Open House Tips

Property showings are one of the most critical moments in the selling process. These simple open house tips are designed to help you show your home at its best every time. So, use these tips keep your home showing condition until it’s sold.

Do: Be hospitable to buyers – If you want people to attend your open house, it’s critical to remove all barriers to entry. If your house is hard to find, make sure signs clearly point the way. If you or your neighbors routinely park in front of your house, ask them to move, and move your own cars, too. Just like websites with annoying pop-ups, every hurdle to interacting with your home can hurt the impression you make on potential buyers

Don’t: Overdo the hospitality – You’re not hosting a party; you’re selling your home. So, for most listings, there’s no reason to have an espresso bar or waiters passing hors d’oeuvres. A plate of cookies and bottles of water will do. If you overdo the perks, you risk buyers from the real matter at hand—your house! Check with your agent to find out what’s right for your home’s showing.

Do: Depersonalize – The goal of an open house is to encourage visitors to see themselves in a home. That means photos of your family, specific hobbies or interests, and any other strong symbols of your personality need to be removed. Ask your agent what he or she recommends you get rid of to have the best showing possible

Don’t: Skip landscaping and exterior prep – Bad curb appeal can cause potential buyers to veto the visit upon arrival. Before you host an open house, ensure your landscaping, exterior paint, and sidewalks are as pristine as possible. Sometimes a charming exterior can sway buyers to overlook annoyances inside the home.

Do: Intensively clean the place – Remember that buyers come to open houses to explore. That means they will open your doors, explore your garage, and check your indoor and outdoor storage. There’s no safe place to hide a junk pile. Before your open house, de-clutter your home and get ready for your move by eliminating things you don’t need and packing things you’ll want to take with you.

Don’t: Overdo the sensory staging – Some people are highly sensitive to scent and sound.  Skeptical buyers might even suspect you’re trying to cover something up with aggressive air fresheners and music in every room, so don’t go overboard. Serious buyers will want to see, smell, and hear what the home is actually like.

Final Do: Make sure there are handouts and basic documentation for buyers to take with them – At the very least, have a property flyer with photos, the home’s specifics, and your agent’s contact information. And if you’ve had inspections, or your home favorably compares to nearby sold properties, make sure those inspection reports and comparables are readily available at the open house as well

In a Hurry to Sell Your Home?

If you are considering listing your home for sale, recent market studies have indicated that we are entering a seller’s market, so your timing could be perfect! A decrease in inventory in the housing market is good news if you need or want to sell your home quickly.

As a home seller, there are three areas where you can have major impact when selling your home.

Of course the appeal of your home is a prime consideration, but did you realize that the marketing efforts and pricing are key as well?

Price to Sell and Expect Results!

When time is of the essence, be careful not to set your price too high. Even if your home is “worth” more than your neighbor’s or “seems” like it should bring a high price, be realistic and aggressive in your pricing. Remember that home searches are typically focused on price, and plan accordingly. Would you rather only appeal to the $500,000 buyer when your home is worth $505,000, or open your options to the buyer who has a search parameter set at $499,000? The key here is exposure – when time is short, you want as many buyers as possible viewing your property! Price your home to sell and look forward to a quick sale and multiple offers.

Harness the Power of the Internet to Sell Your Home Fast!

Recent surveys report that 86% of home buyers begin their search on the web. Your home needs to be there, as well. In addition to having a listing page with property details, consider resources such as Craigslist, Realtor.com, and other sources throughout the internet. Ask about syndicating your home listing to make sure it gets as much exposure as possible.

In your listing marketing efforts, don’t forget pictures – lots of them! Buyers want to “see” what is available before comparing homes in person. Make sure your photos are attractive and will sell your home. In doing so, you create a connection with your buyer before the home has even been visited.

Clutter-free and Clean Make For a Speedy Sale!

Look through your home with a critical eye. Minor repairs and touch-ups should be done to create a well-maintained look and your home needs to be very clean. Remove furniture and clutter as necessary. An orderly home is a home that sells fast!

Beat the Heat in Your New Home

The approach of summer brings longer days and bright memories of time spent outdoors with family and friends, whether at the beach or in your backyard. This time of year can also bring back memories of heatstroke, sunburns and feeling like you might actually melt. Before the heat hits, be sure to prepare by stocking up on water, sunscreen and snazzy sunglasses, and then take a look at how you can adapt your home. The following tips can help you in bracing your home for a hot summer so that you can make it a bit cooler as the sun shines down.

First and Foremost, Be Cool

If you have and will be using an air conditioning unit, take the time now to make sure your filter is clean and that the refrigerant level is correct so you do not waste energy when it is being used. Calling a service technician before summer hits will result in a lower check-up cost than needing a emergency call during the heat, and provide you with peace of mind. You may also want to invest in a programmable thermostat to keep your energy costs low this year.

