Real Estate Free Articles

813 N. Atlantic Ave.    Cocoa Beach Fl 32931       

Determining Your Home's Worth

Before you set an asking price for your home, you and your Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate or GMAC Real Estate sales professional will complete a Home Market Analysis. The Home Market Analysis presents an opportunity to review and evaluate the facts before you make a very important decision -- the price you'll ask for your home. The analysis also helps us look at your home from a buyer’s perspective -- the perspective that counts when you're pricing your home to sell.

Using this process, we will establish a realistic listing price and increase the percentage of qualified buyers who look at your property.

Our Home Market Analysis will show:

• What's happening in the local real estate market right now
  
  
• What buyers are willing to pay for homes similar to yours
  
  
• What they won't pay
  
  
• Which homes will be competing with yours for buyers' attention.

Your Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate or GMAC Real Estate sales professional knows what's happening in the local real estate market right now -- and what buyers are willing to pay for homes similar to yours, what they won't pay and which homes will be competing with yours for buyers' attention. We are pricing your home to get it sold.

How the marketplace works

Selling is a team effort. Your real estate professional is your marketing coordinator and is responsible for developing and implementing your home's marketing plan. As the seller, you control the home's condition and you set the price. However, it is the buyer who will actually determine the value of the home based on what he or she is willing to pay for it.

While we want to establish the highest possible market value for your home, it's critical not to underprice it. That's why we do a Home Market Analysis: To determine a market-value range for your home. And we'll discuss…

• How soon you need the property to sell
  
  
• Financing options that appeal to buyers
  
  
• Other factors that impact your home-sale goals.

Conversely, there are risks associated with overpricing your home out of the market:

• Makes competing homes look like better values than yours
  
  
• Reduces agent and buyer interest
  
  
• Can lead to mortgage rejections once the appraisal is in.

Remember, the value of your home is based on the buyer's perception of that value rather than the amount you originally paid for the house. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate and GMAC Real Estate will use the Home Market Analysis to help you price your home more competitively. Our goal is to match the list price with your selling goals.

Remodeling: An Investment that Pays Back

Remodeling can make your home more valuable, as well as more livable. Although cash spent on home improvements seldom yields a dollar-for-dollar return when you sell your home, it helps to know which remodeling strategies will produce a greater return on your investment.

• Keep the value of your home within 15% to 20% of the others in the neighborhood. Buyers who can afford higher-priced homes will shop in more expensive neighborhoods.
  
  
• When remodeling, pay attention to mass appeal. Buyers prefer neutral, mainstream design. Play it safe with colors and materials: Avoid wild colors, bold patterns and kitchen schemes built around out of date hues.
  
  
• Keep additions and improvements compatible and consistent with the existing design of the home. Additions and improvements that look "tacked on" may detract from a home's appeal. Choose materials and design elements that match or blend in with what's already there.
  
  
• Remodeling of kitchens and baths generally offers the highest percentage return on initial investment, while energy saving projects (insulation, heating systems) give smaller returns but require a substantially lower initial investment.

First impressions are lasting impressions. That's why the appearance of your home's exterior and landscaping -- its “curb appeal” -- is so critical in marketing your home and attracting buyers.

Decorate for Mass Appeal

When preparing to sell your home think about how your personal decorating style may affect prospective buyers. You want your home to be clean and clutter-free and as neutral as possible so prospective buyers may visualize how their furnishings will look in your home. And keep in mind, there is a difference in how you live in your home and how it should look when it’s on the market.

• Since your front entry is your home's first visual impression, you want it to be as inviting as possible. With the help of a plant or a decorative lamp, even the most basicof entries can give a warm and welcoming feeling.
  
  
• Plants and flowers add color and fragrance to any room throughout the home. Floor plants are an excellent way to fill bare spaces by adding height to a room.
  
  
• Lighting is an inexpensive and effective way to enhance your decorating. A home that's awash with natural sunlight is highly desirable to prospective buyers so raise the shades and turn on the lights.
  
  
• A fireplace is one of the most impressive architectural assets in a home. If you have one, emphasize it and use it to sell your home!

The key to effective decorating is knowing how to use available space. Discover your home's assets and make them the focal point of any room. Experiment with different arrangements until you find the one that makes your room look the most spacious and appealing.

Selling Your Home -- Proven Tips

When you have reached the stage where it's time to show your home, think from a buyer's perspective; your home seems fine to you but potential buyers will examine every square inch of your house before they begin to think about making a purchase.

Let your sales professional handle the Open House arrangements, but do what you can to make sure the home looks its best.

• Cleanliness, neutral decor, necessary repairs and the first impressions of potential buyers are four main points of concern when showing a home.
  
  
• Kitchens, baths and entries are among the most important parts of the home to concentrate on. Prospective buyers pay close attention to details in such areas.
  
  
• Plan to be gone during the Open House so that prospective buyers will discuss your home openly with your real estate sales professional. If you can't leave, let your sales professional do the talking. He or she can discuss price, terms, possession and other factors, as well as handle objections or questions.

Many sellers have beautiful homes -- and have received favorable comments from guests, friends and real estate professionals. But when its time to sell, what matters most is what the buyer likes. We suggest that you take a "buyer's tour" of your home before you ever put it on the market.

