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February 28, 2005

RSS Feeds for the STLagent Blog (NOW AVAILABLE!)

If you've noticed that we haven't been publishing this past week, it's because we've been busy working on an update to our blogging software. Well, I'm happy to say we are now able to provide an RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feed for this blog! (at the bottom of the Entries Menu you will see an XML logo that will take you to the RSS feed).

What is RSS you ask?
RSS allows news reader software (available from a variety of sources) to create a menu of updated news sources with links back to the entire story. It's kind of like opening up a news site's webpage- like STLtoday, CNN, MSN, etc- except the stories are all from sites you wish to monitor. If you go to the STLagent News and Events Section you can see two RSS feeds in action- we have RSS feeds from Realty Times and KMOV TV on this page.

What are the terms of use?
The content of STLagent.com is protected by U.S. copyright laws. The feeds are provided free of charge for use by individuals and non-profit organizations for personal, non-commercial uses. You may display the headline, active links and any other information provided in the RSS feed on your personal or non-commercial web site. You should provide attribution to STLagent.com in connection with your use of the feeds. If you wish to use the STLagent.com feed for any other purpose, please contact us.

Information within the feed should not be changed, deleted or redistributed. Use of the feeds does not imply that STLagent.com endorses, promotes or supports any third-party cause, product or service.

STLagent.com also reserve the right to require you to cease distributing these feeds at any time for any reason.

How do I get more information about RSS?
STLtoday.com (the Post-Dispatch On-line) has just started offering RSS feeds. They have a nice page that goes into more detail on RSS located here: http://www.stltoday.com/rss

What's next?
I am currently looking into an RSS feed for the Forum discussion group as well as migrating the Blog to more powerful software.

Posted by at 10:53 PM

February 26, 2005

Search for a Home via our NEW MLS Search

This week we've added a new and improved home search feature. Now you can search the entire St Louis Multiple Listings Service (MLS) via STLagent.com. Click on "Search" in the upper right corner of the main web page. Then select the "Search the MLS" feature. I will discuss this new feature in greater detail later in the week.

Posted by at 11:19 PM

February 24, 2005

Seniors are Changing Their Home Preferences

Realtor Magazine this week reported on a survey of Seniors (50 years or older) that were looking to move, and found, "attitudes about real estate among homeowners 50 years old or more are changing in a way that contradicts some long-held assumptions about this segment of the population."

What the report showed is that fewer and fewer Seniors are downsizing homes and/or looking to move into a senior (adult) community.

Interesting statistics from the report include:

- Only 8% indicated that they would consider a senior (adult) community.

- Only 11% felt their current home was too big.

- Almost 25% thought their home was too small.

Entire article on the web at:
http://www.realtor.org/rmoDaily.nsf/AllStories/021705#FA37673FB

Posted by at 10:59 PM

February 23, 2005

Article for the "Would-Be" Real Estate Investor

I was reading Realty Times today and came across an article which I thought might be of interest to those who have thought about buying real estate as an investment. Although investment property is Kimberly's area of expertise not mine, I still thought I would share it.

The article is titled, "Are More Second Homes Investments?" by Broderick Perkins and can be found on-line by visiting the News section of STLagent.com, or by going here:

http://realtytimes.com/rtcpages/20050223_secondhomes.htm

The basis for the article is a survey that shows 29% of people interviewed who purchased second (vacation) homes last year made the purchase for investment reasons over traditional reasons like vacation homes (18%) or retirement homes (26%). This is a considerable increase in investors over previous years. Although it should be noted that the survey was too small to be considered 100% accurate, there are plenty of reasons to believe this is an up and coming area for investors.

Investing in a vacation property has advantages (and disadvantages) over traditional investment property. Again, since this is Kimberly’s area of expertise and not mine, I won’t attempt to list them all here. However one of the more compelling advantages a second home has, over say a traditional apartment building or gut rehab project, is that it’s something you and your family can use or enjoy. For example, a lake front home is something you might be able to rent out at a premium during the summer months, and then enjoy yourself during the lesser winter months as a quite retreat. There is also some speculation that as we see more and more people from the “baby boom” generation retire, the demand for vacation homes as retirement property will increase (increasing property values along with it).

