Lee Morof's Real Estate Blog

With all of the busyness of the winter months and most people settling in for the season, it can be hard to achieve a successful home sale at the end of the year. Fortunately, if you simply can’t wait to put your home on the market, here are some staging tips that will engage potential buyers so you won’t have to wait much longer for an offer.

Add Accents To Your Neutrals

It’s often the case that a home with neutral colors will show better because potential buyers can envision themselves in it, but there are ways to dress up neutral tones that will add spark. Instead of leaving your place too ho-hum, try punching up the color palette with a few bright pieces that will catch the eye. Whether you add a throw, some pillows, a vase or a vivid painting, this can be a simple way to create a lasting impression.

Let The Light In

The winter months can be a more difficult time to let natural light in, but few things will have a more positive impact on how your home shows than the lighting. A warm, homey space that is lit in a way that maximizes your home’s best features will be sure to make potential home buyers interested. In addition, good lighting will work to minimize any flaws that might be more visible in a less flattering light.

Don’t Forget About The Senses

It’s easy to get so involved in cleaning and de-cluttering your home that you forget about creating ambiance, but engaging the senses can have a very positive impact on potential home buyers. Instead of leaving this aspect to chance, you may want to bake something to create a pleasant scent or play music so that people viewing your home will stick around a little longer. Potential home buyers may not be aware of it, but engaging the senses can have an unconscious effect on the impression your home leaves.

The winter months are not always the best time to put your home on the market, but it may just mean that you’ll need to put in a little more effort to make the sale. By engaging the senses and adding color to a neutral palette, you may just snag an ideal offer. If you’re currently preparing to put your home on the market, contact your local real estate professional for more information.

There are many traditional ways to sell your home, from the MLS listings to a sign in the front yard. However, the ease of the Internet and the utility of social media can make it easier than ever to find the right buyer. If you’re getting prepared to put your home on the market and are trying to determine a strategy, here are some ways you can use social media to improve your selling odds.

Tweet Out The Details

Twitter accounts may more frequently be linked with a person, but because of the short burst of information involved in a tweet, it’s actually a great way to market your home. Whether you want to shout out a particular detail that’s worthy of recognition or make a more general statement about what it offers to potential homebuyers, this can be a clever means of getting the attention of interested parties. It’s just important to make sure you don’t overdo it, so stick with a few tweets per day.

Create Your Own Website

Most homes will have a page on their real estate agent’s website, but having your own website for your home can be an easy means of drawing people in to its best features. While it doesn’t have to cost money or be too fancy to attract the right people, you’ll want to make sure that you have professional photos and pertinent information so the right buyers will be able to determine if it’s a good option for them.

Post On Facebook

According to Postling, up to 80% of real estate agents use Facebook to market their properties online, and this means that Facebook can be an ideal site for you to find an audience. It might seem surprising, but many people search for homes for sale on Facebook, so having a page set up that provides the right details and has some striking images may just snag you the homebuyer you’re looking for. It’s also a great way to leverage your group of friends and reach even more potential buyers.

It’s beneficial to utilize more traditional methods when it comes to selling your home, but there are plenty of ways that you can use social media to enhance your home’s profile and find unexpected leads. If you’re currently getting prepared to put your home on the market, contact your local real estate expert for more information.

It’s often so exciting to think of buying a new home that homeowners forget about the sale, but there are a lot of details involved in putting a home on the market. Whether you’re just considering selling or are readying to put your home up, here are some things you might not know about the process.

Marketing Strategy Is Important

The days of putting a sign on the front yard and waiting for buyers are gone, so it’s important to have a strategy that will successfully highlight your house. Whether you decide to make a website, use social media or invest in a professional photographer, ensure you’re prepared to put your home out there.

The Right Price Is Everything

You have the ability to change your asking price at any time, but it’s best to hit the market with a price that is both reasonable and competitive. This will not only prevent your home from lingering on the market, it will make it more likely you’ll get the offer you’re looking for.

Fixing It Up Is Important

You might want to avoid minor fix-ups before selling your home, but maintenance issues can impact the offers you’ll receive. Instead of leaving these for the next homeowner, put time aside to do paint touch-ups, repair doors or insulate the windows so the small things don’t affect your offer.

