8 Ways to Make Your Home Sell Faster

Simple fixes and staging practices can focus buyers’ attention in the right places and keep them from getting sidetracked by personal items in the home. Here are some staging suggestions from Deborah Ehrlich-Layne of Staging Plus in Tampa, Fla., Handyman Matters, and HGTV’s The Stagers.

• Eliminate countertop clutter. A countertop covered with small appliances and utensils looks crowded, not spacious.
• Pack up the too-personal. Don’t leave toiletries on the counter. Stash family photos.
• Be prepared for snoops. Prospective buyers pull open drawers, look in closets and peek behind the shower curtain.
• Make sure things work. Dripping faucets, burned-out light bulbs, and squeaking hinges detract from the home’s appeal.
• Think “white-glove clean.” Mop, dust, vacuum, clean baseboards, wash windows. Make sure the house looks fresh and smells neutral.
• Make sure the front door is clean and the hardware polished. Power-wash walkways.
• Store furniture that makes rooms feel crowded.
• Show every room for the kind of room it is. Maybe you’ve turned your formal dining room into a home office. Get rid of the desk and computer, and bring back the dining table and chairs.

Source: The Dallas Morning News (09/05/08)

Just Sold in 16 days!

JUST SOLD IN SCOTTSDALE 6/27/2008.

After only 16 days on the market, I brought my selling clients TWO offers, and got their house sold for 96% of their asking price! I want to earn your business too! Ask me what I do differently than most real estate agents! Becky@BeckyWyattOnline.com 480-383-9209.

More Tips for the Frustrated Seller

4. HIRE A TOP REAL-ESTATE AGENT.

Get the best, most aggressive selling (listing) agent you can find.

When everything was selling before it even hit the market, of course, you didn’t need the best. You just needed the cheapest. But not these days.Fortunately, in this market, real-estate brokers are even more anxious than you. They’re eager to get whatever work they can, so don’t rely on your cousin with the real-estate license or your best friend’s wife.

Ask, instead, for the local real-estate office’s top salesperson. All offices have one or two sellers who greatly outperform their colleagues. That’s who you want.

Interview various agents and insist that they present you with a well-conceived marketing plan that goes way beyond the usual Internet page, one or two open houses and a yard sign. (Think about using a professional photographer for multiple shots on the primary Web listing, your house as the featured “home of the week” in the local newspaper, a decorating segment on a morning chat show, a stop on the local garden club’s spring tour.)

Sellers of higher-end properties should be able to negotiate a lower commission percentage, but this is no time to quibble over a couple of percentage points. Also, offer the agent a big bonus if he or she sells the house in 30 days or at your asking price. Offer other agents bonuses if they bring in the ultimate buyer.

5. PROMOTE. PROMOTE. PROMOTE.

Don’t rely on the agent to do all the work. The agent should pay the usual marketing costs, but you should be prepared to pony up for extras, especially if you insist on more expensive or untraditional promotions.

Dear Frustrated Seller,

So what’s a home seller to do? What does it take to sell a house today?

If your job or life circumstances leave you no alternative other than to sell in this market, you must be prepared to go well beyond the usual feints and gimmicks if you want to get potential buyers in the front door and, ultimately, to the closing table. By all means, feng shui the living room, bury a statue of St. Joseph in the front yard and bake brownies before the open house.

But if you really want to sell the place, you need to think and act like a salesperson. Most important, you must separate your emotional attachment to your family home from your financial interest in your family’s largest asset. Selling a house is business, and you must approach the sale in a businesslike manner.

Here are seven points to keep in mind:

1. DON’T WAIT AROUND.

Even in the better housing areas, it’s taking a long time to sell houses; and in the hardest-hit metro areas, inventories of unsold homes are stretching well past 180 days.

So, don’t try to sit out the market. That’s what hundreds of other timid sellers are doing, each of them hoping — somehow, some way — that hanging on the sidelines will improve prices and, ultimately improve his or her chances for selling success. It won’t. Not if you expect to sell anytime soon. If you want your place sold, the best way to make sure that happens is to put it up for sale.

Obviously, you should take advantage of your local market cycles — early spring is usually better for selling in much of the country — but otherwise don’t try timing the market. You won’t have any better luck than a stock trader who’s always holding out for the market highs or lows.

2. FIX IT UP AND CLEAN IT UP.

Buyers are taking your house out on a date. It has to make a good impression.

Don’t spend a lot of money — absolutely no big-ticket renovations — but do see that everything is in good repair. And give the place a new paint job and a general sprucing up. (Caution: This won’t necessarily give you any pricing advantage over less fixed-up places, but it will attract buyers and keep them interested.)

