Are you familiar with “curb appeal”? If not, you could be missing out on the opportunity to generate interest in your home. Curb appeal refers to the attractiveness of your home in relation to a homebuyer’s first impression of your residence as he or she passes it. For instance, a home with a great exterior, pristine front lawn and other dazzling exterior features likely will appeal to homebuyers the moment they see it. On the other hand, a home that includes a front lawn loaded with high grass and weeds, an exterior that consists of chipped and faded paint and other negative qualities is unlikely to garner significant interest at first glance. For home sellers, you’ll want to do whatever you can to increase your home’s curb appeal. Luckily, we’re here to help you do just that – here are three tips you can use to boost your residence’s curb appeal: 1. Use plants to your advantage. Who says you need to have a green thumb to set up a garden in front of your home? Fortunately, many wonderful plants are available that can help you add a splash of color to your home’s exterior. And ultimately, these plants will enable you to bolster your residence’s curb appeal as well. Ready-made plant containers are available, or you can try to grow your own plants with seed kits. Either way, incorporating plants into your home’s exterior is sure to help your residence generate attention from a wide range of prospective homebuyers. 2. Replace old gutters and downspouts. Installing new gutters will help you enhance your home’s curb appeal as well as provide another feature that may help you differentiate your home from others on the real estate market. Gutters will deteriorate over time, but home sellers who install new snap-fit vinyl gutter systems can enjoy high-quality gutters that will look and perform well consistently. Remember, the benefits of replacing gutters and downspouts are two-fold, as they will allow you to improve your home’s curb appeal as well as give homebuyers yet another reason to consider your residence over others. 3. Add outdoor lighting. Curb appeal represents a 24-hour phenomenon, and those who want to ensure their residences look great at night should add outdoor lighting. Low-voltage landscaping lighting often is easy to install and can brighten up your residence’s exterior at night. Plus, this lighting can provide extra security – yet another feature that may help your residence stand out in a highly competitive real estate market. Lastly, don’t forget to consider the homebuyer’s perspective as you explore ways to enhance your residence’s curb appeal. And if there is a flaw that stands out as you look at your residence’s exterior, prospective homebuyers likely will see this problem too. As such, you should work to eliminate any issues that may damage your home’s appearance as quickly as possible. Dedicating plenty of time and resources to improve your home’s curb appeal is essential, and home sellers who understand the importance of curb appeal can work toward making home exterior improvements and generating significant interest in their residences.]]>
How to Sell Your Home Fast
Even if you think you have all the time in the world to sell your home, once you put the for sale sign in the yard you will start to feel antsy. If you want to sell your home quickly it’s important to have a strategy. Here are some tips and tricks for getting more buyers interested and selling your home quickly: 1. Lots of photos: The more photos the better. Image is everything and you want to make sure your home has a good one. Studies show that 10 or more pictures can help reduce your home’s days-on-market time by up to 42% and improve the selling price by as much as 3.8%. 2. Host an Open House: According to the National Association of Realtors, 45% of home buyers reported they used information from an open house in their home search. Open houses bring potential buyers into your home for a first hand view. 3. Staging: This can really help a home sell quickly. Statistics show staging can help a property sell 50% faster and can increase the selling price by 6.9%. Staging allows buyers to imagine their own life within the home. 4. Price it Right: Work with your real estate agent to price your home competitively within the current market. Use a Comparative Market Analysis or CMA to compare your home to others like it in your neighborhood. This will give you a value price range in which your home should sell.]]>
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:
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:
Why You Can't Sell Your Own Home
Did you know that home sellers that use a real estate professional on average get 16% more in the sale of their home? In rare instances, some people are able to sell their own homes without the services of a real estate agent but for most it is tricky business. Here are a few reasons why you can’t sell your own home. 1. A home for sale needs to be in the MLS (multiple listing service). You need to be a licensed real estate broker or agent to be able to put a home in the MLS. Not having your home in the MLS is problematic, it will be difficult to advertise your home on many home search engines and websites. 2. Many real estate agents won’t show homes that are for sale by owner. For a real estate agent it can be difficult to deal directly with a home seller. Agents are used to receiving a commission on the sale and without a written agreement there is no guarantee that the buyer’s agent will be compensated for his or her services. Not having the cooperation of local agents significantly limits the pool of potential buyers. 3. Many buyers do not want to deal directly with the seller. Potential buyers usually feel uncomfortable looking at a home if the owner is present. They will also be less likely to make an offer if they have to negotiate directly with the seller. Real estate agents create a much needed buffer between the seller and the buyer. 4. A real estate transaction is not always easy. Many times there are potential liability issues. Sellers would need to be well schooled in the real estate laws especially surrounding escrow and disclosure requirements.]]>