Lee Morof's Real Estate Blog

Pick The Right Light

It won’t even be worth your while to pick up the camera if the lighting is off, so make sure you capture your home in the middle of the day when natural light is at its peak. Instead of morning or night, when spaces can appear dim, turn on the lights during the day, let the sunlight flow in and shoot away!

Keep It Clutter Free

While it’s common sense to clean up your home before committing anything to photography, it’s also important to be aware of any items that may catch the eye of the viewer and deflect interest away from your property. While there may be certain things you’re used to, if they stand out in the picture it might be better to move them outside of the frame.

Don’t Forget The Details

It’s easy to be focused on the exterior and room shots, but a few minor details here and there can give the viewer a better feel for your home, and may enable them to remember it. If you have striking kitchen tiles or a claw foot tub, don’t forget to add up-close images of these to your listing.

Capture The Exterior

The rooms and amenities of your house are definitely going to be what piques the buyer’s interest, but don’t forget about the exterior in all the shuffle. The outside of your home is the first thing that potential buyers will see, so catch it during the last hour of sunlight for maximum effect.

Hire A Professional

It’s entirely possible that you’re so busy looking for homes and getting organized that taking pictures is just another task to add to the list. Instead of taking on the photography yourself, you may want to contact a professional to do it for you who will know all the tricks of the trade.

The best impression your house will make should be in person, but it’s important to have great listing photos so you can draw potential buyers in. If you’re getting ready to put your home on the market, you may want to contact one of our real estate professionals for more information.

From real estate agents to home buyers, there are so many tips out there on how to sell your home that it can be overwhelming to determine which tricks will boost your success rate and make the sale. If you’re looking for a few sure-fire hacks for getting your home off the market quickly, the following may do a lot of the hard work for you so that selling won’t remain a worry for long.

Stick To A Neutral Palette

Neutral colors like white and grey may seem like a boring approach to design, but they’re actually a great way to grab a potential buyer’s attention. While an especially bold color like red or dark blue can distract the viewer, neutral tones will not jar the eye and will enable the viewer to see the features that your home truly offers. Instead of a space they can’t see for the color, they’ll be able to pay attention to the details that really matter.

Discard The Oversized Items

Most of us have an old, bulky piece of furniture that we still haven’t bothered to get rid of, but when preparing your home for viewings you may want to finally let go of this ostentatious piece. A bulky furniture item will make an undersized space look even smaller, whereas – in a large, sprawling space – it will swallow the size of the room. Instead of a large-scale item, stick to classy, medium-sized pieces that will effectively complement each other.

Keep Personal Items To A Minimum

It may seem like personalizing your home, from pictures all over the fridge to movie posters, will add to its appeal, but it can actually take away from the impression that potential buyers will get. While a home that has a few personal touches here and there can make it more memorable, too many of these little details may actually make the viewer feel out of place. Since the end goal is an offer on your home, enabling potential buyers to imagine themselves in your space is key.

There are an endless amount of tricks involved in a successful home sale, but there are a few little hacks you can do that may work wonders on the minds of potential buyers. If you’re almost ready to put your home on the market and are considering your options for selling, please feel free to contact us for more information.

Whether you’re familiar with the market or you’ve never sold a home before, an effective real estate agent can be exactly the thing you need to make for a positive market experience. With the world of real estate in a constant state of flux, here are a few reasons why the right agent can successfully guide you through the muddled waters of the market.

A Skill For Communication

In the case that the real estate market makes you nervous, it’s particularly important to have the kind of agent who will keep you in the loop and give you the information you need to make an informed selling decision. An agent with the powers of communication will be able to give you honest advice when it’s required, like if it’s time to lower the price of your house, so that you can have success in achieving the offer you’re looking for.

A Willingness To Work Hard

There are many agents out there who won’t be willing to put in additional effort for a client, but the kind of agent you’ll want to choose should be someone who is a go-getter and will chase potential business for you. Instead of waiting around, an ideal agent should be following up with potential buyers and ensuring that they’re chasing any leads that may guarantee the purchase of your home. If you have to ask them to be proactive, they’re probably not the right person for the job.

