Preparing Your Property

Setting the Stage for a Quick Sell

Making a good first impression can mean the difference between receiving serious offers for your home or being subjected to months of lookie-loos dropping by but never buying.

How can you ensure that your home will make the best impression possible? Here are six tips for savvy home sellers:

1. Focus on curb appeal. The outside of your house can be the source of a very good first impression. Keep the grass well-watered and mowed. Have your trees trimmed. Cut back overgrowth. Plant some blooming flowers. Keep toys, bicycles, gardening equipment and the like out of sight. Have at least the front of your house and the trim painted, if necessary. Sweep the porch and the front walkway. After dark, turn on your front porch light and any other exterior lighting, create a warm, inviting look.

2. Clear out the clutter. Real estate agents say buyers won't purchase a home they can't see. Or more importantly, see themselves in it! If your home has too much furniture, overflowing closets, crowded kitchen and bathroom countertops or lots of family photos or collectibles on display, potential buyers won't be able to really see your home.   Get rid of anything you don't need or use. Fill up your garage or rent some off-site storage space!

3. Use your nose. Many people are oblivious to scents, but others are extremely sensitive to offensive odors. To eliminate bad smells, bathe your pets, freshen the cat litter box frequently, shampoo your carpets, dry clean your drapes, and empty trash cans, recycling bins and ash trays. Place open boxes of baking soda in smell-prone areas, and refrain from cooking fish or strong-smelling foods. Introduce pleasing smells by placing flowers or potpourri in your home and using air fresheners. Baking a fresh or frozen pie or some other fragrant treat is another common tactic.

4. Make all necessary repairs. Buyers expect everything in their new home to operate safely and properly. Picky buyers definitely will notice-and likely magnify -- minor maintenance problems you've ignored for months or even years. Leaky faucets, burned-out light bulbs, painted-shut or broken windows, inoperable appliances and the like should be fixed before you put your home on the market. These repairs may seem small, but left undone they can lead buyers to question whether you've taken good care of your home.
 

5. Introduce lifestyle accessories and make your home as comfortable and attractive as possible. Set the dining room table with your best dishes. Put out your only-for-company towels. Make up the spare bed. Hang some fresh curtains. Put some logs in the fireplace. Dress your home as if it were being photographed for a magazine. Use your imagination.

6. Get a buyer's-eye view. Walk up to your home and pretend you've never seen it before. What do you notice? How do you feel about what you see? Does the home seem inviting? Well-maintained? Would you want to buy this home? Get friends and family members to do the same, just like proof reading -- they can see things you don't.

 

Contact Sheri or Shannon Today for your Free Consultation!

Sheri Reget @ 262-705-6960  or  sheri.reget@coldwellbanker.com

Shannon Burkoth @ 262-496-9877  or  sburkoth@re1wi.com  

Selling a house is a very difficult and sometimes, emotional job. You want to sell your home as quickly as possible and at its full value. Also, you will need to be aware of state and federal laws and how they affect your sale.

This involves a lot of time, effort, and patience, as well as specialized skills and knowledge. That is why Real Estate Agents are considered Professionals. That is also why most people turn to a Real Estate Agent for help.

When you sell your home, the Real Estate Agent will work for you as a client. You sign a contract with the agent, called a listing contract. The agent then works for you and receives an agreed upon commission when the house is sold.

In a seller/client relationship, the agent guides you throughout the real estate transaction providing information on such issues as pricing your home, which purchase offers are fair and how to structure a purchase contract to your advantage. It is the business of the Real Estate Agent to help you sell your home with minimum delay and to help you realize every dollar it is worth.

Although the Real Estate Agent works for you and owes you additional services, the Real Estate Agent must also treat his or her buyer customers fairly. The buyer is generally the customer.

Today, however, many home buyers use a buyer’s agent – a specialized Real Estate Agent who is the home buyer’s client and works for the interests of the buyer. This makes it even more important for you to have an expert on your side looking out for your best interests.  

Selling your home shouldn't be a stressful ordeal. Making the smart move of choosing a REALTOR® is your first step to ensuring that your investment in your home pays off. Our services and experience allow you to focus on your move while We manage your home sale from our initial consultation to the closing deal, and beyond. We pride ourselves on repeat business and hope you'll come to understand why.

What We will do for you
Recent Home Sales
Getting the highest price
Closing Costs

As Your Agent, We Will:

• Complete a comparative market analysis that will compare your home's value to that of your neighborsrecent home sales.
• Compile a comprehensive plan detailing all the efforts we will employ to sell your home, including Internet and local media.
• Present your home to as many qualified buyers as possible getting your home maximum exposure.
• Help you stage your home and generate curb appeal to ensure you get the highest price.
• Assist with obtaining offers and help you in negotiating the best deal as smoothly as possible.
• Help you find your next home and answer all of your questions about the local market area, including schools, neighborhoods, the local economy, and more.

Recent Home Sales

We will show you what homes are selling for in your neighborhood and compare these sales to your home to get an accurate market value for your home. We will also show show what homes are currently for sale in your neighborhood and what your competition is.

Marketing Efforts:

Over 83% of buyers are starting their home search online, we have invested in new technologies that will get your home noticed online, and buyers knocking on your door. Every internet sitewill include MULTIPLE pictures of your home as well as a link to your Virtual Tour.

Every Listing will receive the following marketing efforts;

• Virtual Tour
• MLS
• Enhanced Realtor.com site
• Multiple Internet sites to include; ColwellBanker.com, CBRE1.com, Trulia.com, Google, Yahoo, MSN, DoubleAgentsWI.com, etc...
• Color Flyers
• Post Signs
• Office Tour
• Full Page Color Kenosha News Ad Every Sunday (excluding holidays)
• Full Page Color Homes Guide Ad every month  
• Lead Router
• Office open 7 days a week with Secretary and Realtor on staff
• Target mailings
• Marketing plan available to capture northern Illinois Buyers as well

Getting the Highest Price for Your Home

Curb appeal is key and could make a difference whether people stop and take a flyer, or drive right by. Here are a few tips to increase the curb appeal of your home. Staging your home is important. Many buyers will stay in your home longer if it's staged appropriately. We have compiled some ideas to present your home in the most effective manner.

Closing Costs to Expect:

• Title insurance fees depend on the sales price of the home.
• Broker's commission is a full-service fee and will cost anywhere between 5% to 7%.
• Local property transfer tax, country transfer tax, state transfer tax, and state capital gains tax are the charges that you'll pay for the privilege of selling your home. Credit to the buyer of unpaid real estate taxes for the prior or current year are variable and depend on when you close and when your taxes are due.
• FHA fees and costs are all fees are now negotiable between an FHA buyer and seller.
• Home inspections fees are in some circumstances paid for by the seller and include pest, radon and other inspections.
• Miscellaneous fees can accrue from correcting problems noticed during the home inspection.

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