Effectively Prepping Your Home

You want to sell your home quickly. The fastest way to do so is to start depersonalizing your home to create a blank canvas. You don't want to distract the buyer with your personal belongings, so pack up the photos, and let the buyer imagine their own photos on your walls and knick-knacks on your shelves all the while saying, "I can see myself living in this home!" Less is more.

To help create the blank canvas, paint is inexpensive and it will increase the value of your home, but you need to choose a neutral palette. The goal is to appeal to the masses because when you do, you get more showings, which leads to more offers and then, ultimately, the highest price possible for your property. 

Interest Rates

Welcome back!

I’m sure you have all heard about the increase in interest rates. In the past month they have increased from 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent. Historically, 4.5 percent is an incredible rate.

I used to sell real estate when rates were in the double digits: 14 percent! Four and half doesn’t sound so bad now does it? A lot of first time homebuyers have got into the market to take advantage of the phenomenal interest rates and prices!

Have more questions about interest rates? Or are you ready to buy or sell? Please call me at 908.347.7798 or email gendelteam@gmail.com

Curb Appeal Is a Must to Pull Buyers In and Keep Them Interested

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The last thing a seller wants to happen is for a buyer to express interest, only to drive away because the exterior does not appeal to them. Believe it or not, this happens and it happens all the time. One of the ways you can avoid losing buyer interest is to spruce up your home’s exterior by creating an inviting and interesting outdoor area that will intrigue buyers to make them want to see more. Keep in mind, that first impression tells them what they might expect in the rest of the home.

Create a Smooth Drive Up to the House

The last thing a buyer wants to see is a cracked driveway that can only indicate further maintenance issues ahead. Stains and unsightly discoloration is also a negative. Depending on the condition of your driveway, consider getting it resurfaced. It can cost about $2,000 but the return on that investment can be the difference between getting and not getting an offer on the home.

Landscaping Should Be Neatly Maintained and Inviting

It does not matter if you have a lush garden or just a few bushes and flowers – the key is that your lawn and garden space is well maintained and inviting. If your grass is not green or is uneven and ill-maintained then buyers will assume the rest of your house is in the same apparent disarray.

Make People Want to See What’s Behind the Front Door

By creating an eye-catching visual presentation in the front door and surrounding area, you will almost guarantee a buyer’s interest in seeing more. Use updated colors of the season that pop and work well with the rest of your home’s exterior. Place interesting accessories and thoughtfully arrange the front porch so that buyers can visualize living and enjoying that outdoor space.

Dust Off the Cobwebs (and Other Unsightly Messes)

Buyers’ eyes go directly to anything and everything that isn’t perfect and as a first impression you simply can’t afford to leave a less-than-perfect image of your home. So even the slightest dirt, cobwebs or mess on the outside of your home will be very noticeable and could end up in a lost sale.

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Once you list your home, it takes a good amount of time, energy and expense to get buyers to request to see the home. So the last thing you want to happen is for them to turn away from the home because of a negative first impression. Contact us today to learn more about how you can spruce up your home so buyers can’t wait to see more the moment they set eyes on it!

Exciting New Construction Provides Home Buyers with Everything They Want and More

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You’ve probably already heard that much of the nation is experiencing a sellers’ market. What does that mean? It means there are far more buyers than there are homes available for sale. Considering the relatively few numbers of homes on the market, if you’re looking for the perfect house the first step is to know exactly what you’re looking for. Whether considering specific neighborhoods, zooming in on certain school districts or expecting a particular style of floor plan – it’s very hard to get it all under one roof.

For many buyers, new construction is the answer to all of their home buying needs. They are able to find all the bells and whistles that line up with today’s trends. Depending on their timing within the construction process, they may even be able to customize their home according to their own tastes. Imagine being able to choose flooring, cabinets, fixtures, paint colors and more.

Here are just a few of the things you can expect to get in a newly construction home:

Open floor plans

Multi-car garages

Gorgeous landscaped exteriors

Premium flooring

High ceilings

Great flow for entertaining

Kitchen family rooms

Granite counters

Center islands and built-in, high-end appliances

Master bedroom suites

Large walk-in closets

Baths with jetted tubs

High-tech showers

Dual vanities in bathrooms

High-efficiency heating and air conditioning systems that keep costs down

Contact us today to see one of the gorgeous homes that start at $900,000! The one we recorded our video from is located in Berkeley Heights. We look forward to helping make your dreams of owning the perfect home become a reality!

908-347-7798

gendelteam@gmail.com

What Buyers and Sellers Need to Know in the New Market

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As your real estate resource center, we’re committed to keeping you up to date on changes in the market—and what they mean to you. There’s reason to believe the real estate market is poised for strong growth in 2013. 