That's what our Home Merchandising System^TM is all about. The Home Merchandising System combines our real estate marketing expertise with our vast knowledge of the home to show you how to enhance your home from a buyer's perspective. Contact the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate or GMAC Real Estate office nearest you and a sales professional will walk you through your home and help you see it from a buyer's point of view. The system will show you just where to concentrate your efforts -- and give you a chance to identify all the positive features that you'll want buyers to notice.

Experienced Homeowners

How much equity do you have to work with? Consider these factors:

When you begin the decision-making process of buying your first home, your Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate or GMAC Real Estate sales professional can guide you through the pros and cons of renting vs. buying. A simple evaluation can help you decide if you are financially and personally ready to make the investment of homeownership.

Before you set an asking price for your home, your Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate or GMAC Real Estate sales professional can help you complete a Home Market Analysis. The Home Market Analysis presents an opportunity to review and evaluate the facts before you make a very important decision -- the price you'll ask for your home. Even though we'll set the market range for your home, you determine the actual listing price.

If you want to sell quickly, your home should probably be listed on the lower end of the price range we determine. On the other hand, you may be in no hurry and more interested in obtaining maximum equity from the sale. In that case, the higher end of the price range may be more to your satisfaction. But remember that ultimately, it is the buyer who will determine the price.

Our Home Market Analysis will:

• Show what's happening in the local real estate market right now
  
  
• Show what buyers are willing to pay for homes similar to yours
  
  
• Show what they won't pay
  
  
• Show which homes will be competing with yours for buyers' attention

The analysis also helps us look at your home from a buyer’s perspective -- the perspective that counts when you're pricing your home to sell. Using this process, we will establish a realistic listing price and increase the percentage of qualified buyers who look at your property.

Remodeling can make your home more valuable as well as more livable. Although cash spent on home improvements seldom yields a dollar-for-dollar return when you sell your home, it helps to know which remodeling strategies will produce a greater return on your investment, especially when considering what buyers look for in a home.

• Keep the value of your home within 15 to 20 percent of the others in the neighborhood. Buyers who can afford higher priced homes will shop in more expensive neighborhoods.
  
  
• When remodeling, pay attention to mass appeal Buyers prefer neutral, mainstream design. Play it safe with colors and materials: Avoid wild colors, bold patterns and kitchen schemes built around out-of-date hues.
  
  
• Keep additions and improvements compatible and consistent with the existing design of the home. Additions and improvements that look "tacked on" may detract from a home's appeal. Choose materials and design elements that match or blend in with what's already there.
  
  
• Remodeling of kitchens and baths generally offers the highest percentage return on initial investment, while energy saving projects (insulation, heating systems) give smaller returns but require a substantially lower initial investment.

First impressions are lasting impressions. That's why the appearance of your home's exterior and landscaping -- its curb appeal -- is so critical in marketing your home and attracting buyers. Curb appeal begins at the street in front of your home and includes everything up to your front door.

• Painting pays off. A lot of scraping and a little paint go along way in beautifying the outside of your home. Once again, choose colors that are neutral and consistent with the style of your home and neighborhood. And be sure to consider the color of your roof. A top quality painting job is a sure way to increase the value of your home.
  
  
• Enhance the landscape and spruce up the lawn. A well manicured lawn and attractive garden also enhance your home's curb appeal. Simple, inexpensive planting projects and regular lawn maintenance are often all it takes to perk up a landscape.
  
  
• Both interior and exterior remodeling add beauty and value to your home. If you don't have the necessary time or money for large-scale improvements, general upkeep will maintain the splendor of your home. And it will require a much smaller commitment.

When you are a homeowner looking to buy, one of your first considerations naturally is the sale of your own home. The last thing you want is to find the perfect home and have to wait on your previous house to sell. Therefore, it's vital to attract potential buyers.

Statistics show that real estate agents are the best single source for bringing buyers to a home. More often than yard signs, newspaper ads or any other type of advertising effort, it's agents who will let buyers know about your home. The same is true of buyers from out of town. Nationally, more than one-third of all buyers come from out of town, so it's vitally important for you to work with a real estate professional who can access all the out-of-town prospects. At Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate and GMAC Real Estate, we mobilize the real estate community to work for you.

Our Home Marketing System is a comprehensive marketing approach and the key to bringing buyers to your home. We'll also implement the Home Marketing Upgrade System to give your home maximum exposure and reach your home's target audience -- prospective buyers and the real estate community that controls those buyers. The sooner you can sell your old home, the easier the transition to the new one.

In addition to mobilizing the real estate community and creating maximum exposure for your home, we will also work closely with prospective buyers. For instance, we know that a qualified buyer is better able to make an offer, purchase a home and complete the sale. Consequently, we'll only begin with those prospects that qualify -- the ones with the motivation, authority and financial resources to buy your home.

First-Time Buyers

Here are some factors you'll want to consider when getting started:

• The decision to buy -- is it the right one for you?
• How much home can you afford?
• What type of home do you want?
• Finance options and the mortgage process
• Conventional Financing
• Alternative Financing

Back to Front, err, Home Page