By Tom Branch, on March 23rd, 2014  I recently overheard a couple talking about selling their home. As I listened, they were telling each other that in this strong seller’s market all they need to do was to throw a sign in the yard and they would sell for top dollar.
I would agree that the greater Dallas area is in a strong seller’s market. I base that on the lack of inventory and the number of offers received on each of our listings. That said, if you want top dollar, you still have to properly prepare, market, and show it. Buyers are not going to pay top dollar for a home that does not show well.
It all starts with preparing the home for sale. While we have listed and sold a few homes that did not need any preparation, the vast majority can maximize their sales price and minimize their marketing time by employing a stager. We so strongly believe in this concept that we pay for a staging consultation on almost every listing. The photos below are an example of the difference staging can make (staging done by Karen Otto with HomeStarStaging).
Once the staging is complete, the cleaning stage begins. We recommend that carpets and the home be professionally cleaned. In our market the cost is about $500. Why? A super-clean home looks and smells good creating an emotional appeal to buyers. Emotion leads to quicker and higher offers.
The next stage is getting ready to market the home. Professional quality photography is a must. With over 90 percent of Dallas buyers starting their searches on the Internet, you have to create a compelling reason for buyers to want to see the home. Even in a seller’s market, quality photography instills a sense of urgency in buyers. They realize that the home will not last long and they need to get in to see it quickly.
The last stage is having the home in show-ready condition for every showing. Most sellers know in advance that their home will be showing. When you get that call, it’s almost show time! Have a plan of action to get your home in show-ready shape: window shades open, lights on, soft music playing, etc. It’s all about creating an emotional experience for the buyers.
Don’t let a strong seller’s market lull you into thinking that you can simply stick a sign in the ground and sell your home for top dollar in the minimum amount of time. Take the time and make the effort to get the home prepared prior to going on the market. You’ll be far happier with the results.
Photos: Main Photo licensed from iStockPhoto, Others Copyright Imaged2Sell
By Tom Branch, on March 14th, 2014 
We recently received a phone call from one of our past clients who had purchased a new construction home. They have been in the home for about 10 months and have noticed cracks in the joints of the crown moldings.
They called us concerned that it might be a foundation issue. While cracks in the molding can be a sign of foundation issues, it’s not usually the case in recent construction. It is usually caused by the molding “drying” as the home ages.
All wood contains moisture. While the builder usually allows the molding to acclimate prior to putting it up, the molding will still shrink as it dries. The shrinking of the molding causes the joints to separate and appear to be cracked.
The good news is it’s an easy fix. The open joints can be sealed with caulk and touch-up paint restoring the molding to its original look.
If the home is still covered by the builder’s warranty, the builder may come out and take care of the repair. If not, it can easily be handled by the homeowner or a local handyman.
Click here for a list of handymen in the North Dallas area.
Photo: Copyright 2014 – Imaged2Sell
By Drew Smithfield, on March 11th, 2014 If you’ve ever watched HGTV or spoken to a REALTOR®, then you probably already know there are a million and one ways to renovate your home and increase its overall value. But what if you don’t have a million hours to work on fancy home improvements, or a million dollars to spend?
Here are five easy ways you can increase your home’s value, without breaking the bank or breaking your back.
- Dig in the dirt. First impressions are incredibly important when it comes to marketing your home, and the exterior of your house is the first thing potential buyers will see. If interested buyers notice that the exterior looks neglected, they might assume that the inside has suffered the same fate. The type of landscaping is largely a matter of your personal preferences; just make sure that your yard looks tidy and cared for.
Another way to increase the aesthetics of your home’s exterior is by upgrading items like windows, shutters and siding. While this can be more expensive than a small landscaping project, these are things that will probably be noticed immediately.
- Light the way. Lighting can actually help rooms of your home appear more spacious, so it is especially important to have good lighting in smaller rooms. Improving your home’s lighting is a very quick and easy way to make things look warmer and more appealing. You may also want to look for energy-efficient lighting solutions – and that goes for both interior and exterior lights.
Outdoor security lighting, such as floodlights and motion-activated lights. Provide an additional way to make your home appear appealing – and safe. Plus, a well-lit home can help deter burglars since they’ll have fewer shadowy places to hide.
- Use wireless services. Nothing makes your home look messier than a tangle of wires. By using wireless devices (keyboard, mouse, cable box), you’re making your home look sleek and modern. You can find Internet bundles with wireless services – you’re saving money and showing visitors to your home that it’s modern and keeping up with technology trends. Plus, the money you can save by bundling your home services can go toward something else – like fixing up some facilities.
