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Did You Know? The Location of Your Home Plays a Role in Your Selling Price – Here’s Why

June 9, 2015 by James Scott

Did You Know? The Location of Your Home Plays a Role in Your Selling Price - Here's Why One of the most common questions homeowners have before listing their home for sale relates to the selling price. Understanding the value of the home is about far more than just comparing the square footage of the space with other homes that have recently sold in the area. While there are many factors that will play a part in a selling price, location is an important factor for several different reasons.

Neighboring Properties

The properties that are located next to the home for sale are critical to the property value. For example, a home that is located next to a park or a beautifully maintained home may have more appeal than a home located next to a strip center or a gas station. Even with homes that are located just a block or two apart, this difference in adjacent properties can have a dramatic impact on properties values.

Safety Concerns

When a home is located in an unsafe area or an area that is riddled with crime, safety concerns can lower property values. Many home buyers will review crime statistics about a location before making a buying decision, and high crime areas are far less appealing to buyers. Properties are ultimately only worth what someone will pay for them, and buyers may overwhelming opt to purchase homes in safer locations unless the sales price is lowered.

Vehicular and Pedestrian Traffic

There are some advantages to being in an area with heavy vehicular or pedestrian traffic, such as if you live in an urban area and are searching for a property that offers this lifestyle. When a home is located in heavily trafficked areas in a suburban or rural location where a quieter way of life is desired, these can be drawbacks that impact the selling price. If one home is located on a busy street corner and another similar home is located a few blocks away removed from traffic, the home with a more desirable location will typically have a higher selling price.

Desirability is often directly related to property location, and homes in more desirable locations will therefore have a higher selling price than those in an undesirable location. For those who are thinking about selling a property soon and who want to learn more about its value, a consultation with your trusted real estate agent can provide you with helpful information.

Filed Under: Home Seller Tips Tagged With: Home Seller Tips, Neighborhoods and Communities, Selling A Home

Received an Offer for Your Home? How to Respond with a Counter-offer Asking for a Higher Price

May 28, 2015 by James Scott

Received an Offer for Your Home? How to Respond with a Counter-offer Asking for a Higher PriceGetting an offer on your house is the first step in getting it sold, but buyers often feel that they have to come in lower than your asking price. After all, everyone wants the deal to work out in their favor. If the offer you received isn’t quite what you hoped, you can always make a counter-offer. Getting the details right can help make your deal go more smoothly.

Deciding On A Price

When your real estate agent helped you set the price of your home, you already had an idea of what it should fetch in the marketplace. If the offer wasn’t far off from your asking price, it’s acceptable to counter with your original asking price. Many buyers could be willing to pay full price. If you feel that technique is a bit brazen for your style, you could instead drop the original price by a few thousand dollars.

Another technique is to try to “meet in the middle”. For example, if there’s a $10,000 difference between the asking price and the offer price, you might offer to drop the price $5,000. Of course, the bigger the difference, the less enthusiastic you’ll be about dropping your price.

Factors To Consider

Keep in mind that the actual selling price of the house isn’t the only thing that will be negotiated. If you’re giving in a little bit, then you should expect to get a bit in return, but the same is true for the buyer. For example, a first-time homebuyer might not have a lot of money for a down payment. If you counter with an offer that’s too high, they might respond with another offer accepting the price, but asking for seller’s concessions at closing time.

Additionally, as you start to come down in price, you might consider taking out items that you might have included in the original offer, such as high-end appliances.

Don’t Forget The Fine Details

Discuss the details of what you want with your real estate agent. They’ll be able to let you know if you’re making the right move, considering the current market in your area. They may also have information about the buyers, such as an educated guess about how high they’re willing to go. Your agent will also have all the paperwork you need readily available. In most cases, all you have to do is fill in the blanks in a few spaces.

You want the highest price for your home, but getting the best deal is often a delicate dance. Know your limits and work together with the buyers to reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial.

