First Offer Is Your Best Offer

“First offer is your best offer.”

This is a phrase we hear in real estate and what I have found over 18 years is that oftentimes it’s correct.

When I help sellers price their homes I use other homes that have sold to narrow in on pricing. Buyers are very savvy and with the help of technology, they can do their own research to see what other homes like yours have sold for.

If you get an offer on your home right away that means you priced it right. In this market, if your home has had very few showings and/or no offers you are likely priced too high. It’s better to get ahead of the market than chase it down with price reductions.

Hold or Sell?

Hold or sell? Should I stay or should I go? Here are a couple of things to consider if you are thinking about selling your home.

If you’ve bought your home within the past 12 months you might not have enough equity in your home to end up ahead.

If you’ve not lived in your home for at least 2 years you might be subject to prorated capital gains even if it was your primary home.

If you’ve had a significant life change (divorce or death of a loved one) most experts would say not to make any changes to your living situation for at least 6 months if possible.

If the market is trending downward and you can stay put it might be a good idea to do so.

If none of the above apply to you and your home no longer fits your needs give me a call, I’d love to help.

LIFE ISN'T FAIR

I was 9 years old when I first learned that life isn’t fair. My third-grade teacher would have a monthly calendar contest. We were tasked with making a creative and colorful calendar on poster board to be displayed as the “official class calendar” for the month.

Oh, this was right up my alley. I loved coming up with ideas and seeing how many items I could hot glue to a poster board before it could no longer support itself. Conversation hearts and doilies for February and spring flowers and Lucky Charms cereal for March And what better to glue to a calendar in October than the candy corn no one will eat.

Each month, as I poured my heart and soul into my creation, I thought surely my classmates would be awed with wonder and crown me the queen of the calendar. But alas, I never won. Not a single time. Now I know this was a long time ago and my memory might be a little foggy but I’m 99.8% sure my calendars were the best, at least some of the time. But I never won.

And that’s when I was introduced to the “good ole boy (and girl)” system. Some of these kids had been together since kindergarten! They had history! And I was the new kid in 3rd grade. It was always the same handful of kids that would win. Were their calendars good? Meh, sometimes, but they had the votes and that’s all that mattered.

One month I had had enough and I campaigned on the playground. Disclaimer: nothing of value was exchanged for votes, but I did present a persuasive argument. Well, that didn’t go over well, and ended up with a call to my parents. I wasn’t acting the the “spirit of the contest.” At the tender age of 9, I realized that the “best girl” doesn’t always win. It broke my heart. And truth be told, it still does.

Life isn’t fair, we all know this but it doesn’t make it any easier. And I know there will be an occasion that I can share this story with my girls and they might realize that while life isn’t always fair, there is so much to be grateful for and if we focus on the good nothing can get in the way.

Team Work Makes The Dream Work!

In order to have a great experience when buying a home you need to have a team of superheroes on your side. Real estate agent. Someone you trust, who has your back and understands the market and area.

A rock star lender who understands mountain properties is easy to communicate with and delivers on time.

An experienced home inspector who is knowledgeable and takes the time to explain the findings in your inspection report.

A title company that is responsive, accommodating, and precise.

You don’t have to do this alone and a great team will walk you through every step.

Tips For Readying Your Home For Sale

Just because we have a lack of inventory doesn’t mean you get to skip the key components for readying your home for sale. Putting your best foot forward still matters and will be a direct result of a quick sale.

  • Take time to declutter. You are moving anyway so take this time to pack up the items you will not be using or needing in the next couple of months. Clear and clean surfaces matter to buyers.

  • Deep cleaning. No one likes to clean baseboards but now is the time. An unclean house is distracting to buyers and they notice everything.

  • Touch-up painting or repainting. Getting rid of scuff marks and dirty walls is a quick and easy way to give your home a nice clean look.

  • Repairs. You know the ones you said you would do when you moved in The loose railing, the missing screen, the broken window pane, now is the time to get those small but important repairs done.

Lesson learned.

You know how you can sometimes learn from someone else’s mistake.

Well here’s an opportunity for you. I recently heard about a home that sold “off market”. This is a home that is sold privately, no Realtors involved. Apparently, the seller (let’s just call her Jane) did not want to pay real estate commissions so she sold it herself. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, however, while Jane saved herself the commissions she cost herself over $200,000 in the purchase price.

Had she called a local Realtor they would have helped her price her home accordingly, in line with fair market value. Jane ended up selling her home for WAY under market value. Your home is likely your most valuable asset. Don’t leave it to chance, fate, or your best guess. Get some expert and professional advice so you don’t end up like Jane.

SOMETIMES THE TRUTH HURTS

You’ve all seen it. American Idol auditions gone bad. They are cringe-worth at best. I find myself squirming in my seat, its perplexing, strangely fascinating and downright sad.

The worst part is when the families greet the crestfallen contestant with soothing words of comfort. “Oh, sweetie, those judges don’t know a thing. You are the best signer in the world!” This is the part that drives me insane. Why lie to these poor people? They are terrible singers and NEVER should have auditioned for the show.

Telling someone the cold hard truth is sometimes very hard. You don’t want to hurt their feelings, crush their dreams or seem insensitive. But your honesty is sometimes the most important thing they need to hear.

A couple of years ago I met with a very nice family who wanted to sell their home and move out of state. The winters were getting tough for them and they were having some health issues. Selling was a must. I met them at their house and noticed right away this was going to be a tough property. There was stuff everywhere, inside and out. The house was dirty, dark, and falling apart.

They gave me the grand tour and we sat down to talk. I asked them about their goals and timeline for selling their home. They needed to be out of here by September which only gave us 3 months to sell. They were short on time, money and resources to get their home ready for market. They looked at me with hope in their eyes and asked what was next. This was the moment for the cold hard truth.

.When I first started in real estate I probably would have tried to gloss things over and ease the blow. “No, its not that bad, buyers can look past your stuff.” Now I know better.

.People hire me for my professional and honest advice. This family had a tight timeframe and a pressing need to leave the area. So I told them the truth.

That no one would buy their home in its current condition. And because we were dealing with a very tight timeframe they were going to need to price their home much below market value to get it sold quickly. I said all of these things with tenderness and grace, because I very much care about how my words make people feel. At the end of our meeting they thanked me for my encouraging words.. What?? I didn’t think I sounded encouraging at all, but then I recognized it was the honesty and a thoughtful game plan that gave them feelings of encouragement.

.Sometimes the truth hurts, but I believe if you really care for someone you owe them the truth and nothing but.