Posts Tagged ‘home selling’

• Apr 27

  How To Set The Price Of Your Home

  Pricing your home is tricky and can be the hardest part of selling a home. Setting a price can make the difference between selling a home quickly and having it remain on the market for months. While property value plays a large part in the price you set, there are other factors to consider, including:

  • Buyers have a lot of tools at hand. Today’s buyers don’t take the price of a home at its face value. There are tons of Internet websites that help buyers find home prices across the country – including your neighborhood. When your buyer knows the property value of the house for sale down the street, they may be less likely to come view your higher-priced home.
  • Homes that sit on the market are less attractive. If you price your home too high, you risk having it sit on the market for weeks or even months. The longer it sits, the more buyers are wary – they may assume that it’s priced too high or has something wrong with it.
  • Reducing the price may not help. A price reduction can draw some buyers in, but it may also dissuade others. A price reduction can sometimes imply that the home has flaws, which may turn some buyers away.
  • Setting the right price can draw competition. A reasonable or slightly low price will attract more buyers than a home that’s priced too high. Competition may help potential buyers to overlook flaws and act quickly to snap up the house before their competition does. In some situations, this can even lead to bidding wars.
  • The Internet helps – to a certain extent. While the Internet can provide a general valuation of your house, you should turn to experts to get a more accurate property value. Particularly if you’re selling a home without a real estate agent, you’ll want to consider using an appraiser. It can take longer and cost more, but it also helps you to get the best picture of how much your home is worth.

  Selling a home is more than just throwing open houses and signing paperwork. It’s crucial that you consider the price of your home before you do anything else. It can help you sell your home quickly, which saves you money and energy down the road.

  Tags: home selling, pricing your home, selling a home
  Posted in Home Selling | No Comments »

• Apr 25

  Selling a Home in Spring

  Spring is “home buying season,” so if you’re selling a home, you need to be ready for an influx of potential buyers. Thousands of families across the country take to the streets each spring in search of their dream home. If you’ve been thinking about selling a home this spring, here are a few tips to help it sell quickly (and for more money):

  • Focus on landscaping. A freshly-mown green lawn and bright flowers will help make your home look appealing to potential buyers. Pink and yellow flowers are particularly appealing in early spring when people are eager to ditch the bland grays and browns of winter. If it’s not warm enough to plant flowers in the ground, consider adding a few large pots with flowers to your porch.
  • Do some spring cleaning. If you’re selling a home, chances are you’re planning on moving soon anyway. Pack up your family heirlooms and photos, and start getting the home ready to display. Polish the floors and windows to give them some sparkle, and put up a fresh coat of paint if your home needs it.
  • Hold an open house. Spring is a great season to hold an open house. The nice weather brings in more potential buyers, and the extra light in the afternoon can help your home look bright and airy.
  • Get a great real estate agent. A local real estate agent can help you sell your home quickly, particularly during the spring. They can list your home on the MLS, so more potential buyers will see it. A good real estate agent also knows all the tricks of the trade when it comes to buying and selling a home.
  • Get ready for rain. Whether you’re having an open house or you plan to give tours, make sure you’re ready for inclement weather. An umbrella stand and a small rug to wipe off shoes are small touches that your potential buyers – and your nice clean home – will appreciate.
  • Check out the neighborhood. Look around your neighborhood to determine how many other houses are for sale. Figuring out how much they’re selling for can help you determine how you should price your own home.

  Spring is a great season for selling. Because more buyers are looking for homes, your chances of finding a buyer quickly (and making more money) increase dramatically. You’re sure to sell quickly if you follow these simple tips for selling a home in the spring.

  Tags: home selling, selling a home
  Posted in Home Selling | No Comments »

• Apr 24

  When Should You Sell Your Home?

  Is there a season that’s better than the rest for selling a home? Traditional wisdom says that spring is the best time for selling a home – more buyers are on the lookout for a new home so they can move over the summer. However, spring may not be the best time for selling a home.

  Home sales pick up in January each year and peak in April. Most moves take place over the summer, so people start hunting for a home in the spring. However, since there are more people looking to buy a home, the closing process can take weeks.

  Sales stay strong throughout the summer, then drop in August – just in time for the school year to start. Although a brief resurgence usually occurs each fall, the housing market dips as winter snow starts hitting the ground.

  If you’re thinking about selling a home this spring, you may want to think about a few things before you put it on the market:

  • People are wary of a home that sits on the market. It’s to your advantage to try and move your home quickly. If it sits on the market too long, people will assume that the price is too high or that something is wrong with the house.
  • Winter can bring unexpected sales. Because so many people try to close before the New Year, listing your home in the late fall or winter may be beneficial. You’re likely to see a speedy sale if you list in the winter.
  • Consider the climate. If you live in a warmer locale, such as southern California or Florida, then seasonal rules may not apply to you. People will likely be house hunting all year, so keep your home in good condition for potential buyers.
  • Local markets may vary. In addition to the climate, your neighborhood may follow a different pattern. Perhaps the schools in your area follow a different calendar, or you’re in a hot neighborhood and people are snapping up homes. Consider the local market before deciding to sell your home.

