Staging Your House From The Curb

I was out mowing the lawn today and couldn't help but pause to look at my house. I realized that I don't usually stand on the sidewalk and just look at my house. Do you? So I walked up and down the sidewalk looking at my house from different angles - like a buyer driving by would.

It's important to remember - the first tme a buyer sees your house, they will probably be driving by. In two or three minutes they will form a lasting first impression. Will they turn around and drive by again? Will they call an agent to schedule a showing? Will they write down that phone number and call for more information? As a seller - you want the answer to all those questions to be YES. Here are a few tips on how you can stage your home from the curb:

• Edge the lawn along your driveway, sidewalks and curbs.


• Make sure those lightbulbs work in your outside lights.


• Is your address easily seen from the street?


• Do have downspouts on all the gutters?


• Are the windows clean?


• Put fresh mulch down in plant beds, around trees, etc.


• Pull those weeds!


• Trim tree branches that block a clean view of your home from the street.


• Powerwash the siding, the driveway, the sidewalk and anything else you can think of!


• Buy a new doormat.


• Secure anything that is loose - siding, gutters, trim.

Tracking the Real Estate Market in Oswego, Montgomery, Yorville & Aurora.

Bo Buchanan, Kettley Realtors 58 Chicago Rd, Oswego IL. 60543 (630) 846-4663

IllinoisHouseHunter.com|OswegoHouseHunter.com|MontgomeryHouseHunter.com|YorkvilleHouseHunter.com

Mowing your lawn for mothers day - it could bring you buyers!

Mothers Day means a lot of people will be driving to see their mother.

Maybe along the way they plan on driving by a couple houses for sale or checking out a new neighborhood. If you mowed your lawn on Tuesday - it may be getting pretty long by Sunday. High profile holidays offer a great opportunity to showcase your home.

I often hear sellers say "No one will be out looking at houses on Mothers Day or Christmas or Thanksgiving". Truth is - the buyers are out. Anyone seriously looking for a home will drive neighborhoods any chance they get. Having a well-manicured lawn could help your home stand out and get some curious buyers walking through next week. So even if you mowed the lawn a few days ago - another quick cut could help.

But don't stop there. During the fall - raking up those leaves could help you rake in buyers. Without even knowing it - buyers associate a well-manicured lawn with a well-kept house. Attention to detail on the outside - usually spells attention to detail on the inside. During the winter, having clean sidewalks and a plowed driveway is a great way to attract buyers. It says - these people care about their house. It also means they don't have to trudge through the snow.

Here's a list of upcoming high profile celebrations in 2008 that give you a chance to help attract buyers. But remember - there are always big events happening locally that make a difference too. Does your town hold any annual festivals? Also - don't forget things like Superbowl Sunday, Oktoberfest, or Black Friday - the biggest shopping day of the year.

• Memorial Day - Monday, May 26th
• Fathers Day - Sunday, June 15th
• Fourth of July - Friday, July 4th
• Labor Day - Monday, September 1st
• Columbus Day - Monday, October 13th
• Halloween - Friday, October 31st
• Election Day - Tuesday, November 4th
• Veterans Day - Tuesday, November 11th
• Thanksgiving Day - Thursday, November 27th
• Black Friday - Friday, November 28th
• Hanukkah - Sunday, December 21st
• Christmas Day - Thursday, December 25th

By the way - Happy Mothers Day Mom!

Bo Buchanan, Kettley Realtors 58 Chicago Rd, Oswego IL. 60543 (630) 846-4663

IllinoisHouseHunter.com OswegoHouseHunter.com MontgomeryHouseHunter.com YorkvilleHouseHunter.com

Photo provided courtesty of FreeFoto.com

Vacant Houses-what to do about them.

I just finished viewing a vacant home that I will be listing for the bank in Sandwich. While I was there the neighbor approached me to learn more about the house. I showed her around the property and we talked about the neighborhood and the real estate market. As a listing Realtor for a vacant property - it's always nice to get to know the neighbors. They can keep an eye on things and let me know if anything weird happens. For the neighbors, I think it gives them peace of mind knowing they can call someone local if there is a problem.
Neighbors often face a lot of challenges when the house next door is vacant. Sometimes the property can become a magnet for vandalism, vagrants or just kids looking for trouble. If the property is owned by a bank - it is always managed by a property management company or Realtor. Most banks or property manangement companies will post a sign in the window stating who is manging the property and leave phone number to call. Some communities even require that a sign be posted if the property is a rental property (Chicago for example).
Most propert management companies will take care of things like major repairs & lawn maintenance. They probably aren't going to shovel the driveway in the winter. But in the summer months - someone should be cutting the grass on a weekly basis. Most villages have an ordinance in place that regulates how long the grass can grow. If it gets too long - the village will send a notice and/or fine the homeowner.
If you're interested in buying a vacant house - the property management company or bank can also help. I can tell you from experience that this is hard to do. It's out of the norm. No one wants to deal with you. Banks are not setup to sell properties. They sell through Realtors. That doesn't mean you can't get it done - but be prepared for an uphill battle. A vacant bank owned property is in between the time that foreclosure took place and the property officially being offered for sale through a Realtor. Banks will sell properties like this - but my experience has been that the people on the other phone just don't want to deal with you.
Finally, if you expect that the vacant property is being used by kids to party or by homeless people to sleep in - call the police. Immediately. This kind of situation can quickly get out of hand (especially in bigger cities)...and the house can become a real nuisance. The important thing to do is create a paper trail. Keep track of how you talked to and when. What you reported. Get copies of police reports whenever possible. Then, when you call next time - you can refer to these notes. It's much harder for someone else to dismiss you when you are well prepared!

