Real Estate Listings

Top 5 Reasons to List Your Home with a Realtor

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

If you’re thinking about selling your home, the lure of saving the money you’d have to spend on a commission to a Realtor is tempting. Don’t be tempted. There are very good reasons to list your home with a Realtor and here are a few good ones.

Let’s start with someone to look out for your interests. A Realtor is bound by a code of ethics to do the right thing. That means putting you, their client, first. They have the knowledge of things like issues you have to disclose to prospective buyers. They can tell you what you need to do to get the best price, and market your property at its best price. They will also be the ones to negotiate with others.

A Realtor is your advocate through the entire process; from listing, to showing, to negotiating, writing the contract and settling on the property. They will know reputable people to handle all the details like inspections and settlement.

If you list your home with a Realtor, they will get you the best price. Statistics show that people who sell with a Realtor get about 16% higher selling prices. That means you are an average of 10% ahead of the game even after the commission is paid. They are well-versed in the market. They know inventory levels, how long it’s taking to sell and what differences are between listing and selling prices. All of this is important when making a decision on accepting an offer or even what to list your home for.

In this day and age you also need to consider who is coming through your home. You are guaranteed that each person that enters your home is accompanied by a licensed Realtor. This means you don’t need to be there. It also means that someone who might be thinking about committing a crime will be deterred by the pre-showing questions about qualifying as a buyer, or at being accompanied in your home. Don’t be tempted, be smart. List your home with a Realtor.

Selling A Clearwater Beach Property – What You Need To Know

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Selling a Clearwater Beach property is much like selling any other home, except for the fact that there are some really good upsides and just a couple of downsides to consider!

Clearwater Beach is a great location for living, and is filled with both second homes and vacation homes. There are areas of high concentration with high rise condos and even some back of the path areas that buyers may not know are even there. As a Clearwater Beach seller, your Realtor needs to know how to reach the buyers who are out there looking for these types of properties!

One of the best ways to do that is to make sure they have a strong presence on the social media and that they are using those channels to help sell your home!

Another thing to ask about is if they have listings in the area. The reason this is so important is that listings up and down the Clearwater and St. Pete Beaches means that they will have a pool of buyers available who expressed an interest in other beach properties and who might not have bought yet.

Additionally, when you are selling in this second home, vacation home market, you need to make sure your listing is top notch as the buyers in the higher end markets are looking for turnkey and ready to move in! Make sure to get your home spruced up BEFORE putting it on the market to get the best sale price.

Last but not least, make sure you are ready to answer all of their questions and have made strategic considerations:

If you are in jumbo loan area (over $417,000) it may pay to lower your price to just below that so that buyers can use conventional mortgages.
Finding out about insurance rates and required flood coverage can help alleviate fears of buyers.
KNOW the HOA rules if you are selling a condo, nothing looks worse than not knowing if they can have their beloved pet or not.
Consider having a pre-home inspection and repairing all the items on the list. Knowing that your home is in tip-top shape can make yours the one they choose.
Pick a Realtor wisely. You need to know that they have a good relationship with the other beach agents AND that they have a strong listing business with years of experience negotiating on your behalf. When searching for homes, you will often find buyers agents who do an amazing job of helping buyers, but you need to know that your realtor is a selling agent who works primarily with listings!

If you are considering selling a Clearwater Beach Property, please give us a call today, we are always happy to help! 727-216-9247

Top 5 Reasons to List with a Realtor

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Selling your home can be a chore, and if you think you can handle everything yourself, think again. Listing with a Realtor to sell your property will save you time, save you aggravation and make you more money in the long run.

A Realtor provides a lot more than most people think. Selling a home isn’t just plop a sign in the front yard and wait for the buyers to come. During the selling process they do more than just bring people to look at your home. They provide advice, facilitate contract negotiations, facilitate inspections and attend settlement with you. They earn their commission.

A Realtor should give you honest advice on what needs to be done to your home to have it in the best shape to get top dollar. You have lived in it and seeing it through fresh eyes isn’t easy, so let the Realtor be them for you. They will point out the places that need repair or updating, what is clutter and how to stage your home to make it look its best. He or she will also have specific knowledge of what buyers in your area love and hate, and can suggest how to play these aspects of your home up or down.

A successful agent is successful for a reason; they are good at what the do. A good agent can sell your home for more money in less time. They will know how to properly price your home, making it visible to those who are looking. The faster it sells the less money you spend on mortgage payments, real estate taxes, utilities and other carrying costs. That in and of itself will more than pay for the commission.

Most seller’s have no idea what it takes to market a home. What about contract negotiations? What you “save” on commission will easily be spent on hiring a real estate attorney to either do the contract work, or bail you out of trouble after the sale if issues come up.

A Realtor is familiar with real estate law and can do everything for much less.

Save yourself the headaches and frustration, use a good Realtor who can give you advice, get you the most for your home and do it in less time!

Looking for Tampa Bay Realtor to help get your home sold fast and for top dollar? Give Deb a call today! 727-410-0336

The Top 5 Kitchen Renovations That Will Help You Sell Your House Faster

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Ever wonder what the top kitchen renovations are to get the highest possible price for your home when you are selling it?

