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Category Archives: sellers

Over-Updated, Under-Updated…

Saturday, 05 September 2009 23:35
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I visited a home recently that had an interesting mix of over and under updated features.

Overall, the home was quite beautiful.  The finishes were well done and attractive.  Honestly, it showed better than the photos… and that is a good thing, the photos weren’t bad.

The yard was amazing.  The only issue I could find is that it would require too much care for MY lifestyle, but it was wonderful to walk around the paths and see the ponds, gardens and various areas.

But then there was the kitchen…  1990 called and they want their kitchen back…  It didn’t live up to the rest of the house.

What to do?

If you are selling your home, and you want to maximize the price and minimize the time on market, the Kitchen is the MOST important room to use to WOW your buyer.  The next most important room is the Master Bath.  Of course, the rest of the house can’t fail to live up to those rooms, but those are the stars…

Solid surface counters, black or stainless steel appliances, neat, clean and organized cabinets.  Those are the keys to the kitchen.

The Master Bath is a little trickier… But, to start, make sure that it is clean, no wall paper and devoid of builder grade fixtures…  Chrome is usually bad…

This home was both over and under updated…

The kitchen was a throwback… it killed the deal.  The rest of the house almost brought it back… and the buyers were almost ready to hire the seller to do the landscaping for the home they eventually buy.  As with the yard, which was tweaked to the hilt, the house was “fully developed”.  And as such, it lacked storage space and unfinished areas.

There will be a buyer for it…  And they will be getting a great deal if the house suits them.

If you are selling your house, put yourself in the shoes of the buyer…  We’ll be talking about this more over the next few weeks…

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Mold, not just for bread and cheese anymore…

Friday, 04 September 2009 12:07
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Moldy nectarines that were in a refrigerator. ...
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Ok, mold has NEVER just been for bread and cheese.  and while it can be useful stuff… when it is penicillin… the rest of the time, it is NOT something we want in our bodies.

So, Mold and Real Estate?

I’m seeing it more and more.  Actually, it started a few years ago, but as more foreclosures come on the market, mold gets to be a bigger issue.

In some homes it is a minor issue… a little musty smell that can be handled with a couple of filter changes in the HVAC and a good cleaning.  There are even some homes that don’t seem to have any mold smells present.

But in other homes it is a MAJOR problem.  We aren’t talking about a little smell, we are talking about unhealthy levels of toxins… and in some cases, they could cause serious respiratory distress, or worse.  In those cases, if the price is good enough, and the home is otherwise desirable, a mold remediation company could be brought in to kill the mold and bring the property back into a healthy state.

How can we know?

Get an inspection.  Of course, I ALWAYS recommend getting an inspection from an ASHI Certified Inspector for any home… even brand new.  But there are actually specialist Mold Inspection companies.  If you suspect that there could be mold in the property, getting it inspected is cheap insurance.  Mold remediation can be simple, or VERY involved and expensive.  Knowing during the Due Diligence Period is much better than unexpectedly finding out that your good deal is going to suck $50,000 out of your pocket before you can move in.

Some favorite mold hangouts…

  • Crawlspaces and basements
  • Under sinks in kitchens and bathrooms
  • Attics
  • The back of closets
  • Anywhere there isn’t airflow

Be aware.  Do a little research… even trolling Google, Yahoo or Bing for a few minutes can yield a lot of good knowledge.  of course, getting professional advice isn’t a bad idea either.  And remember, almost every property is going to have SOME mold.  But, if the humidity and moisture levels are in line with what they should be, there is good airflow and the space is kept clean, the mold can’t get a solid foothold and take over the house.

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Sellers… Are you ready to compete for Buyers?

Monday, 24 August 2009 23:45
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Poker Table at the 2004 World Poker Tour 5 Dia...
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That’s right…

Buyers are looking at homes, and they still have a choice.

Don’t get me wrong, there is competition among Buyers for some homes, but the competition goes both ways.

Buyers that don’t snap up the deal fast enough might find that they lose it to another Buyer.  And Sellers that don’t accept solid offers might find that they lose the Buyer to another Home (Seller).

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REEP and Cap & Trade

Thursday, 02 July 2009 23:57
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High desert in Eastern Oregon, United States
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Changes might be coming… and they aren’t good.

Buried in the 1500 page bill is a very long section on the Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance program, REEP for short.

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Listing Options… Just so you know.

Friday, 26 June 2009 10:47
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DSCN3105
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Yesterday I posted about how some companies are adding junk fees to the traditional sales fees for both buyers and sellers.  I think this practice is just plain wrong… especially the way it is usually presented.

In order to give my clients options and help them save some money, I offer three different fee structures and two different levels of service for home sellers.  Here is the quick rundown:

  • Flat Fee – $999 listing plan. This is the plan from our discount arm, WhatIf? Realty.  This puts your property on the local MLSs, and gets you a standard sign, as well as a lockbox and flyers.  I have a couple of extras, as well as some available upgrades that aren’t shown on the company page, for my clients through this plan, so if you are interested, please contact me directly.
  • Traditional Listing. This includes all of the traditional services, like full marketing, website, video, virtual tour, interactive floor plan, interactive design tools, custom sign, blog support and more.  I don’t believe that tossing it in the MLS and then shooting a couple of pictures with my cell phone is a “complete marketing package”…
  • The Hybrid Option. This is new and experimental, but really exciting.  Many sellers want more than they get from a Flat Fee plan, but they want to save a few bucks.  In effect, they are looking for a full-service marketing package with a lower overall cost…  So, after looking at how we could offer something to meet this need, this is what we came up with.  This includes ALL of the services of our traditional listing and adds a staging consultation. In exchange for an upfront fee, covering much of the cost of marketing, we discount the total cost.

For more information, feel free to call.

One other thing to keep in mind is that most real estate agents are actually independent contractors.  While we “work for” a brokerage, we aren’t employees.  In some cases, we have the ability to set our own rates, services and other aspects of our businesses.  So, even agents working for the same office may offer different services or fees.

In the case of Diamond Dwellings Realty, we are a small niche brokerage… we have agents that specialize in different areas or market segments.  And as a smaller brokerage, we have a LOT of lattitude to deliver the best fit for a client’s needs.

My goal is to get YOU the best total deal.

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