Who's house is it?

As I was showing houses this week, we arrived at one of our appointments to find the homeowners still home. This made my clients uncomfortable so we skipped that particular home. Some buyers wouldn't care and would actually welcome the chance to ask questions directly to the homeowner. This can then, in turn - make the homeowner uncomfortable. I have had sellers tell me "This is my house, i'll do what I want". And that's true. It's your house. But aren't you trying to get someone else to buy it? Buyers will sometimes remark "that guy was rude".
The reason Realtors tell their clients to leave the house and take down things like pictures and collections is an important one. From the moment those buyers pull up in front - they are thinking of this as their next potential home. As soon as they see the homeowner - it becomes someone elses home. Sometimes the response I get from sellers is "They aren't going to not buy my house just because I was home". True. But most times the decision to buy a house is an emotional one. We fall in love with our house, we can see ourselves living here, I can see the kids riding the bike up and down the block. Many suddle things can influence a buyers decision - so it's important to given them every advantage. Put away the pictures, go next door to the neighbors during a showing or take a drive. Yes, it is your house. But do you want to keep it that way ;)

Spring is here-again! Time to make a decision.

Yes, spring is here again! It seems like we got a teaser back in february with a few warm days and we all though spring was here! Well, with the warm weather the last few days I have seen a definite increase in phone calls and home viewings. Warm weather signals a time of change - and that brings home ownership to the forefront. People thinking of buying or selling usually get off the fence in the spring and start getting serious. For buyers, the decision is a little easier. They decide it's time to buy - and they start looking. But for sellers - there is a process involved. That's why it's important to get off the fence now and get your home listed. Lets say you are thinking of listing your house next week - mid April. You list the house and wait for an offer. At the very least - you can expect your home to be on the market a month. If you are priced aggresively, it will sell quicker. After a month on the market - if you get an offer, then you are typically another 30 days from closing. That is if nothing goes wrong. If the buyer doesn't ask for an extension for financing. If there is nothing to repair. If all goes well and you can close 60 days from next week - great. But as someone once said "I believe in hoping for the best but preparing for the worst".
What if you don't get an offer in the first 30 days? And then you reduce the price and sell for 60 days? And then you get a buyer in June - but they want to wait until the end of July because they are taking a family vacation. Or, heaven forbid - they have to sell their house first. You can see how quickly time can spiral out of control. Yes, you get to decide whether you take that offer. But sometimes these things don't come up until after the deal is signed. We have 4 months of summer and then fall will be here. In many areas - 90 days is the typicl market time. Add another 30 days to close - and you are 4 months out. Think of it this way - every month you wait to put your home on the market brings you a month close to Christmas. And you don't want your home to still be on the market this christmas do you ;)

Illinois Realtors report - March 24th, 2008

The Illinois Association of Realtors (of which I am a member) released it's monthly report today (See full report here). The report is usually an analysis of the market activity from the previous month - in this case, Feb. 2008. In summary - home sales are up compared to January 2008. But still down compared to the same time last year, 2007. Home median sale prices are also down compared to the same time last year, 2007. The trend seems to be that home sellers are starting to take this to heart and prices are dropping. As a Realtor, I am often put in the situation of telling people their home is not worth what they paid for it a year ago. Although this is not easy to do - it's important to me to be upfront and honest to people, if if I don't get the listing. And I can do this honestly because I am in the same situation. I bought my current home a little over a year ago and if I had to sell - I would have to price it at or below what I paid for it a year ago. If you're in that situation and don't have to sell - my suggestion is that you hang on and wait for the market to improve. But if you have to sell - pricing is the most important consideration. Market times have increased and you are competing with foreclosures and other motivated sellers. So if you truly want to sell - now is not the time "to try it out and see what you can get".

Home Warranty - should I bother?

Today it's more and more common to provide a Home Warranty when you sell your home. On the west coast, Home warranties are commonplace and almost required. Here in Illinois they are fairly common - especially on older homes. And you always get a warranty when you purchase new construction.
A typical home warranty will cost between $300-$400 dollars. I typically offer my clients three different Home Warranties: HWA, HMS or Kettley Realtors Warranty.

