selling your home

How To Price Your Home Right From The Start | Clearwater Realtor Tips

November 11, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Selling your home is stressful, especially if you don’t like the number your Realtor suggests to you as a selling price. You think your home is worth more or just that the price should be higher for “wiggle room” down the line. Bad idea. You should price your home right from the start.

Don’t start high and expect to drop the price later

The first bad idea is starting off with the thought process that you can always drop the price later. Sure, you can do that, but don’t expect the buyers to come running. There is real research on this and guess what? Homes that drop prices later sit on the market longer and sell for less. In fact, the more you drop the price, the lower your selling price will be. That’s because home buyers have a mindset about homes that are reduced. That mindset is “something must be really wrong with that house to have to drop the price.” There might or might not be, but there is no overcoming that mindset.

Setting the price higher for “wiggle room”

A higher price for wiggle room to negotiate is also a bad idea. Why? Because it means the people who would be able to buy your home at the negotiated down price won’t see it. Home buyers look for homes by price range. If you price your home out of the range of your target buyer they won’t even see it. Those who will see it are looking for homes with more amenities for their dollar, and more than your home has. They won’t make an offer that you can negotiate down. What will happen is your home will sit… for months. Then it’s a stale listing and buyers will again wonder what is wrong with your home.

What about the appraisal?

Let’s say you do get a contract at an inflated price. Their mortgage company or bank will require an appraisal. That appraisal better come back at your inflated price or that contract will go away. What are the chances of that appraisal happening?

Price your home fairly

What you want is to price your home fairly, or even just below market value. Yes, it goes against your gut feeling about your home’s value, but what it will get you is a sold home.

If you would like to get some real data about how to price your home for sale from a Clearwater Realtor, give us a call today! The Deb Ward Team 727-410-0336

Real estate services for out of area Pinellas County homeowners

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Have you thought about selling your Pinellas County Florida home, but you live out of the area, and are putting it off until you find the time to come down to organize things for sale? Or, are you handling your parents’ estate in Florida from long distance, and are overwhelmed by all the things that need to be done to sell the house, including finding a local Realtor?

Call The Deb Ward Team, Keller Williams Realty at 727-410-0336 we are here to help!

We have helped many homeowners and their families with the sales of their homes from out of state. Here are some of the services we offer our sellers, and best of all, there is no fee to you for the coordination of these services:

Listing paperwork is prepared and sent to you for electronic signatures – no need to sign in person, and you do not need to print, fax or email the documents
Recommendation and coordination of local maintenance companies for cleaning, landscaping, pool upkeep and repairs
If you need to sell or dispose of furnishings, we can recommend a company who specializes in estate sales and will coordinate pickup of unsold items to your favorite charity
We will keep you up-to-date on the status of your listing, showings, contract and closing via email or phone; whichever you prefer
Closing documents will be sent to you anywhere in the world for you to sign and return, so you do not have to attend the closing in person

These are just some of the things we can do to make the sale of your home easy. Let us take the stress out of selling your home – it would be our pleasure to assist you!

The Deb Ward Team is a top selling team of professionals who each specialize in their area of expertise to serve you better.

Please call us at 727-410-0336, or email us at info@DeborahWard.com to get your home SOLD!

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The Deb Ward Team

Keller Williams Realty

727-410-0336

info@deborahward.com

Should You “Test The Market” With A High Price To Start

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

It sounds like a good strategy, “test the market” by asking a high price for your home. I mean, what harm could it do and you could even luck out and get asking right? Well, not so fast. It’s not a good strategy and here’s why.

Who will and won’t see your home?

For one thing, when you “test the market” the people who can actually afford your home at the right price won’t even see it. Most people start searches online but even if they start with a Realtor, the searches the Realtor does won’t include your home. Those that do see it won’t be interested. Your home will be too small or not what their price range usually offers. Of course, that means you won’t be getting any offers. Unfortunately, your neighbor who is also selling will. Your overpriced home makes their correctly priced one look good. Not to mention that the first few days your home will be on the market are the golden ones. Most deals are made then.

Remember today’s buyers are very savvy

People know what a home is generally worth. They do their homework. They also will be less likely to want to try and negotiate a deal. If they even see the listing. That means your home is sitting and a stale house doesn’t sell for asking, or even for less than the true market price. It’s true. When you lower a price because you asked too much to begin with, those who are interested will demand a bigger discount and more concessions.

What if you do get an offer?

So let’s say you actually get a bite at your first price. Guess what? The house won’t appraise at the high price and the buyer won’t get a mortgage. No mortgage, no sale.

Oh, and if you find a Realtor who thinks it’s a good idea, find a different one!

How To Market Your Small House For Sale

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

You live in the cutest house. It’s not big, in fact it’s rather small, but it fit you perfectly, until now. Now you need to move, either to upsize or for a job, and sell your adorably small home. We aren’t talking tiny home, but smaller than most of the other homes in the area. So how do you market your home to sell?

