Archive for the ‘curb appeal’ Category
Tips to Sell Faster and for More Money #3- Decorating Allowances
In the third part of our Series “Tips for Selling Your Home Faster and For More Money”, we address the topic of decorating allowances.
Question: Do Buyer’s Prefer Decorating Allowances or Do They Buy the Homes that already have the Work Done?
Answer: Home Buyers overwhelming chose property that is in move-in condition, versus, outdated homes that offer decorating, carpet or paint allowances.
Reason: First, an unappealing home is an immediate turnoff. It is very difficult for most people to picture how a home would look, if offensive eyesore’s were removed. So, if the property isn’t exceptionally cheap, the potential deal will end before it begins. Secondly, buyers always question why the homeowner wasn’t willing to do the work, what else may be wrong that they can’t see and why they should put forth the effort, anyway. Thirdly, there are thousands of distressed properties to chose from. No one would be interested in purchasing a nasty headache, even if they could picture themselves living there, unless the home was priced thousands of dollars under the market? 
Seller Must Do’s: a) If you have carpet over hardwood flooring, immediately remove it and refinish the floors. b)Repaint. Paint is inexpensive and offers more bang for the buck than any other improvement a seller can make. Choose neutral colors (tour builder models or new homes for idea’s). Soft yellows or golds are warm and inviting. Peaceful, soft greens and blues are great for bedrooms because they are restful to the eye.
Same shot, after repainting with a neutral color.
If you selling the purple entry home with a paint allowance or selling the same home with a neutral entry and no allowance, ask yourself which home you would honestly be interested in seeing more of? What is your first impression? Which home would you pay more for?? This is exactly what your potential buyer thinks, too.
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Tips to Sell a Home Fast & For Top Dollar #2- Updates to Avoid
Today we continue with our daily short tips for selling any home quicker and for more money.
Tip #2 for Selling Your Home Quickly and For Top Dollar $$$$$$
5 Renovations or Updates you should AVOID!!
If you are selling your home, sometimes updating or renovating can increase your asking price or entice buyer’s to jump for a quick sale. Other choices can be a waste of time and money. Renovations to avoid include,
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Never put high end appliances in a modestly priced home.
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Avoid the use of high end finishout material such as hand-painted tile, granite counters or high end sinks and fixtures in the baths and kitchens of average priced homes.
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Don’t add Central Air Conditioning unless all the homes in your area have it.
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Forget replacing windows, unless they are damaged, broken, fogged or they don’t open and close properly.
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Never add central vacuum systems for resale purposes.
While there are home improvements that can help you sell faster and for more money, these five upgrades are time waster’s and money losers.
Check back in next Monday, April 6th for some inexpensive update idea’s that will help you accomplish your goals and make you money.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com. We have helped thousands of owners and builders market and sell their homes for only $399. Who is Helping You??
4 Real Estate Mistakes Seller’s Should Avoid.
Timing is Everything, when attempting to catch a fish in your mouth or selling a home. Home Seller’s take note. Several factors have converged to make this the TIME to Sell!
Spring is here. Tax incentives, low interest rates and deep discounts on home prices have buyer’s jumping off the fence to buy a home. The question is “Are You Doing What it Takes to Sell a home in this Market?”.
Learn the 4 Mistakes That Prevent Home Sales
#4: Not Using Effective Marketing and Advertising. Simply put, people can not buy your home if they don’t know it is for sale. Forget print advertising. 95 percent of home buyer’s shop on the internet, so you have to maximize its power. Use a lot of photographs to showcase your home, buyers love photo’s more than anything else when they shop for a home. Video tours are also great sales tools that expose your property to a whole new audience.
#3: Trouble Making Appointments to Show: When a seller has trouble making his home accessible for showings, it is very likely that the buyer will move on to the next house and never look back. It is imperitive that your home is available to be shown in a moments notice. There are simply too many homes on the market for buyer’s to choose from. They are ready to buy now, they will not wait on you.
#2: Home is Not in “For Sale” Condition: As a rule, buyer’s form a first impression about a house in 60 seconds. If your home doesn’t appear neat, clean and cared for, buyers will walk. And, if you have an interested buyer, don’t forget that will insist on a home inspection. Fix problems and address delayed maintanence issues or risk stopping your sale in its tracks.
#1: Incorrectly Pricing Your Home: If your home is overpriced, you will drive away buyer’s. A high inventory of unsold homes means that buyer’s have plenty of choices. And, the internet allows buyer’s to see what people paid for houses similar to yours. Most buyers instantly know when a piece of real estate priced incorrectly. If yours is, buyer’s will simply refuse to look at it, at all.
