Are you ready to put your home on the market? Whether you need to size-up or size-down, or you are moving to a new neighborhood or state, selling your home can be a stressful situation. After all, most sellers want to keep their homes on the market for as short of a time as possible. At the same time, you want to get as much money from the sell as you possibly can. Whether selling Bethesda real estate or a home in Davis, there are a few key steps you should take to help get the best price while keeping the home on the market for as little time as possible.

Step #1: Hire a Reputable Agent

The first step toward getting your home sold is to hire an agent who has experience selling homes in your neighborhood. If you do not have any friends or family members who have recently sold a home, finding a good agent may be a bit tricky. A good place to start is to simply drive through your neighborhood to view real estate signs in the yards of your neighbors. The names you find on these signs may very well be a good choice for you as well. Of course, you will also need to take the time to interview a number of real estate agents and to check their references. This way, you can be sure you are hiring the person that is bests for you and your needs.

Step #2: Set the Right Price

Setting the right price is an essential part of getting your home sold quickly and at a fair price. If you set the price too low, you may sell it quickly, but you will not get the full amount possible for your home. Conversely, if you set the price too high, your home will sit on the market for far too long. While it may seem like a good idea to set a higher price so you have room for negotiation, the reality is that setting a price that is too high will result in a loss of potential buyers. Furthermore, if your home sits on the market for too long due to a lack of interested buyers, it will go “stale.” When a home goes stale, it typically needs to be removed from the market for a period of time before it can be placed back on the market at a lower price.

Step #3: Prepare Your Home for Buyers

If you want to generate interest in your home, you will need to take steps to generate interest in what you have to offer. One obvious way to do this is to make repairs to anything that may be damaged in the home. Beyond making repairs, however, you may also need to do some remodeling in order to bring your home up-to-date. Once your home is in shape, you should “stage” your home for sale. Staging the home involves making it appealing to all of the five senses in such a way that the buyer feels “at home” in the house. An experienced real estate agent will be able to give you easy and inexpensive tips for staging your home for sale.

About The Author – Kevin Koitz is a Bethesda luxury homes specialist, Realtor, and member of The Koitz Group based in Washington DC.

Bloomberg reported yesterday about a growing trend where banks are paying sellers up to amounts of $20,000 to $30,000 to complete short sales vs. letting the home go into foreclosure. In some cases banks are finding they are saving money to work with homeowners who haven’t been able to afford to make payments and are underwater in the homes. Typically it will cost the bank more money to go through the foreclosure process than to work directly with the seller to remain in the house, take care of the house and to find a suitable buyer for the home. In addition to payment amounts some banks are giving sellers of successful short sales there is also federal money available (typically up to $3,000) to help short sale sellers relocate out of their homes.

If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of no longer able to make your mortgage payments, there are options, banks in some cases are granting loan modifications and that should always be the first step. If that does not work, it could be beneficial to consider selling the house for less than what you owe before just walking away. Many homes that go into foreclosure never were on the market as a short sale. Often the life events that cause the hardship in making payments, prevents people from looking for solutions. Putting your home on the market as a short sale may not be for everyone, but the additional money that some lenders are currently offering might be a reason to explore this option.

Source photo source

With some easy steps, make your living room look larger with some simple home staging tips.

Some interesting tips:

Use three similar items to create a pattern.

Use battery operated candles for safety instead of burning flames.

Aroma helps to sell a home, use a live bouquet of flowers.

In today’s housing market, finding ways to make your home stand out from the competition is essential. After all, most markets are flooded with houses for sale, which means yours will need to offer something special if you hope to grab a buyer’s attention. Whether selling Denver CO luxury condos or a home in Davis, CA, one way to accomplish this goal is to make some simple repairs and upgrades that will help your home sell more quickly. To that end, here is a look at 5 simple repairs or upgrades that you should consider completing before you put your house on the market.

