has changed how a buyer shops for a new home. According the National Association of Realtors and their most recent “Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers” for the past 3 years, 92% of all buyers have used the internet to search for a home. The report also revealed that 95% of those buyers shopping online for a home actually purchased their home through a real estate agent/broker or from a builder of builder’s agent. A minimal 2% actually purchased the home directly from a seller, without knowing them ahead of time. The buyers are searching online for their new homes, but still rely on the agent to find that specific home that fits their needs, negotiate the terms of the sale, negotiate the price and to help guide them through the process. There is so much information now available for a buyer to check out, research and read online, that the buyers are finding that they need to reach out to a real estate professional in order to sort through it all and connect the relevant dots! This is obvious as the percentage of overall buyers who used an agent to buy their home has steadily increased from 69% in 2001 to 95% in 2015. The bottom line is clear….if you want to sell your home, don’t underestimate the role a real estate agent/broker can play in the process. They will be there to help you price the home, show the home, market the home and finally guide the seller through the offer, the purchase and sale and finally the closing. Having an agent/broker by your side has become crucial to the speed and efficiency in which your home can sell. Foran Realty can help! Foran Realty is a local Cape Cod real estate office that employs the latest in technology to help with the sale of your house. Call us today to find out how we can help you get your house sold! ]]>
Checklist for Pricing Your Home
You have decided to sell. But before you put the sign in the yard there are some things you will want to make sure you have done. Time spent doing research and setting the right price will most likely yield you a better return in the end. A home is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it. Track your neighborhood values Find out what homes similar to yours are selling for in your neighborhood so you will have a good idea what your home is worth. Buyer or seller market You need to judge whether it’s a sellers’ market or a buyers’ market in your neighborhood. Remember that all real estate is local. You will want to research things like interest rates, home inventory, job forecasts, and even time of year. Research inventory How many homes are for sale? If you live in a desirable neighborhood and there aren’t many homes for sale, you will have a clear edge here. However, if you see lots of homes on the market and they’re not selling very quickly, you might have to reduce the price you had in mind. Know the average days on the market Review the homes in your neighborhood and their days on market sometimes referred to as DOM. Look at trends for the past year and assess whether homes were appreciating or depreciating. Monitor the job market Is a big company relocating workers to your area? Or are they moving out and shutting the doors? The job market has a lot to do with the real estate market. Attend nearby open houses Observe how other properties are showing and compare them to your home. At an open house you can often feel the “mood” of potential buyers. Get a professional opinion A real estate professional will be able to help you gather all of the above information and come up with a CMA or comparable market analysis to determine the best price range for you home.]]>
Home Sweet Office
With the recent growth in telecommuting, home offices are also becoming a necessity rather than a luxury. Home buyers are looking for a place where they can work, a place to pay bills or simply surf the net. Investing in a home office will help you now and may pay off later. Have you always dreamed of a home office? Do you have an office that is overrun with papers? A home office is usually the place where junk finds its home. Getting that room into a place where organization is king can be easier than you think. Implementing an organizational system that has you working in peace with everything at your fingertips is easy if you follow these simple tips. 1. Choose the space. Think of all the things that you’ll need to work comfortably in your home office. You want to make sure the space will allow for your desk and chair and anything else you will need in your office. 2. Organize your space. Part of organizing means decluttering. If you have three staplers, six pairs of scissors you will need to get rid of anything extra. Clutter is very distracting and reduces efficiency. Identify a space for all the necessities. You need to identify a place for the printer, file cabinet, reference books and supplies. 3. Schedule the date and time for your office organization. Set aside a specific time and date to plan your space. If you have lots of files and file cabinets, make a decision on how much you want to get done in the initial session. You may need to plan several dates to complete the whole task. 4. Reorganize. Clean and organize your office at the end of each day. It will only take a few minutes and keep you on track to staying organized. Plan on reorganizing your office every three months or so. By planning your home office space and getting it organized you’ll enjoy it more. Your work will be better, you’ll appreciate being at home, and you’ll have the perfect place to work–your home. Now focus on success!]]>
WBZ Radio and Patrick Foran – Dont Miss This Great Info About Renting Your Home!