Of course all investments have some degree of risks, and this is no different. Traditionally vacation home markets appreciate in a vastly different style than your average ordinary single family home in the suburbs. But unlike that pets.com stock, if this one tanks you can still go visit it on the weekend.

Kimberly has long followed the secondary home market at Innsbrook (a vacation lake Northwest of St Louis). If this is something that interests you, please feel free to contact her at (314) 267-2691 or kimberly@stlagent.com and she can discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this with you in greater details.

As always, I suggest getting sound financial, legal, and professional real estate advice (from someone who understands and has owned investment properties) before making any kind of investment in real estate.

Posted by at 11:54 PM

February 22, 2005

Interest Rates Up

According to Bankrate.com, long-term mortgage interest rates increased this week.

The 30-year fixed-rate average gained to 5.25 percent, and the 15-year fixed-rate climbed to 4.81 percent.

On the web at:
http://www.bankrate.com

Posted by at 12:01 AM

February 20, 2005

New Marketing Tools to Help Sell Your Home

As part of our ongoing efforts to expand the marketing we do for home sellers, we have expanded our advertising to include magazine ads in "Homes Magazine."

Homes Magazine is a free magazine home buyers can find at grocery stores, shopping centers, etc. Our marketing system ties these ads in with our new Toll Free (800) number. Home buyers can call the number to hear prerecorded home audio tours as well as receive faxed flyers and schedule private showings. This allows buyers to get information on homes 24 hours a day and allows us to follow up with prospective buyers to help make the sale.

Combine this with our TV advertising, internet marketing, direct mail and other advertising, and the STLagent Team provides more marketing solutions to help sell your home that virtually any other agent.

Are you interested in selling your home? Give us a call, and we'd be happy to show you what we can do for you. (800) 573-5276.

Posted by at 11:21 PM

February 17, 2005

Todd Ruhe- New Team Member!

I would like to officially welcome a new team member to the STLagent Team. Todd Ruhe has officially joined my sales team from the Coldwell Banker office in Clayton.

As an experienced realtor and lifetime resident of Saint Louis County, Todd knows and understand our community.

Since this is St Louis and all, what introduction would be complete without saying Todd is a 1988 graduate from Ladue. (If you're not from St Louis, everyone here asks what high school you went to!)

Todd has been a member of the Clayton Chamber of Commerce since 1992, the Alzheimer's Association since 2002 and has been on the Friends of Wings-BJC Pediatric Hospice Board Member since 2003.

In addition, Todd brings sales experience from Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Nextel Communications, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

Contact Information:
W. Todd Ruhe
Prudential Alliance Realtors
16100 Swingley Ridge Rd
Town & Country, MO 63017
(636) 386-2900
(314) 568-1275 Cell
Todd@stlagent.com

Posted by at 11:02 PM

February 16, 2005

STLagent's NEW Toll Free Phone Number

I've been working with a lot of relocation customers lately, so to make life a little easier I've added a 1-800 toll free phone number.

Our new number is (800) 573-5276. The phone system is amazing, but not quite fully set up yet. As of right now you can only call and leave a message for me- although it will eventually forward the calls to my cell phone. I will detail how this helps sell homes faster in a later blog.

Posted by at 11:13 PM

February 15, 2005

Your Basement Smells- things to consider when selling a home (Part 3)

This blog is part three on my subject I started Sunday…

When I go on a listing call to potentially list a home for sale, one of the things we discuss is how to prepare the home for show- both as an overall strategy as well as how to put together a, “people will be here in 30 minutes” plan of attack.