A Bevy Of Client References

A real estate agent that is worth their salt should not hesitate to provide you with client references so you can make an informed, educated decision. Instead of asking for their personal references, though, request the names of their last ten clients as this should give you a pretty good grasp of what their capacities as an agent are, and how they will serve you. If they are cagey about providing references, you’ll want to move on to your next potential agent.

The real estate market is rife with a lot of things to know and it can be complicated to jump into the tides, but the right agent can actually make the process of selling your home a lot less stressful. If you’re currently looking for homes and are not sure where to turn, you may want to contact one of our real estate professionals for more scoop on the market.

The real estate market and all the things involved in selling a home can seem complicated, and it can be very hard to know which tips to trust. While there’s plenty of great advice to go around from many knowledgeable sources, here are some of the best tips from home sellers who have made a successful sale.

Research Your Local Agents

When considering an agent that will meet your home-selling needs, it can be tempting to go with someone familiar or recommended through a friend who seems like a safe bet. However, it’s important to do your research and find an agent who has a number of “Sold” homes under their belt. Create a list of agents you’re impressed by and take note of their sales and agent fees, and keep in mind that you may want to lean towards an agent who has expertise in your neighborhood.

Get A Second Opinion On Price

Before you have an agent appraise the value of your home, it’s worthwhile doing some research on your end to determine the approximate value of your property. Once you’ve arrived at a figure, bring in the agents you’ve selected to appraise the value of your property. If one price is significantly higher than the other, it may be a red flag that an agent is trying to win over your business, regardless of whether the sale price is reasonable. In this case, you will want to choose the agent that provides the most appropriate appraisal.

Be House Ready At All Times

Having potential buyers view your home will certainly make the idea of selling it real, so make sure that it is ready for viewing at any time. If a potential buyer cannot view your property or has to work around your schedule constantly to arrange viewings, there’s a pretty good chance that you may lose out on some good home offers. Instead of missing out, provide a set of keys to your real estate agent so they can show people around your home when you’re not around. This should automatically increase the likelihood of an offer on your home.

Heading into the real estate market can be a matter of trepidation if you’re not sure what to do, but by researching your agents and being prepared you’ll increase your chances of success. If you’re almost ready to put your home on the market, you may want to contact one of our local real estate professionals for more information.

The cooler months of winter might seem like the perfect time to hibernate into the house, but it’s actually a great time to consider ramping up your home for improvements. If you’re thinking of selling come the spring, here’s why winter is the perfect time to get started on home renovations.

Flexible Scheduling And Availability

Many people are not interested in renovating their home during the winter months, so it can actually be an ideal time of year to make plans with a contractor to do some work. Since many renovations that occur on the outside of the home are likely to take place during spring or summer, it can be easier to schedule renovations for your home’s interior when it’s colder.

Pre-Planning Your Project

Since contractors can have more free time in the winter months, it’s a good time to contact them to discuss, decide and plan exactly what needs to be done in your home. With the workload of many contractors ramping up in the springtime, there’s a good chance their meeting schedule may be congested and the planning and renovation implementation will take much longer.

Get Ahead of Higher Prices

With the holiday season in swing, there are many sales on common home items from appliances to windows and cabinets. Since manufacturers will be trying to get excess stock off the floor before year’s end, it can be a great time to purchase products for instant money savings. With the new stock filling the stores in spring, there will be a higher premium to pay for all of the newly marketed products.

A Good Time For The Market

Spring is one of the most popular times of year to put a home on the market. With so many people considering a home purchase among their yearly plans, the milder season is an ideal time to get out and go house shopping. In order to have your home ready to show for the spring, you’ll need to have the renovations complete so your house will be market ready when the potential buyers are out.

If you’re readying your house for the springtime real estate market, it’s a good idea to get started on renovations now so you can save money on materials and schedule ample time with your contractor. If you happen to be considering your options for spring sale, you may want to contact your local real estate agent for more information.

Small backyards are not the detriment that sellers seem to worry about. By putting in some work, any homeowner should be able to turn the smallest backyard into a selling feature by highlighting its assets.

Here are some surefire ways to change a cramped backyard into a cozy, outdoor paradise:

Invest In Size Appropriate Outdoor Furniture

Too many people with small backyards make the mistake of picking out patio furniture that is meant for a larger space. While this may not matter for the people living in the house, it will make a world of difference to anybody looking to buy.

