Lee Morof's Real Estate Blog

Let the bidding wars begin! If you are considering selling your home, you may be dreaming of the magic sale. In this scenario, before the house is even on the market, someone knocks on the door and offers twice the asking price in cash, and maybe throws in a leer jet ride or a pet pony.

In real life, marketing and hard work will serve you better. Here are a few tips on getting the best price for your real estate in Southeast Michigan:

• Consider your target market: If you have an investment property, your most likely buyer is very different from those looking to buy a single-family home. Investors may be looking at rental rates in your neighborhood; single-family homebuyers may be more concerned with school systems. Know who will be looking at your home, and give them the information that is most important to them.
• Be online: You must have your real estate in Southeast Michigan listed online if you expect anyone to find it these days. In particular, look for websites that allow you to upload pictures, comment on features, and are updated frequently (daily, preferably).
• Negotiate online: It’s a fast-paced world, and being able to zip offers and counter-offers back and forth can speed negotiations.
• Spread the word socially: Word of mouth is now electronic, and that buzz on your real estate in Southeast Michigan can be far reaching. Some social media dashboards allow you to manage Facebook, Twitter and other connections from one spot, so you don’t have to spend all your time updating different sites.

You may not be the kind of person who can sell sand in the desert, but putting together a strategic marketing plan that takes advantage of the electronic world can help you generate the kind of offers that dreams are made of.  Just don’t ask for the pony.

If you are considering selling your home, let me show you my proven 30-Day Marketing Plan that gets homes sold fast. Give me a call today at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Certified Distressed Property Expert/Attorney Lee Morof
RE/MAX Showcase Homes, Birmingham, Michigan
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com

When it comes time to put your home on the market, you need to be prepared for the fact that you’ll be opening up your life to a whole lot of strangers. While most are actually interested in purchasing your Southeast Michigan real estate, there could be a crook masquerading as a potential buyer looking to make a quick score at your open house.

Don’t fall victim to deceptive con artists! Look over the quick tips below to make sure you and your home are safe and protected:

1. Hire a licensed, reputable agent. Make sure you ask around for recommendations, check with the state to make sure he or she is properly licensed and inquire with the better business bureau to see if there have been any complaints filed.
2. Double-check the lockbox. Reputable agents will have procedures in place to make sure your lockbox is properly installed, well secured and that only approved people can access the keys.
3. Set up a showing agreement. Only allow people to view your home when your agent is present or with his or her prior approval. Letting random people drop by is a good way to open yourself up to potential criminals. Instead, have them contact your Southeast Michigan real estate agent to book an appointment instead.
4. Secure your valuables. When buyers come to look at your home, they’re going to peek in drawers and closets. Make sure your money, jewelry, guns, financial documents and anything else that could be an attractive target for burglars are well secured.
5. Set your alarm. Make sure your agent knows how to turn the alarm off and, more importantly, back on. If you’ve made the investment to protect your family and your property with an alarm system, make sure it’s activated so it can do the job.

There’s no reason to be worried as long as you use common sense and follow these tips.

If you are thinking about selling and want to ensure your Southeast Michigan real estate is in the right hands, please call me at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com to find out how I can help you get your home sold.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Certified Distressed Property Expert/Attorney 
RE/MAX Showcase Homes, Birmingham, Michigan
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com

More than likely, you’ve cooked dinners, you’ve played games and you’ve made thousands of memories within the personally decorated walls of your home — and now you think you’re ready to move on. No matter the reason for selling your Southeast Michigan real estate, getting emotional is normal. However, you need to keep those emotions in check, because they could be detrimental to closing the deal.

Emotional calls constantly get sellers in troubling situations that make them regret their split decisions. A snide remark, too-low offer or fixer-up request can strike a personal cord, but you need to set your feelings aside in order to do what’s best for your financial future. Below are emotional mistakes that can stop negotiations and put you in housing hot water!

