Seller Tips for Today's Market- Photos Matter

I was sitting with some clients last night looking over homes in the MLS at my office. We put in 2 cities, basic search criteria: 3 bedroom, 2 bath 2 car garage, not adult community, not short sale, 1300 square foot or larger and over 100 homes came up for us to look at. That is a very large listing count to read through every Realtor's description. Don't get me wrong Realtor descriptions count- Over the years I don't know how many that I have seen that are blank, simply state 3 bedroom/2bath/2 car garage in the description (well, duh give me some information please) or are overly excessive to the point you show up and are extremely disappointed. Your verbiage has to accurately portray the property, too little or too excessive is definitely a problem. Also, when the listing talks about the big backyard with grass play area and large covered patio, and there is not a single picture to portray that, many people contemplate -WHY-? My client's main focus #1 cross streets #2 what does the inside look like! Pictures! Homes that don't show well, don't sell quickly. The inventory is still low but more and more homes are coming on the market each day! When you are selling your home staging is important. Be clean, pristine and clutter-free! Speak with your agent regarding photographs. Do they hire a professional photographer, do they have an ample high quality camera capable of taking pictures to best reflect your home? Or are they using their smart phone? Are they taking an adequate amount of pictures. I have been searching the MLS a lot lately for clients and I am finding that the homes with the least amount of pictures are being skipped over, as well as homes with blurry pictures. Make sure you are removing as much clutter as you can before the photographs are taken, make sure your house is CLEAN and free of dirt, dust and slobbery windows! For photos, remove cleaning products, toothbrushes, scrub pads, dishes in the sink, dog toys/bowls evidence, laundry baskets with clothes, papers, garbage and more! Your agent/photographer can move some stuff as they take pictures, but they don't want to clean your home for you. These photos are your chance to get people in the door. If you are looking at 100 homes on the MLS before you even get in the car to view them, what are you looking for? What are you passing up and why? These are probably some of the same reasons that others are passing up and opportunity to see the inside of a perfectly good home when searching the MLS, Zillow, Trulia and other forms of home search engines out there. If you want to sell your home, don't be a victim to bad advertising. Make the most of your sale, plant colorful flowers in the front, have some good curb appeal, take plenty of clutter-free pictures. And PLEASE close the toilet seat. If you are interested in finding out about what your home is worth or what you can do to spruce it up. Give me a call and I would be happy to come for a free consultation.

Why Chose a "New" home?

New homes are making a comeback. Grand openings seem to be happening every week. Parties, Celebrations, Wine and Cheese events for Brokers are popping up in my email box on a weekly basis all across the valley! Invites to drive traffic and spark interest in these new communities being built. Enticing not only the potential buyer but their agent as well to spread the word, spark the interest and sell their homes! Each builder seems to be offering some sort of extra incentive or feature to bring the buyers in. These new communities are plugging away at money saving features such as "energy efficient" homes, space saver storage, modern home layouts for the modern family, updated safety features, gourmet kitchens with standard granite countertops and more. They are driving consumers with more choices than ever to think new, fresh, clean and hassle-free by buying "new" verses staying in and remodeling their existing homes. "Leave the renovations up to the investors some say." What does this mean for the existing homeowner who is looking to sell their home in an area where these never been touched, never been lived in or used homes are popping up with features buyers may not be able to resist? There is competition! If you are an existing homeowner who is looking to sell, you have to make some decisions as to how you want to market your property. How can you stand out from your competition? Is it features? Price? Location? Lot size? Existing Pool? (Remember you can get somewhere between $10,000-$20,000 for a pool resale- which may have cost $20,000-$60,000 to build new!) Gorgeous Landscaping? All of these features as well as your goal in selling can be discussed with your Realtor to determine the best course of action for you when selling your home. Market is all about supply and demand. Price is determined not only by appraised value or market value but also by what a buyer is willing to pay for what YOU have at a particular moment in time. Whether you are looking to buy new, resale or sell your existing home to maximize your profits. Call me for your free consultation to determine your needs and we can point you in the right direction. When buying a home always have your own representation whether you are looking at land, resale or new build homes, the agent the represents the seller/builder represents them, have someone looking out for YOUR best interest.