Realtor Tips – Page 25

Lucky Charms – Why burying a St. Joseph’s Medal in Your Back Yard Works!

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

So are there really lucky charms? Can you use something like a St. Joseph’s medal to hurry the real estate selling process along? Well, it certainly can’t hurt, so let’s look at some of the more well-known lucky charms of real estate. Selling your home takes a lot of things. It takes good strategy. It takes a lot of patience. It takes finding a great Realtor who has a consistent track record. It also takes luck!

St. Joseph is known as the patron saint of real estate. Not a bad place to start! There are many who believe that burying a statue or medal of St. Joseph in the yard will help sell their home. Does this lucky charm work? Well, some homeowners and Realtors swear by it. As soon as the “for sale” sign goes in the yard, St. Joseph goes in the ground. Believers know of incidents where homes don’t sell and then someone buries St. Joseph on the property and the offers flood in. What can it hurt?

Not a big believer in the power of saints? Well, what about numbers? An even bigger real estate superstition is about numbers. So which numbers? That depends. Some are general some are culturally specific. There is a general superstition about these numbers: 13, 3 and 7. Some people actually fear the number 13. The scientific terms is “triskaidekaphobia.” It is a common phobia, worldwide. From Christianity (Jesus and the 12 Apostles added to 13) to other faiths or just generally, people will avoid 13. Friday the 13th anyone? To avoid issues many builders will number floors of buildings every number except 13. At the very least, many people believe that the number 13 is unlucky. Now the numbers 3 or 7 are another story. For various reasons these two numbers are considered lucky charms not just in real estate but other areas of life as well.

In other cultures other numbers are lucky or unlucky. For the Chinese, 8 is lucky because it is pronounced very similarly to the same word for wealth and prosperity, but 4 is unlucky, because it sounds like the Chinese word for death. The Chinese have other superstitions for real estate as well. Door color, which way the home faces and other things inside that relate to Feng Sui.
So, be smart, but try some lucky charms too! Who knows, it could work!

Home Sales Tips – Selling to Snowbirds

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Home sales tips for Florida means selling to snowbirds. Snowbirds are people who come from a northern snowy climate for the sunny weather of Florida in the winter.

The snowbirds are coming! The snowbirds are coming! And they are looking for a home to buy. So selling yours makes sense. Home sales in the fall, selling in the “off selling season” makes a lot of sense just because of snowbirds.

No, snowbirds aren’t actually birds. The term was coined as a play on the idea of migratory birds who head south when the weather farther north turns cold. That’s exactly what “snowbirds” are: people who head south for the winter. They are typically retirees or business owners who have a second home in a warmer location. If they own a business it may be a seasonal one in the colder climate; think business on the boardwalk on the Jersey Shore, or whose business can be easily moved from place to place; think direct sales or something similar.

While some RV it for the winter, most rent or buy a second home in the warmer place. While snowbirds used to be more wealthy people, today because of taxes, they sometimes move and make their “permanent” residence in the state with the most beneficial tax code. For whatever reason, there are a lot of them! If they don’t already have a home, they will be looking for one.

This is where the benefit of a snowbird comes in for you, the seller. If you are considering upsizing, keep in mind many snowbirds are downsizing. They want smaller, less work so they can be more relaxed over the winter. That is the biggest thing for you, the seller, to keep in mind. They generally want a project free home. So, fix things, update and sell it!

A home sales tip for you means that NOW, before and during Thanksgiving and Christmas, is the time to list. Many stay “home” with family for the holidays and then head south. Having your home available as they arrive can be the difference between selling and waiting until next year.

Why Do Real Estate Markets Swing Between Buyers or Sellers Markets?

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Real estate markets change. Sometimes a buyer’s market, others a sellers. So why does it change? There are a lot of reason why it could.

Real estate markets swing between a buyer’s market and seller’s market. When there are a lot of houses for sale and not a lot of buyers, the buyers have the upper hand and it’s their market. When there are a few sellers and a lot of buyers, the sellers have the upper hand and it’s their market. It’s a cyclical thing and it changes from time to time.

The biggest factor in changing the market from one to another are economic factors. The perfect example of this was before, during and since the real estate bubble burst. Before, the markets everywhere were strong sellers markets. There were a lot of buyers with access to easy financing, and home values soared. Then the bubble burst. Suddenly homes weren’t worth what they had been. Financing became harder to get. While the market was bad for both buyers and sellers, buyers had an edge. For a long time it stayed a buyer’s market. Sellers were desperate to sell but there weren’t enough buyers. Now that things have improved the markets in some places have changed again. Home values are improving and sellers are again getting the upper hand.

Things like jobs can make a difference too. If a new employer moves into the area, then people come for jobs and homes become a need. If an employer leaves the area and takes jobs away, then the market switches over again.

A buyer’s and seller’s market is a fluid thing. If you are looking to sell your home, or buy one, knowing which market is hot in your area is important. Knowing what contributes to each is important as well. It can help you not only decide if now is the time to sell or buy, but whether a market change is coming.