You’ve had a Realtor come through your home and give you some feedback so you can list to sell your house. The suggestion to do a kitchen renovation was not surprising. But do you have to gut the kitchen and start fresh or can you just do a few fast fixes? Well, kitchens sell houses, so updating yours will help. Here are a few suggestions to make your kitchen look fresh and updated and get you top dollar.

Update countertops

Ripping out your entire kitchen may not be in your budget. A total kitchen gut can cost upwards of $25,000.00. However, there are some less expensive things you can do that will make your kitchen look fabulous. Let’s start with countertops. Get rid of your old laminate counters. They look dated, grungy and people hate them. Popular choices today are granite or quartz. Buyers are looking for it, so do it if you want to sell your house.

What about the sink?

While you are replacing the kitchen counters, think about your sink. Enamel and steel aren’t the only choices anymore. You can change size, shape and what it is made out of. Think about doing an under mount. Or a double sink if you have the space, but don’t take too much counter space or make the kitchen look smaller by adding a double sink.

Cabinets

Your cabinets may be really nice, but if they are missing hardware or need a really good cleaning, they will look dated. At the very least take some wood cleaner and clean off the built up grease and grime and replace the hardware. A better idea is to reface or repaint the cabinets. It’s much less expensive than a total replacement.

Appliances and lighting

Do your appliances match? Do they work? If not, think about replacing them. Yes, it’s an expense, but nothing makes a kitchen look worse than old, mismatched appliances. To sell your house you need to update as much as you can. Don’t forget lighting! If there are spaces where you wish there was more light, add it. Under mount lights under cabinets are easy to add and give a lot of light. Look at changing other lighting fixtures as well.

Make your kitchen shine and your house will sell!

Getting Your House in Shape to Sell

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

If you’ve decided to sell your Florida home, getting it in tip top shape isn’t optional, especially if you want to get top dollar. You can start home staging on your own, with some of the tips below, but your best bet is to then have a great realtor come in and do a good walk through to see if you missed anything.

The first things you need to do in getting your home in shape to sell is clean and declutter your home. Realistically you will be doing both at the same time. Go room to room and look around. You should be taking down and packing up at least half of what is in it, and in closets and cabinets. You’re going to be moving and packing anyway, so get a head start. As you are removing things you will see areas of your home that need a good scrubbing or fixing.

Getting your home in shape to sell means making your home look less personal. Personal things should be the first to be packed. Buyers want to be able to picture their things in the house, and seeing your family pictures and memorabilia everywhere will make that difficult. Clutter also makes rooms look and feel smaller. Small doesn’t get you top dollar, spacious does, so the more it feels spacious, the better.

As you pack, scrub. The cleaning should be a deep, floor to ceiling and everything in between cleaning. Under furniture, in closets, behind doors because buyers look everywhere. Steam clean carpets, wax and buff hard woods and make every surface gleam.

Fixing things in the house helps you in getting your home in shape to sell. Once things are clean and decluttered, you will probably see things that need fixing. Fill nail holes in walls, spackle and touch them up. Chipped paint on door jams and woodwork are noticeable and make things look shabby. If you find that the touch ups don’t match the paint on the wall, repaint. This is especially true if your walls are dark or bright colors. Neutral is better. Make sure cupboards open and shut, that their doors are level and match and that no faucets are dripping. Bedrooms and baths should get new linens. Find bedding that looks modern and minimal.

Now you should have your realtor come in and let you know what still needs to be done. The owners that follow our advice frequently sell faster and for more money than they thought they would get!

Give us a call today to find out about listing your Clearwater or St Pete Home for Sale 727-410-0336

Paradise Island Towers- Florida Real Estate

October 27, 2021 By Tara Jacobsen

If you’re looking for great condo living in Treasure Island, Florida, Paradise Island Towers is for you. A treasure in paradise for those on a budget.

Paradise Island Towers is located at 10355 Paradise Boulevard in Treasure Island, Florida. The building was originally built in 1963 and has both 1 and 2 bedroom units. 1 bedroom units are about 850 square feet and asking prices range from $130,000 to $150,000, two bedroom units are about 1050 square feet and asking prices range from $150,000 to $220,000.

Prices will vary based on views you have and what floor the unit is on. Units are bright and airy, immaculately maintained and in “move in” condition. The building has great amenities, including a doorman, waterfront deck, a large gorgeous heated pool and boat slips available to rent suitable for sailboats. This is Florida real estate at its best!

A two bedroom unit is bright and spacious. You walk into a living room/dining room combination with a good sized kitchen. There are also a spacious breakfast bar, a dishwasher, stove, microwave and refrigerator. There is a utility room/laundry room right off the kitchen.

Paradise Island Towers units have a nice sized balcony with great water or park views. The guest/main bathroom is a nice 3 piece bath with tiled floors. The units have a lot of storage, including closets in the hallway. The master bedroom is large and has great water views. It also has its own 3 piece bath. The guest bedroom is large enough for a queen bed, and also has great water views. The units are carpeted throughout.

While Paradise Island Towers units may need some updating, paint and new carpeting, none of it is necessary for function. Units are in great condition and are ready to move in. For a tour or more information on Paradise Island Towers or other Florida real estate, contact Deb Ward, the Irish Realtor.

Update countertops

What about the sink?

Cabinets

Appliances and lighting

The Deb Ward Team