You’ve been enjoying your final Summer in the house, but now it’s time to get ready to put it on the market. What is different about listing in the Fall?
There are several things to consider when selling your house in the Fall. The market typically isn’t as crazy as it is in Spring, but Fall is still a good time to be on the market. More buyers are active than in the Summer, when most folks are enjoying the beach. But those with children in school are less likely to be looking. Still, today less than half of households have school-age children so there are plenty of potential buyers out there. But selling in the Fall does have it’s own challenges.
Get Photos Now
Don’t wait until you list your home to get outdoor images. Fall can mean leaves on your yard and not on the trees. Get photos in the Summer, or even Spring, when flowers are in bloom and trees are fully leafed out to let buyers know what the yard looks like in warmer seasons.
Keep the Yard Immaculate
Don’t allow leaves to pile up. Have leaves raked or use the leafblower daily to keep the yard neat and clean. Add colorful fall blooms like Mums, Pansies and ornamental cabbage. These will keep your yard warm and appealing as temperatures cool.
Let the Light In
With the sun lower in the sky, rooms can seem darker in the Fall. Remove of open curtains and shades to allow as much light in as possible. More showings are likely to occur after sunset in the fall, so make sure all your exterior light fixtures and bulbs are working. Also try different light bulbs to see what makes your interiors look best. Kitchens and bathrooms may look better in Cool White or Daylight bulbs. Depending on paint colors, bedrooms could benefit more from Warm Light.
Perform Basic Maintenance
Have the furnace serviced. Seal windows and other openings with caulk. Buyers will want to feel warm in the home. Replacing HVAC filters will help eliminate odors and allergens as the the windows will likely be closed in cooler weather.
Go Easy on Seasonal Decorations
While a few Halloween or Thanksgiving items is ok, adding too much decoration can make the home appear cluttered. Also don’t overdue the scented candles, or cookie baking. Buyers may suspect you’re compensating for an unpleasant smell.
If you are thinking of selling this Fall, give me a call or text at 973-462-4070. I’ll be happy to list your home and help you move on to your next home!
Selling your home this fall? Start prepping early!
Backyards for Barbecues
For some people, homes are about how many bedrooms and bathrooms. For others its about granite countertops and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen. But for some people its more about the outside of the house than the inside.
If you are the type who loves having friends and neighbors over, commanding the grill, entertaining in the great outdoors, the backyard may be the most important item on your must-have list. And not just any backyard, but one with a deck, a patio, maybe even a pool. Here are a few considerations are you look for a new home, or look to transform your current backyard into your dream home:
The Outdoor Kitchen
For some, a standard metal gas grill just doesn’t cut it. Whether its a flagstone island with inbuilt grill, or a cabana with a built in bar (with refrigerator), or a wood-fired brick oven, there is almost no kitchen appliance that can’t be built outdoors. There are modular systems that you can assemble, or you can spend money on custom-built kitchens that cost as much or more than your indoor kitchen. But then, if you spend the bulk of your summer outside or all your weekends entertaining your friends and family, that might well be worth the investment. Adding a great dining area on a paver patio, with a firepit or a pergola will make your home feel as big as all outdoors!
The Green Thumb Garden
If gardening is your thing, perhaps a garden path lined with raised beds will create the perfect oasis. Raised bed can help make gardening less hard on your knees and back. A vertical garden can be a great way to make maximum use of a smaller yard, or bring your garden to your deck. You could even combine a vertical garden with your outdoor kitchen!
The Three Season Room
If you love a cookout, but not the bugs, or wish to enjoy a fresh breeze even when its too rainy to eat outdoors, a three-season room may be the answer. A screened-in porch allows you to enjoy the best of the great outdoors but escape the rain, bugs and even the heat of the midday sun. You can even find systems that allow for swapping out screens for Plexiglas windows to extend your outdoor fun into the spring and fall.
Serenity Pools
For some, a swimming pool is a must. For others, a pool may be too much work, or with small children, too much hazard. But a water feature like a koi pond or a small waterfall and pond may create a cool, serene environment with less risk or maintenance.
Bonus: Add this simple recipe to your next backyard barbecue
Here’s a simple recipe you can add to your next summer barbecue:
Zesty Bean Salad
Ingredients
1 15.5oz can Small Red Beans washed and well drained
1 15.5oz can White Beans (Cannellini) washed and well drained
1 15oz can Black Beans washed and well drained
1 7oz can White Shoepeg Corn drained
1 10oz can Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilis well drained
(Optional) 1 4oz can Diced Green Chilis (if you like your salad a little zestier)
1 Bottle Vinaigrette Dressing
Drain and wash all beans. Drain well. Combine with drained corn. Drain diced tomatoes and green chilis well, add to bean mixture and stir thoroughly. Cover with vinaigrette and let chill for 8 hours or overnight.
