Set Your Home Apart From The Rest

With so many homes on the market, you need to make sure that yours stands out for buyers. When selling your property, there are some important steps that if taken, will make your home the most appealing and desirable in any crowd of competitors. Follow the suggestions below and your home will sell faster and for the highest possible price!

Separate from the Home

I am going to start with what is probably the hardest thing to do for most sellers: getting into the right mindset. Before you can sell your home or condo, you need to truly let go of the property, and look to the future. Remind yourself of the reasons you are selling, and that the property is simply a business deal. Doing this will make the process much easier.

Remember, despite what you may think, your home is not perfect. It is not the most wonderful house on the market in that price range. Buyer’s all have different taste. Don’t be upset if one buyer doesn’t like a certain part of your home. Just keep reminding yourself it is just a house.

Curb Appeal

You only get one chance to make a first impression. Keep the exterior of your property trim, tidy, and inviting. There are many simple ways to improve the exterior of your home:

1. Mow the lawn, trim the bushes, weed, and edge.

2. Make sure that the shrubs and trees are full of life. Do this by watering them regularly, and possibly replacing them with more colorful and vibrant plants.

3. Pressure wash the sidewalks, driveway, curb, and exterior of the property.

4. Make sure the front door is clean and easy to open. The last thing you want is a buyer’s agent standing outside with their client fighting to open a dirty door (trust me this happens all the time).

Clean Your House

Sounds obvious, I know. However, everyone’s idea of clean is very different. One thing many people overlook is an odor that them and their family are used to. This could be very distracting to buyers and can turn them off to the property immediately.

1. Vacuum carpets and clean hardwood & tile floors. Have your carpet professionally cleaned if it needs it..

2. Make sure the entire house smells fresh. Odor is a major turn off to potential buyers.

3. The kitchen and all bathrooms need to be cleaned thoroughly, including toilets, tubs, showers, floors, and mirrors.

4. Clean windows inside and out, make sure you get both the glass and the frames.

5. Dust EVERYTHING. Including the baseboards, ceiling fans, lighting fixtures, shelves, and blinds.

6. Make the beds everyday.

7. Pick up clothing, shoes, etc.

8. Hang up fresh towels in each bathroom and the kitchen.

De-clutter the House

The easiest way to do this is to start packing! Don’t let too much clutter block the buyer from seeing what they should be buying. Simplifying spaces within the house allows the buyer to visualize their furniture, their paint colors, etc. Also, by removing excess clutter, regular cleaning and keeping everything tidy becomes a breeze! You may need to rent a storage unit. In the end it will be well worth it when the house sells faster and at a higher price.

1. If you don’t need it, pack it up, sell it, or throw it away! Any items that you do not use on a regular basis need to be removed.

2. Remove all unnecessary items from countertops, tables, and floors. These items make the house feel cluttered and also appear smaller.

3. Clean out closets. Buyers WILL look into your closets, so remove unwanted clothing and shoes. Organize everything that is left so the closet looks as large and spacious as possible.

4. Remove personal items such as photos, books, magazines, and knick knacks.

5. Remove any furniture that may be blocking or hampering walkways. Open areas that flow nicely are much more appealing to buyers than cramped or awkward spaces.

Make Minor Repairs

Eliminate drawbacks before a potential buyer even sees them. Any small items that take little effort to fix. Even the smallest thing may effect how much a buyer offers on a property.

1. Replace cracked floor tiles or counter tiles.

2. Patch and paint holes in walls.

3. Fix leaking faucets.

4. Fix all doors that don’t close properly and kitchen drawers that don’t function as they should.

5. Replace burned-out light bulbs.

Paint & Wallpaper

Give buyers a clean canvas for them to see all they can do to make your house their home. Pay special attention to bathrooms and the kitchen.. These are the rooms that really sell a house! Make sure that they are desirable to people with all kinds of taste!

Paint

1. Paint with neutral colors. Don’t give buyers any reason to remember your home as „the house with the purple kitchen.“

2. Remove busy or outdated wallpaper, and repaint walls that are not clean. You don’t want buyers referring to your house as the one with the NASCAR wallpaper any more than the house with the purple kitchen.

Lighting

A bright and airy home is an inviting home that will welcome buyers much more than a dark and dreary home. More light makes a room to feel larger as well. So be sure to follow these tips:

1. Turn on all lights and open all the blinds anytime your home is being shown.

2. Update fixtures if necessary. Old or outdated fixtures can add more to the mental list of work buyers will have to do if they buy, which will negatively affect the amount of their offer.

