Here is some mortgage news:
Rates in the 3%'s have gone bye bye. From what I have heard from my trusty mortgage sidekicks, we will be sticking around the mid to upper 4%'s from here on out. Not a HUGE deal, we just need to make sure we find you a home within your comfort range for monthly payment.
Secondly, sellers are having a HAY DAY. I cannot begin to explain how *awesome* it is when you list a home for sale and you have an offer (or two) within the first couple days. Buyers are smart, and so are their Realtors. Everybody knows that when something good comes on the market, you've got to jump on it IMMEDIATELY!!
Here are some excellent tips if you are preparing to sell your home!!
Putting your home up for sale can be an exhausting, stressful experience. But there are several things you can do to improve your home's marketability. By expending a bit of effort before it goes on the market, you can ensure that your home presents well, stands out from the crowd and doesn’t turn off potential buyers so that you can sell quickly…and at the best price.
Tone Down Personality
Your
bookshelves may be filled with Pulitzer-Prize winners and your
collection of Americana figurines may reflect your personal interests,
but to home buyers, it looks busy and cluttered, and may distract them
from truly seeing your home’s unique architectural features and spacious
rooms. Also consider whether family pictures help or hinder a sale;
future home owners may not be able to look past your kids’ smiling faces
plastered all over the walls and see themselves building their own
future in your home.
Since you hope to move soon anyway, go ahead and box them up and put them in storage in advance of the open house or showing.
While
that red accent wall opposite the lime green fireplace perfectly ties
in with your ultra modern furniture, a potential buyer at your open
house may be turned off immediately and decide that the entire house
doesn’t reflect their style. Consider painting walls a neutral color
such as beige or taupe. The interior paint job should be fresh and clean
and in a single, neutral color throughout.
The
same goes for the exterior. Don't forget shutters and windows. If your
home has vinyl or aluminum siding, be sure it's clean. Moldy, dirty
siding will tell a buyer that your home has not been taken care of
properly.
Old,
matted carpeting will be a detriment to your home selling. Real estate
agents all have a dozen stories of a home that sat and sat on the market
until the old carpeting was replaced. Then, it sold immediately. If you
have hardwood floors under old carpet, tear up the carpet to expose
them; today's buyers love hardwood floors.
First Impressions Count
Clean
your house top to bottom including walls, floors, furniture and
tabletops. Everything should be sparkling clean when a buyer makes that
all-important first visit. Don't leave dirty dishes in the sink, crumbs
on the counter or laundry stacked in the bedroom.
Take
a long, hard look at your home from the street. Does it have curb
appeal? Is it warm, inviting and well-kept? Make sure by mowing the
lawn, weeding garden areas, trimming unruly bushes, resealing the
driveway and sweeping the porch.
Pay
particular attention to your front door. Repaint it if necessary.
Polish the doorknob and knocker and clean the glass and screen door.
When a buyer waits at the front door to enter, make sure he or she sees
that your home was cared for lovingly.
Don’t Burden the Buyer with Repairs
If
there are problem areas in your home, get them fixed before the
showing. When prospective buyers tour the house and see leak stains on
the ceiling or peeling paint, they will also see future work and assume
that bigger maintenance and repair issues are lurking behind those small
problems.
This
is particularly true in kitchens and bathrooms, which are often the two
rooms that make or break a sale. The expenses you incur on the front
end sprucing up your home will be cheaper than the profits you could
lose by having to lower the price to meet buyer demand.
If
your home's appliances, like the dishwasher, oven, refrigerator and
washer and dryer, are old and outdated, it could pay to replace them.
Buyers do not want to be faced with the possibility of having to replace
appliances upon moving in to a new house. Shiny, new appliances already
in place will be a big selling point.
Maximize Exposure
Lastly, take advantage of new technology to find unique ways to market your house. Use YouTube,
a video sharing website, to introduce yourself and your house for
free. Take home shoppers on a virtual tour and tell them about its
uniqueness and strengths from a first-person point of view.
Use Internet social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter to
create a Web link with a profile of your home. Include pictures and a
description of your home’s features. Email the link to your friends and
ask them to forward it on to their network of contacts.
Get
your home listed on real estate websites. There are some that are
national in scope and others focus on your specific markets. Examples
include Redfin and Zillow.
Be
sure that you are using traditional marketing techniques to your best
advantage. When photographing your home for promotional purposes, invest
in a wide-angle lens for your camera so that rooms appear bigger and in
proportion when they are displayed on Internet home listing sites or in
marketing flyers. If you decide to create a virtual tour, look for
professionals who will be able to film and upload your video using the
best techniques and technology.
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