Category: Selling Advice

Advice for home sellers in Lake Oswego, Oregon

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Notes & Scribbles

Tax Credit ~ The First-Time Home-Buyers’ $8,000.  Tax Credit is, of course, the talk of the town (the nation, actually). It is acknowledged that it is and has been helpful in spurring the real estate market (activity in related price ranges is steady if not occasionally feverish… especially lately!)   There is much talk about extending the deadline from the current November 30th date to an as-yet-undetermined date in 2010.  While it is generally agreed that the housing market is turning the corner, and a large part of this growth is related to the tax credit, there is also concern being expressed about dispersing more government money in light of recent history.  So… nothing is decided as of now. There are talks about plans to:

  • Extend it to all home-buyers,
  • Not extend it at all,
  • Increase it to $15,000.,
  • Extend it and keep the terms the same,
  • Offer it only to service members who have been out of the country,
  • Etc.

The important thing to remember if you are a first-time home-buyer, or care about one, is that right now there is an opportunity to get an $8,000. tax credit. That means real money coming to you when you file for 2009.  We do NOT know how the debate will play out regarding extending or not extending it… AND right now there is still time to take advantage of it, but you must act now.

Oil Tanks (Reminder & Update) ~ The standards for levels of contaminants are under review. In particular, ethyl benzene and naphthalene have been changed to a “carcinogenic” classification, and therefore cleanup requirements are also changing. There is now concern over the possibility of  fumes potentially penetrating a home from underground & causing harm. Remember, if you have an oil tank underground on your property that has not been decommissioned, or if you are a Buyer considering a property with one: Underground oil tanks have a life of approximately 40 years.  After that, they leak… and what they leak is toxic.  Homeowners can be held liable for damage to soil from leaking tanks, and therefore, proper soil testing and decommissioning through a DEQ-certified environmental service is the wise choice.  If you are a Seller in this situation, I would highly recommend just doing this now and getting it out of the way.  It makes your home more attractive to potential Buyers, removes an objection, and protects you and the environment at the same time.

Loans ~ There are truly all kinds of loans out there right now for all kinds of Buyers.  FHA loans are a  current favorite, and the FHA 203 (b) is a little easier to qualify for than most conventional loans these days. There are also “Flex”  loans for teachers (administrators & school nurses can also apply!), police, and firefighters. Other than the FHA loan I mentioned, you usually want a credit score of 640 or higher, and for all of them you’ll need 3 to 3.5% down. Talk to your favorite mortgage broker for more information, or give me a call and I can refer you to some great resources.

Homes on Slopes ~ Some precautions, in light of current information gained from recent slides in Portland, Lake Oswego and surrounding areas are worth noting:

  • At no point should drain water be discharged onto slopes in an uncontrolled manner. Investigate energy dissipation devices to prevent erosion at discharge points.
  • Make sure that any fill used on the slope is “engineer-fill”.  Not all fill is able to handle the specialized drainage requirements of sloped properties.
  • Make sure gutters remain clear in order to prevent over-saturation in areas not able to handle runoff.
  • Keep drainage ditches or berms clear during the rainy season so that they do not direct water into areas where erosion & damage may occur.
  • Keep drain inlets, outlets and weep holes at foundation, retaining walls, driveways etc clean at all times.  Remove debris to prevent clogging.
  • Notice any wet spots on the property.  This may indicate either natural seepage, or leaking water or sewer line problems. Seek professional advice immediately.
  • Regularly check irrigation systems. Drip systems are preferred on hillsides.
  • Make sure roof drainage is not connected to a subsurface disposal system unless it has been approved by a geotechnical engineer.
  • Keep water from accumulating next to foundations, retaining walls or basements.
  • Guard against over-saturation on the hillside, as once this has occurred, damage can result very quickly and without warning.
  • Seek the advice of a good Engineering firm. One source is:  GeoPacific Engineering, Inc.

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Why Open Houses Work

open house signThe open house, a long standing tradition for marketing and selling a home, or a total waste of time?  It’s actually a pretty controversial subject among Realtors.  Some believe in them and others refuse to do them.  I fall into the first category.  I hold open a house pretty much every Sunday and some Sundays I will do a couple of open houses.  I make a commitment to people who list their homes with me that I will promise one advertised open per month, at a minimum.  I will do more if my time allows.  This commitment keeps me pretty busy.  It means that I do LOTS of open houses.  And that is probably why I think that they work.

