Front Porch Today

Being able to relax in the living room, family room, and dining room is what makes a house a home. These are the places that you want the homebuyer to picture themselves unwinding at the end of the day. Take a walk through your living areas and ask yourself if they accommodate the needs of a homebuyer the way that they appear today.

CLEAN – Thoroughly clean the area,  especially walls, carpets,  and furniture.

KEEP IT NEUTRAL – If the rooms are painted in bright colors, you may want to consider repainting the rooms. Wallpaper decorated in prints and bright colors could also be removed.

CLEAR THE CLUTTER – Items such as magazines. books and papers should be packed and placed into storage. Clutter is distracting to homebuyers and may make rooms appear smaller.

DRESS THE WINDOWS – Ensure that your window dressings are clean and appealing both on the inside and on the outside of your home. Also, remove window screens and clean windows to make the room appear brighter.

DRESS UP THE AREAS – Place a vase of flowers on a table and set dining room tables with your best place settings and nice linens. Dress up the areas as if you were entertaining guests.

EVALUATE FURNISHINGS – Make sure that each of your living areas have appropriate furnishings for the way that the room was intended to be utilzed.

BRIGHTEN IT UP -  Turn on all of the lights for showings to make the rooms appear brighter.

• You get only one opportunity to make a first impression. If you miss this occasion, you may lose a potential buyer completely, hence the need for great curb appeal. Invest some time here and you will double your prospects. Keep the yard clean, mow the lawn, pull weeds and spruce up the garden and make sure garbage cans are covered and put away.
• Nothing says dated more than a Single Panel Front Door from the sixties. Make sure your entry doors are fresh and inviting. If necessary by new storm doors, you don’t need to spend much. By the way, did you know homes with red front doors statistically sell faster.
• Floors, Walls and Orders must be dealt with. Most of the time home owners don’t notice the little things that will be a turn off to buyers. Shampoo or replace carpeting, remove that old, dated paneling or paper, and a little paint will do wonders and create a quicker sale. You may not notice any smell, but if you’re a smoker or have pets, chances are those buyers will, try smoking outside, in the garage or at least confine it to one room. As for pets keep them and their area as clean as possible.
• An uncluttered house free of personal items including family photos, lets the buyer picture themselves in the home. I can’t stress enough the importance of packing away these items. You can unpack them again when your in your new home.
• Your goal is to make your home look like the greatest value, in your price range, available in your area and let the buyer imagine themselves living there. Lets make it happen.

When potential home buyers make the decision to see the inside of your home, there are many things that may stand out to them that you have become accustomed to seeing on a daily basis.

In order for a home buyer to take the step of buying your home they must feel at home the moment they walk through the door, What “home” should feel like depends on the home buyer, but you can take several steps to help each home buyer along the way.

The next few pages of this guide will take you through each room of your home and will give you tips on creating the perfect space for potential home buyers. However, please also utilize the expertise of your Agent to help along the way.

The Grand Entrance

First impressions are everything. In the entry way, a potential home buyer has an immediate sense of how they will receive your home. Decide which entry all potential home buyers will come through and communicate that with your salesperson. The tips below will guide you in creating a grand entrance.

• Check the condition of your entry door and decide whether it should be painted or replaced.
•  Place a wreath of other decorative item on the door.
• Below the door, place an inviting welcome mat.
• Clear the entry of any clutter, including shoes.
• Make sure the entry hall closet is neat and organized.
• Thoroughly clean the area, including walls and ceilings.
•  If the entry leads to a foyer, make sure that it is appropriately decorated.
• Place a vase of flowers on a table.
•  Hang non-personal pictures or a mirror on the wall.

 

If your home has recently come off the market and hasn’t sold, don’t be discouraged. The reason it didn’t sell may have nothing to do with your home or the market. In reality, your home may have been one of the more desirable properties for sale, if your listing has been removed from the market and you still want results, take a step back and review your situation before you put your home back in the marketplace.

 Q. Where should I begin?

 A. Start by making a commitment to do what it takes to market your home and get it sold. With the right system, the home sale you want is still within your reach.

 Q. Why didn’t my house sell?

 A. According to the Board of Realtors, 50% of all homes on the market sell in 30 days or less. After 30 days those that did not sell have only a 50% chance of selling at all. This means we need to do it correctly, right out of the gate. Review your pervious selling plan and you’ll discover that an unsold listing usually reflects a problem in one or more of these four major areas: 

1. Teamwork
2. Pricing
3. Condition of the Home
4. Marketing

 Q. Is it still possible to get my home sold?

 A. Absolutely, your second marketing period is actually a new beginning and an excellent opportunity to get your home sold.