Prepare To Pack

It’s great to receive an offer on your home, but packing up can be one of the most stressful aspects of moving. Instead of leaving this to the last minute, do some preliminary ‘spring cleaning’ to discard the stuff you won’t use and pack up the stuff you won’t soon need. This will make moving out a little smoother.

Be Ready For An Open House

It can be a pain to stage your home and leave on short notice to accommodate an interested homebuyer, but a good open house is one of your best bets for selling your home. This means your house should be clean and clutter free all the time so only a few last-minute fix-ups will be required.

There are a lot of things involved in selling your first home, but by completing the little fix ups and choosing the right price, you’ll be well on your way to an interested buyer. If you’re currently getting ready to put your home on the market, contact your real estate professional for more information.

Whether you’re new to the real estate game or you’ve bought and sold a home before, there are many details involved in selling. It can be enticing to think about taking on the responsibility yourself and going it alone, but there are a number of reasons it’s wise to use a real estate agent. Before you make a decision on selling your home, ensure you consider all the details you’ll have to deal with.

Misunderstanding Of The Market

It’s entirely possible for a home seller to look at the MLS listings and determine a price range for their home, but the right real estate agent will have a wealth of knowledge to draw from. In all likelihood, they will be familiar with the neighborhood and may even have sold a few homes in it. This means they’ll be able to determine the right offer for your home and ensure it’s feasible on the market, which may mean a higher price and a shorter selling time.

It Takes Time

While a real estate agent will get a certain percentage of the price for helping you sell your home, you won’t be getting paid anything to do the legwork. However, it’s easy to underestimate how much time it can take to market your home, arrange open houses and deal effectively with all of the negotiating. It may be enticing to do it on your own, but what it might save in money, it may end up eating in time.

The Closing Details

If you’ve determined the price of your home and you’ve received an offer, it can be a great feeling to know that you’ve taken the right steps. However, what happens after you receive an offer is one of the most important parts of selling your home, and a real estate agent will be able to guide you through counter offers and lowering your price if needed. While it may seem like this will be easy enough to navigate, having an agent who’s waded through the waters can help to simplify things.

Selling your home on your own may seem like a money saving opportunity, but the right real estate agent will be able to navigate the market and do the legwork for you while still getting a good offer. If you’re currently preparing to put your home on the market, contact your local real estate professional today for market tips.

Selling a standard home is fraught with enough concerns about marking it at the right price and staging it properly, but it’s an entirely different ball game when it comes to luxury property. If you’re planning on selling your high-end property and are trying to determine what sets it apart from the average home sale, here are some things to consider before putting it on the market.

The Price Must Be Reasonable

It’s important for the asking price on any home to show an awareness of market conditions, but when it comes to luxury, it becomes even more important. Most luxury homes are going to sit on the market for a longer period of time than a less expensive home because there are fewer potential buyers. In order to facilitate a successful sale, it’s necessary for the asking price to be competitive and in line with the amenities provided so that buyers won’t flock to other opportunities.

Use The Right Marketing Tools

With so many available methods to sell a home nowadays, it’s never been easier to get the word out that you’re selling your home. However, if the asking price is higher it’s imperative that the property is displayed in the right light. When it comes to a luxury property it’s worth having an agent who knows the market and the neighborhood well. They will be able to display your home at its most ideal by creating a website with enticing photography and details to showcase all of your home’s best attributes.

What Are The Market Conditions?

It’s difficult to time the market, but when it comes to the impact economic times can have on a luxury home sale, it’s even more important to be aware of prices. Not only will you want to be aware of the amenities your home has and how much more desirable they’ll be at certain times of the year, you’ll also want to be sure that the market is on an upswing. A market that is on the rise can make a significant difference on the offers you’ll get.

There are many factors involved in putting your home on the market, but when it comes to luxury real estate it’s important to time the market and ensure your asking price is spot on. If you’re currently preparing to put your luxury home on the market, you may want to contact one of our real estate professionals for more information.