I would estimate that I sell one house per year that is directly a result of my open house efforts.  In June I had an offer written by another Realtor after her clients found my listing at an open house.  That open house was how I sold my listing.  Last Sunday I had an open house and I am now in very strong verbal discussions with another Realtor, again because his buyer came through my open.

Please note that I said that I do “Advertised” opens.  Sure, I like meeting the neighbors, but I want people coming through who already know the price, how many bedrooms there are, and are actually buyers who are wanting a new home.  I think advertising is one reason that my opens are successful.  While I used to do a newspaper ad with each open, I have shifted my marketing to the Internet.  I advertise my open houses on Craigslist, on the RMLS, and when the house is in Lake Oswego, on the propertyblotter.

Let’ s put it this way.  If I didn’t believe in open houses, I’d never do them, right? And then it is a no brainer that I could honestly say that they don’t work.  How can something work that is never tried?

I also feel that in this economy, Realtors have to go back to basics.  In a hot market, where homes are selling quickly, homes will sell with just some simple Internet exposure in the RMLS.  In a slow market that is not enough.  There are so many houses for sale, and so few buyers, that just being a part of the inventory is not enough.  A Realtor has to use every possible tool to get exposure for a proprety.  I owe it to my clients to work on their behalf and use all of the tools in my arsenal.  And, as I have stated above, I know from experience that open houses work.

Watch for my signs.  I’ll see you on Sunday!

Dianne

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More Random Tips:

Disclose, Disclose, Disclose!

Once upon a time there was a transaction wherein the Realtor representing the Buyer noticed some abnormalities in the Seller’s answers to questions on the Disclosures.  FYI, when you are selling a home, the best and only rule is “Disclose, disclose, disclose!”.  In this situation, the Seller, who had lived in the house for some time, seemed to have excellent knowledge of some things and no knowledge at all of things such as whether the roof had leaked while he/she lived there, whether there were any drainage problems on the property, and whether the main systems of the house were in good working order.  A quick call to the Seller’s agent resulted in answers forthcoming that the Seller had not experienced any leaking from the roof, nor noticed any drainage problems, and that the systems were all working just fine.  I think Seller’s get nervous when filling out these disclosures as they can seem like being asked to air your dirty laundry.  Disclosures, however, are really important to the Seller and the Buyer alike.  Basically, you just want to look at each question and answer to the best of your ability and knowledge.  Sometimes an “N/A” is in order.  Sometimes a “Yes” or a “No” is really called for, and sometimes an “Unknown” is absolutely fine.  If you are a  Seller and fail to disclose something about the property, and it becomes apparent after closing, you could possibly be liable for misrepresenting on your Disclosures… even if it was just a slip of the pen or a spat of bad memory.  It’s much better to just let it all hang out, and your Buyers will appreciate your obvious candor.  A Buyer feels much more comfortable seeing a few dings on the disclosures than they do wondering at odd answers or obvious misstatements… such as that all work was done with permits when the naked eye can tell that some was not.  Again, sometimes you have to take a moment to remember… especially if you’ve lived in a home for a long time.   So anyhoo, better just to lay it all out there.  Calms everyone right down, protects you as the Seller & sets the tone for a good transaction.

Oil Tanks & the DEQ

Speaking of instructional situations…  Make sure that when you are purchasing or selling a home whose heating system has been updated at some point, you check to find out if there was ever an underground oil tank on the property.  Dianne and I have written posts on this in the past and you can find them in the archives here, but it is very important to find out 1) If one was/is on the property, 2) If so, was it decommissioned?, and 3) If it was decommissioned, was a DEQ Certificate obtained?  (You can call DEQ, give them your address, and find out pretty quickly.) This last question is the kicker, and I find that people are confused about it.  If you are a Seller and bought your home with the understanding that it had an oil tank that was decommissioned, but you did not find out if there was a DEQ Certificate and there is NOT one… You will most certainly be required to provide one before closing (Your Buyer does not want to inherit this situation for themselves for when they sell in the future).  This involves calling a DEQ-licensed Environmental Services provider.  The process includes locating the underground tank, taking soil samples, checking the decommission job if one was done, and verifying that it was done to DEQ standards.  If all this checks out, you can get yourself a DEQ Certificate to pass on to your Buyer.  So… better to check this out before putting your property on the market rather than getting surprised during a transaction.  And Buyers… remember to ask your Realtor about this for more clarification.

