For Sellers
Selling your home shouldn't be a stressful ordeal. Making the smart move of choosing a REALTOR® is your first step to ensuring that your investment in your home pays off. Our services and experience allow you to focus on your move while We manage your home sale from our initial consultation to the closing deal, and beyond. We pride ourselves on repeat business and hope you'll come to understand why.
What Coldwell Banker and Traditional Offices Won't Tell You
Dana Tippit, Agent Brochure page 1 Dana Tippit, Agent Brochure page 2
Google Advertising Program and Buyer Software Database
How Do You Know if Your Home is Over Priced?
Waiting for the Market to Warm Up?
St. Louis County Average List Price by Zip Code
St. Louis City Average List Price by Zip Code
NO BODY SELLS MORE HOMES THAN RE/MAX!
Seven Deadly Sins of OVER-PRICING!
Preparing Your Home for Winter Showings
As Your Agent, We Will: Download brochure
- Answer ALL inquiries about your property. Unlike Coldwell Banker ad traditional brokerage firms who have 'duty' agents to answer incoming calls; all inquiries about your property will come to ME, the agent who knows your house as well as you.
- Market your home the way YOU want. Unlike Coldwell Banker and Prudential offices who subscribe to an advertising office philosophy or program; you and I will create an advertising and marketing program that benefits YOU the most.
- Provide an office and area-network of FULL TIME PROFESSIONAL REMAX agents. Unlike traditional offices lilke Coldwell Banker with part-time agents, REMAX agents are full-time professionals who make their living in real estate.
- Complete a comparative market analysis that will compare your home's value to that of your neighbors.
- Compile a comprehensive plan detailing all the efforts we will employ to sell your home, including Internet and local media.
- Present your home to as many qualified buyers as possible getting your home maximum exposure.
- Help you stage your home and generate curb appeal to ensure you get the highest price.
- Assist with obtaining offers and help you in negotiating the best deal as smoothly as possible.
- Help you find your next home and answer all of your questions about the local market area, including schools, neighborhoods, the local economy, and more.
I'll personally:
Residential Partner Sales Program: Download Brochure
Pricing Experts– We have a proven record of selling homes for top-dollar within the seller’s time frame. We put pricing strategies in place to maximize selling time, including:
"Sell it Now" - to sell under 30 days.
"30/60/90 Day" adjusting price appropriately.
Top Negotiators Negotiating with buyers/buyer’s agents can be stressful. We have a combined total of over 40 years selling and negotiating experience and have developed tactics (Price Planning) to insure the right price for our sellers.
Individualized Marketing No two homes are the same. We create a specific and detailed weekly marketing plan for each home to sell fast! Including Internet, direct mail, newspaper, signage, Toll-free 24-promo line, newsletters, cable, call capture (interested buyers), reverse prospecting, featured listing feeds to Internet sites and special events.
Unconditional Guarantee If you’re not happy, fire us. Really, we want to know if we are not performing up to your expectations. If we can’t resolve your issues, we will release you from your contract.
Flexible Commissions We offer multiple commission plans including:
“Representation Plan” for individuals selling and buying.
“Multiple Listing Plan” for those selling more than one property.
“Both Sides Plan” giving sellers a discount when we bring the buyer.
Communications Commitment You’ll always be informed. AND you can always reach us (24/7) via cell phone. You’ll get showing follow-up and agent comments, monthly market/price analysis, website hit counts, copies of advertising, reverse prospecting results and buyer updates. After 30 days we’ll send a feedback form for you to access our performance - let us know how we can better serve you. Call anytime 314-651-9900
Average transactions per agent: St. Louis RE/MAX agents:14.5 vs Coldwell Banker agents transactions at 7.2.
Internet Web Traffic Market Share: REMAX.com: 25.25% share vs ColdwellBanker.com:13.07% share. REMAX.com has 1.4 million more website visitors at 3.5M.
Nobody Sells More than RE/MAX: Over 830,000 transactions annually.
More Offices: Nearly 7,000 WORLDWIDE Offices in 71 Countries.
More Visitors to REMAX.com: Average 3.5 Million UNIQUE visitors per month.
Highest Number of Prospects: 60% More Site Traffic than Coldwell Banker.
Greatest Share of Voice: 45% More Advertising than Coldwell Banker. Average 18% greater media presence than CBG.
Highest Customer Satisfaction: 70% of business from repeat & referrals.
What Coldwell Banker Agents Won't Tell You:
1. More than HALF of the Coldwell Banker agents are part-time, selling less than two properties a year. More than 95% of REMAX agents are fulltime professionals.
2. New Coldwell Banker agents answer buyer's incoming office calls to build their client base. These agents don't know your property! REMAX agents answer ALL their incoming buyer calls because the REMAX office staff is unlicensed secretarial staff, who by law, cannot answer real estate questions and connect the buyer to the listing agent who knows ALL ABOUT YOUR PROPERTY! Who do you want representing you to buyers? The agent you hired or the newby at the front desk with none or little knowledge of your home!
3. CBG and traditional real estate offices have to follow marketing and advertising programs established by their brokerage firms. REMAX agents have the ability to design and tailor a program to your specific property and your individual needs and requests.
