All Forum Posts by: Myia Ertise

Selling Homes in the World of Real Estate: Introduction

In order to revive the nearly unprofitable real estate market it is important that more and more homes are staged. This is a simple concept that ensures that a particular house that is for sales find appeal with more and more buyers.

Apart from getting a large number of buyers so that the seller can strike a good bargain, it is also equally important for the seller that his house gets sold of quickly. It is important to increase the demand so that the market can get more lucrative.

This is the primary reason why real estate agents are fast hiring, or themselves turning into ‘staging professionals’. These professionals help in building homes that find maximum appeal to the seller in terms of their tastes and preferences.

And it is a fact that stages homes bring as much as 15 percent more revenue that those that are not. People are constantly looking for a house with more space. Many look at it as an investment that how much they will gain when they in turn sell it. Keeping all this in mind a professional stages houses.

Therefore, those people who want to sell their houses enlist the services of such staging professionals who, on being hired, help the owners to prepare their houses for sale.

They are specialized to so such a job. And indeed, the sellers see the difference in the demand for their property and the price that is coming in, before and after the staging professional has done his job.

Sellers generally use services of the agents who report to the seller that their house is not getting a good offer. They cannot, however, pinpoint the problem. They cannot understand the nature of renovation the house needs. Staging professionals, being specialized at these things, have a good idea of what the buyers are looking for and are effectively able to help the seller.

It is true that different buyers have different tastes, but with some things one can never go wrong. And this is precisely the principle that staging professionals follow. Staging of a house is done on the fundamental belief that a well staged house will cost money. The seller will have to pay for the renovation and the professionals fees.

It will still be more profitable than reducing the selling price of your house. According to a survey, 50 percent of the sellers are willing to spend about $2000 on staging, while 50 percent of them are willing to go up to $5000.

Staging professionals have a clear idea about the kind of colors that sell, the kind of furnishing in the house that makes it more appealing to those who come to have a look at it. They also have a clear idea of how the space inside the house must be used for optimum utility, which seems to be a major concern for all buyers.

It is a fact that well showcased houses sell 84 percent faster than those that are not. Staging professionals are not into house building or house designing. They merely advise the agents or the sellers themselves on the strategy to use while re doing their house.

Here are a few standard tools they use:

• Color: A tried and tested palette that professionals use can never go wrong. Though trends keep changing but there are some basic colors that never go out of vogue. Professionals generally work with neutral colors that have a wide appeal.

• Furniture: Professionals have just the precise idea of how to furnish and accessorize the house.

• Space: Optimization of space must be done well and professionals can tell you how.

• Budget: They also work with economical budgets. And indeed that is what the seller wants to maximize his profit from selling his house.

There are several seminars arranged from time to time from which professionals can take valuable advice. Trends keep changing from time to time and a good professional must necessarily keep himself updated about those recent developments.

On the basis of such knowledge he can suggest to sellers or their agents what to do with their house while selling.

The professional keeping himself abreast of the latest developments even increases the sellers faith in him and is a sure shot tool of success for the professional. After all, nothing is more valuable than the professional being able to get the house sold faster for a good price.

Selling houses needs the agent and sellers to have a certain kind of experience. It is a fact that houses cannot always be sold on the spur of the moment. It needs proper planning and there is always a cohesive way to go about it. one of the other hassles that those who need to sell their house need to go through are the legal and technical formalities that form such an important part of the whole process.

The legal paperwork that selling a house involves is far greater that you can imagine. It needs proper professional aid. If you are capable of doing it yourself, then it is an additional advantage, but you must be very careful. Any small error in any detail that you may have provided can cost you a lot of money.

The following is a basic checklist you must always refer to when you try and show your house to prospective buyers. You need to take care of these things so that you do not put them off, thwarting your chances of actually striking a good bargain:

• De-clutter: Any home with a lot of clutter, that is to say, a house that has not used up its space in a proper manner stands very less chances of getting sold faster for a good price. More and more people these days are looking at optimizing the space within the house. Because of increasing population, the living area for most people is decreasing. So within whatever space they have, they would like to have it done well.

