Selling a Home
If you are thinking of selling your home, chances are you're caught up in a mass of emotions. You may be looking forward to moving up to a new home or facing the uncertainty of a major move across country. You may be reluctant to leave your memories behind or eager to start new and exciting adventures. Remember, we're here to help you with any of your needs. Call or email us today!

Setting the Listing Price
In setting the list price for your home, you should be aware of a buyer’s frame of mind. Based on a list of houses for sale in your neighborhood (which can be in the form of a printed list from us, or online search results that you’ve found yourself), buyers will determine which houses they want to view. Consider the following pricing factors:

• If you set the price too high, your house won’t be picked for viewing, even though it may be much nicer than others in the area.
• If you price too low, you'll short-change yourself.
You may have told your REALTOR to "Bring me any offer. Frankly, I’d take less." But in that list of houses, yours simply looks too expensive to be considered. Your house will sell promptly, yes, but before it has time to find the buyer who would have paid more.

NOTE: Never say "asking" price, which implies you don't expect to get it.

 To determine the proper list price, contact me today and I'll provide you with the following professional services:

• Furnishing comparable sales.
• Analyzing market conditions.
• Helping to determine offering incentives.
• Estimating your net proceeds.

Using Comparable Sales
No matter how attractive and polished your house, buyers will be comparing its price with everything else on the market. Your best guide is a record of what the buying public has been willing to pay in the past few months for property in your neighborhood like yours.

Also we can furnish data on sale figures for those "comps", and analyze them for a suggested listing price. The decision about how much to ask, though, is always yours. The list of comparable sales we bring to you, along with data about other houses in your neighborhood presently on the market, is used for a "Comparative Market Analysis (CMA)." To help in estimating a possible sale price for your house, the analysis will also include data on nearby houses that failed to sell in the past few months, along with their list prices.

This CMA differs from a formal appraisal in several ways. One major difference is that an appraisal will be based only on past sales. In addition, an appraisal is done for a fee while the CMA is provided by us and may include properties currently listed for sale and those currently pending sale.

In the normal home sale, a CMA is probably enough to let you set a proper price. A formal written appraisal (which may cost a few hundred dollars) can be useful if you have unique property, if there hasn't been much activity in your area recently, if co-owners disagree about price, and any other circumstance that makes it difficult to put a value on your home.

10 Value-Adding Home Improvement Projects

By Paige Tepping

RISMEDIA, July 14, 2010--Now that summer has arrived, homeowners across the country are taking advantage of the warm weather by tackling home improvement projects they have been putting off. If you are looking for ways to add value to your home, the following home improvements may be just what you’re looking for.

Tip 1: Remodel your kitchen
Kitchen updates are one of the best ways to increase the value of your home. Adding modern appliances and refacing your cabinets to give it a more modern look is well worth the investment.

Tip 2: Add a Garage
Homes with at least a two car garage are more attractive to potential home buyers. Having a home with a small garage is almost as bad as having no garage, so consider upgrading before putting your home on the market.

Tip 3: Remodel your bathroom
Bathrooms are very important to home buyers. Just as with the kitchen, home buyers look for modern conveniences. Adding a Jacuzzi bathtub, painting the walls and adding appropriate flooring will go a long way toward increasing your home’s value.

Tip 4: Install the right flooring material
Natural materials such as wood and ceramic are popular among home buyers today. Laminate flooring is a good option, as well, as it creates a natural look without the headaches associated with natural flooring materials.

Tip 5: Install granite counter tops
Granite counter tops are popular in both kitchens and bathrooms. These countertops are low maintenance and quite attractive and can add significant value to your remodel.

Tip 6: Increase curb appeal
Your home needs to grab a potential home buyer’s attention and look great as soon as he or she pulls in the driveway. Add flowers to the outside of your home and make sure it looks bright and cheery.

Tip 7: Add natural light
Home buyers like homes that are bright and cheery on the inside as well as the outside. Look for places to add windows or patio doors that will allow more natural light to come in.

Tip 8: Open up the space
Homes with an open floor plan are more valuable to home buyers than those that feel closed up. Knock out walls wherever possible and open your home up. A great place take out a wall is between your kitchen and your dining room.

Tip 9: Apply a fresh coat of paint
A fresh coat of paint makes a home look new again. When repainting walls, choose neutral colors that don’t stand out too much. Bold colors may be attractive to you, but they may be a turnoff to potential buyers.

Tip 10: Clean up clutter
A cluttered home appears small and dirty. Make certain all clutter is cleaned up on the inside and the outside of the home. Rearrange furniture or remove furniture in order to make the home feel less cramped.