It’s no surprise that this is nowhere close to a Seller’s Market!  Even with the downturn on the real estate market, life does continue to go on.  There are countless homeowners who have transferred out of state or have decided to take advantage of the market to purchase another home only to leave their current home vacant while it sits on the market waiting for the right buyer.  Those sellers need to take a close look at their home owner’s insurance policy!

Most homeowners policies are written for owner occupant so there are often exclusions to include property abandonment and/or neglect.  This includes homes that have been unoccupied for a specific number of consecutive days.  Typically insurance considers a “vacant home” as one where the owner is not staying in the home and has removed his personal belongings.  An “unoccupied” home is one where the home owner is not staying in the home however personal belongings still remain.

Vacant and unoccupied homes face a much greater risk of damage than an occupied home.  Not only are break-ins more common (Recently I had one Hiram listing broken into and thieves stole the POOL TABLE!), theft of systems such as the AC compressor and/or copper piping but also property liability.  It is very important for the homeowner to contact their insurance company to discuss proper coverage if the property is to be vacant.

Once a homeowner has confirmed insurance coverage on the property, give us a call to list your home.  Our team services owners looking to sell their homes in Acworth, Atlanta, Austell, Douglasville, Hiram, Kennesaw, Lithia Springs, Mableton, Marietta, Powder Springs, Roswell, Smyrna, Villa Rica and Vinings.

I love marketing real estate.  I am always on the prowl looking for new and exciting ways to market my listings to the masses and while my 21^st century marketing blitz is on the cutting edge for local realtors, there is one basic step that will always remain CRUCIAL when selling real estate.  The most basic marketing concept that (in my opinion) separates the amazing Realtors from the lackluster and differentiates the homes that sell from the homes that sit stagnant on the market.  PHOTOGRAPHS!

No matter how high my website is ranked in the search engines or how many e-flyers I send out per month, nothing sells a house more than photos!  With that being said, I am still shocked at the quality that are uploaded into the MLS on a daily basis.  Let’s not even talk about the listings that completely lack a photo in the first place (gasp!), or properties that only host one exterior shot but what about the photos of dirty kitchens, unmade master beds, blurry or crooked shots, low res with the date burnt into the image.  Not only do I want all rooms cleaned for photos, I even remove the little things that clutter a photo like refrigerator magnets or TV remotes.

I take property photography seriously!  Unlike most Realtors using a point and click pocket camera, I use a professional digital SLR camera for my shots complete with wide angle lens.  I normally average between 150-400 photos (depending on size of property) and then spend hours going through them to select the absolute best for cleanup and/or slight photoshop.  Nothing but the best for my Georgia sellers!  

Take a look at my listings and you can see the difference.  If you are thinking of selling a home in Acworth, Austell, Dallas, Douglasville, Hiram, Kennesaw, Lithia Springs, Mableton, Marietta, Powder Springs, Roswell, Smyrna, Vinings or Villa Rica then contact us on how to effectively market and sell your home in this market!

Many of my current short sale sellers have been trying to sell their home before they opted to short sell with me, most have attempted to sell for many years with other real estate agents.  These sellers have great homes and in great locations, so why are they at the end of their rope?  They chased the home pricing spiral.

Chasing the home pricing spiral means they have been behind the curve of dropping values.  When they were priced at $250k they should have been at 235K, by the time they lowered to 235K they really should have been priced at 225k.  Once the seller finally agreed to lower to 225k, values were sitting around 210k.

Let’s face it, not all Realtors are like me.  I am like the Dr. Phil of Realtors, telling you like it is.  Sometimes my no holds barred talk gets me in trouble but in real estate it is exactly what you need to hear (whether you want to hear the truth or not)!

I would say I average 3 calls per day from sellers interested in having me list their homes for sale.  I do not rush out to take these listings, rather I prequalify them over the phone.  I ask them about their property, pull up comps and discuss expectations.  Gone are the days of breaking ceiling heights in neighborhoods, sellers have to be realistic on where home values are.  They are not where they were 2 years ago, some areas not even where they were 6 months ago.  Most sellers are surprised when they say “we don’t have to sell our home, we don’t plan on giving it away” that I respond quickly with “If you do not have to sell your home then DON’T SELL YOUR HOME”.  This is not the market to put feelers out to see where buyers are nibbling.  I know where buyers are and they are not looking at overpriced homes.  To be quite honest they aren’t looking at homes priced at fair market value either.   Buyers are looking for deals and they have quite the inventory of foreclosure and short sales to choose from.  If you aren’t willing to compete at or near that level then you shouldn’t be on the market.  Sure there are plenty of agents out there ready to take your overpriced listing, but they know good and well that it will not sell.  They are just hoping to pick up a buyer lead off their sign in your yard.  I am not one of those agents, my listings SELL!

Proper pricing is crucial in this market, more crucial than ever before.  While most of the markets I work seem to have stabilized (some even slowly inching up a touch in values) you still need to be realistic about your values.  Every neighborhood has been affected differently, some East Cobb neighborhoods have only seen a 6-8% decrease in values whereas some neighborhoods in South Cobb have decreased more than 35%.

