Jun 25, 2010

Updating Your Home

Looking to spruce up your home, but not sure how? Here are some tips:

1. Reface, don't replace. If you don't have the money to completely remodel your home, that's okay. Consider minor changes, like re-painting, or removing wall paper.

2. Neutrality and Simplicity Sell. You might love the intricate paint job in your bedroom or the bright bold carpeting in your living room, but not every buyer will. Consider beige, white, pale yellows, and other neutral tones when re-painting or re-carpeting.

3. Don't invest in fancy, personalized features. If your home is designed to match your personal tastes, interests, or furniture, you might be in trouble. Remember that buyers do not necessarily have the same furniture, interior design, or personal tastes as you.

4. Hardwood Floors are "In." If you are removing carpet, consider keeping the hardwood floors. It might cost only $500 to refinish hardwood floors, compared with $1,000 to re-carpet. If you don't have hardwood floors, consider putting them in certain rooms to add value.

5. The Sold Team is here to help. Don't forget you always have us. If you are worried about what to do to improve your home's selling potential, talk to someone from our team. We have represented thousands of buyers in York County, and we know what they are looking for. We have also sold millions of dollars of real estate in York County. We know what sells and what doesn't. We have your interest at heart.

Seller Tips

1. Cost does not equal value. While every home seller wants to realize a gain on their investment, this isn’t always possible. It’s important to price your home according to its value and not cost. The same goes for improvements. Spending $20,000 to remodel a kitchen does not guarantee a $20,000 increase in property value. Talking to a knowledgeable professional is a great way to determine how to maximize the gain on your real estate investments.
2. Look at Your Competition. If your home is priced higher than all the others in your neighborhood, you better have a good reason why. Unless it has better features than the other homes, it’s going to be the last to sell. Look at similar homes and price yours accordingly.
3. Maximize Curb Appeal. Give your buyers a reason to get out of the car and get into your home. If your home isn’t looking clean and well organized, buyers will wonder what else you let slide…
4. Stay Fresh. The longer your property sits, the less attractive it becomes to buyers. Keep your property fresh by updating photos. A snowy picture in June signals to buyers your home has been on the market for some time. Also, consider changing up pricing to attract new buyers. Don’t blame your agent. Agents don’t create the market. If they did, houses would sell every day with ease. They are doing their best to assist you, and they want your home to sell just as much as you do. All they can do is give their advice about what they think your home is worth and what price they think it will sell at. They can’t change the market to get your home to sell at the price you want.

For more tips, check out: http://www.parjustlisted.com/archives/4589?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=a584b9b76e-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_source=PAR+Just+Listed+Daily+E-News#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed

Jun 23, 2010

For Home Sellers

Here is how we help you sell your home:

  • We do your homework for you. It's our responsibility to know what price your home will sell for. We examine your home's features extensively and compare them with similar homes in your neighborhood and throughout York County. We look at recently sold homes as well as currently listed properties to find what prices are working and which ones are not. We leverage our experience and knowledge to find a price that gives you the most value while still attracting buyers.
  • We help you stage your home. Working in real estate for over 30 years, we know what home buyers are looking for. Some features you can't change, but minor details, like vacuuming the living room or clearing off the kitchen counters, can make a huge difference!
  • We market your home. From taking pictures that capture the most floor space and most appealing features of your home to making sure your listing gets on every single real estate search engine prospective buyers are looking at, we are there. We work hard to get your home the most possible exposure, and we invest an enormous amount of time and money to establish strategic relationships with valuable real estate marketing channels. For more on this, check out our e-marketing brochure.
  • We negotiate for you. You are selling a home. Whether you've lived there all your life or only a couple years or months, you probably have some good and bad memories with your home. We make sure your emotions stay out of the negotiation process. We do our homework to understand what potential buyers might be willing to pay for your home. Our efforts help get you the best possible deal on your home.
  • We get you to closing. Our seven person team works tirelessly to get you to closing. We have close relationships with mortgage companies, closing companies, and other real estate professionals in York, County. We work closely with these people to ensure your transaction is completed in a timely and stress-free manner.
  • We are here to serve you. Have any questions throughout the entire process? Need to store your furniture until you find a new home? Worried your home isn't getting enough showings? We are here to answer your questions. We have seven knowledgeable team members working to ensure your questions are answered quickly and accurately.

Seller Tips: Negotiating

The negotiation process is just one step of the real estate process. It might be one of the best reasons to have the help of an experienced, knowledgeable real estate professional on your side. Whether you choose to work with a Realtor or go through the process alone, these tips are important for helping you get the best deal!

1. Don't Get Emotional. Let go of the emotion you've invested in your home and approach negotiations in a detached, business-like manner. You'll find the process to be a lot less painful, and will have an advantage over prospective buyers who do get caught up in the emotion of the situation.

2. Know your buyer. Your objective is to control the pace and set the duration. The more you know your buyer, the more easily you can maintain control. Maybe your buyer needs to move quickly? Maybe your buyer can't afford the price you want? Knowing information like this puts you in a better bargaining position. It's especially important to know what prospective buyers can actually afford.

3. Don't Constrain Yourself. Flexibility is an invaluable asset in the negotiation process. You don't want to sign a deal on a new home or move out before you close the deal on your current home. This might signal eagerness (or desperation) to sell, which is not going to help you in the negotiation process!

4. Don't take low offers seriously or personally. The first offer is low for a reason- the buyer is trying to get you to fixate on that low number. Don't fall into this trap. Understand what your home is worth and what you are willing to accept. Low offers might scare you into thinking your home is worth less than it really is. In reality, a low offer might indicate a buyer is unable to afford a home like yours.

5. Make sure the contract is complete. As with any contract, you want to have the terms, costs, and responsibilities all spelled out in the contract of sale. It should include the date it was made, the names of all parties involved, the address of the property being sold, the purchase price, where deposit monies will be held, the date for loan approval, the date and place of closing, type of deed, any contingencies that remain to be settled, and whether there's any personal property included (or not) in the sale, among other things.

6. Don't deviate from the contract. Resist the temptation to diverge from the contract. Don't take any chances of the deal falling through!

Jun 10, 2010

Market Got You Down?

We don't have to be victims of the current economic crisis. Falling home prices and overall worries about the stability of the global economy have home buyers and sellers worried. However, now these tough economic times provide an example of why a Realtor is essential in any home transaction.

In your busy life, you don't have the time to keep up with current events in the community and home market. That's where a Realtor comes in handy. An experienced, knowledgable, and conscientous real estate professional can give you all the information you need. Realtors are service providers, and knowledge is their #1 value proposition. These tough economic times make information infinitely more valuable. With volatility in the home market, the help of an experienced professional, who actually understands what is going on, is priceless.

These are tough times for people all across the county (...unless you have a huge stake in Apple, Inc.). Don't let the home buying or home selling process stress you out!

Congratulations!

The Sold Team just wanted to say congratulations to all the grads in York County, PA! Hope for beautiful weather this weekend!