4. The majority of new agents start out at Coldwell Banker/traditional 'split-commission' companies and learn on the go. REMAX agents started in traditional brokerage firms until they got established...then they moved to REMAX..where they can control their business.
The Partner Goals promise to overwhelm each buying or selling client with superior service. Results include a pr oven record getting top-dollar for homes within the seller's time frame. Effective marketing touting unique property benefits. Control of the negotiation process. Happy clients.
Price Strategies: Client is satisfied w/ price. Use pricing strategies.
Marketing Plans: Individualized marketing program for each property.
Flexible Commission Rates: Seller believes compensation is fair.
Communications Commitment: Client is always informed. 24-hr access to me.
Negotiation Plans: Using tactics to obtain the right price for client.
Unconditional Guarantee: Client gets the best deal possible.
RE/MAX is the real estate gold standard. Annually, RE/MAX agents average double the average CBG agents transactions at 12. Double the amount of CBG offices with 6929. Have 1.4 million more website visitors at 3.5M. Average 18% greater media presence than CBG & 40% more repeat business than CBG. Knowledge is power. People are professionally represented in real estate transactions for legal ramifications, correct pricing & access to the greatest inventory & most prospects. I use my education, acquired knowledge & industry tools to ensure successful transaction completion for my clients.
Expert Representation
Knowledge is power. People are professionally represented in real estate transactions for legal ramifications, correct pricing & access to the greatest inventory & most prospects. I use my education, acquired knowledge & industry tools to ensure successful transaction completion for my clients.
98% of Sellers are Professionally Represented. Buyers Need to Be Too.
95% of Buyers are Professionally Represented. So Should Sellers.
50% of FSBO Transactions Fail to Close.
35% of Buyers are Relocating.
90% of Buyers Start Looking Online.
The MLS is the Number One Source of Available Properties.
What are homes selling for on your street? Feel free to contact us to find out what neighborhood homes are selling for, free of charge, or to receive a more detailed analysis of the value of your home.
Most experts would advise that the best way to increase yourodds of a successful sale is to price your home at fair market
value. But, as logical as this advice sounds, for many sellers it is
still tempting to tack a few percentage points onto the price to
"leave room to negotiate". To avoid this temptation, let's take a
look at the seven deadly sins of overpricing:
1. Appraisal Problems
Even if you do find a buyer willing to pay an inflated price, the fact
is over 90% of buyers use some kind of financing to pay for their
home purchase. If your home won't appraise for the purchase
price the sale will likely fail.
2. No Showings
Today's sophisticated home buyers are well educated about the real estate market. If your home is overpriced they
won't bother looking at it, let alone make you an offer.
3. Branding Problems
When a new listing hits the market, every agent quickly checks the property out to see if it's a good fit for their
clients. If your home is branded as "overpriced", reigniting interest may take drastic measures.
4. Selling the Competition
Overpricing helps your competition. How? You make their lower prices seem like bargains. Nothing is worse than
watching your neighbors put up a sold sign.
5. Stagnation
The longer your home sits on the market, the more likely it is to become stigmatized or stale. Have you ever seen a
property that seems to be perpetually for sale? Do you ever wonder - What's wrong with that house?
6. Tougher Negotiations
Buyers who do view your home may negotiate harder because the home has been on the market for a longer
period of time and because it is overpriced compared to the competition.
7. Lost Opportunities
You will lose a percentage of buyers who are outside of your price point. These are buyers who are looking in the
price range that the home will eventually sell for but don't see the home because the price is above their pre-set
budget.
Most buyers look at 10-15 homes before making a buying decision. Because of this, setting a competitive price
relative to the competition is an essential component to a successful marketing strategy
Getting the Highest Price for Your Home
Curb appeal is key and could make a difference whether people stop and take a flyer, or drive right by. Here are a few tips to increase the curb appeal of your home. Staging your home is important. Many buyers will stay in your home longer if it's staged appropriately. We have compiled some ideas to present your home in the most effective manner.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
Get rid of clutter. Throw out newspapers and magazine piles. Pack away collectibles and pictures. Store out-of-season clothing somewhere else to make closets look larger. Keep everything super clean from switch plates to corners.Wash windows and screens, open drapes and let more light into the interior. A clean house makes a better impression. Mop, wax and vacuum floors. Clean stove and fridge inside and out. Get rid of smells. Stop smoking inside and professionally clean drapes and carpeting; paint walls. Address cooking and pet smells in a like manner. Open windows. Install higher watt light bulbs and replace burnt-out light bulbs as soon as possible, throughout the entire house, basement and garage. Make all minor repairs, especially visual ones: Sticky doors/windows, broken windows/screens, cracked caulking, dripping faucets. Clean the yard. Cut and trim the grass, rake leaves, trim bushes, edge walkways and flower gardens. Put out potted plants by the front and back doors. Patch cracks/holes in driveway. Clean out gutters. Remove out-dated decor: rugs, drapes, pictures, wallpaper/trim.
For more ideas click on this link: 20 Low-Costs Ideas to Spruce Up Your Home
Speed up the sale of your home by:
Pricing it right, the lower end of your property's realistic price range; RIGHT AWAY. Most buyers won't wait and watch for the price to come down, they'll go somewhere else and not be back. Get your home "market ready" before showing it. We will stage your home for you...take our suggestions. Be flexible about showings...never turn away a potential buyer or make it hard for them to see the house. Be ready to sell...know your price and terms, have a move-out plan, ready your family emotionally. Be prepared to lower the price after 30 days with no offers...the market has rejected that price by then.