• Overpricing faux pas – Just because your sweat is worth a lot to you doesn’t mean that your property’s value will reflect the years of hard work, cleaning, upgrades and love you’ve put into it. Do your research. If there are comparable houses in your neighborhood at lower price points, reduce your listing price so that you’ll be a contender for buyers.
• Negative negotiating – Even though you may not want to entertain low offers, listen to your Southeast Michigan real estate agent. He or she has been through hundreds of negotiations and is your best bet for closing the deal at a fair price.
• Personal injuries – Don’t let buyer biases get to your personal ego and cause you to reject a potential purchaser all together. Remember, you are selling this house and moving on; they’ll be able to do whatever they want once they own it anyway.
• Mourning the sale – The memories go with you, so don’t have any second thoughts. Concentrate on making new happy moments in your future home.

Don’t let sentimental seller’s syndrome cause you to blow a fuse, have seller’s remorse, or worst of all, lose a sale. Eliminate emotions from the sale process in order to draw in buyers, get your money’s worth and sell quickly.

If you need help selling your Southeast Michigan real estate in Oakland County, call me at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com for more information.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Certified Distressed Property Expert/Attorney
RE/MAX Showcase Homes, Birmingham, Michigan
Call:  248-514-2640
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com

Getting from “I want to sell my house” to “SOLD” is often a long and stressful process.  The last thing you want to do is find someone who wants to buy your house and then lose him or her.  Here are five ways to avoid deal-killing surprises:

• Get a home inspection.  If you truly don’t want any surprises, get a home inspection before you put your home on the Southeast Michigan real estate market.  Then make all repairs needed; or disclose the problems up front, and tell the potential buyers how much you’ve reduced the price instead of making the repairs.
• Do not ask for favors.  You don’t want to suddenly ask the buyers if you can delay closing for six months or if you can keep the crystal dining room chandelier.
• Go over the contract in detail.  Ask your agent to have the buyer’s agent go over the details of the Southeast Michigan real estate contract with the buyers before they sign it.  Even if the buyers say they understand the contract, ask the agent to discuss the details with them.  This prevents misunderstandings and provides time to make contract changes well before the closing, if needed.
• Be honest.  If your hot-water heater breaks two days before the closing, don’t pretend that you love cold-water showers.  Tell the buyers what happened and that it’ll be replaced before closing.  Being honest up front builds trust.
• Remain calm.  If the buyers ask questions or make comments about the house that make you feel like they don’t love the house as much as you do, let it go.  This is a business deal.  You need to sell the house; they want to buy it.  Who cares what they say?  Remember the childhood saying about sticks and stones…

If you’re ready to sell your Southeast Michigan real estate, I’d love the opportunity to interview for the job.  Give me a call today at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com to schedule an interview.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Certified Distressed Property Expert/Attorney
RE/MAX Showcase Homes, Birmingham, Michigan
Call:  248-514-2640
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com

When you have a home for sale in Southeast Michigan or elsewhere in the nation, you have to know the competition is fierce. Many home sellers think they have all their ducks in a row when a potential buyer comes to view the house, only to have a minor, forgotten issue blow the deal.

The Outside of Your Home
Your home’s exterior is the first thing potential buyers see up close. Online, you may have images of the front yard, back yard, kitchen and other rooms, but pictures can’t do justice to your home for sale in Southeast Michigan. 

To prepare you home for that first up-close viewing, here are 17 outside tasks:

1. Power wash your siding and windows
2. Fix broken siding
3. Give the exterior a fresh coat of paint if it needs it
4. Paint the door and trim
5. Mow the lawn
6. Trim bushes
7. Remove oil spots from the driveway
8. Pick up all tools, toys or trash in the yard
9. Remove lawn ornaments
10. Clear weeds from the walkway and driveway
11. Plant seasonal flowers
12. Rake leaves
13. Clean roof and gutters
14. Sweep the porch, walkway and driveway
15. Clean fences
16. Take photos of a garden if it comes up each spring, as well as the yard when it’s fresh and green
17. Add tasteful landscape lighting if possible

Of course, not knowing what your specific home looks like, I can’t give a complete list, but these 17 items should get you off to a good start. Don’t forget that a few fall decorations can be the added touch that gets your home for sale in Southeast Michigan sold to a new owner!

If you’re trying to sell your home and need more pointers, I can help. Call me at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com for more information.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Attorney
RE/MAX Showcase Homes
Birmingham, Michigan
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
Call:  248-514-2640

The point of having your home for sale in Southeast Michigan is to… well, sell it, isn’t it? I mean, it makes logical sense, right? Yet, too often, home sellers seem to think that selling is as easy as “hire agent, put sign in front, and sold.”