Filed Under: Home Seller Tips Tagged With: Home Seller Tips, Negotations, Selling A Home

Thinking About Selling Your Own Home? Think Again – Why You’ll Want to Work with a Real Estate Agent

May 6, 2015 by James Scott

Thinking About Selling Your Own Home? Think Again - Why You'll Want to Work with a Real Estate AgentThere is no requirement for a homeowner to work with a real estate agent when selling a property, and many homeowners consider saving themselves the cost of a real estate agent’s commission fee in an effort to reduce costs and to keep more money in their pocket from the sale. While this may seem to make sense, the fact is that a real estate agent’s services have true value to you, and there are several key reasons why you want to work with a real estate agent when selling your home.

Assistance With Pricing The Home

Before you initially list your home for sale, you must decide what a fair and reasonable price is. You may actively compare price per square foot data with other homes in your community to arrive at a reasonable estimate, but there are other factors that come into play. For example, one and two-story homes will have a different price per square foot even in the same neighborhood, and property condition and layout will also play a role. Pricing your home right from the start will generate immediate interest and will help you to sell your home more quickly.

Marketing Expertise And Services

It is not enough to simply list your home for sale, and you must also actively market your home for sale. A real estate agent does much more to market your property than simply place a sign in the front yard. Everything from using online marketing avenues and mobile apps services to hosting open houses are often included in an agent’s services, and these often take time, effort and financial resources to execute. These are often included in the commission that you pay to your agent.

Skilled Negotiations Services

Negotiating with a buyer and buyer’s agent on your own is possible, but you may find yourself making impulsive, emotion-driven decisions. A real estate agent is skilled with negotiations and can help you to remain clear-headed and focused on your goals during negotiations. Keep in mind that there are multiple times throughout the process when you may need negotiate with the buyer.

The Need To Pay The Buyer’s Agent

You may not save as much money as you might think on your real estate agent fees by listing your home on your own. Keep in mind that the seller typically will pay for both the buyer’s agent and the seller’s agent fees. Even if you list your property for sale on your own, you will still be responsible for paying the buyer’s agent fees.

The bottom line is that most real estate agents work hard for their clients, and they bring true value to the transaction. If you have been thinking about listing your home, you may consider speaking with an agent about the services that he or she can provide to you.

Filed Under: Home Seller Tips Tagged With: Home Seller Tips, Homeowner Tips, Selling A Home

Thinking About Selling Your Own Home? Think Again – Why You’ll Want to Work with a Real Estate Agent

May 6, 2015 by James Scott

Thinking About Selling Your Own Home? Think Again - Why You'll Want to Work with a Real Estate AgentThere is no requirement for a homeowner to work with a real estate agent when selling a property, and many homeowners consider saving themselves the cost of a real estate agent’s commission fee in an effort to reduce costs and to keep more money in their pocket from the sale. While this may seem to make sense, the fact is that a real estate agent’s services have true value to you, and there are several key reasons why you want to work with a real estate agent when selling your home.

Assistance With Pricing The Home

Before you initially list your home for sale, you must decide what a fair and reasonable price is. You may actively compare price per square foot data with other homes in your community to arrive at a reasonable estimate, but there are other factors that come into play. For example, one and two-story homes will have a different price per square foot even in the same neighborhood, and property condition and layout will also play a role. Pricing your home right from the start will generate immediate interest and will help you to sell your home more quickly.

Marketing Expertise And Services

It is not enough to simply list your home for sale, and you must also actively market your home for sale. A real estate agent does much more to market your property than simply place a sign in the front yard. Everything from using online marketing avenues and mobile apps services to hosting open houses are often included in an agent’s services, and these often take time, effort and financial resources to execute. These are often included in the commission that you pay to your agent.

Skilled Negotiations Services

Negotiating with a buyer and buyer’s agent on your own is possible, but you may find yourself making impulsive, emotion-driven decisions. A real estate agent is skilled with negotiations and can help you to remain clear-headed and focused on your goals during negotiations. Keep in mind that there are multiple times throughout the process when you may need negotiate with the buyer.

The Need To Pay The Buyer’s Agent

You may not save as much money as you might think on your real estate agent fees by listing your home on your own. Keep in mind that the seller typically will pay for both the buyer’s agent and the seller’s agent fees. Even if you list your property for sale on your own, you will still be responsible for paying the buyer’s agent fees.

