Get Your House Ready Because the Buyers are Out
Saturday, March 14th, 2009
After more than a trillion dollars of bailouts, an improvement in mortgage rates, a drop in home values and new home-buyer tax breaks, the buyers have finally come off the sidelines. If you have been waiting for the right time to put your house on the market, this may be it.
I’ve had several Realtors tell me that up to 40% of their clients are new home-buyers and we have seen an increase in all buyers who ready to sign a contract. One of my listings was under contract to a new homebuyer within a week of hitting the market earlier this year. So, if you are eager to get your house sold and have just been waiting, let’s get ‘er done.
Before the sign goes up, get your house in sale condition. Free from Broke, a financial blog, has several solid steps outlined in the post, Frugal Ideas to Help Your Home Sell. Here are a few of mine.
- It is always a great idea to repaint. Even quality paint is fairly inexpensive and spring sales should help lower the cost even further. Keep it neutral.
- You may have lived with leaky faucets or old light fixtures but a new buyer won’t be impressed. Replace them with nice, but inexpensive fixtures you can buy at your local home improvement store.
- Clean, clean, clean. Remove the clutter and clean your house from top to bottom. There are lots of cleaning services around that can provide a one time massive spring cleaning. Even a little dust can send a negative message to a buyer. Don’t forget the carpet and windows.
- Check out the competition.Let’s go out and look at other houses on the market in your neighborhood. That will help us establish a competitive price and show you what buyers will be seeing.
If you were unable to sell your home last year, but still want to move, make sure your house is in good condition and let’s get together and make a plan. Home prices have not increased yet, so if you are upside down and owe more than your home is worth, you may need to wait until later this year or early next. Otherwise, now may be your time.
Jennifer





The $700+ billion dollar financial bail out agreement was announced this morning. It sounds like our elected officials have finally come to agreement on a bill that will purchase what they are calling “toxic” loans. This includes many sub prime loans that probably should never have been made in the first place.
As we here in Denver are preparing for the 




I received an email last week from the 
If you are looking for a weekend of good food, wonderful crafts and great bands, plan to attend June’s 

There are no areas during the first quarter of 2008 that we would consider to be Seller’s Markets. We’ve moved into a neutral market in most residential areas, but this will change as the year moves on. Buyers will be aggressively negotiating in those areas that have increased supply on the market. 
1. Declutter– We’ve heard it dozens of times on the home shows and you will hear it from your Realtor and Stager. The less clutter, the larger a home feels and the less people will be distracted by your “stuff”. We want them to picture themselves in your fabulous home. Pull out the boxes and pack anything you won’t need for a couple months, including those precious family photos, to create open space on walls, counters and shelves.






“You know, your Dad and I almost bought that land years ago. Just imagine what it is worth today.” My mom said that every time drove by land along Parker Road just of I-225. That was more than a few years ago when my sisters and I were growing up. Is this year’s housing market one where we may look back and wish we woulda made that decision to buy? 

I’m blogging today to create a basic understanding of Reverse Mortgages. We will go into more information in detail in future articles, but for now, let’s talk about what they are and the value they may bring to select homeowners.

A windmill from Amsterdam to teddy bears from Yellowstone, tell stories of our travels.


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