home selling tips Archives - Luxury Homes/Top Towns

How “Days on Market” May Affect Your Home Sale

May 27, 2022 by Scott Gleason

Most homebuyers look at the size of a property, its location, and the price right away. But, some buyers (as well as their REALTORS®) also look at how long the property has been on the market. Why? Newer listings get the most traffic. When it sits on the market for a while, buyers begin wondering what is wrong with it. Also, they believe the seller might be more willing to entertain a lower offer. Find out how the days on market can affect your home sale and what you can do to change it.

Besides the price, location, and size, many buyers look to a property's days on market. Why does that matter and how can you breathe new life into a stale listing?

How “Days on Market” May Affect Your Home Sale

What are “Days on Market”?

“Days on market” (or DOM) are the number of days from when a property gets listed to when it enters a “pending” status. The average DOM varies from city to city. According to Redfin, Madison homes saw an average of 26 DOM in April 2022 while Short Hills homes spent 12 days on the market before changing over to pending. Lower DOM brings in the most interest. As the DOM grows longer, interest wanes. So, what do you do to bring back buyers’ interest?

Breathing Life Into a Stale Listing

Review Feedback – Whenever your home is shown (either through an open house or a private viewing), your agent should ask for feedback from the potential buyer and/or their representative. From this feedback, you can find out what overall impression your home gives. In turn, this provides a base from which you can build your property back up for future potential buyers.

Take it Off the Market Temporarily – Many areas allow you to withdraw your property from the market and resubmit it after a specific period of time as a new listing (typically about 30 days). In essence, this “resets” your DOM. Use your downtime to make necessary updates/repairs to freshen it up. Sometimes, this may be something as simple as a new coat of paint or trimming the landscape. Other times, you might need to replace all the flooring or renovate an area or two of the home.

Lower Your Price – A majority of the time, simply lowering the price (even slightly) triggers a reassessment of the property by buyers. It also opens your home up to a new tier of buyers that may have considered your property out of their price range before. However, consider this. If you take your home off the market and make some updates, you might be able to list it at your original asking price. Talk to your REALTOR® to determine which areas to invest your money in to bring about the best result.

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes

The Real Estate Agent’s Role in a Home Sale

May 13, 2022 by Scott Gleason

Real estate shows like “Flip or Flop”, “Good Bones”, and “Unsellable Homes” make it appear easy to sell your home. All you need is a little paint and polish and buyers practically beat down your door, right? Not so fast. It takes a little more finesse and a lot more experience for the typical homeowner to sell their home. And that is where hiring a real estate agent comes into place.

You hire a real estate agent to sell your Westfield area home. They receive a commission to do so. But what exactly are you paying them for?

The Real Estate Agent’s Role in a Home Sale

Setting the List Price

First of all, a good REALTOR® knows how to determine a proper list price. Why is this important? Because if you price it too high, it may turn buyers off. Even in a seller’s market, homes still need to be priced appropriately for the market. If you cannot get buyers through the door, your home will simply just sit there. Then, you will need to lower your list price to bring interest to your listing. This only delays finding a buyer and may even net you less than you would have received if you priced it properly to begin with.

How does a real estate agent decide the right list price? By conducting a comparative market analysis. They look at recently sold homes in your neighborhood. Then, they focus on the ones that are most comparable to yours in age, size, and amenities. In addition, they use their experience in the local market to come up with the amount that will bring you the most buyers and the best sale price.

Preparing Your Home for the Market

Another area where a REALTOR® comes in handy is getting your Westfield area home ready for the market. This includes staging your home and making any necessary repairs. They also know which areas you should focus your efforts on and which areas do not need attention at all. For example, always make sure your curb appeal is on point. But perhaps the slightly older appliances in the kitchen can remain or the paint on the walls is a perfectly acceptable color. After all, many home buyers replace appliances soon after they move in. And others may decide to paint the walls after their belongings are in the space. However, if the appliances are severely outdated or the paint color is too severe, you might want to change those up anyway.

Marketing Your Home

Selling a home takes time. With your busy life, do you really have time to hire a photographer, make flyers, host open houses, conduct private showings, make sure to blast it all over social media, and be present at inspections and/or the appraisal? Plus, real estate agents have access to the MLS which sends your listing into the hands of thousands of other real estate agents with buyers looking for a home just like yours.

Vetting Buyers

Finally, a real estate agent vets buyers for you. It is not enough to get buyers through the door. You want qualified buyers looking at your Westfield area home. Since an agent does not make any money unless the property sells, it works in their best interest as well as yours to eliminate the unqualified buyers.

When you are ready to list your home on the market, contact me. I can help you get it ready to list, market it for you, and get it sold as quickly as possible.

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes

Home Seller Tip: Watch Out for “Fake News”

May 6, 2022 by Scott Gleason

Oftentimes, we hear fantastical stories about recently sold homes. Maybe your neighbor fielded several offers after only one day on the market. Or you heard about a friend of a friend who sold their rundown property for tens of thousands over their asking price without putting any effort into fixing it up. Unfortunately, these tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Yes, the Westfield area real estate market still favors the seller, according to Realtor.com. However, a home seller needs to keep an eye out for “fake news” when they put their property on the market. Otherwise, they might end up very disappointed.

