Navy Fellas Realty Group

Real Estate, Residential sales and purchase

‘Free Pizza for Life’ and Other Crazy Home Sales Gimmicks from Across the Nation

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'Free Pizza for Life' and Other Crazy Home Sales Gimmicks from Across the NationWith the real estate market going through constant fluctuations, it can sometimes be a matter of strife to sell a home. Some will take the familiar road of staging and hope the offers come in, while others will do some crazy things to prove their home is worth buying. While you may not want to take the risk of making these bold moves yourself, here are the unusual things that some people did in hopes of getting their home off the market a little sooner.

The Perk Of Added Incentives

While there are a variety of goods that can be an added incentive to purchasing a home, one homeowner in Virginia Beach offered a 42-inch flat screen television to the lucky person who would make them an offer that couldn’t be refused. While this owner managed to sell in just a couple of weeks, other offers like expensive cars and gift certificates have long been attached to houses in the hopes of getting a more spontaneous sale.

A Real Ingenious Raffle

In the state of Maryland, log cabin owners Tom and Diane Walter opted to host a raffle so they could raise enough money to pay off the loan on their home. While the winning raffle ticket buyer would go away with a new home for only $50.00, the profits from the raffle would go to a local non-profit and the Walters loan fund. With the toughness of the real estate market, it’s a tactic that has gained popularity given the excitement of getting a house at a very economical price.

Testing Out The New Home

It’s certainly the case that being able to test something out might lead to more sale success, but a local builder in Portland, Oregon took it a little bit further than usual. Instead of offering up a staged suite, potential buyers were provided with a stay in a home at Atwater Place that was free of charge and included restaurant gift certificates, a gym pass and a lovely view of Mount Hood.

Staging a nice home at a reasonable price is always a great way to achieve selling success, but some have gone out on a limb to offer things that went well beyond the benefits of a new home. If you’re interested in things you can do to increase your chance of selling success in the market, contact your local real estate professional for more information.

5 Easy Ways to Brighten up Your Curb Appeal

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5 Easy Ways to Brighten up Your Curb AppealIt can be easy to forget, but the first thing people will see when they come to your home is the outside, so it’s important to have a well-maintained and picturesque property that represents the inside of your home positively. If you’re looking for a few ways to boost your outdoor space, here are a few tips to help with curb appeal.

Plant A Flower Bed

Whether you decide on a tiny plot or a much larger space, a splash of flowers is great for adding a warm, homey atmosphere to your front yard. This can easily be done by going to your local nursery, picking out some easy-to-maintain perennials and watching the blooms begin to appear.

Trim The Hedges

It’s entirely possible that you have a few trees or shrubs in your yard that have gotten a little bit unruly, but a little time with the snippers for some shaping and the look of your yard will be automatically improved! If you have any shrubs or small trees that have seen better days, you may want to remove and replace.

A Fresh Coat Of Paint

It’s quite common to hear how much a layer of paint can improve things but this is especially true when it comes to your front door. While a tired and dull looking door can reflect poorly on the house within, a new coat of paint will add instant shimmer to your exterior.

Keep It Tidy

Whether you have kids who love to play in the yard or you’ve been doing a little lawn maintenance, leaving out toys or shovels and wheelbarrows can really take a lot away from your property’s look. While you may only be planning on keeping these items out for the short term, a quick pick up at the end of each day makes a marked difference.

Make A Stone Pathway

It may not be something you need, but a whimsical walkway with flattened stones can add a nice touch to your property and make it stand out. If you’re feeling ambitious, you may even want to add a bench or a birdbath to make for a unique escape for your family.

There are a lot of simple fixes you can utilize that will instantly boost the look of your home’s exterior. If you’re fixing up the outside of your home in the hopes of putting your property on the market, contact your trusted local real estate professional for more information.

How Your Home’s “Days on Market” Affects the Buyer’s Opinion

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How Your Home's Whether you’ve done a lot of research on the real estate market or you’ve sold a home before, you may be aware that there can be a lot of trepidation around how long your house remains up for sale. If you’re concerned about your home’s market potential, here’s what you need to know about “Days on Market” and how it can impact your home sale.

“Days on Market” Explained

A fairly no-nonsense phrase, Days on Market (DOM) refers to how long a home has been listed on the real estate market. The DOM stat can be found on many Multiple List Systems (MLS), and this can be seen as a signifier to agents and buyers of a home’s overall popularity. The way days on the market is determined varies from listing to listing, but the common belief is that after a certain period of time, a home’s valuation can be diminished.