If you do not have an air conditioning unit, you can still stay cool by sealing and caulking windows and doors. Following that, your goal is to circulate air inside your home with fans and strategically opened windows to create a breeze inside your home. You can also install a whole-house fan or ceiling fan (have it rotate counter-clockwise) to take advantage of cooler nighttime temperatures all day long.

Second, Consider Harnessing the Sun’s Power

If you have been thinking about installing solar panels on your roof, act now to get the most out of your panels this summer and throughout the years to come. If not, consider solar window film as an option for keeping your home cooler. Lastly, if you can’t beat the heat, embrace it, by lounging poolside or taking advantage of local parks where you can enjoy the sunshine under the shade of well-established trees.

 Is Buying a Home a Good Investment?

I just read an article about how most Americans still believe that buying a home is a good investment.

 Although part of me agrees with this, the other part of me is concerned about spreading the gospel of home ownership as an investment.

 If you are planning to live in your current location for a long period of time then owning is far better than renting. It still provides tax breaks on your mortgage interest and provides you with a home that is yours. The only way you can lose it is if you don’t pay the mortgage.

When you consider real estate over a long period of time, say 30-40 years, home ownership is a good investment. When you look at the past 10 years, it is it’s been far from it with millions of people losing money on this form of ‘investment.’

 Should you buy a home then? If you plan on living in one place – then yes. Buy because it provides the most stable home environment for you and your family. Buy because you can customize the home and make it yours. Buy because you want to become part of a community. These are the reasons to buy. If you make money over time, great…If not, you still enjoyed your life in the home.

 If, however, your life is an unknown, and there is the possibility in sight that you may move, buying a home for anything under than 5 years is not a smart move.  The economy is still incredibly uncertain and the housing market still has a long road to full recovery.

 Whether or not you make money on owning a home depends upon loads of factors that you have very little control over. The precise moment that you buy and sell will determine your net loss or net gain. At this moment, no one can predict what is going to happen with home values.

 Buy because it’s right for you and your family and it’s better than renting. In my humble opinion, that’s the only reason to buy a residential home.

Buying a home has several unique advantages when compared with renting. Aside from being to decorate as you choose, receive additional tax benefits, enjoy stability in your housing payments, and increase your ability to make future investments, it just feels good to own your own home!

A survey conducted last month by the PEW Research Center, a non-profit, non-partisan organization considered a “fact tank” on social & demographic trends in America, determined that the majority of adult Americans (81%) still believe “that buying a home is the best long-term investment a person can make.” It is interesting to note that while the same study showed that 47% of those surveyed felt that current economic factors have resulted in a decrease in their current home value, those same home owners felt that their home investment was a safe one.

Even renters seem to agree with the idea of investing in a home, with 81% wishing to buy a home at some point, even if individual circumstances prevent it currently. In fact, when asked to rate long-term financial goals, homeownership and “being able to live comfortably in retirement” were rated the highest by 80% of those surveyed. Survey participants seemed to understand that owning a home provides more than an avenue for generating savings – it also is a place to live and provides an element of physical and emotional stability unlike other investment options.

Further pursuing this question, the survey compared investments – trying to determine which held fast in the long run – the stock market or the housing market. The answer was variable, depending on the year of investment, however, and unable to be determined overall. One item not considered in the survey is that owning a home provides income tax benefits that are not likely to be found in other investments, which could affect the dividend bottom line and how you choose to invest. Click here to view the survey in its entirety.

Should You Search For a Home on Craigslist?I

I just answered a question about this on Trulia and thought I would share my thoughts here on my own blog.

Craigslist remains a very popular forum for searching homes. The best part about craigslist is that ads only last 7 days so they tend to be more up-to date than Trulia or Zillow.

That said, the real estate section in San Diego has gone to the dogs in the past year and there are huge amounts of spam on it. It takes a great deal to wade through it and at this point, I would suggest using Realtor.com or the website of a Realtor. These are directly linked to the MLS and updated daily.

 Loads of people search on craigslist and there is nothing in and of itself wrong with it. In past months however, it has turned into a free for all, and you honestly tell the difference between a real ad and a scam.

The very best source of real estate inventory is the MLS. Every agent’s website is a direct feed of MLS data. So, using an agent’s website is probably the best recommendation I can offer.

Location, location,location. You’ve heard time and time again that when buying a home, location is what matters most…. and for good reason! For that purpose the concept of Walk Score was created. Dedicated to the idea that “less time in the car means more time for the things you love,” Walk Score, developed in 2008, has made it easier for home buyers to find a home that is closer to the activities and places they love.

