Selling

How To Sell A Home When You Have Pets

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Selling a home with pets is by no means impossible, it just means you have a couple of different factors to pay attention to while trying to sell.  Pet owners’ staging process looks slightly different and there are a few things to keep in mind during showings. Here are a few things to keep in mind so you can help remove any distractions from a potential buyer and give them a lasting impression your home deserves.

 

1. Remove the evidence

When a buyer walks into your home, let them focus on your home and not how many dog toys there are or the water spots around the water bowl. Make sure to clean up after your pets before a showing. This includes inside and outside of the home.

 

2. No more hair

We’ve all been there, right? If you have a pet that sheds, make sure to stay on top of the situation even more than you normally would while showing your home. Vacuum and sweep daily because you never know when someone will call to show your home.

 

3. Only good smells

Not every home that has pets has a pet smell. But just in case, make sure to freshen up your home for showings. This does not mean spraying massive amounts of air freshener throughout your home. Try airing out your home by keeping the windows open if the weather allows. Keep fabrics, carpets, curtains and cushions clean and freshly washed. When you clean your carpets, clean your furniture as well.

 

4. Don’t leave your pet at home

This might be tricky since you might be at work during the day during a showing. When you can, try to remove your pet from the home during a showing. You do not want to prevent a potential buyer from viewing a room because your pet is there. You might be thinking, “I will just keep them in the cage.” This is not always the solution either. The potential buyer might be more focused on your cute pet locked in the cage then the room they are in.

 

5. Clean it up

When it comes to a litter box, hamster cage or “pooper scooping” in the back yard make sure you stay on top of it. Don’t let the smell take away from the buyer focusing on your home. Especially if they are walking in the back yard, you don’t want them to track in any surprises!

 

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5 Affordable Ways To Spruce Up Your Bathroom

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Whether you’re preparing to show and sell your home or just planning on having company over, you don’t want to be embarrassed about the look of your bathroom. Because the bathroom is typically one of the smallest rooms in the house, it doesn’t have to be expensive to update – and the bathroom is only second to the kitchen on return on your investment. From the National Association of Realtors ®, here are 5 ways to spruce up your bathroom inexpensively!

  1. Repaint. Giving any room a fresh coat of paint can totally transform the room and give it an updated look, but when choosing a paint color for your bathroom it’s important to coordinate with other elements in the room. Are the toilet, tub, and sink white or off-white? What’s the finish on the light fixtures and door knobs? Does your mirror have any color to it? Just as it is for any room in the home, it is important that the colors in your bathroom complement each other. *TIP: clean walls thoroughly with a washcloth before repainting; many beauty products leave residue on the walls that could cause problems with your new paint.

  2. New Flooring. Dirty, worn, or peeling flooring can be a major turnoff for potential homebuyers and guests. Again, because the bathroom is typically a small area, the cost of new flooring for the room and all necessary supplies won’t break the bank. Consider installing large tiles (it’s easier to clean than small tiles) or linoleum for a fresh look. *TIP: you can save more money by installing the new flooring yourself.

  3. Replace your shower curtains and curtain rod. Curtains need replaced fairly regularly, as they can accumulate mold and mildew if they aren’t properly cared for, but curtain rods should be replaced at some point as well. For the most part this is simply because things go out of style. Also, usual wear-and-tear often leaves curtain rods looking rusty and dinged up; if your curtain rod is out of style or a little worse for the wear, consider purchasing a nice, new rod to transform the look of your bathroom with relatively little effort.

  4. Upgrade your lighting. Many people tend to get ready for the day in the bathroom, so it’s very important that you have good lighting. Good lighting means that the room is well lit and that the light isn’t discolored for any reason. The National Association of Realtors ® says that bathrooms should have two different types of lighting: “ bright wall or ceiling light for regular use and a softer, warmer type of light, like a night light, to keep on when the bathroom is not in use”. *TIP: try replacing your lighting fixtures to update the look of the bathroom as well.

  5. Update the Vanity. Vanities experience wear-and-tear just like everything else in your bathroom. If your vanity is outdated or beat up, replacing it with something brand new can completely transform the look of the bathroom. Most home improvement stores have a variety of options for vanity and sink combinations for reasonable prices. If you’re not ready to purchase a new vanity, you can update the one you have by deep-cleaning it and possibly adding new paint.

