okREblog - It's All REALative

Need Your Home to Sell Faster?

Ryan Hukill — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:05:41 +0000

Many times, home owners will tell me they want their home to sell quickly, but they’re not willing to take the leap and do some of the things necessary to REALLY place themselves above the competition.

Please don’t try the approach displayed above, but do consider doing something to clearly separate yourself from the pack.

It all depends on just how badly you really need to sell, but would you be willing to do any or all of these things?

Cut the asking price to 10 percent to 15 percent below what comparable properties in the neighborhood are selling for.
Spruce up the outside. Update the landscaping. Power-wash the exterior and paint the door.
Appeal to first-time buyers. Advertise on younger consumers’ favorite Web sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Hire a photographer to shoot the house with a wide-angle lens so the rooms look bigger in online photos.
Price the house in the lower end of the range. A $299,000 house is in the high end of the $250,000 to $300,000 range but a $301,000 home is in the low-end of the $300,000 to $400,000 range.
Do what you can to make the deal close quickly. Be ready to move, offer to pay part of the closing costs, and/or throw in a year’s worth of association fees.

Maybe you’re being relocated and don’t want to end up with two mortgages, or maybe you’ve lost your job and know that you need to get out from under that big monthly commitment.

Whatever the motivation, sometimes it takes an uncomfortable approach to get results; sometimes it doesn’t. Ask your Realtor for an honest, maybe painful, assessment of what it’s REALLY going to take.

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Pending Home Sales Continue to Climb

Ryan Hukill — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:55:15 +0000

Some of this info may be boring, and the speakers in the video could use some flair, but overall the gist is that, according to the NAR, pending home sales have recorded a gain for each of the past 4 months, which is a trend that hasn’t been recorded since 2004.

Great news for our overall economy, but they also hit on the problems being created by the changes in appraisal processes.

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Oak Tree Estates Acreage Just Listed

Ryan Hukill — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:35:09 +0000

If you’re looking for an acreage in the Edmond Public Schools district, you’ll want to see this one in Oak Tree Estates.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, with mother-in-law suite.
Fantastic Master Suite with australian-closet, jetted tub and separate shower, granite countertops and new paint.
Cook’s kitchen with both Gas and Electric, double-oven gas range, granite countertops, island, reverse-osmosis water, custom travertine backsplash, under-counter lighting, tiled floor, and recessed lighting.
New AC & Heat in 2003
Tankless hot water heater
Water Softener
Hardwood flooring
New Roof in June 2009
Security System
Wonderful covered patios, front and back, with tiled floors and ceiling fans
1.00 acre
New paint throughout with modern, yet neutral decor
Ceiling fans everywhere, including the outdoor patios

For more information, or to schedule your private showing, call us @ 405.802.4663

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OKC Among Top-10 Housing Markets

Ryan Hukill — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:17:31 +0000

Am I beginning to sound like a broken record?

Yet another report was just released, highlighting the Oklahoma City housing market as one of the best in the country with great opportunity for growth.

These top markets, where home values are expected to remain level, are among those markets that did not have a big housing boom. Home prices in these areas are generally below the US average and reflect where the recession has so far had a relatively mild impact.

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Cool Time-Lapse Vid of LibertyFest Parade

Ryan Hukill — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:03:43 +0000

If you’re like me and you weren’t able to be at the Edmond LibertyFest parade this year, or even if you were lucky enough to be there, you’ll probably enjoy this time-lapse video, which condenses the whole thing down to 2.5 minutes:

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Outside the Box – How Far is Too Far?

Ryan Hukill — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:22:34 +0000

As you know, I’m a huge advocate for outside-the-box ideas for selling your home, but some ideas are probably better left alone. Yahoo Finance recently published 5 off-the-wall ways to sell your house, which highlights a few ideas that would certainly drive your insurance agent crazy, in addition to potentially creating other problems.

Numbers 3 and 5 are getting more and more common, but if you allow potential buyers to stay in your house, who pays for any resulting damage?

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Gorgeous Warwick V Home Just Listed!

