Buying or selling a house does not have to be hard. In fact, if you have someone in your corner that knows what they are doing, it could be easy. Real Estate specialist Monte Mohr really likes to see people end up into their dream homes so right now he is right here to offer us a few expert suggestions.
You usually have great tips for many people who send in their queries.
I really like doing this; I love the questions that come in. Next week I'm going to be talking about 4 things you have to know if you are going to sell a house within this financial state. That can mean a bit different format next week, but keep those concerns coming in the meantime.
The first issue is from James and Judy in Mt. Juliet. They wrote in and said
"Our property have been on the market for a year and was near an area that flooded last May, but ours didn't flood. It seems like the majority of the feedback we get is regarding the worry of possible future flooding; exactly how should we get over this perception?"
Lots of people deal with this; I'm showing property all of the time and now that particular areas flooded, possible purchasers don't even want to go down the street. It's a genuine frustration for all those who have a house for sale in an area that flooded.
The only real thing you can really do is price your home properly. Whether it's a steep hill, or a bad neighbor, or perhaps a busy corner, or an area that flooded - even when your house didn't flood - perception is a reality in the mind of the buyer. Regrettably the only real way to overcome that is to create such an excellent worth which they know they are able to pass on a great deal once they sell the home. The only real answer would be to price it lower, sorry.
The next question comes from Thomas in Franklin. He writes
"I am an expert artist and also photographer and my agent has said I need to take a few of my art work down while trying to sell. I feel the artwork makes my property show much better. I've watched you on (Channel 4 News) 'More at Midday' for a while now and trust your wisdom. Please share your position on this subject."
Well Thomas, if I were your realtor I'd let you know to reduce the artwork. I'm certain your artwork flatters your home. However the challenge is that when people walk away from a property that has lots of fancy stuff in it, or collections, or trophies, or animal things, they do not remember the house; they remember the collections or the artwork, but they don't remember the property. The property turns into a blur. So when people are out looking at 12-12 homes, exactly what do we want them to keep in mind? We would like them to remember the house, not all of the other things. So while the artwork most likely does accompany the home to a degree, it's best to reduce it down to a minimum.
The next issue is from Connie the owner of some Thompson's Station TN homes for sale . She writes in and says
"I am being moved and must sell my property however I'm a single mom with 3 teenagers. Within 30 minutes of getting the place ready to show it looks like a bomb went off. What can I do? I cannot manage to move just before selling. Please help!"
Oh Connie, I feel your discomfort! I had three children at one time also so I fully understand the problem. The only answer I am aware of in this scenario, since she can't move ahead of time, would be to get the children to "buy into" the process. Whether it's an incentive of going to Disney (for certain age brackets) or for teenagers, money normally speaks to the children.
I had a similar scenario happen not too long ago also it was awful once I walked in; I said "There's no way we can sell this home." So as her real estate professional, I volunteered to pay her children $100 to help keep their bedrooms, and the rest of the home, cleaned up. I offered to pay them $50 when the home went under contract and $50 if the property closed. And I'll let you know, it seemed like a different place altogether. And all those children reminded me the moment we've got that contract that I owed them 50 dollars.
You've got to get the children to "buy into" the idea - that is what you have got to do - give them a great bonus.
You usually have great tips for many people who send in their queries.
I really like doing this; I love the questions that come in. Next week I'm going to be talking about 4 things you have to know if you are going to sell a house within this financial state. That can mean a bit different format next week, but keep those concerns coming in the meantime.
The first issue is from James and Judy in Mt. Juliet. They wrote in and said
"Our property have been on the market for a year and was near an area that flooded last May, but ours didn't flood. It seems like the majority of the feedback we get is regarding the worry of possible future flooding; exactly how should we get over this perception?"
Lots of people deal with this; I'm showing property all of the time and now that particular areas flooded, possible purchasers don't even want to go down the street. It's a genuine frustration for all those who have a house for sale in an area that flooded.
The only real thing you can really do is price your home properly. Whether it's a steep hill, or a bad neighbor, or perhaps a busy corner, or an area that flooded - even when your house didn't flood - perception is a reality in the mind of the buyer. Regrettably the only real way to overcome that is to create such an excellent worth which they know they are able to pass on a great deal once they sell the home. The only real answer would be to price it lower, sorry.
The next question comes from Thomas in Franklin. He writes
"I am an expert artist and also photographer and my agent has said I need to take a few of my art work down while trying to sell. I feel the artwork makes my property show much better. I've watched you on (Channel 4 News) 'More at Midday' for a while now and trust your wisdom. Please share your position on this subject."
Well Thomas, if I were your realtor I'd let you know to reduce the artwork. I'm certain your artwork flatters your home. However the challenge is that when people walk away from a property that has lots of fancy stuff in it, or collections, or trophies, or animal things, they do not remember the house; they remember the collections or the artwork, but they don't remember the property. The property turns into a blur. So when people are out looking at 12-12 homes, exactly what do we want them to keep in mind? We would like them to remember the house, not all of the other things. So while the artwork most likely does accompany the home to a degree, it's best to reduce it down to a minimum.
The next issue is from Connie the owner of some Thompson's Station TN homes for sale . She writes in and says
"I am being moved and must sell my property however I'm a single mom with 3 teenagers. Within 30 minutes of getting the place ready to show it looks like a bomb went off. What can I do? I cannot manage to move just before selling. Please help!"
Oh Connie, I feel your discomfort! I had three children at one time also so I fully understand the problem. The only answer I am aware of in this scenario, since she can't move ahead of time, would be to get the children to "buy into" the process. Whether it's an incentive of going to Disney (for certain age brackets) or for teenagers, money normally speaks to the children.
I had a similar scenario happen not too long ago also it was awful once I walked in; I said "There's no way we can sell this home." So as her real estate professional, I volunteered to pay her children $100 to help keep their bedrooms, and the rest of the home, cleaned up. I offered to pay them $50 when the home went under contract and $50 if the property closed. And I'll let you know, it seemed like a different place altogether. And all those children reminded me the moment we've got that contract that I owed them 50 dollars.
You've got to get the children to "buy into" the idea - that is what you have got to do - give them a great bonus.
About the Author:
I am a Tennessee Realtors and I write about houses that are for sale.. This article, Issues of Selling Your own home has free reprint rights.