• HWA Home Warranty
• HWS Home Warranty in Illinois
• Kettley Realtors & Globe Home Warranty

There are many different home warranty companies available and I'll give you a list of some of the ones I've found at the end of this blog. But first, we'll talk about why you should use one. With an older home, a home warranty just gives a buyer peace of mind. Typical buyer questions about your home will be "How old is the roof", "how old is the furnace", "have the windows been replaced", etc. They want to know about all the "Major" upgrade items they may have to shell out for after buying the home. Nothing is worse that finding out you have a major repair on a home you just bought.
Because all home warranties are different - I'll use HMS as an example. This is one of the warranties I often recommend and they have excellent phone support when you have a problem. HMS offers a home warranty on a single family home, townhome or condominium for $399.00. This covers the following: Electrical, Plumbing, Water Heater, Sump Pump, Oven, Range, Stove, Built in Microwave, Refrigerator, Built in Dishwasher, Washer, Dryer, Garbage Disposal, Built-in Trash Compactor, Central Vacumn system, Garage Door Opener, Ceiling Fans, Door Bell Chimes. Heating & AC systems are included for the buyer - but cost an extra $70.00 for the seller. You can also purchase optional coverage for a jetted tub, well pump, swimming pool or spa.
As you can see - you get a lot of coverage for $400 dollars. When this is provided as part of the marketing package - a realtor can market the coverage and piece of mind when marketing the home. I can even put a sign rider in front of your house that says "Covered by a Home Warranty". Think about the first time you bought a new home. How nervous were you? I know I was nervous. Having a home warranty takes a lot of worry out of the process. The second advantage is - you are covered. From the moment your house is listed or when you purchase that home warranty - you as a seller are also covered for the systems I mentioned above. If you have purchased a second home already - this can really help alleviate the worry of taking care of two homes. Something goes wrong - your covered.
Most home warranty companies work in a fashion similar to HMS. Each has a list of the sytems/items covered, available upgrades, cost and deductible. Most have a $100.00 or $200.00 deductible per "visit" by a contractor. So it's best to wait until you have several items that need to be taken care of.

Here is a list of some of the Home Warranty Companies out there:

• NationalHomeProtection.com
• NationwideHomeWarranty.com
• American Home Shield
• TheWarrantyGroup
• HWA Home Warranty
• HMS Home Warranty
• First American Buyers Protection
• LibertyHomeProtection
• Home Warranty Inc.

Lock Boxes - what are they & why do I need one?

If you've ever listed your home for sale or looked at a home for sale, you've seen a lock box on the front door. A lock box contains a key to your home that will allow Realtors to show your home to prospective buyers. Every now and then I run into someone who just doesn't want a lock box on the front door and I have to explain exactly how important it is. During prospective showings, it is always best if the seller isn't home. Buyers have a hard time being honest with each other and the Realtor when they know the homeowner might be able to hear the conversation. Even if the homeowner leaves when you get there - it immediatley reinforces the idea that "we are looking at someone elses house" rather than "We are looking at our potential house". This is the same reason we as Realtors often tell people to put away collections and perosnal items that aren't necessary to stage the home for selling.
Lock boxes come in many different shapes and sizes, but usually only 2 different types. Combo boxes and Realtor boxes. Combo boxes usually have a combination or key punch pad with a pre-determined code. The Realtor sets the code to xyz and then gives that code to other Realtors when they request a showing. Many smaller towns like Sandwich use these boxes exclusively. The nice thing about this box is that they are easy to use. In addition, if you have a vacant property or property that needs work - this type of loxbox can be used to let painters, plumbers or repair people get access to the property when work needs to be done. Sometimes I use a combo lockbox in addition to a Realtor lockbox.
A Realtor lockbox is electronic and is only accesible to Realtors and other members of a local Real Estate Board (such as appraisers). An electronic Realtor lockbox has many advantages. Firstly, Realtors must have an electronic "key" that looks like a little mini calculator. Showing Realtors still call to make an appointment -but can gain access with their personal key. The advantage here is that each Realtor is logged upon entry. The listing Realtor can get a list of every Realtor that has used their key to enter the property. This is a great tool to use for follow up with buyers. As a professional courtesty -Realtors are supposed to leave a card when they show the property. Often times - home owners will ask "Did that 3:00pm showing actually show the house?". As a Realtor, I might call the Realtor and get no answer. Then I can check the showing log connected to that particular lockbox (yes, each one has it's own separate identity) and verify if the agent actually showed the property.
Another advantage of the Realtor lockbox is the "timed entry" feature. Most lockboxes are set to only allow showings between 7am and 10pm. That means even someone with an electronic key cannot get in before 7am or after 10pm. A nice security feature. I believe that feature can be changed - but I've never done it.
So if yo'ure selling your house- make sure you have a lockbox! You always want to make showing your home as easy as possible. Remember - you aren't selling "Your House" you are selling someone else their new house!!