Are you planning to sell your home?

Are you one of the home owners that are planning to sell in 2016?

Whether it's a pending relocation or a thoughtfully planned downsizing that can occur at your own pace, it's a seller's market out there right now. Regardless of that, it never hurts to take proactive measures to ensure your home sells as quickly as possible and for the best price!

Here are some suggestions:

Exceed buyers' expectations. Get your property into tip-top shape before you put it on the market and you’ll eliminate most buyers’ potential objections. If there is no immediate turnaround pressure, sellers should spend some time figuring out what they can afford to do to make their property appealing and what repairs are necessary. Work with a REALTOR® to gain additional insight, suggestions and advice on what would bring sellers the most “bang for the buck”.
Don’t price your home without a comparative market analysis. Ask an experienced Realtor for a CMA to help you understand what it will take to sell in your neighborhood.

Don’t wait for values to go higher before you put your home on the market. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, new home construction is still lagging behind job growth. Additionally, there are more buyers considering the housing market today, as a result of continued improvements in the job sector.

For more useful information got to http://www.homesalesneworleans.com/

What Drives Home Buyers Nuts

It's not a secret that some sellers do things that drive buyers nuts. Here are just some:

1. Many sellers don’t want to accept the fact that their home is worth substantially less than they paid, or what they thought it was worth. Some sellers base the asking price on what they “need” (like the balance left on their mortgage). Or they calculate the price they paid, plus the cost of renovations or sweat equity. The problem is that none of those factors has the slightest relation to what a house is worth. As a result the sellers set an unrealistic price, and that drives buyers nuts.

2. Occasionally you see ads that read “cash or conventional preferred.” Or the more flagrant version: “No FHA or VA “. Some sellers may mistakenly believe closing on a government-secured loan will take longer, when in truth, some conventional loans can be harder to close. A few sellers may suspect their homes won’t pass the more stringent inspection conducted by an independent, government-certified professional. Those restrictions drive buyers nuts.

3. “Silent treatment” is another one! You look at the asking price (which is a little high), study the comparables and make a solid offer. And you’re met with … silence. Instead of seeing your well-researched bid as a place to start negotiations, the sellers act offended. Whether the seller’s “offense” is strategic or genuine, it’s not smart to ignore an offer.

4. Covering up flaws is the next pet peeve. From employing strategically placed carpets to concealing unpleasant facts about the home, attempts at deception drive buyers batty. Advice to sellers: disclose everything, no matter how minor.

5. What drives a buyer crazy? Falling in love with a house that’s not really for sale. That's called “Playing Mind Games”. Or falling in love with one that has problems that a seller refuses to fix. Sellers who refuse to make needed repairs believe the buyers are hooked. And for buyers who decide to go ahead with the purchase the big question becomes: “Where’s that money for repairs going to come from down the road?”

To search MLS go to http://findneworleansproperties.gardnerrealtors.com/

What makes buyers decide which house to chose

If you have ever wondered what drives a home buyer to select a particular home look no further. Here is an interesting article by RISMEDIA that provides a great insight http://rismedia.com/rrein/20904/1023666/5079737/79678?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email

To search MLS for homes go to http://findneworleansproperties.com/ 

Curb Appeal When Selling a Home

Is the interior or the exterior more important when selling a house? Before buyers decide to go in, they will look at how appealing your home is by driving by. While the inside of a home is important, sellers make a big mistake when they neglect the exterior. Curb appeal is often a potential buyer’s first impression of a home. If you’re selling your home or about to, how can you quickly and effectively tackle the outdoor appeal? Here are some tips:

1. Start with the Front Door. A new entry door consistently ranks as one of the best projects in home repairs, yielding an increase in home value that’s greater than the costs to install one. To make the door especially captivating, consider painting it a bold, pleasing color that will grab attention and add charm.

2. Make Any Necessary Repairs. Is the window cracked or the front doorbell busted? Fix that! Buyers want turnkey, move-in-properties, and that means they want properties with repairs already done.

3. Landscaping. From mowing the lawn to pulling weeds, make sure you’re keeping up with your outdoor landscaping so that your home looks presentable and well cared for at all times. Landscape lighting can make all the difference in terms of how a home looks, so make an investment in attractive lighting options that illuminate and add interest to your property.

4. Touch Up Paint. Repaint the exterior or at least touch up problem areas. Another idea is to paint the trim a new color that creates either a nice complement or contrast to your home’s overall look.

5. Make Over the Mailbox. You might not think a mailbox matters much, but it’s yet another one of those little details that can add up together to make a strong impression on a buyer.

6. Add Outdoor Furniture. From rocking chairs on the front porch to an outdoor patio set on the back deck, outdoor furniture creates outdoor living spaces that expand your home’s appeal. Whether or not you include these pieces with the home sale, setting them up is a great way to stage your home for greater resale value.

The bottom line when it comes to curb appeal is that a little investment today can add up to big rewards tomorrow. 

For more tips visit http://findneworleansproperties.com/

Should You Buy a Home Today???

Should you buy a home now or should you wait? Will it help to wait till you save more for down payment? Are the prices too high, and if so, should you wait till they come down? Questions, questions, questions... Accordingly to the recent research, waiting can be costly, and here is why:

http://rismedia.com/rrein/20128/1023666/5079737/76988?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email

To search for homes go to http://findneworleansproperties.gardnerrealtors.com/

Housing Prices Went Up Again in April

While spring is typically the setting for a strong market, low inventories and growing sales may be the culprit of rocketing prices. Home prices continued their upward climb in April, with a 2.7 percent monthly advance, moving the year-on-year gain up to 6.8 percent. This forward motion represents 38 months of consecutive year-over-year increases in home prices. 

Old-fashion supply and demand, fueled by historically low mortgage rates and improving consumer finances and confidence, continue to push home prices up. Including distressed sales, 30 states plus the District of Columbia were at or within 10 percent of their peak prices in April. Included among these states are Colorado, Alaska, Wyoming, Tennessee, Texas, Nebraska and New York. Selected markets such as the urban cores of Tampa and St. Petersburg; South Tampa; North East St.Pete; and the beaches, are extremely hot. All are at pre-recession levels with very low supplies.

For more information visit http://findneworleansproperties.gardnerrealtors.com/

Home Sales on the Rebound despite Affordability Concerns

Accordingly to Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors®, existing-home sales are expected to finish the year at their highest pace since 2006, but accelerating price growth and rising mortgage rates have the potential to slow sales. Existing-home sales are measurably higher than a year ago, and strengthened in March when more buyers entered the market as the spring buying season got underway. The sustained job growth and interest rates below 4 percent have been the catalyst behind the improvement in sales.

Yun expects home sales to steadily improve, ending up at a pace around 5.30 million (the highest since 2006) this year and 5.5 million in 2016. Yun also expects the national median existing-home price to rise to around 6 percent this year (5.7 percent in 2014) before moderating to 4 percent in 2016.
On the topic of home prices, Yun says increasing demand in recent months, without meaningful gains of new and existing-homes available for sale, is starting to negatively impact affordability and is pushing price growth to unhealthier levels.
Unlike the existing-home market, demand for single-family new home construction remains weak. Yun is forecasting housing starts to come in around 1.1 million this year and reach 1.4 million in 2016, which he says is still below the 1.5 million needed each year to keep up with the underlying demand. New-home sales are likely to total 570,000 this year, and increase to 720,000 next year.

For more information visit http://findneworleansproperties.com/