Home Staging 101: Get Rid of Anything with Eyes

Recent changes in the real estate market have made sellers concerned about getting the most value for their homes. If you want to sell your home faster and for the best price, consider the following guidelines used by professional real estate stagers. If you have any questions as you explore these points, please call me. I'd love to sit down with you and discuss the best ways to get your house ready for sale.

Let's look at the top three questions to ask yourself about your home's appearance before you list it for sale.

• Are you selling your space or your stuff? The clutter that you collect eats up valuable space that you are trying to sell, making it hard for buyers to look beyond your personal items and see the selling features of your home. Start preparing your home for sale by packing up personal items such as awards, trophies, collections, and family photos. Not sure about a specific item? a good rule of thumb is to pack up anything with eyes, such as stuffed animals, doll collections, photos, figurines, etc.
• Is your home ready for a blind date? First impressions do matter. Just as you would not answer the door on a blind date with curlers in your hair, wearing a tattered bathrobe and slippers, you do not want your home to make a bad first impression on potential buyers, either. Consider repainting the walls and trim in your home a neutral color that will appeal to the most potential buyers. Make sure to have your home professionally cleaned, and focus on problem areas such as the grout in your bathrooms and any stains in the carpeting. Washing the windows, and edging and mulching garden beds, will also leave a positive impression on buyers.
• What is the purpose of each space? The way you currently live in your home may not be the best use of each space. Take, for example, a home with three bedrooms upstairs and a small den on the first floor. In a neighborhood where other homes boast four bedrooms, perhaps it is best to show the den as a bedroom so your home measures up to the competition. If your older home lacks a great room off the kitchen as found in new constructoin homes, consider turning your formal dining room into a more casual eat-in family room, or make the living room more family-friendly, so buyers can see this as a multi-purpose space.

The bottom line is that home staging is an important step to getting your house ready for sale. Walk through your home and think about each of the items listed above. How prepared is your home for potential buyers?

Are you overwhelmed, or in a time crunch to sell your home? Talk to me about hiring a real etstate staging professional, who can prepare your home for a faster--and more profitable--sale. You can reach me at the office: 610-687-2900, ext. 113.

The dangers of overpricing your home

One of the most important decisions you will make when you sell your home is choosing the list price. Most of us love our homes, and we take a lot of pride in the investments we have made, such as landscaping, additions, decorating, and remodeling. However, overpricing can be dangerous.  How?

• Minimizes offers: An overpriced house discourages prospective buyers from making an offer, since the difference between the asking price and the market price is substantial.
• Declining salesperson enthusiasm and response: Salespeople lose interest in a property that is overpriced. They do not spend as much time showing your house as they would if it was priced right.
• Less qualified buyer response. Overpriced homes fail to attract qualified buyers, or can attract "wrong" buyers.
• Decline in showings: Salespeople avoid showing overpriced houses in order to not lose credibility with buyers.
• Loses prospects from signs: Prospects who learn about the house from the sign get turned off if it is overpriced.
• Limits financing: Financial institutions and mortgage companies finance only a portion of the real value of the house. If the house is overpriced, they will usually finance a lower percentage, thus reducing the available financing options.
• Less for seller: Eventually market interest in the overpriced property completely declines. When this happens, the sellers become desparate, and will entertain offers at any price. Meanwhile, they must bear the maintenance and holding costs. The net result is that the sellers get much less than what they could have, if the house had been priced right!

One of the marks of a skilled real estate professional is the ability to price your home correctly. With more than 30 years of experience, I can help you find the right price for your house. Between January and June of 2013, my list price to sale price ratio was 98% -- over 10 points above the MLS average. Give me a call (610-687-2900, ext 113) and we can talk about the right price for your house.

Top 5 things that can hurt your appraisal

When you're listing your home for sale, one important thing is the appraisal. But this is an area that can be positively or negatively impacted by what you do or don't do to your home before it is appraised.

Knowing what to pay attention to can help you increase your home's value. I would be happy to sit down with you and examine how well-prepared you are for an appraisal. In today's competitive real estate market, it's critical that your appraisal is accurate, so that you can get the best price for your home.

Here are the top five things can can hurt your appraisal.

1. Exterior and interior: A lack of curb appeal not only can cause potential buyers to turn away from your home, but it can also cause an appraiser to devalue your appraisal. if the exterior has lots of overgrown bushes, peeling paint, bad roof, rotting windows, and an unkempt look, this could cause the appraiser to take "as much as three percent off," according to CNN Money.
   Curb appeal doesn't just help entice buyers to come in and see your home, it can actually increase your appraisal value. Also, if your neighbor's homes are meticulously maintained, and yours is not, this could cause your appraisal to be even more severely downgraded. A nicely landscaped yard is a sign that the home is also kept up.
2. Trendy remodels: Remodeling can certainly add value to your home, especially if you're adding storage, room additions, and other important improvements that are popular among buyers. However, if you do a costly and trendy remodel and think that the true cost will equal the value, you could likely be very disappointed.
   Some remodels add value while others can actually hurt you when an appraisal is done. To make the most of a remodel, renovations should keep in line with the historical period of the home. If they don't, then an appraiser will assess the cost of having the remodel taken out, such as a trendy, custom-built entertainement center. However, adding space to the kitchen using timeless styles will add value.
3. Unfinished projects: Don't have an appraiser inspect when your projects are incomplete. If you must get the home appraised and work is nearly complete at the time of the appraisal, be sure to give the appraiser a full description of the job and what is being done to quickly and professionally complete it.
4. List your improvements: Don't expect all improvements to help your appraisal. For example, a new roof won't count, because it is expected that a roof will be in good condition. But other improvements could add value. Instead of trying to figure out yourself what will increase your value, make a list for the appraiser including any documentation the appraiser should review.
5. Not doing your homework: It is important to understand your marketplace and what homes similar to yours have recently sold for. It is especially good to know the reason why a home similiar to yours sold for a lower price. That way you can explain tot the appraiser the difference between the two homes. Be sure to use an experienced real estate agent (like me) to provide you with market information befor eyou have your home appraised.