Garage & Attic Space

Your garage is for your car, not for storing all of your junk! Box up unused items and put them in your attic or storage space. Straighten shelves, organize bins, paint the walls, and sweep the floor. Let the buyer see how much room there is for their car, and all their stuff!

Stage Your Home

Organize the furniture in each room to create as much space as possible. Also, every room needs to be staged for its intended use. It is not good to have the buyer wondering what rooms are supposed to be used for. If you have trouble doing this, hire a professional.

______________

If you want to sell your home quickly and for the highest possible price, follow the steps above. I can assure you that one of your neighbors is – and their home will sell before yours and at a higher price. If you commit to completing the steps above you will allow yourself an easier, much quicker, more profitable, and less stressful selling process!

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Tips for Selling Your Year-Old RV

Buying an RV often involves painstaking research, and despite all those hard done investigations, you may want to sell it after a while. How to sell your RV without taking a hit due to steep depreciation in the second-hand RV market? The question is enough to give you sleepless nights, but you are not alone in this. Many want to sell their perfectly tuned year old RV for a variety of reasons.. People often lose interests in RV-ing and want to liquidate their hardly used rolling homes. Some want to sell their RVs to meet their needs for cash due to unforeseen circumstances. It’s also quite common for travel enthusiasts to buy a vehicle but with time and experience, they realize that they may need a coach of different size and specs. If you want to sell your RV for any of these reasons or the other, proceed with caution, as depreciation rate of second-hand RVs is quite high. You can expect to get 10 to 20 percent less of your buying price; you must aim to get the best deal possible. How to go about it? Here are a few tips:

Locate Your Ideal Buyers

The people who know you and trust your upkeep of the rig could be your ideal customers. Local RV-enthusiasts will also be interested in your unit, as it will be extremely convenient for them to make the transaction with a local seller.. You can meet many other prospective buyers, at local RV events. Often these events attract people who want to dabble into RV-ing and are trying to gain the inside knowledge. Your year-old vehicle may attract some first time RV-ers.

Approach a Dealer

If you fall into the group of RV-ers who want to upgrade and are on the lookout for buyers for their year-old vehicle, contact a renowned dealer in the vicinity. These dealers may assist you to get an excellent compensation for your young rig. And why would they want to help you? They expect you to purchase the upgraded model from their showrooms.

Assess the Value of Your RV

Dedicated sites which provide valuation quote for new and used cars offer insight of your vehicle’s resale value. Always check with them. Your zip code, year and make of the rig, and mileage will be some of the determining factors for your RV’s appraisal.

Dash for Some Quick Fixes

To command greater value for your RV, you must make sure that every part functions smoothly and that should include wheels, engines, GPS, batteries, cruise control, power mirrors, heating and AC units et al. Also, check if exterior paints, rubber seal of the skylight, the surface of the skylight, windows are intact. Service compartment should be in good condition, and it should look clean and smell nice. Interior walls, ceiling, floor, plumbing should also be in top order. The clean furnishings and serviced equipment will add to the value. How to sell your year-old RV in the right price bracket? The question might have given you many sleepless nights; but not anymore. Just follow the above blueprint and you will surely clinch the deal quickly.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

FSBO New Trends for Today

When the general economy starts to go down, people start looking for ways to cut corners and save as much money as possible. One way people are doing this is to sell their house themselves. For Sale by Owner, or FSBO for short, has become a viable option for people that are looking to sell their home in today’s economy.

With all of the tools online people are feeling like they can sell their home themselves without needing a real estate agent. Many website have realized this and popped up to offer help to people that are trying to sell their home by themselves so they can hopefully avoid the pitfalls.

Another time that the FSBO method is very popular is when someone is not able to afford the 6% commission that comes with selling through a real estate agent. If the home is at or below the price you need to make in order to pay off the loan you may not be able to afford any extra out of pocket expenses.

The FSBO way is often the step that many homeowners take first on their road to selling their house. Keeping this in mind you will find many sites that offer low rates to help this segment of the market before the homeowner decides to go the traditional way of using a real estate agent. Many sites that offer FSBO will include some, or all, of the following features.

Basic listing features including a link for a virtual tour

  • A template for a printable flyer
  • Workbooks to assist the homeowner in their research of what they need to know and what they need to do prior to attempting a sale.
  • Listings that compare to the listings of a real estate agency site
  • Offering a flat fee for listing the home as long as needed, without additional weekly or monthly add-ons
  • Pricing reports to help you value your home appropriately
  • Typical yard signs much like those used by real estate agents
  • No limit on the number of pictures on your listing
  • Access to a free consultation line for questions

With all of these services it is no wonder that these types of sites are quickly becoming the first call people are making when they start the process of selling their home. You have a better chance of selling your FSBO home if you are able to be patient and by doing some research on their own.