Feel free to call Dianne or myself any time for more information on any of the tidbits we provide.  We love to help our Property Blotter readers and clients!  Hope this was helpful to you today.

Very Best,

Linda

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Insulation Anyone?

Insulation 1-1So…. you’re moving, or getting ready to sell, or in the middle of a home inspection on either end of the transaction.  One of the myriad things that may cross your path is the issue of insulation.  Some homes have it, some don’t.  Some have it in the walls but nowhere else, some have it in the floors and ceilings.  A lot depends on the era of the home and whether and how much updating has been done.   If you are selling your home and your home has insulation, say underneath, that has been damaged (squirrels, etc), you may be asked to repair or replace it.  If you have an older home with blown-in insulation in the attic, you may want to know what the material consists of.  If you are buying a home without insulation in the walls, you may be wanting to add some after the purchase is complete.   Here are some hopefully helpful tidbits on insulation:

  • Insulation is one of the lowest-cost options for improving energy efficiency (saving money : )  You can reduce your heating and cooling needs by up to 30% just by investing a few hundred dollars in insulation and weatherization products.
  • Should you insulate your home? Well, only 20% of homes built before 1980 are said to be well insulated, so you may want to investigate whether yours fits into this category.
  • How does insulation work?  Heat moves naturally from a warmer to a cooler space. So, in winter, it is trying to move to the outdoors through walls, ceilings, floors etc.  In the summer, the hot air outside is trying to make it indoors.
  • Insulation comes in a variety of forms:  in blankets, in batts, bagged & pour-ready, and “blown-in” material.
  • An important consideration when choosing a form of insulation is flammability. Keep insulation at least 3 inches from light fixture wiring and other heat-producing equipment unless it is marked “IC” allowing for direct insulation contact.
  • Insulation is made of either:
  1. “Mineral Wool” (which includes rock & fibrous glass).  These can be blown-in or purchased in blankets or batts with foil or paper vapor barrier.  Rock Wool can also be purchased in bagged form.  *This material is inherently non-flammable, but the products that have paper vapor barrier attached may be flammable.
  2. “Plastic Foam Resin” (made of polystyrene, polyurethane, or urea formaldehyde).  It can be purchased in sheets or bolts, or a contractor may spray the foam in place. *These products are generally not ‘Fire-Proof”, but check to find out whether the product you are using is “Flame Retardant”, “Flame Resistant” or neither.  Also ask about the ignition temperature… depending on the area in which you live, and other factors, some products, when approaching high ignition temperatures, can emit toxic gases.  Additionally, polystyrene and polyurethane cannot be used safely unless enclosed in a flame and heat-resistant material such as gypsum board.
  3. “Cellulose Insulation” (made of finely ground cellulose such as recycled newspaper).  This can be blown in place. *Flame-retardant chemicals are usually added to reduce flammability. One thing to ask about is the type of chemical that may be part of this product as the use, for instance, of too much sulfate can cause potential corrosion of pipes and other metal material.

(NOTE: Bottom line, talk to your contractor or supplier to discuss which type of insulation is right for your home in whatever location and for whatever use you are employing it.  This is ONLY meant as a primer to give you a better understanding of your options.)

