According to REALTOR.org and this article, demand for mortgages rose even though rates have crept up slightly. The demand is primarily an increase in purchases and not refinancing activity.
This is good news. It seems like most of what we hear is mixed blessing. Rates are up but prices are down. All I know is that my phone has been ringing a lot more lately and several of my properties have gone under contract at very close to the listing price. Spring is here in Cherokee County and now is a great time to get your house ready to sell. If you have been waiting till spring to sell, now is the time to act.
Give me a call and I would consider it an honor to help you get your home sold.
Michael Bradford
770-862-8002
Showing posts with label sell your house today. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sell your house today. Show all posts
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Preparing your House For the Market
I get a LOT of calls from people who are contemplating selling their home. They almost all ask the same thing: what are the main things that I can do to prepare my house for the market. I'm so glad they ask because this is a very competitive market and it takes some time to get your house in top shape. Here are some ideas for what you can do to prepare your house for the market:
1. Paint! If you can do nothing else, paint your walls. A fresh coat of paint covers a multitude of sins. Be sure to use only one neutral color of flat (such as antique white or eggshell) and a high gloss pure white for your trim. Keep it simple and keep it neutral.
2. Be sure to remove any wallpaper - most potential buyers will not want wallpaper and they especially won't want yours. When people see wallpaper, they immediately think of the work that will be involved in removing it (not much if you do it correctly) and it detracts from the house in their mind.
3. PURGE! Yes, get rid of the clutter and get those closets organized. This is very important because it allows the buyers to see the space that your house has to offer. It is very difficult for people to visualize the space looking different when they'll own it so you need to make it look great when they see it. If you could use the services of a personal organizer, please call me and I will be happy to recommend one to you.
4. Stage the house! Get rid (now) of furniture you don't think you'll take with you when you move so you'll have more space to stage the furniture that you do have to give your house an open floorplan feel. If you would like to use the services of a professional stager, please call me for a recommendation.
5. Window Treatments. First, make sure that the blinds that you have are clean. Dusty or dirty blinds are not only unsightly, but they retain odors. To clean them, remove them and soak them in your bathtub for 10 minutes. The water shold contain 3 parts water to 1 part ammonia. Use a scrub brush for blinds that have grease (from the kitchen). Lay them out on a flat surface like a driveway to dry out before rehanging them. Wash fabric window treatments.
6. Speaking of windows, while you have the blinds soaking, clean the windows themselves. Have a clean & clear view for your potential buyers. Use a good streak-free window cleaner.
7. If you can, replace the carpet (be sure you paint first!). This will give the house a nearly brand new feel when combines with the paint. If you really want to sell it and add value to the house, replace the carpet with hardwood floors. Buyers like this because it's healthier (especially for those with allergies) and easier to keep clean than carpet.
8. Perform a spring cleaning! For a light clean, go through and declutter, dust, clean and check all light fixtures for working bulbs. Check your smoke alarm, too. If you really want to deep clean and go over it with a fine-tooth comb, visit this site and get a print out of the most serious spring cleaning plan that I've ever seen: THE GRAND PLAN
9. Upgrade! Kitchens and bathrooms are the 2 rooms where you should focus your energy and your dollars. Replace the old fixtures with new ones. (faucets, lights, towel racks, drawer/cabinet hardware). Be sure that drains are not slow while you're working in there.
10. Landscape. At the bare minimum, your yard should be raked, clean and have a trimmed lawn. You can also trim your hedges, spread some mulch and plant some flowers that require little water. Be sure to remove any junk, toys or yard debris.
11. Look at your mailbox. Is it a rust bucket? Does it look battered? Consider replacing it. It will be one of the first things people see when they come to look at your house. If you don't have the funds to replace it, at least paint it so that it looks new. A small can of spray paint for metal would work well. Be sure to paint the post as well. The mailbox is also a great place to plant some flowers.
12. Odors - get rid of them. Clean every surface that you possibly can. If you smoke, be sure to wipe everything down from the walls to the doors to the ceilings and ceiling fans. If you want to use an air freshener, use the kind that plug in and have a liquid base. Method has some great scents as well as other great home cleaning products. Using matching scents can go a long way in removing odors as you clean.
For more ideas about preparing to sell your home or to find out what it may be worth in today's market, please give me a call at 770-862-8002.
-Michael Bradford
Southern Prime Realty
1. Paint! If you can do nothing else, paint your walls. A fresh coat of paint covers a multitude of sins. Be sure to use only one neutral color of flat (such as antique white or eggshell) and a high gloss pure white for your trim. Keep it simple and keep it neutral.
2. Be sure to remove any wallpaper - most potential buyers will not want wallpaper and they especially won't want yours. When people see wallpaper, they immediately think of the work that will be involved in removing it (not much if you do it correctly) and it detracts from the house in their mind.
3. PURGE! Yes, get rid of the clutter and get those closets organized. This is very important because it allows the buyers to see the space that your house has to offer. It is very difficult for people to visualize the space looking different when they'll own it so you need to make it look great when they see it. If you could use the services of a personal organizer, please call me and I will be happy to recommend one to you.
