Navy Fellas Realty Group

Real Estate, Residential sales and purchase

How To Host A Successful Open House

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How To Host A Successful Open HouseFrom fixing up all the minor repairs to cleaning the house top-to-bottom, there are a lot of small details that go into organizing the perfect open house. However, in the rush to organize everything, there are a number of to-do’s that are easy to forget about. If you’re currently prepping your home and don’t want to miss the important stuff, here are some things you should contemplate before setting the date.

The Outside Look

The first thing potential homebuyers will notice when they arrive at your home is the outside, and that’s why it’s so important not to neglect it. Before organizing your open house, make sure the lawn is mowed, any unsightly hedges are trimmed and that your entrance area and flowerbeds are well maintained. Since potential homebuyers will see the outside before anything else, there’s no sense in losing them for having a disheveled lawn before they’ve even walked through the door.

Effectively Market The Event

Many home sellers want to believe that their house will sell itself, but if no one knows about your open house or bothers to show up, there’s no chance of getting any offers. While your real estate agent should be featuring your home on their website, you may also want to hand out flyers to your neighbors and make a few posts on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to get the word out. There are no assurances when it comes to drumming up interest, but spreading the word with as many people as possible will likely find a few interested parties.

Use The Five Senses

It may not be the most common advice, but engaging potential buyers on a number of different levels can actually enhance the appeal of your home. Playing a little music can be a good way to make them feel comfortable, and you may want to do a little baking beforehand since the sense of smell can have a powerful impact. It may seem a little bit quirky, but there’s nothing to make people feel comfortable and at home like the scent of freshly baked treats and a little music.

There’s plenty of cleaning and organizing when it comes to an open house but it’s also important to look at the big picture when it comes to prepping for your home showing. If you’re nearly ready to put your home on the market, contact your local real estate professional for more information.

3 Must-do Home Inspections Before Putting Your Home on the Market

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3 Must-do Home Inspections Before Putting Your Home on the MarketAlmost everyone who has made the leap to home ownership has heard the stories about what a home inspection can reveal, but many are not aware of the primary issues left out in the cold when it comes to the inspection. Whether you’re surveying your home on your own or will be arranging an inspection shortly, here are the most common things that are missed when it comes to the final review.

A Weathered Roof

One of the most important parts of a home is the roof, which keeps everything contained within safe, but outside of the minor details that are obvious from the ground, there aren’t a lot of home inspectors that take more than a quick look at its condition.

As this can have a huge impact on your home offer come inspection time, it may be worth calling in a licensed roof inspector so you can determine any problems beforehand and get them patched up before they adversely affect the price you’re offered.

Secure The Siding

Many things in the home are expertly outlined in the home inspection report so inspectors will spend the time to check them out, but siding is another item that often flies by the wayside. While damaged siding may not be clearly obvious, if there are any issues with it, it can cause significant problems for your home down the road. Instead of leaving this up to chance, you may want to request that your home inspector check these items out for your (and the buyer’s) benefit.

HVAC Issues

The HVAC system in your home is responsible for heating, cooling and general ventilation, but many inspectors evade taking a closer look at these systems because they don’t want to put it through the extremities of hot and cold in case it causes damage. As there may also be notes in the home inspection report that alleviate the inspector of this responsibility, you may want to make calls on your own end for a specialist to test out the functionality of your system.

There are many pieces of the puzzle when it comes to an effective home inspection, but some of the most important parts of your home may not be included in the paperwork. If you’re planning on putting your home on the market soon and are looking for an experienced agent, you may want to contact one of our real estate professionals for more information.

3 Ways to Add Emotional Cues to Make Buyers Feel at Home for a Quicker Sale

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3 Ways to Add Emotional Cues to Make Buyers Feel at Home for a Quicker SaleThere are a lot of ways you can effectively stage your home to snag the attention of potential buyers, but there are often a few extra things you can do to really engage the senses of your guests. If you’re hoping for an instant offer and are pulling out all the stops to sell your home, here are some ways you can emotionally engage with visitors to your home.

Carefully Choose Your Color Scheme

You probably already have a fairly distinct color palette in your home, from the couch you’ve purchased to the tone of your paint, but that doesn’t mean you can’t spice it up with a few carefully chosen pieces. Neutrals like white, brown and grey are a great place to start, but instead of letting the room speak for itself, add a punch of color – like bright pillows or a bold throw – that will add instant appeal and make your home a little more memorable. Just remember that it’s important to use colors and patterns that aren’t too bright, as these can overwhelm your space.