If it’s Broke, Fix It

Before you worry about upgrades, look through your home and identify any areas that are worn out or broken. Unless he is looking for a fixer-upper, no buyer is interested in purchasing a home that is in need of repair. Furthermore, if you have allowed the little things to fall into disrepair, many buyers will question the condition of major systems such as your heating and air system, your plumbing and other big ticket items. After living in a home for many years, it is easy to overlook its many small problems. Therefore, you may want to ask a real estate agent or a trusted friend or family member to view your home and to point out any areas that are in need of repair.

Make it Shine

After making any necessary repairs, go through your home and thoroughly clean every room. While this will certainly be a time consuming process, the time you spend making your home sparkle and shine will be well worth it. Be sure to clean the windows, the walls, the light fixtures, the woodwork and all other areas of the home from top to bottom.

Appeal to a Broad Audience

One of the tricks to getting a home to sell quickly is to find ways to make it appeal to a large audience of buyers. Painting your walls with a neutral color is the easiest way to complete this task. If you have to replace your carpet, choose neutral colors that will appeal to the greatest number of buyers. If your current carpeting has an unusual pattern or bold colors, you may want to consider replacing it with a neutral tone or pulling it up to expose the hardwood floors beneath.

Give them Space

Every buyer is looking for a home with plenty of living space as well as ample storage space. You can make the home look more spacious by removing clutter and by arranging furniture in a way that allows for easy movement. If your furniture leaves little room to move, consider putting some of it in storage while your home is on the market. Adding a few closet organizers and packing away items off-season items will also create the illusion of more storage space.

Remove Foul Odors

If you smoke, have pets or frequently cook fried foods, you may not be aware of the smells that have permeated your home. Even if you don’t notice, potential buyers certainly will. To get rid of these smells, you may need to replace your carpeting as well as the padding underneath. You may also need to get your furniture and your drapes professionally cleaned. While this will certainly involve making a bit of an investment, the dollars will be well spent when you are able to get your home sold more quickly and at a reasonable cost.

About The Author – Brian Kinkade is a Denver condo specialist, including working with Art House Condos Denver, in his experience as a Realtor with The Home Cart Team in Denver, Colorado.

One of the best things you can do when you sell your home is to do some form of staging. Here are some useful tips that do not cost a lot of money to do.

Deep cleaning your home, taking care of deferred maintenace, removing personal items and decluttering will help potential buyers see your home in the best light both when see the house online and also when the view the home in person. Don’t hesitate to contact me for more information on how to best market your home.

Technically there are still a few weeks left in 2011 but the majority of the year is over and here is the year to date breakdown for single family homes in Davis.

• Central Davis 54 sales
• North Davis 48 sales
• East Davis 67 sales
• West Davis 40 sales
• South Davis 72 sales

While there were slightly more homes sold so far this year in South Davis than any other neighborhood it does not mean that a well priced home will not sell quickly in one of the other Davis Neighborhoods. South Davis is made up of everything south of Interstate 80 and also includes El Macero.

Tuesday’s Seller Tip

You can do anything for 15 minutes.

When it comes time to selling a house, there is nearly always a lot of work to get the house ready for “show” condition. I really like the FlyLady method of house cleaning/organization. The basic premise of the FlyLady’s system is to focus on a few things each day and use a timer to spend 15 minutes on each task. Break the house down into small manageable zones and you can get rid of clutter once and for all.

Since I have a small baby at home I’m having a difficult time finding 15 minute blocks but I typically can work for 5 minutes at a time so even if the thought of 15 minutes is too much to start out doing – just do something. We all tend to have things piled near the door or in a spare bedroom, even if you aren’t thinking about selling until the spring, now would be a great time to start creating habits that will make your life easier when it comes time to selling your home.

Here’s a quick video on how not to get sidetracked when organizing your home.

If you are thinking of selling your home, I’m happy to come over and meet with you long before you think you want to list the house. Sometimes it is good to have a new pair of eyes help see things that you no longer notice. Give me a call 530-297-2260 to schedule a time for me to see your home.