Register Real Estate Advisors

1. Put fresh or silk flowers in principal rooms for a touch of color.

2. Add a new shower curtain, fresh towels, and new guest soaps to every bath.

3. Set out potpourri or fresh baked goods for a homey smell.

4. Set the table with pretty dishes and candles.

5. Buy a fresh doormat with a clever saying.

6. Take one or two major pieces of furniture out of every room to create a sense of spaciousness.

7. Put away kitchen appliances and personal bathroom items to give the illusion of more counter space.

8. Lay a fire in the fireplace. Or put a basket of flowers there if it’s not in use.

9. Depersonalize the rooms by putting away family photos, mementos, and distinctive artwork.

10. Turn on the sprinklers for 30 minutes to make the lawn sparkle.

Reprinted from REALTOR Magazine Online by permission of the National Association of Realtors, Copyriht 2005, All rights reserved.

This Sunday my Buyer’s Agent, Linda Parrish, will be holding open 20223 Cypresswood Glen in Spring from 2-4pm. This lovely, well maintained one story home in the Cypresswood Lake Subdivision has been reduced to $129,900.00. That’s an amazing value! The sellers are motivated and awaiting your offer! Come see this one on Sunday, because it will not last long! The subdivision gate code is 1057. See you there!!

Make your home more appealing for potential buyers with these quick and easy tips.

1.  Trim bushes so they don’t block windows and cute down on light.

2.  Buy a new doormat.

3.  Put a pot of bright flowers (or a small evergreen in winter) on your porch.

4.  Put new doorknobs on your doors.

5.  Put a fresh coating on your driveway.

6.  Edge the grass around walks and trees.

7.  Keep your garden tools out of sight.

8.  Be sure kids put away their toys.

9.  Buy a new mailbox.

10.  Upgrade the outside lighting.

11.  Use warm, incandescent light bulbs for a homey feel

12.  Polish or replace your house numbers.

13.  Clean your gutters.

14.  Put out potpourri or burn scented candles.

15.  Buy new pillows for the sofa.

16.  Buy a flowering plant and put it in a window you pass by frequently.

17.  Make a centerpiece for your table with fruit or artificial flowers.

18.  Replace heavy curtains with sheer ones that let in more light.

19.  Buy new towels.

20.  Put a seasonal wreath on our door.

Reprinted from REALTOR Magazine Online by permission of the National Assocaiation of REALTORS.  Copyright 2005.  All rights reserved.  http://www.REALTOR.org/realtormag

Due to the massive amount of short sales and foreclosures in the Houston area I have acquired my CDPE – Certified Distressed Property Expert Designation.  This new designation has taught me the short sale process and how to get the deal closed.  It is the designation that banks require for Realtors to work on their distressed and foreclosure properties.  If you or someone you know is behind on their mortgage please choose a Realtor that holds this designation.  I enjoy helping homeowners learn how to avoid foreclosure and helping them sale their properties before they are foreclosed on.

1.  Price it Right.  Set a price at the lower end of your property’s realistic price range.

2.  Get your house market-ready for at least two weeks before you begin showing it.

3.  Be flexible about showings.  It’s often disruptive to havea  house ready to show on the spur of the moment, but the more often someone can see your home, the sooner you’ll find a seller.

4.  Be ready for the offers.  Decide in advance what price and terms you’ll find acceptable.

5.  Don’t refuse to drop the price.  If your home has been on the market for more than 30 days without an offer, be prepared to lower your asking price.

Reprinted from REALTOR Magazine Online by permission of the National Association of REALTORS.  Copyright 2005.  All rights reserved.  http://www.REALTOR.org/realtormag

So you’ve accepted your new job and have moved on to your new life in a different city.

The only problem is that your previous house hasn’t sold yet and now you’re faced with the prospect of selling a vacant house—a sure way to look desperate, lose money, and ensure the place languishes on the market, right? Not necessarily. There are steps you can take to make your house more appealing and marketable, even though it’s—gasp—unoccupied.