Large furniture will make the yard look even smaller and cramped by comparison. Patio furniture is made in all shapes and sizes, and picking out smaller pieces to use in the backyard will make the space look larger and help play to its strengths.

Open Spaces Ignite The Imagination

Too many sellers go overboard in the staging process and end up with a result that has the exact opposite effect. While a fire pit or a water feature will add value to the home, in a small backyard these features can be cumbersome if they are all used simultaneously.

Focus on one or two signature areas, a seating area, water feature or barbeque are good examples, and keep the rest of the yard open and clear so that it looks larger and the buyers can imagine what they could do with the space. Many young couples are looking for a home to raise kids in and a clear backyard helps them visualize the space children have to play.

Treat The Backyard The Same As The Front

While curb appeal is important, it’s easy to forget that the same rules should apply to other outdoor areas of a house. Considering a yard is high on the list of criteria buyers look for in a new home, especially those starting a family, the backyard should be given the same treatment as the front yard.

Remove clutter, weed the gardens, trim the trees and put away any toys, tools or grills that are not part of the staging to keep visitors’ eyes drawn to the actual yard and not lingering away to something unsightly that wasn’t cleaned up.

With enough work and imagination, there are ways to make any perceived drawback into a selling point. Any real estate professional will be able to look through your home and help identify trouble areas and how to fix them.

Whether you’re ready to put your home on the market or you’re preparing yourself for the ins and outs of the process, you’ve probably heard about open houses. While open houses can offer an easy, instant way for many interested parties to view your house, there can also be downsides to this type of showing. If you’re considering whether or not to stage an open house, here are some insights into what it may mean.

Potential Buyers Or Open House Aficionados?

An open house will mean that many people can see your house at the same time, which can save the time and energy that goes into multiple viewings, but open houses can also attract many people that have no intention to buy. With so many people interested in the interior of a home or the houses in a particular neighborhood, open houses can actually attract more curiosity than actual offers. While an open house can be a great way to create interest, private viewings can be more indicative of how interested the viewer really is.

Living In Your Home Or Merely Showing It

The effort that goes into properly staging a home for public viewing can be quite considerable depending on how long your house is on the market. While an open house will get many viewers in and out on the same day, a bevy of private viewings can mean that a lot more energy will be spent cleaning up your home, which may make you feel like you live in a show home. It’s worth considering how much time you want to spend staging your home before deciding if an open house will work for you.

A Private Home Or A Public Place

You may be leaving your old, familiar home behind soon enough, but that doesn’t mean it’s still not a place of refuge and privacy from the outside world. It’s worth realizing that an open house means many people you don’t know will be walking through your home and viewing your possessions, which can be quite disconcerting for some people. This may be acceptable if the benefits outweigh the risks, but if your home is too special a space you may want to consider another avenue.

Open houses can be an important part of getting your house out on the market, but whether or not this option will work for you is dependent on many factors. If you’re wondering about all of the options for viewings and putting your home on the market, you will want to contact your trusted real estate professional for more insight.

When it comes to real estate, putting your home in its best light is key when it comes to making the sale. While it may seem like you’re more limited with a home of a smaller scale, here are a few ways you can enhance what’s best and make a good impression on potential buyers.

Let There Be Ideal Light

If you’ve ever taken note of a room on a perfectly lit day or a downcast one, the difference in how lighting can impact a space is marked. When staging your small space, you’ll want to check the lighting of each room and make sure it ideally enhances the space it’s illuminating as few things can improve the look of a place like lighting. If you’re prepared to go all out, you may even want to install a swanky chandelier or lengthy light fixture in certain rooms as it can draw the eye up and lengthen the look of your space.

Brighten a Room with an Accent Wall

Homeowners often think that bright colors are a bad idea because they’re flashy and will minimize a space, but using a brilliant color on one wall of a room can actually maximize the look of your room and can serve as something memorable for viewers of your home. While you’ll want to make sure the color you choose isn’t garish and doesn’t completely overwhelm the eye, you’ll want to keep in mind that an accent wall works particularly well for enhancing a pint-sized bathroom.

