SELLING

For most families, their home is their largest financial asset, and deciding to sell it is a big decision that involves a lot of preparation and work. When you're ready to sell it's important to have an experienced real estate professional handle the details involved in the successful sale of a home for top dollar.

As an experienced professional who has helped many Orange County residents sell their homes, I know how to handle every aspect of the sales process – from strategically marketing and showcasing your home to making sure everything's signed, sealed and delivered by the closing date.

Providing you with comprehensive, high-quality listing service is my top priority. So when you decide to sell your home, please contact me and let's get started!

 

 PRICING, MARKETING AND SELLING IN 2008

Questions to Consider:

Are you competing against a flood of new houses from builders eager to sell?

Are you selling a newer home in an area where most of the housing stock is older?

Are you selling a home you purchased two years ago?

Do you think your home is worth what it was last year?

 

 If you’re selling your house this year be prepared:

  •  for a marathon, not a sprint
  •  to be proactive on price and marketing, especially internet presence
  •  to select the best real estate advisor for the job. Experience in this type of market
  •  is extremely important 

Most important, study and understand the:

  •  selling price of properties in the last 3 – 6 months
  •  number of days houses are sitting on the market
  •  level of current inventory  

The days of putting a property on the market, receiving multiple offers and getting more than you expected, are history.

       It’s a buyer’s market. Sellers need to be patient, prepared, persevering and smart.

Set a price. The rules are different in soft markets. You don't overprice your house 20 percent to leave wiggle room for negotiating. That kind of strategy might never be a good idea, but it can really backfire in 2008. It's not a matter of being willing to negotiate. If your price is too high, potential buyers may not even look at it. And they may very well see a negative message in such a high price.

Commissions aren't add-ons. Don't add the real-estate commission to the value of the home to come up with your asking price. Fees come out of your share of the profits. Otherwise you're going to get penalized for overpricing your house.  

When the recent seller's market was in full swing, it was easy to get some agents to discount their commission. They knew the property would sell in days or weeks and their marketing costs would be low. Now it's reversed. Agents are commonly looking at four to six months to sell a property, which increases their marketing expenses. This makes them hesitant to offer a discount.

First impressions. Curb appeal literally begins and starts with the curb! How presentable is your curb? Is it swept clean? Does it need to have sand, dirt or pebbles swept clean? Are there weeds or grass growing in the cracks and crevices of your curbs and sidewalks? How does your landscaping look? Does your front door look inviting?

It doesn't take long for a prospective buyer to form an opinion about your house.

Selling in winter. Sure, there are fewer buyers and the skies are gloomy. So warm and brighten up the place; make it look like a refuge from the weather.

A fresh coat of paint! Pull back the curtains! Light the fire!

You can help your house sell quickly and at a good price - even in a slow market - by following these suggestions, because it takes a lot more than sparkling windows, scented candles and chocolate chip cookies to sell in today’s market.

Clean like a fiend - I mean white-glove clean and keep it clean until closing. Think about doing the following:

  • Take a toothbrush to faucets and fixtures
  • Scouring fingerprints from all the switch plates
  • Shine windows until they're spotless
  • Examine fridge fronts, stove tops and door handles
  • Vacuum up every last particle of dust, baseboards included
  • You should be able to eat off the kitchen and bathroom floors
  • Banish suspect smells, you don't want your house to become known in real-estate circles as "the smelly place"

Get inspected. A pre-sale inspection can help in two ways. Professional inspections can identify problems that could thwart a sale in time to fix them. And if there are no major problems, an inspection can publicize that fact to skittish buyers. Having an inspection report right on the counter during showings lets the buyers know that the seller has nothing to hide.

Web appeal. Bad photography impacts a huge portion of Internet listings. Today, the internet IS YOUR OPEN HOUSE. Your ‘photos must be sharp and plentiful. Having only one 'photo is as bad as having none.

Home specific websites. I will have a web site just for your property www.AnyStreet.com. Your own personal web site encourages buyers to linger, look at school data, map the property and become familiar with the area. In addition, they have direct access to the person who knows the most about your home, me, your listing agent! This site will also be linked to a number of other internet promotional sites such as Remax.com, Realtor.com, Homes.com, Craigslist, our Multiple Listing Service and ofcourse, KateWashington.com to name but a few.

Ahhh…the New Buzz Word - STAGING

Depersonalize and neutralize. The first items that should go in those packing boxes: family photos, collections and just about anything else that says "you." Streamline your artwork and consider toning down bold decorating statements. Buyers have a hard enough time envisioning how their stuff will look on your walls. By neutralizing your decor, you can help give them the blank canvas they need to imagine your house as theirs.

Pack up the clutter. Clutter eats equity. Too much “stuff” makes rooms look smaller and focuses buyers' attention on your possessions rather than the home you're trying to sell. That's why many professional stagers recommend removing as much 1/3 of your things to better show off rooms and closets. Since you're going to have to pack it up anyway, do it now. Buyers can't imagine themselves living there if they can't see the space.

Overall Staging. Generally speaking, staging means making sure that your property is set up to be as appealing as possible, inside and out, to sell as quickly as possible to the broadest clientele.

Today’s market is extremely competitive. It is estimated that about one in four homes nationwide are now staged. So, if you’re not doing it, you make be at a disadvantage.