So your having an Open House, most sellers think that all they need to do to prepare for an open house is make sure the house is clean and they exit the house before it begins.  Some bake cookies, but that was popular when music was played on a CD!  Both the agent and the seller have much to do before the door opens to the public!

If you’re selling, make certain all your favorite things are safely stashed away.  This can be anything from a beloved necklace from your grandmother to a baseball card collection.  If it’s important to you or of any value, secure it!

Next check your prescriptions.  Consider everything you take whether it’s something to lower your cholesterol or a narcotic to help you recover from recent surgery – do not leave anything that someone else may need, want or take.  Realtors stay with the potential buyers during the open house to point out all the updates and features, but once someone asks to “use the bathroom,” we’re on the other side of the door.

If you always come in through your garage, walk into the house from your front door and after you make certain the walkway is safe and clear, check the exterior for cobwebs, a lightbulb that needs replacing or any potential flaw a buyer might notice. The storm door should be sparkling clean, the indoor/outdoor mats should be new and fresh and any seasonal curb appeal is welcoming.

Cookies always smell good, but some buyers wonder if they are used to cover an unpleasant smell.  Some fresh flowers and the smell of a clean house may be all you need.  Closets should already be cleaned out so every closet offers room for more in the buyer’s mind!

While you’re undertaking these preparations, your Realtor™ is busy behind the scenes promoting the open house to agents and potential buyers via internet, newspaper ads and email flyers just to name a few avenues.  I track where the potential buyers come from and find the resounding majority come from the internet.  Of course, expect some of your neighbors to stop by.  It’s usually for comparison value to see how they think their house value compares to yours!  Get ready – Spring will be here before you know it! Contact me for more details

In today’s market, most Sellers rush online before even calling in a real estate professional.  The ease of instant gratification from a website is just too good to pass up, regardless of the margin of error in these estimates!  After the Seller, the Realtor is the other person cheering the sale on to its highest value.  Nothing is more frustrating when a Seller thinks their house is inaccurately priced and the agent’s calculation is off.  If the house could sell for another $100,000, who would want to leave money on the table?  Certainly not the Seller or the Realtor.

The best way to price a property is by looking at recent sales. Sometimes, it’s worth the time to visit a few of the active listings, with which your home will compete.  Market conditions set the accurate value, not the agent, not the Seller, and certainly not the websites!  In an era when even cash buyers may include an appraisal clause that dictates the house must appraise at or above sales price or buyer reserves the right to renegotiate the sales price, pricing must be spot on.  No one wants to receive the phone call that the house didn’t appraise.

Enough of the doom and gloom!  The best way to sell your house for top dollar is to follow some simple steps:

• Price accurately!  Often when the list price is competitive and in-line with recent comparable sales, the days on market will be fewer and the property will sell closer to asking price. However, if you can’t resist the urge to shoot for the stars, remember to drop the price in two weeks if you don’t have an offer by then.
• Clean! Society encourages us to simplify and this is the opportunity to embrace that mantra. You’re preparing for a move and no one wants to move things that could be donated or discarded.
• Curb appeal! Stand across the street and look at your house as though you were coming to buy it.  What needs to be done?  Add some seasonal plants that still allow room for folks to easily access the front door.  Does the front door need any décor or to be repainted?
• List of Improvements? Have you made improvements to the home that should be brought to the attention of the Buyer?  Create a list!  Did you save every appliance manual or service contracts for home services?  Buyers love purchasing a home from a well-organized Seller who is prepared to turn over a list of who to call for things like the alarm, the HVAC or anything along those lines.
• Remove personal belongings! If photos are present, Buyers will look to see if they know you, if their children know you or just a general distraction of what a great vacation you took.  Too many knick-knacks can also deter a buyer.  Just today, clients said to me, “are we in a Cracker Barrel Restaurant or is this a house?”  Yes, Buyers should be looking beyond furniture, curtains, décor, photographs, but in reality the majority do not.
• Make certain the flow throughout the house will allow for 2 to 4 people to walk easily throughout the room and sufficient to make it to the windows, open the closets.
• Closets! Key phrase is “room for more!”  Even if you’ve packed away out of season clothes in preparation for the move, the Buyer will think they could fit even more.
• Light! Make sure blinds are dust free and open.  Turn on the lights before you leave for a showing so everything is light and bright when the potential Buyers arrive.
• Pets? If so, make sure the yard is clean.  Smells inside the house are another consideration.  I, too, am a pet owner and understand they don’t always smell like roses, but a quick bag of popcorn in the microwave is an easy fix.  I feel your pain on this, but take them out of the house for a showing.  At one showing, the Buyer was terrified of the Golden Retriever that the Seller had secured in the screened porch, so after getting permission, I put the pup in my car (of course, windows open and A/C on) so I could show the house.  On the bright side, the pets will feel really special!
• Potential buyers may use your bathroom, especially if they have children or are on a long tour – don’t be surprised, but do be prepared and make sure your prescriptions are safely secured.
• Appliances! Buyers tend to open one appliance – usually either the refrigerator or the oven, so be certain everything is clean and for some reason, they also tend to open one drawer and one cabinet.  It’s impossible to predict which one it will be, so if there’s that “plastic ware” cabinet where the lids don’t match the bottoms and things fall out, add that to the priority list!

Pricing and appearance are the main two components necessary to sell your home quickly and for top dollar.  Speaking from personal and business experience, it’s a stressful experience!  Realtors will do everything possible to reduce the stress for their client.  Preparation will help you to be ready when the buyers, the brokers, the inspectors and the appraiser come!  The right strategy will minimize your days on the market and minimize the number of times you have to load the pets into the car and keep the house spotless!