May Flowers – A quick guide to curb appeal
Now that Spring has (finally) sprung, you may be thinking about putting your home on the market. And even if that’s not your plan (for this year, at least), you may still be thinking “what do the neighbor’s think” as you survey your suddenly unruly yard. Here’s a quick guide to improving your home’s curb appeal to get the most money, or the greatest enjoyment out of it.
Home Shaming
Yes, that’s right, home shaming is a thing. Have you ever thought “there’s no way I’m inviting X over, they will think my house is a disaster”? That’s home shaming. Perhaps your busy schedule, or lack of a green thumb leaves you feeling your “that neighbor”, the one with the house all the other neighbors talk about. And not in a good way! If you are thinking of selling your home, it’s likely prospective buyers will think the same.
If you are thinking of selling, but the thought of tackling your yard gives you agita, consider bringing in a professional landscaper. Research shows that a well landscaped home can sell for as much as 12.7% more than a home without landscaping. For a $500,000 home, that could be as much as $63,000! A professional landscaper could add some real value to your home for considerably less.
The DIY Approach
There are some simple things you can do to help your curb appeal, even if your thumb is more black than green. Starting with a simple clean up. Mowing the grass is important, but don’t forget the shrubs and hedges. Also, clean up any dead branches and trim trees back so your home is visible and your yard appears bright and roomy.
While you are at it, is there a lot of clutter, garbage cans, hoses, old lawn furniture around? Clean that all up! You can use strategically planted bushes or a fence made of prefab lattice to hide garbage cans, air conditioning units and other items. If you have no place inside for yard items, consider putting hoses, gardening tools, etc. in attractive baskets or pots, or a bench container. Add mulch and colorful flowers to give some pop to your yard.
Beyond the Yard
Of course if you are cleaning up the yard, the house should look appealing too. A front door has always been one of the most cost effective updates you can give your home. Painting the entire home can be expensive, but focusing on those areas most in need, such as the trim, can still have a power effect on curb appeal. Consider the sidewalk and driveway as well. Don’t forget the garage. In our area we tend to have detached garages, which are typically offered as-is. But a dilapidated garage with peeling paint doesn’t just affect your possible selling price, but could result in a sale falling through. FHA mortgages require peeling paint to be addressed.
May is the season for flowers, and also the peak season for house hunting. If you might be selling your home this year, or even in a few years, now is the time to start considering curb appeal.
Spring Cleaning for your Credit
If you are thinking of buying a new home, or refinancing your current mortgage, it may be time for a little spring cleaning. Not the kind that involve a mop and some Spic and Span, but a thorough review of your credit to ensure you are get the best interest rate possible.
Your credit score in a number generated by several agencies that track a person’s borrowing and payments. The most common score is the FICO score, which ranges from a low of 300 to a high of 850. The higher your score, the better. Credit scores above 670 are considered good to excellent. Those with good or excellent credit scores may easily obtain loans, with the most attractive interest rates. Those with poor credit scores will pay much higher interest rates, or even be denied loans.
What goes into a credit score? The amount you owe is only one factor considered. In fact, having no debt actually results in a lower credit score! Your payment history has the greatest impact on your credit score. Second is the ratio of your current debt to the amount of credit available. For example, if you have a credit limit of $10,000 on a credit card, and your current balance is $5,000 you are using 50% of your available credit on that account. The length of time you’ve had a credit history and the variety of loans (credit and store cards, car loans and other installment loans, mortgages) you have also impact your credit score.
So how can you clean up your credit?
Obtain your free credit reports
The first step is to find out what your credit score is and what is driving that score. Three credit bureaus are required to provide you with a free credit report once a year. Experian (https://usa.experian.com/), Transunion (www.transunion.com/get-credit-report) and Equifax (www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/free-credit-reports/) each have links on their website that allow you to download your credit report once a year. This is an excellent place to start. Your credit report will show each account with a current balance and indicate if you are paying on time. Review these reports for errors, accounts you did not open, or have closed to ensure they are accurate. Each credit bureau has a dispute process to challenge information in the report.
Pay bills on time
This might seem obvious, but it bears repeating. Making payments on time will help keep your credit score high. A late payment remains on your credit report for 7 years, and payment history is the largest factor in your score, so paying on time is key to keeping your credit score high.
Resolve delinquent accounts
If you have a past-due account, settling up with that account will begin to improve your credit score, although this does take time. If you are unable to completely pay off the delinquent account, you may be able to negotiate a pay-off plan with the creditor, or at least begin to make catch-up payments to eliminate the past-due balance over time. Every little bit helps.