This attitude, especially in a slow real estate market, has left many a seller empty-handed. They say “no” when they should have said “yes.” They have all these reasons why they won’t “A, B or C,” rather than just doing “A, B or C” for their home for sale in Southeast Michigan.

What am I talking about? Well, here are just a few of those “don’t say no” things:

Buyer Incentives
Listen – a slow market or not, you do have competition. What does this mean? You may have the best house on the block, but if your neighbor’s house has higher perceived value, yours will be left sitting there.

By offering buyer incentives such as a home warranty plan, pre-paid homeowner association fees or credit toward the closing costs, you’re giving the buyer more perceived value. Let’s face it; buyers want the best bang for their buck.

Home Showings 
When an agent calls and asks if they can show your home, say YES!  It doesn’t matter if they want to show it in five minutes or five hours, your answer should be yes.  If your home doesn’t get seen, it won’t get sold.  That person you said “no” to might have been your ideal buyer.

Virtual Tours
Buyers like to be able to view a potential home online first. The best way for them to do this is with a virtual real estate tour, looking at the home with a 360-degree view. Because this is such a quickly growing trend (some buyers ignore listings without them), you can’t afford to pass it up.

If you have a home for sale in Southeast Michigan and it’s been on the market for a while, you may have said “no” to too many things. Take some time to look at what you can do to market your home better. These pointers may very well make all the difference!

If you’re trying to market your home and need a professional, I can help. Call me at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com for more information.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Attorney
RE/MAX Showcase Homes
Birmingham, Michigan
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
Call:  248-514-2640

So, you’ve decided you want to sell your house.  You know it qualifies as one of those “ugly houses,” but you don’t want to do any work to your home.  You especially don’t want to do major repairs or updates like replacing all the windows with broken seals.   

You may think that means real estate agents will not want to list your home for sale.  Think again.  Southeast Michigan real estate agents sell ugly houses, too!

Here’s what you should expect if you have an ugly house that you don’t want to make improvements to:

1. A lower price:  Maybe you don’t have the time, energy, money or know how to make improvements to your home.  That doesn’t mean it won’t sell, it just means the price has to be low enough to convince a buyer that it’s worth the time and money they’ll have to spend to get it into shape.  An experienced Southeast Michigan real estate agent can do the necessary research to come up with the right price to get your home sold.
2. A smaller number of potential buyers:  In today’s market, most homebuyers are looking for that perfect home.  The one they can move in to without doing any work.  Since your home doesn’t fit that description, you’ll lose those homebuyers.   Typically, homes like this will sell to Southeast Michigan real estate investors or buyers who enjoy fixing up houses. 
3. A longer time on the market:  Because of the smaller number of potential buyers, it may take a bit longer to sell your home.  Because of the lower price, you’ll probably have several lookers, but getting someone to purchase it will most likely take longer than normal.

Don’t say you’re going to sell your house someday, when you get all the repairs and upgrades completed, if you know in your heart that isn’t reality.  Sometimes it’s worth taking a lower price and moving on. 

Whether your home is gorgeous, ugly or somewhere in between, I can help you get it sold.  Give me a call today at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com for more information.

Lee Morof
RE/MAX Showcase Homes
Birmingham, Michigan
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
Call:  248-514-2640

When people meet you for the first time, their first impression is usually a lasting one. You also never get a second chance to make that first impression when you’re selling your Southeast Michigan real estate in Oakland County. You need to present your home at its very best all the time.

Here are 3 things you can do to make a great first impression:

1. Clean up the yard: A messy yard is a distraction.  It can be time consuming to keep up with general yard work, but it’s worth the effort.  Overgrown shrubs, limp lawns, and general disarray can turn off a potential buyer. If you have to hire someone to come in and give your yard a quick pick me up, it’s worth the money.

2. Get Rid of Items You Don’t Need: Be very strict about this and get rid of all but the bare necessities. You don’t have to throw or give everything away. Find a storage unit and put the things in there you will be taking with you to your new home but do not need immediate access to for now.

3. Fix Up the Little Things: Little things count. If you have a leaky faucet, a broken tile in the floor or a crack on the wall, now is the time to fix it.  Little flaws like this make potential buyers worry that there are bigger problems waiting to be found. 