WBZ Radio and Patrick Foran[/caption] [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOGqBUUX68g[/embed] Whether you are looking to purchase or rent a home Patrick Foran and the staff at Foran Realty can help you find exactly what you are looking for. Patrick Foran is also an accredited member of the National Home Watch Association and has been fully licensed to manage your property in the event that you are not available. Be sure to call Foran Realty today for additional information.]]>
Add Value to Your Home on the Cheap
Are you looking for inexpensive ways to add value to your home without breaking the bank? Whether you’re getting ready to sell your home or just making some home improvements for your own enjoyment, it isn’t that difficult. There is an old saying that kitchens and baths sell homes so these tips focus on those two rooms. Here are some good strategies to help you started: The kitchen For just a few hundred dollars: -Replace the kitchen faucet -Add new cabinet door handles -Update old lighting fixtures With a slightly larger budget: -Give the cabinets a makeover by refacing them -Get a facelift for your appliances buy ordering new doors or face panels for them The bath -Replace the toilet seat -Add a new pedestal sink -Replace the old bathroom floor with easy-to-apply vinyl tiles -Re-grout the tile and replace any chipped tiles in the tub and shower -If a new grout job won’t do, try a complete cover-up with a prefabricated tub and shower unit Remember the actual cost of the renovation, and the value it adds to your home, depends on many factors including the real estate market value in your area.]]>
Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your Home
Why isn’t your house selling? It may not be the market, instead it could be what you are or are not doing. Believe it or not you can ruin your chances of selling your home. So, how can you capture the attention of potential buyers? Read on to find out if you are making any of these mistakes. Missing or Bad Photos Buyers love to look at photos. They love to look at lots of photos so include lots of photos in your online listings. There is such a thing as a bad photo though. Pictures of unattractive rooms, toilets and messy areas can also turn a buyer off. Make sure every photo has great light, shows off your home and shows a neat and clean home. Place the best shots at the beginning so it is the first thing the buyer sees on the listing site. Lack of Curb Appeal Most buyers will search for homes online and then jump in the car and drive by. If your home has bad curb appeal they may eliminate it before they even walk through the front door. Be sure to create curb appeal by trimming the trees, fertilizing the lawn, and sprucing up the landscaping. Remember first impressions mean a lot. Bad Advertising The words that advertise your home are vitally important. Avoid clichés and instead use your creativity and talk about the best features of your home. You only have so much space for text so make it count! Price Too Low/High Pricing a home too high won’t produce an offer, but sometimes pricing it too low leaves buyers wondering what is wrong. Use a real estate professional to help you strategically price your home to sell in the current market. You’re Hovering When potential buyers are looking at your home there is nothing more awkward than finding the homeowner is still there. Buyers can’t picture the home as their own if you are there. When the house is being shown make sure you are not home. There are things in your control in the selling process of your home. Take the time to make sure your home is staged and looks ready to sell and avoid the above mistakes and you should have a sold sign in no time.]]>
How to Sell Your Home When You Have Kids
Selling your home can be stressful enough but add messy kids to the mix and you have a challenge on your hands. But it can be easy to sell your home when you have kids if you do some small things to remedy clutter:
Selling Your Home During The Holidays
The holiday season from November through January is often considered the worst time to put a home on the market however the season does have its advantages: holiday buyers tend to be more serious and competition is less fierce with fewer homes being actively marketed. Make selling your home during the holidays a little bit easier by following these great tips:
- Deck the halls, but don’t go overboard. Homes often look their best during the holidays, but sellers should be careful not to overdo it on the decor. Adornments that are too many can crowd your home and distract buyers. Also, avoid offending buyers and opt for general winter decorations rather than items with religious themes.
- Hire a reliable real estate agent. That means someone who will work hard for you and won’t disappear during Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s. This will ease your stress and give you more time to enjoy the season.
- Seek out motivated buyers. Anyone house hunting during the holidays must have a good reason for doing so. Work with your agent to target buyers, including people relocating for jobs in your area, investors on tax deadlines and college students and staff.
