We just listed a vacant home so we decided to have it virtually staged and what a success! We were able to draw two offers within the first week and actually closed on the property in just 17 days capturing 96% of list price. The Sellers were ecstatic. The virtual staging helped to make the home a must see for Buyers.

 The media makes it seems as though no properties are selling these days, but the good news is that homes will sell in any climate. So don’t worry, there are always people who must move, either for personal or professional reasons. That means there are always Buyers! However, there may be fewer able Buyers today, due to economic and financial constraints. My advice is to know the rules of the game. After all, if you were playing the board game Monopoly, you would know when to roll and when to pull a card. And unlike Monopoly where you try to amass your real estate collection, the goal of our game is to sell your property. So learn the game. Consult with a Realtor. Study the most recent Sales in your particular neighborhood. These are the successes and this is what you should base your realistic sales price. Notice I said Sales price vs. your List price. It doesn’t necessarily matter what the other active properties are listed for, as these have not sold and are not quite successes yet … these will just be your competition. In today’s Buyer’s market, the Seller must understand that it is imperative to be best in both condition and price in order to draw an offer. Make sure your property is super clean and staged!

• 7520 Mount Vernon Rd is a wonderful ranch and boasts over an acre of privacy.
• 5258 Wyntercreek Drive is a fabulous brick traditional in one of the best Swim Tennis neighborhoods in Dunwoody … feeds to award winning Austin Elementary.
• 1123 Atcheson is a beautiful brick, spacious home with a backyard pool nestled in Dunwoody Station … feeds to award winning Austin Elementary.

All great Dunwoody homes for sale … if you’d like more information about any of them, please contact me!

• Price it right – Consult with your Realtor – Realtors have the most information, ie Market Statistics (Sold Properties, Pendings, Expireds, Actives, absorption rates). This information is a powerful tool. When pricing a property, it must be within 5% of what BUYERS perceive its value to be. If it is overpriced, you may have Lookers, but no Buyers.
• Condition it right  - Aside from price, condition is the only other factor that one can affect. Having the condition just right is a very important element when getting your home to sell, so,  my first advice again is to consult a Realtor … Realtors know exactly what  Buyers are looking for and how to translate this into getting your property ready for the market.  I can say from a statistical standpoint, homes that are turn key, or move in ready, sell the quickest and for the most amount of money. Ask your Realtor to give you a detailed list of items they’d suggest addressing. I never would advise a total renovation, however, don’t be quick to dismiss other updates a Realtor may suggest … ie, hardware & lighting improvements, paint, carpeting, super cleaning,  and probably MOST IMPORTANTLY their encouragement of enlisting the help of a professional Stager; many Realtors actually have staging already built into their listing program. Staged properties typically sell within 30 days and for 97% of the list price.
• Location it right- Though there is virtually nothing you can do to alter the location of your property, what you can do is point out the positives of your location. Consult with your Realtor … your Realtor will no doubt market your home to the best of its advantage, whether you are in a Swim Tennis Neighborhood, walking distance to Marta, or in a great school district … whatever the case, always emphasize the positives of your location, and of course, minimize the negatives …

There is a Buyer for every property. Keep in mind the object of the game is find the Buyer that will purchase your home for the most amount of money, in the shortest amount of time, with the least amount of stress. Good luck and happy selling!

 The Move-Up/Repeat Home Buyer Tax Credit

In addition to extending the First-Time Home Buyer Credit of $8,000, Congress also created a tax incentive for repeat home buyers.

Effective Dates:  purchases made after November 6, 2009, and closes by June 30, 2010 (based on a binding sales contract signed by April 30, 2010).

Who is eligible?  a person who has owned and resided in the same home for at least 5 of the 8 years prior to buying a new home.  The new home must be used as a principal residence.  The buyer can not purchase from family members or a spouse’s family members.

How much is the credit?  10% of the purchase price up to a maximum of $6,500.  Homes over $800,000 are not eligible.

Does the taxpayer have to pay the credit back?  Not if the home is owned and occupied for at least 36 months.

Income Limits:  $125,000 for single taxpayers and $225,000 for married taxpayers filing a joint return.  There is a phase-out phase range for single incomes up to $145,000 and joint incomes up to $245,000.