Selling Southeast Michigan real estate is a lot of work.  You can get it sold faster, easier and for the most money when you take the time to make a great first impression.

If you have any questions about what you can do to make your home sell faster, I can help. Order your free copy of the book, “Staging Tips to Prepare Your Home for Market.” Call me today at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com.

Lee Morof
RE/MAX Showcase Homes
Birmingham, Michigan
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
Call:  248-514-2640

The national real estate market, state markets and city markets all seemed to be wrapped up in a nifty bundle that effect whether your home for sale in Southeast Michigan will have a buyer. With the news reports over the last two years about the pop of the housing bubble, homeowners everywhere essentially lost their minds.

Here are a few examples:

• Some homeowners panicked and immediately put their houses up for sale
• Some homeowners chose to walk away from it all, leaving their homes vacant and mortgages in default
• Some homeowners went into a flurry of home renovations, with the idea of selling
• National and homes for sale in Southeast Michigan listings shot through the roof

The amazing thing isn’t that the real estate market seems to be stabilizing – that’s not the miracle. The miracle is that we still even have a real estate market at all.

Obsessing Over the Sale
This year opened up with a lot of homes on the market, but it also opened with a lot of sellers digging into real estate news. They’ve started obsessing; they’ve started pouring over online real estate digests, articles and blogs. In fact, the traffic for this site alone has jumped tremendously.

While it’s understandable that you, as the seller, want to know what your chances are for selling your home, obsessing is bad for business. Especially if you’re dealing with potential buyers in person, your eagerness to sell can show in very bad ways. You might end up selling the home for way less than you could have – or you might not sell your home at all if they sense desperation.

If you’re obsessing over whether your home will sell or not, stop. Take a deep breath. Relax. Even if you’re in a hurry, taking a short break from worry can help clear your mind and leave it open for better ideas.

It may be hard to remember sometimes, and giving trust is always difficult, but that’s what we’re here for. You hired your real estate agent to take care of your home for sale in Southeast Michigan and get it off the market. We do the research on the market and we have the experience.  In other words, we do the worrying for you!

If you’d like to sell your home, I can help. Call me at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com for more information.

Lee Morof
RE/MAX Showcase Homes
Birmingham, Michigan
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
Call:  248-514-2640

Okay, it never happened; when the Academy Awards were handed out, obviously, none went to a home for sale in Southeast Michigan – but the Academy Awards are still relevant. Bear with me a moment.

When someone wins an Academy Award, don’t we expect more from him or her in the future? Why? Because the Award defines their abilities in some way, and here is where they’re relevant to your home for sale in Southeast Michigan. Just like the Awards, our homes seem to define us in some strange way.

Think about it. When you see a large home with manicured lawns, lighted pathways and a pool, don’t you automatically assume the owners have money? They’ve won the “dream home” award.

Likewise, if you see a home with a scraggly lawn and a bad paint job, you may assume the opposite. In other words, it doesn’t automatically occur to us that the people with the manicured home may just be good at money management or that the owners of the scraggly lawn home may make plenty of money but not manage it well.

We, as human beings, are good at judging a book by its cover. We assume certain things based on what we see, not reality. So what does the home you’re selling say about you? What will it say about the buyer? Would it win the dream home award?

Looking At Your Home with New Eyes
When preparing your home to sell, it’s important to look at the home you’ve lived in for years with new eyes.  Because you’re used to the cracks in the sidewalk, peeling paint or missing shingles, you probably don’t even notice it any more.

Potential buyers, however, are looking for Academy Award winners. Little things, such as unwashed windows, really can make all the difference. Trees with dead branches, lawns that haven’t been mowed, numbers falling off of mailboxes – all of these things may seem small, but they can quickly lose a sale.

Buyers see the outside of a home for sale in Southeast Michigan and have certain expectations of what the inside will look like. If the inside and outside don’t match, you have work to do. Don’t let the home you’re selling wallow on the market. If it’s been sitting on the selling block for months without a peep, it’s time to see what you can do about turning it into a dream home award winner!

If you’re ready to sell your home, I can help. Call me at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com for more information.

Lee Morof
RE/MAX Showcase Homes
Birmingham, Michigan
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
Call:  248-514-2640