Get Your Listings Out of the Winter Blues
With the market heating up early this year because of expiring tax credits, more practitioners will find themselves showing—and selling—properties in the cold.
Here are some suggestions for bringing a little warmth to the sale:
* Keep safe. Make sure the walkways and the driveways are shoveled, sanded, and sprinkled with snowmelt or salt on them.
* Go shoeless. Ask potential buyers to remove their boots so they don’t track mush through the house or slip on a puddle. Offer them a pair of disposable slippers instead.
* Hide the shovel. Leaving snow-removal equipment in plain sight is an unnecessary reminder that there is work involved in homeownership.
* Light a fire in the fireplace. Nothing makes a house seem cozier than a warm fire on a cold day.
* Turn up the heat. If the house is cold, it will feel dank and it may smell that way too.
* Show the home in summer. An album of photos of the yard in bloom will help buyers envision themselves living there.
Source: Newsday, Laura Koss-Feder (01/29/2010)
Front Gate Properties, We’re selling the BEST Real Estate in Aiken, SC.
Sellers Should List Homes Early
Selling a home in the dead of winter might seem ill-advised, particularly considering the state of the economy, but some experts think that making the decision to wait until spring to list the property could be a mistake.
Government incentives will likely have a big impact in 2010, with many buyers determined to sign a contract before the April 30 tax credit deadline.
“This year, we’re anticipating sales will peak earlier,” says Nicole Hall, editor in chief of Lendingtree.com, an online mortgage comparison service. “The best time to get your house on the market will be February or early March, and maybe even earlier if you want to avoid competition.”
Traffic on real estate Web sites begins to rise right after the New Year, says Ken Shuman, spokesman for real estate Web site Trulia.com.
Source: Forbes.com, Francesca Levy (12/24/2009)
Front Gate Properties, We’re selling the BEST Real Estate in Aiken, SC.
Rethinking the Open House
RISMEDIA, It’s a familiar weekend scene in American neighborhoods, the ubiquitous Open House; three signs, a flag and one seriously bored agent watching Rachel Ray reruns in the family room.
It is apparent from the Open Houses I have visited that many agents don’t know why they are there. Many are newer to the business, more on that in a moment. But, in all likelihood, the home they have selected is not their listing.
Their behavior toward me suggests that they believe that someone is actually going to walk through the door and buy the house, and with that view of their mission, it is no wonder that they come to view Open Houses as a waste of time.
The true purpose of an Open House is neither to sell the home nor to “pick-up” a ripe buyer. Nor, is it to placate the seller. The purpose of an Open House is to build listing dominance in the neighborhood surrounding the home. And, you will get potential buyers just as you would if you had aimed at them.
Select the right community.
If you do business in a region where there is reasonably priced new or newer construction, you might want to consider focusing there. Depending on the age of the homes, there may have been few, if any resales, and no other agent or brand will have established dominance. Full story
Front Gate Properties, We’re selling the BEST Real Estate in Aiken, SC.
Strategies to Help Homeowners Maximize Real Estate Value and Sales Price
RISMEDIA, March 4, 2009-For home owners contemplating selling their homes in the current market, Relocation.com, a leading online consumer resource for moving services, offers several tips to help sellers maximize the final sale price, get the home sold quickly and move on to their new home. While many factors come into play with finding the right buyer at the right time, there are many things sellers can do to help put the odds in their favor.
“Despite the tough economic times, people who want to sell their homes don’t have to wave a white flag in surrender. Relocation.com wants to help educate consumers about the selling process so that they can make smart decisions about moving to a new home,” said Sharon (Ron) Asher, chairman and founder, Relocation.com. “With these sales strategies, consumers can get their homes sold and on to moving into their new residences.”
Tips for Selling a Home in Today’s Market
1. Do not overprice the home.
2. Select Internet-friendly pricing
3. List the home on a Friday
4. Occupy or stage the home.
5. Monitor local foreclosures
6. Keep the home neat and clean.
7. Keep records.
Front Gate Properties, We’re selling the BEST Real Estate in Aiken, SC.
Tips for Freshening Up Your Home with Fabrics
RISMEDIA, July 7, 2009-(MCT)-The quickest way to freshen a piece of furniture and lift the spirits is through fabric. I feel years younger – and so does my dining room – now that I’ve re-covered the seats of chairs I inherited from my great-grandfather. The shield-back style of the chairs is classic; the upholstery featuring a frumpy fruit pattern definitely was not.
