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  The Contractor Bond: When a Handshake Isn’t Enough Assurance

  “Word is bond,” the saying goes, but with home improvements, the contractor bond should be in writing. Read

To a prospective buyer this is the first impression.  Would someone take a look and keep on driving or want to see more?  Nice curb appeal can go a long way.

Take a look at your yard.  Is there cleanup to be done?  Think weeding, raking up leaves, trimming back overgrown plants or replacing dead ones.  Could your landscaping use a little updating?

Take a look at your house.  Any cracks, hanging gutters or other exterior repairs to be done?  How’s the paint?  A fresh coat of paint can really brighten things up.

How’s the roof?

Take a look at the entry, front door and porch area. When walking up to your house is it inviting?   Does entry need to be swept or cleaned?  How’s your porch light?  Is it bug-free?  A potted plant or other décor could be nice.

The way the exterior of your home looks sets expectations for what the interior will be like.  Make the most of that first impression!

Freedom First Newsletter vol 1

What is a buyer’s market? A buyer’s market takes place when the inventory of homes for sale is up and the number of buyers is down (large inventory with few buyers). This puts pressure on the seller since there are few buyers and those that are buying have lots to choose from.

There are several reasons for the current rise in inventory and one of the biggest reasons is the change in the economy. With everyone feeling the economic times we are in, people are not spending and buying homes like they were a few years ago. Another reason is that lending has become very tight and banks have made it harder to qualify for a loan, reducing the number of buyers that might otherwise want to buy a home.

So what can you do if you are trying to sell in today’s market? There are several things that you can do to help move your property and get it sold.

One of the most important things that you can do as a home owner to get your home sold is to price it correctly. How do you do this? If you are working with a real estate agent they can run CMA reports that will give you a view of the current market. Another way to get a good idea of the price on your home is to hire an appraiser who can look at several factors to come up with a price. Are you a do it yourself type person? Then you can take to the internet with a site such as Zillow.com that can give you an indication of the price.

Now that you have the house priced to sell in the market the next thing is to make your home “move-in-ready”, because a home that shows like a model is going to sell faster. This is a three part process consisting of the interior, the exterior and then your “stuff”. Starting with the exterior the yard should be green and all of the gardens looking well-kept, the home itself looking cared for and maintained. The interior needs to very clean and without the need of any repairs or updating. With this taken care of the final step is to remove your “stuff”. This is where a home staging company could come in handy, such as Staged4more.com, helping to make the house look bigger and less cluttered and allow the  buyer to imagine the home as theirs.

Since you now have a home that is priced right and looking fantastic, you need to get potential buyers in the door, and this is done through marketing. If you decide to use an agent they will put the listing into the local MLS as well as post your home on several websites such as Craigslist.org and Yahoo that will bring in buyers. If you are doing this yourself, FSBO, then you can post the listing on several web sites at little or no cost. Another key part of marketing is holding an open house and inviting potential buyers to come look at your home.

While it might take a little longer, and involve more effort on your part, it does not mean you should give up. Look at your house and see what you can do to make it look more appealing to a buyer. Search the web, pick up a book or hire some help where you might need it. It will sell, it just takes time and effort.

How do you do this? Look at other homes in your neighborhood that have sold recently and this should give you an idea of the value of your home. You could use the Internet to do some research and find a value. A great way to find the true value of your home is to hire a local appraiser who will come out and give you an appraisal for a small fee. A house that is priced in line with the market will sell, even in today’s economy.

Other things that you can do is hire a real estate agent. A good agent will market your home, add it to the MLS and put the listing up on several of the online sites so that your home has as many people looking at it as possible. Having your home on the Internet is not enough. The quality of the pictures and possibly a virtual tour will bring in and hold more attention, so a professional photographer should be used. An agent can do other things to help as well: hold open houses, mail out fliers, drop brochures door to door along with other marketing tasks.

Another way to help sell your home is to have it looking like a model home. This is not that hard to do and will give your home emotional appeal. First, remove all the excess clutter, knick-knacks and personal photographs from the home. Rooms need to be furnished but any excess items that could be removed or stored in the garage should be moved (chairs, tables, beds, etc.). When someone comes to view the home have all lights on, windows open and blinds pulled back. The smell of a home is very important and lighting a few scented candles that are not too strong is a good idea.

Of course there are many other things you could do and your local bookstore has entire books on this subject. So when you find that home that is “just perfect”, don’t turn away because you think you won’t be able to sell your home, use these tips and your home will sell.

Dan & Melinda