SUPPORT YOUR AGENT! STAGE YOUR HOME!

Home Staging is a crucial marketing technique in today’s home sales. You only have one opportunity to make a first impression. The key to selling your home is to create an atmosphere where buyers feel comfortable and can visualize themselves and their family living in there.

 

Resistance to staging not only comes from you, the home owner, it comes from your agent as well! Agents are aware of the benefits of staging, but find it difficult to present it to you. You’re well aware of how hard your agent worked to get your listing, and agents are hesitant to turn around and tell you that your home needs to be rearranged, painted, and otherwise prepared for a highly competitive market. 



They also don’t know how to properly present the benefits of Home Staging. In all fairness, it’s not part of their job description.   
As a 12+ year veteran Real Estate Broker, Home Stager, Interior Designer, and home owner/seller, I know what I’m talking about, and have earned the right to call myself an expert. Not only do I represent the interests of you, the seller, I represent the interests of your Agent who also represents your interests.

 

                                                                                                                            Hint: Get Rid Of Clutter   

 

My role, in essence, is to become “the middle man".  After your home is listed, I accompany your Agent to your home to meet you, and discuss all the pros and cons (yes, there are a few like inconvenience, minor in the overall picture) of Home Staging. This takes the pressure off the agent, and allows them to focus on their job which is to market and sell your home.  

Hint: Update Window Treatments

 

So support your Agent. He/She has worked very hard to earn your trust, and will work as hard to sell your home. Cooperate with your Agent. At least listen to what a Home Stager has to say.

And when your Agent has sold your home, let him/her help you find another one to buy. And perhaps you’ll hire me to help you decorate it. This way, when you’re ready to sell it, all the hard work will have already been done.  

 

In today’s market, unless you present your home as the best product, you’ve just sold the competition.

 

For more information email robin@robinlechnerdesigns.com

 

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JULY REAL ESTATE TRENDING REPORT

JULY REAL ESTATE TRENDING REPORT 

The typical rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage dove below 3.5% for the first time this week according to  Freddie Mac figures. This record low in rates has encouraged refinancing, but has done little to improve housing sales.

According to CNN Money in a report released on Tuesday, home prices hit bottom and are finally bouncing back. Nationwide, home values rose 0.2% year-over-year to a median $149,300 during the second quarter.

My advice is to buy a home if you can afford a 20% down payment and get a 15 year mortgage (if possible). This could be the best investment you ever made.

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BE SURE, INSURE!

If you’re a first time home buyer, you’ll discover that home owner’s insurance is different from any insurance you’ve ever purchased. All of the information included in this discourse should be discussed with your insurance agent.

Make certain you get enough coverage to rebuild should your home be destroyed. The key terms to differentiate between are replacement cost and market value. Get coverage using the replacement figure.

Take photos of your home inventory with written appraisals if you have important pieces like artwork and jewelry. Electronics depreciate quickly, so take care not to take out too much insurance on these items. The market fluctuates on certain valuables, so review your policy annually. Keep the photos and appraisals in a safe place other than your home.

An Umbrella Policy ensures that you have sufficient liability protection above the coverage in a basic policy. Liability coverage protects a homeowner if they’re sued for an injury that takes place on their property. This type of insurance is particularly important if you conduct business in your home or if you have regular services like a weekly landscaper, pool maintenance, housekeeping, etc.

Flood insurance is more than protection for a home in an area prone to flooding. Even if you live in an apartment on a high floor, you should carry flood insurance in the event a neighbor’s washer overflows.

If a house becomes unlivable make certain adequate living expenses are provided by your insurance to pay for living accommodations, food, transportation and other expenses. This coverage is “additional living expenses” (ALE).

 Research insurance companies just as you would interview to fill a job description. Customer service is extremely important. Get recommendations; make certain you have access to the company 24 hours a day and can speak with a ‘real person’ instead of “dialoging” with a web site. Do your homework. And remember cheaper is not always better; you often get what you pay for.

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SAVE YOUR SANITY! YOUR COMPUTER CAN GIVE YOU A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN

Always plugged in?

Well, not actually...on second thought, maybe. A recent scientific report stated that the continuous narrow focusing on a computer or mobile device screen cuts down on peripheral vision, and causes immense neurological stress. So remember to take breaks, and create some peripheral vision exercises to save your sanity.

A few words about multi-tasking. We are less efficient at either task than if we focused on one topic at a time.

FREE REAL ESTATE ADVICE TODAY ONLY!

TODAY, JULY 4, 2012 FREE REAL ESTATE ADVICE! EMAIL YOUR ONE QUESTION TO robin@robinlechnerdesigns.com. Emails must be dated by 11:55pm. Please put July 4th in your subject heading.

NAPW - AVENTURA CHAPTER JULY MEETING

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GOOD NEWS...BAD NEWS...WHO KNOWS?

There’s an ancient Chinese tale that ends predictably in a proverb, that roughly interpreted, states that what looks bad from one perspective is actually good, or at least, is not exactly bad. The lesson teaches that contradictions and opposites don’t necessarily exist.

We can apply this theorem to the real estate market’s accepted maxim of what’s good for buyers is bad for sellers. The maxim is not essentially true. The recent market trend provides good news for both home sellers and buyers. The rollercoaster housing industry reports that home prices have started to climb especially in south Florida. So if sellers can hold out a bit longer, they will benefit from significant growth opportunities, and buyers who can jump into the real estate market before sales prices increase significantly have the opportunity to get great deals.

Homes that remain on the market for long periods are typically turned into rental properties. Rental demand by young people and immigrants historically clears the oversupply of existing homes for sale, but the current economic woes of our country sends young people home to live with their parents, and lack of employment leads to multiple families sharing a single unit home. As a result, the decrease in rentals will prolong the opportunity for buyers, and increase the opportunity of sellers.

A Cluttered Kitchen Isn't Inviting

Uncluttered Kitchen - Which would you buy?

Home ownership still remains a large part of the American dream and is a positive long term investment. What’s holding buyers back is the uncertain economy in an election year, and increasing down payments. Banks requirements, however, are loosening slightly, and mortgage rates are exceptionally low. Sellers will have to be patient just a bit longer. Having your home “staged”, a technique called Home Staging, will make your home more visible on the internet, and put it at the top of a buyer’s list of homes to see. (Read how in other posts on this site and other blogs).

GOOD NEWS…BAD NEWS…WHO KNOWS?                                                       IT’S ALL GOOD NEWS!