How to Price Your House Right the FIRST Time:
Consider comparable: Analyze the other homes that have recently sold in your neighborhood or within a mile radius of your house. Consider your competition: Go to open houses and see how your home stacks up. These homes are your competition. See your home as a buyer would see it. What are their amenities...How is their condition...Especially as compared to your house. Consider your contingencies: When do you have/want to move? Can you wait for your price? Get an appraisal and inspection:Get a market-value appraisal to see what banks will lend on the home. Have a trusted, licensed inspector uncover hidden defects that you can repair prior to the Buyer Inspection. The Buyer's inspector WILL find them and problems can kill your deal. Price accurately the first day on the market. Numerous studies show that homes priced 3% over market value will take longer to sell and ultimately sell under market price.
- Title insurance fees depend on the sales price of the home.
- Broker's commission is a full-service fee and will cost anywhere between 5% to 7%.
- Local property transfer tax, county transfer tax, state transfer tax, and state capital gains tax are the charges that you'll pay for the privilege of selling your home. Credit to the buyer of unpaid real estate taxes for the prior or current year are variable and depend on when you close and when your taxes are due.
- FHA fees and costs are all fees are now negotiable between an FHA buyer and seller.
- Home inspections fees are in some circumstances paid for by the seller and include pest, radon and other inspections.
- Miscellaneous fees can accrue from correcting problems noticed during the home inspection.
Find out how much your closing costs could be.
Nobody Sells More Than REMAX Why use RE/MAX?
When you choose Dana Tippit, a RE/MAX Sales Associate, to sell your home or help you in the home buying process, you'll experience an exemplary level of service backed by a global network and international client base. Download fact sheet.
Competitive Advantage
The RE/MAX real estate network has the most competitive advantages to offer those in the home selling and buying process. Thanks to its global network and stellar reputation, it's no wonder RE/MAX is the name people turn to when they embark on the home buying process. Nationwide...and internationally, the RE/MAX brand of a red over white over blue "For Sale" yard sign is recognized 88% more often than local or regional real estate signs.
REMAX.COM: The Hits Just Keep Coming More consumers visited REMAX.com in 2008 with more than 3.5 MILLION unique visitors averaqge per month. RE/MAX generates the highest number of prospects in the industry. RE/MAX Advertising has a 45% share of voice impression over the next in line.
Network Size
RE/MAX.com was visited by more consumers in 2007 than the web sites of Coldwell Banker, Prudential, Keller Williams, Century 21 and GMAC. Over 35 MILLION unique visitors have gone to RE/MAX.com in the first half of 2008 and the hits keep coming. That means more buyers and faster selling for RE/MAX customers.
The revolutionary RE/MAX Concept of networking RE/MAX professionals to maximize their business potential has evolved into a network of more than 100,000 Sales Associates in more than 65 countries and more than 7,000 offices bringing business to each other.
Advertising
The RE/MAX industry-leading national advertising drives potential customers/buyers directly to remax.com And RE/MAX.com delivers those customers directly to the listing agent to sell your property.
On average, a RE/MAX Associate spends about $10,000 each year on promotion and property advertising....Getting listings SOLD! Personal advertising plus national television advertising and Internet exposure generates the highest number of prospects in the home buying process and sales market. This draws consumers who are in the home buying process to seek out RE/MAX Associates. Be assured that Dana will deliver on her promises to you.
Premier Market Presence®
The RE/MAX network has the greatest market share with the most to offer clients in the home buying and selling process. RE/MAX has achieved 30-percent-and-higher market share in area after area across North America and is growing in market share around the world. A measure of business leadership, Premier Market Presence (PMP) results from community-minded high-producing Associates giving superior customer service under a respected company banner.
The RE/MAX Balloon Logo
The red, white and blue RE/MAX Balloon, with its "Above the Crowd®" slogan, is one of the most recognizable business logos in the world. RE/MAX boasts a fleet of more than 120 Hot Air Balloons, which allows for more than 6,000 appearances around the world each year.
The Sign That Brings You Home®
The famous red-over-white-over-blue RE/MAX yard sign and your RE/MAX agent lead you to properties in areas in which you'll want to live and work. If you want to sell your property, the RE/MAX yard sign attracts those in the home buying process. Nobody sells more real estate than RE/MAX.
An Industry Leader
RE/MAX was the first real estate network to be involved in more than 1 million transaction sides in a single year. Each transaction or sale consists of two sides, the listing side and the selling side to clients in the home buying process.
Global Expansion
With offices in more than 65 countries worldwide, the power of the RE/MAX name boosts business and attracts consumers who are in the midst of the home buying process. The continuous expansion into remote parts of the world means more visibility and endless possibilities.
Customer Satisfaction
Dana Tippit is a Hometown Expert With a World of Experience®. Dana has lived and worked in the St. Louis SMSA her entire life. She is a knowledgeable agent with experience and community connections to assist you in the home selling and buying process.
