Seller's Resources
When selling your home, there are no guarantees that a buyer will simply walk through the front door. There are steps that you need to take so that your property receives maximum exposure to attract a ready, willing and able buyer.
The appearance of your home, a buyer's first impression, and other considerations can also affect the sale of your home. Have you considered that home prices in your neighborhood and the value of your property are also factors used for pricing your home? In many cases you may have to bring your home to the buyer. Effective marketing will help ensure that your home is sold in a timely manner at the best price.
Below are some articles that you might find useful in the home selling process. Please feel free to click on the links to read more.
Seller Articles
NEED TO SELL your home fast? With a glut of unsold homes on the market and foreclosures on the rise, you may be feeling discouraged. But there's no reason your property needs to sit unsold for months.
Here are five ways to expedite the process and sell your home quickly.
1. Price it right
With homes sales slowing and prices plunging, there's little doubt that selling for a good price in today's market is going to be tricky. The median existing home price dropped more than 7% last month compared with the same month last year, according to the National Association of Realtors. So if you try to ask as much for your property as your neighbor got six months or a year ago, you're going to turn off potential buyers. Instead, price your home conservatively by looking at similar houses currently on the market. Also look at the homes that aren't selling. Chances are those owners priced their dwellings too high.
If you really want to stimulate a sale, you should under price your property by just a hair. Just shaving a few thousand dollars off can generate more foot traffic and create a buzz.
2. Make it inviting
There's no faster way to turn off a potential buyer than to show them a home stuffed with kids' toys, family knickknacks and a stinky kitty litter. Even stodgy furniture can make a property more difficult to unload.
Fortunately, there are some inexpensive things homeowners can do on their own to attract a buyer. Whether you live in a cozy Cape Cod or a 4,000-square-foot McMansion, make your space feel as open and clean as possible. Get rid of clutter, organize the closets and remove all personal items that may make it more difficult for someone to imagine living in your house.
3. Get an inspector
A home that's in good working order will always sell faster than one that needs pricey repairs. That's why it's a good idea to get your home inspected before you put it on the market. The benefits are twofold. First, it's always cheaper and faster to make your own repairs rather than have a buyer drag out the negotiating process to accommodate any necessary work. Second, you'll also avoid any nasty last-minute surprises that could derail a deal should the buyer's inspector discover you need, say, to replace the roof.
4. Fill your listing with photos
Make sure you have an eye-catching online listing. Some 84% of people start their real estate searches online, according to the National Association of Realtors. While it used to be enough to simply slap up one or two blurry photos, buyers now prefer a slew of pictures so that they don't waste their time touring a home that doesn't meet their requirements.
What should your listing include? Take half a dozen or more photos that highlight your home's best features. Make sure to include a shot of the outside on a sunny day, and one of the kitchen, a bathroom, dining room, and a bedroom. It's incredibly important to include multiple photos in an online property ad since homes without several pictures are likely to get passed over by buyers.
5. Throw in a little something extra
With home sales stalled, motivated sellers are offering incentives to buyers such as paying for the closing costs.
Some other ideas: If you installed a 40-inch plasma TV with a surround-sound stereo system in the living room, offer to include it with the house. Chances are you won't be able to take it with you anyway. If you're selling a second home on the water, throw in the jet-ski and dock rights. If you pad the asking price by just a couple of thousand dollars, you'll still come out ahead.
Excerpted from an article by Stacey L. Bradford
SmartMoney
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SELLING YOUR HOME in a cooling market is stressful at best. A couple years ago, headlines screamed of bidding wars and of homes moving off the market within days. No more. Across the country, new home prices are down from one year ago. And many predict housing prices will fall farther before they're done.
So if you plan to sell your home in the near future, call a handyman to make sure everything is in working order. Then take a close look at your local real-estate market and find out what's selling, what's not and why. Finally, don't expect to get more for your house than your neighbor got a year ago. This is a different market. Look at more recent sales data and price your home accordingly.
That said, can you still get a good price? You bet. Here are some more tips to help you get top dollar for your house.