The key to success is centered on the reason the homeowner wishes to sell their house. If they simply need to upsize for a new addition to the family, to downsize after the kids have gone to college, to change locations closer to or further away from the city, or just for a general change of scenery, patience can be the key.

However if you are moving because you are changing employment, marriage, divorce, or any number of other reasons the move may have to be more immediate. In the past companies that wanted to hire a worker would pay for the house and the expenses from relocating. Due to the sagging economy this has become a lot less popular because companies are trying to save money and quality people are looking for a job everywhere.

FSBO is a viable way to get the home out into the spotlight and into the market without the fees from realtors. Then if FSBO doesn’t work out, the homeowner has the option to sign up with a qualified real estate agency to sell the house and continue where the FSBO support ended. Your decision on how to sell your house, is entirely dependent on your situation.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Have You Got What It Takes to Sell Your Own Home?

These days, plenty of people do business in the real estate area. One business is selling and buying properties. People generally sell their house with the help of a realtor simply because they want their house to be sold quickly. Maybe you want to sell your property on your own just to save money.

Selling your house on your own is not a difficult job to accomplish if you use a good method and understand the steps to sell your home quickly. But, selling your house on your own demands a lot of your energy. Due to the fact you have to do market research on value plus more work to clean up your property before the selling process.

Selling your house on your own is as simple as 1,2,3. Before you begin to sell, you need to establish in your head that you can sell your house by yourself. If you have already made up your mind, the following steps will be much easier. Very first thing that you should do is clean up your home to make it look spacious. Every buyer usually looks for a thoroughly clean, neat, and roomy house. You need to make your house look wonderful and appealing. You can begin by identifying your properties flaws and fix them. Trim the lawn, get rid of any clutter, examine your house thoroughly. Make little enhancements that may seem unimportant to you for example planting flowers, repairing damaged tiles, cutting trees, and be sure that your house smells good.

After you get your home prepared, you also need to set an acceptable selling price for your house. You do not want to set the purchase price too small or over calculate it. You can find details about home prices that are comparable to your house, in newspaper advertisements, or you should ask for an experts advices to help price your house.

The final thing to do would be to advertise your house. Selling your house on your own is definitely exciting work to do but could also make you discouraged if your house is not sold in the time frame that you expected. If your marketing plan is good, you could have your house sold in weeks. You can start by making a good advertisement in your newspapers or a magazine that has a specific area for selling and buying real estate. If you look at it you have everything you need to sell your home.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Home Prices Are At Record – Highs, But Is Selling, Right For You?: 4 Considerations

After, over 15 years, as a Real Estate Licensed Salesperson, in the State of New York, I have never witnessed, any housing market, which behaved, the way, we are currently experiencing! I have seen Sellers, Buyers, and Neutral Markets, but today’s activity, and dramatic increase in pricing, and activity, seems unique! Probably, a combination of recent events, including: pandemic – fatigue (some, wanting to make changes, because of the horrific year, and its impacts); record – low mortgage rates; a prolonged period of limited inventory; etc, are significant factors, creating this overall – effect! Although home prices are, at record – highs, is this the time, for you, to sell your house? With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, review, examine, and discuss, 4 significant considerations, and why it matters.

1. Are you relocating?: Remember, it’s not only your house, but, most of them, which are experiencing escalating pricing, and demand! Therefore, if you sell yours, it’s very important, to fully consider, where you may move – to, and, why! Since, housing, in some regions, costs more, than, in others, if you are moving, to one of the lower – priced, areas, now, may be a great selling – opportunity! However, if, you are simply, trying to market – time, if it, simultaneously, costs a traditionally – high, amount, to buy your next house, it may not be, as much! Ask yourself, if you would be moving, if these conditions didn’t exist! Will you be able to earn a competitive wage/ salary, in your new location! It never makes sense, to act, rashly?

2. Your personal situation/ life, etc: Each of us, are individuals, with specific, personal needs, goals, priorities, and perceptions! How much do you enjoy, where you currently reside, and would, moving, give you similar enjoyment? No matter how much, you might profit, be careful, to avoid, selling, merely, to make a profit, with considering, all relevant factors!

3. If you sell high, won’t you, also, have to buy, at a higher price?: Depending, on your plans, and, where you move, and what you seek, if you relocate, to an area, where real estate pricing, is increasing, at a similar rate, and costs, a similar amount, what do you gain? However, if you are planning, to, either, rent, or move, to an area, where home prices, are, significantly lower, overall, it might make sense, if you consider, the bigger – picture!

