All Financial Matters

Five Things Increasing Home Value

When you purchase a home, it is an investment. You may continue to live in it for many years, but if you leave the area you will more than likely sell the property. Here are five ways that you can increase your home’s value to get a better price when selling.

1. Renovate. You probably haven’t thought about your countertops or cabinetry in several years. Cabinet re-facing offers a way for home owners to redecorate their kitchen for less money. The new look changes the entire dynamic of the kitchen. Hardwood floors are more appealing to buyers than linoleum. A more efficient heating and cooling system saves on energy bills all year round. Gas logs are more popular than a traditional fireplace and eliminate the messy clean-up of firewood. See what you can do to upgrade without spending more money than you can afford.

2. Replace the windows. If you have an old house, the windows are probably single pane. Triple-pained windows are more energy efficient and look better. Windows that offer the convenience of panes that fold in are easy to clean even on the second floor.

3. Add on to your home. Any addition that increases the square footage of living space will add to the value. This could be as simple as converting a garage into a bedroom or an office. People who work from home would like the idea of a complete home office. A sunroom where the back patio used to be will allow buyers to enjoy the outdoors even on a cold day.

4. Put up a fence. Fenced-in yards provide privacy for the owners. If they have pets, the animals can run around in the back yard without you worrying about them getting loose and bothering the neighbors. A fenced yard is a must if you have a pool or are thinking about installing one. No one wants a neighborhood child to accidentally gain access to their pool.

5. Landscape the yard. The one thing that makes one yard different from another is the landscaping. I ride through my neighborhood during the spring to see the newest things everyone has done with their yard. Some add water features. Still others create a water break at the base of a hill with a line of evergreen pines. The look of a yard is a big selling point. It can add to the value of a home for the buyer. They will see that haven of peace you have created in the back yard, complete with gazebo and walkway, and want the house immediately. The thing is that most people want these things themselves but lack the money or the skills to get it done.

A real estate agent can suggest more ideas for improving the value of your home. Be careful not to change everything. Some things are okay as they are or will just be changed again by the buyer.

Five Staging Tips for Sellers

Have you ever been to a home show? The houses smell clean and everything has an extra sparkle. Each room exudes its own personality. Anyone who sees it wants to buy that house — furniture included. Welcome to the art of the staging process.

Staging helps sellers get their home ready for open houses and showings. It is more than a super-clean house. It is where the house gets an extreme makeover to interest buyers. People who stage houses are artists, or rather magicians. You won’t even recognize your home once it has been transformed into a palatial showplace.

1. Consider using their furniture. One of the tools a stager uses in their work is furniture. You may love your ten-year-old couch but it probably won’t impress any potential buyers. Stagers can use your furniture if it’s in good condition or their own to set the atmosphere in a room.

2. Don’t forget the outdoor areas. Stagers dress the yard as well. It is up to you to keep the grass mowed and the hedges trimmed before the stager comes in to work some magic. The use of various potted plants, yard art, and benches turn a beautiful yard into an inviting one.

3. Let each room in the house speak for itself. Stagers create atmosphere and no two rooms are the same. The bedroom may remind you of a villa in Tuscany with opaque silk fabric draping the top of a canopy bed and large mirrors on the walls. The living room by contrast has an Arabian feel with dozens of colorful throw pillows lining the sectional sofa. The windows are covered with dark red and gold curtains. I’d like to visit that house!

4. Use baskets. People like to see uncluttered areas. Instead of lining the bathroom counter with toiletries, put them in a basket that sits on the counter. Utilize scented soaps and lotions that are as nice to look at as they are to smell. In each bedroom have a basket of rolled towels. Wrap them in ribbon for a special touch.

5. Finish with the back yard. A bare patio doesn’t allow buyers to see the potential of the yard. Let a stager offer their assistance. Start with a patio table or a picnic table. Set the table with colorful plates and glasses as if you were just about to sit down to a meal. Add a barbeque grill if it is close to the summer and some potted plants to complete the look.

After all that work, who could resist? The purpose of staging is to dress the house to its best so that potential buyers will make an offer. Follow the above tips to give your home that extra it may need to get it off the market as quickly as possible. On your web browser, type in the keywords “home staging” to get more information.

Five Reasons to Use Staging

When a buyer puts their house on the market, they want to get the best price in the shortest time possible. Staging can help you sell your home. It uses the artistic vision of a staging professional to bring out the hidden personality of your home.

Staging puts the finishing touches on your home. You already know that your home is cozy and warm, but now it is time to give that impression to potential buyers. Staging can be expensive, but the results are worth the investment.

1. Staging adds to the work that you have already done. You still need to clean, make repairs, straighten the yard, and get rid of old junk. Stagers come in after you have done all that you can and add their bit of magic. You can make use of your own furnishings or opt to use items provided by the stager. Take your lead from them.

2. Vacant houses benefit from staging. Not to say that buyers don’t have an imagination, but an empty house can be overwhelming. Potential buyers can’t get a feel for what the house can become if there’s nothing in it. One vacant house looks like another. A stager engages the mind of buyers. They’ll want to buy the home as is.

