OK, so my wife and I are putting our home on the market. We are a less expensive (relatively) custom home in a custom home section of our neighborhood. We are a tiny bit more than the tract homes in our neighborhood, but well below any of the custom homes, so I think we have the right price niche. Any advice on having a house on the market. Here is a list of things I've already done: 1. Touch up paint. We have neutral colors, we touched up, the house smells fresh and new now. 2. Moved out some furniture and cleared out the closets. Now everything looks nice and open. 3. Power washed sidewalks/driveway. 4. Cleaned brick/stucco. 5. Re caulked windows 6. Have yard guys come once a week/trimmed bushes, cleaned up beds. 7. Fresh mulch. 8. Finished out bonus room. Could be fourth bedroom or media room. 9. Cleaned/organized shelves. 10. Cleaned/cleaned/cleaned some more. We also open up all the blinds every day to bring in light, leave lights on in dark rooms, run ceiling fans on low, and vacuum everyday (little triangles on carpet) Anything else we should do? Listing agent said we are ready to go, but I want every advantage possible in the slower real estate market. I'm slightly worried, although the main real estate slow down in Houston seems to be in the lower end homes where people have trouble getting financing. I missed out on the Spring/early summer window, but my listing agent said it slows down end of August, but picks back up in September and October for the fall market.
Some other realtors may disagree, but the housing market is slow for all type of homes, low and high. The Houston suburbs are oversaturated with new home builders and its hard to compete with new construction. Also, the fall market is going to be hard. You have to keep in mind that aside from corporate relos, most families aren't looking to move once school starts. Couple that with saving money for the holidays, and the fall is the worst time of year to sell a home, so be prepared to wait it out and don't panic if you don't sell in 30-60 days.
agree, and to add more sunshine to the picture, custom houses can be more difficult to sell. Depending on how many customizations you have done and how patterned to your taste your home is, buyers may feel the premium to buy new and make their own changes is worth it.
Supermac, are you looking to buy another home, or lease/rent for awhile. Is a relocation driving this, or the need for a larger place? Just curious as to your reasons. If you like you house and the area, but want to make a move to a different part of town for reasons of your own, then consider what kind of mortgage you currently carry. If it is a low fixed rate, and you're happy living in the area, you might want to give deep thought making a move like this in current conditions. Credit is tightening up day by day. If you have a large down payment you can make, perhaps from a nice return on your investment, that'll make it easier. But I wouldn't assume that you'll be able to lock in a 10 or 15 year note on a new home at the rates available just a short time ago. Everything I've read points to a real credit crunch, and possibly even a collapse, such as we saw in Austin in the 1980's. I know some people who made a killing off that housing collapse, because they had the liquidity to snap up homes driven far below values they had had for years. Most people don't have that ability. Oh course, if you're moving to another city or state because of business, you do what you've got to do. I guess my point is to be sure you aren't leaving an adequate home, with a low interest fixed mortgage, to "move up." Right now, that could turn into a real mistake. And that will affect the thinking of potential buyers. Your house may be on the market a long time. Hopefully not, but you should plan for it. Good luck!
Things recommended to me when trying to sucker prospective buyers: -Make sure AC is running comfortably when they come (especially now that it's 100F outside) -Play soothing music (I played Yanni on a repeat loop) -Use those scented air freshener things all over your house -Have a bowl of nice-looking apples on your dining table -Have all the lights on (Some agents don't turn the lights on for their clients)
Watch Sell This House! on the weekends. They actually have great ideas on how to get a place ready to sell and most of the time, it just involves spending less than $200 total. Not to mention.... Tanya Memme... mmmmmm.... codell, email me through the board. Got a question to ask you...