Remember, when you list your home for sale you are basically putting out a blanket invitation for anyone who wants to see your home to come and see it. Unfortunately, it also means you have to work on the buyer’s schedule- and that means having the home ready to show on a moments notice. For every restriction you place on showing your home (i.e. no showings until after noon, no weekend showings, etc), there is a potential buyer who will decide to skip seeing your home. So, welcome to life in a “fishbowl.”

Things to think about:

Security- Like it or not, potential buyers are also complete strangers. Although a buyer’s real estate agent will be escorting buyers through your home, it’s impossible for them to watch their client’s every move- especially if it’s a couple. That’s why it’s important to find a place to store (and hide) things like jewelry, money, small antiques, or other valuables when you prepare your home for show. Renting a temporary lockbox at a bank or a storage bin at a secure storage facility can be some of the best insurance you have. Another option is to just pack up those belongings early so all the buyer sees are plain brown boxes setting in the corner. Although theft is rare, it’s always best to be safe rather than sorry.

Breakage- More common than theft is the potential buyer who accidentally runs into something while gawking at your ceiling fixtures, or the one who gets curious and decides to pick up and examine something. If something is extremely breakable, pack it up or get it out of the house prior to your listing. My advise it to assume that at least one potential buyer will bring several hyperactive children with them who will want to run and touch everything in site. If the home has been “child proofed” with all breakables packed away safely, there will be nothing to worry about.

Distractions- While you’re packing away your valuables and breakable items, go ahead and pack up those “conversation piece” items as well. Preparing your home to show buyers is very different than preparing your home for a gathering of friends or family. Most buyers work on a time frame and only allocate so much time to any one home. What you absolutely do NOT want is for a buyer to enter your home and get so caught up looking at your wall of vacation photos, or autographed sports memorabilia, or anything else you own that is unique or interesting, that they forget to actually look at your home.

Uniqueness- I always tell first time home buyers that one of the most exciting benefits to owning your own home is personalizing it and making it unique to you. Unfortunately, those tailored personalizations will be a turn off to anyone whose taste is different than yours. I’ve seen otherwise great homes set on the market for months without so much as a warm lead because of pink carpet (throughout the entire home), excessive use of flowery wallpaper, and “interesting” paint color selections. I’m not saying every wall needs to be painted “Oyster White”, but sometimes toning things down will allow prospective buyers to imagine the home decorated with their personal tastes, and not yours.

Pets- There are so many problems pets create for someone trying to sell their home. (Having a house full of cats and dogs I know most of them firsthand!). First off, you’ll never sell your home if the seller is afraid to enter the front door.

If your dog is territorial, barks a lot, or is just unfriendly to strangers, you may wish to kennel him/her during the day when you are at work or come up with a plan on who will remove the pet from the home when a listing call comes in. Although this might seem like a lot of work, you are legally liable if your dog bites someone trying to tour your home- even if you have the dog tied up in the back yard with a big “Warning, Dog Bites” sign posted.

If your dog is friendly, you still might want to lock them outside (if your yard is fenced in) or put them in a garage. A lot of people flat out don’t like or are afraid of dogs, and you don’t want your potential buyers cutting their tour of your home short because of your dog. At the same time, even as a dog owner I still don’t like being jumped on with muddy paws when I’m working with clients wearing dry clean only dress clothes.

This brings us to cats. I’ve been with people who have stopped three feet inside the front door of a home and refuse to go any further because of severe allergies to cats. Keeping your home clean and using a HEPPA filtered vacuum cleaner will at least reduce pet dander enough to let people with allergies tour your home. The litter box is another major problem. Cleaning the litter DAILY and taking extraordinary steps to mask litter box odor should be a priority when listing your home. I can’t stress enough that if the house smells like a dirty litter box, buyers will cut their tours of your home short.

Then there are “unique” pets- snakes, rats, birds, spiders, scorpions, iguanas, skunks, etc. If at all possible, get them out of the house before listing. Your potential buyer will either be terrified of them (and cut short their tour), or be fascinated by them (and forget to look at your house). Either way, nothing good comes of it.