Remove Your Most Personal Items

Many homeowners think it’s a great idea to have a lot of personal items around to draw people into their house, but too many items like this can actually distract your guests and may even make them feel uncomfortable. Before organizing your open house, ensure that you remove excess personal items like fridge photographs and frayed posters. Instead, stick with items like artwork or coffee table books which will still exude personality but won’t make potential buyers feel like they’re intruding.

Consider The Sense Of Smell

The senses are often drastically under-appreciated when it comes to staging your home, but they can actually go a long way in getting a lot more interest. Because smell can provide other positive cues that merely looking cannot, baking some cookies or muffins beforehand can be a powerful means of providing a great first impression and making visitors feels like they’re home. The addition of room spray or music may also mean potential homebuyers won’t mind lingering a little longer.

Successfully staging a home can be a matter of common sense, but engaging a buyer’s emotions can go a long way towards making an even better impression. If you’re preparing to put your home on the market in the near future, contact your local real estate professional for more information.

4 Negotiation Tips for Home Sellers

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4 Negotiation Tips for Home SellersWhen you’ve already placed your home on the market, it can seem like the stress is over once you’ve received the offer, but the buck doesn’t stop there. Instead of being caught off guard when the time comes to negotiate, consider these tips that will assist in making the sale.

Rely On Your Agent

Once you’re at the point where you’ve received an offer and are unsure as to whether you should take it, it’s a good idea to sit down and discuss the options with your agent. Because a real estate professional will have plenty of experience with this part of the process, they’ll be able to guide you through what’s an acceptable offer and what you should pass on.

Sell Until It’s Signed

It’s very exciting to receive an offer on your home, but a verbal offer is not set in stone so don’t forget about other interested parties that are still in the mix. Since a buyer’s purchase of your home won’t be official until they’ve signed a contract and put down a deposit, make sure you to keep in touch with other potential buyers that might have an offer if your best option backs out.

It’s Not Just About Money

It’s great to receive the asking price you’re looking for, but there are many things to consider with the sale of your home. In the event that your home inspection has come up with a few maintenance flaws, you may need to adjust the price for your buyer. As well, it’s possible your buyer may not be ready to move in when you’re ready to move out, so be sure to consider any issue that may impact the final sale.

Don’t Hold On To Your Price

There are no set rules when it comes to price, but if you haven’t received any offers and your house has been on the market for more than 60 days, there’s a good chance it’s time to sit down with your agent. While it’s great to know all of the negotiation rules, if your price is set to high for the market, you’re not going to have the opportunity to get to the table.

There are plenty of negotiation strategies to consider when it comes to selling your home, but staying in the game and trusting your agent can go a long way towards a successful sale. If you’re planning on putting your home on the market, contact your local real estate professional for more information.

4 Tips to Staging Your Home on a Budget

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4 Tips to Staging Your Home on a BudgetMany people think that staging a home effectively is a matter of money, but there are easy ways to dress it up and make it shine that don’t come with a high cost. If you’re looking for some economical tips that will go a long way in making a positive impression, here are a few ways to get your home prepared.

Pack Away The Personal

There are certain unique features in any house that can have a positive impact on potential homebuyers, but personal items will actually make it harder for guests to imagine themselves in your home. For a cost-free save, ensure that you pack away personal mementos and pictures so that guests aren’t distracted by the details of your life.

Keep It Clutter Free

An untidy home will have an instantly negative impact on the perception of your visitors, so you may want to enlist the help of your entire family to clean it from top to bottom. Instead of keeping papers and magazines that have been sitting around for years, sift through any coffee table piles and bedroom corners and discard all the things that will catch the eye too easily.

Take Out The Toolbox

If you’ve been postponing a few minor fix-ups like a damaged shelf or a loose door, now is the time to head to the hardware store and get these jobs done. Potential homebuyers will be looking at every aspect of your home, and maintenance will figure heavily into how interested they are, so an inability to deal with the small details can cue them to a home they shouldn’t invest in.

Do A Deep Clean

Cleaning the house, especially a sizeable one, can be the bane of many a homeowner but there’s no other time that cleaning properly is more important than when you’re staging it. While a dirty, dusty house may mean your guests won’t pay attention to your home’s best features, a newly clean home will provide visitors with a blank canvas from which to draw their conclusions.

