Tips For Making Your Home More Sellable

Posted on Aug 29, 2012

Before you put your home on the market, there are some things you can do to differentiate your house among the competitors.

When preparing to put your home up for sale, your first concern is the home’s exterior. If the outside, or “curb appeal” looks good, people will more than likely want to see what’s on the inside. Keep the lawn and landscape nicely manicured. Trim the bushes and season permitting, plant some flowers. Be sure your front door area has a “Welcome” feeling. A fresh coat of paint on the front door looks great.

Of all the rooms inside your home, pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms. They should look as modern, bright and fresh as possible. It is essential for them to be clean and odor free. A fresh coat of paint just may do the trick. Have any leaky faucets taken care of. A call to a plumber is a wise investment.

Since you want your home to look as spacious as possible, remove any excess or very large furniture. Make sure that table tops, dressers and closets are free of clutter. Don’t use your garage or attic to store these extra things. These areas also need to have the impression of space. Instead, put them into storage. Make sure walls and doors are free of smudges and look for anything that might indicate a maintenance problem, such as cracked windows, holes in the wall or stained ceilings.

Quick tips for showings:

·         Keep counter tops cleared

·         Replace all burned out light bulbs

·         Open all drapes and window blinds

·         Put pets in cages or take them to a neighbor

·         No dirty dishes in the sink

·         No laundry in the washer/dryer

·         Clean or replace dirty or worn carpets

·         Put on soft music

·         Burn wood in the fireplace on cold days, otherwise, the fireplace should be clean

Always look at your home from the buyer’s point of view. Be objective and be honest.

Article Provided by Realtor.com…  http://www.realtor.com/basics/sell/prephome/saleable.asp?source=web

End of Summer Checklist

Posted on Aug 23, 2012

As we near the end of summer, it’s time to look ahead and plan out home maintenance projects that have to be done before the cold weather strikes.

While the weather is warm and before the months of September and October, we encourage clients to walk around the exterior of their home and make a list of problematic areas. Some can be fixed by owners and others will require assistance from an expert.

End-of-summer projects can include:

1. Outdoor painting. If you don’t have the time or the resources to do a full painting job, go around the outside of the house and touch up any areas that look rough. If you find peeling paint, the areas can be scraped and sanded, then primed and painted to maintain even texture.

2. Outdoor caulking and sealing. Windows should be checked inside and out for possible leaks or cracks. With cold weather just around the corner, leaks or cracks could mean higher heating bills. Have leaks and cracks sealed with caulk, then look at the trim around each window—if any pieces are pulling out, check for mold or rotting, then replace or reattach wood.

3. Concrete and asphalt patching. If your home features an asphalt driveway, it can be repaired with asphalt patching material. Asphalt should be sealed every other year. If the driveway or walkways are concrete, cracks or holes can be repaired with epoxy patching material.

4. Patio and deck maintenance. On wood decks, rotted boards should be replaced, painted or stained as needed, and critter nests and debris cleared. On brick patios, you should replace missing bricks, level off areas where tree roots have pushed up the bricks and re-grout any areas where weeds or weather have degraded the hold between bricks.

5. Landscaping. Keep landscaping clean and attractive. Weeds should be pulled, dropped fruits and nuts removed from under trees to deter animals, and trees and bushes trimmed so they don’t scrape the side of the house. Many landscaping companies offer affordable fall clean-up packages for homeowners who don’t want to do the work themselves.

During colder months, you can do interior cosmetic upgrades, such as replacing floor coverings, upgrading cabinet hardware and interior painting. With a prioritized list, you will feel more confident in your ability to finish interior updates before the start of the 2013 real estate season.

Portions provided by RISMedia.

“A Very Easy Experience for Us…”

Posted on Aug 21, 2012

“The home selling process was a very difficult situation for us, as many others had failed completely.  You made what was a most difficult situation a very easy experience for us…Our many thanks again, I cannot say it often enough!  It has been a joy knowing you both.  We found ourselves loving you!”

“You Saved Us From Being Landlords…”

Posted on Aug 17, 2012

A Note From a Recent Seller –

“We were just about resigned to having to lease our previous residence on Osito Court, but you and George saved us from being landlords, which had no appeal for us.  We feel fortunate to have sold in this difficult housing market.  Your expertise, diligence, hard work and the dedication of your whole team made it happen for us.  Rest assured that we will definitely recommend you to any friends and relatives who may wish to sell their home in the future.

Tim and Mary Ann”

Albuquerque Metro Area Monthly Market Report

Posted on Aug 16, 2012

July 2012 had 719 single-family detached sales, showing a 15.04% improvement from the previous year.

According the the Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors, July was a good month for home sales in Albuquerque!  See below for more stats on how the market looked in July.

* Pending sales for single-family detached homes rose 29.69% from the previous year and make July 2012 the highest Pending month of this year.

* July 2012 had 719 single-family detached sales, showing a 15.04% improvement from the prevoius year and was the highest July sales month since 2009.

ACTIVE LISTINGS
Detached: 4,152
Attached: 428

PENDING SALES
Detached: 1,057
Attached: 79

CLOSED SALES
Detached: 719
Attached: 55

AVERAGE SALES PRICE
Detached: $210,685
Attached: $134,417

“Thrilled to death…”

Posted on Aug 16, 2012

A Note From a Recent Buyer –

“We are getting settled in our gorgeous home and are thrilled to death!  We are so grateful to you, Nancy, for bringing this house to our attention.  It’s absolutely perfect for us!  It’s like you read our mind and knew exactly what we were looking for.”

Let us know how we can help you be thrilled with your next home purchase as well!