4. Don’t try to market – time!: Although, you might, be successful, it is rarely, a good strategy, to attempt to market – time, unless/ until, you fully consider, all relevant factors, circumstances, and foreseeable possibilities! How long, will this specific, real estate market, continue, and how far, will it go? What are the potential, future, possibilities/ contingencies?

Wise home sellers, are fully prepared, for their next steps, after, selling! Are you willing to proceed, in the wisest – possible way?

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Don’t Turn Down Showings If You Are Serious About Selling Your Home

I am a real estate broker and I mainly work with higher end, serious clients. Recently my assistant called one agent four times trying to get an appointment on a particular home that is for sale. The morning phone calls went like this:

1. Today’s request DENIED because they want 24 hours notice (we called at 9 am for a 4 pm showing)

2. Tomorrow’s request DENIED because it must be after 5.

3. Tomorrow’s request DENIED because oops now it must be after 6. (Buyer only has a babysitter home till 6 pm)

4. Friday’s request for any time before 12 noon DENIED because seller must be home to care for the large dogs in the house.

I didn’t try a 5th time.

What does this say to a buyer? A seller (or seller’s agent) who denies four appointments in a row, when I have a ready, willing and able buyer in hand is just a fool.

The best thing you can do when your house is on the market is make it READY TO SHOW. Keep it clean and neat to the best of your ability at all times, and don’t turn down showings.

This seller lost out today. The buyer was discouraged that we could not get in. In fact, the image the seller (or agent) conveyed is that this house is hard to show, and so imagine how hard it will be if the buyer LIKES it and wants to make an offer? If the seller is this difficult on scheduling showings, how difficult will he/she be in negotiating and handling the deal?

Food for thought.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Step One to Selling Your Home on Your Own

While it’s not always advisable, it’s definitely possible to sell your home on your own – in other words, without a Realtor. If you’re organized and follow the steps below, you can potentially save 2-3% in Realtor commissions. On an average home price, this means savings anywhere from $3000 – $4500!

Now please keep in mind: this will mean spending around $1,000 up front to really do everything correctly. You can simply look at this as an investment in saving money, however, once you actually sell the home.

Step 1 – Get your home professionally inspected.

Depending on the size of your home, this will cost anywhere from $200 to $400. Almost all buyers will get a home inspected, but I recommend you – the seller – do it yourself before putting the home on the market.

The reason for this is simple: you need to know more about the home than your buyer does when it comes time to negotiate price.

Normally the home goes under contract at a specific price, then the potential buyer gets the home inspected. This puts you, the seller, at a disadvantage. The reason being, it’s better for you to know any potential problems when you are pricing the home, rather than finding them out once you have a buyer.

Let me put it this way: do you know if your home is wired up to code? Unless you’re an electrician, you probably don’t. Now think about this: which would be better, for you to know that your home isn’t wired up to code and price it accordingly, or for you to find this out after a buyer has your home under contract?

In a home negotiation, knowledge is power! It’s worth $300 to get the edge in this department.

Also make sure you get a termite inspection if termites are an issue where you live. Termites can destroy your home quickly, and many times you won’t know this until it’s too late. The good news is most termite companies will inspect your home for free as a way to earn your business. You can even have more than one company do this inspection.

I recommend you do these inspections before you do anything else. The home inspection usually takes about 3 hours, and the termite inspection takes about 1 hour. Other than letting the inspectors inside, you don’t even have to be present in the home! Most inspectors can schedule their work to be completed within a week’s time.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Top Tips for Selling a Home during Holidays

-Consider potential buyers spiritual backgrounds in your market before decorating for a holiday.

-Minimize holiday decorations to keep focus on your home and it’s features and benefits.

-Less is more when decorating a home for the holidays while you are trying to sell. Streamline the amount of holiday specific decorations you display.

-Christmas trees and other large holiday decorations consume space that might make rooms appear smaller.

-Install and remove exterior holiday decorations 2 weeks before and after holiday.

-Turn off lighted holiday decorations before showings, buyers should focus on your home and not your decorations.

-If you are having out-of-town house guests, ask your agent to postpone showings until after your guests depart.

-Leave out a plate of home-made holiday treats for potential buyers.

-Display summer photos of home and gardens to inform buyers of the features of the home in other seasons.

-Before showings remove snow, ice and leaves from walkways and driveways. Don’t overlook outside entrances to basements, garages, and porches.

-If you plan to close the purchase or sale of a home near a holiday, check with your agent, tilte company and lender to verify two business days before closing that they have all the required documents and funds have been wired to complete the transaction.

-If you are closing on your new home, select a mid-week day, early in the day, to schedule your closing time, to accommodate last minute delays by a mortgage loan processor, insurance or title company.