  • The US Dept of Energy (DOE) measures insulation in R-Values, which are different for different areas of the country, and dependent on weather & temperature variations etc.  Here is a link that will take you to a map allowing you to find your particular area & check the recommended R-Values:        http://www.naima.org/pages/resources/library/pdf/BI487.PDF
  • When using fiberglass insulation remember that “looser is better”. Tightly packed fiberglass reduces the R-Value.
  • Do not block vents with insulation.
  • Use high density insulation such as rigid foam boards on areas such as cathedral ceilings and exterior walls.
  • Contrary to popular belief, when installing fiberglass insulation under the flooring in a crawlspace, you attach the paper or foil vapor barrier toward the heated area, not YOU.  Secure with rope or wire. Also, remember to insulate piping and ducting if you are opting for insulating under the floor. (NOTE: Consult your contractor or supplier as there are different ways of insulating a crawlspace depending on whether it is vented or un-vented.)
  • When installing this fiberglass insulation w/backing in walls under construction you will again face the backing material toward the heated space… so this time it will be facing YOU.
  • When insulating walls in already-built homes lacking it, you will again want to consult with a contractor as there are varying opinions about whether to blow in insulation or not.  Should you decide to do this, it is generally done through holes punched in the walls from the exterior of the home, and obviously is the material is blowin-in insulation of the kind you and your contractor have agreed-upon.
  • It is amazing how much energy can be saved by insulating around doors and windows (Having energy-efficient doors and windows also obviously helps too).  Usually you are using a foam insulation here that can be applied directly into any cracks & openings.
  • There is a lot of talk about the environmental pluses and minuses of insulating.  Obviously saving energy use is good for the planet, AND it can be argued that insulating too much creates an environment where a house cannot breathe, and the potential for toxic buildup inside the home of various substances can exist. Here are several links to more information on this issue so that you can decide for yourself : http://www.utilitybillbusters.com/articles/do-it-yourself-projects/hidden-dangers-of-home-repairs-over-insulating-and-weatherproofing/ ,   http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/QandA/natural/insulation.htm ,  http://www.greenfootsteps.com/best-insulation-for-homes.html , http://www.ehow.com/how_5197129_install-fiber-insulation-attic-walls.html
  • Here is a link to the DOE’s fact sheet and other helpful information regarding insulation and energy-efficiency: http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_01.html

I hope this information has proven helpful to you in your individual situation.  Obviously this is a large subject, and so maybe we’ll cover some specific issues in the future.  Feel free to comment and add your own information, and/or request information directly relating to your needs.

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Preparing Your House for the Home Inspection

blog flowersThe last 12 months have been a pretty rough time to be selling a home.  Your home may have even been on the market for a period of time longer than you ever thought possible.  But now you’ve gotten a good offer that you have accepted.  This is a key time in any home sale.  You must now get your home to pass the home inspection.   I want to give you a list of 10 simple repairs you can do to prepare your home as well as a few things to do on the day of the inspection.

10 simple repairs to do before the home inspection:

1.  Prune vegetation away from the house.

2.  Clean the gutters.

3.  Replace or clean any dirty furnace filters.

4.  Install missing covers on electrical switches, outlets, and junction boxes.

5.  Replace all smoke alarms installed before January 1, 2002 to comply with current standards.

6.  Replace burned out light bulbs.

7.  Pull soil 6″ away from the siding, basement windows, foundation vents, and decks.

8.  Install 6mil. black, plastic vapor barrier in the crawlspace over exposed soil.

9.  Install earthquake straps on the water heater.

10. Repair leaking faucets.

On the day of the inspection:

1.  Remove any belongings that block access to the furnace, water heater, electrical panel, attic and crawl spaces so the inspector may get to these areas.

2.  Verify the gas, water, and electricity are on, even in vacant homes.

3.  Make sure all gas pilot lights are lit.

4.  Make sure that all appliances normally operated by you can be tested as needed.

It is normal to feel a bit stressed when your home is inspected, but you can greatly increase a positive outcome on the inspection if you do a little prior planning.  And a good home inspection directly affects your ability to maximize the proceeds that you will receive from the sale of your home.  It is worth the time, effort, and a few dollars that it takes to get your home ready.

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Lake Oswego Open Houses for July 19th

goldendiningroom2While today I am posting our regular list of the Lake Oswego Open Houses as advertised in the RMLS, I want to take a moment to discuss open houses in general.  Open houses are probably one area in which Realtors really differ on their opinions.  I have known agents who absolutely refuse to do them.  One man in particular had a sign he took to listing appointments that had the words “Open House” with a big red circle and a diagonal line across the words.  He was making it very clear that there was no way he would ever do an open house.   I happen to have the exact opposite opinion.  I happen to think that they work.  Sure, you get the neighbors and the “Lookie Lou’s”, but you also get lots of great exposure to a property that needs to be sold.  I think the key is to advertise the open house so that a good percentage of the people who show up are real buyers who know the price and size of the property before they get there.  I hold homes open pretty much every Sunday.  I believe that on average I sell at least one listing a year off of my open houses.  In fact, I sold a house in Lake Oswego about 3 weeks ago as a result of my open house.  So I think that open houses do have value.

With that in mind, here are the homes that you will find open this Sunday in Lake Oswego.  Please make special note of 4447 Golden Lane, my listing, which I will be holding open from 2 to 5pm.

