Calling in an expert

Last month I talked about when preparing your home for sale it is sometimes necessary and less stressful to call in an expert. I recently met Tammy Schotzko, owner of We Love Messes, and I believe she would be the perfect person for the job! I asked her to give some hints and tips from her prospective on preparing your home for sale.  Here's what she had to say:

Selling your home…it’s so much more than calling a Realtor and putting a “for sale” sign out front.  Your Realtor will tell you selling your home is easier when it is clean and de-cluttered, but taking the time to do those things on top of the many other “jobs” we have in our lives can seem overwhelming and stressful.

What exactly does “clean” and “de-cluttered” mean, and how can you fit those tasks into your already busy life? Everybody has different definitions of “clean”, but when selling a home attention to detail is vital.  Surfaces from floors to ceiling (including ceiling fans) should be free of dust, cobwebs & dirt. This is the time to replace burnt out light bulbs and bleach dingy grout (yes, you read that right – you’ll be amazed at what good-looking grout can do for a bathroom’s appeal!).  Every nook and cranny of your home should sparkle. And, as if a major deep clean isn’t enough of a task, the cleanliness needs to be maintained while your home is on the market. Often home buyers will equate lack of cleanliness in a home to lack of maintenance – if they see grime on the surface they’ll assume things behind closed doors haven’t been taken care of as well.

How DO you fit a cleaning of this magnitude into your schedule, without giving up precious time elsewhere? One answer is to break the project down into manageable tasks, doing a little each day or weekend. If time is of the essence, and it often is when putting a home on the market, consider hiring a cleaning service. They can come in and do the massive top to bottom clean, and also help you maintain with regularly scheduled touch ups.

“De-cluttering” a home can be as simple as packing away unneeded items, or as in depth as color coordinating clothes in a closet to give a little extra “wow” factor. The objective is to allow the buyer to envision their things in the space – which is impossible if space doesn’t exist!

Professional Organizers are prepared for exactly this type of project. They are able to go thru a home and evaluate objects with fresh eyes in a non-judgmental manner, pointing out where de-cluttering needs to be done, and the easiest way to go about it. Professional Organizers are also very good at creative storage solutions!

As with cleaning, investing in a Professional Organizer to help you de-clutter your home can save you time, sell your house faster, and give you a return on investment of 200-500%. Not to mention that packing away those unneeded items now puts you a step ahead when moving day comes!

Close your eyes and think about the first time you went to friend’s home – what were your thoughts when you first walked in the door? What did you see? Did what you see and thought alter your perception of the friend?

Walking thru your own home and trying to “see” it with fresh eyes will clue you in on what prospective buyers see when they come thru your front door. If your “fresh eyes” make you want to step inside your home, your prospective buyers will feel invited as well.

Tammy Schotzko is a Professional Organizer and the owner of We Love Messes, which also offers eco-friendly residential cleaning. She loves helping people de-clutter their homes and lives, freeing up space and time for that which they truly love. Tammy offers no-charge consultations for cleaning and de-cluttering, and can be reached at (218) 766-0197 or thru her website at www.welovemesses.com.

Get more for your home in less time

When you list your home for sale the last thing you want is for it to sit on the market for a year and then end up taking a lower offer than you had hoped.  Here is some advice on how to get your home to sell faster for closer to list price!

1. De-clutter.  Remove and pack away any clutter in your home.  You can store it in the garage or rent a storage unit for a short period if needed.  Too many knick-knacks or toys can be distracting to buyers.

2. De-personalize.  Take down any excessive amounts of personal items or pictures that would potentially distract buyers from the real reason they are there...to look at your home, not your stuff!  Also, neutralize any wild paint colors.

3. Deep Clean.  Take extra time to wipe down all surfaces, especially the ones that are used the most, like light switches, doors and door knobs.  Dust the ceiling fans and blinds and wash the windows.  If this task seems daunting, I'd be happy to refer you to a trusted professional.

4. Curb Appeal.  During the winter, make sure your driveway is plowed, your sidewalks are shoveled and the surfaces are free of ice. In the summer, make sure your lawn is cut and trimmed.  Look at your home with a buyers eye, next time you drive up to your house look at the details. Make your front door appealing by freshening up the paint, add new house numbers, or a new light fixture to welcome buyers.

5. Repair.  Fix any nagging repairs that need to be done. Broken door knobs or leaky faucets can lead buyers to think that the home was not well cared for. Repair any holes in the walls and touch up paint.

6. Animals.  This is a tough subject for many because pets are like family.  If you have pets, make sure they are either kenneled for showings, taken with you or to a neighbors. Pick up any doggy doo-doo in your yard, make sure litter boxes are fresh and animal hair is vacuumed.

7. Sparkle.  Make your home sparkle and shine! Use light bulbs that make your home feel warm and inviting.  If your bulbs take too long to get bright consider replacing them.  Get rid of any unwanted odors. Studies show that most people cannot smell odors in their own home.  My tip is to go outside for a while then enter your home with a fresh nose to see if you can detect any odors.  Use an air freshener but don't over freshen! There is such a thing as too much of a good thing!

These tips in conjunction with pricing your home correctly by getting a Comparable Market Analysis from your favorite Realtor will help you obtain the best price in the shortest amount of time!

2012 Year End Review

Happy New Year! It's time again for my annual year end report on the Northern Minnesota real estate market!

754 Listings Sold in 2012 (up 15.3% from 2011)

2028 Properties for Sale in 2012

$167,397 Average List Price (Up .7%)

$135,063 Average Sale Price (Up 17.26%)

163 Average Days on Market

Statistics in this post were obtained from the Northwest Minnesota MLS.

What do these numbers mean?  In my opinion it means that the market did, in fact, hit rock bottom in our area and it's on the way back up!   More houses sold this year over last year and buyers spent more on their purchase.  This could be equated to many factors in the market today.  The biggest factor is the low interest rates. With interest rates at all time lows buyers were able to leverage more money to purchase a more expensive home for the same monthly payment as a lower priced home back in 2002-2009. Which in turn increased our average sale price for the area.

Foreclosure sales also play a large roll in home sale prices. According the the Northwest Minnesota MLS statistics, in 2011 there were 169 bank owned homes sold, in 2012 there were only 122.  The average sale price of the foreclosed homes sold in 2012 was also higher than the average in 2011.  We started to see higher priced homes hit the market as foreclosures.  Many believe this was because distressed home owners in the lower end of the market price range were the first to feel the strain of the recession. 

Buyer confidence is also increasing.  Personally, I have the more active buyers right now than I have seen since 2006.  Buyers are excited to buy again!  There are many homes to choose from, prices are still reasonable, rates are still low and homes are selling.  Great news for Northern Minnesota!

Please feel free to share your thoughts and post your questions, your feedback is always welcome.  Here's to a prosperous, happy and healthy 2013!