So I found some hip fabric (a gray cotton with a modern graphic print), took an upholstery stapler et voila! A whole new look for the dining room in less than two hours for about $40.
“Shouldn’t you take the chairs to a professional upholsterer?” a dubious friend asked before I started my DIY project. For a sofa or even a whole chair, yes. But for a few seat cushions, no. It’s so easy and more affordable to do it yourself. (Check below for step-by-step instructions from Betsy Blodgett, owner of Bon Bon Atelier in Kansas City, Mo.)
Fabrics are a way to set the mood of the room. Want sophistication in the bathroom? Create a tall fabric shower curtain that hangs from a rod close to the ceiling. It makes the room feel larger, too.
Room by Room: Other fresh fabric projects
Dining Room: Use outdoor fabrics to make tablecloths and banquette cushions. They are easy to bleach and clean.
Family Room: Create a junior ottoman by stacking three 26-inch boxed pillows that can also be floor pillows for television viewing.
Bedroom: Make a modern canopy by hanging bed drapery panels on swing-arm rods at each side of the bed.
Bathroom: Cover a wastebasket with a decorative fabric using spray adhesive. Add gimp or braid trim with a glue gun to hide the edges.
Closet: Upholster the walls and ceiling of a tiny closet using Mod Podge as an adhesive.
Front Gate Properties, We’re selling the BEST Real Estate in Aiken, SC.
6 Landscaping Tricks That Wow Buyers
In today’s market, sellers have to work harder to persuade buyers that their property is worth the bite.
Landscape designer Michael Glassman has cooked up a recipe for guaranteed curb appeal.
1. Add splashes of color.
2. Size trees and shrubs to scale.
3. Maintain a perfect lawn
4. Light up the outside.
5. Let them hear the water
6. Use decorative architectural elements.
For the full details….
Front Gate Properties, We’re selling the BEST Real Estate in Aiken, SC.
Open Houses Are Still Worth It, Practitioners Say
Despite a changing market, many real estate professionals say open houses are still a good way to showcase a home.
Open houses work just as well as they did a few years ago when the market was very competitive, says Trudy Severa, an associate with Long & Foster in Reston, Va.
“Anything you can do helps,” says Severa. “It’s a numbers game, and there is no way to know the residual effects [that an open house can have].”
Some practitioners have had success joining forces with others to produce a group tour. For instance, seven different practitioners recently held a neighborhood open house in Washington, D.C., where participants could view eight listings ranging in price from $500,000 to more than $1 million.
An open house can be an opportunity to talk to potential buyers who are interested but who might be unsure about the uncertain market, says Mario Rubio, a practitioner with Rubio Real Estate in Annandale,Va. He suggests having a loan officer/mortgage banker on hand at the event to answer questions.
Source: The Washington Times, Cary Lee Dailey (04/10/2009)
Front Gate Properties, We’re selling the BEST Real Estate in Aiken, SC
8 Ways to Spruce Up Your Listing’s Curb Appeal.
Staging a yard can give a home the all-important, buyer-pleasing curb appeal. Here are some suggestions that are both inexpensive and easy.
* Make it green. Balancing the pH level and feeding the lawn lots of nutrients will give it a lush and healthy look.
* Trim trees and shrubbery. Overgrown branches hide a home’s good looks.
* Mulch everything. Mulch gives flowerbeds visual appeal.
* Edge the beds. Edging makes everything look neat.
* Powerwash the siding, sidewalks and patios. Power washing gets rid of all the winter grunge.
* Plant annuals. Lots of geraniums, impatiens and petunias brighten up the look.
* Plant a garden. If the Obama’s can do it, so can everyone else.
* Hang a hammock. It suggests life is easy.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, June Fletcher (04/03/2009)
Front Gate Properties, We’re selling the BEST Real Estate in Aiken, SC.
Simple Tips for Better Home Showings!
1. Remove clutter and clear off counters. Throw out stacks of newspapers and magazines and stow away most of your small decorative items. Put excess furniture in storage, and remove out-of-season clothing items that are cramping closet space. Don’t forget to clean out the garage, too.
2. Wash your windows and screens. This will help get more light into the interior of the home.
3. Keep everything extra clean.
Front Gate Properties, We’re selling the BEST Real Estate in Aiken, SC.
Simple Tips for Better Home Showings!
1. Remove clutter and clear off counters. Throw out stacks of newspapers and magazines and stow away most of your small decorative items. Put excess furniture in storage, and remove out-of-season clothing items that are cramping closet space. Don’t forget to clean out the garage, too.
2. Wash your windows and screens. This will help get [...]
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