Your Home Hasn’t Sold

Your home has been on the market for months. You’ve had “low ball” offers and cannot understand why. Is it your real estate agent? Maybe. First ask yourself: what do buyers really want in a home? Here are some issues to consider:

* Availability. If you can’t show it, you can’t sell it. We’ve all seen beautiful pictures of a house and the actual house looks nothing like it. Seeing is believing. The more buyers who see your home, the faster it sells.

* Condition. See that water stain on your ceiling? Buyers do too. Fix the source of the stain and the stain too. Do you smoke? Can you smell it in your house? Clean up the place. If you don’t have the strength, hire a professional housekeeper. If you don’t know anyone, ask your favorite real estate agent for a recommendation. It’s worth the expense.

* You are everywhere. The buyer is buying your house, not you. Time to de-personalize. Nick-nacks, family photos and your pets ashes should be put away. The new buyer needs to picture themselves in the house. Your first impression needs to be your best impression.

* Marketing. Your price is too high. This is the number one reason houses don’t sell. Today’s buyers are more saavy. A buyer can check when you purchased the property and for how much. They can see what other houses are selling for in the area, and you should do the same. Today’s buyer either won’t view over-priced houses or they’ll make a “low ball” offer, way below market value. How long does the average house take to sell in your area? What is being done to market your home for sale? Where the pictures taken with a professional camera or smartphone? There’s more to selling a house that putting a sign in the yard and putting pictures in the MLS. Ask to see their marketing plan. It may be time to re-evaluate your price and marketing strategy.

 

Have questions? Feel free to contact me directly at (480) 203-4364 or NatashaTRealtor@gmail.com

The Appraiser’s coming! The Appraiser’s coming!

When listing your property for sale, one of the things that’s important is the appraisal. The appraisal can be affected by what you do (or don’t do) to your property before it’s appraised. Knowing which areas are important can help increase your property value.

* Unfinished projects. Don’t have an appraiser inspect the property before the remodel is completed. If you can’t avoid this, make sure to give the appraiser a full, detailed description of the job and what is being done to quickly and professionally complete it

* Pets, smells & stuff. Remember: the old adage, “cleanliness is close to God-liness”. A well-maintained yard is a sign that the property is likely kept up. Curb appeal doesn’t just bring buyers, it can increase the appraisal value of your property. And, if your neighbors yards are well-kept and your isn’t, this could cause your appraisal to be even more severely downgraded. Let’s discuss pets. We all love our pets; they’re our children and part of the family. We love to play and snuggle with them, BUT we don’t like to smell them. Neither does your potential buyer or appraiser. Getting rid of odors can cost money (i.e. paint, flooring, duct cleaning) and can lead to low ball offers and low appraisals.

* Trendy remodel. Remodeling can certainly add value to your home, if done correctly. Extra storage, room additions and other important improvements are popular to buyers. Remember: high costs doesn’t always equal high value. Think about who will purchase the property. Check out the homes for sale in your area. Do your homework and keep costs low.

* Doing your homework. What have similar homes sold for recently? If a home sold for less than market value, find out why. Condition? Location? Distressed Sale (i.e. short sale, estate sale)? That way you can explain the difference in price to the appraiser. Be sure to use an experienced real estate agent to provide you with market information before you have your home appraised.

Have questions? Feel free to contact me directly at (480) 203-4364 or NatashaTRealtor@gmail.com