  Overall, homes tend to sell for about 4% more during the spring than in any other season. However, an increase in the number of sellers (and buyers) may cause your home to sit on the market – or cause it to sell right away. Although “spring selling season” is a good guideline, you’ll have to take your own individual needs into consideration when determining when to sell your home.

  Tags: home selling, selling a home
  Posted in Home Selling | No Comments »

• Apr 7

  How To Host Your Own Open House

  Selling a home takes lots of time and energy. Posting ads, giving tours and figuring out the legalities of selling a home can take up an unexpected amount of time. One great way to get a lot of people in to see your home at once is to hold an open house. From signup sheets to cookies, there are a lot of elements behind an open house – but by educating yourself about the different facets of an open house, you can make your open house go according to plan.

  The first thing you’ll want to do is clean your home and stage it so that potential buyers see your home at its best. You’ll want to make any minor repairs, do some basic landscaping and perhaps even paint the walls a neutral color all in advance of the open house.

  Next, you’ll want to advertise the open house around the area. From supermarket fliers to online classified ads, there are many options. You’ll want to allow at least three weeks for advertising to really get the word out into the community.

  It can be helpful for your potential buyers to have some information about the house and the neighborhood. You might consider making an information packet with vital information, such as the year your house was built, when the roof was last fixed or replaced and the date of any major renovations.

  Consider enlisting a helper or two. You can’t be everywhere during an open house, but getting family members or friends to help you run the event can make it a lot easier. They can help guide people through the home, keep an eye on the sign-in sheet and even help greet guests.

  Making a sign-in sheet can help you remember who came to your open house. Make sure you get their contact information – a quick follow-up call or e-mail is thoughtful and may help answer any lingering questions your potential buyers may have.

  When you’re running an open house, make sure you remove yourself from the process. Your potential buyers are interested in your home for its qualities, not for your memories. It can be hard not to tell stories about all the things that have happened in your home, but remember to keep an objective viewpoint when chatting with potential buyers.

  Finally, make sure you bake or buy some delicious cookies! Having some light snacks gives your open house a festive feel and helps put people at ease by giving them something to do.

  Relax and remember not to stress too much when it comes to holding an open house. It’s just one step in the process of selling a home, but can have a big impact on the number of buyers you see.

  Tags: home selling, open house, selling a home
  Posted in Home Selling | No Comments »

• Apr 6

  Tips for Selling a Home in Connecticut

  You may be selling a home in Connecticut for a variety of reasons, from starting a family to retirement. No matter why you’ve decided to sell your home, there are certain things that almost all home sales have in common. If you’re selling a home, following these simple tips will help the sale go smoothly:

  • Make minor repairs. It can be much easier to sell your home if you make a few minor repairs first. Things like squeaky stairs and leaky faucets can turn a potential buyer off, but are relatively easy to fix. You may also consider painting the walls a neutral color and having the carpet cleaned.
  • Read up on local laws. Educating yourself about the < a href="http://www.jud.state.ct.us/LawLib/law/home.htm" target="_blank">legalities behind home sales in Connecticut can make it easier to sell your home. While a real estate agent can explain much of the process, it can be helpful to learn about it for yourself.
  • Find a great real estate agent. A real estate agent can make selling a home in Connecticut much easier. From finding buyers to putting together paperwork, a real estate agent helps you with many different facets of selling a home. You’ll want to interview multiple real estate agents before you choose. It can be helpful to drive around and look at for sale signs in your neighborhood to see who the local real estate agents are.
  • Price your home. Settling on an asking price is one of the trickiest parts of selling a home. Pricing isn’t an exact science, so you’ll want to do some research and consider your particular area in Connecticut before you decide.
  • Consider holding an open house. An open house can help you sell your home quickly. It gives multiple potential buyers the chance to see the house at once, reducing the number of disruptive viewings.
  • Plan your move. When you’re selling a home, you’ll either have to pay for two places at once or you’ll have to rent for awhile before purchasing another home. It’s nearly impossible to coordinate your buying and selling schedules so you can move directly from one place to another, but with planning, you can minimize your transitional periods.

  Although selling a home can be stressful at times, you can make it easier by keeping a few simple things in mind. Next time you sell a house, try following a few of these tips to make your selling process easier.