For a no obligation market analysis of your home, feel free to contact us for more information.  Dr. Phil impersonation is optional 

10.  WHAT IS/WAS FOR DINNER?!?  *Insert best caveman voice here* candle, incense, fragrant oils GOOD!  Curry, crockpot roast BAD!  Unless you are baking apple pie, keep the cooking smells to a minimum especially if you know for certain a showing is scheduled!  Sellers should avoid any and all fish, fried or distinct ethnic foods that may leave a lingering scent.  I have heard many a buyer discount a home over smells.

9.  PETS – No one loves animals more than I do however to the buyers out there that are not animal friendly, nothing will kill a home sale quicker than the family dog or cat roaming around.  While I understand that coordinating a showing around animals is very difficult (especially for last minute calls) but sellers should make every effort.  Instead of a sign on the front door saying “Do not let cat out” why not put the sign on the laundry room door and leave cat in there?  True Story:  I once had a client that had a phobia of cats and refused to see any home that had one.  When showing, sellers should remove all evidence of animals (toys, water/food bowls, kennels, etc) and most importantly remove all SMELLS and vacuum pet hair regularly.

8.  LIGHT BULBS – Nothing looks worse to a buyer when they walk into the master bathroom and see that most of the lights at the master vanity are burnt out.  Same goes with kitchen, dining or any other room in the house!  Sellers should do a weekly inventory of every light in the house and replace as needed.  Which leads me to my next point…

7.  DARK ROOMS – While not every showing is scheduled in advance, when possible the seller should turn on all overhead lights and lamps.  Also equally (if not more) important is to open all blinds and curtains so natural light floods the rooms.  Never underestimate the power of light!

6.  TEMPERATURE – whew, this is a tough one especially in the era of vacant bank owned foreclosures and seller deserted pre-foreclosure short sales where most properties do not have power turned on.  What I can say from my experience is anytime there are extreme temperatures (freezing cold in winter and blazing hot in summer) buyers are in and out in a flash!  Kind of hard to get a buyer interested in a property when they won’t stay in it longer than a few minutes.  When possible keep temperatures at a reasonable and comfortable level.

5.  FAMILY PHOTOS AS DÉCOR – I have always stood firm that sellers should not remove every photo from their walls however that statement is only reserved for the seller who uses photos sparingly.  For the seller who uses family photos as décor on every wall in every room then I recant that statement.  Buyers should be looking at the home not counting how many kids the seller has!  Removing personal excess keeps the buyer focused.

4.  COLORS / WALLPAPER – There is no secret that I have a strict “no wallpaper policy” in place.  This is 2010 people, mullets and bellbottoms are gone, so should the wallpaper.  I love it when sellers tell me that it is too time consuming and/or expensive to remove and I kindly remind them that the buyer is thinking the exact same thing.  I once had a seller adamant against removing her aged yellow wallpaper from the 1970’s and she told me that a home was not a home without flowered wallpaper in the kitchen.    I told her I was glad she loved the wallpaper and I would be happy to sell her back her own home for a reduced commission.  She didn’t get the joke!  I share the same sentiments about paint color.  I am so glad that you loved your red family room, yellow dining room, orange kitchen but when it is time to sell it’s time to PAINT!  Never go white, it looks too institutional.  Behr has an amazing color called “Indulgent Mocha” that is light and bright with just a touch of taupe.

3.  SMOKING – If you are a smoker then it is time to take the smoking outside FULL TIME until the home has closed.  If you have smoked in the home for 30 years then I will probably turn down your listing.  Majority of buyers turn around in the foyer to leave when they smell the remnants of cigarette or cigar smoke.  Nothing kills a home sell faster than smoking!

2.  CLEAN YOUR HOUSE!  – I do not live in a perfect model home but then again I am not trying to sell my house either.  Every day you should make your bed, clean your kitchen, hide dirty clothes in laundry room.  Every day you should leave for work as if you had an important showing scheduled that same day.  A couple years ago I had some buyers up from Florida for a packed house hunting weekend, we had 20 viewings scheduled for the Saturday in Powder Springs and planned to submit an offer on the top pick.  The first home of the day was unkept (dirty dishes in sink, pile of dirty laundry on floor, kids toys strewn around the house and seller walking around in his boxer shorts) not to mention every room was painted a different color.  My buyers walked out of the home and said “gross”.  Nineteen homes later we had made a complete circle and close to where we began our search.  My buyers walked in, threw their hands up in the air and said “THIS IS IT!  We love this home!”  Ironically enough it was the same floorplan, probably from the same builder as the first home.  The difference was it was cleaned, neutral and move in ready.

1.  SELLER GIVES THE NICKEL TOUR – Nothing is more uncomfortable for a buyer or a buyer’s agent when the seller feels the need to guide us through their home highlighting every change, upgrade and special moment that has happened for the 20 years they have lived there.  A buyer on a mission knows within a few minutes if they like the home however if the seller is there now we feel obligated to talk back and walk through observing every room even though the home was discounted as soon as we smelled cigarette smoke.  I do not necessarily feel that sellers should always leave the property.  Although it is more preferable, it is not always convenient for a seller to leave especially when buyer’s agent has given a wide timeframe of showing window.  With that being said, I recommend to my clients that they should take a walk around the block, even just step outside on the deck to give the buyer some privacy to look at the home in peace.  It’s also crucial for the buyer’s Realtor to get a good feel of what their client likes and dislikes about the home.  It is very difficult to be honest about the home with your Realtor if the seller is standing right there.