Brian Vanderhoff's North Fulton Real Estate Blog

Some builders offer newly constructed homes available for immediate delivery. These homes are usually ready to move into within 30 days. That means some builders are eager to sell- but don’t expect them to say so.

Immediate-delivery homes often are available for various reasons:
• The community is nearly complete so the builder went ahead and had the on-site contractors build “spec” homes on the last lots, or the model home is for sale.
• The contract fell through.
• Builders purposely build homes for immediate delivery for buyers who are relocating or who have sold their old home and need to move quickly.

An immediate-delivery home may be specifically priced, although builders sometimes add financing incentives or free options rather than dropping the price. Recent buyers understandably don’t want the last homes o the street to sell for less than they paid for their home.

If you need to move quickly, or prefer seeing and walking through what you’re buying before you sign a contract, and immediate-delivery home could be the right choice for you.

Labels: Alpharetta, buying advantages, city of milton, City of Roswell, Cobb, Cumming, duluth, Fulton, Georgia, New Homes, wood

Almost half of all new-home buyers use a real estate agent to help them. Those who go it alone may not realize there’s no cost to the buyer, and builders are happy to cooperate with agents. If you’re considering a new home, call us! We can help you understand how new homes are built and the fine print of builder and manufacturer warranties.

Labels: Alpharetta, builders, city of milton, City of Roswell, Cumming, duluth, georgia. woodstock, New Homes

With the inventory of unsold homes at continued high levels, homeowners are going to great lengths to differentiate and distinguish their home. According to experts, there are a few simple tricks that can help create a more appealing space and a more attractive listing in today’s increasingly competitive market.

Listing: What’s in a word? When putting your home on the market, the right phrase in your listing can be the key to attracting potential buyers. According to the 2008 MSN article. “What’s ‘beautiful’ worth? About $12,500” researches have found that listings with the words “beautiful” or “gorgeous” sold homes 15 percent faster, while “landscaping” bumped sales 20 percent faster and “move in condition” expedited the sale by 12 percent. Contrary to popular belief, sellers should steer clear of words that highlight desperation such as “motivated” and “must sell”. The study found the inclusion of those words in the listing slowed sales by up to 30 percent.

Branding: If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Brand names create a point of differentiation and should be used as selling points for your home. There is no doubt that buyers will putt more weight in brands they trust. If choosing to make upgrades before listing your home, consider quality, recognizable products because they will ultimately provide the best return.

Staging: The ultimate showcase showdown. When getting your home tidied up for potential buyers, there are some specific tips that will help your home appeal to a wider range of buyers.

Cleaning: The number one rule of staging is to get rid of unwanted and unused items. Whether packed away until the sale or permanently donated, de-cluttering allows buyers to see more of the home. This also includes moving furniture out of rooms that may seem overcrowded.

Labels: Alpharetta, branding, cleaning, Cumming, duluth, Georgia homes, Listings, milton, Roswell, staging your home, suwanee, what it takes to sell your home, Woodstock

The real estate market has more homes for sale than the number of buyers interested in them. If you’re getting ready to sell your home in a “buyer’s market,” you may need to offer a little bit more to get the purchase contract you’re looking for in a reasonable time frame.

To sell a home quickly, at the best possible price, owners must ensure that:
• The list price is in line with today’s market (not yesterday’s)
• The home is in good, preferably move in condition, and
• The home has enough curb appeal to attract buyers inside

Among these, price is still the critical variable. You may benefit by getting a pre-listing appraisal to ensure your asking price is attractive. You may even want to price your home a little below appraisal – say 5% lower than the last comparable sale – and of course advertise that fact to buyers.

You can tell your price is too high if you’ve had no showings at all of if you’ve had, say, 10 showings but no offers or if the competition has dropped their price below yours. Also, keep and eye on comparable properties whose listings have expired; those failed listings tell you what price is to high in today’s market.

Still, ensuring the fundamentals are handled may not be enough to accomplish the sale within your moving time frame. Offering incentives to buyers could be the key to attracting a purchase offer quickly without “giving away the farm.” A good, effective incentive will attract buyers’ attention and motivate purchase offers while having minimal impact on your net proceeds from the sale. In fact, the right incentive can sometimes be more attractive to buyers than a lower sales price.