A consummate professional, Dana Tippit, on average, leads agents affiliated with competing brands in advanced education and production. That's why customers going through the home buying process know Dana as a The Real Estate Leader®. "No one in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX."
When you look for the highest quality real estate service, look to Dana Tippit. You can depend on Dana to make the home buying process or sale of your home as effortless and seamless as possible. The proof of quality service is in repeat customers and in customers who refer RE/MAX Associates to friends (see testimonial page) who are embarking on the home buying process. RE/MAX Sales Associates average 70 percent of their business from repeats and referrals, while other agents average about 30 percent from those sources.
Education
RE/MAX Associates lead agents of competing brands in professional designations, under graduate and graduate level educational degrees. Representing specialized training and education...and fulltime real estate commitment. These designations – some geared toward clients in the home buying process and toward others who are selling – set RE/MAX Associates apart from the rest of the crowd. They dominate the Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS), Certified Relocation Professional (CRP), Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) and Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) ranks.
For All You're Worth®
On average, Dana Tippit and RE/MAX Associates sell more real estate than other agents. They are better qualified to set the right price for the homes they list, are better equipped to market those homes, and are likely to find clients engaged in the home buying process in a shorter period of time. That experience and education also means they are better qualified to find the right home for any buyer. The home buying process can be a daunting task, but with the expertise of a RE/MAX Associate, buyers can rest easy.
Main Street. Not Wall Street.®
Being locally owned and operated, RE/MAX offices are staffed with professionals who live in the area they work in. Dana and Mike live within ten minutes of their RE/MAX office. Thus, committed to their communities, they have a deep personal interest in the customers they serve.
Home of the Best Agents®
In a business environment of mergers and acquisitions, RE/MAX is the only major real estate network still owned and directed by its founders and local broker owners like Mike and Dana Tippit. The excellence of RE/MAX Broker/Owners and Sales Associates has led to an ever-increasing number of accolades from the business community at large.
In January 2007, "Entrepreneur" magazine ranked RE/MAX No. 6 - up from No. 9 - on the 2006 Top Global Franchises list and again named RE/MAX "Best of the Best" for real estate services for the seventh time in eight years. RE/MAX climbed from No. 11 of Fastest Growing Franchises to No. 7 and finished in position No. 2 among Top Low Cost Franchises. It's no wonder more people look to RE/MAX to help them in the home buying process.
More Than 35 Years "Above the Crowd®"
RE/MAX - now an established industry leader - celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2008 and looks ahead to even greater real estate achievements in the years to come. Whether you're in the home buying process or looking to sell, choose a RE/MAX Associate. When you choose a RE/MAX Associate, you'll have a real estate agent for life.
Google Advertising Program and Buyer Software My Google advertising program provides a minimum of 30 new buyers each month. When buyers are searching Google for homes in our area, they have a 'click' option to come to my buyer-side website: www.WestStLouisCountyHomeFinder.com and search the MLS for free. They are prompted for information and email which is varified. Once they come to the site I market my listings to them...and get you BUYERS!
Listing Syndication Your property will be listed in the number one real estate company website REMAX.com and the Multiple Listing Service, the most comprehensive group of available listings anywhere, along with hundreds of other sites including:
Realtor.com Yahoo Real Estate Trulia Google Yahoo Propsmart LiveDeal Hotpads.com Vast Real Estate FRONTDOOR
Zillow.com Oodle Point2Homes.com Craig's List YourResidentialPartner.com Cyberhomes.com The Real Estate Book
SecondSpace Homescape Clickable Directories PCS Real Estate Services MilitaryFSBO.com HomeHippo The Housing Pages
HouseLocator.com Kazork PropertyShark.com Bilingual Marketing Group campushomesonline.com HomeAway Real Estate
Getting Ready for Your Open House
Having an open house? Here's a checklist of things you should make sure you've done before your open house:
Double check that your home is white-glove clean and de-cluttered of personal stuff, such as unusual paintings or family portraits. This makes the house seem neutral. You want the buyer to imagine themselves living there.
- Be sure you understand exactly when the open houses will be, including a mid-week "brokers only" open house. We will conduct all the open houses, in fact many state licensing departments stipulate that a licensed agent must conduct MLS-affiliated open houses. Weekend afternoons are obviously the best time to attract the largest number of house hunters.
- We will take care of advertisements on your house. Always double check that details on your home are accurate (number of bdrms/bths., correct address, etc.). Advertisements including general directions to your home from the nearest main street or a link to an online map with driving directions can be very helpful. Convenience is #1.
- Plan to leave during your open house. No one wants to see sellers loitering around,it makes people uncomfortable and people won't stay around.
- Be sure to safely store your valuables and prescription medications. It's rare, but occasionally thieves will target open houses.
- Keep your eyes on the prize! You might need to realign your attitude about your home. For you it holds a million memories. For a house hunter your home is one of many available for sale. The buyer doesn't care about your experiences in the home and may not share your taste in home improvements. Think of your home as something you want to sell so you can move onto the next phase of your life. Try to detach your emotions and the selling process will be a lot easier and faster too. Remember that the pros refer to your home and every other home on the market as "inventory." And the idea is to sell "inventory," not to keep it on the shelf.
STUCK IN A HOME YOU CAN'T SELL?