  Tags: Connecticut real estate, home selling, selling a home
  Posted in Home Selling | No Comments »

• Apr 4

  Real Estate Flipping Tips: Flooring 101

  From tiles to carpet to hardwood floors, flooring can be a huge expense when you’re flipping real estate. Reading up on real estate flipping tips for floors can save you money and time in the long run. Next time you’re doing a flip, why not try one of these real estate flipping tips for floors:

  • Check for hardwood. Many older homes that are carpeted have decent hardwood floors underneath the carpet pads. Before you make plans for a new floor, check to see if there might be hardwood floors lurking below that ugly shag carpeting.
  • Decide if you actually need new floors. Many carpets can be salvaged with a decent professional cleaning. Smelly carpets can sometimes be fixed with baking soda and time. Bathroom and kitchen floors may just need to be thoroughly cleaned or grouted again for an entirely new look. When you’re flipping real estate, consider cleaning or refinishing the floors before you make the call to replace the flooring. If you’re going to be doing lots of flips, you may even consider purchasing a carpet cleaner.
  • Stay simple. If you do decide to replace the floors, remember to keep them neutral. Don’t install a busy kitchen floor or bright blue carpet, no matter how much it appeals to you. Sticking with neutral tones will ensure that potential buyers won’t strongly object to a cosmetic issue.
  • Do the work yourself. You can save a lot of money by doing some or all of the labor yourself. Hiring contractors will eat up your budget quickly, so try to do as much as possible with friends or family as your crew.
  • Consider the neighbors. Do the neighbors all have hardwood? If so, you’ll probably want to stick with wooden floors. Make sure the new flooring is comparable with the rest of the homes in the area or you risk the home selling for less than other properties on the block.

  Flooring is a large part of any flip, but by reading up on real estate flipping tips for floors, you can be sure that you’ll save time, money and frustration. If you’re flipping real estate, make sure you focus on the floors and you’ll be sure to sell quickly.

  Tags: flooring tips, home improvement, home selling
  Posted in Home Improvement | No Comments »

• Mar 30

  Why An Open House May Not Work For You

  There have been a lot of articles in the past couple weeks extolling the virtues of the open house. However, they might not be for everyone or every property. Here are a few reasons to put aside your dreams of an open house.

  • Security issues. Although it sounds like a horror story, it’s true: people have gone to open houses and walked out with jewelry, medicine, valuable knickknacks and more. If you have lots of valuables and aren’t willing to remove them from the home, then an open house may not be for you.
  • People don’t arrive in a nice, orderly fashion. You’ll probably be bored out of your mind for most of the open house, then utterly busy and stressed for the remaining fifteen minutes. If there’s only one of you, it can be tricky to manage a crowd and you may lose out on talking to everyone.
  • They cost money. Even if you just pick up a plate of cookies and buy a couple of signs, an open house does cost you some money. Anywhere from $50 to $500 might be spent on your open house – planting flowers, staging rooms and making packets of information are all costs you have to consider.
  • Bids are rare. An open house is rarely responsible for selling a home. Rather, agents can use them to generate buyers’ lists – and these buyers will probably purchase another one of their properties.
  • It’s a lot of work. In addition to cleaning up around the house, you’ll have to reduce the amount of clutter in your home. Many real estate agents will advice you to pack up half your books and knickknacks to store somewhere else during the open house.
  • Keeping up with the Joneses. You’ll have to deal with your nosy neighbors from down the street who just want to peep inside your home as well as people who want to chat your ear off, but have no intention of making a bid. Are you ready to deal with these folks?

  While an open house can be a wonderful tool for selling a home, there are also many reasons why you should consider using other means. Virtual tours are getting more and more popular and let you show off the home without inviting strangers in. Next time you’re selling a home, consider all your options for showing your home to others.

  Tags: home selling, open house, selling a home
  Posted in Home Selling | No Comments »

• Mar 25

  Real Estate Flipping Tips: Bathrooms 101

  Real estate investors can make huge profits purchasing cheap homes and flipping them into gorgeous properties that buyers will snap up. If you want to flip a house, you’ll want to follow some simple real estate flipping tips to ensure that buyers are enamored with your property. One of the smallest areas in the home also has the biggest impact: bathrooms. A well-designed, modern bathroom can convert potential buyers into a sale.

  To get your bathroom looking clean and beautiful, follow these real estate flipping tips:

  • Put in some elbow grease. Don’t replace anything in the bathroom until you’ve tried scrubbing it. A little baking soda goes a long way in revamping sinks, tubs and shower doors. Try sprinkling some baking soda on problem areas, then spritzing with vinegar to make a cleaning solution that works wonders.
  • Revamp a dingy toilet. Rusty or brown toilets are unattractive and gross. You can make your toilet look new again with the help of a little bleach. Let it sit in the toilet bowl for a couple of hours, then scrub. You’ll be amazed at the difference it can make. Replacing the toilet seat also makes the toilet look a lot nicer – so you won’t have to shell out to replace it.
  • Clean up the caulk. If the caulk is stringy or blobby, you should reapply to give it a clean, neat edge. Fresh caulk makes your old tub or vanity look a lot newer.
  • Put in new fixtures. Replacing the old faucets and handles can make a world of different. Go for stainless steel to make your bathroom shine.
  • Keep it bright. If you don’t want to replace the lighting, at least put in new, bright lightbulbs. A bright bathroom looks cleaner and more appealing than a dim one. If you do decide to replace the light fixtures, look for ones that will give lots of light, especially around the mirror.

