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Katie Reuben Real Estate

Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson & Charlotte Real Estate - Call 704-792-8768

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The Fall Selling Season is Better Than You Think!

I hear from clients all the time that they think they need to wait until spring to sell their home. While spring is a notoriously popular selling season, there are a lot of great advantages that you can capitalize on by selling your home in the fall! I, personally, was both a fall buyer and seller, and I was able to do both successfully!

My top tip for selling in the fall? Incorporate all that you love and look forward to about fall into your home décor! Buying a home is an emotional process, and buyers want to envision themselves making memories in their new home, so help them! Improve your curb appeal by adding dried cornstalks flanking your front door or tied to a lightpost. Add pumpkins or a large potted mum to your porch (mums last forever…even for those of us with a brown thumb!). Hang indian corn or a cute fall-themed door decoration from Home Goods on your front door.

Indoors, remember that candles and air fresheners can be a turn-off for many buyers, but baking fresh pumpkin bread before a showing or an open house can be much more appealing to the senses. Add fall accents, such as a bowl of bright red apples, gourds, mini pumpkins, or pinecones. A warm throw blanket draped over a chair or cozy throw pillows can help buyers picture themselves cozying up for cooler weather. Maybe even stage a small tray with teacups on an ottoman or small table in a cozy nook.

If you are thinking of selling, but thought you needed to wait until spring, read on to find out what fall has to offer you! If you’d like to learn more, contact me so we can create a strategy together that’s perfect for selling your home when the time is right for you! Or just contact me for the recipe for that pumpkin bread…it’s delicious, and I can even hide veggies in it for my kids!

Katie Reuben, Realtor, eXp Realty

704-792-8768

[email protected]

Why the Fall Selling Season is Better Than You Think!

by Melina Gillies

There is a common misconception that spring is the only worthwhile time to list your home, and listing anytime outside the prime “selling season” will lose you thousands. In truth, the fall selling season is the next best time to sell your house. Here are the main reasons why selling in fall is a good idea — and how to present your home to its best advantage.

The Numbers

The National Association of Realtors reports that 34 percent of homes sell within 30 days on the market during the fall selling season. This is just a shade behind spring, which comes in at 39 percent. Many of these homes sell for above-asking price based on the study, which researched homes sold between 2010 and 2014.

The Reasons to Sell

Though there is a slight slowdown in the market during the fall, there is less competition. By being able to highlight your home — particularly if it’s only one of a few available in your area — chances are high you will end up with multiple offers or an offer over asking price, something that every buyer covets.

It is also important to remember that regardless of the season, serious buyers are still looking — and ready to purchase when the right home comes their way. This means you can focus your marketing on buyers who are serious about your home.

How to Show Your Home

Though it is still a good season to sell, fall does have some unique challenges, particularly if you live in an area where the seasons change drastically throughout the year. Regardless of where you reside, these five tips will help ensure your home stands out.

1. Warm It Up

Regardless of where you live, open shades and blinds and turn on all the lights to warm your home with an abundance of natural light. If you live in a colder climate, consider turning on a gas or electric fireplace or boosting the thermostat by a few degrees to ensure potential buyers feel the warmth.

2. Use Seasonal Decor

Seasonal decor can create an emotional impact on potential buyers. As one of the strongest senses, smell can play a large part in creating a visceral reaction on a buyer. Scented candles in a harvest scent, freshly baked goodies, or even a stew roasting in a slow cooker can help buyers picture themselves gathering in your home with friends and family. Throw pillows, gourds, and fall flowers will also add a bit of extra color to bring the feeling home.

3. Keep Up with Curb Appeal

Raking leaves, and cleaning gutters remain essential in ensuring your home looks good from the outside in. Line pathways or porch steps with pumpkins or brightly colored mums in harvest hues. Even dried corn stalks tied to a porch column can provide a seasonal pop that makes your home stand out.

4. Play to the Crowd

Fall is a prime season for empty nesters or new buyers to the market, so make sure to speak with your agent about how to target your home to the most applicable buyer, and ensure your staging and marketing efforts keep them in mind.

5. Show the Seasons

In fall or winter, your yard may not show at its best, so keeping a photo album of your property in full bloom available for buyers to browse can help them visualize your home in its glory.

Regardless of the season, if a property is priced right, it will sell. Work with a real estate agent to determine local demand, buying patterns, and selling prices in your area to determine the best time for you to list.

