Light Bright and Airy Home Staging and Central Coast Virtual Tours are now offering a coordianted sale for a limited time only.
Staging + Still photos
Includes: Photos sized and formatted for the MLS
· Hi resolution photos for flyers and submission to real estate magazines
· Slideshow with no branding for the MLS
· Slideshow with office branding
$475 right now only $400
Staging + virtual tour
Includes: Photos sized and formatted for the MLS
· Hi resolution still photos for flyers and submission to real estate magazines
· Virtual tour with no branding for the MLS
· Virtual tour with office branding for internet
$600 right now only $500
To check out our websites, please visit:
www.LightBrightandAiry.com
www.CentralCoastVirtualTours.com
Monday, November 10, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Expect more!!
In this down market everyone has excuses for homes not selling and homes declining values! But this is the time we need to all dig deep and expect more from ourselves and our professionals! Realtors need to be helping you with what they do best... Marketing!
They need to be helping you
They need to be helping you
- Stage your home so it looks great
- Get great photos taken
- Do virtual tours
- Make great flyers
- Give your house a great internet presence
Gone are the days of homes selling above asking price in hours. We are into the time when houses take months to sell, but the ones that look great and are marketed effectively ARE still selling. Make your sales team work for you, after all you are paying them thousands of dollars to sell your house! Make sure you get your money's worth!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Home Staging on a tight budget
I hear a lot these days that home staging is too expensive and my house doesn't warrant the expense!
Let me first dispel the first part of that myth: home staging costs too much. If you use the right stager, it can be done on a VERY tight budget. Maybe as little as $100 if you have some good stuff to work with. Of course you can always spend $5,000, but in many cases that isn't necessary. YOU set the ground rules and the budget, and a smart home stager can work within your budget, as well as prioritize for you the most important places to spend those dollars.
The second part of the myth: my house doesn't warrant the expense of home staging. If you look at the simple math of letting your home sit on the market for 2 or 3 extra months and make 1 or 2 more price reductions, you have probably already lost $10,000 with those 2 options alone. Most price reductions in most markets around the country today are going to be at least $5,000 and even 1 extra month of mortgage to pay will probably run at least $1,000. As compared to maybe $500 worth of home staging for a furnished home and about $1,000-1,500 for a vacant home. That is not even taking into consideration that if your home is looking its best, buyers will probably ask for less money off and fewer repairs than if you list the home in its current state.
Great home stagers have lots of tricks up their sleeve about how to make your home look great with a few easy trade secrets that can really help your home look its best! Plus home staging is now a tax write off, just like realtor fees, it is considered part of the expense of selling your home! I urge you to at least call a home stager and get a quote before you list your home, most stagers should give you a quote free of charge, no strings attached. So why not see if having a professional make your home look its best is a possibility for you?
Let me first dispel the first part of that myth: home staging costs too much. If you use the right stager, it can be done on a VERY tight budget. Maybe as little as $100 if you have some good stuff to work with. Of course you can always spend $5,000, but in many cases that isn't necessary. YOU set the ground rules and the budget, and a smart home stager can work within your budget, as well as prioritize for you the most important places to spend those dollars.
The second part of the myth: my house doesn't warrant the expense of home staging. If you look at the simple math of letting your home sit on the market for 2 or 3 extra months and make 1 or 2 more price reductions, you have probably already lost $10,000 with those 2 options alone. Most price reductions in most markets around the country today are going to be at least $5,000 and even 1 extra month of mortgage to pay will probably run at least $1,000. As compared to maybe $500 worth of home staging for a furnished home and about $1,000-1,500 for a vacant home. That is not even taking into consideration that if your home is looking its best, buyers will probably ask for less money off and fewer repairs than if you list the home in its current state.
Great home stagers have lots of tricks up their sleeve about how to make your home look great with a few easy trade secrets that can really help your home look its best! Plus home staging is now a tax write off, just like realtor fees, it is considered part of the expense of selling your home! I urge you to at least call a home stager and get a quote before you list your home, most stagers should give you a quote free of charge, no strings attached. So why not see if having a professional make your home look its best is a possibility for you?
