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You update your computer, your wardrobe, your hairstyle, your IPOD selections and your shoes on a regular basis.  So why haven’t you updated your kitchen/family room?

 

If you are thinking about selling your home, this is a must-do, whether or not you will be selling the property furnished.  Why?  Because purchaser’s envision themselves in the prospective homes in which they and their Realtor tour.  Before listing your home, do a critical walk-through and make it the most marketable home on the market.  Mix old and new, purchase new trendy items (pillows, rugs, accessories) in the season’s latest shades and textures. 

 

Streamline, clean up, open up—keep the space light and airy.  Your home is an expression of you, so don’t embarrass yourself.  Listen to your Realtor.  Bill True has over 20 years’ experience in selling Island real estate.

Yes, yes, yes!

But why?  And how do you know with whom you should be working?

OK, you have your home listed with your Realtor (whom you know and trust).  The purchaser's agent bring in an offer (hmmm, they were just an agent, not a licensed Realtor).  Oh, well, maybe it doesn't matter anyway.  The offer isn't exactly what you were hoping for (there are too many contingencies...the closing date is too far out, the price is lower than you had been expecting), but there is always room for negotiation.

So, after pondering your desires and needs regarding the sale of your property, you have a frank discussion with your Realtor (the listing agent).  You feel positive about your counter-offer and your Realtor presents it immediately to the purchaser's agent.  Then nothing.  Days pass with no word from the other agent, though your Realtor has left numerous voice messages for an update.

After what seems like an eternity (the other agent never returned your Realtor's phone calls), you assume the contract is dead.  Simply put:  The other agent lost their buyer.  They couldn't close the deal.  And they probably won't close any other deal.  Why did that happen?  Likely, the other agent lacked experience (and, obviously, etiquette--anyone can return a simple phone call).  Of course, there are times when even a seasoned professional loses a buyer, but that is rare--even in this marketplace.  However, it is especially frustrating in times such as these, because showings are down in all areas of the island--beach, villa, residential, land.  You can't afford to lose a buyer to another agent's inexperience.

A TRUE Realtor, whether listing or selling your property, knows his buyer, his seller and the other Realtor involved in the sale.  He has strong relationships with other professionals involved such as the attorneys who close the property, the lenders who finance the property, the architects, engineers, designers, builders and others who may maintain the property.  They know him as well, and there are years of trust in those relationships.

A TRUE Realtor will bring of wealth of experience to the closing table, ensuring that your property isn't the one that "fell through."

When decorating, it seems that the manta for many is 'more is better".  However, elegantly spare and simple makes a lovely home as well.  In today's market, buyers want turn-key purchases.  They don't want to have to transform a property after closing unless, of course, they are purchasing a property for land value and intend to remove the structure.  We live at the beach and buyer preferences tend to follow a high-finish, low-maintenance course of action.  Go with bright and breezy rooms with high ceilings (but not so high that it's difficult to decorate proportionally), plenty of non-cluttered space, properly sized furnishings and current-chic distinctive accent pieces, lampshades, window coverings and rugs.  More is not always better--sometimes it just makes your home feel claustrophobic and, therefore, unappealing to potential purchsers.