The best way to attract buyers are price and condition. Splash those specifics throughout every media possible. No showings or showings without contracts? Upgrade or update the condition and or lower your listing price and market more.
Once you have a buyer and they've presented a contract, see if these incentives help your negotiations:
- Offer a home warranty.
- Offer to buy down the buyer's mortgage interest rate. This may help the buyer purchase without lowering your price.
- Offer to pre-pay a year's worth of association fees.
- Offer a year's worth of professional lawn mowing or club fees.
- Offer credit toward the buyer closing costs. Again helping the buyer purchase without lowering your price.
Stage your home with lighting. The way you use lighting throughout your home can have a major impact on how appealing the space appears to prospective buyers. The more visually appealing your home is, the greater the chance of selling it quickly for the price you want. At the minimum, make sure there are working light bulbs in all lights and that it is easy to turn a light on in each room. Regardless of how you live with lighting, you are now selling the dwelling! If there is a light switch at the entrance to a room, make sure it turns on a light. Light dark corners, use accent lights throughout the house and turn them all on for showings. Also open the blinds, drapes and shutters. Natural light is beautiful and makes the home seem larger.
Make small updates to the bathroom. Consider replacing the sink to update the look or at a minimum, install a new faucet. Peoples' eyes are drawn directly to the bathroom sink to judge the entire room. Updating the other bathroom hardware is easy too: new door pulls, towel rings, vanity shelves, easily update the room. And make sure the room is spit spot clean, especially the tub!
Selling NOW Overcome any possible objections a buyer would have. Sellers don’t often understand their primary job is to eliminate any potential objections that would stand in the way for a buyer making an offer. If your home is competitively priced, and your home’s condition meets a buyer’s expectations, you’ll get an offer – even if it isn’t the offer you want.
- Get your home into selling shape. Cleaning your home is a must. After that, consider hiring a stager to give your home the polish buyers expect. Assess what work needs to be done. Fix things that don’t work, touch up paint, or clean or replace your carpets. Decide if you need to update your landscaping, and paint, clean or tuck point your home’s exterior.
- Understand what it will take to sell your home. Evaluate price and timing in order to get the most for your property.
- Be realistic about the market. The market sets the price. What buyers are willing to pay, is the value of your property. Find out what is selling, and the average number of days on the market. Accept the reality of your local market and price your home realistically. Sellers who set high prices wait months for an offer. They may wind up with the same price, or lower. In this real estate market, the worst thing you can do is over price your home from the onset.
- Know where you’re going. We don’t recommend putting in an offer on another house until you have some serious interest in your current property. It’s fine to start researching other neighborhoods, but if you’re not sure what you want to do, consider renting on a short-term or month-to-month lease. These days, landlords are hurting and they may be perfectly happy to accept a 6-month lease.
- Read all documents thoroughly before signing them. If you’re going to sell (or buy) in the coming year, take the time to read and understand the listing contract, offer to purchase, and loan documents.
- Do Not be driven by greed. One big mistake many sellers make is to get a little greedy, particularly if the first offer is above their minimum acceptable price. The negotiation becomes a game of how much you can get and sometimes sellers loose it all when their buyer feels abused, they walk. Remember, a successful sale means everyone walks away feeling happy. If you get so greedy that the buyer walks away, you’ve let the deal get the best of you. Resolve to be reasonable and you’ll end up shaking hands with the buyer at the closing. You should also know that there are fewer buyers out there and if you lose a buyer it might take you quite some time to find another one.
Preparing Your Home for Winter Showings
1) Clear a Path
- Continually shovel a path through the snow, especially if it's still falling.
- Footprints on freshly fallen snow will turn to ice if the temperature is low enough, so scrape the walk.
- Sprinkle a layer of sand over the sidewalk and steps to ensure stable footing.
- Remember to open a path from the street to the sidewalk so visitors are not forced to crawl over snowdrifts.
- If it's raining, put a rubber mat by the front door and a container to hold umbrellas.
2) Lights
- Pull up the blinds, push back the, it will make for a dramatic winter scape.
- Turn on the lights throughout, including appliance lights and closet lights.
- Turn off all TVs.
- Some easy listening background music is always a nice touch.
3) Heat
- You want the temperature inside to be comfortable and to give the buyer more of a reason to linger, especially on a cold day.
- Pump up that thermostat prior to a showing. It is better to heat the house slightly warmer than usual and then set the temperature to hold. This prevents the heat from kicking on when the buyer is present, some HVAC systems are loud.
- Light the fireplace, place a grate in front of it and don't leave it unattended for very long. You don't want your house to catch fire!
4) Sanctuary!
- Make your living room appear romantic by placing a couple of champagne glasses near a champagne bucket on the coffee table.
- Fresh baked cookies in the kitchen (make sure they are accessible to people otherwise they will be disappointed)
- Turn your bathroom into a spa:
- Hang clean, white, plush robes.
- Roll up wash cloths, tie with a ribbon and place in a basket on the counter.
- Set up a grouping of soaps, lotions and shampoo.
- Place vases filled with winter flowers around the house.
5) Picture Perfect
- Display photographs showcasing summer flower gardens and warm getaways. Try to avoid pictures with people in them.
- Make Your House Shine:
- Wash Windows
- Clean out cobwebs.
