Dear friends and clients, My real estate team and I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for all of your support in 2015. Because of you, we can buy our loved ones gifts for the holidays and have them over for Holiday feasts. You have helped make this Holiday season great for us and our families.
You are extremely valuable to us, and we want you to know that from the bottom of our hearts. On behalf of everyone from the Boulder Bay Realty Group, we wish you a happy, fun, and safe Holiday season! Sincerely, Lynda Anderson
When your home has been on the market for a while and is not selling, reducing the price isn’t always the right answer. Today we are going to talk about how you and your agent should go about addressing issues with your property not getting a lot of activity. The first thing is you’ve got to hire the right agent. You need someone who is constantly watching the activity on your home once it goes on the market. It’s the agent’s job to know the heartbeat of the market and to educate you along the way. Once one of our homes goes on the market, we send email updates to them with homes that are in a similar price range and condition that are selling. We want you to know the movement in the market and how you stack up against the competition.
After you’ve done your research, you’ve got to determine what price range the buyers are at. Once you determine what price range that is, you’ve got to decide whether your home belongs in that price range or not. If you are trying to sell your home at $200,000 where the market is extremely slow moving, and all the buyers are at $170,000, you have a decision to make. Do you adjust to where there is more activity, or do you hold out and wait for your price? A good agent can help make this decision easier.
Is your home being advertised out there? We have found that 45% of buyers pick up the Homes and Lifestyles black and white magazine at the grocery store, so we include all of our listings in there. Additionally, 54% of buyers want virtual tours of homes online, and that number is only going to increase.
If you’re thinking of buying or selling or if you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!
Let’s face it, your garage is the catchall of your home. It’s the place where you put things you don’t want to be in the house. It’s likely not the focal point of your home, there could be oil stains, dust, and who knows what else. Now it’s time to put your home on the market, so you’ve got to clean it up and make it look nice for potential buyers. You can certainly add value to your home through your garage, and we’d like to tell you how to do that today. Here are a few of our best tips:
Toss out, donate, or put into storage all the things you don’t need, and anything that could be considered unnecessary clutter.
Pressure wash the floors.
Consider painting the floors with a high-gloss painting.
Buy totes or organizers that will help your garage look appealing and put together.
Taking care of little details like this in your garage tells buyers you are a person who takes care of every detail in your home. This will help them feel more assured when they bid on your home and reassure them that it’s a good investment. If you have any questions for me or anything you’d like me to do a future video on, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!
Many sellers ask, "Why isn't my agent showing my home as much as other agents?" I asked myself this before I got into real estate, too.
Often, buyers call, ask questions about your home, and then hang up to call their agent. Buyers know we represent your interests.Buyers prefer to see your property with their own agent to negotiate on their behalf.
If your agent isn't showing your home often, that could be the reason. If you have any questions about real estate, call or email me. I would be happy to help you!
Today, we want to share a video from HGTV to discuss how you can plan ahead when it comes to home renovations.Renovating your home can be an exciting process, but it's important that you don't get ahead of yourself.You can't just go willy-nilly into a major project and expect it to go perfectly.Planning properly for these types of projects can assure a smooth project, and one that may even cost less!
HGTV’s Amy Matthews recommends making a very detailed timeline of your project, including potential things that could go awry and making backup plans in order to prevent these things from happening.Putting your plan onto paper is a good way to start this process.
Another major step is choosing a good team of contractors that you can communicate with. If they don't know what you want done, they can't do it.
Just remember, there is no such thing as too much planning!If you plan on renovating your Albuquerque home, please contact us. We know great contractors and could also give you advice on what projects will bring you the highest return on your investment.
Today, we'll discusswhat renovations get the most return on your investment.We've researched and figured out what updates will get you the biggest bang for your buck.
First off,changing your front door will get you an 85% return on investment, and it will only cost around $1,100.Adding a wood deck for $9,300 will get you a 77% return, so go ahead and install it now. You can enjoy it, and then when you go to sell, you will get a good return on your investment.
Another upgrade that you can enjoy is replacing the garage door.Not only will this look better, but the new garage door will function better as well. A new garage door costs around $1,500, and you'll get a 76% return.
A minor kitchen remodel could cost you about $19,000. Since the kitchen is a very important room, you can expect at 75% return.
Consider replacing windows as well.Wood windows would run about $11,000, and you'd get a 73% return. Vinyl windows would cost about $10,000 to replace, and give you a 71% return. Replacing the windows will also save you money on your heating and cooling bills.
Finally,remodeling a basement for about $61,000 would get you a 71% return on your value.That's money well spent, and you can enjoy your new basement until it comes time to sell.
If you have any questions about today's video, or want to know other fixes to add value to your home, give me a call or send me an email. I'd be happy to guide you on any renovation decisions.
Today we are excited to discuss some great ways to save money on your homeowner's insurance. We have seven tips for you today, and hopefully they will lead to your insurance payments becoming lower and lower. Here they are:
Shop around -don't be afraid to get 2 or 3 different quotes.
It's not necessarily important to insure your land.
Some companies will give you a lower rate if you are a non-smoker.
Install an alarm system.
Use one insurance company for all of your policies. Bundling them together will save you money.
Raise your deductible,it will lower your insurance premium.
Get some debt paid off to increase your credit score.
There you have it, seven easy ways to lower the insurance costs of your home. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to working with you soon!
Today we are discussing the most common mistakes that home buyers make. In Valparaiso, what are they?
Not being pre-approved is one of the biggest mistakes any buyer can make. Even if you feel comfortable with the payments, there is more to it than that. You need to know what type of financing you qualify for, and what types of concessions you want to ask for.
One thing we don't want to do is take you into a home, have you fall in love with it, make an offer, pay for the inspection and appraisal, only to find out after all of that that you don't actually qualify for the loan. Now you've wasted money that you won't get back, and we don't want to take you down that road.
If you have any questions for us, or are thinking about buying or selling in Valparaiso, give us a call, text, or email. It would be our pleasure to serve you!
How should you be handling multiple offers as a buyer or a seller? I get questions like this all the time from my clients, and today's blog is dedicated to answering those questions.
For buyers, writing the highest offer will not always guarantee you the home. The most important thing that you can do is to find out what the seller wants, and try to satisfy those needs. Do they need to stay in the home after closing? Do they want you to cover some of the closing costs? Find out what's important to the seller.
I also highly recommend getting pre-approved before you step into the home. You look better as a buyer, and you can find out what you can actually afford.
Now, if you're dealing with multiple offers as a seller, you should know that the best offer doesn't necessarily mean the highest offer. Your agent's job is to get you the highest offer with the best terms possible. This can be made possible by stirring up a bidding war, which will raise your final sale price.
If you have any questions about how you can compete in multiple offers, whether you're buying or selling, please don't hesitate to contact me!
Hey everyone, thanks for joining me today. I get asked the question, "What should I do before I put my home on the market?" The simple answer is "A lot," so I want to give you some specific tips and pointers to help you get your home ready to sell.
One thing that is very important is curb appeal. Most buyers will drive by your home before they set an appointment, so making sure your yard and the front of your home are attractive and clear of debris will help you get your home sold sooner.
On the inside of your home, painting works wonders. A fresh coat of paint makes your home feel fresh and clean, and that often translates to a higher offer.
To make sure your home shines, you need to clean every nook and cranny. Make sure you take care of all the little details and look at your home with a fresh set of eyes.
To get top dollar for your home, you've got to price it to sell. Studies show after 7 weeks on the market, home values start to drop dramatically.
If you have any questions about getting your home ready for sale, we would love to talk. Give us a call or send us an email, and we will talk to you soon!
