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Sell My Home
Fredericksburg Realtor Offers Staging Advice
Tom Smith, Realtor with Century 21 AdVenture, lists Fredericksburg homes for sale in Fredericksburg, VA and the surrounding area. In Tom’s experience, he has found that the most effective sellers are not only focused on selling their physical real estate. They are providing an experience when a prospective buyer enters their home.
It is through a collection of experiences, both tangible and intangible that help a buyer form their perception of a home. When Tom shows a home, the feel of the house should evoke strong positive emotions in a buyer. The combination of the look, the ambiance and the possibilities create the strongest emotional connections.
Tom compares the real estate value of a properly staged home to buying a piece of prime real estate space in a person’s mind. In that mind space, prospective buyers take just seconds to decide whether or not they can see possibilities of their future in your home. Tom cautions that it is nearly impossible for many buyers to imagine themselves living in your home if all they can see is your life.
Tom’s advice – keep it clean and neutral in every way! In order for buyers to imagine their furniture in your rooms, their family pictures on your walls and their life in your home, people have to be free to do so. Using minimal accessories, neutral paint tones consistent throughout, limited furniture, and eliminating personalization you will create the right first impression. The buyer should be able to get excited when picturing their belongings in your home.
Most importantly, keep it clean. Tom shares that nothing turns a buyer away quicker than an unclean house. If people can’t get past the dirt and clutter, there is no way they can picture themselves living in your home. Cleaning costs you no money but opens up endless possibilities in the prospective buyer’s imagination.
A trusted and experienced realtor can provide you with specific staging tips for selling your home. If you need help with your Fredericksburg home for sale, contact Tom Smith today for more information by calling 540-735-2266, emailing tsmithc21@gmail.com or visiting his website at www.fredericksburgagent.com.
Tom Smith is a licensed Realtor in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is an agent of Century 21 AdVenture, Inc. of Fredericksburg, VA. Tom is the owner of Fredericksburg Homes and named a Top Producer of Century 21 AdVenture, Inc. Providing real estate services to Fredericksburg and the surrounding counties, Tom is the recipient of the 2009 Century 21 Quality Service Award. Please contact Tom Smith by calling 540-735-2266, emailing tsmithc21@gmail.com or visiting his website at www.fredericksburgagent.com. Century 21 Adventure, Inc. is independently owned and operated.
Price your home to sell:
The first time you decide to sell your home, you should schedule appointments with at least three local realtors. These realtors will be glad to prepare a competitive market analysis on your home. It is important to hear their opinions of value of your home. If you are in a situation where two or three realtors come with similar prices, but another real estate agent comes with a value that is significantly higher, is a natural reaction to want to list with the realtor who places the highest value in their home. It is also common for homeowners to feel that their home can support the higher price, because it is quality or originality. It is important however, to hear all opinions, and beware of the real estate agents will tell you what you want to hear, in order to obtain a listing. If you want to include in the higher price, no matter what, this may increase the duration of your house on the market, and most likely the need to reduce its price will come in the future.
Once your home hits the market:
Once you've selected an agent and put your home on the market, it's best to keep your house in 'show' condition. When a showing is planned, try not to be home. Buyers feel less tension and have more time to see your home if you are not there. When sellers are around buyers, they feel uncomfortable and feel like they are under a microscope. If you have to be there, try to stay out of the home, or somewhere where not notice much. If asked questions, go ahead and answer them, but offer no information. Trust your real estate agent to handle questions from buyers. If you hear the buyer asks a question, and your real estate agent tells them that he / she will have to get back with them, one can assume that he / she intends to do exactly that. Do not offer to answer the question. There may be a reason the real estate agent wants to discuss the answer with you in private first.
Before the agent and buyer arrive, turn on all interior and exterior lights. At night, this will give the house a comfortable feel, and during the day, soften harsh shadows from the sun and brighten dark corners.
If you have pets, make sure the showing agent knows that there is a pet in the house. You do not want to lose a pet that goes to the door when a real estate agent and clients enter. If you can, take your pet with you when you leave or keep the pet in a fenced area outside.
Finally, it is best to keep the house clean at all times if possible. This will keep your home show ready. The cleaner you keep your home, the better it will show. Many times, qualified buyers enter into a real estate office without notice and want to look at homes. You do not want to lose these potential buyers for not being prepared. Please refer to the list at the top of this page, "Preparing Your Home to remember the best way to show your home to potential buyers. If a tidy house is not practical because of your lifestyle, at least try fast vacuuming, cleaning the counter tops and faucets, and empty the trash! If you want your house to have a homey flavor, try heating a little water on the stove with a few drops of vanilla and some cinnamon sprinkled on it.