Price, Price, Price
Selling a house is all about price. Ask too much, and you could get stuck with a home that languishes on the market. The longer it sits, the harder it is to unload. The first question a buyer asks is how long the house has been on the market. If it's been on a while, they ask what is wrong with the house.
Ironically, homeowners who ask more for their homes tend to get less in the end. Studies show that if you price your home properly it will sell faster and at a higher price than if the home was priced aggressively. Overpricing leads to low bids. Proper pricing leads to high bids.
So how do you set the right price? First, take a look at recent sales in your neighborhood. And don't forget to factor in the condition of your house. A home buyer in a more neutral market is still going to pay up for a new kitchen with Poggenpohl cabinets and a Sub-Zero Refrigerator. But in markets glutted with inventory, these items are unlikely to add much value to a house. And, if you failed to notice that Harvest Gold stoves and countertops went out of style with bell bottoms and love beads, you had better be prepared to drop your price by about as much as it would cost a new owner to renovate your relic.
Curb Appeal
First impressions are everything. The last thing you want is to turn off a potential buyer before he or she walks in the door. So make sure the house is painted, and call a landscaper to get your lawn in tip top shape. If your grass isn't green, make it green. If you have weeds, get rid of them. If the shrubs are overgrown, cut them. Even small, inexpensive potted flowers can make your home seem more inviting.
Renovations
Some renovations are worth an investment. An extra bathroom always makes a home more saleable. A few cans of paint and new flooring could also provide a handsome return.
Fix Everything
Make sure everything works. Have an inspector assess everything. If there are any doubts about the mechanical functions, a buyer will walk.
Even minor repairs are crucial. Hire a contractor to go through your home with a fine-toothed comb. Make sure the gutters are cleaned and the tub has new grout and caulk in the joints. Every window must slide open, and kitchen cabinets should open with ease. And don't forget to paint over ugly water stains. If you don't, a potential buyer could see it as a warning sign of a larger issue.
If you're inclined to leave your home as is, prepare to drop your asking price. Historically, buyers negotiate two dollars for every dollar of reported deficiencies.
Additional Tips
There's some basic advice that's worth repeating. Keep your home as clean and as pristine as possible. This means cleaning out your closets and getting rid of excess clutter and furniture. You want your home to look as spacious as possible.
How long will all this take? Give yourself a good six months. It takes time to plan, and then to coordinate projects with a contractor or handyman. Just know that the hassle will be worth it. With a little hard work, you can get the best price for your home in any market.
Excerpted from an article by Stacey L. Bradford
SmartMoney.com
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June and Fred Smith were diligent about getting their home ready for sale. They ordered a pre-sale termite inspection report. The report revealed that their large rear deck was dry-rot infested, so they replaced it before putting their home on the market.
The Smiths also called a reputable roofer to examine the roof and issue a report on its condition. The roofer felt that the roof was on its last legs and that it should be replaced. The Smith's didn't want buyers to be put off by a bad roof, so they had the roof replaced and the exterior painted before they marketed the home.
The Smith's home was attractive, well-maintained and priced right for the market. It received multiple offers the first week it was listed for sale.
But the buyers' inspection report indicated that the house was in serious need of drainage work. According to a drainage contractor, the job would cost in excess of $20,000. Fred Smith was particularly distraught because he'd paid to have corrective drainage work done several years ago.
First-Time Tip: If you get an alarming inspection report on a home you're buying or selling, don't panic. Until you see the whole picture clearly, you're not in a position to determine whether you have a major problem to deal with or not.
What happened to the Smiths is typical of what can happen over time with older homes. The drainage work that was completed years ago was probably adequate at the time. But since then, there had been unprecedented rains in the area, which caused flooding in many basements. Drainage technology had advanced. New technology can be more expensive but often does a better job.
The Smiths considered calling in other drainage experts to see if the work could be done for less. After studying the buyers' inspection report, the contractor's proposal and the buyers' offer to split the cost of the drainage work 50-50 with the sellers, the Smiths concluded that they had a fair deal.
