Sellers – Helpful Information
We love to sell real estate –houses, land and commercial offerings. Here in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, we have been living in a seller’s market for over 5 years. Our area is in demand for its quality of life and its quieter, safer image. Multiple bids above the asking price were not unheard of.
We are now in a changing market. Some sellers feel that they are still in the driver’s seat and that the market is still growing by leaps and bounds. Buyers have been listening to the national media and feel that they are in control. They want to find a really good value and they are offering low opening bids to try and achieve that. This year we have seen a number of “failed to complete” contracts because the buyers and sellers were just too far apart in their perception of today’s marketplace.
Regardless of the world around us, we believe that real estate here in the White Mountains of New Hampshire will continue to hold its value. There are buyers and sellers who have wants, needs, dreams, money, and changing lifestyles that keep real estate moving – possibly at a less frantic pace – but moving nevertheless.
In this marketplace, you need an agent who goes above and beyond the usual. The associates of Reinhold Associates Real Estate have the personal experience, education, access to market information, and real love of helping people that are needed to keep the deal together and to make IT HAPPEN!
Of course, we also offer the up-to-date technology that so many buyers use when they first begin to look for real estate. The State of New Hampshire REALTORS® host a computerized Multiple Listing Service known as NNEREN ( Northern New England Real Estate Network). All REALTORS® can enter their listings, maintain the information and status, and review all that is currently being offered for sale in the service area of a real estate office. Everything is web based and “real-time” and the data from this system is also uploaded to the REALTOR.com site periodically.
We, at Reinhold Associates Real Estate, are pleased to additionally provide a dynamic website that offers in one location all of the available listings for our North Country region. Our website is also updated overnight. Buyers can see new listings as soon as they become available. With technology and personal attention, a seller has the best of both worlds in the marketing of their property.
There are ways that you can do your part to improve the salability of your home and land. Below are a few helpful hints – basic real estate premises – that have proven themselves over and over again.
Improve the Salability of Your Home!
PRICE YOUR HOME CORRECTLY. Every seller wants to realize as much money as possible when they sell their home. But a listing price that is too high often gets the seller LESS than a price that is at market value. If your house is not priced competitively, people looking in your price range will reject your house in favor of other larger homes for the same price. At the same time, people who should be looking at your home will not see it because it is priced above their comfort level. Over pricing usually increases time on the market and that adds to the carrying costs! Ultimately, many overpriced properties sell below market value. Our agents will show you what has recently sold and what is currently competitive on the market. This will allow you to properly position your property and to make certain that it should appraise to the sales price when your buyer seeks financing.
SHOWCASE YOUR HOME. Buyers look for homes, not houses, and they buy the home in which they would like to live. Owners who fail to make necessary repairs, who don’t spruce up the house inside and out, touch up the paint and landscaping, and keep it clean and neat can eliminate potential buyers as rapidly as REALTORS® can market the property and bring them in. A good rule of thumb is that the cosmetics of a property can easily change the buyer’s perceived value by plus or minus 10%.
LEAVE DURING SHOWINGS. Buying a home is an emotional decision. People like to “try on” a house and see if it is comfortable for them. It is difficult for them to do that if you follow them around pointing out every improvement that you have made. It may even have the opposite effect by making them feel like they are intruding on your private space. Oftentimes they will rush through your home and not give it the proper attention that it deserves when you are there. We would request that during a showing you either leave the house or tuck yourself away in a quiet nook. This gives the potential buyer more freedom to look around, speak freely, and discover attributes on their own.
LISTEN TO FEEDBACK. Sometimes it is difficult to see your home through the buyer’s eyes because you have an emotional investment in the home. After we have shown a property, we request feedback from the buyer and/or agent working with them about the showing quality of your home. This is transmitted to you via our regular updates sent out by Jenn. It is in your best interest to take this feedback with an open mind. Please understand that the buyer is viewing many properties and that your home is competing with all of the other properties that they are viewing. If you can address the items of concern for buyers, your next showing will be more successful.
MARKETING YOUR HOME IS MORE THAN ADS AND OPEN HOUSES. The two marketing tools that sellers most frequently request are classified ads and open houses. Surprisingly, less than 1% of homes are sold at an open house. Agents usually gain more from them because they attract future prospects, not sell the house! Advertising studies show that less than 3% of people purchased their home because they called on an ad. Brochures, websites, comprehensive advertising in local and regional media, the networks of associates, all work together to develop buyers for your home.
IS IT REALLY INCONVENIENT? The more people who see your home, the more likely you are to sell it quickly. Increase your chances. It may not be the most convenient time to show your home, but if they buy your home, it is worth it! Turn off the television and turn on low music. Turn on the lights so that no room is dark. Pick up the house to eliminate distracting clutter. Showcase your home!
Improve the Salability of your Land!
Know your boundaries & other important information. When you list a parcel of land, we need to know that it is a buildable lot. Find your survey, your state approved septic system design if you have one, your driveway permit, and any other information that you may have gathered since you purchased the property. We will need to determine the highest and best use for your land and then together we can decide how to go forward with the marketing of it. If a property can be subdivided, the potential of this will be explored with you. However, this does usually come with a related increase in expenses and typically several months of preparation before the property can be offered for sale.
Sometimes land needs a touchup just like a home. You may possibly need to rough in a driveway, clear an easy to walk path to the top and the view, or have a state approved septic system design completed.