Posted by at 11:35 PM

February 14, 2005

Your Basement Smells (Part II)

This subject came about after touring homes in St Charles Sunday. See yesterdays blog for part one…

The basement, particularly an unfinished one, can often be the kiss of death to a home sale. Because it may be the least used or lived in space in the home, it is often overlooked by sellers when they prepare their home for sale. Yet nervous buyers will often times scrutinize over any tiny problem they may see- and an unfinished basement is the ideal place to find those problems. If your basement has cracks, water damage, mold, or other major issues, repair them before listing your home for sale. No one except an investor looking to buy a home at 20-50% below value wants to deal with major problems. Do you want to take 20-50% less than your home is really worth?

If your basement was originally a finished basement prior to suffering water damage or other problems, make sure to restore it to a finished condition again. I recently saw a fantastic home that set unsold for over six months because of this very reason. Despite the fact that the home’s basement had been structurally repaired by experts, the drywall and flooring had never been restored- leaving a lasting reminder to the home’s former problems—problems which scared off dozens of potential buyers. Basements that show signs of past damage will make a buyer conclude that it’s prone to future damage.

On the other side of this subject, I recently toured a small 1950’s Webster Groves home that had just been professionally rehabbed by an investor. Because the home was small even by Webster Groves standards, the investor spent a few hundred dollars on carpeting, paint and cheap ceiling tiles to take an unused and unfinished basement and make it a large family or game room. What had been an ugly, unfinished and unused basement was now a highlight of the home. From a resale perspective, the “perceived” living space was significantly increased to make the small home seem significantly larger. As I watched potential buyers tour the home, it was money well spent. The few hundred dollars spent on converting the basement to livable space will bring back this savvy investor thousands upon resale.

More on pets, smells, and other problems tomorrow…

For advice on preparing your home for sale, contact me at kimberly@stlagent.com or call 314-267-2691.

Posted by at 11:32 PM

February 13, 2005

Hey, Your Basement Smells Like Urine!

I had a client recommend this as a blog subject after we looked at a home today…

The condition I find homes in when I am showing them to clients never ceases to amaze me. Although you want your home as clean and neat as possible when showing it, most potential buyers will overlook a dirty dish in the sink, a magazine on the coffee table, or a dirty outfit on the floor of the closet knowing that you may not have had a lot of time to do last minute cleaning before they arrived. However a sink overflowing with dirty dishes, three foot high stacks of old magazines in the middle of the living room, and a pile of dirty clothes on top of an unmade bed are a totally different subject.

If cleanliness isn’t your strong point, hire a cleaning service to come in and clean your home prior to listing. The $50-100 you will pay will generally be cheaper than paying your mortgage, utilities, and insurance an extra 2-3 months if potential buyers are turned off by your house keeping.

If your home has problems- like stained carpets, water damaged basements, or strong pet odors- address these problems before you list. It’s easy to ignore problems you’ve lived with for years or say, “it’ll be the next guy’s problem.” However most buyers will avoid buying homes they perceive as having significant work that needs done, and it’s not uncommon for tours to be cut short by foul smells or superficial problems that could have been easily addressed prior to listing. To put it in other terms, it’s not the “next guys problem” if you can’t find a next guy to buy your home!

In regards to carpeting, if you have carpeting that is worn out, out of date, stained or has “pet smells,” consider replacing it before you list your home. I have a carpeting supplier that I have worked with which jokingly refers to one of their carpets as “relocation tan”- i.e. it looks good, is a neutral color, and is cheap to install- making it ideal for the person trying to sell their home. (I used it when I was selling my own home!)

If you are worried that the new carpeting could get damaged or destroyed before you move out- because of messy movers, clumsy children, or a problem pet, offer a carpet allowance to replace the carpeting after close. Then have the existing carpeting professionally cleaned and deodorized to minimize the problem as much as possible. Air the room out if weather permits, and spend the $5 on an air freshener to mask any lingering smells (but make sure the new smell isn’t more overpowering than the one you are trying to mask). By addressing your home’s problems upfront, you can minimize the damage they do to you in the eyes of potential buyers.