Ryan Hukill — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:13:45 +0000

This one just hit the market and won’t last long with all of the updates the owners have made.

Here are just a few of the details to get you started:

3,242 square feet – 4 beds, 3 of which have a master suite setup. 2 are upstairs and 2 are down. All bedrooms have walk-in closets and ceiling fans.
3.5 baths, which include one powder bath located conveniently for the great-room.
Open, flexible floorplan which features 3 living areas (2 down and 1 up).
Large greatroom features refinished hardwood floors, 10′ ceilings, surround sound, and is perfect for entertaining.
Newly remodeled island kitchen is a cook’s dream, with tons of cabinet and countertop space, stainless-steel appliances, a gas Dacor cooktop, and a double self-cleaning oven.
Your guests will be greeted by a two-story entry, updated neutral paint throughout, and all carpeting was just replaced.
The large, picturesque front porch is covered in brick pavers and surrounded by white railings.
Both front and back yard are extensively landscaped and can be enjoyed from the 2 large covered patios in the back, or the covered porch out front.
Huge utility room, separate from the garage entry allows for more usable space on laundry day.
James L Dennis Elementary and Putnam City North High School are both only one block away, making the kids’ walk to school short and easy.

Priced at $273,949.00, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better value than this home, and it’s completely move-in ready! Call 405.802.4663 to schedule your private showing.

MLS#397297 – Listing Realtor is related to the sellers.

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“So What Can a Home Stager Do For Me?”

Jennifer Hicks — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:13:59 +0000

So, you’re hearing more and more about how beneficial home staging is. You’re wondering “what can a home stager do that I can’t do myself?” An experienced, professional home stager can do wonders to get your home from “listed” to “sold!” in record time.

Here are some of the things a good home stager should do for you:

He/She will work with you to decide what stays and what goes in the way of furniture, art, accessories, etc. Once the stager has determined which items will be used in the staging, you may have these options in regards to your unused items: Store off site, Move to the new residence, Store in garage in an organized manner.
He/She will arrange and display the selected items so that each room, as well as every nook and cranny within that room, is maximized to the fullest.
He/She will look at your home objectively and create a space that appeals to the masses. Personal items such as family photos will likely not be used, as it is the stager’s job to convince the average buyer that they could be at home there. This is hard to achieve with personal collectibles, memorabilia and photos on the shelves.
He/She will make suggestions on curb appeal if necessary.
Along with your Realtor, he/she may suggest upgrades that will be most beneficial/efficient (i.e. new appliances, new or painted light fixtures, new faucets).

From the first meeting with your realtor to moving day, selling a home is a major undertaking, but with a professional home stager, it doesn’t have to be a major headache!

Jennifer Hicks is a Certified Interior Designer and Owner of Designing Diva Interiors, LLC

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Building a New Home? Preparation is Key!

Ryan Hukill — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:29:15 +0000

New home construction is something I’ve been around for a while and I’ve had the pleasure of helping lots of people build their new homes over the past several years. It’s one of the areas I specialize in, allowing me to provide some guidance where others may get lost.

Along that vein, two friends and trusted local professionals in their respective field – Trey Bowden and Brodie Tucker – recently sat down together to discuss some of the finer points of successfully building a new home in Edmond, OK and I thought this would be great information for you, my readers, to commit to memory.

One of my favorite points in this article:

“It’s important to follow up with phone calls and to make only the promises you know you can keep. Then when those things come up that you can’t control, you have a relationship that can withstand the bumps in the road.”

That’s solid advice in any venture, and home-building is one that definitely requires solid communication and delivery on promises.

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Stonebridge Landings Model Home For Sale

Ryan Hukill — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:21:44 +0000

Don’t miss your chance to make this beautiful, unique place home. Located in the sought-after master-planned Stonebridge community of SE Edmond, this one’s got it all. Take a gander and the photos and you’ll be amazed that it’s priced at only $239,948.

Call me now to schedule a showing or, if you’re in the area of Memorial and Eastern this weekend, stop by the open house!

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