Lets Talk Real Estate! "ARRAY OF LIGHT" One of the simplest and most effective ways that sellers can make their homes more appealing to buyers is to allow more natural light to stream through windows and doors. Raising shades and pulling back draperies is all it takes to create this light and airy feel in [...]
Lets Talk Real Estate! "THE UNVARNISHED TRUTH" It is in sellers' best interests that their agents be absolutely truthful about the facts and circumstances surrounding the sale of their homes. It serves no purpose to inflate the sellling price and sellers' expectations in pursuit of a listing only to have those expectations dashed. Over-priced listings [...]
Lets Talk Real Estate! "ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL" As appreciable percentage of homeowners are not satisfied with the size of their current homes. According to a poll of over 2,000 homeowners, fewer than a third (32%) of those surveyed said they would choose a home of the same size as the one that [...]
Lets Talk Real Estate! "GETTING STARTED" If first-time buyers are finding that their hunts for their dream home are more challenging than they anticipated, they may lay much of their frustration at the feet of the Great Recession. That economic downturn put fear in the hearts of many homeowners that compelled them to hold onto [...]
Lets Talk Real Estate! "MORTGAGE RATES AND HOME PRICES" Because interest rates have been relatively low in recent years, buyers have been able to afford more expensive homes than they would otherwise be able to buy. This inverse relationship between mortgage rates and home prices has generally worked to the advantage of sellers, who have [...]
Lets Talk Real Estate! "BUILDING CONFIDENCE" Even when buying a new home from a builder, it pays to work with a real estate broker in order to protect your interests. To begin with, buyers should be sure that any earnest-money deposit they make be put into an interest-bearing escrow account held by a third party, [...]
Lets Talk Real Estate! "BEFORE YOU SELL" Sellers should consider the notion that they will likely be able to sell their homes above list price if they tackle home-renovation projects themselves rather than trying to pass them on to buyers. Sellers who adopt this strategy are about 50% more likely to modify the homes floor [...]
Lets Talk Real Estate! "CATCH PHRASES" Sellers should note that, by describing certain features of their homes in terms that are readily recongizable to prospective buyers, they may be able to sell their homes more quickly and for more money. For instance, according to a review of a national online database of all homes listed [...]
Lets Talk Real Estate! "High Grades For Good School Districts" As all real estate professionals know, proximity to high-quality schools is one of the primary factors in determining a home's value. That is to say that, if two comparable homes were positioned across the street from one another with a school district boundary line between [...]
Lets Talk Real Estate! "Going Door To Door" You have probably already heard that one of the most cost-effective ways for sellers to boost the attractiveness of their homes is to paint their front door to give it a fresh, welcoming appearance. If necessary, it often pays to go even further by replacing the door [...]