  If you want to join the ranks of real estate investors who flip houses, follow these real estate flipping tips to get a gorgeous bathroom that buyers will drool over. Making the bathrooms modern can help increase your profits and will let you sell the home quickly. Next time you’re flipping a house, make sure you turn this small room into a house-selling beauty.

  Tags: Flipping houses, home improvement, home selling
  Posted in Home Improvement, Home Selling | No Comments »

• Mar 23

  Real Estate Flipping Tips: Kitchens 101

  Rehabbing properties can be an excellent way to garner a large profit. If you’re going to start rehabbing properties, it’s important to know which changes will make the biggest impact. Kitchens can often make or break a buyer’s decision to purchase a house. Make sure you’re doing it right when you’re rehabbing properties for profit. Following just a few real estate flipping tips can ensure that you sell the house quickly. Try these real estate flipping tips to make the kitchen look modern and beautiful:

  • Kitchen cabinets. Installing new cabinets can be expensive and time-consuming. Save money by refinishing the existing cabinets. If the cabinets are wood (as opposed to laminate), you can freshen up the color with a new stain. Some cabinets may just need an oil treatment to be brought up to date.
  • Upgrade the lighting. Adding a simple pendant light over an island or kitchen table area can make the entire kitchen look more cozy and modern.
  • Hardware matters. Outdated cabinet and drawer handles can make an entire kitchen look old. Replace the old hardware with new knobs and drawer pulls from a hardware store to make the entire kitchen seem newer.
  • Maximize counter space. You can free up counter space by installing a microwave over the stove or adding an island. If you have the room, a bar can be a nice touch for a kitchen as well.
  • Think about the room. If you do decide to install new cabinetry, stick as close to the original layout of the room as possible, especially the sink, stove and refrigerator. Moving these key staples of the kitchen will require changes to the plumbing or electricity, which is costly.
  • Change up the floors. Keep the kitchen looking bright and modern with new flooring. Try to stay away from busy patterns or bright colors – you don’t want to turn a potential buyer off by instilling too much of your own taste. Neutral is always better.
  • Counters. Disgusting, dingy counters will send potential buyers packing. Update the whole kitchen by installing new counters. If you don’t want to shell out for granite, laminate counters are an excellent option.

  Buyers often feel strongly about the kitchen when they’re looking at homes, so keep that in mind when rehabbing properties. Following a few of these real estate flipping tips can give you a kitchen that sparkles – and will help you close the sale.

  Tags: home improvement, home selling
  Posted in Home Improvement, Home Selling | No Comments »

• Mar 22

  5 Unique Open House Ideas

  When you’re selling a home, nothing gets buyers more intrigued than a well-planned open house. You can draw in real estate agents, neighbors and potential buyers to check out the house, helping you sell it quickly and easily. Move beyond staging and make your open house something truly unique next time you’re selling a home.

  Try one of these unique ideas to perk up an open house:

  1. Poetry readings. Help your house sell with poetry. Invite a local author or two to come give a reading over wine and cheese. You’ll help people see that the home is a great space for events, and they’ll be intrigued by the lifestyle they see themselves living in the home. People looking at real estate want to see the lifestyle they’ll live in the home you’re selling – so show them.
  2. Garage sale. If poetry isn’t your thing, you can still have a unique open house by holding a yard sale at the same time. Although this requires more coordination (and a great real estate agent), it can help you declutter your home while also showing off the property.
  3. Video open house. Grab your webcam and make a quick “virtual tour” of the home. Not only does this allow folks from across the country a look at the property, it can help bring attendees to your next open house. Think of the video as a trailer that will build excitement.
  4. Kid’s games and events. Hosting a little carnival with a few simple games can be a great way to get the kids involved at an open house. If your neighborhood is family-friendly, show it off by hosting an event for the kids. This doesn’t have to be expensive – a few simple carnival games, some popcorn and party favors for prizes frees up the parents to take a look at the home.
  5. Have an art opening. Although this one will take some work, hosting an art opening in your home can be a great way to draw in a unique crowd. Local artists are always looking for unique venues to show off their work, so why not offer them the chance? In the right neighborhoods, art can be a huge draw.Throwing a fantastic open house can be your ticket to selling a home. Depending on the flavor of your neighborhood, you can host a great event that will help your property sell. Try one (or more!) of these ideas for your next open house and watch the home sell!

  Tags: home selling, open house
  Posted in Home Selling | No Comments »