Listing With Tim
My tag line is: When you find Tim, you’ll find home. But what if finding home means selling the one you currently have? Well I can handle that as well! But what do you get when you choose me to sell your home? In this post I’ll explain what to expect when you list with me.
You may think that all listing agents do the same thing, and there is a certain level at which this is true. All listing agents will put your property on a Multiple Listing Service on the Internet where buyers and other agents can find the home. Pretty much all agents will put a sign in your yard. All agents will coordinate showings. But that’s about where the common elements end. And the differences begin not only with what else a listing agent does, but in how they do some of the things all agents do. Here is the approach I take, and why it matters to you as a seller:
Multiple Listing:
Yes all agents will enter your home in a multiple listing service, and enter the data required by the system. But many agents will fill out the required fields, and nothing more. And some enter the home in a MLS that doesn’t cover the area where the home is located. I take the time to ensure that every key detail of your home, from the appliances included in the sale, to the dimensions of the rooms, to uploading your seller’s disclosure for agents to share, to providing the details of construction, home design and materials is entered. And I take listings only in the areas covered by the MLS’s I belong to, and enter them where appropriate.
Why this matters to you? Buyers can be picky. They may not just want a 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath home, they might be looking specifically for a 3 Bedroom 2 1/2 bath split level with hardwood floors, a full bath on the lower level and a dishwasher in the kitchen. The more details I include in the MLS, the more likely it is that a buyer will find your home, and make an offer. And properties entered in an MLS for a different region are invisible to the agents most likely to have buyers for your home.
Photos:
Believe it or not, not all agents even take or upload photos. And some will rush through your home taking quick shots with their cell phone and then upload them as-is, no matter how they look. I use professional photographers, choose specific images that strategically highlight all the key areas of your home, including the exterior and community. I will also help you prepare for photography by decluttering and staging your home to look its best.
Why this matters to you? Photos online are the first impression most buyers will have of your home, and if they don’t look good, it will also be their last impression. Professional photographers will ensure the lighting is appropriate and use perspectives that give buyers a better understanding of your home. Photos that are dark, show only a corner of the room, or focus on your furniture and moving boxes don’t help buyers. Staging and de-cluttering can help buyers see the true potential in the home, and entice them to come see it for themselves.
Signage:
Through Coldwell Banker I am able to include sign riders on my for sale signs with a QR code or instructions to text a number to receive a link to view photos of the home. This allows passers-by to quickly and easily pull up information about the home.
Why this matters to you? After internet photos, the yard sign is the second most common way potential buyers can find out about your home, and if the sign can help them quickly learn more, then buyers are more likely to follow up and, if the home meets their needs, schedule a showing.
Open Houses:
Believe it or not, many agents don’t do open houses. I specialize in open houses. I have a system for planning, promoting and following up from open houses that has produced more sales than any other source.
Why this matters to you? You might wonder do houses actually sell at an open house? The short answer is; yes! Most buyers will at some point go to an open house. And the buyer for your house might not come to your open house, but their agent, or a friend who lives nearby may stop in, and then let them know about your house. Yes, open houses lead to sales. After all, the more people come through your home, the more likely you are to find a buyer, and open houses make that happen quicker.
Coordinating the Transaction:
Most agents coordinate showings and forward offers to the seller. I take an active role in the entire transaction. I will work with you to pro-actively set schedules for showings. Don’t want showings after 6PM? Just let me know and I will ensure that other agents know when the home will be available to show. If multiple offers are received I will prepare a worksheet so you can see all offers and compare them to determine which best meet all your requirements. I will also discuss with you any issues I expect could come up in inspections so you can plan accordingly, and work with you through the smoke detector inspection and Certificate of Occupancy inspection (where required) to ensure you have a smooth closing.
Why this matters to you? Showings are just the first phase of selling a home. Much can go wrong once a property is under contract. I will be there to help you navigate the entire process. After all, a house isn’t sold until it closes!
What if I don’t want a ton of people through my home?
Not everyone wants to sell their home for the most money. Some people want to sell and close as quickly as possible. Others may want as little disruption of their life as possible. I don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to listings. I listen to my clients, and look for solutions that will help you reach all of their sale goals. If you don’t want a ton of people through, I have strategies to help with that, including online video to help potential buyers self-screen out if the home is not right for them, pre-screening for buyers who are financially qualified and likely to be interested, even taking the listing exclusively, meaning it will only be marketed to other Coldwell Banker agents who can pre-screen their clients. Likewise, if speed of sale is your primary objective I can work to get you the most exposure possible to find a buyer as quickly as possible.
Sometimes, selling a home is the first step to finding a home, and when that is the case, it’s still true: When you find Tim, you’ll find home!