89 Galen St, $102,500.  1 BR, 1 BTH, 550 square feet, open noon-4

1597 Bonniebrae Dr, $230,000.  2 BR, 1 BTH, 998 square feet, open 1-3

4447 Golden Ln, $239,000.  2 BR, 2.5 BTHS, 1980 square feet, open 2-5

4 Weatherstone, $334,950. 3 BR, 2.5 BTHS, 1692 square feet, open 1-3

13448 61st, $335,000. 3 BR, 3 BTHS, 1911 square feet, open 1-4

17088 Rebecca Ln, $479,000. 4 BR, 3 BTHS, 2554 square feet, open 1:30-3:30

624 Livingood Ln, $534,000. 4 BR, 3 BTHS, 2596 square feet, open 1:30-3:30

11 Morningview Cir, $547,000. 3 BR, 2.5 BTHS, 2921 square feet, open 1-3

535 B Ave, $649,000. 2 BR, 2.5 BTHS, 1691 square feet, open 2-4

580 Weidman Ct, $659,000. 5 BR, 3.5 BTHS, 3952 square feet, open 2-4

220 Greenwood Rd, $749,900. 3 BR, 4 BTHS, 2639 square feet, open 1-3

3270 Lakeview Blvd. $1,275,000. 3 BR, 3 BTHS, 3295 square feet, open 3-5

624 Atwater Rd, $1,338,000. 5 BR, 3.5 BTHS, 4465 square feet, open 12:30-2:30

17642 Upper Cherry Ln, $1,375,000. 3 BR, 3.5 BTHS, 3936 square feet, open 3-5

2811 Arrowhead Ct, $1,399,000. 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, 3740 square feet, open noon-2

18024 Skyland Cir, $1,699,000. 4 BR, 3 full+2 half BTHS, 4131 sq. feet. open 2-5

I’ll hope to see you on Sunday!

Dianne

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Observations on Inventory, the S & P Price Index, and Broken Sewers, Oh My!

Today’s editorial post is going to be a bit of a potpouri of information.  There were just so many nice tidbits, I couldn’t seem to pick just one.

Observations On Current Inventory

Last February I ran the break down of the Inventory in Lake Oswego.  At that time there were 418 detached homes for sale.  I think my biggest concern was that of those homes 136 were priced at $1,000,000 or more.  That is a lot of high-end homes.  And that seems to be the slowest part of the market that is selling.  What’s it look like today?  Not much has changed.  While sales have picked up a bit, the number of new listings coming onto the market is keeping the inventory from diminishing.  Here is today’s breakdown:

Homes priced $100,000-$199,000, 1

Homes priced $200,000-$299,000, 19

Homes priced $300,000-$399,000, 46

Homes priced $400,000-$499,000, 54

Homes priced $500,000-$599,000, 51

Homes priced $600,000-$699,000, 38

Homes priced $700,000-$799,000, 35

Homes priced $800,000-$899,000, 30

Homes priced $900,000-$999,000, 31

Homes priced $1,000,000+, 135

That is a total inventory of detached homes of 440 with 135 priced at over $1,000,000.  Probably the most interesting observation that I see is that while we have 22 more homes for sale, the $1,000,000+ is about the same.  Perhaps people listing their homes this spring are being a bit more realistic and not shooting for the million dollar sales price?  At any rate, there are still way more homes over a million than the market activity will support.  In the last six months 10 homes over $1,000,000 have sold and 11 have gone pending.  At this rate, it will take a little over 3 years to sell all of the high-end inventory.

A Glimmer of Hope

The Standard and Poor’s Case-Shiller Home Price Index was recently released.    In the 20-city year-over-year averages the Portland area managed to fair better than most.  The average 12-month loss of home values was 18%, while Portland’s was 16%, the eighth best of the report.  The best fairing market was Denver with a loss of just 4.9%.  The worst was Phoenix with a loss of 35.3% (ouch!)

My personal observation is that things have picked up quite a bit.  My listings are getting lots of showings and also receiving offers.  It could simply be the normal up-tick that happens with spring and summer, but it could also be a bit of much-needed stability.  And even if the market is not necessarily trending up, it does seem to me that it is not getting worse.