Updating your bathroom can be easy and inexpensive with a few of these fixes and can bring about a whole new look. Implement a few of these tips and you’ll be ready in no time to show your house to potential buyers or guests!

Read the original article from realtor.com here.

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8 Questions To Ask Your Realtor Before Selling

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Before you sell your home, there are a few things that you need to go over with your real estate agent. Selling a home is not an easy task, so it is important to make sure that you have a competent real estate agent, who is familiar with the area, and who has a good plan for marketing and selling your home. Here are eight questions to ask your real estate agent before you list your home for sale…

 

  1. Why should I list my home with you? The real estate market these days is much different than it was even 10 years ago, so it’s important to make sure that your real estate agent is competent, understands the market, and knows how to sell a home in today’s world.

  2. What is your company’s track record and reputation in the marketplace? Some of this research you can do online, but it is very important to figure out what their record is for selling homes that are comparable to yours in your area. This is a very specific piece of information that you will need to talk to an agent about. Basically, you want to find out whether or not they will be able to sell your home for a fair price.

  3. What are your marketing plans for my home? Figure out where your agent will be listing your home for sale. Top real estate listing websites such as Trulia, Zillow, and RealBird are almost a must for successful listings. Additionally, your home should be marketed by a “for sale” sign in your yard as well as in print, such as in local newspapers.

  4. On average, when your listings sell, how close is the selling price to the asking price? Again, this is specific information that you will have to get from the agent. Ask how often their homes have to undergo a price reduction before selling, and whether or not previous clients have been happy with the price their home sold for.

  5. On average, how long does it take for your listings to sell? You want to make sure that your agent can sell your home in a timely manner, or by a certain deadline if you have one (for work purposes, etc.)

  6. How many buyers are you currently working with? Typically, agents who work with buyers will have a better chance of selling your home quickly, but you want to make sure that the agent isn’t overloaded with too many clients.

  7. Do you have a reference list of clients I could contact? It is important that your agent provides you with a reference list so that you can talk to previous clients and get a good idea of what working with this agent will be like.

  8. What happens if I’m not happy with the job you are doing to get my home sold? If, for some reason, you are unhappy with the real estate agent’s attempts to sell your home, what are your contractual obligations to him or her?

5 Landscaping Tips for Homeowners

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The first thing potential buyers see when they’re searching for their dream home is the front yard. Even if the inside of your home is beautiful, the buyer could be turned off by the amount of landscaping work they will have to put in right when they move in. Here are five landscaping tips for you to give your home the best curb appeal.

Clean

This is one of the easiest ways to create curb appeal. Completely clear your yard of dead foliage and tree branches. If you have plants in large pots, scrub the pots clean until they shine. Remember, a little cleaning goes a long way and it has the potential to make a great first impression.

Mow and Water the Lawn

This should be one of the first item on your to-do list. Grass that is too long looks messy and unkept, and grass that is brown is not appealing to the eye. Do your best to water and mow your lawn regularly to get the best results. As long as there is a “For Sale” sign in your front lawn, there should be clean, trimmed grass.

Trim Trees and Bushes

Your home might have great landscaping already, it just needs to be cleaned up a bit. Keep the bushes and trees trimmed so they appear clean and well-kept, and don’t take away from the view of your house. You want the landscaping to complement, not be the focal point.

Plant Instant Color

Purchase flowers that you can plant in your front yard or that you can put in pots on the porch or sidewalk. Shoot for a splash of several colors that will complement your home. Adding small amounts of color will give your home the extra pop of curb appeal that it needs.

Touch Up the Mulch

This one small touch can turn your yard from dull to vibrant in just a matter of hours. The dark color of a fresh layer of mulch gives a great contrast against the bright flowers and green grass. It helps the pop of color from the flowers come to life.

Curb appeal can make or break a home. Completing easy landscaping projects can help you give the perfect first impression to a buyer by keeping the outside of your home just as beautiful as the inside.

For more tips on landscaping for your home, visit here.

How To Use Video To Sell Your Home

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Most sellers, buyers, and real estate agents know the value of including pictures of a home in a for sale listing, but a new trend is emerging that is making it easier to sell a home. Many real estate agents are now encouraging their clients to create short videos that show off the best features of their home, yard, neighborhood, and city to include in their marketing strategy. Such videos have been shown to help certain homes stand out to potential buyers and even help to generate more people that might be interested in your home. So, if you’re serious about selling, you should consider making a short film that highlights all of the great things about your home and area to include with your for sale listing.

