8 Tips to Prepare Your Home for the Winter Market

What do you need to do to prepare your home for the winter real estate market? I have eight tips for you today.

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It is important to pay attention to the seasons when you prepare to sell your home. If you plan on selling this winter, here are a few things you can do to prepare your home accordingly: 1. Take photos as soon as possible. Hopefully, you can get listing photos done while there is some foliage on the trees and the bushes are still blooming. Depending on the area, the earlier you take photos, the better. 2. Take it easy on the holiday decor. Some people have a lot of fun and go crazy with holiday decorations. You may love your holiday decor, but keep in mind that less is best for home showings and listing photos. 3. Always keep your curb appeal in mind. Take a step back and make sure your curb appeal is still nice and neat during the winter months.

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Buyers love walking into a bright home, so make sure all your lights are on for showings.

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4. Safety matters. Make sure that your home is safe and easy to walk around. Shovel and salt the driveway and sidewalks, and put a mat down in the entryway or foyer. You don’t want anyone to hurt themselves or break anything when they come in for a showing. 5. Remove clutter. This is always true, but it’s especially important in winter when people tend to have more stuff. Get rid of as much as possible. 6. Make sure that everything is functional. Make sure the HVAC works and that all the lights turn on. 7. Light it up. Speaking of lights, buyers love to walk into a bright home. Whether you or your agent turns on the lights, or you use a remote control light system, turning all the lights on before a showing is key. 8. Consult with your real estate agent about pricing. The winter market is a little different, so be sure to get an updated comparable market analysis to make sure your home is priced to sell this winter. If you have any other questions about selling your home this winter, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

We’d Like to Help You Sell Your Own Home

If you’re trying to sell your home on your own, we’d like to help you through the entire process.

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We speak to many people who consider selling their home as FSBO (or For Sale By Owner), so if you’re a home seller and you’re thinking of doing the same thing, we have an offer for you. First, there are a couple statistics regarding FSBOs that you need to be aware of, as reported by Inman.com and the National Association of Realtors: • 90% of all homes sold are sold with a Realtor. Of the 10% that are sold as FSBO, the majority are short-arm transactions, meaning the seller knew the buyer beforehand. • Sellers typically earn 18% more when they work with a Realtor.

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We’re here to help all the FSBOs out there.

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However, there are some FSBOs out there who are having success, which is why I’d like to reach out to you if you’re an FSBO home seller and say that we’re willing to help you—for free. We’re here to help you while you go through the entire process of selling your home on your own. Think of us as a lifeline—we’re an expert in the business that you can call anytime for help. What typically happens in this case is we help get your home sold. As a result of that, hopefully you’ll refer us to one of your friends or family members who need a Realtor to help them sell their home. It’s a win-win situation—you win because you get your home sold, and we win because we get to help you and potentially get a great referral along the way. If you have any questions about this offer or you’re curious about what’s happening in our market, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We’d love to help you.

A Fantastic Organization to Consider Giving Back to

We always try to support our partners who are doing good out in the world. Today, we’re going to discuss the great work being done at The Assistance League.

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Today, our topic is all about giving back. Even though everything we do all day is real estate-related, there’s a lot more out there than just real estate. Anytime we come across a partner who is giving back to the community, we want to share it with you. I’d like to introduce you to The Assistance League of the Triangle Area right here in North Carolina. This is one of 120 chapters of The Assistance League, and all the funds are raised and spent locally. The entire staff is made up of volunteers as well.

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This is something we’re very passionate about.

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Their signature program is called “Operation: School Bell” which provides school supplies, new clothing, shoes, hygiene items, and more to over 1,800 children in 24 schools here in the Triangle area. This is something we are very passionate about. If you are too, please check out their website here and consider making a donation. If you have any real estate questions in the meantime, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I would love to hear from you.

Master the Art of Negotiating as a Home Seller

Whoever negotiates best will be in the best position to sell their home for top dollar, so here are a few tips that will help you negotiate with buyers.