Always get a sewer scope!

martha-sewerThis is a photo that you really never want to see, but when this sort of thing happens, it is soooooo much better to have it happen before the sale than after.  This photo was taken of a home that I have currently got in escrow.  The older home was recently remodeled, including a new sewer line from the house to the street.  That should be enough and there’s no need for a sewer scope, right?  NOT!  In the course of the home inspection the buyer did have a sewer scope and a chunk of concrete was found to be blocking  the line.  In the course of the remodel, a stray piece of concrete had somehow found its way into the line.  Who would have known without the sewer scope?  And how irritating would it have been to move into a gorgeous home that was fully remodeled just to have the sewer back up immediately?  This is a good lesson for one and all.  Always get a sewer scope!

LO vs Sellwood

It’s a bit of a habit of mine to compare affordable housing in Lake Oswego vs the popular neighborhood in SE Porltand, Sellwood.  I like to do this for two reasons.  First, I’ve lived in both areas and just have a general curiosity.  Second, I think LO is often overlooked by buyers.  There is just a general assumption that LO is full of million dollar mansions and therefore out of the price range of people seeking an affordable home.  My definition of affordable is $350,000 or less, and I am only comparing detached homes and not including condos.  When I first did this in April of 2008, there were 20 houses in LO and 18 in Sellwood price at $350,000 or less.  Today the number is 44 in LO and 25 is Sellwood.  So not only does Lake Oswego continue to offer more affordable homes than Sellwood, but the number has increased from a difference of 2 more to a difference of 19 more.  In Sellwood the least expensive home currently for sale is 608 square feet, 2 bedrooms and 1 bath, built in 1924.  In Lake Oswego the least expensive home currently for sale is 780 square feet, 2 bedrooms and 1 bath, built in 1944.  So if you are looking for affordable, sure check out SE Portland, but don’t rule out Lake Oswego.  You have options here as well.

I can not let the week go by without wishing everyone a safe and happy 4th of July!

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1-Level Homes

verte-frontThere are many reasons why a person might prefer to live in a single level home.  Some are purely by choice.  Things like the easy of movement while carrying laundry, or the preference for vaulted ceilings.  Others are truly out of necessity due to disabilities whether they be mobility problems, advancing age, or even blindness.  But for many people, living in a 1-level home is their preference.

For these people, when they go to purchase a home, it means that they have a much smaller inventory of homes to select from.  And for the seller of a 1-level home, it means that they have a very specific niche in the real estate market.  So when a single level home comes up for sale, it is likely to be well received by buyers.

Some quick statistics:  in the year 2000, the size of the U.S. population that was age 65 or older was 35,000,000 people or 12.4% of the population.  It is projected that by the year 2030 that percentage will grow to 19.6%, or 71,000,000 people.  This means that the desirability of a one-level home is only going to increase.

Now the twist, just as the demand for single level homes in increasing, the availability of land to build single level homes is decreasing, at least in Oregon.  Every city and county has building codes that require specific distances, or set backs, from the property lines.  A builder is simply restricted to foundations that fit within the set backs of any particular piece of property.  Because a 1-level home usually has a larger foundation, it means that the smaller lots that are common in today’s developments do not have the area necessary to build 1-level homes.  And this means that the land that is big enough to build a 1-level home will cost more because it is larger.  It also means that the 1-level homes that currently exist will be high-demand and valuable into the future.

An important concept to understand when you are buying or selling a single level home is how the value compares to other properties.  Why is it that a 1500 square foot, single level home, can sell for as much as a 2000 square foot 2-story home?  This goes back to the construction of the building.  The two most expensive components in building a home are the roof and the foundation.  When you have a 2-story house, this big expense goes twice as far.  So a 1-level home is more expensive to build per square foot, and through out it’s life of being purchased and sold it will continue to pass along this higher expense.

So if you are lucky enough to have a 1-level home, I hope that you feel good about your investment.  If you are looking to buy a 1-level home, there are currently 70 of them for sale in Lake Oswego.  The least expensive is 1346 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, and was built in 1956.  It is listed for $229,900.  The most expensive is 5389 square feet, with 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, and was built in 1993.  It is listed for $1,850,000.  The other 68 single level homes for sale cover every sort of size and pricing.

Whether you are wanting to buy or sell, whether you want a 1-level or several levels, Linda and I are here to help.  Please do not hesitate to give us a call or to drop us an e-mail.

