January – October Market Statistics Fort Walton Beach
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Archives for October 2013
How To Stage Your Home For a Fast Sale
Here’s the step-by-step process for staging the INSIDE and OUTSIDE of your home to get it sold fast, and for top dollar…
Step #1: Assess Your Current Situ
ation
We can work together to Identify what improvements need to be made for a speedy sale. To assess the inside of your home, jot a list down of rooms that need to be cleared out and freshened up. Then create a second list for the outside of your home. Start by looking at the following two areas:
- For the outside, take a walk across the street from the home. Examine the curb appeal of the home. Make notes of items that are unsatisfactory from a buyer’s perspective.
- Get into your car and start driving away from their home. Look back and make notes about what looks good, and what needs improvement.
STEP #2: Eliminate Clutter
The key to making a home attractive to a buyer is getting rid of clutter. Make counters clear, get rid of pictures on the wall and tables, store excess furniture if necessary, put books in boxes. You’ll be doing this for your move – you may just need to do some of it a little early. Here’s a checklist to get started:
- Clear away kitchen and bathroom counters. These are areas where you need to show the most space and neatness. So put appliances and kitchen-items away.
- Re-arrange furniture so rooms look larger. Store old furniture or cluttered items in another location — at least while the home is for sale.
- Get rid of as many “personal” things as you can. Buyers have a hard time visualizing “their” new home with personal belongings everywhere. Try to make the home look neutral, as if you don’t know who lives there.
- Also, get all the clutter out of the yard. Put hoses away, store garbage cans, put away the sprinkler and kids toys. The neater the area looks, the better the first impression.
STEP #3: Spruce the Home Up Before Showing
Make improvements to the home, but only where it will make the biggest difference to the sales price. Getting the biggest bang for your buck usually means getting a fresh coat of paint on strategic walls and areas. New paint is an inexpensive way to show a home in its best condition. Here’s what to do:
- Check the paint condition of the INTERIOR of a home by removing pictures off walls. It will probably need painting. Remember to get inside painting done first, before any cleaning.
- Check the paint condition of the entire EXTERIOR of the home. If it’s pealing or worn, the buyer will notice it immediately. Don’t devalue your home by trying to sell it in poor paint condition. Pay particular attention to the front door, mailbox, garage doors, and walkway areas. These are where the buyers will be walking and noticing problems.
Also consider the following items to attract buyers with quality offers:
- Professional Cleaning. Get a professional firm in to CLEAN the entire home. Floors, ceilings, windows, fireplace, carpet, drapes — everything! Also, check for ODORS. If the owners have a pet, they’re home probably needs to have carpets cleaned or deodorized. Any odors make a home less attractive.
- Home Inspection. Check for termites and functional obsolescence. Many homeowners actually have their home inspected prior to putting it on the market. It makes a good impression to the buyers when you have your own inspection completed by an independent company. It will also save embarrassing situations with buyers who discover problems.
- Landscaping. The landscaping should look immaculate. Make sure the lawn is groomed, flower beds are clean, leaves are removed, and weeds are pulled. Check the bushes and trees for grooming also.
STEP #4: Show the Home in the Best Light
Always turn on the LIGHTS when showing. Make sure you turn on all lights around the home before a buyer gets there.
- These include: the mailbox light, front door, entry (especially if the entry is dark), and dark hallways. Make your home alive, by being inviting and bright. Bright homes sell better than dark homes.
- Leave all front area curtains and drapes open. Have you ever seen model homes? The drapes are always open at night, and the lights are on. Why? Because it shows the home better. Also, when you keep drapes open during the day, people touring through the home will experience more natural light.
There’s only one last step to get your home sold fast…Set the RIGHT Price for Your Home from the Start
Homes that sell the fastest also sell for the most money!
10 Steps To Get The Best Deal On A Home
When it comes to real estate, timing is everything. And if you’re buying this year, your timing is perfect. Interest Rates are still at Historic lows and lenders are starting to loosen up lending criteria. Below are 10 steps to make the buying process smoother and help save you money.
1. Get pre-approved for a mortgage. Pre-approved, not pre-qualified. Pre-qualified simply means you’re good for the loan — if your income, debts, credit and other factors are exactly as you stated and can be documented. Pre-approved means these things have already been checked and verified. This is always a good idea in any market, especially now. Sorting out the mortgage first will let you concentrate solely on the loan terms, without the added pressure to choose something quickly or risk losing your “dream house.” Since you’re likely to have more options in terms of properties, this step will also help you narrow the field to only those homes you can truly afford.
2. Determine your dollar limit. Decide how much you want to pay, not just how much you can pay. The maximum for which you qualify isn’t automatically the amount you want to spend. You may want to buy less house to allow for a future where one of you might want to stay home with the kids or make a career change.
3. Make a list, check it twice. Another way to narrow your search in a market with many choices is to really zero in on the individual features of your future home. Which items do you really need? Which do you merely want? Which don’t matter? And what would be a deal-breaker? You’ve got to make sure that what you’re looking for is really what you want. If you’re buying the home with a spouse, make up your own separate lists first, then try to integrate them. That way, you approach sellers and agents as a united front — and you’re more likely to get what you want.
4. Do your homework. If there are communities you like, do the in-depth research now. Buyers, especially in a market with a lot of choices, get caught up in finding the “perfect house” and don’t do their research. Instead, you want to be able to take advantage of the fact that we’ve got a lot of choices.
5. Hire a buyer’s agent. A good real estate agent can help you focus your search and avoid the pricing pitfalls. Don’t fall victim to the trap that you can save money by not using an agent. The seller, after all is paying that agent.
6. Put all extras in your first offer. Negotiations are more elastic in the beginning when the buyer and seller are most likely to want to reach an agreement. It’s a lot easier to include that entire list of concessions or repairs in the beginning than to drop it in at the very end.
7. Leave room for a second offer. Many sellers will assume that if you knock $20,000 off the price the first time around, you’re looking for a counteroffer that will reduce the asking price by $10,000. But it’s a fine line to walk. Offer too little and they won’t believe you’re a serious buyer; too high and you leave little room to negotiate.
8. Have a backup plan. Don’t set your mind on one house and say it’s that or nothing. It helps you remain more objective and you won’t get carried away and pay more for a house than the house is really worth. If you are seriously considering other homes — and could be just as happy with other choices, have your agent convey that point. Be respectful and honest.
9. Call your insurance agent. How will the neighborhoods you’re shopping affect your home and auto premiums? Your agent will be happy to tell you. And it’s even more important since some areas are seeing large increases in premiums in the wake of natural disasters. It’s free knowledge and like the price of groceries in your new community, it all goes into the cost of living and you never think of it until you move there.
10. Educate yourself. Education is more valuable now. People have trepidation and fear because they’ve realized that real estate is now appreciating at normal rates. But with low rates and decent prices on housing, it’s a good opportunity to get into the market.