What It Means To Potential Homebuyers

When it comes to real estate, the general hope is that a home will sell within the first 60 days of being put up for sale, and this is why the DOM can say a lot to potential buyers about your home’s value. While people may assume that a home that’s been sitting on the market for longer than this timeframe is either overpriced or in poor condition, there are ways the seller can get past this hiccup and still have selling success.

If “Days on Market” Are Adding Up

In the event that the first 30 days are drawing to a close and you haven’t received any offers, you may want to sit down with your real estate agent and decide on a new strategy together. While a home without offers can be a sign that your price is too high, you may also need to switch to an agent that will take a more assertive approach to selling. It can even be a good idea to remove your home from the market so the DOM can go back down to 0 and you can start from scratch.

A DOM in the double digits can often signal to buyers that there are issues with your home or asking price, so it’s important to keep this in mind when your home is on the market. If you have questions, contact your trusted real estate professional for more information.

5 Easy Ways to Brighten up Your Curb Appeal

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5 Easy Ways to Brighten up Your Curb AppealIt can be easy to forget, but the first thing people will see when they come to your home is the outside, so it’s important to have a well-maintained and picturesque property that represents the inside of your home positively. If you’re looking for a few ways to boost your outdoor space, here are a few tips to help with curb appeal.

Plant A Flower Bed

Whether you decide on a tiny plot or a much larger space, a splash of flowers is great for adding a warm, homey atmosphere to your front yard. This can easily be done by going to your local nursery, picking out some easy-to-maintain perennials and watching the blooms begin to appear.

Trim The Hedges

It’s entirely possible that you have a few trees or shrubs in your yard that have gotten a little bit unruly, but a little time with the snippers for some shaping and the look of your yard will be automatically improved! If you have any shrubs or small trees that have seen better days, you may want to remove and replace.

A Fresh Coat Of Paint

It’s quite common to hear how much a layer of paint can improve things but this is especially true when it comes to your front door. While a tired and dull looking door can reflect poorly on the house within, a new coat of paint will add instant shimmer to your exterior.

Keep It Tidy

Whether you have kids who love to play in the yard or you’ve been doing a little lawn maintenance, leaving out toys or shovels and wheelbarrows can really take a lot away from your property’s look. While you may only be planning on keeping these items out for the short term, a quick pick up at the end of each day makes a marked difference.

Make A Stone Pathway

It may not be something you need, but a whimsical walkway with flattened stones can add a nice touch to your property and make it stand out. If you’re feeling ambitious, you may even want to add a bench or a birdbath to make for a unique escape for your family.

There are a lot of simple fixes you can utilize that will instantly boost the look of your home’s exterior. If you’re fixing up the outside of your home in the hopes of putting your property on the market, you may want to contact one of our knowledgeable real estate professionals for more information.

Selling Your Home Soon? 4 Ways to Quickly Boost Your Curb Appeal

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Selling Your Home This Month? 4 Ways to Quickly Boost Your Curb AppealMost people that have embarked on selling their home know a lot about how to showcase the inside of it, but one of the most important parts of showing a home can be forgotten as a result. Since the outside of your home is the first thing a potential homebuyer will see, here are a few simple ways you can quickly boost its appeal.

Re-Consider The Front Door

If your door is both welcoming and majestic, you may be able to skip this step, but if you have chipped paint or disintegrating steps, it’s definitely going to be worth a minor renovation so you can make a positive impression. It’s just a fact that if the front door isn’t up to snuff, any potential homebuyer is going to have a bad feeling about your house right from the start.

Languish Over Your Lawn

The look of your lawn is going to be noticed right away, so make sure that your grass is weed free and well-manicured. If you happen to have flowerbeds, you ‘ll want to make sure that any dead plants are pulled before seeing any potential buyers. In addition, if any pruning needs to be done, it’s a good idea to complete this before anyone arrives on your front stoop.

Perk Up With Paint

Few things will perk up the look of a surface than a primed paint job, so while it can be a large task to complete, you may see the results in the sale price of your home. While you may want to stick with the color you already have, if you do decide to change it up ensure it’s a color that isn’t so bold it will turn off potential homebuyers.

Clear Away Anything Extra

If you’re going to be showing your home, it’s very important that everything unnecessary on the front law, like children’s toys or an empty wheelbarrow, is stored away. A tidy lawn will leave buyers with the instant impression that your home maintenance is as impeccable as that of your front yard.