To Learn More About How to Capitalize on the Busy Selling Season by reading these articles:
How to Find a Buyer for Your Home
The Most Effective Way to Advertise Your Home for Sale. Proof that Photo’s Sell Homes Use a Real Estate Video to Sell Your Home Tough Talk About Pricing Your Home What Home Repairs will a Buyer Expect You to Fix 10 Repairs that Seller’s MUST Make
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com. We have helped thousands of home seller’s market their homes successfully and we can help you, too. Our real estate marketing program places your home in front of 10 million home shoppers each and every month.
Open Houses Begin to Draw Crowds
Real estate agents and home builders are reporting that foot traffic is definitely picking up at Open Houses and Model Home Parks.
In recent weeks, the number of visitors at weekend open houses has doubled in many parts of the country. And, best of all, buyer’s appear to be serious. Agent’s report that some buyers are coming back to view the home two or three times before they jump into buy.
It may be the arrival of spring, low interest rates, tax rebates or huge price declines that are bringing buyer’s out enmass, but who cares?? The news that buyer’s are getting out to home shop is certainly encouraging news for home seller’s.
Click here to read more about holding Your Own Open House.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com. We have helped thousands of homeowner’s successfully market their properties. Who’s helping You??
Furnished or Unfurnished. Which is Better?
The question is as old as real estate…”Should I move and sell my home while it’s empty or should I live in the home until it sells?
Some people don’t have a choice, but for those who can go either way, is it easier to sell a home with furniture or without?
Pro’s and Con’s for Furnished Homes
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Furnishings give a lived-in feeling to a property.
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Furnishings give buyer’s an idea about where they can place their furniture.
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Real estate agent’s who say furnished sells better, sites builder model homes. Builder’s wouldn’t stage and furnish a model home, if it didn’t matter.
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Model Home, Aside…If your furniture and decor leaves something to be desired, you may not want to give the Model Home comparison much weight.
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The living, dining and family rooms are the most important rooms to furnish.
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Furnishings give a lived in feeling to a home. (Scroll up and reread Model Home, Aside, before you decide)
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Living in a home for sale is no picnic. As a matter of fact it can be hell. Showing a home when a buyer wants to see it is job #1. So, living in a home for sale means you and the family need to live a very flexible and clean life until moving day comes.
Pro’s and Con’s of Unfurnished
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A lot of people prefer a “blank canvas” when they imagine placing their things in a room.
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Agent’s are split 50/50 on their opinion about furnishings and room sizes. Half say empty looks bigger. Half say furnished looks more spacious.
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Empty homes tend to show more flaws. Furniture and rugs hide dints, dings can hide, or detract from, a lot of defects, wear and tear.
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Some agents feel that buyers think that empty homes are owned by desperate sellers. The truth is that just because a home is empty, it doesn’t mean the seller will give it away.
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Vacant homes get more Showings. This is true. Empty houses get more showings because agents know that they can be seen in a moments notice. They don’t need to call for an appointment or wait around for a seller to make the bed, put the dishes away and round up the dogs and kids.
Furnished or Unfurnished?? The experts are divided. If you can’t decide, just remember that at the right price, any home will sell.
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Cheap Kitchen Update Increases Saleability
Dear Why 6 Percent Broker,
I would really value your opinion about the appearance of my kitchen. Our home has been on the market for 6 months. Our MLS listing has generated several showings, but no one has made an offer. I think the biggest turn off in our house is the kitchen and I would like to know what you think about it. I emailed this photo, so you can see it for yourself. I really need your opinion about updating the kitchen, without spending a lot of money. Would you mind giving us a few suggestions that would help our home sell?
Thank you, C Dalton
Dear Ms Dalton,
You are right in your assumption that the kitchen is the heart of every home. You are also correct about the fact that an outdated kitchen can stop a potential sale. Even if your home is priced under the market, homes that are in “move in” condition, simply appeal to a much wider audience.
The good news is that your kitchen looks spacious and its “L” shape is functional and popular. This means you can update your kitchen and increase the appeal, without spending a lot of money. Here are a few suggestions that won’t bust your budget and will likely increase your saleablility.
- Remove the Wallpaper and Repaint the Walls: First of all, a coat of fresh paint always provides more bang for the buck than anything else a homeowner can do. Your yellow kitchen walls are bright and sunny, but people tend to like yellow or hate it. I think you should repaint the walls with a nice neutral color and use a satin finish paint. You don’t want the kitchen to be shiny (gloss) or too flat and hard to wipe clean(flat paint). You can possibly get away with painting over the wallpaper versus removing it. If the paper is really stuck to the wall, you can buy a Primer at Sherwin Williams that was made for this purpose.
- Replace the Countertops: Your countertops age the room and make neutralizing your kitchen very difficult. New Formica or laminate countertops offer a fresh new look, without spending much money. You can also consider tile countertops without busting your budget. Tiling costs about the same as a laminate and provides more function (cut or place hot pans on it) with a custom look. Depending upon the price range of your house, you can even consider using granite tiles for a really expensive look. Installing granite tiles gives you the look of granite slab at a fraction of the cost.