- If necessary, re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
- Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
- Clean out the refrigerator. Make sure to clean the bottoms and open a package of baking soda.
- Vacuum daily. If your carpeting is plush, vacuum in one direction.
- Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
- Empty trash and recycling bins.
6) Winter Foods
- You want buyers to stay for a while and notice elements they might otherwise miss, make sure what you serve makes them stay.
- Hot soups are delicious on a cold day.
- Chili or stew is a great alternative to soup.
- Make sure to use single serve bowels and spoons and leave a receptacle for their disposal.
- Hot apple cider or chocolate are always welcome.
7) Information
- You have little time to make an impression. Make sure to attach printed cards to items and in rooms that provide further information the buyer might miss or might not know.
- If you have an antique chandelier in your dining room, put a card on it that discloses its age and other important details.
- If you have removed the washer and dryer from the laundry room, attach a card to the wall describing the room.
- If your basement stairs are steep, attach a card to the railing that cautions buyers to watch their step.
- Take care when placing a card that says: "Not included in the sale." That will make a buyer want it, but you can play that to your advantage.
8) Use Technology
- Plug indoor lamps into a timer to automatically turn on at times buyers will be present.
- Consider using motion sensors that will light up in the evening when a buyer approaches your doorstep.
- Set your crock-pot on a timer to warm up soup at designated time.
- If you use an answering machine, turn it off or mute messages.
Packing and Moving Tips Don't wait too long to hire a mover. Allow time (possibly up to four weeks) for a visual survey, written and binding quote and reserving a truck(s). Less time results in limited choices.
Show the surveyor or estimator everything you plan to move. Unlisted items nullifies your binding estimate and can be costly. If you commit to pack your items and then don't have time to finish, the van line will charge you for the service. When in doubt, ask the surveyor to quote the items or service in the estimate...if you decide not to take it, the cost will be adjusted downward.
Pay upon delivery, not a deposit up front. Reputable movers do not ask for payment up front to reserve trucks or dates.
Choose a mover based on service, not price alone. If a mover gives you a price that is significantly lower than other movers, it is likely you are being low-balled. If the estimator underestimates your weight to give you a lower price, you may find that the moving truck does not have enough room for your shipment come moving day! Overflow means your items will not travel together and will not arrive at the same time, and will generally be a big hassle. Don't compromise service either. Look for a competitive bid from a certified and reputable professional mover. Don't base your decision on price alone.
Don't use newspaper for packing. The ink on the newspaper transfers easily. Use unprinted paper available form moving supply sources. Use linens to pack around fragile items.
Pack breakable plates vertically. Stacking puts excessive weight on the bottom dishes. Put a paper cushion on the top, bottom and sides of the box and individually wrap each plate.
Use paper to pack the entire box. Make sure there is no wiggle room to cause breakage.
Don't skimp on paper. Ensure your items are delivered to your new home safely. Spending a bit more on packing materials saves the sadness of loosing a precious treasure.
5 Things to Do Now to Get Your Home Sold in 2012 It’s that time of year when most of us start to count our blessings, look back at what we’ve accomplished in 2011 and think about what we’ll get done in 2012. If selling your home is part of your resolution list for next year, there’s plenty of prep work you can do to set yourself up for home selling success.
Here are 5 things you can and should start working on without further ado, if you want to get your home sold - smoothly and for top dollar - in 2012.
1. Put your intentions in writing. The first step to any real estate transaction - actually, to anything important in life! - is to get clear on your goals. Unexpected challenges and situations might very well come up in the course of selling your home, so having a clear idea of your ultimate goals at the outset is a must to help you make the right decisions along the way and to remind you when you might need to course correct.
When you’re setting your objective and writing it down, it’s critical to be specific and holistic, drilling down to the details of what result it is you want your home sale to achieve in your life.
Also, establish where your priorities lie: with speed or with dollars? For example, your goal might be to sell your house as quickly as possible so you can relocate your family by spring. Or, your goal may be to sell your house at the best possible price no matter how long it takes.
Getting as clear as possible from the very beginning on your priorities and ultimate life objectives for the sale will allow you to communicate these crucial things clearly to your agent, and will power your decisions on issues like:
· which home improvement projects, if any, to complete before you sell;
· whether to accept a particular offer; and
· how aggressively to negotiate counter-offers, and on which points to push back against a buyer’s offer.
2. Study the local market. The most successful home sales are the listings that are priced right from day one. Ask any agent: even in the toughest markets, there are listing that sell quickly, mostly because the one-two punch of the property and its price look to buyers like a very strong value.
In order to position yourself and your property at the point of pricing nirvana, you’ll need to do some leg work. stat. You don’t need to pick an exact price this moment, unless you’re planning to list your home super soon, but you can get started on what I like to think of as the ‘thinking seller’s’ three-pronged approach to pricing now, by:
· visiting open houses,
· studying nearby listings, and
· talking with local agents.
Before the year is up, try to visit a handful of open houses in your neighborhood. This will help you get a sense of the types of homes that are on the market, what condition they’re in, and how they are priced. Keep in mind that no home is going to be exactly like yours, but if it’s similar in size, location and features, then buyers that see that property will probably be the same buyers that come to see yours - and they will be comparing list prices.
