Posts in category 'For Sellers'

You want to hire the best agent when you sell your house.

You see real estate agent "John Listalots" all over town. His signs are everywhere. So, you figure he must be a great agent.

It seems like he sells almost everything in town, and you figure that he probably "has all the buyers".

From an outsider's point of view, this makes sense…

What better way to gauge and choose the best agent to list and sell your home?

You have the evidence in front of your eyes. So many other people have chosen him to sell their home, how could it not be true?

Something you should know…

Before we get into the three reasons why you shouldn't just hire the agent with all the signs around town, there's something you should know.

Very few real estate agents do tons of business. In any given area, there's always an agent or two who seem to do all of the business.

But that doesn't mean that the few agents who do most of the business...

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After the housing crisis of 2008, many homeowners found themselves "upside down" on their properties, with their mortgage balances significantly higher than the value of their home. According to Zillow, negative equity in the US peaked 31.4% in Q1 of 2012, meaning nearly one-third of all mortgage holders in the US owed more on their homes than it was valued.

But luckily, the housing market has rebounded from the housing crisis, and homeowners have almost completely regained equity in their homes. According to CoreLogic's most recent Home Equity Insights report, in Q4 of 2017 only 4.9% of all mortgaged properties had negative equity, with the number of homes with negative equity dropping 21% year-over-year (from...

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Today, June 1st, is National Doughnut Day! I thought I'd give you a heads up, so you can get out early and grab your favorite doughnut before they're all gone.

Have you been to Donut World in Lancaster? Best donuts around! And voted best in Fairfield County – two years in a row!

You ever notice how there's always the same lame doughnuts sitting on the rack after the morning rush? They're usually either super boring, or way to "out there" for most people.

No big deal. They're doughnuts. They'll get donated or tossed in the trash at the end of the day.

But I see a similar thing happen in real estate, and it is a big deal…

The houses everyone wants tend to sell quickly. They don't stay on the "shelf' very long. But there's always some that just seem to be left to linger on the rack. And they tend to be the ones that are super boring, or way too "out there" for most home buyers' tastes. (Or just way over-priced.)

So, keep the followi...

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You've seen this happen…

A house sits on the market forever, and it doesn't get sold.

You see an agent's for sale sign sitting in the yard for months and months. And then, all of a sudden, another one appears.

Sometimes, the new agent will get the house sold.

But sometimes, no matter how many different agents list the house, it just never sells.

You've been watching that house "expire".

That is industry-speak for when a house doesn't get sold during the time frame an owner has a listing contract with a particular real estate agent.

When a listing expires, it's not uncommon for the owner to hire someone new to list their home…figuring the first real estate agent just didn't have what it takes to get their home sold.

But, it usually isn't the agent that was the problem. There are a few common problems that cause a house to expire.

However, it almost always boils down to one specific issue…and one specifi...

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If you are thinking about selling your home, there are several things to consider working on in your home before listing it. These are typically things I as a REALTOR will go over with you at a pre-listing appointment as well.

This list will serve as a place to start as to ensure that you as a homeowner will be doing things to get the most out of your home when it comes time to sell.

Let's take a look at several areas for sellers to consider.

Big Ticket Items
How old is your furnace and air conditioner? When was the roof last replaced? Maybe the water heater has reached it's end of usable life. These are things to consider when selling. Worse yet, being unprepared when an inspector or appraiser requires a replacement of something before the deal can close is a nightmare.

If you do not have the budget to replace such items, consider offering a credit to the buyers to help with replacement cost or some of the cost. If an...

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