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When your home is on the market and you have an offer potentially coming in, what is the most important thing you can do? Prepare to negotiate. He or she who negotiates the best will be in the best position to sell quickly and for top dollar. That being said, here are a few helpful tips you can follow before negotiations start so you can get a feel of how they’ll play out: 1. Check if the buyer has been qualified to buy a home. One of the first questions you must ask them is if they’ve been qualified through a certified lender. 2. Ask the buyer if they’re working with professional, licensed agent. If so, that’s good news because you can cross most of the t’s and dot most of the i’s to make sure all parties are protected. 3. See how long the buyer’s been looking for a home. If yours is the first home they’ve looked at, you might want to beware because most buyers don’t buy the first home they look at. 4. Ask if they’ve been approved to buy. It’s one thing to speak with a lender; it’s another thing to actually have at least a pre-qualification letter. Even better than a pre-qualification letter, though, is a pre-approval letter, which means all stipulations have been removed and that buyer is ready to buy your home right now. 5. Find out if they’re a contingency buyer. This means whether or not they already have a house they need to sell before they can buy your house. 6. Ask the buyer if there’s any urgency involved. Do they need to move in next week or four years from now?

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Be prepared, know your facts, get everything in writing, and create a win-win situation.

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Once you get past these tips and find that you have a ready, willing, and able buyer, it’s time to negotiate. Here are some of the negotiators you’ll deal with: 1. The “High Authority”—This is the type of buyer who brings their dad, grandpa, or some other third party who will act as the higher power to negotiate against you. 2. The “Nibblers”—The nibblers keep negotiating and don’t stop. The best way to protect yourself against them is have everything in writing and know your position so you can stay strong. 3. The “Good Guy/Bad Guy Tandem”—This is usually a husband-and-wife team—one acts as the good guy while the other acts as the bad guy. The buyer can also pull this act off with their agent. The way you protect yourself against this strategy is to have everything in writing and meet with all parties at one time to discuss every topic at hand. 4. The “Would You Take That?” negotiators—These are the people who just throw out numbers and offers. 5. The “Guilt-Trippers”—These people will try to guilt-trip you into accepting their offer by telling you about their past hardships—be they real or fabricated. There’s a lot of money on the line in a home sale, so again, stay strong Once your offer comes in, be prepared with a counteroffer. You don’t want to wait more than a day or two, because your buyer might get anxious and move on with their home search. Remember, when it comes to negotiations, be prepared, know your facts, get everything in writing, and create a win-win situation. That last tidbit is a hallmark of mine so everyone can walk away from the table with something they’re happy about. If you have any questions about negotiating or you’re thinking of buying or selling a home in the Raleigh area, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I’d be glad to help you.

What Does Listing For Sale by Owner Truly Cost?

Are you thinking about listing your home For Sale By Owner? If you are, don’t forget to consider the true costs of taking this route.

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If you’re considering listing For Sale By Owner (or FSBO), I’ve got some key information on the true cost of selling.

First, ask yourself what kind of back payments there will be. Any back payments or taxes that aren’t paid up by the time of closing will be deducted at that time.

Also, be aware that there are certain loan programs out there that don’t allow sellers to list their home more quickly than the loan was expected to be paid off. Make a call to your lender and find out if you’ll be subject to any prepayment penalties before you list.

What about carrying costs? On my team, we pride ourselves in selling as quickly as possible. However, some FSBO sellers may find their listing sitting on the market for weeks or even months. If this happens to be the case, you’ll need to factor in the carrying costs. These costs are what you will need to pay to hold your listing on the market.

These holding costs can include mortgage payments, taxes, routine maintenance, and more, so be careful.

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Is it truly going to benefit you to go it alone?

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Next, don’t forget about closing costs. Many sellers, especially FSBO sellers, don’t realize that closing costs are going to be deducted from their bottom line. Listing your home on the market doesn’t happen for free. You will also need to think about the costs of preparing your home for the market.

Think about what you’ll need to do to get your home ready for listing. How much is it going to cost you to make sure your home looks as good as possible? Depending on the condition of your home, this can be very costly.

If you are a FSBO seller, you’re going to have to outsource a lot of costs at closing. Take your bottom line into account. Is it truly going to benefit you to go it alone?

