Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Essential Secrets to Selling in a Down Market

You only have a few moments to sell your home to a new buyer. With hundreds of homes available on the market today how can you make sure yours is the next to sell? Staging, with the recent downturn in the economy and continued sluggishness in the real estate market; staging is more important than ever.

Here are the top reasons why home-staging matters, and how you can make it work for you:

A picture is worth a thousand words:Over 80% of home buyers begin their search online, so the first impression of your home might be the last. Make sure your home looks its best.

Visualize their space, not your place: Staging becomes even more important when buyers visit in person. Properly performed home staging is essential to allowing prospective buyers to visualize the home as “their space” rather than trying to see through your clutter and belongings. A home should be attractive yet neutral enough to allow buyers an opportunity to get a feel for how their own furniture and belonging would fit.

Browsers spend more time looking at pretty pictures: Not only are buyers searching online, but they tend to spend more time viewing attractive properties than those without pictures or with “ugly” photos. Use plenty of photos to showcase your home or property.

Staging does not have to cost a fortune to be effective, but does require experience for best results. If your thinking about selling your home please give me a call.

I pull out all the stops to sell your home.

Lonnie Snyder

REALTOR ®

Keller Williams Realty Southeast Sound

Phone: 206-406-2710

Lonnie Snyder is a full time real estate agent and REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty specializing in Residential Real Estate for buyers and sellers in Washington's Kent, Renton, Newcastle and South Bellevue.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Getting a Home Inspection Can Provides Peace of Mind

So you’ve just toured your prospective new home, fallen in love with it and want to put an offer in immediately! Buying a home is an emotional investment as well as a financial one and the last thing you want is to have unpleasant surprises after you’re all moved in. Having the home professionally inspected from top to bottom can help you avoid this.

For just a few hundred dollars, you can have peace of mind knowing you’ve made the right decision. Many problems with a house can result in large, unexpected repair bills so at least if you’re aware of these problems ahead of time, you can factor them into the price of your offer.

This recommendation doesn’t just apply to buyers. More and more homeowners are having home inspections done before they put their property on the market. It’s best to be prepared -- the last thing you want is the purchaser finding out a new roof is needed and it costing you the sale of your home.

Whether it’s your home or a home you’re buying, it’s important to be familiar with the condition of the property. Make sure you are there when the inspection is happening so you can get your questions answered. I can offer a few recommendations of an experienced, certified home inspector and ensure the cost includes a written report.

I pull out all the stops to sell your home.

Lonnie Snyder

REALTOR ®

Keller Williams Realty Southeast Sound

Phone: 206-406-2710

Lonnie Snyder is a full time real estate agent and REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty specializing in Residential Real Estate for buyers and sellers in Washington's Kent, Renton, Newcastle and South Bellevue.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Selling Your Home? Avoid Costly Mistakes.

With a little information and attention, you can avoid expensive mistakes.

The single biggest mistake people make is setting the asking price too high. An amount suited both to the home and to the market conditions attracts the greatest number of prequalified buyers, increasing the likelihood that you’ll get a higher price in the end.

Curb appeal is everything. Houses not shown at their best are another source of lost profit. Act on any advice you are given about cosmetic changes and minor repairs.

A clean, tidy and sweet-smelling home goes without saying.

Set viewing hours for the greatest accessibility to buyers. In a competitive market, people can easily go elsewhere and fall in love with another house.

Don’t be home during the showings. Prospective buyers feel more comfortable raising concerns and poking about when the current owners are not present.

Remove as many personal items as possible. The things that mark the house as yours interfere with the buyers’ abilities to imagine it as theirs.

Sell before you buy to avoid loss of negotiating position at both ends. Plan for the move early, and pack as much as you can as soon as possible.


I pull out all the stops to sell your home.

Lonnie Snyder

REALTOR ®

Keller Williams Realty Southeast Sound

Phone: 206-406-2710

Lonnie Snyder is a full time real estate agent and REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty specializing in Residential Real Estate for buyers and sellers in Washington's Kent, Renton, Newcastle and South Bellevue.