More on this subject tomorrow…

Thinking about selling your St Louis area home? Contact us at (314) 267-2691 or at kimberly@stlagent.com. We'd be happy to evaluate your home (for free and without obligation) and make recommendations on how to prepare your home for a successful showing.

Posted by at 11:44 PM

February 09, 2005

More on the Proposed Real Estate Tax Revisions

Yesterday I reported on a proposed real estate tax revision the U.S. Senate is looking into that could end the tax deduction on Home Equity Loan Interest- which is one of the nicest perks homeowner's have going for them. I thought I would find a few more stories on this for homeowners who are interested in following it closer.

Realty Times reported on this topic today with an article titled, "Home Equity Write Off 'In Play' " by Lew Sichelman. It can be found here:
http://realtytimes.com/rtcpages/20050209_writeoff.htm
(this article was the lead article in the "News and Events" section on STLagent.com too!)

Forbes Magazine discusses all the ways the government is looking to raise additional tax revenue without actually raising taxes in an article titled, "Tax Hike? What Tax Hike?" by Janet Novack. It can be found here:
http://www.forbes.com/home/taxes/2005/02/01/cz_jn_0202beltway.html

Posted by at 11:36 PM

February 08, 2005

Proposed Real Estate Tax Revisions

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported last week that the U.S Congress is looking into changing several real estate tax provisions in an effort to increase additional tax revenue.

Some of the proposals that could affect you and your real estate include:
- A repeal of the deduction for interest on home equity loans
- Limit the exclusion for short-term vacation home rental to $2,000
- Eliminate or reduce charitable contributions that relate to facade easements on historic properties
- Conform the formulas state housing agencies use for awarding mortgage credit certificates

On the Web:

For the full story from NAR:
http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2005013101?OpenDocument

To understand more about the U.S. Congress Joint Committee on Taxation
http://www.house.gov/jct/

To contact the senators who have made these recommendations, please visit their websites:
Charles Grassley (R)(IA)- http://grassley.senate.gov/
Max Baucus (D)(MT)- http://baucus.senate.gov/

Special thanks to:
http://franandrowena.blogspot.com/
(for bringing this article to my attention)

Posted by at 11:29 PM

February 07, 2005

Mortgage Rates Continue to Fall

MSNBC.com is reporting that 30 year mortgage interest rates fell again last week, however short term interest rates were up.

MCNBC quotes Freddie Mac's weekly survey of mortgage rates on 30-year, fixed rate mortgages, "at an average of 5.63 percent for the week ending Feb. 3, down from 5.66 percent last week."

At the same time, Bankrate.com shows the 30-year fixed-rate average fell to 5.14 percent, and the 15-year fixed-rate dipped to 4.71 percent.

Although this is good news for people looking to purchase a home, the bad news is thanks to the Federal Reserve raising one of their key rates, short term rates, like those for home equity loans, were up slightly.

On the web:
Freddie Mac: http://www.freddiemac.com
Bankrate.com: http://www.bankrate.com
MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5899422/

Posted by at 10:49 PM

February 03, 2005

Wired. It's More than the Name of a Magazine

Recently I posted a couple of articles on this blog titled, "The Future of Your Home." These articles talked about the new products that were being introduced at the International Homebuilder's Tradeshow in Orlando, and how they will ultimately change the way new homes are built in the future.

Some of the products are novelty items (like the magnetic chalkboard door), some are trendy (like the built-in coffee machine), but some will truly change the landscape of new home construction for years to come by addressing issues like environmental changes (such as the plethora of recycled products designed to reduce builder's consumption of wood).

But to really understand many of these new products and why their development is important, you have to look at the underlying changes in our society and culture that drives their inventions.