If you have any other questions, would like more information, or want to learn how we could help you sell your home quickly and for top dollar, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

What You Need to Know About Selling Your Own Home

If plan on selling your home on your own, make sure you avoid these seven “For Sale By Owner” mistakes.

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If you’ve decided to list your home as “For Sale By Owner,” congratulations. It can be a challenge, but there are a few people out there who can do it.

That said, according to the National Association of Realtors, 90% of all homes that were sold last year were represented by an agent, Realtor, or real estate professional.

Of the 10% that were FSBO properties, just over 50% of them were a shorthanded transaction, meaning the owner sold their home to a friend, family member, or someone they knew. Of the remaining 4%, about 2% successfully sold on their own, while the remaining 2% pulled their homes off the market.

There are seven common mistakes that you should try to avoid if you plan on selling your home by yourself:

1. Pricing your home inaccurately. This is the No. 1 mistake most FSBO sellers make. Test the market data to make sure that your list price is effectively positioned in the market.

2. Not preparing your home for the market. Many FSBO sellers just put their home on the market and hope for the best. Unfortunately, in today’s market buyers are looking for turnkey properties or homes that have been prepared as best as they can be.

3. Not marketing your home correctly. Most FSBO sellers don’t have the understanding or wherewithal to market a home properly. Marketing is one of the most important parts of selling your home these days.

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Marketing is one of the most important parts of selling a home.

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4. Not understanding the paperwork. There is a lot of money on the line. If you don’t dot your i’s and cross your t’s, you could be putting yourself in a harmful situation from a liability standpoint.

5. Not understanding the proper terms and conditions. When speaking with buyers or industry professionals, you may agree to terms that you don’t understand, which can put you in a negative financial situation.

6. Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Just because you did a repair doesn’t mean you have to bring it up. As long as it’s not an active issue, you are protected. You don’t have to talk about what happened when the house flooded or the foundation crack that you’ll repair.

7. Overlooking details. Some FSBO sellers are simply not educated on the process. There are many steps involved in a successful home sale, and an overlooked detail could cost you tens of thousands of dollars.

Avoid these seven mistakes and you may be one of the successful FSBO sellers in 2017.

If you have any other questions or you are interested in working with an agent to sell your home, just give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

What to Do When Your Home Is Just Sitting on the Market

If your home is sitting on the market without any offers, there are three steps you can take to make sure it’s properly positioned in the market.

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What should you do if your home has been on the market but you haven’t gotten an offer yet? That’s why there are a few firewalls we install when working with our sellers so that they can sell quickly and for top market value.

If your property is just sitting on the market, luckily, there are a few steps you can take to sell your home.

1. Check your listing. Make sure your home is properly labeled and categorized on the MLS and in all of its marketing materials. I’ve had sellers come to me unable to sell only to find that their four-acre property was listed at 0.04 acres, so people looking for acreages didn’t even know their home was available. So, make sure that your home data is correct.

2. Make sure your home is strategically marketed. If you’re selling on your own, make sure you’re marketing more. Otherwise, go to your agent and see exactly how much exposure your home is getting on the market. If your agent is marketing your home correctly, they will be able to support that data by pulling in supporting information.

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Make sure that your listing data is accurate.

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3. Conduct a comparative market analysis. There’s no better way to find out what the market is doing than by doing a market analysis. Look at what homes are comparable to yours. Find out what’s going contingent or under contract. Most importantly, look at what homes are being closed on in your area that are very comparable to yours.

Now, the National Association of Realtors has said that if your home is active on the market and (no matter which comes first) has had 10 showings or gone 14 days with no offers, then there’s something wrong with the listing.

If you go through the three steps I mentioned above and you don’t have any offers, you may need to go through a price reduction to get to your accurate market price.

You can never predict what your home will sell for, but these steps will properly position your home in the market. If necessary, a price adjustment will help your home move.

If you have any other questions about selling in our current market, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

3 Ways to Impress Prospective Homebuyers

Want to help your home stand out from the crowd? Start with these three tips.