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Trends in 2018

After reading a few different articles on what’s in or out for 2018, the following trends came to light.

• According to HGTV, open shelves are no longer desirable and are better replaced with cabinetry with glass doors. The glass doors allows for the same light feeling that open shelving provides, but eliminates the need for constant dusting or removal of grease from cooking.
• The Wall Street Journal’s January 4^th edition surprised me by citing “RIP the white kitchen.” White seems like the timeless choice that can be accented with different hardware, décor, barstools or accents rugs.  More color is expected in kitchens going forward in 2018 and NY designer Vanessa Deleon is quoted as saying “Kitchens are treated more like living and dinings rooms.”  An increase in color from cabinetry, sinks and hardware is predicted for the future and even Viking appliances now come in apple red, cobalt blue and Bordeaux.
• Another shocking prediction is that the gray palette will no longer grace homes as the “go to” look. Johanna Uurasjarvi, West Elm’s creative director, advises that gray “without any contrast can feel tired and uninspiring.” The newest paint color recommendation is a pastel that has been mixed with an earth tone which results in less of a “nursery room” type of tone.
• Sliding Barn Doors are getting the axe as reported by HGTV and Apple News. Molly Miller from Apple News was quoted as saying she’s “totally over the rustic/farmhouse/upcycled look all together.”
• Fire pits are the first outdoor amenity to be crossed off the list for 2018. HGTV deems them to be useless and describes it as people gathering “begrudgingly…around a constantly-dying fire until everyone gets too cold…”  Madison is the town where “Smorstix” was invented and we still see plenty of action around the fire pits here!
• Boho overload is a phrase coined by Keri Sanders of HGTV. While touring homes, I may encounter a few rooms with Boho design, it’s seldom an entire house adorned with Boho accents.  Perhaps this is similar to the farewell that Shabby Chic received a while back?

The takeaway from all of these ideas is to find the inspiration to create a design you love.  The people make the home, and the home should reflect the love and interest found there.  How boring it would be if we were all to take these designer ideas to heart and create the same cookie cutter design?  Just select a few ideas that speak to you and then mix it with the look that makes you smile when you walk in the door.

Sources:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/top-5-interior-design-trends-for-2018-1515088212

http://www.hgtv.com/design/decorating/design-101/10-trends-our-editors-cant-wait-to-say-goodbye-to-in-2018-pictures?nl=HGI_010618_lead1CTA_done-trends&bid=11803434&c32=7505c2942fba9b4f76d13dd98a22f19f33d64380&ssid=2015_FGC_to_Gardens&sni_by=&sni_gn=Female

Fun and excitement are in the air when a Buyer is searching for their next home.  It’s the time when life mirrors an HGTV-like experience!  Buyers should create a list of what they must have and what they’d like to have to facilitate the process and keep some of the emotion out of the process.  There are a few other things that Buyers should keep in mind when begin to shop for a home.

Look down the road and try to imagine living in the house long term.  Whether you’re buying your first home or fifth, try to think about the unexpected changes the world brings, whether we want it or not.  Are you starting a family?  If so, you might want to anticipate if the home has sufficient living, playing and storage space and if the yard will serve future needs.  How long do you plan to stay in the house?  Might a first floor master suite be a practical choice?  If you have family out of state who likes to visit, consider the guest space configuration of the home.  Don’t forget pets – is there enough room to keep them happy?  Historically, home ownership has provided a solid return on investment, but always remember that return on investment can be tied to length of ownership and make sure you’re buying in a location where the next owner will want to live!

Financial stability is a huge factor to consider when purchasing a home.  No one wants to live “house poor,” where too much of their income goes to paying for the house.  Leave yourself financial room to bank for vacation, college, retirement, a great car or boat…the options are limitless.  Aside from the milestones in life, make sure you also bank for the unpleasant things we avoid thinking about.  A cushion for events like unexpected job loss, taxes, sickness or worse.

Does the house you like require significant renovations?  Speaking from personal experience, I love renovation, but my family finds it stressful.  Don’t take on too much of a project, especially if you’ll be living in the home during the process.  It’s easier to renovate a kitchen during Spring and Summer, when cooking on the outdoor grill helps retain some semblance of normalcy.  However, washing pans in a bathtub is not one of my fondest memories!  Exterior renovations cause less confusion and anxiety because while there may be noise, the mess is contained outside.

Learn as much as possible about the community from online resources, your realtor or meeting a neighbor.  Many clients like to drive by a house first before we go see it, so they can get a sense of the neighborhood, proximity to schools, shopping and commuting venues.  In addition to loving the house, it’s important that the area gives you that sense of “home.”   Real estate is a year ‘round business and the right home can be found in almost any month.  Spring usually has the most houses on the market, but it also has a larger number of Buyers searching, which can create a more competitive environment.

Welcome to Market Tracker, an exclusive report that informs you of residential real estate sales activity and regional trends. Please contact me if you would like more information on current market trends.

Welcome to Market Tracker, an exclusive report that informs you of residential real estate sales activity and regional trends. Please contact me if you would like more information on current market trends.

Welcome to Market Tracker, an exclusive report that informs you of residential real estate sales activity and regional trends. Please contact me if you would like more information on current market trends.

Welcome to Market Tracker, an exclusive report that informs you of residential real estate sales activity and regional trends. Please contact me if you would like more information on current market trends.