The bottom line is that most real estate agents work hard for their clients, and they bring true value to the transaction. If you have been thinking about listing your home, you may consider speaking with an agent about the services that he or she can provide to you.

Filed Under: Home Seller Tips Tagged With: Home Seller Tips, Homeowner Tips, Selling A Home

Selling a Large Family Home? How to Stage Your Home to Appeal to Family Buyers

May 1, 2015 by James Scott

Selling a Large Family Home? How to Stage Your Home to Appeal to Family BuyersSelling a large house requires showing buyers its potential as a place where they can raise their families, enjoy space to grow, and make it their own. Preparing a large house can be a big task. There are more rooms to clear out, more square footage to get in tip-top shape, and more accumulated belongings to sort through. However, a large house also has strong points that appeal to buyers looking for a spacious home.

Clear the Clutter

Take a look at whether the house feels spacious or crammed with years of debris. Big houses have so much space that many families store more and more things. Therefore, sellers should throw out what they don’t need or want, consider putting old treasures in temporary storage, and leave closets and cabinets with plenty of empty space so buyers can envision their own belongings there.

Define Family Spaces

When children leave the nest, some couples turn bedrooms into storage space, work areas or other rooms. To sell the home, they should consider restoring bedrooms to that use. If the house is advertised as a four- or five- or even six-bedroom house, put a bed and a dresser in that many rooms. Make the large living area look like a family room by removing anything else. If there is a garage for two or more cars, remove other items.

Update Key Rooms And Spaces

Consider updating key rooms to appeal to young families. A Realtor® can give advice on whether the kitchen, bathrooms or living areas are outdated by today’s standards and whether renovation would increase the sale price.

Make Any Necessary Repairs

Families used to living with a sticky window or tarnished faucet should go through each room and make basic repairs. A fresh coat of paint is one of the least expensive ways to instantly freshen up any room.

Improve Curb Appeal

Many buyers won’t even walk in the door if they don’t like what they see when they drive by. Remove overgrown shrubs. Get rid of weeds. Add flowers. Fix the mailbox and check the condition of the front door.

Following these steps will show off the best attributes of a big house and help buyers envision it as a place for their own families. Call your real estate agent today for an assessment of how to prepare your home for today’s family buyers.

Filed Under: Home Seller Tips Tagged With: Home Seller Tips, Selling A Home, Staging

Selling a Large Family Home? How to Stage Your Home to Appeal to Family Buyers

May 1, 2015 by James Scott

Selling a Large Family Home? How to Stage Your Home to Appeal to Family BuyersSelling a large house requires showing buyers its potential as a place where they can raise their families, enjoy space to grow, and make it their own. Preparing a large house can be a big task. There are more rooms to clear out, more square footage to get in tip-top shape, and more accumulated belongings to sort through. However, a large house also has strong points that appeal to buyers looking for a spacious home.

Clear the Clutter

Take a look at whether the house feels spacious or crammed with years of debris. Big houses have so much space that many families store more and more things. Therefore, sellers should throw out what they don’t need or want, consider putting old treasures in temporary storage, and leave closets and cabinets with plenty of empty space so buyers can envision their own belongings there.

Define Family Spaces

When children leave the nest, some couples turn bedrooms into storage space, work areas or other rooms. To sell the home, they should consider restoring bedrooms to that use. If the house is advertised as a four- or five- or even six-bedroom house, put a bed and a dresser in that many rooms. Make the large living area look like a family room by removing anything else. If there is a garage for two or more cars, remove other items.

Update Key Rooms And Spaces

Consider updating key rooms to appeal to young families. A Realtor® can give advice on whether the kitchen, bathrooms or living areas are outdated by today’s standards and whether renovation would increase the sale price.

Make Any Necessary Repairs

Families used to living with a sticky window or tarnished faucet should go through each room and make basic repairs. A fresh coat of paint is one of the least expensive ways to instantly freshen up any room.

Improve Curb Appeal

Many buyers won’t even walk in the door if they don’t like what they see when they drive by. Remove overgrown shrubs. Get rid of weeds. Add flowers. Fix the mailbox and check the condition of the front door.

Following these steps will show off the best attributes of a big house and help buyers envision it as a place for their own families. Call your real estate agent today for an assessment of how to prepare your home for today’s family buyers.