Image Source: Flickr/Sharon Mollerus

http://blog.coldwellbanker.com/why-the-fall-selling-season-is-better-than-you-think/

/ Buying, Selling

3 Tips for a Higher Home Appraisal

If you are ready to sell your home, but planning to wait until Spring to list, the time to start planning is now. You’re most likely hoping to get the best price for your home when there will be the most buyer traffic. Perhaps you’ve been unsuccessful in selling your home so far, and you’re hoping the spring will bring more interest. There are plenty of things you can do right now to maximize your home’s showing potential in the spring. Now is the time to make repairs and updates to ensure your home makes a lasting first impression on buyers in the spring market. Many buyers today are looking for a turn-key home, free of projects. Keep in mind that spending money to make your home truly “move-in-ready” can make a huge difference in the sale price of your home. Start making improvements today, to make sure your home is ready to show come spring!

Oh! And did you know you can potentially save time and money by painting over existing wallpaper?  Contact me at 610-757-7246 or [email protected].

I’d love to start the conversation with you about what we can do today to sell you home for top dollar this spring!

7 Fixes to Do Now to Sell Your House in the Spring

by Janna Herron, The Fiscal Times

Many home sellers are taking down the “For Sale” signs as they take a break from hosting open houses and celebrate the holidays with family. But the off-market reprieve also offers an opportunity for sellers to upgrade their homes and better compete when the traditional spring-selling season begins.

“The extent of improvements varies on the condition of the property and on a seller’s budget and willingness to invest in a home that they will soon be vacating,” says Svetlana Javakhyan, managing broker at Century 21 Commonwealth in Watertown, Mass. “However, one has to keep in mind that even in the market with a low inventory, many buyers are looking for a move-in ready home.”

Here are 7 ways homeowners who want to sell can improve their chances when the ground thaws.

1. Declutter

While putting away holiday decorations, pack up other items in the house to create an airier, less cluttered interior. Grattan Donahoe, broker-owner of ERA Donahoe Realty in Temecula, Calif., recommends giving away or storing 80 percent of the items in a home. His advice is to streamline décor on shelves, clear countertops and put away seasonal clothes. “You’re moving,” he says, “so you should get packing.”

2. Repair seasonal issues

Donahoe also recommends paying attention to any issues that come up as the season changes. For example, if it rains a lot in your region during the winter, watch for roof leaks or areas of your yard with poor drainage. “You’ll want to fix these issues now so the home is show-ready in the spring,” he says.

3. Improve first impressions

“It takes, on average, 8 seconds for a potential buyer to make judgements about your home,” says Scott Wilkinson, broker-owner of Wilkinson ERA Real Estate in Charlotte, N.C. That means addressing areas that buyers encounter first such as a cracked driveway, peeling paint on shutters or trim and an unappealing front door. Easy fixes include trimming the bushes, freshening the mulch and painting the front door for added curb appeal.

4. Address the floors

Focus on where the buyer steps. “Floors wow many buyers,” says Venus Howard, a real estate agent with Re/Max Alliance in Westminster, Colo. Deep-clean carpets to get rid of unwanted pet odors and unsightly food stains. If it’s in the budget, re-sand and re-stain hardwood floors. A cheaper improvement is replacing any worn-out linoleum.

5. Update the look

Aim for a more modern look, says John Mangas, broker and co-owner of Re/Max Preferred Associates in Toledo, Ohio. Replace brass light fixtures, faucets, towel bars and door hinges with oiled bronze or brushed nickel ones. Strip off wallpaper and paint walls a neutral color. Pull up carpet in the bathroom and put down ceramic or a quality vinyl tiles, he says. Greg Smith, a real estate agent at Re/Max Alliance of Boulder in Colorado, recommends buying stainless steel appliances for the kitchen for a quick update that “can net thousands more for a home.”

6. Take care of the fundamentals

Make sure the basics mechanics of the home — heating and air conditioning, electrical, plumbing and the roof — are in tip-top shape, says Jim Zarkadas, a real estate agent at Century 21 Commonwealth in Watertown, Mass. “These are hot buttons that make buyers feel comfortable that everything in the home is working and, in most cases, will last for 20 to 30 years,” he says.

7. Get inspected

If you’re not sure where to concentrate your efforts, get an expert’s opinion. Wilkinson recommends having an inspection to find out which areas need to be addressed before they have a chance to unravel a sale.

Source: http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2015/11/16/7-Fixes-Do-Now-Sell-Your-House-Spring