From major overhauls to unique decorations that draw the eye, there are many great ways to stage a home, but making the small fixes and doing a deep clean are easy to do and don’t require a lot of cash. If you’re preparing to put your home on the market, you may want to contact one of our local real estate professionals for more information.

4 Tips to Staging Your Home on a Budget

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4 Tips to Staging Your Home on a BudgetMany people think that staging a home effectively is a matter of money, but there are easy ways to dress it up and make it shine that don’t come with a high cost. If you’re looking for some economical tips that will go a long way in making a positive impression, here are a few ways to get your home prepared.

Pack Away The Personal

There are certain unique features in any house that can have a positive impact on potential homebuyers, but personal items will actually make it harder for guests to imagine themselves in your home. For a cost-free save, ensure that you pack away personal mementos and pictures so that guests aren’t distracted by the details of your life.

Keep It Clutter Free

An untidy home will have an instantly negative impact on the perception of your visitors, so you may want to enlist the help of your entire family to clean it from top to bottom. Instead of keeping papers and magazines that have been sitting around for years, sift through any coffee table piles and bedroom corners and discard all the things that will catch the eye too easily.

Take Out The Toolbox

If you’ve been postponing a few minor fix-ups like a damaged shelf or a loose door, now is the time to head to the hardware store and get these jobs done. Potential homebuyers will be looking at every aspect of your home, and maintenance will figure heavily into how interested they are, so an inability to deal with the small details can cue them to a home they shouldn’t invest in.

Do A Deep Clean

Cleaning the house, especially a sizeable one, can be the bane of many a homeowner but there’s no other time that cleaning properly is more important than when you’re staging it. While a dirty, dusty house may mean your guests won’t pay attention to your home’s best features, a newly clean home will provide visitors with a blank canvas from which to draw their conclusions.

From major overhauls to unique decorations that draw the eye, there are many great ways to stage a home, but making the small fixes and doing a deep clean are easy to do and don’t require a lot of cash. If you’re preparing to put your home on the market, you may want to contact one of our local real estate professionals for more information.

Peak Season Is Near: 4 Tasks to Get Your Home Ready for Sale Season

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Peak Season is near 4 tasks to get your home ready for sale seasonThe spring is the most popular time of the year when it comes to real estate, and it’s a good time for a few fix ups if you’re putting your home on the market. While you may have a lot of different things to do before you’re ready for your first showing, here are the four things to keep at the top of the list.

Complete The Forgotten-About Fixes

If you’ve lived in your home for a while, it’s entirely possible that there’s a damaged baseboard or broken door latch that you haven’t gotten around to fixing; however, these are the things that a potential buyer will quickly notice. Instead of leaving it to chance, make a note of the little fixes and complete them before you set a date for a showing.

Do A Spring Clean

Packing up all of your stuff for a big move can be quite a gargantuan task, but taking advantage of spring-cleaning to clear out some old stuff will make the selling process a lot smoother. Not only will this force you to look at your home with new eyes, it means there will be little less to organize and de-clutter when it comes to staging time.

Break Out The Paint Cans

It’s important to stay away from colors that are too bold, but taking your brush to the paint can bring a lot to what viewers will take away from your home. Instead of a dull coat or chip marks, potential homebuyers will see your home in its best light. As painting your home can be quite a sizeable task, make sure you take this on well in advance of putting your home up for sale.

Check Out The Exterior

There’s often enough cleaning to do inside the home that the exterior is forgotten about, but this is the first thing a new visitor to your property will see. Instead of sticking to the inside, make sure that your lawn is mowed, any flowers beds are well groomed, and make sure that nothing appears out of place or disheveled.

There’s a lot to be done before putting your home on the market, but by following these tips you’ll be well on your way to a positive home staging. If you’re almost ready to sell and are weighing your options, contact your trusted real estate professional for more information.

The Essentials for a Successful Open House

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The Essentials for a Successful Open HouseFrom the cleaning to the organizing to the small fix-ups around the house, there can be a lot of minor details that go into staging a successful open house. However, there are a few essential items you should be sure not to forget about when you prep your home for an influx of potential buyers.

Choose The Right Time

If you happen to be selling your home in the busy season, it’s important to set your open house at a time that gives potential buyers room to breathe. While weekends are a popular time for open houses, you may want to choose a day or time that is a little different from other homes in your area. This means visitors to your home will be able to take their time and really see the details that make your home distinct and worth a second look.