The solution is not always this easy, especially when contractors can't agree. Keep in mind that there is an element of subjectivity involved in the inspection process. For example, two contractors might disagree on the remedy for a dry-rotted window: one calling for repair and the other for replacement.
Recently, one roofer recommended a total roof replacement for a cost of $6,000. A second roofer disagreed. His report said that the roof should last another three to four years if the owner did $800 of maintenance work. Based on the two reports, the buyers and sellers were able to negotiate a satisfactory monetary solution to the problem for an amount that was between the two estimates.
It's problematic when inspectors are wrong. But it happens. Inspectors are only human. Here is another example: A home inspector looked at a house and issued a report condemning the furnace, which he said needed to be replaced.
The sellers called in a heating contractor who declared that the furnace was fit and that it did not need to be replaced.
The buyers were unsure about the furnace, given the difference of opinions. The seller called in a representative from the local gas company. The buyers knew that the gas company representative would have to shut the furnace down if it was dangerous. He found nothing wrong with the furnace, and the buyers were satisfied.
In Closing: Sometimes finding the right expert to give an opinion on a suspected house problem is the answer, but it is always good to get two opinions.
copyright © Agent Image 2008
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CMA is real estate shorthand for "Comparative Market Analysis". A CMA is a report prepared by a real estate agent providing data comparing your property to similar properties in the marketplace.
The first thing an agent will need to do to provide you with a CMA is to inspect your property. Generally, this inspection won't be overly detailed (she or he is not going to crawl under the house to examine the foundation), nor does the house need to be totally cleaned up and ready for an open house. It should be in such a condition that the agent will be able to make an accurate assessment of its condition and worth. If you plan to make changes before selling, inform the agent at this time.
The next step is for the agent to obtain data on comparable properties. This data is usually available through MLS (Multiple Listing Service), but a qualified agent will also know of properties that are on the market or have sold without being part of the MLS. This will give the agent an idea how much your property is worth in the current market. Please note that the CMA is not an appraisal. An appraisal must be performed by a licensed appraiser.
The CMA process takes place before your home is listed for sale. This is a good assessment of what your house could potentially sell for.
CMAs are not only for prospective sellers. Buyers should consider requesting a CMA for properties they are seriously looking at to determine whether the asking price is a true reflection of the current market. Owners who are upgrading or remodeling can benefit from a CMA when it's used to see if the intended changes will "over-improve" their property compared to others in the neighborhood.
copyright © Agent Image 2008
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Ready to close the deal? Maybe not.
Sometimes unforeseeable issues arise just prior to closing the sale. Hopefully, with negotiation, most of these have a workable solution. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. But don't panic. Another buyer might still be found who is willing to accept the house as is.
Imagine that your prospective buyers are a couple with young children. They envision your unused attic as the perfect playroom for the kids but, before closing the deal, they request an inspection to see if it's safe and also if they will be able to install a skylight to provide natural light to the new space.
This inspection reveals that under the shingles that are in good condition is a roof that will only last another year or two. The prospective buyers immediately balk, not wanting to incur the time and cost of replacing the roof. Their plans were to move in and only have to spend time and money renovating the attic. The additional cost of the new roof, they say, is just too much.
At this point, you sit down with the prospective buyers and calmly discuss the situation and how it can be solved to the benefit of all. First, you agree to get another professional opinion on what really needs to be done. Inspectors are only human, and are not infallible. Once the extent of the damage is agreed upon, you can jointly decide what to do about it. While the buyers hadn't planned on that expense, you show them that instead of a limited roof life that they would get with most existing homes, they'll have a new worry-free roof that won't cost them in repairs for the next decade or so. Since the roof wasn't in as good shape as you had thought, you agree to lower the purchase price to help offset the cost of the new roof.
By negotiating calmly and looking at all possibilities, what could have been a "deal breaker" can be turned into a win-win situation for both the buying and selling parties. In other cases, the most workable agreement for both parties might be for the deal to be called off. The seller can always find another buyer and the buyer can always find another home.
To protect yourself against last minute "buyer's remorse," make sure the purchase contract anticipates and closes as many loopholes as possible after all known defects have been fully disclosed.
copyright © Agent Image 2008
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