Taking the time to understand the areas that can positively influence your appraisal can prevent your appraisal coming in at a lower value than the asking price. Give me a call to learn more about how you can avoid these top five appraisal mistakes when you sell your house: 610-687-2900, ext 113.

Great Home for Sale in Media - Bring Your Ideas!

Media is a great town, with amazing restaurants, shops, community events, and schools. I'm proud to offer this raised ranch home, which is ready for your ideas--and a little TLC.

This house features four bedrooms and two baths, garage, and deeded private paved entrance with additional parking.

A brick fireplace warms up the living room, and the kitchen includes oak cabinets, granite tile counters, ceramic tile backsplash. The dining room has a French door to the covered deck facing a patio. The master bedroom includes a convenient laundry area.  The lower level features a family room with woodstove, entrance into garage, utility sink and storage.

Please call me to set up a showing: 610-687-2900, ext 113.

Experience the Main Line at Its Best: Radnor Fall Festival

Don't miss the Radnor Fall Festival this Sunday, September 15th! A perfect excuse to get together with family and friends, the Fall Festival takes place on North Wayne Avenue--a mecca for Main Line restaurants and shops.

From 1:00 - 5:00 PM on Sunday, North Wayne Avenue will be a pedestrian-only zone. Join your neighbors for live music, kids activities and rides, a dog show, art, and food. It looks like the weather will be beautiful, so come out and enjoy the day!

The Radnor Fall Festival is just one more reason why Wayne is a great place to live. Have you checked out my listing in the Glenhardie section of town? Give me a call (610-687-2900, extension 113) to set up a showing.

Amazing Chester County Estate for Sale!

Chester County estates are rare gems, and I'm proud to offer this incredible historic estate for sale. Located in Elverson, this estate consists of 17 acres, surrounded by an additional 92 acres of conservancy ground. The original blacksmith's home was built circa 1790, and there are plenty of historic details.The home features a hardsplit cedar shake roof and a covered front porch, The entrance foyer leads into the sunroom addition, which faces the brick patio, magnificent grounds with pergola. The country kitchen features handmade white walnut cabinets, and a breakfast bar with maple top. It faces an amazing great room that boasts a stone wood burning fireplace and random width pine floors. The living room features a walk-in fireplace, and the dining room (currently used as a music room) has another fireplace. There are 2 separate spiral staircases. One leads to a private master suite with bath, two additional bedrooms, a hall bath, and the walk-up attic.

 

Bring your horses! The grounds include a 3-5 stall barn plus tack room, and two pastures overlooking the creek. This home exudes country charm.

 

See more photos on my Facebook page.

 

Please call me to see this very special home! 610-687-2900, extension 113.

Beautiful house for sale in Wayne, PA!

If you're looking for a home in the Main Line, Wayne is a fantastic choice. It has excellent schools, charming neighborhoods, and is convenient to business and shopping destinations. I'm proud to announce this listing in the Glenhardie section of Wayne. Call me today to schedule a showing: 610-687-2900, extension 113.

A rare find, this beautiful 24-year-old colonial home has an open floor plan highlighted by a 2-story foyer boasting an oak turned staircase and hardwood floors. 

The formal living room features a brick fireplace, crown molding and French doors to the music room (which would also be a beautiful study). The rest of the main level includes the formal dining room with crown molding and chair rail, powder room, laundry room, and eat-in kitchen with island. Large sliders provide access to large deck from both the kitchen and the open family room featuring a cathedral ceiling with a second fireplace.

The upper level master bedroom has full bath with jetted tub, walk-in closet, dressing area, three additional bedrooms and hall bath.

The lower level has a finished guest room or office with lots of storage.

This home is in a great location (prestigious, award-winning Tredyffrin-Easttown School District) close to Valley Forge Park, all the major roadways, and the Strafford R5 train station. I would love to show you this home - please call me today!

Why List Your House with Scott Furman

It can feel nerve-wracking when you decide to list your house for sale. Your house is one of your most important investments, and you want to choose carefully when it comes time to pick a seller's agent. Here's why you should choose me.

• Experience. I have over 33 years of real estate experience in the Main line, Chester, Montgomery, and Delaware Counties.
• Performance. Out of 2,800 agents, RE/MAX ranked me #1 in the Pennsylvania/Delaware Region. I was also recognized as one of the Top 100 RE/MAX International agents in the United States out of over 51,152 agents.
• Marketing. I use a comprehensive approach to marketing your property, including full-color brochures, visual tours, direct mail, and internet marketing.
• Easy Exit Listing Agreement. Most realtors require an exclusive contract for an extended time period. Working with me is different. When you sign my Easy Exit Listing Agreement, you can cancel your agreement at any time, with just two weeks advance written notice, if I fail to fulfill my responsibility to you.

My sales statistics speak for themselves. In 2012, my average home sale price was 96.7% of list price.  And the homes I sold were on the market an average of just 42.7 days.

If you're considering selling or buying a home, let's talk. I welcome the opportunity to get to know you and exceed your expectations of a realtor. Give me a call: 610-687-2900, extension 113.