Dianne

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Home Staging Tips

goldendiningroom1Spring is traditionally the strongest time of year to sell your home.  If you want to sell, you need to get your home ready.  You want to win the beauty pageant.  The place to start, before you list your home for sale, is with proper home staging.  The way you live in your home and the way you sell your home are two different things.  It does add a layer of care to your already busy life, but it will payoff when you sell by getting your home sold more quickly and by helping you to get the best price possible.

Start by standing out at the street.  This is your buyer’s first impression.  Can you see the front door?  Can you see all of the windows?  Is the lawn green?  Are flower beds free of weeds and bushes nicely trimmed?  What about the color of the paint?  Is it one of the popular shades used today or something from when you moved in in 1996?  Is the roof clean and free of moss?  If you said no to any of these questions, then you’ve got work to do.  Too often homeowners let trees and bushes become over grown and drown the house.  Over-growth makes you house look like a big blob.  Do you want to buy a blob?  Neither does a buyer.

Next stand at your front door.  I believe this is the most critical moment for a buyer.  Remember that they will pause here for a minute or two while the Realtor gets the key from the lockbox and opens the door.  Your buyer will have time to look around and get a close-up look at everything around the front door.  I truly believe that they make a decision at this point.  If they like what they see, they will enter the house with a positive attitude and look for positive input to reinforce what they already believe.  If they get a bad impression, they’ll be critical as they go inside and look to find fault; again to reinforce what they already have decided.  The front door is usually a small area.  Here is what you need to do.  Wash or freshly paint the front door and the windows around the door.  Sweep or pressure wash all of the walls and ceiling around the door to get rid of spiders, webs, moths, and bug stuff.  Scrub the weather stripping at the threshold so that there is not one speck of grime.  Make sure weather stripping is in good shape, but that the door opens and closes easily.  Make sure the lock works!  Now add some color.  A couple of pots with flowers, a wreath on the front door.  Please, no holiday decorations that are months old, or pots of dead easter lillies.  Splurge and spend $20 on some nice flowers, then be sure to water them.

You’ve done it!  You’ve gotten your buyer inside.

You are moving, right?  Why not get a leg up on the job and start packing BEFORE you put your house up for sale.  You want to de-personalize your home.  Take down personal momentos, collections, most family photos, all of the stuff on the refrigerator.  It should be like a model home that you want to move right into.  And all of your very personal stuff keeps your buyer from feeling like it is “their” house.  I recommend that you do this one room at a time.  Just make a big pile in the middle of the room that you want to either store or donate/toss.  It is ok to have a few family photos.  For instance, a bookshelf with a combination of a few framed photos, some books, perhaps a small piece of art work or decorative glass, that is fine.  But that hallway photo gallery showing Joey, who is now 35, in every grade of school he ever attended:  take it down.

Less truly is more.  As you clean out clutter and stream-line each room, you will make them look larger.  A small home, well staged, can look bigger than large home full of clutter.

This is also true of furniture.  Make sure you store away anything that gets in the way in hallways, at the top of stairs, as you enter rooms, and on stairway landings.  The fact that you had no where else to put the furniture just screams “This house is too small!”.  In addition, they could actually be a safety hazzard when you have a group of people seeing the house together and unable to maneuver on the stairs.  Another important thought with furniture is do not cover up a homes features.  Don’t place TV’s in front of windows, or dressers across closets, or a couch across the fireplace.    Move the furniture around and show off each rooms best feature.  Make sure to not have too much furniture.  A few pieces in each room is all you need.  For a living room: a couch, a chair, a love seat, and a coffee or similar table is plenty.  If you have a piano, don’t be afraid to store the couch or the love seat.  You want the room to feel big and not to be dwarfed by the furniture.

The kitchen and bathroom counters are the toughest to empty and also the most important.  Many a buyer has ruled out a home because either the kitchen or the bathrooms seemed too small.  You can make them big, with a little effort.  As much as possible, but things away in cupboards.  A few things may be impossible to put away because they are constantly in use.  Hello?  The coffee pot?  With things you just have to have handy, cluster them into one group.  So if you have the coffee pot, the decorative decanter of olive oil, and the pepper mill tastefully gathered in one corner, and nothing else anywhere on the counter, you’ll get away with it.  Take away the cluster and string the three items around the kitchen and suddenly you got clutter.  Bunching is a wonderful thing.  The same thing holds true in the bathroom.  I also highly recommend baskets or decorative boxes.  If you use a container, you can pretty much fill the container and still keep things attractive.