- Fix up the facilities. If you don’t have the funds for an extensive interior remodel, start with the bathroom. Real estate experts largely agree that remodeling your outdated bathroom is a good way to instantly improve your home’s marketability. Perhaps it’s because buyers are impressed that someone would put so much effort into such a small space. Regardless, installing new tile, buying a fresh shower curtain and stripping out that bubbled wallpaper is a good place to start.
- Improve energy efficiency. Many people are interested in conserving energy and saving money, especially with ever-rising energy prices. If you can market your home with energy-saving solutions, you will be a step ahead of the game. There are many ways you can improve your home’s energy efficiency, including sealing up cracks, improving insulation and installing programmable thermostats. If you like the idea of a long-term investment in making your property greener, consider planting a couple of trees. Believe it or not, having shady trees near your home can reduce your home’s cooling costs by up to 40%.
Energy efficiency isn’t just for inside the home, though. You can switch out incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescent, halogen and LED bulbs in your exterior fixtures. Roofing, siding and windows are all available in energy-efficient models and can help you save money on your overall energy costs, even if you have to put a lot of money up front.
There are also do-it-yourself methods. If you can’t afford to upgrade every window in your home to an energy-efficient model, consider adding weather-stripping and strategically applying some caulk. Certain window treatments and coverings can even help keep your home cooler in the summer months and warmer in the winter.
By Tom Branch, on February 23rd, 2014  2012 and 2013 were great years for the real estate market. We saw a solid recovery with increasing sales prices and a reduction in inventory sitting on the market. So here we are in the spring of 2014. We have lots of buyers looking for homes but few homes for sale. In some price ranges, homes going on the market are selling in hours.
I spent the past few weeks working with a first-time buyer looking for a home between $150k and $180k in Allen, Plano, McKinney, and Frisco. He made offers above list price on 3 different homes only to have the seller accept an even higher offer. It reached the point that we had to be out on the first day a home came on the market and make the offer that day. The good news is he is now under contract on a home.
If you are buying a home, you have to move fast and you have to make good, solid offers. The days of “low-balling” are over. “High-balling” is the new norm in the greater Dallas area.
If you are thinking about selling your home, there has not been a better time in the past 5 years. In this market you can get top dollar and sell in the shortest amount of time. Visit www.collinhousevalues.com for a quick online valuation of your home.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have any questions or need additional information.
Photos: Licensed from iStockPhoto
By Tom Branch, on December 26th, 2013  We often field phone calls from people relocating to the North Dallas area looking for homes with basements. While some are relocating from areas with basements, many are concerned about tornados. While there are a few older homes with basements, there are also homes that have a storm cellar or shelter. These are primarily found in the rural areas, but we do see them in the suburban and urban areas as well.
According to CBS News the odds of a strong tornado hitting your home directly are extremely small. You can expect it to happen about once in every 8,000 years.
Storm shelters can be added to any home. Some are installed below ground and others are steel boxes that are engineered to withstand large tornados. We checked with a few local installers and found that prices start at about $7500 and go up depending upon the size of the shelter and how it will be installed on the property.
Click here to see all homes for sale in North Dallas with storm shelters.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have questions or need additional information.
Photo: Licensed from iStockPhoto
By Tom Branch, on December 23rd, 2013  While finding a home with a tennis court is not common in the greater Dallas Fort Worth area, they do exist. A home with a tennis court typically sits on a very large lot as the court measures 78 feet by 36 feet in size but requires 120 feet by 60 feet to give space for over-runs. This drives up the price of the house. While you may find homes with tennis courts in the $300k range, most of them are substantially higher.
According to WikiPedia, “Tennis is played on a variety of surfaces and each surface has its own characteristics which affect the playing style of the game. There are four main types of courts depending on the materials used for the court surface: clay courts, hard courts, grass courts and carpet courts. A North/South orientation is generally desirable for outdoor courts to avoid background glare at dawn or dusk. Orientation should also take into consideration other structures and features on the site, neighboring property, vehicle and pedestrian traffic, and prevailing winds.”
Click here to see all homes for sale in the greater Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex with tennis courts.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have any questions or need additional information.
Photo: Licensed from iStockphoto
By Tom Branch, on December 20th, 2013  While it is the middle of winter in North Texas, spring usually comes early. With the warmer spring temperatures, we find buyers searching for Allen Texas homes for sale with pools.
Homes with pools in Allen Texas are common and are found at a variety of price-points. Most pools are made of gunite but we do see vinyl-lined pools from time-to-time. We prefer gunite pools as they tend to hold up better over time. Older pools tend to use chlorine to sanitize the water but saline is becoming popular. Saline pools require less maintenance and the plaster covering the gunite tends to last longer. Older chlorine pools can be converted to saline for around $4000.
Click here to see all homes for sale with pools in Allen Texas.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have any questions or need additional information.
Photo: Copyright Imaged2Sell
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