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If you are considering selling your home or you’re in the process of doing so, there are certain things you can do to help make your home more appealing to homebuyers out there. Here are the top three things that homebuyers are looking for when buying a home: 1. Curb appeal. When a buyer views your home online or in person, the first thing they will see is its curb appeal, or how it looks from the outside. Pay special attention to the paint, the shutters, shrubbery, and sidewalks. Make sure your home looks as good as it possibly can from the outside so you make a great first impression. 2. Show off your space. A majority of buyers move because they need more space, so try to clear out as much as you can from your home before listing so you can maximize your space. Don’t keep things cluttered with personal items, photographs, and trinkets.

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Buyers love updated homes.

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3. Updates. Buyers love updated homes. There are plenty of simple things you can do in the kitchen and the bathroom to impress them. Update as much as you can within your budget before your home goes “live” on the market. These are just three quick things you can do as a seller to not only speed up your sale, but maximize its price as well. If you’re in the Triangle area or you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you.

Things to Ask When You're Interviewing Agents

How do you know that the agents you’re interviewing have the experience and expertise to sell your home quickly and for top dollar? I’ve compiled a list of questions to ask that will help you make the best decision.

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When looking to sell your home, the first step is finding an agent that will do the job well. I’ve compiled a list of questions you should remember to ask when interviewing agents so that you can make a better decision about who to go with: 1. How much experience do they have? You cannot replace experience—you can only gain it. Make sure you ask them how much experience they have in the business. 2. How many homes have they sold this year? How many homes have they sold in their entire career? This goes a long way to determining how successful they will be in selling your own home. 3. What is their list-to-sales ratio? You’re looking for a ratio that is very close. For example, you want to see a sales history where homes list at $1 million but sell for $999,000. The more of a distance between the list price and the sales price, the worse the ratio. 4. What is their average days on market? How long does it take to sell? The quicker the home sells, the better.

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You cannot replace experience—you can only gain it.

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5. Do they work with a team or individually? In this market, agents who work with teams are often the better choice because of the level of specialization among their members. Be sure to ask, “Do you have a team; if so, may we see it?” 6. Do they have any reviews? Look online for reviews and check out how they are positioned in the market. Are they ranked in your area? If not, why aren’t they? 7. What are their marketing strategies? Marketing is the key word. You don’t want an agent who does the “Three P’s:” put the sign in the yard, put it on the MLS, and pray. That is not a good marketing strategy and won’t get you top dollar for your home. 8. What are their marketing plan and budget? You can’t market to home if you don’t have the money to market it. Make sure that any agents you’re interviewing can share their strategy and budget for marketing your home. If you have any questions regarding this or any other real estate topic, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d be happy to help!

5 Questions to Ask When Considering a Discount Brokerage

Should you work with a discount brokerage to sell your home? Ask these five questions in order to make the best decision for your home sale.

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If you are thinking about selling your home, you may also be considering working with a discount brokerage. Before you decide to hire that discount brokerage, there are a few things you should know in order to make the best possible decision for your home sale. 1. How much does it actually cost? Many people believe that working with a discount brokerage means that you will pay a flat fee. While that may be true, there will probably be a note in the small print requiring you to pay the additional buyer agent fee. Make sure you add those two numbers up together; many times, you may have been able to utilize a full brokerage service after all. 2. What do you get for that money? Some sellers who have hired discount brokerages in the past find that, although their house is on the MLS, they do not get any additional marketing from the discount brokerage. 3. What type of communication will you receive when you work with a discount brokerage firm? In the world of real estate, communication is key. However, most sellers who’ve worked with discount brokers have shared that they didn’t get much communication at all. 4. What kind of negotiation support will you get? When it comes to negotiating your sales price, you want to make sure you work with a good negotiator. You aren’t guaranteed that type of service with a discount brokerage. 5. Will they share liability? When it comes to selling your home, there is a lot at stake in terms of liability. When you work with a full-service brokerage, you will share that liability. If you work with a discount brokerage, you are the only one who’s liable.

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If you work with a full-service brokerage, your house will sell for 24% more money.