Another great prep tool in gearing up to sell your home in 2012 is to study similar homes for sale on Trulia! Pay particular attention to what features they have, how they are described and priced, any incentives the sellers are offering (e.g., closing cost credits, etc.) and how long they’ve been on the market. (Hint: you might not want to price your home right in line with one that’s been on the market over a year. Obviously, that home is overpriced, and that is NOT a result you want to replicate!)
Finally, one of the most efficient and nuanced ways to get to know your local market is to begin speaking with agents who sell homes in your area. Get a few referrals, call them up and tour them through your home. Then, ask these pros for their opinion on what you should list your home for, what recent sales they think are the most comparable (and why), and how long they would expect your sale to take given their experience and current conditions.
You can use these same home tours to get a head start on selecting your listing agent by asking the agents you interview to give you a preview of what they would recommend in the way of preparing your home, timing your listing and marketing your house to achieve the objectives you set in Step 1.
3. Gather your paperwork. In planning for your sale next year, you can get a great head start by pulling together the necessary paperwork now. Keep in mind that the specific requirements vary by state, so this is not an exhaustive list. In general, you’ll need to have these ready:
· Disclosure documents: This includes any documentation of anything that might impact a buyer’s decision about your home, whether it be inspection reports, repair receipts or estimates for repairs you haven’t actually had done yet. Your local real estate pro will help determine what exactly is needed here.
· Compliance certificates: In some cities, the local government will require certain conditions be met before a property is transferred to another owner. Examples of these requirements include sewer line condition guidelines, and energy conservation ordinances that require low-flow toilets and shower heads to be installed. Again, your real estate agent and your city’s website can help you figure out which, if any, of these types of ordinances might apply to your home.
· Mortgage statements: Before the property’s title can transfer to another owner, the escrow or title company will need your mortgage statements to order payoff demands from any mortgage holder who has to get paid before that can happen.
· Financials: If you’re planning on a short sale, you’ll have a lot more paperwork to gather in your process, including paycheck stubs, bank and investment account statements, and two years’ W-2 forms or tax returns - the bank will review these to determine whether they will authorize you to sell the home for less than what you owe.
4. Prep your listing plan and timeline. After you’ve done all your pricing homework and have chosen a listing agent, you can create a plan and timeline for how all the moving pieces will come together - including who is responsible for getting which tasks done. At minimum, your plan should specify:
· prep work you’ll be doing to your property before it’s listed for sale - including decluttering, staging and any repairs or cosmetic power-tweaks you plan to make;
· if you’re planning a short sale, a timeline for submitting an application to your lender for approval (this might be before or after the property is listed - consult with your lender and your agent on the matter)
· planned list price (based on current local market conditions - this could change if you don’t plan to list your home for several months);
· the target date on which your home will be listed for sale in the local MLS; and
· how showing arrangements will work so that local agents can get prospective buyers into your house to see the place, and what.
Agents: What other elements do you encourage sellers to include in their listing plans?
5. Get a head start on your ‘home’work. How much prep work your home needs really depends on its current condition. A good starting point for many sellers is to order an inspection. Most buyers will get their own inspection before closing a deal, but getting ahead of them with your own will help you avoid any unwanted surprises later on in the transaction. An inspection will give you a reality check on your home’s condition, enabling you to decide upfront whether it’s worth it to fix something now or simply reduce the price in consideration thereof.
Your holiday vacation from work is a great time to:
(a) obtain any advance inspections your real estate agent recommends,
(b) have any reasonable repairs completed,
(c) pre-pack and declutter your place, and
(d) prettify your home’s curb appeal - painting the shutters and sprucing the landscaping goes a long way toward attracting buyers.
Kudos, in advance, for taking the time now to prepare for your home sale in 2012! Selling in today’s market is no easy task, and doing the heavy lifting now - before your home goes on the market and, hopefully, while you're on vacation! - will help tremendously in making things go as smoothly, and profitably, as possible.
Reprinted from Trulia
Keep Your Buyer: DON'T TURN THEM OFF!
As you proceed on your quest for drama-free real estate, factor in these frequently occurring gaffes that turn off buyers and sellers:
Top 3 Ways to Turn a Buyer Off: If you’re a seller courting buyers, here are 3 faux-pas to avoid:
1. Hanging out when buyers are viewing your home: Buyers stalk properties online and off, checking obsessively for price reductions and the like. But buyer-side home stalking is unobtrusive to sellers. On the other hand, buyers can feel personally stalked and stifled in their ability to fully explore or verbally process their impressions of a home when you, seller, hang out inside your home while it’s being shown.
As soon as a buyer sees you in the house, it instantly becomes much more difficult for them to”
(a) envision themselves living there (it’s your house, after all),
(b) be comfortable opening up drawers, closet doors, etc., and
(c) express their thoughts about how this house might be exactly what they’re looking for, if they can knock out that wall and get rid of those cukoo murals you so lovingly painted in your children’s rooms.
Sellers: If you want to sell your home, it’s best to not be around when buyers are looking. Give them some breathing space and a chance to truly walk around and consider what they like and/or dislike about your home without lurking and looming (and, let’s be real - eavesdropping) nearby.
