Vancouver Wa Real Estate - Elite Realty NW

How To Show Your Home For A Successful Sale

I have recently had to opportunity to spend a great deal of time with buyers showing homes. In the past two weeks I have seen over 100 homes ranging in price from $169,000 to over $450,000. I started to develop a mental list of things that sellers are doing to help their homes show better and hopefully sell faster. I will also include a few things that you should avoid.

 The phone rings and it is an agent who has motivated buyers in her car and wants to show your home in about 2 hours!

Here are 5 Tips for showing your home for a successful sale.

1. Clear the clutter! Keep everything as clutter free as possible. A neat and tidy home will sell faster than a cluttered home every time. The biggest offenders in the past few weeks were: magazines and newspapers on the floor, mantles and shelves loaded with collections of things, refrigerators that are plastered with magnets, walls that are loaded with family photos, dirty clothes on the floors of the kid's rooms, and the list goes on!
2. Wash the windows. Clean windows add to the appeal of the yard and outside surroundings. You only expect to find dirty windows in fixers at a discounted price.
3. Add a few potted flowers around the walk way up to the front door. It shows the buyers that you care about the details and have pride in owning your home.
4. Use an organic fertilizer to green up the lawn and keep it mowed. A nicely manicured yard is one of the fastest ways to sell a home and it is cheap!
5. Play classical music quietly throughout the home. Low level music will help people relax and mask any unwanted street sounds. YES, this really works. We wrote an offer on a home that used this trick earlier this week.

The phone rings and it is an agent who has motivated buyers in her car and wants to show your home in about 2 hours!

1. DO NOT start a load of dishes or laundry as you walk out the door! I have been in 3 homes in the past 2 weeks where there was either a dishwasher or clothes dryer clanging and banging away in the background. People congregate in the kitchen and it is very distracting if the dishwasher is sloshing away. Those types of sounds remind buyers of work!
2. DO NOT close the shades or cover up the windows. Natural daylight makes rooms feel bigger and more inviting. I have been in several homes lately where all of the shades and curtains have been drawn, creating a dark and dreary atmosphere. Two homes had blankets tacked / nailed up over windows and sliding glass doors.
3. DO NOT leave "Yappy the dog" in the house! I have been to 3 houses in the past 2 weeks with loud barking dogs that were either in the house or in the back yard. The short story is that we did not write offers on any of these houses. Why? Because my clients do not like dogs. We didn't spend much time in the homes. It is that simple. If you are serious about selling your home, then you need to realize that there are many people out there who do not like dogs.

 

When you choose us to handle your Vancouver Washington real estate needs, you choose a team of Realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in Clark County and we specialize in Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground.We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the Vancouver Washington area.  Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own Vancouver Washington dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service. Go to www.ernw.org for more information. See our video here. 

I Have Looked Into My Crystal Ball And The Future Looks Green!

I have been very encouraged by some of the questions that we have been getting from clients regarding Eco-Friendly and Green features for their future homes. Most of the questions revolve around energy saving devices but they are questions that no one ever considered just a few short years ago.

How can we tell how energy efficient these windows are?

Is that a high efficiency furnace?

Is that a high efficiency water heater?

Can you find us a home with raised vegetable gardens?

So what does this mean for the future of real estate?

These things had very little value until the buyers starting asking for them and basing their buying decisions on them. (Follow the money!) When sellers (and builders) start to realize that homes with eco-friendly features will sell faster and possibly for more money, then they will start making their buying decisions on these things as well.

I just showed a client a 70's built home that has been retrofitted with a high efficiency furnace which increased the comfort in the home and cut the heating bills by over 50%!

Do you think that might sway a buyer to make an offer? I do.

I think this green thing is starting to catch on. Let's keep the momentum going!


When you choose us to handle your Vancouver Washington real estate needs, you choose a team of Realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in Clark County and we specialize in Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground.We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the Vancouver Washington area.  Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own Vancouver Washington dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service. Go to www.ernw.org for more information. See our video here.   

First Time Home Buyers - Time Is Running Out!

The December 1st deadline is quickly approaching for the $8000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, and our phones have been flooded with calls from buyers wanting information. As I talk to them and set up appointments, I know in my heart that a certain number of them might not be able to take advantage of the tax credit. While there is still time to get a real estate deal through the system and close in plenty of time, there are obstacles that could slow things down. Let's look at a timeline:

For this example we will assume that the goal is to qualify for the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit and close on December 1, 2009. I wouldn't advise cutting it this close!

It generally takes 30 to 45 days from the time an offer gets signed around (total agreement by both buyer and seller) to close. Title and escrow have to do their jobs and the mortgage company needs time to get funding in place.

Need to have a signed around contract on or before October 16.

Lately, purchase and sales agreements in Vancouver Washington have been averaging 5 to 7 days to agree on price and terms.

Need to have an offer written on or before October 9.

Our recent buyers have been spending 3 to 4 weeks looking for their new home. Many quicker. Some MUCH longer!

Need to find your agent and start looking for a home on or before September 9.

Most realtors® will not start showing you homes until you have been pre approved with a reputable lender. Do it yourself online lender pre approvals are not reputable. This can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 5 days.

Need to find a lender on or before September 2.

Today is July 13^th, 2009. Provided that there aren't any obstacles during the transaction, you have just under 50 days to get started. But I wouldn't wait if I were you. Consider this short list of obstacles that you might be up against:

As the mortgage companies get loaded up with first time buyers, the process time could increase dramatically. We are already seeing this with some lenders as their underwriting departments get swamped with loans.

Title/Escrow companies are getting bogged down too. When mortgage companies are late getting doc's out the pressure gets put on the Title/Escrow companies. As we get closer to the deadline, there is a good chance that they may experience serious delays.

The clock is ticking! Don't miss your chance to buy your first home. The market has never been more favorable for First Time Home Buyers.


When you choose us to handle your Vancouver Washington real estate needs, you choose a team of Realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in Clark County and we specialize in Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground.We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the Vancouver Washington area.  Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own Vancouver Washington dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service. Go to www.ernw.org for more information. See our video here. 

Are Vegetable Gardens The New Granite Counter Tops?! A "Must Have?"

I havea client who absolutely has to have slab granite counter tops in the kitchen. Why not? They are both beautiful and functional. But raised vegetable gardens? Are they becoming the new "Must Have?"

As a real estate agent in Vancouver Washington, I have seen it all. I have worked with buyers who don't like to mow the lawn and wouldn't look at any home on a lot bigger than 6,000 sq. feet. And buyers who wanted to live in the country and wouldn't consider anything on less than an acre. Or folks who are downsizing and wanting a home that is not larger than 1200 sq.feet. and finally, families who are upsizing and need a home in the 4000 sq. foot range. But recently I have run across an interesting new trend with home buyers.

Recently, I have had several buyers who have added vegetable gardens to their must have list! Why not? Vegetable gardens are both beautiful and functional and buyers are recognizing the value. I think that well kept raised gardens might become a selling feature that could possible help a home sell faster.

I currently have a deal in escrow with a home that has two raised gardens in the back yard that are loaded with fresh home grown veggies. Unfortunately, by time we close, most of the crop will have already been eaten in tasty salads!
 

When you choose us to handle your Vancouver Washington real estate needs, you choose a team of Realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in Clark County and we specialize in Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground.We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the Vancouver Washington area.  Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own Vancouver Washington dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service. Go to www.ernw.org for more information. See our video here.