The areas to focus your attention are:  the entry, the living room, the dining room, the family room, the kitchen, and the master bedroom and bath.  Do the whole house if you can, it will pay off.  But if you have limits to your ability to take on this project, at a minimum, get to these rooms.

Now for those of you who are after the best money and the quickest sale, you’ll take it to the next level.  Clean out closets and fold and stack everything in an orderly and tidy fashion.  Get your kids on board helping you.  Those big tubs that are made to hold toys are great.  Tell them that when they are finished playing, just throw everything in the tub.  It makes for a pretty quick clean up.  Go around the house and wash all of the windows and clean out all of the window tracks.  The pickiest buyer I have ever worked with did three things:  checked the window tracks for dirt, looked inside the oven to see if it was clean, and opened the dishwasher to look at the outer framing of the door.  If these areas were clean, she knew the rest of the house would be too.

Speaking of clean, it is absolutely the cheapest thing you can do to make your house show ready.  No one, not one buyer out there, wants to buy someone else’s dirt.  It just doesn’t happen.   Pay attention to the bottom of cupboards, the baseboards, around the bottom of the toilet.  Yep, everywhere.

You’ll need a place to store all of the stuff you are packing away.  If you can, rent a storage unit or get one of those PODS that allow you to pack things and then have them stored off-site.  If you can’t pay for storage, use your garage.  I would rather have a staged home with a garage that is stacked wall-to-wall and top-to-bottom than an empty garage and a messy house.

There are a couple of good websites I found that will give you ideas and perhaps be helpful:

From the National Associaiton of Realtors, click here.

From US News and World Report, click here.

And to visit Barb Schwartz’s website, click here.  Barb Schwartz is the queen of home staging.  She has been teaching Realtors techniques of home staging since before I was a Realtor (over 22 years).  I used to refer to staging a home as “Schwartzing” a home.  That’s how ingrained in my head this lady is.

goldenoldlrAt the top of this article is a photo of my listing in Mt. Park.  I want you to compare that photo to the one that you find to the right.  Can you see the big improvement?  The photo to the right is how this room used to look.  This was not a home with a problem of clutter.  This was a house that needed to show case the homes features.  The home owner moved the living room furniture to the other end of the room in order to showcase the wonderful windows.  Where a TV cabinet had blocked windows, now what you see is light and sunshine.  In addition, the owner replaced several windows that had broken seals.  Now when you walk in, you step back and feel the wow factor.  That is what sells a house.

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Open Houses for Sunday, April 10th, 2009

With this Sunday being Mother’s Day, and the weather forecast looking like it’s going to be spectacular, this Sunday just might be the perfect time to grab your favorite Mom and go house hunting.  The RMLS has 14 houses currently advertised to be open this Sunday, including 41 Hillshire, which is in this week’s featured neighborhood, Westridge.

82 Oswego Summit, $234,900. 1212 square feet, 2 BR, 2 BTHS, open 2-5

4465 Golden Lane, $275,000. 1980 square feet, 2 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 1-4

4458 Thunder Vista Ln, $310,000. 2200 square feet, 3 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 1-4

4325 Country Woods Ct, $334,900. 1346 square feet, 3 BR, 2 BTHS, open 1-4

41 Hillshire Dr, $498,500. 2670 square feet, 4 BR, 3 BTHS, open 1:30-3:30

13500 Twin Creek Ln, $572,500. 3049 square feet, 4 BR, 2.5 BTHS, open 1-4

11 Cellini Ct, $599,950. 3392 square feet, 5 BR, 3 BTHS, open 1-4

17464 Ridgeview Ln, $1,298,950. 4407 square feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 2-4

622 Oak Meadow Dr, $1,325,000. 4171 square feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 2-4

664 Oak Meadow Dr, $1,355,000. 4198 square feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 2-4

657 Oak Meadow Dr, $1,395,000. 4371 square feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 2-4

16359 Chapin Way, $1,398,000. 4158 square feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 1-4

17364 Ridgeview Ct, $1,425,000. 4436 square feet, 4 BR, 3.5 BTHS, open 2-4

17433 Ridgeview Ct, $1,495,000. 4704 square feet, 4 BR, 4.5 Bths, open 2-4

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother’s Day.