Social media has been of great help to many home buyers and sellers, since information can spread so quickly through sites like Facebook, YouTube, Trulia, and more. It doesn’t take much effort for people to click ‘play’ on your video, so broadcasting your sale through social media is a great, low-effort way to get your home to sell quicker. In 2012 only about 3% of real estate agents were using videos to help sell their clients’ homes, and fewer than that used videos that included the seller talking about their home on camera. This is why video tours of homes and neighborhoods have been so successful-they’re rare!

Recently, many agents and other companies in the world of real estate have started to notice the benefits of using video to sell homes; for example, Zillow has partnered with StudioNow, a suite of services to help agents – many of whom lack video-editing skills – make these short productions.

What do these videos look like though? How are they made?

Here are a few tips…

Homeowner Interview – homeowner answering interview questions about what they love most about their home and neighborhood. This is a great way to bring your property to life and to inform potential buyers of all the wonderful things they’re getting when they purchase your home.

Length – Once the video has been filmed and edited (they should only be 2 or 3 minutes long)

Where to post – Everywhere! First, upload it to YouTube then ask your agent to upload it to popular social media sites like Facebook, or include a link on Twitter, and to sites like Trulia, Zillow, Realtor.com, RealBird, and other search sites. You also want to ‘tag’ your video appropriately so that it generates a lot of traffic. You can experiment with different tags on different sites to see what generates the most traffic, but this step is usually one that is easier when working with an experienced real estate agent or knowledgeable third party.

Keep it simple – Remember to keep it simple-no special effects or loud music.

Watch for motion sickness – If you plan on walking through your home with a camera, make sure to be aware that some will not be able to watch the entire video. The camera will shake and the video can be blurry. Try standing still while taking the video and mixing still pictures in between the videos to break up the movement.

Finally, brag! You’re trying to sell your home, so really sell it; talk about the great neighbors, the summer festivals, the conveniences of having a walk-in closet-anything you can think of!

To read more on using video to sell your home, check out the original article from MSN.

6 Reasons Your Home Is Not Selling

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Are you having trouble selling your home? There are many reasons why your home might not be selling. According to an article from RIS Media and many years of experience in the industry, here are some issues that may not be as obvious, but are still preventing the sale of your home…

1. Your Home Is Not Easily Accessible For Showings: Are you getting a lot of showing requests that you are turning down? Many sellers make the mistake of not accommodating a buyer’s request for showings because requested showing times are inconvenience to the seller. Try and remember that your home is a product for sale. Do whatever you can to cooperate with showing requests, even if they are last minute or on off hours.

 

2. Pets: Pet problems can go beyond unfriendly pet barking or jumping on a potential buyer. Pet owners need to go to extra lengths to make sure to remove pet hair and keep odor to a minimum. Take your pets out of the house during showings or make sure they are crated. A potential buyer is there to view the home that is for sale and should not have to worry what your pet is going to do.

 

3. Not Aggressively Marketing Your Home: Is your home listed on MLS and public websites? Most buyers are shopping for a home online these days, so having an online presence is highly important. If you are dissatisfied with how your home is being marketed, you may need to sit down for a brainstorming session with your agent.

 

4. Your Agent is Not Familiar With Your Area: Did you list your home with an agent from outside of your area? Do they know much about your market? If your agent knows little about the market how can they properly position your property for sale? They may be missing the important selling features of your home.

 

5. Pictures: 89% of homes buyers start their search online before calling an agent. Even when they have an agent, they are still viewing your home online before setting up a showing. So their first impression of your home is through the pictures that are displayed on the MLS and other real estate websites. Make sure the pictures of your home make a good impression and invite buyers to want to set up a showing.

 

6. Price: Before listing your home, your real estate agent most likely showed you the comparables and market statistics for what others homes are selling for in your area. If your home is not priced properly, you could be missing out on potential buyers. The market stats don’t lie, make sure you pay attention to them and the advice of your agent to price your home properly for today’s market. No matter what you paid for it or how much money you spent fixing it up over the years, make sure to pay attention to the statistics.

For more possible reasons your house isn’t selling, check out the original article here.