Columbus Ohio real estate

Winter Sales Tips

Need to sell your home during the winter months?  Don’t despair.  I know there are many real estate agents that suggest giving a listing some rest during the short winter days, but here’s what it could mean for your listing:

    
    If staged right on the outside, it can stand out amongst other homes that look drab and dreary

     There are fewer homes on the market to compete with yours (all the others just took a break)

           Buyers who trudge out to look at home during the winter are usually serious buyers, it isn’t a past time like it can be during the summer. 

If you are considering listing through the winter, here are some tips to help make yours stand out!
 
  

Make sure your photos show the winter months, they might highlight your garden during the summer, but your photos need to reflect the correct time of year.

Turn all your lights on for showings, it is darker out earlier, and usually a bit drab, don’t use energy efficient bulbs (for just a little while here), brighten up your home with all them lamps you can muster, and make sure the darkened
             closets have their lights on as well.

Always leave your front outside lights on.  Even if you don’t have a showing, there are plenty of folks who drive by, put your best foot forward, always.  See my home selling tips for adding splashes of color to the outside as well!

Provide a chair or bench by the front door to remove their shoes or put on booties so it is easy to preview your home even if the weather outside might promote tracking inside.

The smells of your home are much more prominent in the winter months since things are closed up.  Be aware of this and clean more often.  Boiling a pot of water with vanilla and cinnamon is a great way to make your home warm and
             inviting.

Clear off all the walks and steps, including decks!  People do want to see the outside as well, it is hard to access if you have 2 feet of snow piled against your patio door. 

If you live in a condo, make sure the common areas remain clean.  If your HOA is not keeping up with what is being tracked in, you may have to get the vacuum or broom out yourself to present an attractive approach to your home.

 

 

Put your best foot forward!  Know that there are fewer homes to look at and make your shine, and that winter homes, if displayed correctly, can be magnificent!   If you have a Bozeman Home you would like to sell, please call, email or text.  We would love to meet with you to discuss our special marketing plans for your home!

 

 

 

 

   Jenifer Owens   Broker/Owner   

 BozemanMontanaRealEstate.net
        2149 Durston  Ste 33   Bozeman, MT  59718 Cell:  406-209-0022

                                              

I spent part of last week showing property in Rancho Mirage, CA.  It was part work and part fun as my client is also a long term friend.  We looked at property, lunched, looked at more property, stopped for happy hour then went back to the condo we were staying at and eliminated prospective properties.  The second day followed the same routine.  We soon narrowed a list of thirty-two homes down to a short list of three.

My client is single, so all the fixer candidates were tossed aside without a second glance.  She is simplifying her life, not taking on a major remodeling project. Consequently, the kitchens and bathrooms were the first to receive in-depth scrutiny.  If they passed the "I can live with this" test we completed the property tour, if not, we locked up and left.

Location eliminated many lovely properties.  Peace and quite are high on her list.  If a few moment's repose on the patio revealed street noise we moved on.

Scent matters more than you may think, in fact, it may even cost a seller a sale.  If your home does not pass the buyer's sniff test you can be almost certain you will never receive a contract from them.  One vacant home reeked of musty odors--could that be mold or mildew?  Another home's air was heavy with the smell of years of tobacco smoke.  Yet another smelled of long gone pets.  Many homes failed my buyer's sniff test.

The fortunate three she selected as potential homes to make an offer on all shared one thing in common:  They were clean, upgraded and smelled fresh.  Not only does scent matter, it also sells.

Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800

PalosVerdesLifestyle - Nominated by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

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Hard economic times often take a toll on families, marriages and relationships. Real Estate Professionals are increasingly hearing of a trend - which may remind folks of the movie, "War of the Roses."

Current real estate market conditions have some divorcing couples looking to separate their lives, but realizing they can't afford to live apart until their home is sold. 

Unlike a few years ago, when many homeowners had loads of equity to share, and really good credit, current times are providing many glimpses of reversal of fortune.

If you are one of those couples, and need to continue co-habiting until you get the house sold, and shore up your financial situation better, there are things you can do to make life a little easier for yourselves in the interim.

It is also important to understand that staying together can actually have a positive effect on marketing your home.  Home Buyers have become quite sophisticated in recent years, and have a knack for sniffing out signs of Sellers in distress.  Seeing that a couple continues to be together in a home can remove a bit of the appearance of distress - even if it is painful for you!

If you are a divorcing couple and find yourself in a forced cohabitation situation until your home sells, there are a few things that you can do to make the experience a little easier.

1) The two of you should sit down and discuss your situation as peacefully as possible.  Perhaps putting yourselves into a mindset that you will continue as roommates for a few months until the house is sold.  You are together in the house in the physical sense - even though the emotional sense has changed. 

(2) Negotiate with each other the mortgage payments, utilities, and other household expenses, and address the duties for upkeep.  Doing this early on, will help alleviate problems from popping up in the midst of this living arrangement - which weren't addressed early on. 

(3) If there are children in the home, please put the children and their well being first and paramount in your consideration.  Doing so, will help you focus on things more important than your own discomfort.  If the children suffer less distress, it will be easier for all of you.

With a little thought and consideration, you can be successful in selling your home, and making what could be a bad situation work well, and to your benefit. 

Good Luck to you!

Real Living Great West Real Estate
(916) 635-0420
http://www.myrljeffcoat.com