Filed Under: Home Seller Tips Tagged With: Home Seller Tips, Selling A Home, Staging

Staging Tips: Let’s Talk Landscaping and How to Prepare Your Yard for the Spring Bloom

April 24, 2015 by James Scott

Staging Tips: Let's Talk Landscaping and How to Prepare Your Yard for the Spring BloomWhen you are preparing to list your home for sale, you may take various steps to stage the interior so that it is appealing to a potential buyer. In addition to various steps you may take with staging the interior, you want to pay attention to your yard as well. During the spring months, many yards look fresh and vibrant, but they also need some extra care in order to boost curb appeal and make a great first impression on buyers.

Focus On Your Flower Beds

Whether you have one small flower bed or several sprawling areas of beds, you should ensure that all of the vegetation looks fresh and tidy. Trim bushes, and add bright spring annuals to brighten up the space. Pull weeds, and add a layer of fresh mulch to your flower beds to give them a finished, well-maintained look.

Keep The Lawn Neat And Tidy

During the spring months, your lawn may revive from its dormant winter state, and you may find it growing rapidly. The green hue of a spring lawn can have a powerful benefit to curb appeal, but you want to keep the lawn trimmed and edged regularly to give it a manicured appearance. This can also minimize the impact of the look of weeds that may occasionally crop up throughout the spring months.

Pay Attention To Your Patio And Entryway

While your vegetation will require some effort to maintain while you list your home, you do not want to overlook your patio and entryway. These are often visible from the street, and they will be viewed up-close when buyers tour your home. Ensure that the area is clean, and power wash it if necessary. Consider updating front door hardware and the entry mat if they appear worn or dated. You may also need to sweep these areas regularly while your home is listed for sale.

Staging your property can help you to sell your property more quickly and for top dollar, but your staging efforts should not be focused entirely on the interior of your home. Your landscaping also requires extra effort when you are getting your home ready to sell, and these tips can all help you to spruce up your landscaping with beautiful results. You may seek more customized information tailored to your property when you speak with a real estate agent about listing your home.

Filed Under: Home Seller Tips Tagged With: Home Maintenance, Home Seller Tips, Staging

You Ask, We Answer: How Long Should It Take to Sell My House in the Spring?

April 21, 2015 by James Scott

You Ask, We Answer: How Long Should It Take to Sell My House in the Spring?Depending on where you live, selling your house in the spring could take a few weeks to a few months. Although people are in the market to buy a home all throughout the year, spring time appeals to buyers who may be planning to use an income tax refund to help with the down-payment or closing costs. If you want to sell fast make sure you pay attention to the details like curb appeal, freshening the interior, and pricing your home right.

Curb Appeal Basics

Selling your home quickly in the spring depends on a buyer’s first impression when they see your house. If you want to sell in the first couple of weeks it is on the market make sure to clean up debris that has collected and plant some flowers for a pop of color. You may also want to power wash the exterior and touch up paint around windows and doors to help get top dollar for your home.

Clear Out The Clutter

Freshening the interior of your home will give buyers an opportunity to imagine their own belongings in the house. Over the holidays you and the children may have collected new items that need to be packed away and stored out of sight. Once the clutter is cleared out make sure to clean the windows and baseboards to offer spring buyers a fresh clean view of your home.

Sell For The Right Price

Pricing your home right for the spring market is essential to make a quick sale. You may even want to set the price below market value to bring in multiple offers and drive the price up. If you are looking for a quick closing make sure your real estate agent uses this as a bargaining tool with potential buyers.

So how long should it take you to sell your house in the spring? It really depends on the market in your area and how well you prepare your house in advance. Curb appeal will make sure buyers stop in at your open house instead of driving by because the yard looks trashy. Giving the interior of your home a clean non-cluttered look will also help buyers envision a move in ready home. Finally, pricing your home in line with comparable homes in your neighborhood will help ensure you get the right buyer quickly so you can move on to a new adventure.