There are a lot of different factors that go into selling a home for the first time that can make it a stressful process, but there are a few things home sellers should avoid for a successful sale. If you’re going to be putting your home on the market in the near future and are hoping for quick success, here are some common mistakes you’ll want to be sure to bypass.

Pricing Your Home Too High

It’s entirely likely that there’s an amount you have in mind when it comes to selling your home, but it’s important that your asking price is in line with the market conditions and what’s being offered. Instead of winging it, check the local neighborhood listings and see what similar homes are selling for so yours won’t be left to linger on the market.

Forgetting The Small Repairs

After you’ve put your home up for sale and have arranged an open house, one of the first things people will notice is the small repairs; like paint chips or loose doorknobs; that haven’t yet been fixed. Instead of letting this negatively impact the offers you’ll receive, complete the little fix-ups before you schedule your open house so potential homebuyers are not turned off.

Missing On Marketing

There are so many avenues for selling a home these days that it can be hard to know which way to go. However, it’s best to consider all of your options and utilize social media to widen the audience you’ll attract. Keep in mind that if you’re investing in a website or brochures, it’s important to hire a good photographer to show your home in its best light.

Selling It On Your Own

Hitting the market on your own can be rife with a lot of questions, so as a first-time seller you may want to consider the services of a real estate agent. It’s just important to ensure that the person you choose is qualified and has experience in your community so they can steer you in the right direction and offer up helpful advice when it’s required.

Selling a home for the first time can be a stressful thing to take on, but by utilizing the right agent and having reasonable expectations, it may be off the market before you know it. If you’re getting ready to put your home up for sale, contact one of our real estate professionals for more information.

The springtime is known to be one of the best times to put your home up for sale. However, if you’re not necessarily planning on engaging a real estate agent, it’s important to be prepared for all of the hard work involved in putting your home up for sale. Whether you’re new to the market or you’ve never sold a home on your own before, here are some questions to ask yourself so you’re prepared for selling in the coming season.

Do You Know The Market?

The neighborhood you live in and the buying market you’re dealing with are important factors in how your home is going to sell, so you’ll need to know a little about both when determining your ideal price. By looking through the listings in the area and seeing what homes like yours have sold for, you may be able to give yourself a range for the offers you can expect.

How Will You Sell It?

One of the added benefits of social media is that you can use sites like Facebook and Twitter to announce your home sale and even highlight its best features. While this may make selling seem much easier, you’ll still need to make sure you have good photography that captures your home and a website where homebuyers can learn more details. Be aware that while these items may seem easy enough, it can take a lot of time to manage these details on your own.

Are You Prepared To Negotiate?

It’s a good feeling to get an offer on your home, but in all likelihood it will be less than what you’re expecting and this means engaging in the art of negotiation. According to the National Association of Realtors, those who sell their home generally get 10-20% less than those who utilize an agent, so it’s important to be comfortable negotiating before you dive in. If you’re confident in your acumen, you may want to go it alone, but if you have doubts, it can be a better financial decision to engage the help of an agent.

Before you decide to sell your home on your own, it’s worth appraising your skills to determine if it will be worth the time and effort you’ll have to put in. If you’ve come to the conclusion that you’d like to utilize an agent after all, contact one of our real estate professionals for more information.

Whether you know a little bit about the market or you’ve sold a home before, you may be considering pricing your own home to avoid the assistance of a real estate agent. However, there are a number of benefits associated with consulting an agent when selling your home. Before making a final decision, consider the following tips.

They Know The Neighborhood

It’s great if you have familiarity with market prices, but knowing a neighborhood is key when it comes to determining price. The right agent will be able to help you arrive at a price that is good for your home and practical for the area you’re selling in.

Is The Market Hot?

The price may be right, but if the market has cooled off, you may have to make a compromise in order to sell it. Instead of trying to arrive at this on your own, an agent will be able to provide insights into the best strategy.

They’ve Sold In The Area

A local agent may have sold properties in your area recently and may be well aware of the price potential. With this added expertise, they can walk the line between your ideal price and what you can get.