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Another thing to keep in mind is that, according to the National Association of Realtors, sellers who work with full-service brokerages earn 24% more when selling their house than those who worked with a discount brokerage. While you can certainly sell your house with a discount brokerage, remember the old adage: Sometimes, you get what you pay for. If you have any other questions about selling your home or about real estate in general, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Why You Should Consider Staging if You’re Selling

Many people are starting to come around to the idea of home staging. When you look at it from a buyer’s perspective, it doesn’t make sense not to stage your home.

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For sellers looking to get the most money possible for their home, home staging has become a popular strategy. But what is staging and why is it important? We’re here to answer that and other questions today. Staging is the process of preparing your home for the market in a visual way, whether it’s with photography, video, or open houses and showings. Staging is important because it has been found that homes that are staged sell faster and for more money than homes that aren’t. It’s something to take seriously. The first thing to do when staging is to depersonalize your home. When a buyer comes to see the property, they want to be able to look at your home and make it their own. When you have pictures of your kids or sports memorabilia strewn throughout the home, it doesn’t help. In addition to the sports memorabilia, it’s also a good idea to take down any religious icons as well. You want to do whatever you can to alienate the least amount of people possible. Those are all great things to have in a home, but removing them in order to stage the home properly will allow the buyer to more easily envision their family in the home. The next step is to define (or redefine) each room. Maybe you turned your living room into a playroom or an arts and crafts room. When you are staging that room, make it look like a living room. For a visual buyer, having less in the home is more appealing. When in doubt, clear it out. Minimizing the items in your home will maximize its space.

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Each room should have a specific purpose.

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Finally, smile for the camera. In 2017, a majority of buyers are beginning their home search online. You have about two and a half seconds to wow a buyer through either pictures or video. Homes that are staged with minimal clutter look the best on camera. Taking these things into consideration when getting your home ready for sale will really help you out in the long run. That’s why we offer free staging services to our sellers. If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home anytime soon, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you.

Your Listing Expired. Now What?

What happens when you list your home for sale and it expires off the market? Your next steps are crucial if you want to get the house back on the market and sell.

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What happens if your home was listed for sale but expired off the market? Unfortunately, you're not alone because many people experience this when trying to sell their house. More often than not, it isn't the homeowner's fault. So what can you do when your home expires off the market? Start by taking into account what has happened up to that point. Look back at your past showings, where you are right now, and what got you to that point. Typically, the best suggestion is to start interviewing agents. Most markets across the country are doing well, so now is the time to list your house. Do your homework and interview several agents.

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When you interview agents, be sure you're asking the right questions.

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When you interview agents, be sure you're asking the right questions. Ask them how many homes they have sold, because you want them to have experience. Since the real estate game has changed these days, you also need to ask the agent or agents to show you their marketing budget and marketing plan. Over 90% of homebuyers start their home search online, so if your house isn't being marketed online globally, you're at a disadvantage. When going back on the market, it's also important to talk with an agent about the process itself. Talk about closing and negotiation and ask the agent about their past. How long have they been in business? All these things will add up to a successful sale. If you have any questions about getting your house back on the market, we'd love to help you out. Just give us a call or send us an email soon. We hope to hear from you!

Should You Hire an Agent or List on Your Own?

Should you list your home as For Sale By Owner or should you hire a listing agent? There are a few things you should consider before making that decision.

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Many people consider listing their properties as For Sale By Owner. Here are a few hints to help you decide if FSBO is right for you: First of all, you need to protect yourself from liability. There is a lot riding on selling your home when it comes to paperwork, disclosures, square footage, and much more. Many FSBO sellers choose to work with an agent to protect themselves from liability during the contract to closing period. Most people who decide to sell on their own think they are saving money. However, you need to be careful and avoid leaving money on the table when you sell. According to the National Association of Realtors, FSBO owners sell for 88% of the asking price. Therefore, they are negotiating well off of the initial listing price. At team Ruby, we usually sell for 99% of the listing price. Hiring an agent can actually net you more money during negotiations.

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Listing agents can sell your home for more money.

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Although FSBO sellers may want to avoid real estate agents, they do end up working with a buyer’s agent. As the seller, you will have to pay the buyer’s agent about a 3% commission. After all, they brought you a buyer. However, that agent is there to protect the buyer’s interests, not yours. You may want to consider hiring a listing agent to protect your interests. So, if you are thinking of selling on your own, remember: you might have to pay a commission, but hiring a listing agent will save you money in the end.

