Why I love Keller Williams

Why I Love Keller Williams

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#2. Get Rid of Evidence of Pets

It's True, you love your pets. Your Friends probably love your pets too. They are a big part of your family. But when you're selling your home, you have to appeal to the largest group of buyers.

If you have a dog or cat send them away for the day. Hide the litter box and any evidence of it’s aroma. Make sure there are no dog feces in the front yard. This type of thing, along with its smells can convince a buyer that there are allergens, mites and pet urea in the house. Houses with more pets are also considered to be less desirable than ones with no pets at all.

#1. Clear All Clutter

You can get rid of all of the junk in your home for free. Simply get rid of anything you don’t need and haul it away in your car to the nearest dump or Goodwill. This means getting rid of “stuff” in the front yard, back yard, hallway and basement. Studies have shown that people perceive clutter as being indicative of a property that is decrepit or not worth much money. They also associate it with decay and the presence of vermin or bugs.

One thing in particular you need to get rid of is ashtrays. People consider houses that have been smoked in to be less desirable and also smelly.

You should also get rid of all junk in your yard. This includes things like broken garden hoses, old equipment and bicycles.

Even things you are actively using should be tucked out of sight before a house showing. This means clearing your kitchen counter of appliances like George Forman Grills or blenders or anything else that takes up counter space.

Outside you should make sure that your garden hoses are coiled up, your birdbath is clean of leaves and that you do not have sports equipment or bikes laying around your front porch.

10 Ways To Make Your House Show Like A Model Home

If you are trying to sell your home then it really pays off to go to a little extra effort to impress your buyers. There have been studies that show it takes buyers only seven seconds to decide whether or not they are going to buy a home once they set foot in a house. That it is why it so crucial to make a good impression and also why “staging” a home for sale is such a fine art.

However not all of us have the cash on hand, or the time and energy, to do things that are really going to flip your home over to the next buyer quickly. For instance, not everybody has the cash on hand to install a brand new flashy Jacuzzi complete with freestanding brass towel warmers and new stone tile floors. However you might have the money on hand to install designer faucets, paint the walls and replace the old iron door handles with trendy new crystal knobs.

Here are some quick and easy ways to make your home show like a model home for under $200. These are easy-to-do tips and the type of thing an interior decorator would advise you to do to help “stage" a property so it is more attractive to buyers. The goal of this “top ten list: is to give you hints on how to make your home show better than your competitor’s home on the real estate market!

1. Clear All Clutter
2. Get Rid of Evidence of Pets
3. Get Rid of Evidence of Kids
4. Clean Up the Front Yard and Porches
5. Get Rid of Sunken Paving Stones
6. Paint Rooms That Need It
7. Replace Some Fixtures
8. Change the Faucets and Spouts
9. Provide Flowers and Greenery
10. Provide Some Aromatherapy

Of course if you do have some money to invest in preparing your home for sale, you can also hire a professional to stage your home for you. The benefits of this are usually a faster sale and more money for your property. Many of these organizations can rent you furniture and accessories that can help make your home look better. A home stager can also offer you an objective perspective on what exactly it is that can make your home look fresh, appealing and attractive to others.

With an eye for design and just a few hundred bucks you can usually fix up your home so that it is more appealing to buyers all by yourself.

Wining with Foreclosures

Terms you should know:

1. Distressed Property: Th is term refers to all pre-foreclosure and foreclosed
property.

2. Notice of Default: Th e homeowner has missed one or more payments and
gets this letter saying the lender will foreclose. Th e time period from notice
of default to foreclosure is called pre-foreclosure.

3. Short Sale: Th e lender agrees to settle for less than the full amount due
on the homeowner’s mortgage. Th is may happen any time during the preforeclosure.

4. Foreclosure: Th e process by which the lender takes property from the
owner for failure to pay; also the term to describe the foreclosed property
itself (a foreclosure).

5. Auction: Foreclosed property is normally off ered at auction fi rst—auctions
are run either by local government (city or county) or by an auction
vendor.

6. Bank Owned or REO (real estate owned—a banking term): Foreclosed
property that is not sold at auction returns to the lender (bank). Th e lender
usually hires an asset manager who lists the property with an agent.

IAR (Illinois Association of Realtors) Question.

What strategies do you see your best agent teams employing?

“Getting to know your local banks well to see if they will cooperate with short sales. Experience and relationships for this activity are key.”

“Staging and pricing are extremely important. There is so much inventory competing, the home has to stand out from the competition.”

“Constant communication with referral base. ‘New’ business is almost impossible to secure.”

“Help and advice to sellers, a lot are trying to wait it out.”

“Strong prospecting, knowledge of current market.”

“Give the consumer the raw information even if it hurts.”

“Prospecting for first-time homebuyers or seniors with equity positions.”

“Hard work. Back to basics.”

“Only work with qualified clients.”

Chicago Neighborhoods

 Click here for CITY information that includes :

Chicago Sales History at a Glance, with current price information and 10 years of sales growth data for condo's/townhomes, homes, and 2- to 4-flats for every neighborhood of Chicago.

Condo and Townhome Pricing Profiles--detailed reports that show how prices vary by area and size.

Single-Family Home Pricing Profiles--that show how prices vary not just by size but also by condition.

Chicago in 25 Maps, providing what we think may be the best maps for real estate shopping in Chicago.

Chicago Neighborhood Boundaries with the specific boundaries for over 150 neighborhoods in the city.

Census Tract maps, one that shows the north side and one that shows the south side.

School Boundaries--an online source you can check for any address in the city.

Other Neighborhood Information—several websites we think you will find especially of value as you explore the best neighborhood to invest in.



Click here for SUBURBAN information with:

Sales History at a Glance, with current price information and 10 years of sales growth data for condo's/townhomes and single-family homes in 85 key suburbs.

Condo and Townhome Profiles--detailed reports that show how prices vary by area and size.

Single-Family Home Profiles--that show how prices vary not just by size but also by condition.

Other Neighborhood Information

--several websites we think you will find especially of value as you explore the best neighborhood to invest in.

I am a Real Estate Agent - This is the Truth