3. Staging comes with a showroom full of goodies. We’d all like to get new furniture and other accessories to fix up our home to sell. The problem is the expense and the utter lack of artistic talent. When you hire a stager, you receive all of the beautiful furniture that you would have bought plus the know-how to arrange it to the best advantage.

4. Staging reduces the amount of time that a home stays on the market. The work that these professionals do is beyond anything we could think of. They make their living from their imagination. A dressed home resembles a home you would see at a gallery of a homes show. I chose the current home that I live in because I saw the potential in another home just like it that was decorated beautifully.

5. You can get the full asking price for a staged home. Staging isn’t just about bringing in new things to replace your stuff. It is feng shui and arranging pots, furniture, baskets, and other items in such a way that it catches the eye and draws the buyer in. A home that is staged from the beginning has a better chance of selling.

Staging is an option for those who want to sell their homes for the best price. It is the icing and the cherry on the cake that is your family home. If you are thinking about selling your home, do some research on staging or visit a local stager to see what they can offer you.

Five Places to Advertise Homes

No one can buy your home if they don’t know it is on the market. Advertising is the key to getting the word out to potential buyers. If you want to sell your home, here are five places to advertise that your home is on the market.

1. Go to the newspapers. Newspapers are still a good place to advertise if your home is for sale. I don’t subscribe to the newspaper but I purchase a Sunday paper each week. My husband looks at the home ads on a regular basis. So do others including those looking for a new home. Include a photograph of your home to accompany the ad. Be careful when wording your ad, though. Too many abbreviations can stop a potential buyer from reading if it gets confusing.

2. Advertise on the Internet. More people are advertising on the Internet these days. There are several options for dressing up your ad and some of them are free. Visit sites like Realtor.com to see how others have advertised their homes for sale. Some Internet sites let you create online flyers for free and post them in other places where they will be seen. Be creative and upload pictures that show your home in a flattering light.

3. Go to the television. Local realty companies have shows on public television that showcase homes for sale. The host takes you through several rooms of the house and the yard. They give information about the surrounding area (schools, stores, restaurants) and the development. I have watched these shows and they are well put together. They direct you to their website for more details on the house being shown.

4. Try using a direct mailing list. We’ve all received those postcards with a picture of a home and the address. This is what you can do: Instead of spending money buying a large mailing list, choose a list that complements the characteristics of your home. If you are selling a bungalow you wouldn’t want to waste your time advertising to a family with three children. The same goes for a beach home. You wouldn’t want to advertise to a person who loves to go to the mountains on vacation. Tailor your mailing list to appeal to a target audience for a more effective campaign.

5. Advertise in your front yard. We work so hard to get the word out in different media that we forget the obvious place: our front yard. Whether you are selling your home through a realtor or on your own, no one will know about it if you don’t have a sign in your yard. On Saturdays, there are probably lots of people that ride through neighborhoods like your own. They could be looking for a yard sale or for a new home. A yard sign invites them to stop and talk to you or at least copy down the telephone number and call for more details.

Get the word out. Advertise in as many places as you can to make your home highly visible to potential buyers. Then, watch as the offers start rolling in.

Don’t Neglect the Yard

What is the first thing that you see when you go to someone’s home? Unless it is dark outside, the first thing that you notice is the yard. How many times have you wished that your yard looked better than it does? If you are trying to sell your home, don’t forget that the yard is a part of the total package.

Buyers look at everything. If they miss something, trust me – the agent with them will not. The land surrounding your home, no matter how little, is too big to ignore. It is part of the property and a buyer won’t think twice about passing you by if the yard is not up to snuff.

Now you don’t have to have a movie star lawn with shrubs clipped in the shape of squirrels and other woodland creatures. The grass doesn’t have to be the color of fresh green beans to be healthy and acceptable. But, the lawn has to be dressed just like the home for the potential buyer to accept the total package.

A poorly kept lawn can lower your property value and therefore the worth of your home. Your neighbors won’t appreciate that and neither will you when you see the offers that come in as a result. Investors may see this as an opportunity to lowball you. They will turn around and do what you could have done and sell the house for a profit. The yard is important. Curb appeal will get buyers to stop instead of speeding on past.

Buyers don’t want to pull out their shovel and rake as soon as they move in. A lawn with problems is not something that they will want to tackle even if the house is top notch. A ragged lawn is an eyesore.

Consider hiring a landscaper and/or a yard service. Yards with bald spots and crabgrass will need the attention that a gardening professional can provide. A yard service will tell you how to get the grass back into shape. If you have had problems growing grass, they can offer aerating services and other solutions for that.

To hide a bald patch you can put in a gazebo as a backyard centerpiece. Consider extending the deck to cover the area. Large multi-level decks are a great selling feature that will enhance the value of your home.

Landscapers don’t just plant shrubs and trees; they create designs that will complement your yard. They can recommend practical changes like privet hedges if you don’t have a fence, and which plants or trees to use on hilly property to prevent land erosion. Between them and the yard service, the yard surrounding your home will be whipped into shape in no time.