The kitchen comes first!!

You’re not actually selling your house, you’re selling your kitchen – that’s how important it is. The benefits of remodeling your kitchen are endless, and the best part of it is that you’ll probably get 85% of your money back. It may be a few thousand dollars to replace countertops where a buyer may knock $10,000 off the asking price if your kitchen looks dated. The fastest, most inexpensive kitchen updates include painting and new cabinet hardware. Use a neutral-color paint so you can present buyers with a blank canvas where they can start envisioning their own style. If you have a little money to spend, buy one fancy stainless steel appliance. Why one? Because when people see one high-end appliance they think all the rest are expensive too and it updates the kitchen.

For more info on real estate, please contact Andrea Scott

Hold open houses to sell your home fast

The benefits of an open house are debatable. Industry experts agree that they tend to benefit realtors more than home owners. But that doesn't mean that they can't work. The key is to hold them at various times of the day and week so that folks with busy schedules can squeeze in a viewing. Make sure to schedule open houses on Saturdays, as well as in the evenings during the week so people can stop by after work.

Incentives: Offering incentives sometimes can also help shorten the sales cycle, but be careful. In many cases incentives don’t always do the trick. Remember there is a fine line between wanting to sell a house quickly and having it look like it's a fire sale. If prospective buyers get the idea that you're desperate to sell, they will try to get you to accept a bargain-basement price so try not to let on that your looking to sell your house fast.

For more info on real estate, please contact Andrea Scott

Use A Quality Yard Sign

Many people who are looking to buy a home will decide upon the neighborhood in which they’d like to live and then drive around that neighborhood looking for homes for sale. For this reason a good sign could make a big difference.

While your sign will probably garner less interest than more informative means of advertising like web listings or a fact sheets it’s a great potential source of word-of-mouth from your neighbors and passer byers.

Using a high quality sign that displays an internet address where potential buyers can go to see color photos and to learn more about the home. A cheap looking sign will detract from the otherwise attractive appearance of your home. Even worse, a bad sign could turn off potential buyers by causing them to wonder what else you have tried to cut corners on.

For more info on real estate, please contact Andrea Scott

Give Your Potential Buyers Some Space During Showings

Buying a home is always an emotional decision. Potential buyers like to get a feel for a house to see if it will be comfortable for them. Even though you know every aspect of your home, buyers will never be comfortable if you follow them around, telling them every improvement that you have made.

Giving the buyer some space and resisting the temptation to list every feature and aspect of the home, will allow the buyer to better visualize living in the home him/herself.

For more info on real estate, please contact Andrea Scott

The 10 most common home defects

Wondering what might be wrong with that house you are considering selling?

Long after the "For Sale" sign appears, a home inspection may reveal big surprises, which can become a matter of negotiation that lowers the price or costs extra to be repaired by a deadline tied to a scheduled closing.

Anticipating repairs by identifying potential problem areas can save money.

The 10 most common home defects are:

1. Poor drainage that allows water to damage the foundation.
2. Faulty heating or cooling systems that are also energy inefficient.
3. Mold, asbestos and other environmental hazards.
4. Inadequate ventilation.
5. Neglected maintenance of household appliances.
6. Plumbing problems.
7. A leaking or damaged roof.
8. An addition or other major project completed without the necessary permit.
9. Electrical issues.
10. Rotten wood, whether inside around bathtubs, showers and toilets or part of the home's exterior, such as the outside trim, roof eaves or deck.

For more info on real estate secrets, please contact Andrea Scott

Love at First sight...

If you want to attract a buyer, start by catching their eye. Before a buyer ever makes it to your front door, the first introduction they’ll have to your home will probably be the picture you’ve included with your advertising- on your internet listing or on a brochure. It pays — literally — to know how to photograph your home in its best light.

Before you take any pictures, make sure that your home is picture perfect. A little effort goes a long way, and this is the time to channel your inner Ansel Adams.

Stand in front of your home and take a visual assessment. How do the shades in the bedroom window look? Does it look nicer with the curtains in the living room drawn or open? If your flowers aren’t in bloom, it might be a good idea to move that planter off the porch and out of view. Mow the lawn, and trim any shrubs or trees. Remove any toys, sports equipment, or accessories from the yard- you might think your lawn gnome is adorable, but it could turn off a potential buyer. Wait for a sunny day before you pull out the camera. The best time of day to photograph your home will depend upon which direction it faces. You’ll want the sun behind you, shining on the front of your home.

If Your Home Faces...

WEST: Take photos in the evening, within two hours of sunset.

EAST: Take photos in the morning, within two hours of sunrise.

SOUTH: Take photos in the afternoon, when the sun is no longer directly overhead

NORTH: Watch for the time of day when the sun shines on your house. If your house doesn’t get any direct sunlight, try to snap the photo on a bright day when the sun moves behind a cloud.

A picture is worth a thousand words – and in this case, it may be worth thousands of dollars.

For more info on real estate secrets, please contact Andrea Scott

Setting the right Selling Price

The key thing to setting a price is determining how much your property is actually worth -- called "appraising" a house's value. Because no two houses are alike, it's impossible to predict with absolute certainty what a buyer will pay for yours. However, the best indicator is recent sales prices -- not list prices -- of comparable properties in your neighborhood.

Real estate agents have access to local sales data and can give you a good estimate of what your house should sell for. Many real estate agents will offer this service free, in hopes that you will list your house with them. But beware that some agents may estimate a high value for your home to try to get your listing. Make sure the agent's estimate is based on comparable sales, and ask to see the comparable listings yourself.

Observing the asking prices of houses still on the market can also provide some guidance. Of course, asking prices don't always reflect what the houses will actually sell for, so you'll need to factor that into your calculations. To find out asking prices, go to open houses, check newspaper real estate classified ads, and look online at sites such as Find Andrea Scott.

Especially in a competitive market, it's important to list your house at the right price from the beginning. If your house is overpriced, some buyers might not even bother to look, thinking your expectations aren't reasonable (as is common among sellers who've recently seen their home values drop) and it's not worth it to even negotiate. And the longer your house sits on the market, the more suspicious potential buyers may become that something is wrong with it.