There are many great tips for showing a home, but it’s also important to consider how your home will look from the street. Since this will be the first things potential buyers view, it will have an impact on their first impression. If you’re selling your home and are interested in what’s on the market, you may want to contact one of our real estate professionals for more information.

Selling Your Half of a Jointly-owned Home? Here’s What You Need to Know

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Selling Your Half of a Jointly-owned Home? Here's What You Need to Know

There are many factors to consider when it comes to selling your home, and if you own your home with someone else the details involved can be even more confusing. If you’re wading into your co-ownership options and are curious about your next steps, here’s a short list of some things to think about.

Buyout: Selling Your Half

If you own your home with a friend, family member or former partner who would like to keep the property, the first thing you’ll want to do is contact an appraiser who will provide you with the market value of your home. Once you know this amount, you can discuss it with your co-owner and decide on the amount they can pay you for a buyout. While some co-owners will decide to get a loan and pay a lump sum, they may also want to schedule monthly payments until the buyout amount is completely paid off.

Partition Sale: Leave It To Legal

In the event that both you and the co-owner of your home would like to get rid of your property without any fuss, you have the option of a partition sale which means that the court will take care of your property sale for you. Once this occurs and any fees are paid, the total purchase price that is made from the home will be divided between the co-owners and the property will no longer be an issue for either party. If one owner has invested more into the home, it’s possible that one party may benefit more than the other.

Voluntary Sale: Coming To An Agreement

There are many situations involving property and personal possessions where the fence cannot be mended, but in the event that you want to sell your portion of a property it is in your best interest to sell together. While a partition sale provides the opportunity to get the property off the co-owner’s hands quickly, there’s a good chance that some of the money earned will be caught up in legal fees. If you’re able to come to an understanding, you may both reap a larger sum.

Whether you’re moving on to the next chapter of your life or experiencing a settlement, there are many available options for selling a home that is co-owned. If you’re considering putting your co-owned home on the market, please contact one of our real estate professionals for more information.

5 Photo Shoot Tips for Amazing Listing Photos

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5 Photo Shoot Tips for Amazing Listing Photos

Pick The Right Light

It won’t even be worth your while to pick up the camera if the lighting is off, so make sure you capture your home in the middle of the day when natural light is at its peak. Instead of morning or night, when spaces can appear dim, turn on the lights during the day, let the sunlight flow in and shoot away!

Keep It Clutter Free

While it’s common sense to clean up your home before committing anything to photography, it’s also important to be aware of any items that may catch the eye of the viewer and deflect interest away from your property. While there may be certain things you’re used to, if they stand out in the picture it might be better to move them outside of the frame.

Don’t Forget The Details

It’s easy to be focused on the exterior and room shots, but a few minor details here and there can give the viewer a better feel for your home, and may enable them to remember it. If you have striking kitchen tiles or a claw foot tub, don’t forget to add up-close images of these to your listing.

Capture The Exterior

The rooms and amenities of your house are definitely going to be what piques the buyer’s interest, but don’t forget about the exterior in all the shuffle. The outside of your home is the first thing that potential buyers will see, so catch it during the last hour of sunlight for maximum effect.

Hire A Professional

It’s entirely possible that you’re so busy looking for homes and getting organized that taking pictures is just another task to add to the list. Instead of taking on the photography yourself, you may want to contact a professional to do it for you who will know all the tricks of the trade.

The best impression your house will make should be in person, but it’s important to have great listing photos so you can draw potential buyers in. If you’re getting ready to put your home on the market, you may want to contact one of our real estate professionals for more information.

Thinking About Selling in 2016? 3 Reasons You’ll Absolutely Need a Great Real Estate Agent

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Thinking About Selling in 2016? 3 Reasons You'll Absolutely Need a Great Real Estate AgentWhether you’re familiar with the market or you’ve never sold a home before, an effective real estate agent can be exactly the thing you need to make for a positive market experience. With the world of real estate in a constant state of flux, here are a few reasons why the right agent can successfully guide you through the muddled waters of the market.

A Skill For Communication

In the case that the real estate market makes you nervous, it’s particularly important to have the kind of agent who will keep you in the loop and give you the information you need to make an informed selling decision. An agent with the powers of communication will be able to give you honest advice when it’s required, like if it’s time to lower the price of your house, so that you can have success in achieving the offer you’re looking for.