- Remove the Scroll Moulding over the Cabinets: It may be a small thing, but this type of moulding is busy on the eye and is outdated. It also appeals to very few buyers. I suggest that you remove the moulding entirely. If you need a moulding to hide gaps between the cabinets and furdowns, use a simple quarter round or crown moulding instead. Paint the new moulding white to match the cabinets.
- Update the Cabinet and Drawer Hardware: New door and cabinet pulls sold at DIY centers like Home Depot or Lowes go along way in updating a kitchen. In addition to a wide selection, the prices are very reasonable for a kitchen your size. If you can’t decide on a style, visit a few builder model homes and choose a type similar to the ones they select. To make installation easy, choose handles or pulls that line up with the holes that are already drilled in your cabinets. If the new holes don’t align with the old ones, you will have to fill the holes and touch up the paint.
- Declutter: Buyers like kitchens that appear spacious, without clutter, and offer plenty of countertop space. You should remove the papertowel dispenser that is hanging below the cabinet and hide it inside the sink cabinet. Remove all the small appliances, spices, bags of potatoes and cooking instruments that line your countertops and hide them out of view. Kitchen’s should also be spotlessly clean. The sink should sparkle and all the dishes should be stored in their proper place. Clean out your cabinets, drawers and pantry. Move any items that aren’t used daily into storage boxes. The idea here is to create as much usable storage space as you can. If a buyer see crammed drawers and cabinets, they will assume that your kitchen doesn’t have enough storage space for their needs, either.
- Vent-a-Hood and Oven: The vent-a-hood and oven should blend in with the cabinets. Buy some spray paint for metal applications. Tape off the area and ID plates, then spray the appliances white to match the cabinets.
Thank you for writing to Why6Percent.com. Hopefully, the suggestions are in line with your thinking and your budget. I am confident that you are on the right track about the kitchen freshen up. Buyers will certainly appreciate the improvements and the bonus is that you will enjoy them, too. Good luck on your sale and please keep us posted.
To view Homes for sale or place a Free Property Listing Click Here.
Cleanliness is the Hardest Part
The #1 compliant from real estate agents and home shoppers, who show or tour your home, is a lack of cleanliness.
Cleanliness also happens to be the hardest part of staging your home to Sell. If you have children and animals, you undoubtedly know what I am talking about. I find spills and messes at my house within minutes after cleaning up. Although keeping your home in Show Condition is Difficult at Best… Make a Pact with the Family and be Diligent about it Until your Home is Sold.
The best way to get started is with a deep cleaning. Wash the windows, the drapes, the linens and scrub the kitchen spotlessly clean. Scour appliances and don’t forget the range hood and refrigerator top. Pack any items you don’t have to use and make the kids pack up the toys that aren’t essential to a happy life.
Just Do It. A squeaky clean house not only makes a great impression on your prospective buyer, it is also your hands down advantage over all the foreclosures. Most of them are dirty, smelly and in serious disrepair.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com, your MLS and Internet Home Marketing Experts.
The Empty Nester: Facts About Todays Home Buyers
As we learned yesterday, 60 percent of today’s home buyers were born after 1964. And, 54 percent of them are under the age of 34. We learned that it is crucial to understand the interests of the young adult, and learn where they are likely to shop for a home, in order to successfully market our homes.
Today, we focus on the fact that a large percentage of buyers are empty nesters. They have no children living at home. As you tailor your advertising to attract the empty nester, consider that single females are twice (24 percent) as likely to buy a single family residence than their single male (12 percent) counterparts. Married couples prefer single family homes 86 percent of the time. If you own a townhouse or condominium, your home will be likely be purchased by a single person, either male or female.
This information is important in your efforts to “niche” market to the type of property you are attempting to sell. For example, younger and single buyers hate print and newspapers. They love the internet and video clips, so use these tools in your niche marketing. They are social. Be sure to include pictures of people, in their age group, enjoying all the benefits of living in your area. Video is a great tool for this. Record some local scenes thatare favored by young adults and upload the video to InfoTube.net.
If you picture that the buyer for your home is likely to be an older empty nester, focus on downsizing benefits, safety and the convenience of your neighborhood. It is also a good idea to emphasize cost savings factors and completed updates to this cost conscience group. While this group is not likely to shop on youtube, they love to see pictures. Include some people in their age group and make up, enjoying the lifestyle in your area.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com. Our unique marketing program can place your home listing in front of 10 million buyers each month. Call 1-800-381-9496 today for the details.
