Real Estate Information Center

Selling your home is one of the most life-changing decisions you can make. Having made the decision you will need to meticulously prepare for the transfer by taking steps to ensure that your property is sale ready and that you are aware of the intricacies involved in the process.

These 15 Action Steps will help you to prepare your home and yourself:

1. Find your legal papers, such as the deed, insurance, mortgage documents, etc.
2. Call a title company and ask for a complementary title report to check for discrepancies that may be present.
3. Check your credit rating.
4. Speak to your bank about pre-approval whether you need a mortgage or not.
Continue reading ‘15 Action Steps You Need to Take Before Listing Your Home For Sale’ »

Would you believe it if I told you that I actually had over 50 different subscriptions to various magazines at one point? My poor mail person! I had subscriptions to every fashion, home, and design magazine you can think of. It was absolutely insane and out of control.

As you could guess I obviously couldn’t keep up with the subscriptions. I never had time to read them so finally one day, I made a list of every magazine I was receiving and started cancelling them as the subscriptions expired. I can proudly say I’m a recovering magazine subscriber and only have two active subscriptions.

So, what did I do with all these publications? I actually used a lot of them for staging. Some of the higher end ones like Architectural Digest, Town & Country, and San Francisco were used as coffee table displays or in offices, and Wine Spectator was sometimes used in the kitchen, dining or bar areas.

Continue reading ‘Successful Home Staging Props Using Magazines’ »

So you are trying to sell your home, but it just does not seem to be attracting any real interest from buyers; you have had a few prospective buyers walking though your doors; but, you have had no offers. There are hundreds of homeowners who know exactly what I’m talking about. Having your house sit on the market for many months will surely leave you wondering what you can do to get someone to sign on the dotted line.

Here are some of the questions you are probably asking yourself:

* Take it off the market for awhile?
* Lower your price?
* List with another broker?
* Fix it up, and then relist it at a higher price?
* Pay to fix it up and leave it at the same price?

Continue reading ‘Don't Reduce Your Price – Recreate Your Space’ »

Real Estate Staging is the process of preparing a home for sale. Staging is really about un-decorating and removing years of living, collecting & decorating so a buyer can visualize themselves living in the home. When a seller “lets go” of some of their own things, it then gives permission for the buyer to buy! As a realtor, the preparation of a home for sale can be a difficult subject to approach with a seller. Some things are obvious such as warn, dirty carpeting that needs to be replaced. Or maybe there are minor repairs needed throughout the home. But sometimes a home is in good condition but needs a little “TLC” before that first showing.

Here are the top 5 things to tell your sellers.

1. YOU DON’T LIVE IN YOUR HOME THE SAME WAY YOU SELL YOUR HOME – Many of the items that you showcase for the home you live in may need to be eliminated when your home is being shown to potential buyers. This does not mean that those items are not beautiful or important. It just means that they may be a deterrent to a buyer.

Continue reading ‘The Art Of Preparing A Home For Sale’ »

Real Estate Staging is the process of preparing a home for sale. Staging is really about un-decorating and removing years of living, collecting & decorating so a buyer can visualize themselves living in the home. When a seller “lets go” of some of their own things, it then gives permission for the buyer to buy! There are many benefits of staging your home for sale, but here are the top 5.

1. Staging is always less than your first price reduction- The first price reduction can be $20,000 or more, depending on where you live. Staging a home can be a fraction of this figure. Consider this; you have reduced the price for your “empty” property and guess what? It’s still empty. Or imagine that you’ve reduced the price of your home, but the buyers still cannot see the positive features because you still have too much furniture and clutter. Staging your home will ensure that buyers are seeing all the amenities the home has to offer.

Continue reading ‘The Top 5 Benefits Of Staging Your Home For Sale’ »

Have you ever pulled up in front of a home or driven pass one and just thought to yourself, “Oh Wow!”

The WOW factor is priceless when it hits someone from curbside and that is exactly the appeal you want to accomplish when listing your home for sale. If you “don’t get them” at the curb, you may as well kiss your chances of seeing them walk through the door goodbye. A perspective buyer’s connection to your home can be rather immediate and if they don’t feel one with your home the competition in your neighborhood will be their next focus.

Creating curb appeal does not have to cost a fortune but it will take a little bit of planning on your part before you post that For Sale sign on your front lawn. Approach your home with the eye of a shopper. You may want to scope out those other homes in the general vicinity also up for sale and see how your home compares to them. Be honest, critical and leave your ego at the door. What makes them stand out? What can you do to compliment the outside look of your property?

Continue reading ‘WOW Them From Curbside’ »

There’s no doubt about it, property markets around the world are going through the hardest times seen in decades. And here in Australia the situation isn’t a great deal different. Our property market too, is in the doldrums.

But guess what? In all that doom and gloom there is some good news for home owners trying to sell property in a buyers’ market. With these 10 no cost home staging tricks, you can add significant value to your ‘For Sale’ property and boost your property’s selling price.

The First Impression

Why?

Continue reading ‘Home Staging – 10 No Cost Ways to Add Value to Your 'For Sale' Property’ »

No matter what state the real estate market is in, did you know there are ways to increase the sales price of your home? With just a few simple steps it really is possible to tempt buyers to pay more for your property.

The technique is called staging and it’s all about presenting your home as a product on the market. There is a distinct difference between the way you live in a home and the way you should stage it to appeal to potential buyers.

Here are some staging tips that will help you sell your home for top dollar:

Detailing Your Home

If you planned to sell your car, you would detail it inside and out. You would polish all the chrome and wax the paint so it sparkled. You’d touch up any chips in the paint job and also make sure the interior was clean and neat and garbage free.

Continue reading ‘Stage Your Home and Sell For Top Dollars’ »

If you are planning to sell your house you must look at your property as if you had never seen it before. If you can’t do that, your home will probably remain your home because you will limit the number of buyers who may be able to visualize the home as their own.

Curb Appeal

Look at other properties for sale in your area then look at yours as you remember to think like a Buyer. Is there anything you could do to make your property stand out? A few dollars spent in landscaping or simply taking the time to manicure and add some color with flowers may be all that is needed.

Home Staging

Remove personal items, family pictures, knick-knacks, and clutter. Take everything stuck on or sitting on the refrigerator off. Clear off the counters, especially in the kitchen, but do not forget the bathroom counters.

Continue reading ‘Tips For Staging Your Home’ »

Staging a home for a sale is as important as being priced ahead of the market. Staging is the art of preparing the house for sale. Staging is what you do after you’ve cleaned, uncluttered, painted, made minor repairs; it’s all about dressing the house for sale. Staging makes your house look bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, more habitable and, best of all; it makes home buyers want to buy it!

The staging process starts when you search for a qualified listing agent by asking the questions regarding staging and preparing your home for sale. Some Real Estate Sales Professionals are had earned an ASP RE Certification which is an Accredited Staging Professional for Realtors designation. Other Real Estate Professionals will have a certified ASP Staging Professional on retainer or on staff.

Continue reading ‘Preparing For a Sale – Staging a Home to Sell’ »