Vacant or not, the curb appeal of your house is important. Since your house is uninhabited, it’s important to make sure that the lawn is mowed, the newspaper has been cancelled, and your mail has been forwarded. Invest in some motion-activated lights for the outside. Also you may want to have a neighbor park in the driveway, if possible.

When talking about the inside of the home, keep some furniture and lamps. It seems counter-intuitive, but an empty house looks smaller than a home with a few pieces about. Additionally, when a house is totally vacant, minor defects, like a stain on the carpet or a scratch on the wood floor, tend to stick out a bit more.

Also, remember that it’s very important to keep the utilities turned on—buyers don’t like walking into a sauna in the summer or an icebox in the winter. Plus, frequent dramatic temperature and moisture changes are not good for the structure’s integrity.

Unfortunately, sometimes vacant houses can attract vandals and thieves. If you’ve got a security system, make sure it’s set, but leave your code with your Texas REALTOR®. You also want to make sure the house has the appearance of occupancy—some timers for lamps you’ve left behind are a good idea.

Some folks will even hire professional home sitters, who will rent your home for a nominal fee, furnish it with their own stuff, pay utilities, and are obligated to maintain the home in showing condition.

Finally, realize that it may be hard to insure a vacant house, so review your policy and speak with your agent to evaluate your coverage needs.

This information was provided on the Texas Association of Realtors® website.

The appraised value of a property is a professional estimate of a property’s market value. It’s based on the recent sales of similar properties, square footage, location, construction quality, and more. An appraisal varies in cost depending on the price and size of the home. Most lenders require appraisals as part of the loan application process.

But don’t confuse the appraisal with market value. The appraised value is a certified appraiser’s opinion of the worth of a home at a given point in time. And it should give you a pretty good idea what your home will sell for. Ultimately, though, your home’s market value is the price a buyer is willing to pay for it. Having your home professionally appraised before putting it on the market will help you and your Texas REALTOR® determine a fair asking price. There are other methods of determining the value of your home, including a comparative market analysis (CMA). A CMA compiles information and sales prices from homes similar to yours from your neighborhood that have sold recently. Many Realtors perform CMAs for clients and potential buyers.

Whether you rely on a CMA, an appraisal, or both, you will be able to price your home according to objective measures rather than a gut feeling or a number plucked from the air. 

This information is provided by the Texas Association of Realtors® website.

I have received so many complimentary emails & phone calls in response to the American Flags my assistants and I put out in the Spring Lakes neighborhood to recognize Veteran’s Day.  Some people have told me they’ll keep them and put them out on the next flag holiday.  Others have told me how much more enjoyable their jog or bike ride went on Veteran’s Day.  I appreciate all of your positive feedback.  I love this neighborhood and wanted to commemorate the holiday and share in it with all of you – my friends and neighbors.  Many of you know my husband is a Veteran of two wars, so the holiday has great meaning for us personally.  I did have one person complain about marketing with a flag, but our Coldwell Banker United, Realtors owner Richard Smith is a proud Veteran that fully supports this Coldwell Banker tradition.  However, in the future, the U.S. Flag Holiday Service will be placing flags in Spring Lakes for a fee of $40 per year that supports the local Boy Scout Troop.  Their service begins on President’s Day 2010.  To learn more or sign up you can email Assistant Scoutmaster Phil Cherry at SpringTroop594@gmail.com or call 713.677.1814.  Thank you Spring Lakes for making our neighborhood an easy sell.  You make it easy for buyers to want to move here.  You can visit http://BuySpringLakes.com to see how I can showcase your home to sell even in a down market.

In March of 2006 an article titled Sellers Who Skip Brokerage May Be Losing Their Edge was published by Lew Sichelman, United Feature Syndicate.  I think the content is not only still relevant, but more necessary in today’s real estate market.  Below I will explain the article and add my own comments about it.  There are a lot of do-it-yourselfers out there, but there are great reasons why you should not sell your home yourself.  It should be handled by a professional full service real estate agent who knows the current market and can set your house apart from the competition. 

