Blinds and Draperies!  This is a great idea to help aid the salesperson sell your home.  When your property is in tip top share and ready to show having as much            light as possible helps brighten your home and give it a good feel.
  6.     Avoid Playing Music!  Although you may like the music playing in the background it can be a deterrent to the agent and buyers while looking at your home.  Keep music off while your         home is being shown.
  7.     Price Your Property Right from the Beginning!  Many buyers take the approach and attitude that they can always come down on price.  This can be a bad thing to do.  Many buyers       feel if a home has been listed for a long time that there is something wrong with it.  Most agents will tell you that the best activity occurs during the first two to three weeks of the listing             begin date.  After a few weeks the activity will begin to taper off and showings will cease.  If your home is priced incorrectly from the beginning it will not get a lot of showings and the                 longer your home is on the market the more buyers will feel that it’s tainted or something’s wrong.  Price your home right at the beginning to help get the most activity and a quicker sale.
  8.     Have Your Carpets Cleaned!  It’s a good idea to have your carpets cleaned or your hardwood floors polished or waxed.  This is normally not too expensive and can usually add a lot of         appeal to potential buyers.
  9.     Hire a Staging Company!  If possible hire a staging company to help show you ways to maximize room appeal and value to your residence.  Many real estate firms have a staging                   company or people on staff who can aid in this service.  Feel free to ask me about how I can help with staging too.

      10.  Purchase New Linens and Towels for Bathrooms!  This can help aid in giving a new appearance to your bathrooms.

Tags:
Posted in Blog, Education, Home Sellers, Home Sellers | Comments Closed

Newer Entries »