Providing ratings from 0 to 100 to determine a neighborhood’s walkability, buyers can decide if the area they are considering is more Car-Dependent, Very Walkable, a Walker’s Paradise, or somewhere in-between. If you are searching for a home, you will also enjoy visiting tools such as Transit Score which helps in calculating the cost of your commute and the even newer Bike Score!

Bike Score was introduced this week in honor of Bike to Work Week and suggests areas that are best suited and not so desirable for bike riding. Considering such issues as hills and bike lanes, along with “road connectivity” and a town’s biking population, communities have been rated using the same type of scoring system, with 70-100 being named Very Bikeable. Topping that list were Minneapolis, Portland, and San Francisco.

The goal of Bike Score is to help cities measure and then improve their bicycling ridership. Check it out and see where your town rates by clicking here. If you would like more in-depth information about places where you can walk and ride in our local community, please contact me.

Each day technology becomes even more impressive as new tools, products and apps are rolled out that truly have a place in your daily life. It can be exciting and exhausting to try to find the ones that will benefit you. As a homebuyer, it can be overwhelming to narrow down all the choices.  With that in mind, I’ve made my real estate website tech and mobile friendly in the hope that you will find the results you need in your search, however, when it comes to buying a home, these apps may of benefit to you as well.

Many of these apps are even offered free of charge, although they may request your location information in order to produce the results you desire. If you want more specific information or ideas on specialized apps for your tech devices, please give me a call so we can brainstorm on how I can help meet your real estate needs.  In the meantime, though, check these out!

Not sure where you want to live?

• Nabewise Get to know neighborhoods in-depth, complete with pictures, reviews and ratings ond rankings on the things you care most about.
• GreatSchools Get to know local school options and read reviews by staff and parents of children attending the schools. Schools are also scored based on scores and ratings.
• Yelp Find the best restaurants, shopping, and entertainment in the area you are researching directly from the people who live there. A true “insider’s view.”

Trying to keep track of everything?

• Evernote Keep track of your buying process, including the information on homes you have seen, complete with your personal notes!

Want to compare?

• House Hunter This tool allows you to set priorities on your wants and needs and match them to homes you are considering with the feature list and also has a mortgage calculator built in.
• Trulia – Easy to use and even includes a help button! Depending on your mobile device, you can check and compare listings and even search by feature using your voice.

Looking for actual numbers?

• Zillow Zestimates and make me move allow you to get an idea of what homes cost on any street and even permit you to make offers to home owners who do not have their property for sale.
• Realtor.com Get stats on new homes, sold homes, and homes for sale easily and quickly, including price changes in any neighborhood.

Play to Win When Buying a Home

Many areas of the United States are seeing a shift towards a seller’s market.

In a seller’s market, homes for sale may receive multiple offers and are often sold in less time. Home sellers get excited at that news, but if you are trying to purchase a home, it may make competition a bit tougher. If you have been searching for a home and have finally settled on one that you love, don’t delay on contacting your lender, or you may miss out on the home of your dreams.

Interest rates have been reduced to historic lows allowing you, the home buyer, to get more home for the same amount of money, which sounds fantastic. However, if you do not “lock” in your rate and then follow through with providing the necessary paperwork in a timely manner, you could lose your opportunity.

More than ever – now is the time for you to know the rules and play to win in the housing and lending market. If you are wondering about how you can make sure you are doing all you need to qualify for your loan and your home, contact me or consult the following list.

DO get your paperwork in time. Whether you are asked for a letter of employment verification or 27 pages of bank statements, do not delay in submitting these documents to your lender. Any delay can result in your loan taking longer than necessary, making the seller potentially question your ability to purchase, especially when back up offers have been submitted.

Do not encourage the seller to begin any construction work until after the appraisal, even if your inspection warrants changes being made. An appraiser could see the hardhats and debris and devalue the property. Wait until AFTER the appraisal is complete to request repairs OR agree to do the work yourself once you own the home.

Do not buy a new car or new furniture or go on a celebratory shopping spree until your escrow has funded! Credit ratios are VERY important at this time and if they become out of balance or new credit is extended, it can make you less likely to qualify for your home loan. It does not matter if the offer is ZERO percent interest… it still affects your credit line.

DO pay your current financial obligations. During the busy home buying time, it can be easy to forget to pay bills or miss deadlines – be careful because late payments will reflect negatively on your credit and could even result in your loan being denied.

Do not make changes in your employment – including changing jobs to make more money. The key to getting a mortgage is showing a picture of stability and a job change could tarnish that image. Wait until after escrow closes to accept the new position.