Preparing Your Home for the buyer tour:
• Make your house open and non-cluttered: When potential buyers see your home, it is more beneficial if they can imagine "his" house. If they see family photos, collectibles, etc, it is a reflection of you. Remove these types of items and store them away so they do not interfere with the view of the buyer of your home.
• Eliminate clutter: this disorder affects the way your house is perceived by potential buyers. It's easy for sellers to forget to remove gadgets and personal items that accumulate in the counters, shelves, cabinets, etc. will be buyers in the closets, cupboards, under sinks and in drawers. If these areas are full, they will give the illusion of insufficient storage space. The best way to convey an image of plentiful storage space is to create as much empty space as possible, especially in kitchens, bathrooms and bedroom closets, and do not forget the garage! Your agent will gladly assist you in working with these areas and can provide helpful advice on what to organize.
• Maintenance and repairs: Make sure the little things are in running order. Shoppers turn on taps, flip light switches, and everything that has a handle on it. Make sure the knobs are tight, there are no leaking taps and make sure you have working bulbs in all lamps. If you have hard water spots on your faucets, buy an inexpensive cleaner, such as "CLR" aimed to remove mineral deposits. Sometimes a simple scouring powder will do the trick.
Also, check the walls and ceiling for stains and scratches. If you have touch-up paint, use it. You can make a big difference in how clean and well taken care of your house looks.
• Clean your home: A clean home can make a big difference in how fast your house sells. If you pay attention to the first three points above it will be much easier to keep a clean house. For those of you with time constraints or physical limitations, you may want to hire a professional cleaning person at least to give your home a thorough cleaning early. Then it will be easier for you to keep after that.
• Home Scents: If you are a smoker, it would be beneficial to minimize the smell of smoke while your house is on the market. The best solution would be to move smoking outside. You may also want to consider buying a good air filter cover, or even an ozone-based spray will help remove odors without depositing any cover scents. If you have cats, be sure to clean and empty the litter boxes regularly. Try a little baking soda in garbage cans or litter boxes to reduce smell.
Buyers
the following section contains useful information for the buyer, and a list of questions you should ask, to better prepare you to buy your Virginia real estate. It's a good idea to write down the answers to these questions, and then your realtor will be aware. These are the types of questions that any good real estate agent will ask, and answers that will allow your Realtor to better assist throughout the process of purchasing real property.
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General Questions:
• Have you visited our area?
• Do you have an agent that is working for you?
• What is the main reason for wanting to move to Fredericksburg?
• Are there important dates that should be working within, as a change of employment or the date of closing of another property, etc.
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Questions of ownership and Helpful Hints?
In searching for real estate in Fredericksburg, is useful for reducing preferences wherever possible. We realize that some of the criteria can be flexible for many buyers. If so, please describe your set of criteria. For example, some buyers want privacy and that can mean a range of 20 to 50 acres, and for others it may mean as little AS1 / 2 acre. Similarly, you may want at least 2 bedrooms, but is content with a maximum of four. These are all things your realtor will want to note that assist in their search for homes in Fredericksburg and / or land for sale.
Criteria of the perfect home:
Size of the house?
Price Range
Privacy Level
Location preference?
Plot? (flat, rolling grass, steep, trees, grasses, etc.)
Waterfront?
Covenants Home Criteria:
Number of bedrooms and bathrooms?
Surface?
Type structure (registration, manufacturing, etc.)
In the city, or rural?
Dependencies?
Services?
Other requirements, ie a large kitchen, 1 history, etc.
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Funding Questions and Helpful Hints:
Determining your price range is one of the most important factors when looking for property. A great way to find your price range is to get pre-qualified for financing from a lender of your choice. The process is free and takes 15 to 30 minutes. After becoming pre-qualified for financing, you will know that the properties look. If you have not yet contacted a lender, please see the end of this section for a list of names and numbers of local credit institutions to which you can call and interview.
• Is it necessary to sell your current home to buy the property again?
• Can the sale be financed or cash?
• Have you been pre-qualified by a lending institution? Yes or No
(Please see our Mortgage Rate Chart)
• If you are looking for seller financing, is there a reason why they are being done?
• Most vendors offering proprietary terms require a credit report, is that a problem?
• Will the conversion of any of its other investments in cash to complete the purchase of your next home?
• How much are you willing to put on the sale of property? Are there deadlines associated with the down payment, such as a CD to be mature?
• Will you do a 1031 exchange?
Local lenders:
Pat Watts, Century 21 Mortgage
540-735-2225
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