Well, just like any other home! Do the same things the owners of those bigger homes are doing. Just on a smaller scale.

Decluttering your home before sale is actually a hugely important thing with a smaller house. Clutter will make it look ever smaller than it is. Making rooms light, bright and bigger is important. Clean it thoroughly and update wherever you can.

When repainting, go for lighter hues to give an airy and bigger feel. Remember, dark colors make a room feel smaller. Move bigger furniture out to storage and keep smaller, cozier pieces in place. You may love your king size bed, but if it takes up the whole room, it’s not a plus!

Is your small house a cape cod? Dress up those window nooks to be cozy spaces to sit and read or escape from the world. Make all available space livable. Finish the attic or basement (or both!). That bonus space will really help. Make everything as maintenance free as possible.

Target your updates to your target buyer. That would be a first time buyer or a downsizing buyer. A first time buyer usually can’t afford a bigger home, so a smaller first home is their usual go to.

Your downsizing crowd has had the big, costly and time consuming home and wants to lighten that load. Your smaller home, will less rooms to clean, lower utility bills and taxes is just what they are looking for.

A small home isn’t a liability when selling, just know how to market it to the right buyer and it will sell in no time!

How To Sell Your House When You Have Already Moved

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

It happens. You have to move before you can get your home sold. Often it’s because of a job transfer, but whatever the reason, it’s not the optimal way to sell and move. So what can you do?

Your first order of business should happen before you move out. As you pack to go, clean. Make the place spotless. This will be easier to do when the house is empty of your belongings, but start as you pack. Also, consult with a Realtor to see if any updates are a good idea. Ideally, they can be done once you move out, and then you can list right away. These are a lot of the same things that any seller should do.

Now that you’ve moved out, deep cleaned the empty house and made any necessary updates, it’s time to get listed. Your best bet is to have someone come in and stage the home.

Empty homes are, unfortunately, harder to sell. Spending the extra money to make it look lived it, or at least give prospective buyers an idea of each room’s purpose, will pay for itself. If you can’t afford a professional service, see if family or friends can help with some furnishings and such to help out while it’s listed.

You also need to make sure the home stays spotlessly clean. Either hire a cleaning service to come through once a week, or have a friend or family member do it. Nothing says “empty house” more than dust bunnies! Make sure systems and appliances are in working order.

Same with the yard. Have a lawn service keep the yard mowed and weeded. Curb appeal is very important. Also make sure that your mail and newspapers are forwarded or stopped. Keep a few lights in the home on a timer so they go on and off regularly.

A lot of this is important for another reason as well. Empty homes are a target for break- ins and vandalism. Have friends or neighbors keep an eye on the home for you and call the police if there is anything hinky going on. That said, empty also doesn’t sell well, so making your house look lived in will help you sell.

If you would like some help getting your home sold, give the Deb Ward Team a call!

727-410-0336

Survival Tips For House Selling With Kids | Selling Your Home

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

For one reason or another it’s time to pack up the family and move. That means selling your home with kids around. It doesn’t have to be the nightmare that it sounds. Here are some survival tips for parents.

Clear out the clutter

Before you put the house on the market go through and seriously clear out the clutter. That means all those boxes of keepsakes stored in the attic or garage as well as the clutter in the kids rooms and rest of your home. If you can’t part with some, put them in storage temporarily. Whatever can go should go and if that means multiple trips to Goodwill, good! Then put away in storage the bigger toys from the yard, bedrooms and toy room, artwork on the fridge and most of the things that personalize your home. You can leave a few family pictures up, but thin them out.

Time to stage and photograph

Once things are clean and decluttered call your realtor to have him or her stage and photograph. If that means that you take the kids to the park or out for a treat, do it. Let the realtor have free rein to make your home look like a showplace for your listing photos. Don’t forget that you need to stage the playroom as something else. You can have a small area that is “kid friendly” that buyers will see, but make sure that kids bedrooms and playrooms are made more neutral. The playroom can be staged as a home office, kid decorated bedrooms should be repainted.

Have a checklist

Now that your home is listed, there are more things to do. One is having your Realtor give you enough notice to tidy up the house and get the kids packed up and out of the way for the showing. That may mean requiring an hour or two notice. Discuss it with your Realtor. In order to make sure you get everything back in tip top shape, have a checklist. List everything! In a rush you don’t want to forget anything.

Write a note detailing your home and neighborhood

So how can you let the prospective buyers know how awesome your home and neighborhood is? Write about it. A quick, one page note will be enough to expound upon the details in your listing. Talk about the neighborhood, schools, shopping and so on.

Last tip?

Keep your truck empty so you can “dump and run” with clutter that you can’t successfully put away.