Saturday, January 28, 2017

Add Value to Your Home


A few suggestions that add value to your home:

1) Clean, Organize, and Neutralize Your Space: Unclutter your house to make it look bigger and cleaner.  Buyers need to be able to envision their own belongings in the home, so avoid using bright colors and too many personal effects.

2) Keep your lawn green: Get your lawn in shape. A patchy lawn takes away from the home's overall appearance. Your local hardware store has supplies to re-seed those unhealthy areas.

3) Add insulation to save energy: The most inexpensive way to increase your home's energy is to add insulation which can reduce heating and cooling costs by more than 25%.

4) Update Kitchen Appliances: The kitchen is often the room that buyers gravitate towards first, and an updated kitchen can help sell your home. You don't have to remodel your kitchen to give it a new look. Updating your appliances to the current standard and replacing cabinet doors and hardware can make a big impact at a relatively low cost.

5) Update those bathroom fixtures: A little change can go a long way when it comes to the look of your bathroom. Updating simple fixtures such as your sink and faucet can give any outdated bathroom style. And, according to Bankrate.com, minor bathroom remodels typically return over 100% of the initial investment.

6) Build a fence: If you're trying to sell a house, the appearance of a fence adds value to the home overall. Buyers with children or pets will appreciate the privacy and security of an enclosed backyard.

7) Repair the gutter: Ensuring that your gutter is clean is crucial in protecting your home against water damage.

8) Light up the outside: An easy and inexpensive way to increase your home's outdoor space is to add lighting. It makes it more appealing and safer.

9) Store and organize: Ample storage space is a plus, especially when it comes to garages and closets.  Efficient closet structures can help keep your clothes organized  and can save space.

10) Polish off the basement: Rather than adding an additional room, it is more cost-efficient to remodel your basement. This adds value and usable space.

Remember:
Your Hopes, Your Dreams...Our VantagePoint

Call Stephanie Samuelsohn, at VantagePoint Reatly at 518-392-8484

or e-mail her at:  Stephanie@ColumbiaCountyHomes.com

Check out our Website:  www.ColumbiaCountyHomes.com




Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Would You Remove Your Own Appendix...


Would You Remove Your Own Appendix...much less overhaul your vehicle's engine? The fact is that, whether a Doctor or a Car Mechanic, most people turn to those with professional experience to get the results they want. In the case of selling a home, there is too much riding on the outcome to hope that a homeowner can do the job himself or herself. 

While potential FSBO's (homes 'for sale by owner') nearly uniformly focus on saving money, experienced Real Estate agents usually pay for themselves by getting higher prices more quickly. They do this by setting a realistic asking price, advertising the property thoroughly, networking more effectively, qualifying buyers better, and negotiating a better selling price, circumventing potential problems.

I am fully licensed in both NY & MA and bring with me the skills for service & dedication.


Your Hopes, Your Dreams...Our VantagePoint



HINT: From getting a property ready for market to negotiating with buyers, experienced real estate agents take the emotion out of the home-buying process and produce bottom-line
Columbia County Homes
results.

Friday, January 13, 2017

Three Steps to Find More Listings This Winter




By Mark Mathis, General Manager, Agent and Broker Sales, Homes.com

You may be busy preparing your home, family or even wardrobe for winter, but don’t forget that you should be preparing your business, as well. As the market slows down during the colder months, it may be more difficult to generate new listings. Because of this, now is an opportune time to look for FSBO and expired listings to work with.
Statistics show that nearly 92 percent of sellers who try to market a home on their own fail and many expired listings eventually go back on the market, which presents a lot of opportunity for you to find new listings. It’s up to you to show the value you offer in a selling situation. Here are three steps to help you prepare to meet with this kind of seller.

Plan Your Approach
When a listing expires, it’s often because the property wasn’t marketed or priced properly. This is an optimal opportunity to show sellers how you’re different (and better) than their previous agent.
 Create a marketing plan and present it to the seller, showing them how you would market their home. Include points about establishing a strong web presence, your use of social media, sample advertising ideas, etc. Your marketing plan should show how you can connect with potential buyers and create opportunities to sell.

Similarly, the No. 1 reason someone chooses the FSBO route rather than hiring an agent is because they don’t want to pay commission fees. However, these sellers rarely understand the time and effort agents put into a transaction. Sure, those FSBOs may be saying they don’t want an agent now, but that mindset may change once they start to see how much work it takes to sell their home. Just like sellers with expired listings, approach FSBOs with a marketing plan that shows how much work you’ll put into selling their home.