Home Buyer Talks Straight with Seller’s
So, my husband and I are now in the market for a house! It’s very cool, because it’s definitely a buyers’ market, as it was when we sold. Being on the other side of the equation gives me a whole new perspective, of course, and I’ve been trying to look critically at the houses that we have been seeing so I can pass on my observations to you all, as you are staging and selling your houses. I know that you have lost a bit of leverage, since there are so many houses on the market right now, but there are still things that you can do to help your house stand out. And frankly, I’ve been a little amazed at how some of the sellers whose houses we’ve seen haven’t done those things.
First and foremost, and this may sound like a little thing (but it’s not): Keep your infotubes full! I cannot stress this enough. When we are driving around and see a house that’s for sale, we immediately stop to look for “words.” If the tube is empty, our immediate reaction, fair or not, is “They don’t really want to sell this house.” A neglected infotube could be just an oversight, or it could be a sign of greater neglect. Either way, we don’t even consider those houses. So, if you are still in the house you are selling, for goodness sake, keep that tube full! And if you’re not in the house, make sure that your agent keeps the tube full. It makes a difference. Remember, I am now your potential buyer, and you’ve already lost me!
Depersonalize, please! I consider myself to be a fairly sophisticated buyer–one who is able to look beyond the stage at the bones of the space, but many potential buyers just see what they see. They see the pictures, not the walls behind them. They see the carpet, not the floor underneath. Make sure that what these buyers are seeing is the most tastefully generic stage you can possibly set. We went into a lovely home last weekend–2300sf, soaring ceilings, lovely staircase, immaculately kept. It truly was a lovely home. We didn’t like the layout; it wouldn’t work for us, so we passed. But the people who live there and are trying to sell have written off a large portion of their potential market. There were family photos all around the house and a lot of art–everywhere–that was very personal to them, because it was all religious art. Whether the art was Christian, Islamic, Hindu or Zoroastrian, it makes no difference. Many people will walk into that house and walk back out because they can’t see beyond the stage. I’m not saying you have to be Peter and deny your religion, but you do have to be sensitive to the fact that not all buyers will believe the same things you believe, and many might actually be put off.
As we continue our search, I will continue to bring reports of what I’m seeing out there. I hope that this new phase in our lives will help to focus your resolve as sellers as you get your house sold!
For more information, or to order a copy of I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers’ Market, please visit I Can Sell This House.
Thank you to Jennifer for writing so truthfully to all home seller’s. We will keep you posted on anyother advise she gathers as she continues her search to buy a home.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com MLS and home marketing services company. Please feel free to search our site for new home listings. And, seller’s call us today at 1-800-381-9496. Our job is to get your home listing in front of people like Jenni and 10 million other home shoppers each month.
Tough Talk about Home Prices
Real estate agent’s have recently commented that although homeseller’s say they are desperate to sell, 90 percent of their listings are priced too high to sell right now. So, what should the motivated seller consider before pricing home, if they truly need to sell???
Rule #1: Never Chase the Market Down:
Many seller’s make the mistake of overpricing their home when it is first listed, then they continue to lower the price month after month. The results of this strategy are always POOR.
Why? A listing receives the most attention from serious buyer’s and agent’s when it is NEW. Seller’s who overprice from the start, waste the most valuable exposure time the property will ever receive. Seller’s have only one chance to make a good first impression. Everytime the price is lowered, the only impression the buyer gets is that the house is overpriced and the listing is stale.
If you are serious about selling, get serious from the start. Experience proves that homes priced to sell, from Day 1 on the Market, are the properties that sell the quickest and for the most money.
Rule #2: They Can Always Make an Offer
Seller’s and agent’s who utter phrases like “let’s see what we can get”, “leave room to negotiate” or “they can always make a an offer” are people which are very likely to be sitting on an overpriced home.
I don’t want to offend anyone who has uttered these words, but… Let’s be real. NO ONE writes offers on overpriced homes. Today’s buyer’s are not in a hurry. They wait on the sidelines for months and months, happily and patiently renting, until the market comes down. There is absolutely no urgency or incentive to pressure a buyer to make an offer on a overpriced property.
Rule #3: Be Clear About Why You Are Selling
If you aren’t serious about selling, or you don’t have to sell, please take it off the market NOW. Overpriced property creates more inventory, which no one needs. And, overpricing encourages buyers to stay on the sidelines, which drives down asking prices even further.
If you NEED to sell your home, Price it to be the BEST HOME in your neighborhood, at the BEST PRICE!!! Do this from the very first day you put it on the market. If you do so, your home will sell for more money and in less time than those listed by seller’s and agent’s who continue to think they can test and fool the market.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com. We are always here to help you with the sale of your home, even if the current market conditions are painful. The truth is that Homes are Selling. Please check our site for some great deals on houses seen no where else on the web. Leave your comments and experiences here, or post anonomously in our forum.