EXPIRED: How to Sell a House that Didn't Sell!

EXPIRED: How to Sell a House that Didn't Sell

"...before you put your home back on the market, take a step back and review your situation..."

4 Important Points That Will Get Your house Sold!

If your home has just come off the market and hasn't sold, don't be discouraged. The reason it didn't sell may have nothing to do with your home or the market. In reality, your home may have been one of the more desirable properties for sale. If your listing has expired and you still want results, before you put your home back on the market, take a step back and review your situation.

Q. Where should you begin?

A. Start by making a commitment to do what it takes to market your house to get it sold. With the right system, the home sale you want is still well within reach.

Q. Why didn't your home sell?

A. Review your previous selling plan and you'll discover that an expired listing usually reflects a problem in one or more of these four major areas:

Teamwork, Pricing, Condition of Your Home, and Marketing.

1. Teamwork

Your home is a major financial investment, and your relationship with your Realtor® should be a full partnership where your needs and wishes are heard, and you receive detailed and dependable feedback on the progress of your sale. Your agent has a responsibility to source this feedback from the agents who have shown your home, and to communicate this to you so together you can make the right decisions about what to do next. How well did this occur the last time you had your home up for sale?

2. Pricing

Did price work for or against you? The "right" price depends on market conditions, competition and the condition of your home. Pricing it too high is as dangerous as pricing it too low. If your home doesn't compare favorably with others in the price range you've set, you won't be taken seriously by prospects or agents.
You'll get the facts when you see the statistics!
To help you establish a realistic selling price for your home, ask your agent to provide you with an up-to-date competitive market analysis to give you:
a review of comparable homes recently sold or currently for sale,
an idea of how long other homes have been listed, in order to calculate an average time in which a home can sell in today's market,
a review of homes whose listings have expired, to understand what issues were at play.
Note: There is no mention of how much you paid for your home or its improvements. Like any other investment, the market value is determined by what a willing buyer will pay and a willing seller will accept.

3. Condition of Your Home

Show Case Quality! Is your house someone else's idea of a dream home? When buyers enter are they inspired? Do they think, "I love this house!" Remember, the decision to buy a home is based on emotion, not logic.
A house in move-in condition invites a sale.

You need to consider:

Fixing all the little squeaks and cracks
Keeping it clean for all showings
Making it uncluttered
Brightening it up
What your home shows like from the street concentrating on outside curb appeal.

Plus - Consider taking care of major items, such having your home painted. Offering an allowance to your prospective buyers, so they can have painting completed is not the same as having done it for them. Now, as they're trying to imagine what that new paint job will look like, they may also be discounting the price even further because of the less-than-perfect look of those walls.
Remember....

A house that presents well, sells for the best price because it outshines the competition. Ask your agent if they can arrange a no-obligation inspection of your home to help you assess the above.

4. Marketing

....Marketing Your Home To Sell! Some Questions You Should Be Asking!
One of the first steps in your marketing plan involves finding an agent who will best represent you. When interviewing agents, test and compare their knowledge and ask each to demonstrate how they will market your home to buyers. Also compare how much money each spends on advertising the homes s/he lists, in what media (newspaper, magazine, etc.) and the effectiveness of one medium over the other. Remember, it's not just how much they spend, but how they spend it.
Say goodbye to any real estate agents using old, traditional methods to sell your home because they don't work in today's market!
To be competitive in today's marketplace, agents who use new and innovative, non-traditional marketing approaches are the ones who are getting more homes sold fast and for top dollar.

Buyers are Out There...And They Will Come!

Before You Put Your Home Back on the Market remember:

1. Effective communication is vital between you and your agent.
2. Price your home according to market conditions, competition and the condition of your house.
3. Be sure your house is in showcase, buyer ready-condition.
4. Have an innovative marketing plan firmly set in place.

Pet Owners: Tips to Make Your Move Easier on Your Pets

PET OWNERS:Tips to Make Your Move Easier on Your Pets

"It is best to remove your pets from the house BEFORE you start moving your possessions. Allowing your pets to roam free in the house while the front door is propped wide open, and people are rushing in and out lugging boxes and furniture – just creates a recipe for disaster."

Moving can be hard on everyone involved. Adults, kids, and yes…even your pets! While your pet may not understand exactly what is going on, they can sense the stress (good or bad) that the whole family is experiencing. Add to that the fact that animals are creatures of habit and do not like changes to their usual routine, and you can understand why they become so confused. They also become quite anxious when all of a sudden, they see their human family busily throwing everything around them into boxes. Naturally, we always want to keep our pets happy and healthy because we love them…but we also want to lessen the chances of their "acting-out". Animals, just like people, can behave rather badly when under stress, and so we need to do all we can to help them feel secure throughout the moving process. What we really need to know is: when faced with an upcoming move, how do we reduce the amount of stress that our pets are going to experience, and what can we do about the unavoidable disruption to their daily routine? We posed this very question to industry experts, took their invaluable input, and created the following list of tips.