Real Estate: Top 5 Buyer Turn Offs

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Part of selling real estate and getting your price is making it super appealing to buyers. Makes sense, but what you have to remember is that something great for you, may be a turn off for buyers. Here are some of the biggest.

Dirt and bad odors. The first and biggest turn off for buyers is dirt and odors. Of course, some people have higher definitions of “clean” than others, but you should never show a house with visible dirt. Even if it isn’t the most up to date, it better be clean. That includes smells. An obvious turn off smell is cigarette smoke. A serious, thorough cleaning, may help get rid of that, and replacing curtains, drapes and carpeting that all hold the smoke smell will help. Then take the smoking OUTSIDE!

Pet smells are next. They can be incredibly hard to get rid of, since they can seep into flooring. Other smells like cooking odors and perfumes. Make sure the house is clean and be light on perfumey air fresheners. A good way to have a great smelling home is to make toast and add cinnamon sugar to it just before your open house or private showing.

Crazy paint colors are another turn off. Color has a huge effect on mood. You can’t please every style, and sure the Realtor can tell them “so you can repaint” but who wants to move into a home and immediately have to work it? Best bet is to repaint in a neutral palette.

A messy outdoor space or a super landscaped property. This sounds like it’s a “you can’t win” situation, but there is a happy medium. A messy yard, meaning unmowed, messy gardens and kids toys or junk everywhere, turns people off before they even get inside. A very intricately manicured property screams “YOU’LL BE DOING YARD WORK ALL THE TIME!” to buyers. The amount of work to keep up with it can turn buyers off.

Weird renovation projects. Renovating is usually a good thing, but putting things in odd places, or making a room into something it obviously wasn’t supposed to be is a big turn off. If it makes a buyer see dollar signs to put it back to what it should be, they will go running in the other direction.

There are others, but concentrate on these few and your home will sell much faster!

Now That You Are Under Contract- STOP – 4 Things NOT To Do

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

So you’ve successfully listed your home and now you have a buyer under contract. Congratulations! Your home is technically still yours, but there are things that you can no longer do to it with a contract in place. Buyers, you’re not off the hook either!

Sellers, first thing, unless you have an agreement with the buyers to make improvements to the home, don’t. Don’t change out high end appliances for lower end ones. They agreed to buy your home in the state it is in, and with the items and appliances in it that were included in the contract. If you wanted to keep the appliances, you should have put that in the contract. Another no-no: don’t turn off your utilities. There are several reasons for that. First, it may cause problems for the buyer to get them switched over to their name. Second, if you live in an area where winters get cold, lack of heat can cause issues with plumbing and frozen pipes. Any billing discrepancies will be handled at settlement.

Buyers, you’re not off the hook either. Some no-no’s for you too. First, don’t run out and buy appliances, furniture and all the stuff you think you need for the home. If you run up credit cards or empty your savings you could jeopardize final approval and disbursement of your mortgage. The mortgage company makes decisions about your creditworthiness based upon the amount of savings and debt at the time of application. What you may not realize is they monitor your financial activity until the mortgage is disbursed. Buying binges will change your creditworthiness. Second, stop looking at listings. You have your new home sweet home, so looking further is a waste of the Realtor’s time.

Sellers and Buyers- Being under contract is kind of a limbo. Don’t do things to jeopardize the contract and sale.

Tips to Make Your Open House a Success | Tips For Sellers

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Make your open house a success by being smart home seller! Make your house shine inside and out and you will have a successful open house and sell quickly.

You’ve listed your home and scheduled an open house. A great first step. Now get busy on making your home look great.

Start with the outside of your home. Make sure the lawn and landscaping are mowed, neat, weeded and watered. Freshen up the front door. You don’t want to turn buyers off before they even step in the door.

Once buyers get inside your home, appeal to their every sense. Start with smell. If your home smells stuffy or like pets, kiss their interest good bye. Obviously, if you live with them day in and day out, you won’t notice them. So how can you be sure? Baking! Nothing says “you’re home” like the smell of freshly baked cookies or muffins. Of course another way to make your home smell fresh is to make sure it’s clean from top to bottom. The smell of “fresh baked” will only cover so much.

Make your home light and bright. If it’s warm out open the windows to let in fresh air and sunlight. If it’s cold, open blinds and curtains to get the same effect. This is especially important in smaller rooms. If a room doesn’t get enough natural light, light lamps. Light gives the illusion of space and cleanliness.

Next, play music. Why? Music can greatly affect mood. No hard rock, or elevator music, but jazz or classical are good choices. Play it softly, in the background.

Have a fact sheet about your home. Buyers looking will have many of the same questions, such as when it was built, how old the roof and heating system is, schools, etc. Unless you want to be answering the same ones all day, a fact sheet is very handy. Also helpful if your property is family friendly, have a small area set aside for children with coloring books, crayons and small toys. That way mom and dad can look while the kids are occupied.

Stage your home. Set the table, set out flowers, light fireplaces, light candles. Rearrange furniture to make rooms look larger and less cluttered. Make sure the temperature is comfortable, and then if you live in a seasonal area, set out pictures of what your home looks like in different seasons.

The Deb Ward Team