 4 Important Points That Will Get Your Home Sold.

 1. Teamwork

Your home is a major financial investment, and your relationship with your realtor should be a full partnership where your needs and wishes are heard. You should receive dependable feedback on the progress of your sale; your agent has the responsibility to receive this feedback from other agents who have shown you property and to communicate this to you so together you can make the right decision about what to do next. How well did this occur the last time you had your home up for sale?

 2. Pricing

Did the price work for, or against you? The “right” price depends on market conditions, competition, location and the condition of your home. Pricing it too high is as dangerous as pricing it to low. If your home doesn’t compare favorable to others in the price range you’ve set, you won’t be taken seriously by prospects or agents and may actually help sell other homes in your area. You’ll get the facts when you see the statistics! To help you establish a realistic selling price for your home, ask your agent to provide you with an up-to-date comparative market analysis that gives you: 

• A review of comparable homes recently sold or currently for sale.
• An idea of how long other homes have been listed, in order to calculate an average time in which a home can sell in today’s market.
• A review of homes whose listings have expired, to understand what issues were at play. Note: There is no mention of how much you paid for your home of its improvements. Like any investment, the market value is determined by what a buyer will pay and a seller will accept.

 3. Condition of Your Home

Show Case Quality! Is your home someone else’s idea of a dream home? When buyers enter, are they inspired? Do they think, “I love this house!” Remember, the decision to buy a home is usually based on emotion, not logic. A house in move-in condition invites a sale. You need to consider: 

• Fixing all the little squeaks and cracks.
• Change outdated light fixtures and hardware.
• Keeping it clean for all showings.
• Brighten it up.
• What your home shows like from the street (concentrate on outside curb appeal).
• Staging your home.

Consider taking care of major items, such as having your home painted. Offering an allowance for prospective buyers so they can have the house painting completed is not the same as having it done for them. Now as their trying to imagine what a new paint job will look like, they may also be discounting the price even further because of the less than perfect look of the walls.

Remember… A house that looks well, sells quicker and for the best price because it outshines the competition. Ask your agent if they can arrange a no-obligation inspection of your home to help you evaluate the above.

4. Marketing Your Home to Sell

One of the first steps in you marketing plan involves finding an agent who will best represent you.

When interviewing agents, test and compare their knowledge and ask each to demonstrate how they will market your home to buyers, also compare in what media (internet, newspaper, magazines, etc.) and the effectiveness of one medium over the other. Are you getting the most for your money? Keep in mind, it’s not how much they spend but how they spend it. How about your internet presence, how many web sites are you listed on? In today’s High-Tec market, nine out of ten buyers search for homes on the internet prior to contacting a real estate agent. What about the photos, were they good quality? Did they use maximum amount allowed on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) and other web sites? Lastly, say goodbye to any Realtors using old, traditional methods to sell your home, because they won’t work in today’s marketplace, agents who use the new and innovative, non-traditional marketing approaches are the ones who are getting more homes sold fast and for top dollar.

Contact Us for our free 3 page report on “10 Tips to Improve Your Selling Ability”

 You’ve heard the saying, “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover.” No statement is more untrue when it comes to selling your home. A potential buyer sees a home’s exterior and makes an immediate judgement.

Most potential homebuyers will start their search for a home on the internet. If the pictures of a home create interest on the part of the homebuyer, they will drive  by that home to assess the home’s location and condition.

The drive-by is critical for the seller of that home, and while the seller cannot control where their home is located, they can control how the homebuyer initially perceives the home. This is done by creating curb appeal.

As a home seller, ask yourself if your home has curb appeal. Does your Salesperson think it has curb appeal? Are homebuyers that are driving by going to call their Realtor to make an appointment based on what they see on the outside?

Create Curb Appeal

Creating curb appeal is important and worth the time spent, plus it does not have to cost a lot of money. Below are ideas for enhancing your home’s curb appeal. Before investing the time and money, ask your Salesperson what improvements they recommend.

Paint:

Peeling or Faded – Depending on the severity, you may want to paint the entire exterior, however if the peeling is minor, simple touch ups will be sufficient.

Dated- If your home’s colors have become dated, you may want to consider updating your home’s appearance by painting it with more neutral or traditional colors.

Hint : Tour a new home development for ideas on the latest color palettes.

Landscaping

Lawn: Cut and edge your lawn once a week to keep it looking manicured. Be sure to rake your lawn free of leaves.

Shrubs: Keep shrubs neatly trimmed, If they are near windows, cut them down beneath the bottom of the window to allow for more light in your home.

Flowers: It is not necessary to plant flowers. Place potted flowers in your flower beds or on your porch to add a touch of color.

General

Outdoor Toys: Store all toys in the garage or shed when not in use. If you have many large playsets in your yard that will not be sold with the home, store those as well.

Trash Cans: Make sure your trash cans are sealed with a top and placed inside the garage.

Extra Vehicles: If you have ATV’s, a motor home, or an extra car on your lot, consider placing them in short-term storage.