If you have any questions about listing your home with an agent or about about current market, give us a call or send us an email. We'd be happy to help!

6 Steps to Selling Your Home

Selling a home isn’t as simple as listing your home on the MLS and waiting for an offer. Here’s what really happens in most successful home sales.

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When you decide to sell your home, the goal of your sale is always to get the home sold for as much as possible as quickly as possible. We want to help you do that when it comes time for you to sell, so we have six steps to share that will get you there. Here’s what you need to do in order to have a successful home sale. 1. Define your needs. Sometimes, sellers hit the market without doing this. It usually ends poorly. By knowing where you’re going and what your next step is before you go in, you can clearly define your needs to position exactly how aggressively you want to hit the market. 2. Pricing strategy. This is one of the most important components when selling your home. You don’t want to undersell or overprice the home; you want to find the sweet spot in the middle. An experienced agent can help you do this by supplying you with the numbers that you can use to determine the best price for your goals. 3. Prepare your home. The more you prepare it, the better. Whether it’s renovations, repairs, or getting information on how to stage your home, the more work you put in the better the home will show. 4. Marketing strategy. It’s 2017. The old school method of placing a sign in the yard and putting a home on the MLS just doesn’t cut it anymore. It’s all about marketing now. Be sure to hire an agent who can clearly define to you what their marketing strategy and budget are. 5. Negotiate and accepted offer. It’s one thing to be prepared for the market. It’s another thing to be prepared to negotiate when you get an offer. You want an agent who will negotiate the highest and best price and terms for you. You also want someone who can keep the offer together from contract to closing. 6. Closing. This is the holy grail of selling your house. It’s the final step, but it still trips some people up if they don’t have the proper representation and the right people looking out for them.

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The one common theme is hiring a good agent.

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Throughout these key steps, you’ll notice one common theme: a good agent. Many deals fall apart because of inexperienced or lazy agents. Before you hire one, make sure you know who they are, what their experience is, and how they are specifically going to help you sell your home for top dollar. That will put you in the best position possible to sell a home in 2017. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

Avoid These 5 Vices When Selling Your House

Many home sellers hurt their sale by falling victim to one or more of these five common vices.

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If you’re looking to sell your home, there are five vices you should avoid: 1. Over-improving. Most homeowners have great intentions when it comes to improving their home for sale, but you need to be careful not to go overboard. This means doing improvements that will out-price your home from the market. Talk to your Realtor for a comparative market analysis to see what homes are selling for in your neighborhood so you can get your home ready for top market value without over-improving.
2. Renovating without permits. I see this way too often, and it’s heartbreaking to see someone make a great improvement or addition only to find out that it’s not permitted. In that case, there is often a long and costly process to get something permitted. 3. Limiting showings and showing hours. Many sellers have busy schedules, kids, and pets. However, if you’re looking to sell as quickly as possible, the easier the access to your home, the better. 4. Pricing, pricing, and pricing. Pricing is one of the most important components, second only to your Realtor. Pick a Realtor with the experience and know-how to be able to run the numbers and find out what the best price for your home is to avoid overpricing or underpricing.

5. Not following your agent’s advice. You’ve done your research and due diligence to pick the best Realtor. Listen to them! Many timed, with their advice and experience, they can get you in a position to have your home ready for the market and get you the best price.

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Pricing is one of the most important factors in your sale, second only to your Realtor.

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If you’re looking to buy or sell a home here in the Raleigh market, we’d love to help you as soon as you’re ready. Give us a call or send us an email and let’s get the conversation started.

Beautiful M/I Homes Gallery!

I visited the Design Gallery yesterday for M/I Homes to help one of our clients pick out all the decorative accents for their home!  I loved it!  It was inspiring to be surrounded by such design beauty.
This kitchen below is amazing!  The cleanliness of it and the fixtures are so elegant and modern.

I love below how the designer paired the big chairs symmetrically with the pillows, the tables and accents.  Very chic but still comfortable!

Happy Blogging~
Kristi Bourquin

4 Projects to Prepare Your Home for Sale

There are four projects you can do to your home before you list it that will help it sell quickly and for top dollar.

