3 Staging Tips to Improve the Look of your Property

June 3, 2013 by

Staging is a vital aspect of home-selling that many sellers, unfortunately, ignore. Properly staging your home can help you sell your home more quickly. As well as help you obtain a higher selling price and further increase your odds of receiving multiple offers. Read the tips below to take make your property the most desired listing in town.

1. Focus on curb appeal. As you may already know, maintaining curb appeal is essential for drawing buyers in. Quickly boost your curb appeal by tidying the lawn and power washing the exterior. Adding an eye-catching feature that is visible from the road and can distinguish your house is an effective strategy as well. Painting the door a bright color such as red or yellow can do wonders for making your house “pop.” Planting brightly colored flowers such as in-bloom white and red rose bushes also makes a good first impression.

2. Remove personal items. When a buyer sees pictures of your family lining every wall, it makes it difficult for them to imagine their family living in the space. Your family may cherish your framed wedding photo hanging in the foyer or your son’s artwork hanging in the kitchen, but buyers needn’t see the personal side of your home. Swap out your pictures for framed prints or framed scrapbook paper. Be sure to also take down children’s artwork and particularly taste-specific décor.

3. Paint offers a new life. Painting the walls a neutral color and brightening trim with a fresh coat of white paint can make even an older home seem updated. Steer clear of shades of yellow, as they’re often too pastel to appeal to a broad audience. Save the white paint for the trim; white paint on walls can make a room seem boring and basic. Modern shades of tan and light gray are a current trend that seems to be catching on.

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Avoid These Seller Mistakes

May 20, 2013 by

You want to get the best price for your home, plus sell it in the least amount of time. In a buyers’ market such as the one emerging now, homes will take longer to sell. Therefore, it’s important that you make the right moves at the very beginning of your homeselling process to remain competitive. Here are some common traps that many homeowners fall into and how to avoid them.

1. Over-pricing — It’s easy to think your home is worth more than the current market may support, particularly after the long run-up in home prices. Since home prices have cooled in markets around the country, home sellers must be prepared to negotiate on price and terms, and stay flexible to other stipulations benefiting the buyer. Sellers must also keep their emotions in check during the process. After all, your home is special to you and your family, and you’re proud of the improvements you’ve made over the years. But, how does your home really stand up to the others? And are those improvements important to a potential buyer?

To determine a reasonable listing price, get sales statistics on homes in the neighborhood including listing prices and actual sales prices, how long it took for the homes to sell, and government valuation comparisons. You’ll also want a market appraisal on your property. Visit homes for sale in your area and compare what you see in terms of sales appeal.

2. Negligent Housekeeping — Buyers need to be able to envision themselves living in the home. Take a good, objective look at the condition of your home. Clean, well-kept homes with an updated appearance always stand out, and a little decorating appeal can go a long way. You don’t have to buy new furniture to create charm, but you can put toys and clutter away, freshen up paint and carpet, make the most of window coverings, and add a few key accessories in order to send out welcoming signals.

3. Failing to Fix-It — Buyers, unless they are looking for a fixer-upper, would prefer to move into a home that is in perfect or near-perfect condition. If they have to fix the roof, a broken tile floor, the garage door, worn carpet or just about anything, this may give them pause about buying. At the very least, it may lower the value of the home in the prospective buyer’s mind.

4. Not Identifying Exclusions — This can be a cause of contention just at a critical point in the sale. Be sure to specify any special sales considerations or exclusions from the fixtures and furnishings list. Generally, anything permanently fixed to the house is an asset that stays with the home after the sale. So if you intend to take your grandmother’s antique chandelier that’s hanging in the dining room, clearly specify that the chandelier is not included in the sale price.

5. Not Understanding the Agent Agreement — Your sales endeavor will go smoothest when all parties have a clear understanding of what is expected. Understand the types of agency agreements when you sign with a real estate professional or company. Be sure to check on fees, commission percentages, marketing plans and timeframes. Most importantly, get everything in writing.

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The Calling Card That Can Sell a Home

April 12, 2013 by
300px Home Buyers Town Street geograph.org.uk 1531557 The Calling Card That Can Sell a Home selling articles

 

Your yard is your local home’s calling card. A dated or overgrown yard can be a huge turnoff to potential buyers – just as an appealing one can trump other objections.

Landscape designer Cynthia Bee knows this well. “Landscaping often makes the difference,” she says, “between a prospective buyer getting out of the car for a closer look or simply driving on by.”

The same goes for Internet prospects as they scan through listings in search of a SoCal’s home to buy. An unappealing yard can detract from your all-important curbside glamour photo — and cause them ‘to drive on by’ your listing. The backyard is not as important in attracting buyers, but often proves vital in holding their enthusiasm.

To help sell a home in Stevenson Ranch this spring, right now is prime time to consider some yard-focused dos and don’ts:

DON’T allow ornamentation designed to create character — that ‘character’ may be hard for prospective buyers to see past. In this category are mirrored globes, plastic fauna, and (definitely) gnomes of all varieties.

DO consider maintenance issues when you plan front and backyard updates. To sell a SoCal’s home that appeals to the widest swath of prospects, avoid intricate garden plantings that shout, Weed me! Water me! Trim me!

DON’T let original planting design make an otherwise appealing property feel dated. It used to be considered elegant to have flat-toped and rounded bushes alongside pathways – but that was the 50’s. Today, the vast majority of buyers appreciate the natural look (and native plants).

DO consider who your likeliest prospects will be – and how your yard will fit their family. If you are going to sell a home with four bedrooms, a back yard with plenty of playing space for the kids is a good idea.

Sometimes it can be the smallest details that determine how quickly you sell a SoCal’s home. It’s my job to help in figuring out which and what those are likely to be. If you are getting ready to sell a home in Stevenson Ranch, I hope you will call me to put my knowledge to work!

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