By Lisa Trocchi Most people are familiar with taking photographs of people and do not realize that real estate and architectural photography is a whole new ballgame. In the course of several years of photographing homes to sell, I have used many techniques which I would like to share with you. The primary purpose of real estate photography is to present the... Read More
Protecting Your Privacy While Marketing Your Home
By John Bretthauer Are you sure your privacy is protected while your home is out on the market? Most homeowners who want to sell their homes bring along with them their precious belongings including confidential documents when relocating to a new home. But this does not guarantee that their privacy is 100% protected from homebuyers’ eyes. You will be surprised... Read More
Selling Your Home – Sweating The Small Stuff Pays Off
By Vivian Olkin When it comes to selling a home, ignore the old adage. You really do need to sweat the small stuff. No matter where you live, every home has little things that need to be fixed – things that detract from the value of the home. Little things that need to be fixed will make the value of your home go up – along with your asking price. It... Read More
How To Use A Group Legal Plan When Selling By Owner
Despite the fact that group legal plans have been around for years, many people have never heard of them. Perhaps it’s because they are often used as part of an employee benefit package (i.e. medical, dental, legal). Still as an individual, anyone can sign up for a legal plan separate from an employee benefit program. Budget around $20-$30 a month... Read More
Six Important Tips on How to Pack For a Big Move
By Lawrence Reaves When it comes to packing, the common consensus is that people don’t realize how much they really own until it is time to pack it all. Here are some of our packing tips when it comes to packing for a move effectively and efficiently. Packing Tip 1 – Start early It is important not to leave packing until the last minute. Facing a... Read More
Choosing Your Home Value – The Appraisal Process
By Ryan Tollefsen The process of appraising your home involves developing a value from an opinion of an expert using a standard practice. When done accurately, it will help sell a property in an open market. It is important that we know how the valuation is derived. In determining the important elements of the home appraisal, the following should be considered: o Important... Read More
FSBO Help: Be Careful Who You Listen To
Before putting a home on the market, most sellers consult with people they trust to help them price their home. What some people don’t consider is that their trusted advisors may have outside motives that influence their advice. Sometimes advisors appear knowledgeable and confident when offering a FSBO help, but in reality, lack the qualifications to... Read More
Home Selling Help: Should You Sell in As Is Condition?
By Jeanette Joy Fisher Home sellers often like to sell their home in “AS Is Condition.” Selling a home in as is condition happens because the home seller doesn’t: have the money for repairs or upgrades know how to fix broken feature have time because of moving pressures lacks desire to work on the home because of personal problems. If you’re... Read More
A Professional Organizer’s Tips to Make Moving Easier
By Sally Allen If you’re planning to pull up roots, here are some moving tips to get you through the process as seamlessly as possible. Keep in mind that being organized is the most important element for a stress-free move. Consider having a professional organizer handle your relocation. I’ve had clients tell me that they find it more energizing,... Read More
Home Selling Help: Cigarette Smoke Can Eliminate Buyers
Have you noticed how online auction sellers frequently use the phrase “from a non-smoking home” in their marketing? It’s a key advertising phrase that attracts non-smokers. With more cities and states passing stricter non-smoking laws, the topic of passive smoke on people and things is being brought up more often. The effect of the economy... Read More
Real Estate Flyers: Should You Use Them?
I had no idea there wasn’t universal agreement in the agent world about the use of flyers on yard signs. When we sold our first home by owner back in 1998 my biggest concern about flyers was keeping the sprinkler from hitting the box and smearing our ink jet printed papers. We were standing next to our for sale sign outside our home with a real estate... Read More
FSBO Tips
Are you for sale by owner? Here are some tips to help you increase your chances of selling your own house. Know your local market. Is it a sellers market with home values increasing, a buyers market with home values decreasing or has the market been flat for a while? This one piece of knowledge will affect multiple parts of your transaction. For example... Read More
Sellers Can Safely Finance a Buyer
By Chuck Marunde Thirty and forty years ago it was not uncommon for a seller to finance his buyer, in other words to carry the note for the buyer. In fact, many of those contracts were still being created 20 years ago, but with a mortgage market that became intensely competitive and focused upon getting everyone possible into a home, seller contracts faded. Seller... Read More
5 Tips for Evaluating an Offer
5 Tips for Evaluating an Offer Find the Expiration Date There should be an expiration date and possibly time in your offer that you need to be aware of. Most buyers are considerate and at least give you enough time to sleep on it. Use this time to think it over. If you are given a short deadline, ask why. Often times if a buyer thinks someone else is... Read More
You Painted The Room “That” Color?
Let me take this time now to apologize to the people that bought our first home. Unless you had an infant and wanted to continue with the Baby Disney theme, you most likely had to remove the wallpaper and start again. I figured it would save someone the trouble of having to decorate for a baby. Now I know better, and I’m sorry. You probably had... Read More
Real Estate Math Annoys Teachers!
Basic fractions. Most of us can remember that much, see if you can get this one: 1/2 + 1/2 + 1 = ? Most of us will come up with an answer of two; but in real estate math, the answer is actually three! No way you say? Way. Try this one: 1 + 3/4 + 3/4=? Did you reduce your fractions? Your math teacher would be proud, but it will mess you up in real estate... Read More
Be In A Position Of Control
At some point in your marketing you will be negotiating an offer with your buyer. Here’s three reasons for you to have Purchase and Sale Agreement documents ready ahead of time: 1. It could save you a commission! If you don’t have documents ready, your buyer may go looking for them. Most people know someone that is an agent and buyers usually... Read More
Motivated To Show?
One of the upsides to marketing your own home is the ability to control when it gets shown. It’s nice to be able to say “now isn’t a good time” if you can, but in today’s market, can you afford to be selective? Only you can decide that, and it’s based on your motivation level. Ask yourself “If this buyer goes away,... Read More
What Is It About The Sun?
After a long winter, that first bit of sun that shows up always gives me a burst of energy. It seems to work the same for the housing market. Every year around this time, we’ll get a sunny day and activity will pick up, and 24 hours later the clouds will come in and it’s dead again. I can see the dust being blown off the market and slowly it’s... Read More
Selling By Owner From A to Z
Deanna here… OK, I got the “From A-Z” idea off a different blog, but imitation is a form of flattery, right? OK, here goes a selling by owner version of “From A-Z”: A – Appraisal: This is something to seriously consider to make the process of selling your home as smooth as possible. It will not only give you an unbiased value... Read More