Steel, for example, was invented to build skyscrapers which could house the hordes of people cramming into America's cities during the industrial revolution of the 19th century. Cookie-cutter subdivisions and timesaving construction materials like drywall came into play during the post-war housing boom of the 1950's which demanded homes be built cheap and quick. And what of the past few years? I wrote earlier about the many recycled products that are coming to market, but another cultural change that is shaping the design and construction of homes from luxury to low end is our cultural desire to be WIRED.

Today's new homes feature a dizzying array of cabling, wiring, and jacks. As recently as 30 years ago, the average new construction home would have only been wired for one or two rotary-dial telephones, a mast antenna for picking up the local TV channels, and perhaps an intercom system in the occasional luxury home. Today cable TV and telephone jacks are a virtual requirement in every room of the house and many homes are coming standard with high-speed Ethernet connectivity for the Internet. Add to that wiring for built-in stereo speakers, intercom systems, and video security cameras that even a modest homeowner can afford to buy, and the typical new construction home can have as much wiring as NASA's Mission Control!

"Our customer's demands for technology has changed the way we build homes," says Jack Cavanagh, owner of St. Louis based Highland Homes. "If you had told me 10 years ago I was going to be including a TV and a computer router with every home I made, I would have told you that you were nuts. Yet that's exactly what we are doing today. A 42-inch Plasma TV comes standard hanging on the wall of our living rooms connected to a datacenter in the basement that supports everything out there-- from multiple phone lines to high speed internet, satellite and cable TV, security cameras and alarms, wireless networking, and built-in stereo speakers."

"A few years ago," Cavanagh adds, "you didn't sweat running a couple of phone lines-- it was an afterthought. Today, it's an important part of the design and construction phase just like running plumbing or electricity. We also have to stay up on what's new out there because you can find yourself setting on a house that people don't want because it's missing wireless or some other new thing."

Fourteen million households now have high-definition televisions. Products like TiVo, which records TV shows on a hard drive, and PC's with high speed network capabilities to download and play audio and video files will replace the VCR and DVD players of today-- blurring the lines between technologies and putting an even greater demand on our home network. The only thing that appears to limit the needs for greater wiring solutions in future new home construction is the rampant advancement of wireless networking.

Nation's Building News Online (http://www.nbnnews.com), reports in an article titled, "Structured Wiring Among Technological Advances Transforming the American Home," that home connectivity is, "one of the fastest growing trends in home technology."

So, what does the wired home of tomorrow have in store for you? For every gimmicky refrigerator with a built-in TV, there are real innovations that will change the homeownership experience. Computer controlled water heaters and furnaces that send out e-mail alerts over your home network when there is a malfunction or filter that needs changed may sound trivial until you are setting in a freezing home on a cold January with a broken furnace.

Once the network is in place, connecting the "odd-ball" appliances like the furnace and water heater becomes a minor expense. Computer automation of heating, cooling, and lighting-controls can produce dramatic energy savings by using the home PC we already own- which makes putting a solution in place easy and affordable.

Posted by at 11:40 PM

February 02, 2005

Betting the Home for Super Bowl Tickets

A few years ago the Sporting News called St Louis the greatest sports city in the U.S. (or something like that). Well, if that's the case Philadelphia can now claim home to the most obsessed. CBS News is reporting that banks and mortgage companies around the Philadelphia area are reporting a brisk business as people refinance their homes to pay for Super bowl tickets.

Apparently a whole lot of Eagles fans don’t believe they will ever have a chance at winning a Super Bowl again in their lifetime so they are begging, borrowing, and mortgaging the home to get tickets.

I can only imagine St Louis Blues fans would do the same…

On the internet at:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/31/entertainment/main670344.shtml

Posted by at 10:34 PM

February 01, 2005

Thinking of Selling Your Home in the Spring?

Are you thinking of selling your home this spring? Well, the time to start planning for it is NOW!

One of the biggest mistakes a homeowner can make when he or she is thinking about selling their home is failing to plan for the sale in advance. There really is more to selling a home than putting a sign in the yard and waiting for a contract. If your plan is to list your home for sale in May or June, then you need to be laying the ground work to prepare your home for sale in January or February.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

- Does your home need repair work or improvements that could turn off potential buyers?

