3 Tips for Southern Maine Home Sellers

What can you do to set your home apart from the competition? I have three tips to give your listing a competitive edge.

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Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation

What can you do to give your home a competitive edge once it hits the market?

1. Get your home pre-inspected. By ordering the inspection, you show the buyer that you’ve done some due diligence. It also shows that you addressed any issues head-on.

Another benefit of the pre-inspection is that you will save more money in the long run. When the buyer does the inspection, they are trying to find everything they need to know about the property while looking for a way to renegotiate with you on pricing and repairs.

Depending on what comes up during the home inspection, buyers can get very nervous. Their idea of what something might cost to repair can be a little skewed. If you’ve done the inspection and addressed those issues head-on—and you have the report and receipts to show it—you will save money in the long run. You also won’t be blindsided by any surprises.

Staged homes sell in 11 days and for 17% more money than non-staged homes.

2. Have your home staged. According to the National Association of Realtors, homes that are professionally staged sell in 11 days or less and for 17% more than non-staged homes. Staging will yield you more money in a shorter amount of time. Staging also helps buyers see where things can be placed in the home to make it warm and welcoming.

3. Have professional photos taken. We always use a professional photographer on all of our listings. Everyone knows that a picture says 1,000 words, but I think a picture says a million words. People get emotional when it comes to buying, and those photos are their first impression of your home.

If you follow these tips, you will set your listing up for a successful sale. If you have any other questions about selling in today’s market, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

5 Safety Precautions for a Safe, Hassle-Free Home Sale

If you want to protect your home and yourself during the listing process, there are five safety precautions you need to take in your home.

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Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation

When preparing to list your home, there are five safety precautions you should take.

First, remove all prescription medications inside your medicine cabinet.

Second, put away any jewelry, family heirlooms, financial records, and other valuables and store them somewhere else.

Third, remove all family photos from your home. Not only will this help the buyer visualize themselves living inside the home, but it will also protect your privacy.

Fourth, install surveillance cameras.

Lastly, don’t let anyone view the home without their agent present.

Make sure your Realtor has some kind of screening process.

As a seller, preparing your home for the market can be a stressful time. You’re thinking about getting the best price and possibly needing to move quickly, and you’ll have potentially a lot of strangers into your home, so make sure your Realtor has some kind of screening process.

Our job is to make this process easy for you, so if you’re thinking about selling your home, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I will do a comparative market analysis to help you find the best price, give you tips on how to prepare your home for the market and maximize its value, and provide safety tips to ensure all these precautions are in place.

If you have any other questions or are thinking about buying a home, just give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to help you.

Things to Do to Get Ready to List Your Home

Today I’ve got a list of five inexpensive things that you can do to get your home ready to sell.

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search

Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation

I’m often asked what homeowners can do to get their homes ready for listing. Today I’ve got a list of five things you can do to your home without breaking the bank:

1. A tile backsplash in the kitchen. This is a relatively inexpensive thing to do and Home Depot offers classes on how to create the look if you’re a DIY’er like myself. This simple project can completely update the look and feel of your kitchen without having to spend the money on an entire remodel.
2. Painting rooms. Fresh paint really goes a long way without costing too much money. Be sure to choose neutral colors that will help the buyer visualize themselves in the room and give them a fresh canvas on which to work if they want to personalize the home once they’ve moved in.
3. Replace kitchen and bathroom faucets. Updating these items throughout the home gives everything a fresh look without having to replace the cabinets in a larger remodel. You can find new fixtures for a great price at Home Depot.
4. Spruce up your entryway. Adding a few simple decorations inside, as well as some potted plants outside your front door will go a long way towards adding positive curb appeal to your home.
5. Add a fresh layer of mulch to your gardens. Doing this simple thing will give your yard a cleaner, more put-together look and do great things for your curb appeal.

These simple things will go a long way to adding value to your home, and you don’t have to break the bank to do it.

If you have any other questions or you’re looking to buy or sell a home in our area, give me a call. I would be happy to help!

Why Zillow's Zestimates Are Usually Inaccurate

Many homeowners are disappointed to find out that their home isn't actually worth as much as Zillow says it's worth. So why are home value calculators like Zillow incorrect so often?

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Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation

If you're selling your home, you may have looked to Zillow.com to see what your home is worth. Many times, Zillow will say your home is worth more than what your Realtor says it's worth. Why is that?

For starters, Zillow's home value calculators rely on a formula that only considers things like square footage and recent home sales in the area. As you know, however, most homes aren't perfect after years of wear and tear. Realtors dislike Zillow's Zestimates because they involve no human interaction. Zillow can't physically come see your home. Instead, it relies on an algorithm and statistics.

Secondly, these online estimates miss the details of a home. Your home might have wallpaper from the 1950s or a kitchen that hasn't been upgraded in 20 years. If your neighbor's home has those upgrades, the Zestimate can give you false hope because it doesn't know that your home needs the updates. On the other hand, if your home actually has all these updates and renovations, Zillow still doesn't know that. It could miss value that your home has.

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Zillow can't come see your home in
person like a local Realtor will.

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Third, these Zestimates are strictly guidelines. They give homeowners a lot of false hope, and even though it's easy to tell ourselves that the values they provide aren't always accurate, it's not always easy to remember. When you think your home is worth more than it actually is, you will be disappointed when you find out that it might be different.

You can do some homework on the Internet to look at recent sales in your area to get a better idea. To get the best idea of your home's value, you should consult a local Realtor who sells a lot of homes in that area. They can show you what has sold recently and compare the benefits and features of those homes to yours to help you come up with an accurate value for your home.

The southern Maine market is a very attractive seller's market right now, so if you'd like to know what your home is truly worth or you're ready to sell now, give me a call or send me an email soon. I'd be happy to help you!

Successfully Sell Your Home During the Holidays

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search
Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation

Today, we'll share the top five reasons to sell your home in the winter. Though it might be strange to want to list during the holidays, but I've been in this industry since 2003. Some of the best sales happen during the holiday season!

1. Buyers are more serious. Since a lot of people think homes don't sell during the holidays, there aren't as many properties for you to compete against. Supply increases in January, meaning you have to work harder to make your home stand out on the market.

2. Homes show better. Buyers are emotional around the holidays, and sometimes even have more free time during the typical work week. Houses tend to look nicer, neater, and cleaner this time of year.

3. Big companies do job transfers during this time of year. Those people need to be in a new home by January 1st. These buyers start to look in November. If your home isn't listed, you will miss out on motivated buyers!

4. We can negotiate a January closing date. You don't have to pack up and leave during the holidays. Don't worry about moving during the holidays.

5. You can look for a new home this spring as a non-contingent buyer. Contingent buyers still have to sell their homes, but you can make an offer on a new one without worrying about your old property.

If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!