Here’s what’s new. Housing demand is revving up at a time when the number of homes for sale has fallen to the lowest level in decades. Home price appreciation is also accelerating in the U.S. and our market as well. In fact, prices rose 8% in January, the largest gain in six years. When the year began, many analysts expected prices to rise at a slower pace, but all these conditions have produced low inventory, a growing economy, stronger investor demand and low interest rates creating a stronger than expected market. The market is hot!    

What does this mean for you? Since there are fewer homes on the market, there’s more competition for those available homes. Here are a few tips for both buyers and sellers.
When selling your home, if you want to get top dollar for your property, you should take advantage of the low inventory. Here’s the thing: supply and demand affect what you’ll get for your home. When everyone who has been thinking about selling their home puts their home on the market is not the time to dive in—if you want to get the most out of your home. At the end of the day, you have a better chance at success if you decide to sell now, instead of waiting until all the Joneses get into the market.

If you’re in the market to buy a home, when a home that you’re interested in hits the market, plan to see it as soon as possible and make the best possible offer that’s at an appropriate price point for the seller. Go for it! Remember, inventory is low.  If you hesitate, the property could be gone because others will be making offers. 

Keep in mind that mortgage loan rates are still fantastic, which makes buying a home more affordable than ever. A 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hovered at record-low rates during 2012 and are still low into 2013, but the rates won’t last forever, so there’s not a better time to buy than now. If you wait and interest rates rise, you could get locked into spending a few hundred extra dollars a month on your payment.  

Give me a call so I can tell you where to be positioned and how to be successful in this market. Please contact me at (908) 347-7798 or gendelteam@gmail.com.

Home for Home, Real Estate Agents Outsell All Other Methods of Selling a House

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When you’re selling a home, the single most important thing to you is to, well – get it sold! So what is the most effective way to make it happen? It turns out that in a study conducted by the California Association of Realtors it was revealed that a very surprisingly low number of homes actually sell based on an open house. Equally as low results come from homes that are marketed online. And while a For Sale sign may generate interest, the chances of that home selling directly as a result of that sign are only as little as 4% compared to other things.

So what IS the biggest method of achieving home selling success? Believe it or not, it all lies in the hands of real estate agents. Breaking down the statistics a bit, 3% of homes sell because of an open house, 4% due to street level signage and 13% of sales come from the Internet.

The overwhelming number of home sales stem from real estate agents – and in our case, particularly those in other companies. Unless an agent shows the property and puts it on their tour of homes for their buyer clients, there is a good chance the buyer(s) will not see the home. 

That’s why we make an extra effort to market our homes to all the other Realtors® in the area. We know that the key to successfully selling the home to the right buyer is making sure the home is shown to the right buyer. And when agents show properties, it’s important that they show well and are set up nicely, in a way that is attractive and welcoming. 

Additionally, we do whatever we can to make the process as easy and enjoyable as possible for the other agents and we price our properties well to begin with. This teamwork is a great example of how powerful the MLS works!

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As always, we welcome your calls and invite you to get in touch with us for your personal consultation.

Tips for First-Time Home Buyers

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Guiding You Every Step of the Way

There are so many first-time buyers in the market right now.  According to the National Association of Realtors, from June 2011 to June 2012, 39% of the transactions came from first-time home buyers.  This is a tremendous amount over the previous year. 

What are the challenges for first-time buyers?  There are many and that is why I compiled a guide to purchasing property to help them.  It covers topics such as mortgages, seller disclosures, contracts of sale, and what you need to purchase a home in New Jersey. 

Five years ago, in the middle of housing bust, buyers had a glut of properties to choose from, so there was little competition and a lot of leverage.  Not so today.  The inventory is down and the buyers are out there, so prices will rise.  It’s all about supply and demand.  

If you’re serious about buying, get preapproved by a reputable mortgage professional.  This is an important first step.  At this time the inventory of homes is so low that homes are only on the market for a short period of time, so you don’t want to back track and hope you get preapproved to buy the property you like.  Instead, once you are preapproved, when a home that you’re interested in hits the market, plan to see it as soon as possible and make an offer that’s at an appropriate price point for the seller.  Remember, if you’re not preapproved, you could miss out on the deal.  First things first!

If you can’t find a property in the town you’re looking in, broaden your search.  You can buy in a nearby community without losing the desired quality of life you want.  Also, be flexible and compromise.  And keep in mind that interest rates are still low, but the rates won’t last forever.  These rates have helped make home-buying more affordable. 

If you’re interested in seeing what homes are on the market, give us a call at 908.347. 7798.  Rest assured, you’ll feel “at home” with our team guiding you every step of the way.  We’d be happy to assist you.