TIPS: During The Packing Process

• Try to keep your pet’s daily routine as close to normal as possible. Adhering to his usual feeding, exercise, and bedtime schedule is important.
• When packing, leave your pet’s belongings to last. If possible, allow your pet continued access to his same food dishes, litter box, pet bed, and toys right up until moving day.
• Lessen the chances of there being any "mistakes" by keeping your cat’s litter box in the usual spot, right up until you load him into the car – or until you confine him to a "transition room".
• Leave a couple of empty packing boxes open on the floor for your pet to explore. Allowing your pet to familiarize himself with these new, strange objects will prevent him from being afraid of them.

TIPS: Moving Day

• It is best to remove your pets from the house BEFORE you start moving your possessions. Allowing your pets to roam free in the house while the front door is propped wide open, and people are rushing in and out lugging boxes and furniture – just creates a recipe for disaster.
• If it is not possible to remove your pets beforehand, then you should select an empty room with a door to safely house them for the day. Place their food and water dishes, toys, bedding and litter box in the room with them. Many pets find the background noise of a radio comforting, and it helps to muffle some of the loud and unsettling noises that come from moving heavy furniture and boxes.
• Be sure to put collars with identification tags on your dogs and cats, as many pets do escape during the confusion of moving day. To avoid possible injury to your cat, always use a breakaway collar. Although many pets today are microchipped, having your pet wear a collar remains a good idea, as only pet care industry workers have access to the tool that reads the chip, while anyone can read your name and phone number on a tag.
• For transportation to the new home, cats should be placed in a cat carrier on the floor of the back seat, and dogs should be properly restrained. Dogs should either ride in the back of the vehicle, separated from passengers by a dog grate, or should sit in the back seat, strapped into a dog seat belt. This protects both your dog, and the passengers in the vehicle – a quick stop can send your dog hurtling forward, seriously injuring her, and those in her path.
• Never leave your pet unattended in a vehicle. While the temperature in the car may seem just a little warm to you, animals overheat very quickly. Sadly, every year there are thousands of pets who succumb to heatstroke as a direct result of being left in a hot car.
• Bring your pet’s dishes, food, leash, toys, bedding, litter box, and any medications in the car with you and your pet. Providing consistency for your pet is important, so when you arrive at your new home, set up your pet’s things in those spots where you intend on keeping them.

TIPS: Introducing Your Pet to their New Home

• Before releasing your pet into his new backyard, take a quick safety check. Is the fence in good shape – no spaces for your pet to wiggle through, or under? Can your pet reach the neighbor’s pet through the fence, and if so, is he/she friendly? Are there any sharp objects that could pose a hazard to your pet? What about plants – are there any that could be harmful to your pet if she decided to devour them? Is there any garbage lying around for your pet to get into? Is there shade available for your pet? After running through all of these checks, be sure to leave a large, cool, bowl of water for your pet, and spend some time just sitting in the backyard with him.
• It is recommended that cats remain indoors. One study reported that cats who are allowed to roam free outside have an average life span of only 3 years, while indoor cats can be expected to live for an average of 13 years. If your cat has been allowed to roam in the past, now is the ideal time to break him of this habit. If you keep your cat indoors from day one in the new house, he will not have had time to establish his own turf outside – and will view the indoors as his sole territory.
• Again, select a room with a door for your cat to use as her "transition room". Place an extra litter box, food and water dishes, toys, and bedding inside with your cat. After a couple of days, when most of the boxes have been unpacked, the furniture placed, and things have generally calmed down – open the door and allow your cat to venture out. Before moving her belongings to where you want to keep them, allow your cat the use of the room for another 2 or 3 days while she becomes more confident in her new surroundings.

TIPS: Small Pets

• Birds, lizards, rabbits and other small animals are much easier to move, as they are normally used to being housed in a cage, or at least are accustomed to regularly spending “quiet time” in one. To make the journey to their new home safely, they should be kept in their cage, or placed into an appropriately sized pet carrier before being loaded into your car.
• Placing a light weight cloth over your small pet’s cage will help to keep him quiet and calm during the car ride; just be sure to allow adequate air flow.
• Be sure to leave some food and fresh water in with your pet. Most small animals do well with a drinking bottle that is easily attached to most cages. Remember to bring your pet’s supply of food, feeding dishes, and any medications with you in the car.
• Small animals overheat even faster than large animals, so again, never leave your pets unattended in a vehicle.
For more information on how to make moving easier on your pets, or if your pet has a pre-existing medical condition that requires special care, please contact your veterinarian for advice.