-If you plan to move during the holidays, keep in mind that moving companies will require more notice and could charge additional fees for packing, moving and delivering household goods on week-ends and holidays.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Best Ways to Sell Your House During COVID-19

With the COVID-19 pandemic slowing down the real estate market, selling a house has become a herculean task for many homeowners. Not to mention, in today’s economy, some homes are remaining on the market for months. However, even though selling your home during COVID-19 can be tricky, it isn’t impossible. With a little know-how, you will be able to sell your home quickly.

Furthermore, selling a house during COVID-19 may sound tough initially, but it is not that difficult to do. Listed below are four tips to sell your home during COVID-19.

1. Advertise properly- While technology and the Internet have made it easy to list real estate for sale online, you need to pack a greater punch to get buyers to take notice of your property if you want to sell your home during COVID-19. From putting up a for sale sign and advertising your home on as many of the major property websites as possible to advertising your home for sale on social media, make sure you leave no stones unturned in terms of advertising your home for sale. Furthermore, you should also distribute flyers and even put an advertisement in the local newspaper. This will allow you to reach out to more people and so, there will be chances of more offers.

2. Virtual tours- Virtual tours are very effective when it comes to marketing and selling your home during COVID-19. Furthermore, a good virtual tour will grab a home buyer by hand and lead them from room to room, whether it is 360 or a video.

3. Be an aggressive home seller- Let’s face it, waiting for the home buyer to come by will not get you anywhere. You need to go all out to spread the word. From putting up a for sale sign to repainting and remodeling your home, do everything within your power to sell your home fast during COVID-19.

4. Declutter and keep your home clean- Nothing can turn off home buyers faster than a home in disarray. Furthermore, whether or not you are currently living there, make sure you take the time to declutter, deep-clean and spruce up. In addition, when cleaning your home, make sure you also remove photographs and other personal information that may be visible, as you want to make buyers feel comfortable when viewing your home.

While selling a home during COVID-19 can be tricky, if you spend some time and effort in creating that perfect atmosphere for your house and keep in mind the above-mentioned tips and tricks, you will be able to sell your home in no time.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Benefits of Selling Your House For Cash

    Honesty Alert! I May Not Be Your Best Option.

What are the benefits of selling your house for cash? As with everything you’ll read or hear from me, I’m going to be completely honest with you. Selling your house to me may not be your best option. That’s right, for many people who have plenty of time and have a house in perfect condition, selling your house to me may not be your best option. You will probably get more money for your house by selling with a realtor and waiting however long it takes to sell on the open market.

    Time Is Money.

However, if you don’t meet the requirements above and want or need to sell your house quickly, there are many benefits to having me buy your house. Since your time is valuable, I’ll start with the most important benefit first. Cash buyers buy your house fast! Don’t underestimate the value of this. We’ve all heard that time is money, and it couldn’t be any more true than in real estate. Not even calculating in the actual value of your personal time that gets eaten up trying to sell a house, just owning a property is very expensive. The insurance, taxes, utilities, and maintenance can easily eat up thousands and thousands of dollars over the many months it takes to sell a home the conventional way. All that money could stay in your pocket very shortly after you call me.

    Avoid Frustrations

I seriously considered making avoiding frustrations the number one benefit, but a fast sale is just too important. Since I could literally write dozens of articles on the ways selling a home can be frustrating, I’ll summarize the most common ones in a list. In no order of precedence, just a few of the ways that selling a home can be frustrating are; fixing your home, staging your home, keeping your home in show ready condition, having to leave your home on short notice for a showing, 18 page Colorado real estate contracts, picky buyers, window shoppers, nosy neighbors, paying for a house you don’t live in, worrying about when or if your home will sell, negotiating with buyers, buyers backing out of contracts after you’ve moved out, realtors commissions, and mostly just the uncertainty of it all.

    Cash is King.

Which would you rather have? A house worth $200,000 or $200,000 cash in the bank. Of course you’d rather have the cash as you can do anything you want with that. If you have a house you have to sell it first to get the cash. The most you could possibly hope to walk away with after selling a $200,000 through a realtor is around $182,000, and that’s if you didn’t have to do any repairs and sold for full price. Do the math, 6% realtor commissions and 3% closing costs add up to $18,000! More likely you’ll have a few thousand in repairs and have to negotiate down an average of 5% in price reductions and paying the buyers closing costs. This means you’ll likely only receive around $170,000 cash for your $200,000 house. As I said, „Cash is King“, so getting a quick cash offer from me is very likely your best option.

    It’s Just Too Easy.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg