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Even in a slow real estate market, people are still buying homes. There are a few things you can do to help your home stand out from the crowd. Here are some tips for selling your Anchorage home:
Furniture Placement – Contrary to popular belief, the way to make a room appear larger is not by placing all the furniture against the walls. In actuality, placing it away from the walls can give your room depth. Of course, this isn’t true of all rooms. It is dependent upon the room’s size and shape. A home stager or your real estate agent can help you determine the best placement for your furniture.
Mix It Up – That bedroom set you bought 10 years ago may look better broken up and moved into different areas of the home. The dresser can stay, but try placing the high boy or tall chest of drawers in an entryway as an interesting focal point. Maybe the armoir would look better in the formal living room. You can also move your artwork around once you set up your furniture to see what pieces compliment the rooms best. Breaking up furniture “sets” can also help make rooms appear larger.
Lights – Dark rooms can quickly turn an Anchorage buyer away. Brighter is better. Make sure there is plenty of lighting for every room. This includes the ambient (overhead), accent (tables and walls) and task (reading, under cabinet or pendant) lighting. The right light can really help sell a home.
Neutralize – That red accent wall may have been just what you think the room needed, but a potential buyer may disagree. Repaint the walls in a nice neutral tone (tans, honey-beige, etc). Keep the bold “pops” of color to accent throws, artwork or a few colorful tchochkes.
Bathrooms and Kitchens – These areas are still a make ro break deal for buyers. Give your bathrooms a spa makeover. Add lightly scented candles, some beautiful flowers and roll your towels, placing them in a basket instead of just hanging them up. Change out old hardware and update flooring (if it’s in your budget) in the kitchen. Clear the clutter from the counter tops. Above all, make sure these two rooms are especially tidy.
These are just a few simple tips for selling your Anchorage home. Staging your home properly can make the difference between a successful sale and a home that simply languishes on the market for months. Your Anchorage real estate agent can help you with further staging tips or recommend a professional home stager who may be able to do the job for you.
Pauline Hofseth, your Anchorage real estate specialist
Originally posted on my Anchorage real estate blog here: http://activerain.com/blogsview/2605161/tips-for-selling-your-anchorage-home.
Are you contemplating a move in the near future? As an Anchorage homeowner, you may need to put your home on the market before you can do so. But is now a good time to sell? Here are some of the top reasons you should sell your Anchorage home now rather than wait:
More Anchorage buyers are willing to go looking at a new home in the early fall than when we are deep in winter weather. The late summer lull has passed and people typically want to get moved into their new home before the holidays come. Don’t miss out on this window of opportunity.
Foreclosure inventories are expected to go up in the next few months. You don’t want your Anchorage home competing with these lower priced properties if you can help it. The lower priced distressed homes will influrence your home’s listing price. Talk to your Anchorage real estate professional about this.
Lending institutions are getting more and more strict about their standards. Currently, legislation is being considered to tighten those standards even more. That means that the pool of buyers who are approved for a mortgage loan may dwindle in the next few months. More buyers means more opportunity for a good offer. So, now is the time to get your Anchorage home listed.
Since inventory levels are good and interest rates remain low, it is a great time for you to move out of your Anchorage home and into a new one. There are plenty of great deals to be had and you should try to take advantage of them while you can.
No matter what your reason is for moving, selling your Anchorage home now makes good sense. Don’t hesitate. The sooner you sell, the sooner you can move on with your life, no matter where that will take you. Contact me today to find out how I can help you get your Anchorage home sold soon.
Pauline Hofseth, your Anchorage real estate specialist
Originally posted on my Active Rain blog here: http://activerain.com/blogsview/2516973/why-sell-your-anchorage-home-now.
If you are thinking about selling your Anchorage home in the next few months, you need to step back and take a good look at it first to see what needs to be taken care of before you put it on the market. Now is the time to take care of small projects as well as do anything to enhance the look of your home. Here are five ways you can remodel your Anchorage home on a budget:
Hire a Pro – You can hire an interior designer or real estate professional to come out to your home to create a plan of action on what you could do to update your Anchorage home. Even if you can only afford to hire them for an hour, it will be worth it for a professional opinion. This will help you get a better perspective on what your home will look like to a potential buyer. A designer can give you ideas as well as show you samples of paint, tile, wallpaper, fixtures, etc. that can update and enhance any room in your house. You can work on the projects they suggest as time goes on rather than all at once if you don’t have the budget to do so.
Get an Inspection – A home inspection doesn’t have to be done only when a home is on the market. You can get one anytime. A professional home inspector is trained to look for potential problems as well as current ones. They inspect the attic, the basement/crawl spaces and everywhere in between. This can help you find and fix smaller problems before they become much bigger issues.
