• Improve curb appeal: You can achieve this in various ways. First, you can simply fill in empty spaces and add some drought resistant plants or shrubs to your landscaping. Additionally, some flowers or potted plants near the front entrance can make a great first impression. Adding a tree for additional shade and patching up a worn out lawn can work miracles to draw buyers in.
• Space & Cleanliness: There is nothing worse to a buyer than a cluttered or unclean home. Take the time to remove unnecessary items from your closets, clean out the garage or carport, remove clutter or toys from the living areas, and make your floors shine! Your home needs to be staged in such a way that your buyers can visualize themselves living there. The way that you decorate your walls and ceilings will also affect how your buyers perceive open space.
• Aim for an earthy appearance: Many buyers appreciate materials and paint colors that tend to have more of an earthy appeal. Each room will be different, so be sure to choose wisely. Also, consider using ceramic tiles or wood flooring instead of carpets or linoleum. Tiles in both the bathroom and/or kitchen could also make a huge difference
• Change outdate items: This can be as simple as replacing some old light and sink fixtures, doors, handles, or even windows. These items can greatly impact the price of a home and don’t always require huge amounts of investment. Additionally, maybe a new coat of paint or trim is all you need to fix up an otherwise “old” appearance.
• Ask an expert: Whether you need advice on decorating, how to improve energy efficiency, or would like to find some items that could use a little “TLC”, it could be worth a small one time investment to get another opinion. This is a way to proactively make changes before you even consider listing your home. And you may be able to even avoid bigger problems that could arise down the road.
• Bathrooms & kitchen: Finally, if you are able to make the extra investment, two areas that have the biggest impact on price are your bathrooms and kitchen. Whether this requires replacing the floors, sinks, tubs, fixtures or appliances, there are many ways that you can astronomically boost your home’s appeal by making improvements to these two key areas.

We hope that these tips prove to be helpful when the time comes for you to sell your home. If you would like to receive an expert opinion from an experienced Realtor on how you can command top dollar for your property, be sure to contact us today. Simply use our information provided above to schedule an in home consultation today!

The following video course details what you need to know about the Rent To Own Lease Purchase process.

3 Things To Consider Before Doing A Rent To Own

Your Rent To Own Checklist

3 Truths About Rent To Own

3 Ways To Prepare for A Rent To Own Purchase

4 Keys To Finding A Good Rent To Own Opportunity

Who Is Responsible For What In A Rent To Own

Your Down Payment & Security Deposit

While shopping for a family car, the used car salesman actually says to me “don’t know how long this will be on the lot, it is station wagon season”.  Come on, station wagon season?

When you are in the market for something, whether a new car or a new home, it is easy to become lost in the search.  Do not let yourself be overwhelmed.  Do not allow yourself to be pressured into a sale on the spot.  Yes, listen to the offer, but also, do your research.  Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is this the product I set out to find?
• Is this within the budget I set for myself?
• Is this trusted information?

The last question may be the most important.  Trust, but verify.  Who is telling me this info?  Do they know this market?  Have they been recommended by someone I trust?  Have they been in the industry for a long time? Can I believe them?

this article brought to you by

Gayle Sfreddo – Associate Broker – Licensed Instructor

A great way to start the New Year is to save  BIG $$$.  Check out these incentives and lets get you in that new home while leaving money in your pocket.

Although nearly 90% of buyers and sellers are turning to the internet for their real estate related needs, a depressingly lower amount of Realtors are actually taking the time to learn about online marketing strategies.  This can be detrimental to your exposure and/or finding the best deals possible.

Unfortunately, many agents and brokers are still stuck in the stone age of marketing, and refuse to accept change within their own industry.  Although traditional methods still hold some weight when advertising a home, you could be missing an enormous piece of the pie if you do not work with an agent that is also innovative and tech savvy.

Here is a List of Questions You Should Be Asking During an Interview:

1. “What types of social marketing do you employ?”  Let’s face it.  If your agent is not investing the time into building a Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ following (or the host of other media available today), then there are literally hundreds of buyers and other professional contacts that are slipping right into the hands of their local competitors.

We are in the day and age of networking, and word travels at the speed of light.  Therefore, your agent should be promoting your home on all of the following platforms by building specific pages and listings for your property where buyers can instantly find you.  This will give you maximum exposure.

1. “How do you capture leads?”  On the other hand, not only is it important for your agent to network and promote your property online, but they also need to collect the necessary contact information from website visitors in order to do business with each prospect.

Therefore, your Realtor should have their own website with an active blog, in order to keep in constant contact with their audience.  By marketing on Craigslist, Google, Youtube, article directories, and any other medium available, your agent should be able to drive traffic back to their own sites.

Next, each person should be directed to some form of lead capture where they can enter their contact information for further updates on your listing.  This could also include using mobile marketing, which will allow people to offer their cell phone number in exchange for property details.   QR and/or text codes can be included on websites or even signage and postcards.

1. ”How do you follow up with your leads?”   Finally, can you be certain that your agent will go to work for you?  Regardless of how many leads they may generate, if they do not have an effective follow up plan in place to build relationships and get buyers taking action, then your efforts could be wasted.

It is important that your agent spends the time to build effective email campaigns, submit updated blog posts and social media updates, and make direct phone calls to incubate each lead and ensure that action is taken while leads are still hot.

Also, can they provide strong evidence of quantifiable results with their real estate marketing campaigns, and are you confident in their ability to sell?  Do you see the potential of getting a head above the rest and truly taking advantage of all the resources that are available at your fingertips?

By carefully reviewing all of the above criteria before choosing an agent, you will be able to ensure that you are receiving the best attention and service possible.  If you are interested in setting up a time to review our in depth presentation on how we will put our comprehensive marketing strategies to work for you, please contact us today.  We guarantee you will not be disappointed!

• Save For A Big Down Payment
• Don’t Overextend Yourself
• Consider the Work Involved
• Really Shop Around

Please feel free to share these videos with a friend who currently owns or is looking to own a home.

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