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Staging around strange smells and pets!
The resounding comment that I continue to hear from Realtors is what to do with people's weird smells and how to hide their pets!!
Lets address the smells first:
Lets address the smells first:
- Ventilate, Ventilate, Ventilate! (Unless it is snowing outside)
- Have your carpets cleaned before listing the house and then keep pets and shoes off the carpet.
- Vacuum regularly.
- Don't spray with room scents, do something more subtle, like a reed diffuser or bake cookies before the showing (seriously)!
- Paint a few worn walls, this will help the smell in 2 ways- it will add the new smell of paint plus it will cover the musty smell of the old wall.
Pets:
- Not everyone is a pet lover, so tripping over a pet during a showing may make buyers not want to view the whole property.
- Even pet lovers, don't want to smell your pet in their potential new home.
- Arrange to have your pet stay with friends or family during every property showing, its a great time to take your pet for a walk.
- Clean your pet often while your home is listed to keep the smell of your pet to a minimum.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Guest Blogging!
I have been asked to be a guest blogger for a real estate blogger that lives in my area. So for my debut next Monday, check out his blog link! http://www.slocountyhomes.com/real_estate_weblog.htm
I will be sharing my real estate and staging insight now with my readers as well as with his! I hope you will check out his blog too! He has been blogging about the local real estate market since 2003! Who knew there were blogs in 2003?
I will be blogging there every other Monday!
I will be sharing my real estate and staging insight now with my readers as well as with his! I hope you will check out his blog too! He has been blogging about the local real estate market since 2003! Who knew there were blogs in 2003?
I will be blogging there every other Monday!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Top 10 Reasons to hire a home stager
- You want it to sell quickly!
- You want it to sell for top dollar!
- You want your house to look great before the Realtors see it.
- Your nose doesn't work well in your own home and you want it to smell nice before it hits the market
- You want someone to do the cleaning for you.
- Their are lots of unfinished decorating projects you don't have time to finish.
- Your house has lots of tiny boo boos that buyers will hate.
- Your house is decorated very personally and you love it and hate to change it.
- You have to move out right away and don't have time to worry about it.
And # 10. You only have one chance to make a great first impression on buyers and you want your house to stand out from the crowd!
For help in Templeton, Paso Robles, Atascadero, San Luis Obispo or the rest of the Central Coast please call Light, Bright and Airy Home Staging and visit our website @ http://www.lightbrightandairy.com/
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Real Estate Wis-dumb!
Every time I blog, I try to share tips that I have learned from my 10+ years buying, selling, managing and flipping real estate. Today is no different! Today is about the importance of honing your craft! Too many people pick Realtors and lenders because they are friends and neighbors, of course that doesn't mean don't use your friends, it just means DO YOUR HOMEWORK! A good realtor will continue to hone their craft every year. They will not only sell houses, but they will also attend continuing education classes in areas that pertain to the local real estate market and the economy.
Here are some important ways to make sure you are getting the best REALTOR for you!
1. Check their references
2. Call their past clients
3. Check the State and County Board of Realtors website to make sure their license is in good standing!
4. Talk to friends and lenders to check realtor reputations
5. Have the realtor show you what they have represented for buyers and sellers over the last 24 month, if it similar to what you are looking for, that's helpful! If its not, think about whether or not you want this person helping you spend hundreds of thousands of YOUR dollars.
6. Your Realtor should be a wealth of knowledge not just a salesman!! He/She should thoroughly understand the market that you are shopping in. Good Realtors spend time looking at houses and knowing their market!
On the other side of buying real estate is the Lender or Bank. Most people have traditionally shopped for a lender based on interest rates that they lure you in with. Interest rates are important, but honesty at the beginning of the lending process could save you months of anguish in the end. I am here to say that not all lenders are created equal!!! Much of the current real estate crisis can be blamed on dirty banks and dirtier lenders!! Shop smart when looking for a lender, you aren't buying a used car, you are buying a payment for 30 years that will be the roof over your family's head!!! Make sure it is a commitment you are ready to make! Conventional wisdom still comes to play here... use your best judgement, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Here are some tips for watching your back and finding the right lender, so you don't end up down the foreclosure road!!