Front Door: Place an attractive wreath or other decorative item on your front door to make it more inviting.

The above artical was taken from Hunt Real Estate’s Booklet on Staging.

Being in Real Estate I hear quite often about the Home Buyer Credit tax program, but all the talk is usually about buying a home and not much is said about selling your home, or timing the market.  If you’re thinking about selling your home in the near future, here are a few facts to consider:

1) Currently the home buyer credit allows up to $8000 credit for the 1st time home buyer. Their are many buyers who would otherwise wait, or were on the fence and now deciding to take the plunge, and all of them are trying to beat the April deadline.

2) Interest Rates are still at a very low point, about 5.25% as of this writing. This also brings many more buyers to the table who would not be qualified at higher rates.

3) The Fed will stop buying Treasury Bonds sometime in April which will cause interest rates to climb to what some predict up to 7%

This all points to a drastic drop on a seller’s opportunity to capitalize on higher sales prices.

Now lets take a look at the other benifits for the seller.

1) A seller buying their next home is allowed up to $6500 tax credit.

2) Again if you finance any part of you new mortgage, rates are about 5.25%

So suppose  you’re selling your home today for $100,000. Chances are you will have more showings, a faster sale, better qualified buyers and greater chance of multiple offers, which all adds up to more money in your pocket. Now suppose you were buying your next home for  $150,000 and financing $100,000. 1. You will also receive up to a $6500 tax credit. 2. The interest on a $100,000 Mortgage at 5.25% = $698.04 per month for a grand total including principle and intrest of $251,293.33

The same seller a year from today may find themselves in completely different scenario. It may look something like this: Listing your home for $100,000. 1. Their will likely be far fewer qualified buyers due to much higher mortgage rates and lower offers. 2. All tax credits will be gone. 3. The likelihood of multiple offers will be dramatically reduced. 4. Less buyers means longer listings and/or lows prices. 4. And agein if your getting a mortgage for your next home the same $100,000 Mortgage at a 7% rate = $811.14 per month with a total P & I of $292,008.90. This all equals less value for your dollar.

In a nutshell, its not only a great time to buy, but if your selling with plans to buy as well this is a golden opportunity and may be the best time to sell for some time.

Hope this blog was a help.

Here are 10 questions you really want to ask so you can identify the best real estate agent to sell your home.

Western New York is full of agents who sell real estate. But not all agents are created equal, some of them are full time some are not, some are more efficient than others, aggressive and focused, and willing to go the extra mile. And some of them are not.

Finding an agent who will sell your home using a wide range of marketing tools to get you the best deal possible in a reasonable amount of time, all while charging a fair rate, takes some effort.

1. What Price? Ask the Realtor how much they think they can sell your home for. They should be prepared with a Current Market Analysis or CMA showing what the current market dictates as a fair price for your home. If two agents say $125,000 and the third says $150,000, think hard. It’s likely the high bid is an exaggeration to attract your business. In the trade it’s known as buying a listing. In the end, you’ll be the one who pays because the high price will scare away potential buyers before you inevitably drop the price.

2. How will they market your home? Running a few classified ads in the local paper, listing it on the Internet and holding an open house shouldn’t be the only answers. The agent should be able to talk about what kinds of people are likely buyers and how he will reach out to those specific people. Will the agent be working your listing or just doing the basics?

3. How has your business changed in the last five years? If they don’t talk about website tours and smart phones, chances are this is not a highly wired agent. While non-tech agents can still sell houses, it is getting harder. And if this is one of those people who don’t even use e-mail, you’re letting yourself in for unnecessary aggravation. And you may cut yourself off from opportunities.

4. What are the average days on the market for their listings and the percent of listing to sale price.

5. What’s your specialty? If you’re selling a starter home in a community full of young families, hiring an agent who specializes in seniors is probably a bad idea. It doesn’t mean that if he or she only sells condos that they can’t sell a house, but they may not be geared up to do the best job.

6. What are they doing for the people who’s home they are selling now? It may not be a bad thing that a high-powered agent is juggling 15 homes, but don’t expect them to give you personal service. On the other hand, be wary of an agent with no other customers because she may lack experience and contacts.

7. What do you expect of me? A good salesperson will have expectations. He may want you to leave and take the dog when the house is shown, paint the garage, move some furniture around and scrub the tile in the bathroom. It shows that he can think like a buyer and that’s a good thing.

8. What advice would you have for me if I get an offer from a buyer who wants to use an FHA or SUNYMA loan? It wasn’t very long ago when the right answer might be run the other way, but these days government-guaranteed financing from the Federal Housing Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs and state and locally managed loan assistance programs can be key to selling a property. Real estate agents shouldn’t be pushing buyers toward their favorite lenders, but they should be able to help them and you wade through complex financing issues.

9. What’s your fee?

10. Can I talk to one of your previous clients? You never know.