Category Archives: Selling Your Home
5 Tips To Prepare Your Home To Be Sold
Don't sell your house before doing these 5 things first!
If you’re thinking about selling your home in the Spring or Summer now is the time to start getting the home ready. If you want to sell your home quickly and for top dollar do these 5 things as you prepare your home.
Create a great first impression.
Winter may not be the best time to prepare landscaping however one key area you can work on any time of the year is the front entry way to your home. Look at the door does it need to be painted? How is the trim work? Make sure this are is clean and free of any cobwebs or dirt. Remember that the buyer will often be waiting outside for a few minutes before entering the home.
Declutter
This is a simple one but not easy. Picture your home as a model home. You want to make the rooms look open and inviting. Sell or pack excess furniture. Pack knickknacks or decor that is excessive.
Clear The Kitchen Countertops
Kitchen spaces can seem small when they are covered with appliances, utensils and pots and pans. Remove everything off the countertops to make your kitchen and counter space appear bigger.
Make sure the home is odor free
Smells can make or break a house. Odors can easily be picked up on as soon as you enter a house. Make sure your home is odor free. Keep it clean. If you’re a smoker, smoke outside. Air out the house if you need to or seek professional help if you have a severe odor.
Fix things that are broken
If you know things need to be done take care of them. Fix little things like burned out light bulbs, leaky faucets, or electrical switches that don’t work. If you really want to be proactive you can do a pre-home inspection and find out exactly what issues would come up on an inspection report. This gives you time to fix or evaluate the issues before putting the house on the market. We have home inspectors we can recommend if you need help with this.
If you’d like more ideas on getting your home ready contact and request our free Room By Room Review booklet. We can email you a copy of this booklet or come out and personally give you our recommendations on what to do and what not to do.
11 Reasons Home Sellers Should List During the Holiday Season
Now is a great time to sell your home.
We are rolling toward the end of October and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Many home seller chose to pull their homes off the market this time of year and wait until Spring to sell. Here are 11 reasons sellers should list during the Holiday Season.
11. By selling now, you may have an opportunity to be a non-contingent buyer during the Spring, when many more houses are on the market for less money! This will allow you to sell high and buy low.
10. You can sell now for more money and we will provide for a delayed closing or extended occupancy until early next year.
9. Even though your house will be on the market, you still have the option to restrict showings during the six or seven days around the Holidays.
8. January is traditionally the month for employees to begin new jobs. Since transfers cannot wait until Spring to buy, you need to be on the market during the Holidays to capture the market.
7. Some people must buy before the end of the year for tax reasons.
6. Buyers have more time to look for a home during the Holidays than they do during a work week.
5. Buyers are more emotional during the Holidays, so they are more likely to pay your price.
4. Houses show better when decorated for the Holidays.
3. Since the supply of listings will dramatically increase in January, there will be less demand for your particular home. Less demand means more money for you.
2. Serious buyers have fewer houses to choose from during the Holidays and less competition means more money for you.
And the number one reason why your seller should list during the Holidays …
1. People who look for homes during the Holidays are more serious buyers!
If you’d like to know if this is the best time or not to sell for you please contact me at 609-338-3773.
* repost from blog.KW.com
Don’t Do These 3 Things If You Want To Sell Your Egg Harbor Township, NJ House
Here are 3 critical mistakes you want to avoid to sell your Egg Harbor Township, NJ House.
Read this first before making one of these 3 critical mistakes seller’s make when selling their Egg Harbor Township, NJ home.
- Over price the home! This may seem like a no brainer but many home sellers will over price their home thinking they will net more money. In fact overpricing your home can actually lead to netting less than if you priced it right from the beginning. Most home sellers will overprice their homes for the following reasons:
- Bad information. They may have inaccurate information on what their home is worth.
- Room for negotiations. Sellers may price the home high expecting to get a lower offer. However if the home is priced too high you won’t get any offers
- Net proceeds. Some sellers will price the home based on what they need to net rather than what the home is worth.
- Prepare the home to be sold. Home staging works to help the house show like a model home. If the house is messy or cluttered or dirty it will not show well and may turn off buyers completely. Preparing your home to be sold helps your Egg Harbor Township home sell faster and for more money. We offer our clients a Room By Room Home Staging Checklist to help them prepare the home to be sold. We also work with professional home stagers that can provide services to home owners and even furnish and decorate vacant homes.
- Bad photography. It’s amazing how many homes I see for sale online with horrible photos. There are blurry pictures, dark pictures, pictures with the home owner in them etc. Most home buyers start their search on the internet and pictures are the first impression. You only get one chance to make a great first impression. Make sure you have great photos and use a professional photographer.
I hope this list helps you as you prepare to sell your Egg Harbor Township, NJ home. Contact us for a free consultation so we can help you net more money and have a faster sale. Best wishes, Matt
5 Tips To Sell A Unique Property In Egg Harbor Township, NJ
Not every house is the same and sometimes there are no comparable homes to go by.
Recently I met with a few seller clients that wanted advice on selling their unique homes. In Egg Harbor Township there are many developments where the houses are very similar and it’s very easy to determine market value. There are also many unique homes and properties that may be difficult to find any homes to compare with them. In the township there are waterfront homes, farm properties, historic homes and interesting mixed use properties. So how do you sell a unique property that’s not your typical cookie cutter home?