• Make Beds: In case you are in a habit of leaving home each morning for work without having made your beds, you are in trouble. Your agent may bring prospective buyers to your house and they may find beds not made. This is nothing major but it just gives a very negative impression. If you cannot make your beds in the morning, you can talk with your agent and ask him to avoid bringing in people before a particular time, or bring them only during weekends, the only time you make your bed!

• Clean Closets: Make sure your closets and drawers are neatly arranged. It just gives an impression of order within the household. Cluttered closets symbolize chaos and give a wrong impression of your house to buyers.

• Light: Make sure that you have your curtains drawn to let in enough natural light. Use natural light as far as possible. Artificial lighting can be used to enhance the interiors of your house, but just relying on artificial lighting gives a gloomy impression.

• Leave your house: Let the agents do the showing around. If someone has come to view your house that they might buy for a huge sum of money, they want to have a look at it well. In the presence of its current residents, viewers cannot frankly view the house well. They cannot open and inspect each cabinet.

• Clean yard: Make sure your yard is clean and tidy as well. As with beds and closets, this too plays a major role in forming a good impression.

• Be Accessible: You may have a very erratic schedule, but you must make sure that you are available for prospective buyers whenever they have to make a phone call to you to ask you things about your house. This is one way in which you can ensure your house gets sold quickly. Untraceable owners lose many a prospect just be being inaccessible. Keep your agent or realtor abreast of the kind of schedule you follow.

• Dogs and pets: If you have strange fascination for weird pets, or even for something as harmless as a dog, make sure you send him for a walk. People who come to view your house may not be very impressed by your animal. On the contrary, if they do not like animals, they may feel uncomfortable, and be unable to inspect your house well.

• Smell: Make sure your house does not stink under any circumstances. It is a major put off

• Check Regularly: You must inspect your own house to see everything is in place, especially the above items. Do a regular check up, may be once a week. Arrange the closets, mow the yard. Make sure everything looks vibrant and happy. Never, however, give a false impression. Show your house just as it is, reflecting all the good times you have spent there.

What is Foreclosure?

Anyone in the real estate market and even anyone who just owns a
home should be aware of what foreclosure is. This is a process that
you really need to be educated on, and which can also help you save
some money as well.

Foreclosure is defined as being the legal proceeding in which a
mortgagee obtains a court ordered termination of a mortgagor’s
equitable right of redemption. It is important to be aware of the issue
of foreclosure because foreclosure numbers are growing daily.

This is not only in the United States but areas all around the world.
In fact, foreclosure is so common that of the one hundred twenty or so
million homes that are in America alone, more than 4% are facing
foreclosure.

How it Starts

The foreclosure process begins when the homeowner fails to
pay their mortgage, for whatever reason. This could be due to
any one of a number of different reasons, including terms of the loan and medical challenges for instance.

Once a home goes through this process they are put up as a
foreclosure listing, and this generally means that the person who buys the house will get a great discount. Many people who are in the market for a new home will often look specifically for foreclosed homes, because they know that they will be getting the best value, and it is not as though there is anything wrong with the home.

Instead, it is that the homeowner was simply unable to afford the
mortgage payments and so they were forced out of the home. This is
really a great way to save a buck and so if you are looking to buy a home but are strapped for cash or otherwise just want to save yourself as much money as possible, you will definitely want to look for a foreclosure listed home.

Keep in mind that foreclosure proceedings typically start with a formal
demand for payment which is usually a letter issued from the lender.
Depending on the particular state that the person is living in, the lender
will issue this notice when the homeowner has been a couple months
delinquent on the mortgage payments.

Just make sure that you mention this to your real estate agent when
they are helping you look for a home, so that you will be able to come
out with the best possible results and find the home of your dreams,
at a price that you can afford.