Preparing A Plan B

An agent may agree to go with a higher selling pricing if you’re committed to it, but they will also help you make another plan if the price doesn’t work out. It’s disappointing to not get what you’re asking for, but it’s better to have a plan just in case.

Saving On Stress

It’s one thing to decide on the price of your home, but it’s quite another to deal with all the stress if it lingers on the market without an offer. If an agent assists you in determining your price, they’ll also be there to shoulder some of the stress.

When It Comes To Negotiating

The negotiation following a home offer is make-or-break for selling your home, so having an agent is a great benefit. While they won’t be able to make the decision for you, they can serve as a helpful guide in determining an appropriate counter offer.

Many homeowners want to embark on selling their home on their own, but a real estate agent can be very helpful in determining a purchase price and assisting with the negotiations. If you’re currently getting prepared to sell your home, contact one of our real estate professionals for more information.

It’s a great feeling to get an offer on your home, but there can be a lot of details that go into seeing the negotiation through to completion. If your home is currently on the market and you’re expecting buyers to snap it up soon, here’s what you’ll need to know to get your ideal price in no time at all.

Remember To Counter Offer

A potential buyer will generally offer you a price that is lower than what they are willing to pay to see if they can get it, so it’s important to not get so excited by it that you give up on negotiating. While it’s a necessity to be a little flexible on price, it’s still important to get an offer you can feel good about.

Give Them Time, But Not Too Much

It’s important to give buyers the time needed to mull over any counter offers or final negotiations, but you don’t want to stave off other potential buyers in the interim. Instead of missing out on other viable buyers, give the interested party a frame of time to decide so they and you can walk away without hesitation when it’s passed.

Continue To Communicate

If you don’t express any measure of interest for a buyer’s offer, there’s a good chance they’ll walk away, so ensure you’re communicating clearly about your price expectations and the value of your home. By keeping the potential buyer aware of your reasoning and timelines, they’ll probably be impressed by your professionalism, which can work in your favor.

Don’t Forget About Home Repairs

It may be easy to forget about the importance of the home inspection, but any issues uncovered can change the offer price of your home or cause negotiation breakdown if there’s a significant problem. Instead of getting derailed, ensure that you’re willing to drop down your purchase price to cover necessary repairs or get the fixes made yourself so the deal can move forward.

There are a lot of details to work out when it comes to selling a home, but negotiations are key in maintaining a potential buyer’s interest. By keeping the communication lines open and being clear about your timeline, you may be well on your way to a home sale. If you’re getting ready to put your home on the market, contact your trusted real estate professional for more information.

Getting an offer on your home can certainly make it feel like the hard part is over, but even after the deal is sealed there’s still a lot to do when it comes to moving out. Whether you’re getting prepared for a future move or your buyer has just signed on the dotted line, here are the first steps to take once it’s certain your property is off the market.

Start The Packing

For many people, packing is something they would rather put off until the last minute, but boxing up your stuff is actually a great opportunity for a little spring-cleaning at any time of the year. Instead of procrastinating, get started early and ensure that you’re only packing up the items you will make use of. Whether you decide to pass the extras off to friends or donate them, this is a great way to make your next home clutter free.

Book The Moving Trucks

The day you have to be out of your home by will be set in stone, so it’s important to get ahead of this process and contact the movers as soon as you can. Moving companies have busier times of year and by booking in advance, you won’t have to comply with their loaded schedule. While you’ll want to make a reservation if you’re working under a time crunch, it still might be worth shopping around to see if you can find a better deal.

Complete The Last Minute Fix-Ups

In all likelihood, there’s a list of minor tasks the homebuyer will want you to complete prior to move-in. It’s important to prioritize these things so they’re not left until the last minute, so ensure you make a list and pick a day or a certain window of time to complete them. Whether you’ve agreed to paint a room or get the windows re-sealed, not making these fixes can end up costing you money so it will be worth the time you spend.

It’s a wonderful feeling to get your home off the market at the purchase price you were looking for, but there are still things that need to be done before the deal is sealed. By making a list of any outstanding maintenance and booking the moving trucks, you’ll be well on your way to your new home. If you’re currently looking for a new home, contact your trusted real estate professional for more information.