The Exterior Speaks Volumes

With so much cleaning and so many small maintenance duties, it can be easy to forget about the first thing that guests will see when they show up at your doorstep, the exterior. However, this will provide the initial impression so you’ll want to ensure that it’s a positive one. Before organizing your open house, make sure the lawn is cleared and cut, the hedges are trimmed and your doorway is well maintained.

Make The Marketing Count

If you’ve primed your home for your open house, it’s important to ensure your marketing efforts are up to snuff and will get people through the door. While your real estate agent should feature your home and some professional photos on their website, you should also consider handing out flyers to your neighbors and advertising on social media to reach anyone who might be interested.

Engage All The Senses

It might sound strange, but a house that smells and sounds good in addition to a house that looks good can actually work wonders in swinging a buyer in the direction of your home. While having a clean, clutter-free place is ideal, you may want to consider baking beforehand or even leaving a little music on so people will feel relaxed and right at home.

There are a lot of little tricks that go into a successful open house and it’s important to utilize all of them to get the best results. If you’re putting your home on the market, contact your trusted local real estate professional for more information.

5 Great Ways A Real Estate Professional Can Market Your Home Online

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5 Great Ways A Real Estate Professional Can Market Your Home OnlineIf you have a great house at the perfect price point, you’re already on the right path to selling your home successfully. However, there are still many tricks of the trade you can utilize to bring potential homebuyers to you. If you’re working with a real estate agent and are looking for great ways to grab attention, here are a few that may garner added interest.

Create A Video Tour

Open houses are great for giving potential homebuyers a look at your place, but posting a video of your home online can bring in a few more interested candidates than the typical staging. Find a professional who will be able to adequately highlight your space so those who can’t visit in person will get a sense of its special features up close.

Give Your Home A Website

With so many people hitting the Internet first to search for homes, having your own personal page on which your home is featured can be a great way to drum up interest. Whether it exists at its own web address or on your real estate agent’s page, this kind of spotlight can get people in the door.

Utilize Email Marketing

Many real estate professionals are using email marketing to share tips and bolster their business, but these emails can also be a great place to feature client homes. Instead of having to hand out flyers or rely on passive listings, your home featured in an email blast will easily reach a broad range of potential homebuyers.

Invest In Professional Photography

Lighting has a lot to do with the way your home will appear in an image, so hiring someone that can highlight its best features is key. While subpar photos on a website are not going to captivate anyone’s interest, some well-lit photos with a focus on unique details can work wonders.

Post On Social Media

There’s a good chance that your real estate agent has a Facebook page or Twitter account, and these can be ideal forums for marketing your home and finding unexpected leads. The power and prominence of social media means a wider audience and an even better opportunity for the right buyer.

With so many homebuyers flocking to the Internet to find their next home, it’s a great opportunity for real estate agents everywhere to harness its power and market online. If you’re preparing to list your home, contact your local real estate professional for more information.

How Offering Buyer Incentives Will Get Your House Sold Faster

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How Offering Buyer Incentives Will Get Your House Sold Faster

Why The Added Incentive?

It may seem like keeping your home in good condition and pricing it according to its market value is good enough, but in more difficult market times many people have opted for extras that may boost the appeal of their home. While the wrong incentive strategy can make it look like you have a home that is not worth the asking price, there are classy ways value can be added that can still engage the right buyer.

Determine Your Ideal Buyer

If you’ve already decided that your ideal offer is a perfectly fair deal, you’ll want to consider what kind of incentives will successfully attract the buyer you’re looking for. Instead of merely dreaming up something that will be ineffective, determine a profile for who they are whether it’s young or old, single or family oriented so that you can offer benefits that will be marketed to them. By using incentives that are linked to their interests and lifestyle, you may be able to pique their curiosity enough that they’ll make a visit.

A Few Incentives To Consider

There are a lot of great opportunities for snagging new interested parties with an incentive, the bonus being that you won’t need to offer it up until the time you sell your home. If you’re located close to a beach resort, you may want to give away a surfboard or kayak; providing a gift card for a local restaurant or a golf membership can also be a great idea. While most people will not want to go to the extreme of giving away their transportation, some have gifted their luxury car in order to seal the deal.

A home in good condition and at the right price can often snag a purchasing offer, but if your home is lingering on the market, incentives can go a long way too. If you’re still trying to sell your home and are considering your options, contact your local real estate professional for more information.