Stand By a Statement Piece

It might seem like unique or off-the-wall furniture pieces will overtake the room in a small living space, but one statement piece can actually provide potential buyers of your home with a unique look that may instill an interest in your house and highlight it in a unique way. Instead of choosing multiple pieces that are bright or quirky, stick with one or two items per room that will stand out and make themselves known, but will still give off the living-style vibe that you’re going for.

Staging a small home can seem more complicated with less space, but there are great ways that you can highlight it to positive effect. While you may want to consider an accent wall or lighting that will effectively illuminate the room, if you’re interested in more tips for small home staging, you may want to contact a local real estate agent for more information.

When it comes to staging your home to sell, it can sometimes seem like there are so many things to do that it’s hard to know what will make a real difference. Since staging is such an important aspect of successfully selling your home, here are the three golden rules for how you can make it work for you!

Don’t Forego The Front

Homeowners often spend so much time inside of their home that it’s the first thing they think about when it comes to staging, but the first thing a potential buyer is going to notice is the exterior so it’s very important to keep this in mind. Ensure that the grass is cut and any stray plants or weeds are trimmed or pulled. If you’ve left out any old, ugly furniture or the kids toys are strewn about the lawn, you’ll want to clean these up so the house is polished and enticing right from the start.

Make It Match With Your Décor

There are no certainties that the design aesthetic you have is going to appeal to your potential buyers, but they will notice if your home is completely out of touch with its accents. If you’ve got a comfy, family style place, make sure you deck it out in durable but well-maintained duds that will complement the buyer you’re trying to capture. On the other hand, if you’ve got sleek hardwood floors and a stylish accent wall, you should be able to get away with a modern decorative style that can only enhance your home’s natural charms.

Keep A Handle On The Accessories

It’s certainly true that a personal style that gives off the sense that you really live in your home will draw in the offers, but you’ll want to keep some of it at bay so your decorating is not distracting the viewers. Instead of going for big, over-the-top pieces, stick to a style that’s neat and tidy with some quaint accents that will play it up. A few brightly cultured coffee table books or a quirky light fixture can go a long way in adding interest to your living space!

It may seem like a lot is required to properly stage a home, but by using these golden rules you should be well on your way to a successful sale. If you’re currently in the process of selling your home and have questions about entering the real estate market, you may want to contact your local real estate professional for more information.

With the busyness of the holiday season, selling your home during the winter months can often be more difficult than it is in other seasons. If you’re intent on selling before the year is out and you’re looking for some staging pointers, here are a few ways to convince potential buyers that your home will be the perfect place to spend Christmas!

Compliment Your Home’s Colors

If the green, red and gold tones of the holiday season contrast with your home décor, it might be a good idea to bring out some less flashy pieces that will still lend to the joyous season. Instead of huge garlands all over the house or old decorations that have been passed down through the years, go for items that will complement the décor and coloring of your home to maximum effect.

Adorn It With A Wreath

A holiday wreath is often the perfect finishing touch when it comes to home decorating, but since your door will be one of the first things that potential buyers will see, it’s a staging tip you might not want to go without. Since a wreath will make buyers think of the exciting season ahead, it may be much easier for them to picture themselves sipping eggnog around the fire and putting presents under the tree of their potential new home.

Bake A Holiday Batch

There are few things more enticing about the holiday season than its treats, and since it’s proven that scent can go a long way in selling a home, you might want to dive into the holiday baking early. Whether you go with shortbread or gingerbread, this sweet holiday scent will likely enrapture potential buyers and may make them feel like they’re already home.

Keep The Tree Simple

It goes without saying that you’ll want to put out a tree for the holidays, but with all of the personal trimmings that can go into a tree, it’s a good idea to keep it relatively simple. Instead of overdoing it and distracting from the rest of your home, go for an understated tree with a few bulbs and simple decorations. This will showcase your love of the season without obscuring the attention that’s meant for your house.

Selling a home in the winter months can be more difficult than it is in spring or fall, but staging it for the holiday season may have a positive impact on potential buyers. If you’re curious about other staging tips for the holidays and selling in the winter, you may want to contact your trusted real estate professional for more information.