Important tips for picking the right LENDER!
1. Ask the lender to provide you with a list of all the fees for their services as well as fees through the life of the loan.
2. Just as important as interest rates are POINTS, those are loan fees tacked onto the loan, that are really similar to paying a higher interest rate, but sneakier! So make sure when a lender gives you a quote that you are actually comparing apples to apples!
3. Check the lenders reputation, can they close the deal! With so many banks having trouble these days, you need someone to be straight with you from the beginning, can you afford what you are buying, can you pay all the fees and close the deal?
4. Get REAL about what you can afford! How much can you put down? Can you afford the payment? Does it include impounds (property taxes and fire insurance)? Is their mortgage insurance? Too many people over buy to keep up with the Jones' not realizing that getting an interest only or negative amortization loan will come calling in 3-5 years and your payment could double!!! Are you ready for that?
5. Don't be sold on a loan that is too risky for your family. Remember this is your HOME! Don't let the lender sell you the wrong situation for your family, just so they can get a $1000 commission on something you are stuck with for 30 years!
All the pessimism aside, I very strongly believe in the use of Realtors and good lenders, just do your homework, so you don't get stuck in a bad situation!
Good luck and happy home buying!
Here are some important ways to make sure you are getting the best REALTOR for you!
1. Check their references
2. Call their past clients
3. Check the State and County Board of Realtors website to make sure their license is in good standing!
4. Talk to friends and lenders to check realtor reputations
5. Have the realtor show you what they have represented for buyers and sellers over the last 24 month, if it similar to what you are looking for, that's helpful! If its not, think about whether or not you want this person helping you spend hundreds of thousands of YOUR dollars.
6. Your Realtor should be a wealth of knowledge not just a salesman!! He/She should thoroughly understand the market that you are shopping in. Good Realtors spend time looking at houses and knowing their market!
On the other side of buying real estate is the Lender or Bank. Most people have traditionally shopped for a lender based on interest rates that they lure you in with. Interest rates are important, but honesty at the beginning of the lending process could save you months of anguish in the end. I am here to say that not all lenders are created equal!!! Much of the current real estate crisis can be blamed on dirty banks and dirtier lenders!! Shop smart when looking for a lender, you aren't buying a used car, you are buying a payment for 30 years that will be the roof over your family's head!!! Make sure it is a commitment you are ready to make! Conventional wisdom still comes to play here... use your best judgement, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Here are some tips for watching your back and finding the right lender, so you don't end up down the foreclosure road!!
Important tips for picking the right LENDER!
1. Ask the lender to provide you with a list of all the fees for their services as well as fees through the life of the loan.
2. Just as important as interest rates are POINTS, those are loan fees tacked onto the loan, that are really similar to paying a higher interest rate, but sneakier! So make sure when a lender gives you a quote that you are actually comparing apples to apples!
3. Check the lenders reputation, can they close the deal! With so many banks having trouble these days, you need someone to be straight with you from the beginning, can you afford what you are buying, can you pay all the fees and close the deal?
4. Get REAL about what you can afford! How much can you put down? Can you afford the payment? Does it include impounds (property taxes and fire insurance)? Is their mortgage insurance? Too many people over buy to keep up with the Jones' not realizing that getting an interest only or negative amortization loan will come calling in 3-5 years and your payment could double!!! Are you ready for that?
5. Don't be sold on a loan that is too risky for your family. Remember this is your HOME! Don't let the lender sell you the wrong situation for your family, just so they can get a $1000 commission on something you are stuck with for 30 years!
All the pessimism aside, I very strongly believe in the use of Realtors and good lenders, just do your homework, so you don't get stuck in a bad situation!
Good luck and happy home buying!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