- Price it to sell. No matter what time of year, a home that’s priced low for the market will make buyers feel merry. Rather than gradually making small price reductions, many real estate agents advise sellers to slash their prices beforeputting a home on the market.
- Make curb appeal a top priority. When autumn rolls around and the trees start to lose their leaves, maintaining the exterior of your home becomes even more important. Touch up the exterior paint, clean the gutters and spruce up the yard.
- Take top-notch real estate photos. When the weather outside is frightful, homebuyers are likely to start their house hunt from the comfort of their homes by browsing listings on the Internet. Make a good first impression by offering lots of flattering, high-quality photos of your home.
- Create a video tour for the Web. You’ll get less foot traffic during the holidays thanks to inclement weather and vacation plans. But shooting a video tour and posting it on the Web may attract house hunters who would rather not drive in a snowstorm.
- Give house hunters a place to escape from the cold. Make your home feel cozy and inviting during showings by cranking up the heat, playing soft classical music and offering homemade holiday treats. When you encourage buyers to spend more time in your home, you also give them more time to admire its best features.
- Offer holiday cheer in the form of financing. Bah, humbug! Lenders are scrooges these days, but if you’ve got the means, then why not offer a referral for a local reputable mortgage broker or bank loan officer.
- Relax! The holidays are stressful enough with gifts to buy, dinners to prepare and relatives to entertain. Remember that if you don’t sell now, there’s always next year, which is only a few days away!!
How to Ruin Your Chances of Selling Your Home
Why isn’t your house selling? It may not be the market, instead it could be what you are or are not doing. Believe it or not you can ruin your chances of selling your home. So, how can you capture the attention of potential buyers? Read on to find out if you are making any of these mistakes. Missing or Bad Photos Buyers love to look at photos. They love to look at lots of photos so include lots of photos in your online listings. There is such a thing as a bad photo though. Pictures of unattractive rooms, toilets and messy areas can also turn a buyer off. Make sure every photo has great light, shows off your home and shows a neat and clean home. Place the best shots at the beginning so it is the first thing the buyer sees on the listing site. Lack of Curb Appeal Most buyers will search for homes online and then jump in the car and drive by. If your home has bad curb appeal they may eliminate it before they even walk through the front door. Be sure to create curb appeal by trimming the trees, fertilizing the lawn, and sprucing up the landscaping. Remember first impressions mean a lot. Bad Advertising The words that advertise your home are vitally important. Avoid clichés and instead use your creativity and talk about the best features of your home. You only have so much space for text so make it count! Price Too Low/High Pricing a home too high won’t produce an offer, but sometimes pricing it too low leaves buyers wondering what is wrong. Use a real estate professional to help you strategically price your home to sell in the current market. You’re Hovering When potential buyers are looking at your home there is nothing more awkward than finding the homeowner is still there. Buyers can’t picture the home as their own if you are there. When the house is being shown make sure you are not home. There are things in your control in the selling process of your home. Take the time to make sure your home is staged and looks ready to sell and avoid the above mistakes and you should have a sold sign in no time.]]>
A Study on Home Buyers
If you are a seller, you need to know how buyers think. A study by the National Association of Realtors asked buyers who they are, why they need to buy, and what would make them buy. Here is just a few highlights from that study which provides detailed insight into the home buyer’s experience with this important transaction. Here are highlights from that report.
- Sixty-six percent of recent home buyers were married couples—the highest share since 2001.
- For forty-two percent of home buyers, the first step in the home-buying process was looking online for properties. While fourteen percent of home buyers first looked online for information on the complete home buying process.
- The use of the Internet in the home search process rose slightly to ninety-two percent.
- The typical home buyer searched for 12 weeks and viewed 10 homes.
- Eighty-eight percent of buyers purchased their home through a real estate agent or broker. This share steadily increased from sixty-nine percent in 2001.
- Eighty-eight percent of sellers were assisted by a real estate agent when selling their home.
- Two-thirds of home sellers only contacted one agent before selecting the one to assist with their home sale.
- The share of home sellers who sold their home without the assistance of a real estate agent was nine percent. Forty percent knew the buyer prior to home purchase.