Filed Under: Home Seller Tips Tagged With: Home Seller Tips, Selling A Home, Staging

Pre-Sale Painting: Color Combinations to Use – and Avoid – When Painting Your Home

April 7, 2015 by James Scott

Pre-sale Painting: Color Combinations to Use - and Avoid - when Painting Your HomeOne of the more common steps that homeowners will take when preparing to list their home for sale involves repainting the walls. Walls can easily give the home a worn, drab look when they have visible signs of dirty, smudgy fingerprints and other unsightly blemishes.

While repainting the walls can have a whitewashing effect that instantly makes the home look cleaner, brighter and more appealing, the color combinations that you choose for your home should be considered with care. You have a rainbow of possibilities for your space when preparing your home for sale, but you want to choose colors that will have broad or universal appeal to buyers and that will showcase your home in the best possible light.

Neutral or Muted Hues are Ideal

Many homeowners love to paint their walls stylish or trendy colors, and they may dislike the banal look of beige walls throughout their home. While this may or may not be what you prefer for your home, keep in mind that you are trying to transform your home so that it has broad appeal to the buyers. The colors you choose should not reflect personal taste or preference. Instead, they should be selected based on colors that may be more likely to appeal to most and that may go well with the color of furnishings most already own. Neutral or muted hues are ideal. These lighter colors can also make smaller rooms seem larger, and they can make your entire home seem cleaner.

Avoid Bold, Dramatic Color Combinations

You may have some colors on your walls that you absolutely love, and you may be sad to see them go. However, when you have a bold, dramatic color combination in a room, a buyer may instantly be taken aback by such an intense color scheme. The buyer’s attention may then be focused on your interior design efforts rather than on the home itself, and this is not beneficial to your goal of selling your home. In addition, some may love your bold choices, but many may not. They may think about how those colors would not go well with their furnishings, and they may instantly start thinking about how they would need to work hard to repaint the walls after moving in. The last thing you want is for a buyer to think about your home as needing work.

If you are preparing your home to list for sale, repainting one room or several may be at the top of your to-do list. When you are selecting your paint colors, lean toward neutral hues that may have better appeal toward a larger group of home buyers.

Filed Under: Home Seller Tips Tagged With: Home Maintenance, Home Seller Tips, Upgrades and Renovations

Three Handy Home Staging Tips That Will Help You Display Your Home in the Best Light

March 26, 2015 by James Scott

Three Handy Home Staging Tips That Will Help You Display Your Home in the Best Light Your home may be one of your largest assets, and you certainly want to take steps to get the highest price possible for it when you list it on the market to sell. In addition, you may have plans to purchase a new home or to take other similar steps when list your home, so you may need to your house to sell quickly. Staging your home is a great way to present it in the best possible light for potential buyers to see. While there are dozens of staging tips and ideas that you may use, there are a few that are rather simple and affordable for most to complete.

Give Each Room a Single Purpose

If your home is like most, there may be several rooms that have multiple uses. For example, you may have a work desk placed in the master bedroom, or a section of the living room may be designated as a kids’ play area. While this may be functional for how your family lives, it can confuse buyers. Buyers need to be able to walk into a room and imagine their own family living in the area. They may not have a need or use for a desk in the master bedroom, and this can confuse the use of the space. In addition, it also can make a room look smaller and more cramped than it is.

De-Clutter Your Rooms

In addition to defining a single use for each room in your home, you should also de-clutter your rooms. Depending how long you have lived in your home and how significant your periodic spring cleaning sessions have been, this can be a major undertaking. As a good rule of thumb, items that have not been used in more than six months may need to be donated or tossed away. The exception to this rule is seasonal items, like winter coats, pool toys or holiday décor. Keep in mind that buyers will open cabinets, drawers and closets, so your cleaning session should be thorough and not superficial.

Pack Away Personal Belongings

A final step to take is to pack away personal belongings. Everything from religious symbols like crosses to a family photo over the mantel should be packed in boxes. Your goal is to make your home look like any family could live there rather than to make it look like your home. Only decorative items that have a broad or universal appeal should remain.

When a home is properly staged, it may feel as though your home is not your own and even as though you are camping out in your own home. Keep in mind that staging can help you to sell your home as quickly as possible and to get the highest bid possible. Therefore, your effort is well worthwhile.

Filed Under: Home Seller Tips Tagged With: Home Seller Tips, Selling A Home, Staging

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