Freshen It Up – Get rid of the boring white walls and slap on a new coat of paint. Paint can completely transform the look of a room. At only $15-$16 per gallon for a custom color, it’s a very inexpensive way to make a big aesthetic difference. Stick with neutral and softer colors to appeal to a wider buyer audience down the road.
Look Around for Inspiration – If you can’t afford to hire a designer, peruse the magazine rack at your local home improvement stores for ideas for your own Anchorage home. However, keep in mind that not all trends in the magazines will work in your space. When you find something that you like, tear the page out, tape it on the wall of the room it is for and try to visualize what it will look like. There are some programs online (such as AutoDesk Homestyler) that will allow you to create a template of your home and add or subtract design elements in it so that you can better visualize what your Anchorage home will look like when you’re done.
Become Energy Efficient – More and more Anchorage buyers are looking for more energy efficient homes. Get an energy audit to see where your home may be wasting energy. Older appliances should be upgraded to newer Energy Star rated appliances. Energy Star even offers a rebate on many of their models. Windows, doors and insulation are also places where energy is wasted/lost. Upgrades and/or replacement may be needed.
Updating your home doesn’t have to break the bank. These are just a few ideas you can use for remodeling your Anchorage home on a budget. If you ever need help selling or buying an Anchorage property, please contact me.
When selling your Anchorage home, you know that you need to keep the interior of your home clean and ready to show at any time. You get busy packing, working and taking care of your family’s daily needs. So, sometimes the exterior of your house can be neglected. But, don’t forget the curb appeal!
First impressions matter to Anchorage home buyers. Your home’s interior may rival the Taj Mahal. But, if the outside looks like it belongs in the deepest jungles of the Amazon rainforest, those buyers may continue on their merry way without even stepping out of the car. You need to make your home inviting so that they will want to come in to see what it has to offer.
First step is to take an honest look at the exterior of your home. To do this, walk outside, go across the street, turn around and just stare. Give your home a good “once over”. Are there tools or toys strewn about the place? Is the paint peeling? Are there stains on your driveway? Does the lawn need to be mowed or the shrubs trimmed? Are the shutters coming off their hinges? These are definite “no-no’s” for a potential buyer.
Landscaping – Keep the lawn freshly watered and trimmed. Do the same for the trees and shrubs. Prune back any flower bushes, getting rid of all dead shrubbery in the process (including weeds). If your lawn is in really bad shape, consider tearing it up and replacing it. It may be necessary to hire a gardener, even temporarily, to make sure your lawn is kept in shape while you try to sell your home.
Front Porch – Things tend to accumulate on the front porch: shoes, toys, tools, etc. Clear these items away. Add a couple of potted or hanging plants for a pop of color. Replace the old, worn welcome mat with a new one. Update the exterior light fixtures. Sweep any debris away.
Paint – A fresh coat of paint does wonders for the interior of your house. The same is true for the exterior of your Anchorage home. The cost of painting your house will come back to you in the sales price.
Driveways/Sidewalks – Stains and cracks can be unsightly for potential buyers. Speak to the specialists at your local home and garden center. They may be able to recommend a good stain cleaner. If the driveway is really bad, you may want to resurface it.
Whatever you do, don’t forget the curb appeal when you are trying to sell your Anchorage home. Make sure to take photos of the exterior of your home as well as the interior and post them to the Anchorage MLS so buyers can have a more complete look at your home. Contact me for all your Anchorage real estate needs.
The age old question of “Should it stay or should it go?” comes up time and time again in most real estate transactions. If you are selling an Anchorage home, is it customary to leave the washer and dryer with the home or does it go with you? If you are buying an Anchorage property, are you expecting to bring your own refrigerator with you when you move in or do you think the refrigerator should be left by the previous owner as part of the purchase price of the property? However, just because a refrigerator may traditionally be left with the home and considered part of the purchased property, that doesn’t mean that this always happens. That is why you need to be very specific about your expectations when filling our your purhase offer. For buyers, this means specifying exactly what you expect to be included in the purchase price: washer, dryer, refrigerator, light fixtures, microwave, portable hot tub, even the stove. If you are selling your home, go over the purchase agreement to make sure something isn’t being included that you expect to take with you. By clearly stating what is to be included in your Anchorage real estate purchase, both buyers and sellers will be happy with the transaction and not run into unexpected “surprises” at closing. Make sure to talk to your real estate agent about what should stay and what should go with your Anchorage real estate transaction.
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