* The tax credit is a straight dollar-for-dollar reduction of your income tax bill

Most ‘stores’ always carry a full inventory of their entire product line. In the real estate market,  inventory is never the same from day to day. And sometimes, while your Buyers know exactly what they want to buy, a property like the one they want is simply just not for sale, at least right now. Sometimes, it’s just about ‘timing’…

Well, we can’t sit around and just wait for ‘timing’. Sometimes we need to create our own ‘timing’. So today, I picked up the phone and started calling home owners that live in the subdivision that our clients want to move into … Dunwoody Club Forest. In case  you aren’t familiar with Dunwoody Club Forest… its only one of the very best neighborhoods in all of Dunwoody, Georgia – located just off of Mt. Vernon Road, its convenient to everything….its well established – built as one of the premier subdivisions of Dunwoody in the 70′s… and who could argue with its walking distance to Dunwoody Country Club? Not to mention its award winning school system: Vanderlyn Elementary, Peachtree Charter Middle School, Dunwoody Elementary and Dunwoody High School. Tree lined streets, large homes, and just a friendly Southern charm, Dunwoody Club Forest residents enjoy a lifestyle others dream about…simply put – a very nice place to live!

Anyhow… I asked these home owners that I called if they were considering selling … or if they knew of any of their neighbors that were considering selling. At the end of the day, I talked with lots of nice people, but none of whom are planning to move in the near future… although they all did say they’d keep an eye open for me and call me if they heard of anyone thinking of selling…Some laughed and said they were never moving! They love their neighborhood and home that much!

So, if you hear of anyone that’s planning on selling their Dunwoody Club Forest home, call me at 770-676-9158 – it is much appreciated!!

When a home is not clean, it distracts the buyer from noticing what counts – the best selling features aren’t even noticed  – floor plan, square footage, design elements – because the BUYER is fixated on the dirt and the unpleasant odors and just can’t get past it.

By far, when preparing a home for sale, the best money invested is with a professional cleaning service. Everything needs to be super clean – starting with the kitchen, including the refrigerator, onto the baths, including the grout, the floors and baseboards,  the ceiling fans, window treatments – especially when the curtains hold all sorts of odors – from smoke to pets…

According to the National Association of Realtors, BUYERS are used to seeing as much as 25 percent of available inventory as new. Brand new means clean. That’s the competition, and the closer the home owner / SELLER can get the BUYER to think of the house as new, the likelier the property will sell. 

More than 33 percent of home buyers prefer a home less than 10 years old, yet the typical home purchased by all buyers is 12 years of age. This tells us that condition is very very important. And if you take a community like Dunwoody, where the average age of a home is 30 plus  years, there could be a lot of layers of potential dirt to be dealt with in order to make a home to feel fresh and clean. So here’s the ROI… for every dollar spent on cleaning could mean thousands kept as equity…and who doesn’t want to get the most amount possible on the sale of their home?

 1. Find a real estate agent who you connect with. Home buying is not only a big financial commitment, but also an emotional one. It’s critical that the REALTOR® you chose is both highly skilled and a good fit with your personality.

 2. Remember, there’s no “right” time to buy, just as there’s no perfect time to sell. If you find a home now, don’t try to second-guess interest rates or the housing market by waiting longer – you risk losing out on the home of your dreams. The housing market usually doesn’t change fast enough to make that much difference in price, and a good home won’t stay on the market long.

3. Don’t ask for too many opinions. It’s natural to want reassurance for such a big decision, but too many ideas from too many people will make it much harder to make a decision. Focus on the wants and needs of your immediate family – the people who will be living in the home.

 4. Accept that no house is ever perfect. If it’s in the right location, the yard may be a bit smaller than you had hoped. The kitchen may be perfect, but the roof needs repair. Make a list of your top priorities and focus in on things that are most important to you. Let the minor ones go.

 5. Don’t try to be a killer negotiator. Negotiation is definitely a part of the real estate process, but trying to “win” by getting an extra-low price or by refusing to budge on your offer may cost you the home you love. Negotiation is give and take.

 6. Remember your home doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Don’t get so caught up in the physical aspects of the house itself – room size, kitchen, etc. – that you forget about important issues as noise level, location to amenities, and other aspects that also have a big impact on your quality of life.

 7. Plan ahead. Don’t wait until you’ve found a home and made an offer to get approved for a mortgage, investigate home insurance, and consider a schedule for moving. Presenting an offer contingent on a lot of unresolved issues will make your bid much less attractive to sellers.

 8. Factor in maintenance and repair costs in your post-home buying budget. Even if you buy a new home, there will be costs. Don’t leave yourself short and let your home deteriorate.

 9. Accept that a little buyer’s remorse is inevitable and will probably pass. Buying a home, especially for the first time, is a big financial commitment. But it also yields big benefits. Don’t lose sight of why you wanted to buy a home and what made you fall in love with the property you purchased.

 10. Choose a home first because you love it; then think about appreciation. While U.S. homes have appreciated an average of 5.4 percent annually over from 1998 to 2002, a home’s most important role is to serve as a comfortable, safe place to live.