2. Showing a messy house: Life gets hectic, and it’s easy for things like laundry, dishes and other house cleaning tasks to fall by the wayside. It’s also difficult to keep the home in which you and your 4 kids, 3 gerbils and 2 Labrador Retrievers live perfectly spotless for months at a time, while you’re waiting for an offer. But when you decide that you’re going to sell your home, it’s imperative that you make a pact and a plan with yourself and your family that the place will be in tip-top shape when buyers come knocking.
Remember: your home is competing with dozens of others, as well as with buyer’s HGTV-infused visions of what their next home should look like, so first impressions really count.
Sellers: Stuffing the closet is not the answer. (Buyers will be opening that closet door, after all.) Pack up your personals like you were moving (best case: you are), and put all but the essentials in storage, if needed. Get the carpets cleaned, do the dishes, make the beds, mow the lawn, dust, sweep and mop. Ask your agent to give you a gut check on whether your idea of clean is clean enough (better yet - ask them for the number of a house cleaner who you can engage to get the job done to showable standards).
This might all seem obvious, but agents and buyers alike are constantly amazed at the condition of some of the homes they walk into. Take my word for it; I’ll spare you the ‘ewww’-inducing stories.
3. Overpricing your home: Buyers already have lots to do before making the largest purchase of their lives. They have to wrangle their finances into order, jump hoops to qualify for a loan, collect the cash for down payment and closing costs, and invest sometimes hundreds of hours into market research and house hunting. With all of this already on their plates, the prospect of trying to negotiate down a crazily high asking price is just too much work (and too outside their comfort zones) for most buyers to deal with. The average buyer won’t even bother looking at your home if the asking price is clearly high and off base compared with other similar, nearby homes for sale; they’d rather sit tight and wait .
Sellers: Price to sell from the beginning. Work with your agent to determine a price that is supported by the data on how much nearby homes have recently sold for. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and anguish and get a lot more legitimate bites from serious, qualified buyers.
Top 3 Ways to Turn a Seller Off: Buyers, if you want a home’s seller to play ball, best practice is to avoid these 3 pitfalls:
1. Unjustified, extreme lowball offers: It’s no secret that buyers have the upper hand in many markets right now. (To be clear, I said ‘many’ - not ‘every’ - your agent can help you understand what the dynamics are in your market.) But let’s be realistic, here. No seller can afford to give away their home at a price far below what it’s worth on today’s market. Lowballing a seller at a price far below the recent sales prices of similar homes in the neighborhood on the ‘let’s-take-a-stab’ plan, is highly likely to turn them off. And that, in turn, will cause the seller to view your offer - and you - as disrespectful and wasteful of their time.
Not only will they turn down your offer, but they may not even bother with a counteroffer, rendering your efforts at securing that particular home dead in the water.
Buyers: Review the recent sale prices of similar homes in the neighborhood (aka “comps”) with your agent before you make your offer. Also, ask them to help you factor in other market data, like the average list price-to-sale price ratio and the average number of days neighborhood homes stay on the market. It’s all right to come in lower than asking, if the market data supports such an offer; just be sure your offer is based on reality - and not your fantastical hallucination about scoring the bargain of the millennium.
2. Buyer-side mortgage fails: Plenty of employed buyers with decent credit and cash in the bank have been turned down for a mortgage these past few years. That means buyers can’t assume (a) that they’ll be approved for the amount of loan they need to buy the house they want, or (b) that they’ll be approved for a loan at all. Your inability to get approved for a home loan can create all sorts of problems not just for you, but also for your home’s seller. The average seller’s worst case scenario is that they accept your offer only to find out a few weeks, or months, later that you can’t get the loan you need to close the deal.
Buyers: It’s not overkill to start working with a mortgage professional as far as six months or a year in advance of starting your house hunt to get pre-approved for a loan. Make sure you get a clear understanding of the amount you qualify for, then work with your real estate agent from there to determine the price range you should house hunt in. And whatever you do - don’t buy a new car, open new credit cards or even change your line of work before your escrow closes, unless you consult closely with your mortgage professional before you make that move.
Tip for Sellers: Work with your agent to vet buyers before you sign a contract. Factor in their down payment and earnest money deposit, and feel free to counteroffer these items, not just the offer price. It’s not overkill to have your agent contact the buyer’s mortgage broker to see how reliable the buyer’s pre-approval really is.
3. Bashing the seller’s home: Home bashing happens when buyers start bad-mouthing (aka “trash talking”) the place and/or the neighborhood in hopes of getting a lower asking price. Examples: pointing out all the foreclosures in the area, saying the house down the street just sold for much lower than the asking price on this house, saying you’ll need to rip out the entire kitchen before you even consider moving in - saying any of these things to a seller who happens to be at home during the showing or the inspection is probably one of the fastest ways to turn them all the way off.
Buyers: Bad-mouthing a house or neighborhood won’t work to get you a lower price. Instead, it only serves to irritate the seller and motivate them to come up with all sorts of reasons why they shouldn’t sell their home to you! Remember: homes hold incredible emotional experiences for owners. Make an offer you’re comfortable with and keep the negative comments to yourself.
If there are legitimate, factual reasons underlying your decision to make an offer at a price the seller might see as a lowball, ask your agent to respectfully communicate those facts to the seller’s agent. - Trulia