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What is the best way to prepare your home for sale? Here are four useful projects you can do: 1. Improve your curb appeal. The first impression many buyers get after viewing your home online is when they pull up to the curb for a showing. Look at the front of your home from the street and determine what needs upgraded or repaired. Trim your shrubs, cut the grass, repaint the siding, etc. 2. Get a home inspection. These days, many buyers get a home inspection simply because their lender has made it a requirement or for peace of mind. Be proactive and get your home inspection done before you even go live. That way, you can stay ahead of the curve when it comes to any items that might need to be repaired or replaced. Don’t hesitate to replace any interior flooring or dated carpet, because those are the kinds of things buyers will look at when they walk through the home. The cost isn’t much compared to what to it can generate through an offer. 3. Paint. As the old cliche goes, a $40 gallon of paint isn’t nearly as beneficial in the bucket as it is on the walls, where it might generate thousands of extra dollars in your home sale. Look at your interior walls and see if anything needs to be touched up. If so, don’t spot-paint—paint the entire wall. 4. Clean and clear out. Most people only clear a little bit of the house or maybe one room, but you should try to go through the entire house. The basement, garage, and attic are three rooms you should try especially hard to clear. When the house sells, you’ll have to clear them all out anyway.

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Doing these projects will guarantee your home a better offer.

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If you’re thinking about buying or selling, please be sure to reach out to us so we can help. We look forward to hearing from you!

2017 Is The Time To Declutter!

Declutter Your Home:

1. Kitchen-  Begin with only one area at a time. Start in the junk drawer and pull out everything and categorize it.  Throw away the obvious trash and then decide what you want to keep in the drawer, then make little bags or some type of containers for it. For example,  in my junk drawer I have pens, loose change, and hairbands. Whatever I have, I have a home for it to go!  Next, I have a spot for paperwork. For this, I just bought a five slot shelving unit that sits on my counter and I file my children's artwork, school paperwork, and any loose random papers (This helps so much!) For the refrigerator, go through all items and toss out anything that expired. Remove all the contents and wipe down the shelves and all. When putting things back, be sure to have the labels facing forward.

2. Side Entry-  This area in my home, I also have a spot for everything. That is the trick to organization.  Here, I have a big basket that I keep all of my children's shoes in as soon as they walk in, and above that I have a cute rack that holds only their jackets and book bags etc. This is only their area...that keeps things easy to find. I have my own side that holds my jackets and shoes etc.  Again, I have found that what works for me is that everything I own has it's very own spot to be held.

3. Closet-  Go through your closet and make a keep, donate and throw away pile.  My personal hurdle has been to actually take the pile "donate" to donation, but it's easy and quick to do it. If you did not wear it at all last year in 2016 it may be time to get rid of it so either throw it away or donate it!  Clutter is so toxic to have around. It simply clutters your mind without you even knowing it. I find every time I declutter, the stress levels go down!

4. Home Office- Go through all the papers sitting on the desk and categorize to your liking. Throw away what is trash and file away what you need to keep.  Dust off the desk area, and wipe down the keyboard and mouse.  I like to make my desk beautiful with a flower, candle, lamp, picture frame, and any other accessories that fit your style! 

5. Bathroom- Go through your vanity and throw away expired items and empty bottles. Take everything off the vanity, wipe it down, then go through all the items and categorize. Either in bins or on a cute decorative tray on the counter. Be sure to go in the cabinet and sort out everything below the sink. Again, a great smelling candle in the bathroom is wonderful to have.

~Kristi Bourquin

Lifetime Fitness Giveaway!

"Like" and "Comment" on our Facebook post to be entered to win a FREE one week membership to Lifetime Fitness located at 8515 Falls of Neuse Road Raleigh, NC 27615

For information on Lifetime Fitness visit their website by clicking here.

Official Rules and Guidelines:

• Must "Like" and "Comment" on the Facebook post.
• Must live in Wake County or its surrounding counties.
• Must be 18 or older to participate.
• No purchase necessary.
• Winner will be chosen and announced randomly on Monday, January 16th.