4. Stage the house! Get rid (now) of furniture you don't think you'll take with you when you move so you'll have more space to stage the furniture that you do have to give your house an open floorplan feel. If you would like to use the services of a professional stager, please call me for a recommendation.
5. Window Treatments. First, make sure that the blinds that you have are clean. Dusty or dirty blinds are not only unsightly, but they retain odors. To clean them, remove them and soak them in your bathtub for 10 minutes. The water shold contain 3 parts water to 1 part ammonia. Use a scrub brush for blinds that have grease (from the kitchen). Lay them out on a flat surface like a driveway to dry out before rehanging them. Wash fabric window treatments.
6. Speaking of windows, while you have the blinds soaking, clean the windows themselves. Have a clean & clear view for your potential buyers. Use a good streak-free window cleaner.
7. If you can, replace the carpet (be sure you paint first!). This will give the house a nearly brand new feel when combines with the paint. If you really want to sell it and add value to the house, replace the carpet with hardwood floors. Buyers like this because it's healthier (especially for those with allergies) and easier to keep clean than carpet.
8. Perform a spring cleaning! For a light clean, go through and declutter, dust, clean and check all light fixtures for working bulbs. Check your smoke alarm, too. If you really want to deep clean and go over it with a fine-tooth comb, visit this site and get a print out of the most serious spring cleaning plan that I've ever seen: THE GRAND PLAN
9. Upgrade! Kitchens and bathrooms are the 2 rooms where you should focus your energy and your dollars. Replace the old fixtures with new ones. (faucets, lights, towel racks, drawer/cabinet hardware). Be sure that drains are not slow while you're working in there.
10. Landscape. At the bare minimum, your yard should be raked, clean and have a trimmed lawn. You can also trim your hedges, spread some mulch and plant some flowers that require little water. Be sure to remove any junk, toys or yard debris.
11. Look at your mailbox. Is it a rust bucket? Does it look battered? Consider replacing it. It will be one of the first things people see when they come to look at your house. If you don't have the funds to replace it, at least paint it so that it looks new. A small can of spray paint for metal would work well. Be sure to paint the post as well. The mailbox is also a great place to plant some flowers.
12. Odors - get rid of them. Clean every surface that you possibly can. If you smoke, be sure to wipe everything down from the walls to the doors to the ceilings and ceiling fans. If you want to use an air freshener, use the kind that plug in and have a liquid base. Method has some great scents as well as other great home cleaning products. Using matching scents can go a long way in removing odors as you clean.
For more ideas about preparing to sell your home or to find out what it may be worth in today's market, please give me a call at 770-862-8002.
-Michael Bradford
Southern Prime Realty
Monday, December 17, 2007
Get Your Home Ready To Sell
In today’s real estate home buyers market, how can sellers make their home stand out among the others? Price is what will sell your house above any other single factor. But where is the threshold between pricing it to sell today and giving it away? Only someone who is on top of the market can really know that. There is a certain amount of subjectivity to pricing some properties but for the most part, it all boils down to comparable properties.
Someone once used this as an analogy, if you could buy a dollar bill for 90 cents on one side of the street and across the street they were selling them for 85 cents, which dollar would you buy? Now we all know it’s not that simple but the concept is the same.
REALTOR® Magazine Online has a great article giving 7 tips for selling your house today. They report the number one tip as “Don't overprice your property”. I wholeheartly agree! An over priced house will only help your competition. Overpriced houses are used by most real estate agents to sell the features or price of another property. I am as guilty as the next guy when I have said something like “remember the house on Elm Street? It had ______ and was $10,000 less than this house”. If you are serious about selling your house today, you need to be that house on “Elm” street, not the one being used to sell it.
The number 2 item was”Set your price to show up in Web searches”. This is such a key strategy that I am always trying to accomplish. Because over 80% of home buyers start their search online, you want your house to fall within as large a search criteria as possible. Location and price are the main search criteria that people key into and price is the only one you can control. Let me help you determine the best price that you can get today for you home. I will make sure that as large an audience as possible will see it in the best possible light.
Michael Bradford
770-862-8002
Cherokee County Georgia Real Estate Specialist
Someone once used this as an analogy, if you could buy a dollar bill for 90 cents on one side of the street and across the street they were selling them for 85 cents, which dollar would you buy? Now we all know it’s not that simple but the concept is the same.
REALTOR® Magazine Online has a great article giving 7 tips for selling your house today. They report the number one tip as “Don't overprice your property”. I wholeheartly agree! An over priced house will only help your competition. Overpriced houses are used by most real estate agents to sell the features or price of another property. I am as guilty as the next guy when I have said something like “remember the house on Elm Street? It had ______ and was $10,000 less than this house”. If you are serious about selling your house today, you need to be that house on “Elm” street, not the one being used to sell it.
The number 2 item was”Set your price to show up in Web searches”. This is such a key strategy that I am always trying to accomplish. Because over 80% of home buyers start their search online, you want your house to fall within as large a search criteria as possible. Location and price are the main search criteria that people key into and price is the only one you can control. Let me help you determine the best price that you can get today for you home. I will make sure that as large an audience as possible will see it in the best possible light.
Michael Bradford
770-862-8002
Cherokee County Georgia Real Estate Specialist
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