When you are about to sell a home, it’s tempting to ignore needed repairs and tell yourself, “it’ll be the next guys problem.” However that rain damaged basement, leaky roof, or worn out 1970’s shag carpeting might be the deciding factor that keeps dozens of buyers from making an offer. The end result is a “next guy” may never transpire and your home ends up setting on the market unsold for months until you finally make the needed repairs.

Generally when this happens, you still end up with the cost of the repair work that you were hoping to pass on, but get a lower sales price because the property was “stigmatized” by not selling within the first few months. At the same time, you also have to keep paying the mortgage(s) until the home sells and have the expense or work of maintaining the property- mowing the lawn, cleaning the home, etc.

- Are there improvements that could be made to your home that would increase the value beyond the cost of the improvements and help it sell faster?

If you could spend $2,000 on your home and earn an additional $10,000 wouldn’t you want to do it? Things don’t have to be broken or worn out to negatively impact your home’s value or your ability to sell it. It’s amazing, but sometimes $500 in landscaping or a quick touch-up on the outside paint can increase buyer traffic from 2 people a week touring your home to 20 people a week. A few updates inside can mean the difference between a full-price contract the week you list your home and a discounted contract several months later.

More important, your home may have “hidden value”. An unfinished area that could be turned into an additional bedroom or bathroom, for example, could increase your property value by 15-20% or more depending on the market.

- Is your home cluttered, cramped, or crowded with furniture and other “stuff” you’ve collected over the years? Do you have rooms not being used for their original purpose? Is your home decorated with a “distinct” taste?

Your home is your home. Making your home unique to you with all of your personal touches is one of the rights you get with homeownership. When you want to sell your home, however, it’s another story. Basically, you are trying to get other people to visualize what the home would look like if they made THEIR personal touches.

Unfortunately, the walls of family photos or rooms of antique furniture, the blue paint, pink carpeting, or floral wallpaper you dearly love, or the pool table in the spare bedroom might not only turn off prospective buyers with different tastes, but prove to be a distraction that keeps buyers from really seeing the home. Packing up distractions, neutralizing décor, and moving out excessive furniture to make your home seem larger before you list it can not only help you get a quick sale, but can also help with the moving process. Remember, you want buyers looking at the house, NOT your stuff.

KNOWING WHAT NEEDS DONE:

One of the biggest problems that homeowners face is that they are too attached to their home, and the stuff in it, to be objective on how to get the home ready to sell. At the same time, without a background in real estate you might not see the improvements that could significantly increase your home’s value or speed up the sale- like adding that extra bedroom or remodeling a kitchen. That’s why you should contact your realtor several months in advance and ask her/him to come by to give you ideas on any repairs, improvements, or suggestions that might help you in the sale of your property.

Why is it important to do a professional walkthrough with your realtor several months in advance? If there is a project that can significantly increase your home’s value, you may need time to raise the money to start the work. It’s also not uncommon for good handymen to be booked up months in advance- so you may need time to schedule the project and get the work done before listing your home. You don’t want prospective buyers walking into a construction zone any more than you want your home sale delayed several months because of construction.

That’s why now is the time to start the ball rolling for a spring home sale. Remember spring is when a flood of homes hits the market for sale. If you wait until April or May to start thinking about project work, you may find the competition to get repair people, handymen or construction companies to do the work to be intense. This can delay your sale until late summer, or cost you a premium to get the work done quickly. You can also use this advance time to clear the property of junk or debris, do some of the project work yourself, pack extra belongings, have a garage sale, donate items, etc.

Plus, doing it now will save you the stress of doing it all this spring when you might also be trying shop for a new home or pack and move.

If you would like to have a free home consultation to prepare your home for a spring sale, contact STLagent at 314-267-2691. We would be glad to help.

Posted by at 11:55 PM