Roof Care 101

Here is a special article written just for us from Josh Caruso of M&J Roofing.  They recently helped a client of mine in Scottsdale with a flat roof and I was so impressed with his roofing wisdom, I asked him to contribute to ArizonaHomeTalk.com.  He’s happy to help with any and all roofing dilemmas.  Take it away Josh…

Taking care of your roof is very important, especially in Arizona where we have such extreme weather conditions.  There are many things you can do, as a homeowner, to protect your roof. 

            Before monsoon season, it is very important to check many parts of your roof to keep from having any leaks that could turn into major problems down the road.  Here is a list of the most important.  It is a good idea to have a professional come inspect your roof and let you know of any areas that need assistance. 

·        Gutters Are Clear of Any Debris.  This is important to not have back-up of water and cause a leak due to ponding water.  It will also cause wood-rot if wood is in the area.

·        All Flashings Are Sealed.  Flashings are the metal that seals off water when there has been a roof installation.  Such installations can be chimneys, vent pipes, AC units, sky lights, etc. When flashings are sealed correctly, there is less of a chance for water to get into the roof membrane and cause a leak.

·        Flat Roofs and Patio Roofs Need to be Recoated Every 3-5 Years.  When a new coating is on the roof, it has the reflective coating that protects against leaks and the breakdown of the roof.  The coating also reflects UV rays that causes breakdown of the roof over time.  In Arizona, the sun, animals (especially birds) and the weather breaks the roof membrane down.  Re-Coating the roof will add many years to the life of the roof so you won’t need to have a complete re-roof.

·        Replace Broken Tiles.  When tiles are broken and/or missing, it causes the water-proof tar paper to be exposed to the sun.  The sun will shine directly on the tar paper causing it to deteriorate quickly and create leaks.  Having broken or missing tiles will take many years off the life of your roof.

If you keep the maintenance on your roof up-to-date, it will increase the life of your roof by many years.  If you have any questions, please feel free to call M&J Roofing.  We will be happy to answer any questions and we give FREE ESTIMATES.

Josh Caruso, M&J Roofing

PHONE (480) 200-7156 ~ FAX (480) 459-5781

EMAIL:  JOSH.MJROOFING@COX.NET    ROC# 222308

 

Top 3 Tips for Selling

Everyone knows that the #1 thing to do if you think you want to sell your house is to invite a REALTOR over to give you an idea of the value of your home. They will advise you on pricing, a custom marketing strategy and the condition of your home.  Here are some other suggestions for trying to sell your home in THIS MARKET… 
 
GET PSYCHED UP! If you “maybe” want to sell your house – that won’t cut it in a market like this.  Be prepared to make your house stand out above the rest in price and looks.  Buyer’s have so many homes to choose from, yours must be accessible, clutter-free and have an attractive price.
 
MR. & MRS. CLEAN LIVE HERE.  As tiring as it may be, keep your house looking clean and ready to show.  What do you prefer? Keeping it looking immaculate and getting an offer in 30 days or keeping it looking okay and lingering on the market for 9 months? Go through your house and look at it with the “eyes of a buyer”.  Can a potential buyer imagine their own possessions in the space? Or are your furniture and personal items distracting? Remember, each room should be arranged in a way that highlights the best features, and minimizes flaws.
 
CAN WE BE THERE IN 5 MINUTES?  Yes, it’s rude.  But, it’s business.  When potential buyers or their REALTOR call wanting to view your property with little notice – try to be accommodating.  With only about 8% of homes selling each month, you want to make YOURS among them!  So, arrange for the dog to be put outside or at a neighbors, turn on all the lights, make sure the bed is made, and step outside while the potential buyers take a quick peek at what will be a huge investment for them, and hopefully a big paycheck for you!
 __
Thinking of selling?  I’d love to help you examine all your options, without any obligation to hire me!  Invite me over sometime:), Becky Wyatt, REALTOR, 480-383-9209, Becky@BeckyWyattOnline.com

WHAT IS SELLING?!?

Moral of the Story:  Homes that are priced $400,000 or LESS are selling the best, with an average selling time of about 4 months on the market.  Homes within the $100,000-$200,000 range are selling quicker than other ranges, and more units are selling overall (39% of homes that have sold).  Homes $100,000-$399,999 make up almost 70% of all the home sales!

If you are curious about what your home could sell for in today’s market, call Becky Wyatt at 480-383-9209 or send an email to Becky@BeckyWyattOnline and I will gladly provide a no obligation, FREE, market analysis tailored specifically to your home.