A Willingness To Work Hard

There are many agents out there who won’t be willing to put in additional effort for a client, but the kind of agent you’ll want to choose should be someone who is a go-getter and will chase potential business for you. Instead of waiting around, an ideal agent should be following up with potential buyers and ensuring that they’re chasing any leads that may guarantee the purchase of your home. If you have to ask them to be proactive, they’re probably not the right person for the job.

A Bevy Of Client References

A real estate agent that is worth their salt should not hesitate to provide you with client references so you can make an informed, educated decision. Instead of asking for their personal references, though, request the names of their last ten clients as this should give you a pretty good grasp of what their capacities as an agent are, and how they will serve you. If they are cagey about providing references, you’ll want to move on to your next potential agent.

The real estate market is rife with a lot of things to know and it can be complicated to jump into the tides, but the right agent can actually make the process of selling your home a lot less stressful. If you’re currently looking for homes and are not sure where to turn, you may want to contact one of our real estate professionals for more scoop on the market.

‘Don’t Sit Around Waiting for a Deal’ and Other Great Advice from Successful Home Sellers

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'Don't Sit Around Waiting for a Deal' and Other Great Advice from Successful Home SellersThe real estate market and all the things involved in selling a home can seem complicated, and it can be very hard to know which tips to trust. While there’s plenty of great advice to go around from many knowledgeable sources, here are some of the best tips from home sellers who have made a successful sale.

Research Your Local Agents

When considering an agent that will meet your home-selling needs, it can be tempting to go with someone familiar or recommended through a friend who seems like a safe bet. However, it’s important to do your research and find an agent who has a number of “Sold” homes under their belt. Create a list of agents you’re impressed by and take note of their sales and agent fees, and keep in mind that you may want to lean towards an agent who has expertise in your neighborhood.

Get A Second Opinion On Price

Before you have an agent appraise the value of your home, it’s worthwhile doing some research on your end to determine the approximate value of your property. Once you’ve arrived at a figure, bring in the agents you’ve selected to appraise the value of your property. If one price is significantly higher than the other, it may be a red flag that an agent is trying to win over your business, regardless of whether the sale price is reasonable. In this case, you will want to choose the agent that provides the most appropriate appraisal.

Be House Ready At All Times

Having potential buyers view your home will certainly make the idea of selling it real, so make sure that it is ready for viewing at any time. If a potential buyer cannot view your property or has to work around your schedule constantly to arrange viewings, there’s a pretty good chance that you may lose out on some good home offers. Instead of missing out, provide a set of keys to your real estate agent so they can show people around your home when you’re not around. This should automatically increase the likelihood of an offer on your home.

Heading into the real estate market can be a matter of trepidation if you’re not sure what to do, but by researching your agents and being prepared you’ll increase your chances of success. If you’re almost ready to put your home on the market, you may want to contact one of our local real estate professionals for more information.

Thinking About Selling in the Spring? You Should Be Renovating Now. Here’s Why

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Thinking About Selling in the Spring? You Should Be Renovating Now. Here's WhyThe cooler months of winter might seem like the perfect time to hibernate into the house, but it’s actually a great time to consider ramping up your home for improvements. If you’re thinking of selling come the spring, here’s why winter is the perfect time to get started on home renovations.

Flexible Scheduling And Availability

Many people are not interested in renovating their home during the winter months, so it can actually be an ideal time of year to make plans with a contractor to do some work. Since many renovations that occur on the outside of the home are likely to take place during spring or summer, it can be easier to schedule renovations for your home’s interior when it’s colder.

Pre-Planning Your Project

Since contractors can have more free time in the winter months, it’s a good time to contact them to discuss, decide and plan exactly what needs to be done in your home. With the workload of many contractors ramping up in the springtime, there’s a good chance their meeting schedule may be congested and the planning and renovation implementation will take much longer.

Get Ahead of Higher Prices

With the holiday season in swing, there are many sales on common home items from appliances to windows and cabinets. Since manufacturers will be trying to get excess stock off the floor before year’s end, it can be a great time to purchase products for instant money savings. With the new stock filling the stores in spring, there will be a higher premium to pay for all of the newly marketed products.

A Good Time For The Market

Spring is one of the most popular times of year to put a home on the market. With so many people considering a home purchase among their yearly plans, the milder season is an ideal time to get out and go house shopping. In order to have your home ready to show for the spring, you’ll need to have the renovations complete so your house will be market ready when the potential buyers are out.

If you’re readying your house for the springtime real estate market, it’s a good idea to get started on renovations now so you can save money on materials and schedule ample time with your contractor. If you happen to be considering your options for spring sale, you may want to contact your local real estate agent for more information.