REAL ESTATE KIRKLAND
OCTOBER 2011
Your guide to Real Estate and home buying & selling
Top 8 “TO-DO’S” in Order to Sell orderly & maintained when location. Those that are Robert & Sue, of Rose Hill in Kirkland, were about buying these types of homes your home is on the market. Fresh bark, fresh paint, are doing it at a substantial at their wits’ end. “We have clean roof, cut lawn all play 20-30% discount off had our home market value. New paint into the curb appeal. on the market 6. Staging: Once inside & cleaned carpets will for nearly 4 your home, a buyer must show the home is wellmonths & be wowed. Intoxicate their maintained. “Move-in” we have had senses. They want to see condition appeals to only a handful up-to-date furnishings, more buyers. of visitors & smell a clean home, touch 4. Competitive absolutely NO nice cabinets, hear peace & Advantage: Buyers offers! What quiet & of course “taste the do we do to Debbie Walter are shoppers. Past area Realtor - RE/MAX NW sales, as well as current good life.” get our home 7. Brokers: An accomlistings & foreclosures, sold?” plished, knowledgeable are your direct competiIn today’s market nearly Broker/Realtor can be your tion. You must take these all sellers want to know the biggest ally during the sellinto consideration when secret to selling their homes ing process. They know the settling on a list price for quickly & for the most latest market trends & have your home. What amenities money possible. Although built a network of other bro& upgrades do these homes there is no golden equation, kers & contacts to whom to have? Do the homes in there are Top Eight factors market your home. Skilled your neighborhood all have that will help you accombrokers have an arsenal of updated baths, kitchens, or plish this goal. marketing tools available to landscaped yards? In order Robert & Sue listened to them: video, virtual tours, the below advice of a profes- to price in line with them webcasts, brochures, webyou must be able to boast sional & successful Broker - their home elicited an offer these same things, otherwise sites, MLS listings & more! 8. Marketing: Marketing buyers will go elsewhere. within 30 days. They suc5. Curb Appeal: Curb ap- has gone global. With the cessfully closed the followpower of the Internet, you peal is the first impression. ing month. can showcase your home to You must keep the yard 1. Price: You may think that location is the leading factor of whether or not a home sells. It is, instead, price. Think about this: you have a home located in a prestigious & sought-after Windermere Real Estate/Central, Inc. neighborhood, yet the list price is tens of thousands of Clive@Windermere.com dollars over the comps for www.Kirklandhomelistings.com the area. Truth: NOBODY wants it - but this same Specializing in property priced just below the competition will fly off Kirkland Properties. the market. Price is KING in this market! 2. Location: Okay, location is still very important. A home that sits next to a jail, a crime-ridden neighborhood, or busy street is less desirable than one that backs up to green space. If your home has a “boast-able” location, then by all means boast about d ble n it. Buyers today are looka aila s ing for neighborhoods that t deliver amenities such as lo av h parks, restaurants, theaters. c ow a They want good schools, n walk-able neighborhoods Be ing & plenty of things to keep nc them entertained without a driving far. fin 3. Condition: There is a small segment of the market that is made up of renovators, flippers, & investors. You won’t find near as many people these days eager to buy your run-down property that is in a good
millions of potential buyers. Sit down with your broker & develop a solid marketing plan. You may not like everything they have to suggest - but they are ultimately saying it in order for you to succeed. It really is a team collaboration to accomplish a SOLD home! The market is not what it once was. You must be realistic about what selling in
today’s market means. You value your home, but it may not be “worth” as much as it was yesterday, last month, or last year. Consider these Top 8 ways to help your home put its best face & foot forward. Robert & Sue will both agree, this is the best thing you can do for yourself so you can move on with life’s adventures.
For further information or suggestions on future topics, please contact Debbie Walter @ www.DebbieWalter.com or (206) 930-8699. Debbie is a REALTOR® with RE/MAX NW Realtors in Kirkland. Debbie is a member of the National Association of Realtors (a trade organization that promotes real estate information, education and professional standards).
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