Develop a Script
Before making contact with the seller of a FSBO or expired listing, prepare exactly what you’re going to say. Remember, rather than focusing on the logical reasons these people want to sell their properties, try to find the emotional reasons, and use that information to turn them into a client.
For example, if you’re working with an expired listing, plan to ask the sellers about their previous experience. If they worked with an agent, ask questions about what that person did to try to sell their home: did they take high quality photos of the interior and exterior, use social media to promote the listing, advertise appropriately and recommend staging options? If it’s a FSBO property, ask the sellers why they didn’t work with an agent the first time: was it a financial issue, did that have a bad experience previously or are there any other factors influencing their decision?

Contact the Sellers
When you’re prepared, it’s time to contact your prospective clients and let them know you’re here to help. Start by sending the sellers an email highlighting your qualifications. For FSBO properties, explain how you can take away the stress of home-selling, sell their home more quickly, and likely get a better price than they could on their own.
When you’re able to speak with these sellers in person or over the phone, put your script into play. Build trust and discover why they’re looking to sell, then go for what Chris Smith, author of The Conversion Code, calls the “trial close” with a “here’s what happens next” question to keep the process moving forward. For example, you could ask “Does Wednesday or Thursday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. work better for my photographer to come by and start taking pictures for marketing materials?” This will help the seller understand what you are going to be doing for them and make them feel more secure in the final steps of the process to list their home.
If sellers aren’t prepared for the trial close or insist that they want to work alone, wish them the best and give them some advice that could help. As time goes on, if they aren’t able to sell, they’re likely to remember you as someone who offered encouragement and call you for help.


If you’re looking for ways to connect with transaction-ready sellers in your local market, check out Homes.com Local Connect. Local Connect positions you in front of active sellers in your target markets with branding that showcases your photo or logo, phone number and endorsements. Call us at 888-651-8956 or send an email to productinfo@homes.com to learn more!
For more information, please visit connect.homes.com.
For the latest real estate news and trends, bookmark RISMedia.com. 






Thursday, January 05, 2017

Must-Have Home Features? It’s Your Call


Wanted to share this post from blog.rismedia.com - Hope it will be helpful.


Must-Have Home Features? 

It’s Your Call

Posted on Nov 30 2016 - 11:58am by Maria Patterson


An outdoor kitchen. Double sinks in the master bath. A wrap-around porch.  Solar panels. There are just so many things we want our new home to have.
However, when shopping for our dream home, it’s essential to steer the dream a little bit more toward reality. No home will have every single feature you desire, so before you set out on the search, sit down and think hard.
Also think long-term. While certain features may not matter to you, they may weigh heavily in determining your home’s resale value. According to a recent report by Kiplinger, there are seven features that will help sell a home faster: a laundry room; exterior lighting; energy efficient appliances and windows; a patio; hardwood floors; garage storage space; and an eat-in kitchen.
For most of us, our must-haves are rooted in practicality – a classic case of needs vs. wants. Which would explain why some of the most unwanted features in a home, according to a National Association of Home Builders study, include a pet-washing station, an elevator and a wine cellar. Some important musts, therefore, often involve:
  • The number of bedrooms and/or potential to turn a room into an additional bedroom – are you planning on children? Need space for an in-law to move in?
  • The master bedroom – is it big enough for your king bed and does it include a master bath?
  • The number and condition of other bathrooms
  • The yard - how much space and privacy do you need to be happy?
  • The kitchen – do you need a new kitchen with high-tech appliances or are you willing to update down the road?
  • Closet space – is there adequate storage for your current belongings with room to expand?
  • The school district – an obvious factor if you have or are planning to have children, but also important if you don’t as it will affect your home’s resale value
  • Proximity to work – are you willing to commute or is a walkable community a high priority?
  • New construction – are you looking for a maintenance-free environment or the charm of an older home with DIY options?
Of course, your musts are very unique to you and, therefore, may vary from the above. The key factor in determining a must-have from a nice-to-have is whether it is something that can be cost-effectively and efficiently accomplished down the road, such as crown molding or a fire pit. Musts should be those features that are difficult and costly, if not impossible, to handle on your own, such as a bigger garage or a new roof.
Remember that above all, your “dream” home will be the one that grabs you for some intangible reason or for a combination of unexpected features you never knew you wanted until you saw them. So try to keep your must-list to a minimum and your open mind to a maximum—and most of all, enjoy the process.