sell your westfield home Archives - Luxury Homes/Top Towns

The end of the year is quickly approaching. You want to put your Westfield home on the market. But, you’re unsure if now’s a good time. Should you wait until spring, when more buyers will be searching for properties? Don’t wait. There’s still time for you to sell your Westfield home before the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. But you’ll need to act fast and follow my advice below.

How to Sell Your Westfield Home Before the End of the Year

Create a Standout Online Listing

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According to Real Estate Agent University, 90% of home buyers begin their search online. If your online listing doesn’t catch their interest, they’ll move on to another property. Therefore, in order to sell your Westfield home before the end of this year, you’re going to need to make your listing stand out. Use a professional photographer to capture the best images of your Westfield home. They know which angles and lighting make your property look its best.

Embrace the Holidays…But Not Too Much

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about selling your Westfield home in the fall. In it, I discussed using “seasonal” decorations instead of traditional “holiday” ones. Adding a few holiday touches here and there is perfectly fine. In fact, it can even create a sense of sentimentality with buyers. You just need to keep these holiday touches to a minimum so as not to overwhelm potential buyers. Using warm fall colors in pillows, blankets, vases, and throw rugs are decorative accents. Recreating Santa’s village will cover up everything your home has to offer.

Get a Home Inspection

Another great way to sell your Westfield home before the end of the year is to get a professional home inspection done. Inspectors look for potential problems lurking inside your home. A pre-listing inspection allows you to fix these problems before you put it on the market. This helps smooth out possible speed bumps in the selling process.

Don’t Neglect the Curb Appeal

When you sell your Westfield home, you need to keep up your curb appeal. Clear out fallen leaves on a weekly basis. Paint the door. Clean out the gutters. With leaves gone from your home’s trees, your property is more exposed. So you want to make sure there is no cracked or peeling paint anywhere along the outside of your home. Straighten up the shutters and add a coat of paint that complements the main house color for an extra polished look.

Holiday Themed Open Houses

Open houses provide a great marketing tool for selling your Westfield home. You need to get your house in shape for any open house you host. But during November and December, you might want to play up holiday themes. Decorate your dining table as if you’re preparing a massive Thanksgiving or Christmas feast. Offer up pumpkin pie or muffins as treats for your guests during November. Christmas cookies and eggnog make great treats in December. How about a tree-trimming party after Thanksgiving is over? Allow buyers a glimpse into what they can expect holidays to feel like and they’ll be more apt to see themselves making this space their own right away.

Be Flexible

Whenever you sell your Westfield home, you need to be flexible about showings. End-of-year buyers are serious about purchasing properties. But their schedule may not align with yours. If you want your home sold by the end of the year, you need to accommodate buyers no matter when they want to see your home.

Offer Buyers Incentives

Offer buyers any incentive you think will entice them to buy your Westfield home. If they’re interested in the furniture, add it to your contract. Do they want new appliances? Spending a little bit to complete the sale quickly will be worth it.

Bike MS NYC 2018 Results

Finally, I’d like to give a great big shout out to everyone who supported Team Guys & Dolls on our quest to complete Bike MS NYC 2018. Thanks to all of you who donated, we managed to raise over $15,000 this year. Not only did we meet our fundraising goal, but we managed to exceed it as well. Your money will help fund research towards finding a way to obliterate this devastating disease once and for all. Thank you again for all of your support. We greatly appreciate it!

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

After the boom and subsequent bust of the mid-2000s, the US real estate market hit hard times. Banks tightened their lending standards, making it more difficult for buyers to receive funding for a home purchase. But that all seems to be behind us. A stronger economy, low unemployment, and high consumer confidence have rallied the market. If you’ve been on the fence about selling your house, 2018 might be the year to make it happen. But don’t wait too long. You’re going to want to sell your Westfield home sooner rather than later.

Why Sell Your Westfield Home Now?

Rates Remain Low…for Now

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While 3% may be a thing of the past, rates remain historically low. Currently, they’re in the low 4% range for a 30-year fixed-rate loan. Some financial experts believe we will see rates hit 5% and above by the end of the year. Buyers know this. They want to take advantage of lower interest rates. So, they’re out there looking for their next home right now. On the flip side, if you plan on securing a mortgage loan to buy your next property after you sell your Westfield home, you’re going to want to utilize lower rates for yourself as well.

Lower Inventory + Higher Demand = Seller’s Market

Buyers want Westfield homes. But inventory has limited the number of properties available for sale. That translates to greater profits for sellers. With consumer confidence up and the stock market hitting record highs, buyers feel more secure about becoming homeowners. A low inventory means that they are more willing to make concessions in order to make a deal work. However, more inventory is expected to begin to hit the market by the end of 2018. That gives buyers more options to choose from. The earlier you sell your Westfield home, the better for you.

Rise in Prices Expected to Slow Down

Most real estate markets across the country have experienced a steady increase in prices. While they are expected to continue their upward trajectory, it will be much less than it has been in the last couple of years. If you sell your Westfield home earlier in the year, you stand to make a nice profit. When you’re ready to sell your Westfield home, contact me.

Tax Assessment Appeal for 2018

Do you have reason to believe your Westfield home’s value was incorrectly assessed? Are you planning on filing an appeal? Union County residents can do so between February 5th and April 2nd, 2018. Last year, I hosted a tax appeal seminar with local tax appeal specialist Jennifer Jacobus, Esq. She provided valuable insight as well as answers to common questions. The entire seminar is available for you to view online here for free. I promise you that it will be well worth your time to watch it in its entirety.

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