How to Avoid Costly Housing Mistakes in the Midst of a Divorce

Divorce is a tough situation which opens up many emotional and financial issues to be solved. One of the most important decisions is what to do about the house. In the midst of the heavy emotional and financial turmoil, what you need most is some non-emotional, straight-forward, specific answers. Once you know how a divorce affects your home, your mortgage and taxes, critical decisions are easier. Neutral, third party information can help you make logical, rather than emotional decisions. Probably the first decision is whether you want to continue to living in the house. Will the familiar surroundings bring you comfort and emotional security, or unpleasant memories? Do you want to minimize change by staying where you are, or sell your home and move to a new place that offers a new start?

Only you can answer these questions, but there will almost certainly be some financial repercussions to your decision process. What can you afford? Can you manage the old house on your new budget? Is refinancing possible? Or is it better to sell and buy? How much house can you buy on your new budget? The purpose of this report is to help you ask the right questions so you can make informed decisions that will be right for your situation.

4 OPTIONS…….

You have 4 basic housing options when in the midst of a divorce:

1. Sell the house now and divide the proceeds.
2. Buy out your spouse.
3. Have your spouse buy you out.
4. Retain your ownership.

It’s important for you to understand the financial implications of each of these scenarios.

1. Sell the House Now and Divide Up the Proceeds

Your primary consideration under these circumstances is to maximize your homes selling price. We can help you avoid the common mistakes most homeowners make which compromise this outcome. As you work to get your financial affairs in order, make sure you understand what your net proceeds will be - i.e. after selling expenses, and after determining what your split of the proceeds will be. Note that the split may not be 50/50, but rather may depend on the divorce settlement, the source of the original down payment, and the legislative property laws in your area.

2. Buy Out Your Spouse

If you intend to keep the house yourself, you’ll have to determine how you’ll
continue to meet your monthly financial obligations, if you now only have one salary. If you used two incomes to qualify for the old loan, refinancing on your own might be a challenge.

3. Have Your Spouse Buy You Out

If you are the one who is leaving, you have the opportunity to start again in new surroundings with cash in your pocket. However, be aware that if the old home loan is not refinanced, most lenders will consider both you and your spouse as original co-signers to be liable for the mortgage. This liability may make qualifying for a new mortgage difficult for you if you decide to purchase a home, even though you won’t have legal ownership.

4. Retain Joint Ownership

Some divorcing couples postpone a financial decision with respect to the home and retain joint ownership for a period of time even though only one spouse lives there. While this temporary situation means you have no immediate worries in this regard, keep your eye on tax considerations which may change from the time of your divorce to the time of the ultimate sale.

When You Decide to Sell

If you and your spouse decide to sell your home, it will be important to work
together through a professional to maximize your return. Differences
aside, you both should be present when a listing contract is put together.
Both of you should understand and sign this contract, and both should be
active in the ultimate negotiations.

When You Buy Your Next Home

Use the proceeds from your previous home or buy out to determine an affordable price range for your next home. Maintain a clear focus on getting the right home to suit your new situation. You may wish to review with an agent who offers a house-hunting service to help find a home that matches your new home buying criteria.

As with any pending legal matter, it is important to seek competent legal counsel.

Why Real Estate Whack-A-Mole?

What's a Real Estate Whack-A-Mole? And why have you named your Blog that?

Well, have you ever played Whack-A-Mole? If you have, then you understand the anxiety-filled, hurried, aggressive, nature of the game. You stand there, on the ready, with your club in hand. When a mole raises it's head, you Whack It. Another raises it's head, you whack it. Once you hit a mole with all your might, another mole pops up. So you begin to try to anticipate where the next mole will pop-up and be ready for it. However, you never really know where the next mole will pop-up. Pretty soon, more moles are poping up than you can whack. You become overwhelmed, and out-moled. YOU LOSE!!!

Now, a real estate transaction is NOT A GAME. However, because of the unpredictability, anxiety, stress, pressure, and uncertainty, some of us have had with our sales and/or purchases, our transactions were a lot like Whack-A-Mole. So, with that in mind, I decided to name this blog after one of my FAVORITE carnival games.

This blog will be a forum for dissemination of valuable info and to dispel the common "myth-understandings" and down right misrepresentaions of the real estate transaction. Hopefully, this will help relieve some of the stress, anxiety, and uncertainty of real estate sales and purchases. It's 100% FREE and interactive. If you like what you read, feel free to drop me a line and let me know. I'd love to hear from you! If you have suggestions for topics, I'd love to hear those too!