Take cue from builders and condo developers. To get their properties sold in cooling markets, they are often the first to offer incentives including:
• Drawings for a free home (to increase traffic to the builder’s model vs. competitors properties)
• No money down financing
• Buyout programs for sellers with a home to sell
• Guaranteed pricing (if prices go down before settlement or closing, the buyer gets the lower price)
• Six months to a year of mortgage payments
• Free upgrade (better carpeting, flooring, fixtures, custom colors, options, etc.)
• Discounts for buying during a “12-hour sale” period
• Free vacation lodging and/or round-trip plane tickets

Although many of the types of incentives offered by builders and developers may not be feasible – nor advisable – for individual sellers to offer, you can take inspiration from them:
• Offer to take back a second mortgage for qualified buyers who can’t quite finance the purchase price
• Pay the buyers closing cost’s or points on the loan, reducing the amount of cash they need to close the deal
• Allow a lease/purchase. If you don’t need your funds right away, let the buyer rent your home with a delayed settlement, provided you are sure the purchaser will eventually qualify for a loan. Part of the rent money could be applied to the down payment if the buyer is short of cash.
• Add conveyances to the sale such as a lawn mower, yard tools, drapes, playset, yard bench, porch swing, appliances, even special furniture
• Pay for a year’s membership to the neighborhood recreation center or gym; a year’s worth of homeowner association dues, a year’s worth of utilities, lawn service or pool cleanings
• Paint the interior or exterior of the home in the buyer’s choice of colors, so it’s exactly the way they want it at move-in time
• Include a one year home warranty covering systems and appliances. Buy a pre-sale home inspection and make all repairs
• Offer a redecorating allowance
• Got a time share? Give your buyers a one-week stay for free

The list of possibilities can go on and on. The important point is to tailor your incentive e to what the most likely type of buyer – families, singles, retired couples, etc – will most likely appreciate.

Don’t forget: In a buyer’s market, you’ll also need to be more flexible about the terms of the contract – move in date, contingencies, inspections, etc. The easier you make it for someone to purchase your hoe, and the more value you add to the deal, the more attention your home sale will get.

Labels: Alpharetta, buyer incentives, Cumming, duluth, Georgia, incentives, milton, Roswell, Woodstock

Your home will sell. There’s no questions about that – in today’s market or tomorrow’s market, good or bad. However, if you put your home on the market without preparing it for sale, you may have a long wait for an offer. You also may not realize your home’s greatest return on investment.

You don’t have to turn your pockets inside out to get it ready to sell. Some outlay may be necessary for painting, for replacing worn out woodwork, carpeting, cabinet doors, or for repairing broken fixtures or appliances.

There are, however, many fix-ups that cost absolutely nothing – except a little time and elbow grease. These fix-ups will make all the difference in whether or not your home makes the most of itself.

Here are a few tips for getting your home ready to show itself off to your pocketbook’s best advantage:

OUTDOORS
1. Spruce up all around the home. Keep lawn and shrubbery trimmed and free of bicycles and other clutter. Keep the garden beds weeded and mulched.
2. Put a flowering pot on the front step and keep it watered and trimmed.
3. Fill potholes in your driveway and tidy up walkways.
4. Clean off your outdoor furniture; remove any rust (or toss out the rusted item).
5. Clear out the garage of everything but cars. If yours has become a two-car attic, throw out the excess.
6. Straighten gutters, the mailbox, the fence – and other things that sag.
7. Fix doorbells, tighten loose doorknobs, and oil squeaking hinges.
8. Repair broken windows and shutters.

INDOORS
9. Clean everything in and out of sight. Shampoo rugs and wax floors. Wash or brush walls. Wash windows and clean blinds and draperies.
10. Weed clutter out of closets and cupboards.
11. Create a space by storing some of the extra furniture you’ve found useful (bureaus, bookcases, storage chests, oversized chairs) but which make a crowded impression.
12. Place the remaining furniture so that traffic can flow easily from room to room.
13. Unless you’re a skilled artist, scale down your personal art work (portraits, landscapes), posters, signs, and family photos, especially in teenager’s rooms. Create a feeling of spaciousness.
14. Keep shade and draperies open, to admit as much light as possible, but screen out unappealing views.
15. Let your kitchen look warm and welcoming, not a hectic workplace. Keep your sink shining and free of dirty dishes at all times.
16. Organize cupboards.
17. Clean the refrigerator.
18. Keep countertops clear, but not empty (as if unused); adorn them with your most attractive canisters.
19. Completely degrease your oven. Let the kitchen smell fresh and fragrant (with cinnamon warming in the clean oven, if you have time).
20. Remove debris (dust, flies, moths, etc) from all light fixtures.
21. Keep bathrooms scrubbed, tidy and equipped with fresh soap and neatly hung towels (matching, is possible).
22. Get rid of all stains and install new washers on dripping faucets.
23. Feature (with lighting or furniture arrangement) your home’s best characteristics (a fireplace, a picture window, a balcony, ceiling beans, a kitchen eating area, etc.).
24. If you’ve repainted (preferably in safe neutral tones), add bold splashes of color with your brightest throw pillows, crockery, pictures.
25. Place plants in strategic spots in any room – the bigger the more glamorous, if space permits.
26. Light the whole home, especially dark corners and hallways.
27. Hang mirrors where they will reflect outdoor light – as well as make a room look larger.

Labels: Alpharetta, Atlanta, city of milton, Cumming, duluth, Forysth, Georgia, Roswell, stage to sell, staging your home, staging your home to sell, Woodstock