Some homeowners feel that they can save a 6% commission fee and sell their house themselves.  In a rich and lucrative market, it happens rarely.  In our current market, I never hear of being successful.  The 6% is usually made up for in the fact that a Realtor can negotiate for you, save you lawyer and document fees, and get more for the house than you would selling it yourself.  The reason Realtors can sell the house much faster is because they have access to a buyer pool.  Even if their buyers are not interested in your home, any Realtor can show the home and sell it.  So Realtors not only market to consumers, they market to other Realtors who have buyers with housing needs. Realtors also absorb the advertising costs.  On average, for my selling clients, I pay for Ads, Open Houses, Fliers, web traffic, multiple listing service fees, efliers, signs - that’s just the basics.  If you do for sale by owner (FSBO), you have to incur marketing costs and then try to get what you are asking for the house.  Usually only your immediate neighbors know you have your house for sale, unless you happen to have a house on a busy street.  Buying tiny newspaper ads rarely help a house sell.  Did you know that according to the National Association of Realtors FSBOs sell for an average of 16% below that of comparable properties who use experienced agents?  A poll of 7,813 buyers and sellers through county deed records found that the median price achieved by sellers with agents was $230,000 versus $198,200 for sellers without agents. 
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In a good market Realtors can add your home to a Realtor database and sell it in six months without doing much work.  Years ago, advertising it in the newspaper would bring you open house visitors and a sale.  In todays down market, marketing matters.  In this increasingly online world it is not enough for your home to have curb appeal, it must have Google Appeal.  My cutting edge internet technology in marketing ensures your home is seen online, where we know over 85% of buyers are looking first.  I understand how to attract the attention of buyers online and my web marketing pledge is to give your home the best online marketing exposure available.  It is not enough to drive viewers to your house, it is my job to find the right viewers that will have the ability to purchase your home. 

When I first meet with my selling clients I help them determine the most effective price for their property so they can maximize the value of what is usually their greatest asset.  Then I create a customized marketing plan that will sell the home.  My marketing plans are ever evolving and improving and different properties require different marketing avenues, but I guarantee to place your house in front of the buyers.  Backed by the Coldwell Banker name you can trust, I use national and local advertising online and printed materials that attract the greatest number of buyers to your property.  A member of the largest relocation network in Houston, we can bring in Buyers from all over the world.   

The Google Appeal is important.  It means knowing how to use cutting-edge internet strategies and it means having search-engine-optimized online open houses to showcase your home’s potential to buyers.  The internet allows us to microtarget marketing materials to the right buyers.  It’s using targeted advertising that achieves results for you.

In addition to my own customized website and many other websites that will have your selling information, photos, and videos, I use different media outlets that include Houston Chronicle Advertising, Public and Broker Open Houses, Maximum Online Photos, text that generates interest and Search Enine Optimization, yard sign, fliers, and blog posts.  Your listing is guaranteed to be seen online by buyers and I can show you the data to prove it.  My marketing plan minimizes days on market while maximizing the value of your home.

My website is viewed by people all over the country so I post photos and videos of your home on my blog for viewers.  I drive traffic to my website through printed direct mail, geo-targeted advertising with realtor.com and Houston Newcomer Guides, and by linking with real estate websites like Har.com and Coldwell Banker National and Coldwell Banker United Local.  My blog has been featured and is a finalist in a blog contest put out by the Mays Business School and Real Estate Center at Texas A&M and this increases web traffic. 

While I am marketing your home, I can provide you with Marketing Activity to keep you informed of competitive market conditions, buyer activity, and the actions I have taken to market your property.

Call me today to get started selling your home.  I will provide you and your buyer with a FREE Home Warranty if you list your home for sale with me during the month of August.