- First I like to take a look at what the highest and best use for the property would be. Is it on a large piece of land? Could it be subdivided?
- Then I like to look at who the potential buyer would be. Are their attributes of the home or property that would appeal to certain buyers? Is it in a waterfront location or close to parks and recreation. Determining the likely buyer can also help determine how they may position the value of the home.
- Look for similar properties. Do the best to find similar homes even if they are in another city nearby.
- I also like to help my clients evaluate if there are upgrades or improvements to the property that could be done to significantly improve the value of the property.
- Another option is to have an appraisal done on the property. This will help give you an idea of how the appraiser would determine value and then price the property close to the appraised value.
If you or someone you know has a unique property and you need help determining the value. Contact me for a free consultation. Best wishes, Matt
When Is The Best Time Of Year To Sell A Home In Four Seasons Smithville, NJ
Here is a look at 2018 sales in Four Seasons Smithville, Galloway Township, NJ
Four Seasons Smithville is a fantastic 55 and over active adult community built by K. Hovnanian. This is the largest 55 and over community in Atlantic County and has some of the best amenities activities and clubs for active adult home buyers. Recently I met with a couple who will be relocating and wanted to know when would be the best time of year to sell their house. Their new home would not be ready until July or August and they wanted to time the sale of their Four Seasons home with the purchase of the new home. I studied the 2018 sales in the community to give them an idea of when they would need to put their house on the market for sale.
The chart shows the number of sales each month for the community. Average days on market for Four Seasons was 57 for the year. So that means it took 57 days on average for a home to sign a contract. Then typically it would take another 30-60 days to close from that date.
The biggest sales month was July followed by April and September. If you are looking to sell at one of the peak months March or April is a great time to list the house for sale. Who do you know that needs this kind of advice in selling their home? Contact me for a free consultation.
Best wishes, Matt
Real Estate Market Update For Mays Landing, NJ
Here is the latest update for the real estate market for Mays Landing, Hamilton Township, NJ Atlantic County
So first let me say that this update is for Hamilton Township (AKA Mays Landing), Atlantic County, NJ. There are two Hamilton Townships in NJ so if you are looking for Atlantic County in South Jersey you’ve come to the right place! Mays Landing is located about 20 minutes east of Atlantic City and Ocean City. Mays Landing is also the regional shopping and retail hub of the county and home to The Hamilton Mall and many other strip centers and chain restaurants.
Here is an update for the Hamilton Township real estate market. New listings were down slightly for December. Closed sales were up. Days on market was down to just 63 days. The median sales price was lower for the month however it is up 14% year to date to a median sales price of $173,250.
This report also takes a look at condos and townhomes in Mays Landing. New listings were down for the month and median sales price is up 21%. Monthly supply of inventory is up slightly to 6 months.
If you or someone you know is thinking of buying or selling real estate in Mays Landing please let us know. We can help them analyze the real estate market in their neighborhood to see if this is a good time to buy or sell for them.
In this video I answer one of the most common questions I get. Should I wait until Spring to buy or sell a home.
Can a Short Sale Apply to a Commercial Property?
Short sales are one option property owners who need to let go of their real estate can look into. These types of sales are where an owner works with their lender to sell the property as quickly as possible at a lower price than what’s owed, with the goal of helping the lender recoup as much as they can on the loss of a property, while allowing the owner to get out from underneath a financial burden.
Can a Short Sale Apply to a Commercial Property?
Short sales are not something to be entered into lightly. They do provide a way to deal with a property which is underwater or valued at less than what is owed should financial strife be an issue preventing an owner from continuing to make their mortgage payments. The housing crisis of 2008 led to many homeowners opting for a short sale over foreclosure. Can a short sale apply to a commercial property?
The answer is yes, you can seek a short sale of your commercial property. You do need to show proof of hardship, reflecting why you are no longer able to pay the mortgage on the property. Just as with a residential property, if a commercial property owner isn’t able to meet the payments, provided you can market the property at its current value, a short sale can be an option over foreclosure.
Being able to get at or close to the current market value of the property is key to getting lender approval and acceptance of a short sale; they want to recoup as much as they can after all. There’s one critical thing to keep in mind as a commercial property owner vs a residential owner however. It’s possible that your lender is more likely to take you to court for the remaining balance through seeking a Deficiency Judgment. This tends to be more prevalent with commercial properties compared to residential ones.
A Deficiency Judgment lawsuit can occur after a short sale and is an option for lenders to attempt to recoup more of the original loan. This is not to say it will happen, but it’s important if you’re considering a short sale on your commercial property that this could occur. Our goal in successful short sale negotiation is to have any deficiency forgiven.
If you’re facing financial distress and own commercial property, a short sale is one option to consider. Learn more about this and other options by contacting us.
When it’s time to sell or buy property, working with an experienced Realtor® who understands the local real estate market will make the process easier. I’m here and ready to get the conversation started with you. Call me today at 609-338-3773 or send me an e-mail. Myself and my team at The Haviland Group and Keller Williams Realty are ready to share our expertise and care for all your real estate needs.