There are a few misleading "facts" a home seller should steer clear of when trying to sell their Westfield area home in today's market.

Misleading “Facts” for the Home Seller in Today’s Market

You Don’t Need to Fix It Up

You may have heard that buyers will purchase a Westfield area home no matter what shape it is in. Unfortunately, that is untrue. Today’s buyer wants a move-in ready house over a “fixer-upper”. However, you do not need to break your budget trying to create a masterpiece. I cannot express how important a good cleaning is for the home seller. Even simple things like nice curb appeal, a fresh coat of paint, and minor repairs increase your premises’ attraction to buyers.

Buyers Will Pay Whatever You Ask

Just because you ask for it does not mean you will get it. You still need to price your home appropriately for the current market. That is where a good Westfield area REALTOR® comes in handy. They can run comps on recently sold homes in your area. This gives you an idea of what people are paying for properties like yours right now. If you price it too high, you end up sitting on the market for a while. You may even need to make a few downward adjustments to the price in order to entice a buyer, possibly selling it for less in the long run. A properly priced home at or even slightly below market value not only generates interest but might even bring in a higher price than you originally wanted.

Always Pick the Highest Priced Offer

Finally, if a home seller finds themselves receiving multiple offers, congratulations! Many sellers would love to be in that position. However, the highest offer is not necessarily the best offer. Other things that should factor strongly into your final decision should include the amount of the earnest money deposit, the strength of the buyer’s financing, and how many contingencies they place on the deal.

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes

Decluttering Tips That Help Sell Your Home and Organize Your Move

April 29, 2022 by Scott Gleason

One of the top priorities when getting your Westfield area property ready to sell is to get rid of the clutter. This helps prepare your home for staging. Remember, staged homes sell faster and for more money than unstaged ones. However, clearing your space with intention performs double duty. How? Organizing your “stuff” not only clears the clutter, but it also helps you when it comes time to move. Use these decluttering tips when preparing to list your home for sale.

Decluttering Tips

Start Right Away

First, start the declutter process right away. It might surprise you how long it takes to go through personal items, memorabilia, etc. The sooner you begin, the less stressed you will feel about meeting your home listing deadline. Also, simply start in one room and work your way throughout the house so as not to feel more overwhelmed than necessary.

Sort

Another one of my helpful decluttering tips is to sort everything you come across into three separate piles: keep, donate, and trash. If you want, you can even make a “maybe” pile. Box these particular items up and include a detailed label. Then, if you find that you have not opened that box in six to twelve months, you may want to consider donating them.

Pack

Next, start packing. Clear bins work best because they make it easy to see the contents inside. However, cardboard boxes offer a cheaper alternative. When using cardboard boxes, make sure to clearly label which room it belongs in and what the box includes inside. That way your dishes do not end up in the bedroom and your clothes do not end up in the kitchen. Trust me. You’ll thank me later. Make sure to write the appropriate room on more than one side of the box in large letters for easy recognition.

Trash the Paper

Finally, get rid of all that unnecessary paper. Receipts. Magazines. Old bank statements. Junk mail. We tend to accumulate paper. Shred any personal or financial information to avoid identity theft. Recycle junk mail and envelopes. Magazines can either be tossed out or donated to libraries and retirement homes.

Perhaps the most important one of these decluttering tips is to just get started as soon as possible. Before you know it, your Westfield area home will be ready to show. Plus, you will already be well on your way to being ready to move out when it sells.

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes

Easy Landscaping DIY Projects for the Home Seller

April 22, 2022 by Scott Gleason

Ever get the itch to do a DIY project? Whenever we do, our favorites involve getting outdoors and mixing up our landscaping features. Whether it’s as simple as installing some lighting or a little more time-consuming like re-plotting plants, a fresh look for the lawn always gives your Westfield area home a fresh look as well. Plus, this offers the best first impression for home buyers. Since we are entering the busy home buying period right now, you need to put your best foot forward when selling your home. Landscaping always needs to be included in your staging strategies, too. Here are our top five easy landscaping DIY projects!

Now that the weather is starting to warm up and buyers are on the hunt for Westfield area homes, try one of these easy landscaping DIY projects to enhance your curb appeal when you want to sell your home.

Easy Landscaping DIY Projects for the Home Seller

Create a Pathway

To guide you and visitors throughout your yard and link different areas together, install a pathway. You can use a wide variety of materials, including reclaimed pallet wood, flagstones, gravel, and more to add texture and color. Use these ideas from This Old House for inspiration if needed.

Add a Wall or Border

Installing a flagstone, rock, or brick wall around flower beds or trees adds a sleek, clean look to your landscaping and helps separate different sections of your yard. These landscaping DIY projects can be done over the course of a weekend.

Install a Water Feature

Nothing says “zen” quite like the sound of trickling water as you relax in your backyard. You can start simply by purchasing and installing a small feature powered by a solar panel. Or create a larger focal point in your yard by installing a waterfall wall or small pond.

Light Your Way

An easy way to transform your yard is to strategically use lighting. Place cool-colored lights high in trees to recreate a moonlight feel. Use pathway lights to naturally guide the eye or highlight objects or plants.

Plant Upwards

Expand your yard space by drawing the eye to the sky with a trellis fence or screen made of wood or metal. Once you install your trellis, select your climbing plants and vines and get to planting!

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes