Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

Selling Your Home

The complete guide to selling your Western MA home during a divorce

The complete guide to selling your Western MA home during a divorce will walk you through what you need to know as you traverse this complicated transition.

Having been a REALTOR in Western MA for over 30 years, as well as going through my own divorce, I have experienced and assisted a lot of people through this process. Emotions can get high, but it is my job to be neutral and equitable in order to provide the smoothest transaction possible.

Below is a guide that I created that will give you the basic tips for navigating selling your Western MA during a divorce.

If you are looking for a Western MA REALTOR with empathy, experience and a guiding hand, please reach out:

Lesley Lambert, Western MA REALTOR with Park Square Realty 413-575-3611

The Real Estate Ladies of Western MA | Sellers What Happens After The Offer Is Accepted?

In this video Aimee and I discuss what happens after a Western MA seller accepts an offer. We give the step by step with advice and timelines to help you better navigate your home sale. Often, getting a buyer isn’t the hard part of the transaction: it is keeping the deal together as you navigate things like home inspections, appraisals, coordinating the move and much more!

Take a look at this video for some great advice and tips on how to handle your Western MA home sale after the offer is accepted!

You can reach Aimee and Lesley at: realestateladiesofma@gmail.com or comment on the video.

Aimee Tomkins and Lesley Lambert, Western MA REALTORS with Park Square Realty

5 Reasons to Sell Your Western MA Home Before the Selling Season Picks Up

5 Reasons to Sell Your Western MA Home Before the Selling Season Picks Up

A common thought in real estate is never list your home in the winter off-season. Perpetuated by industry experts, agents and repeat sellers alike, this saying encourages many would-be sellers to wait until the spring peak to list their homes. However, studies show that homes listed in the winter off-season not only sell faster than those in the spring, but sellers also net more above their asking price at this time.1 Don’t wait until spring to sell. If you’ve been thinking of selling your home, here are five compelling reasons to list now.

 

  1. Take advantage of low inventory. Since most sellers are waiting until spring to list, local inventory falls during the off-season. However, there are still motivated buyers who are ready to move now and don’t want to wait that long to purchase a home. According to the National Association of Realtors, 55 percent of all buyers purchased their home at the time they did because “it was just the right time.”2 These eager buyers may flock to your home. You may not need to try as hard to make your home stand out in the sea of other similar homes. With less competition, more buyers, some of whom may have otherwise overlooked your home if you listed during the peak, will express an interest to buy. While you’ll likely have fewer showings in the off-season, buyers who do visit will be more serious about writing an offer. Your home will likely sell faster than it would have during the peak season.

 

  1. Set a higher listing price. Homes sold during the off-season sell at a higher price, on average, than those sold during the spring and summer peak. There are many reasons for this. First, motivated buyers are willing to pay closer to the asking price for a home. Second, homes are more likely to be priced right and reflect the economics of not only the local market, but the neighborhood as well. Often, homes listed during the peak may be priced to compete with other homes in the area and neighborhood. Sellers may be pressured to sell for less than the list price in order to encourage buyers to choose their home out of the others on the market.

 

  1. You’ll receive more attention. While I always strives to give you the personal attention you deserve, when you list during the off-season, I am able to work more closely with you to ensure your home is prepared for its debut on the market. We can also take more time to answer your questions, address your concerns and prepare you and your home for the sale.

 

Additionally, if you’d like to hire a trades person to handle routine maintenance or undertake a minor home renovation before you list, you may be able to take advantage of flexible scheduling and cheaper rates. Many of these professionals experience a winter of-fseason as well, and will be able to focus their time and attention on you and your project.

 

  1. Easier to maintain curb appeal. Curb appeal is intended to attract the buyers who are just driving by as well as those who saw your home online and wanted to see it in-person. It sets the stage for what interested buyers can expect when they step foot in the home during a showing or open house. If you list your home during the peak of the selling season, you may exhaust your time your energy maintaining curb appeal. You’ll likely spend most of your free time mowing the lawn, weeding, trimming shrubs and hedges, planting flowers in pots and in flowerbeds, pulling spent blooms and watering it all to ensure it looks lush and healthy on a daily basis. After all, a lush landscape will attract potential buyers and set your home apart from other similar homes in the area.

 

The off-season eliminates the pressure to maintain a picture-perfect front landscape. Since most grass, shrubs and plants go dormant at this time of year, you’ll have less to maintain. If you live in an area that experiences a traditional winter, your landscape will be covered with snow. Even if you live in a milder climate, you may not have to mow as often, if at all. It’s still important to ensure your exterior appears well-tended, so make sure your walkway and front porch remains free of snow, ice and debris.

 

  1. Tap into the life changes of buyers. Many buyers receive employee raises and bonuses at the end of the year. If they’ve been saving to buy a home, this extra money may allow them to reach their goal for a down payment and put them on the path to becoming a homeowner. Additionally, companies often hire new employees and relocate current ones during the first quarter of the year, creating a strong demand for housing. If you live in an area that’s home to a large company or has a strong corporate presence, this may be the perfect time to list.

 

Thinking of Listing in the Off-season? 3 Things to Do Before You List

Get your home ready to list by following these tips.

 

  1. Schedule maintenance. Buyers, especially first-time buyers, want a home they can move into right away; they don’t want to repair the roof or the furnace or replace windows with blown thermal seals before they move in. Do the scheduled maintenance and make repairs before you list your home for sale.

 

In some cases, it may help to have an inspector do a pre-inspection of your home. A pre-inspection will make you aware of any major, potentially deal-killing, issues that will have to be addressed before you list. It also gives you an idea of minor issues that a potential seller may want repaired. Overall, it helps you to accurately price your home and may protect you from claims a buyer might make later.3

 

  1. Create light. Balance out the lack of natural light outdoors by turning the lights on inside. Since people naturally tend to buy emotionally, turning on the lights helps create a sense of warmth and coziness. Light a fire in the fireplace, if you have one, fill your home with the scents of the season, such as vanilla or fresh baked cookies, and put a throw blanket on your sofa.

 

If you plan to paint the interior of your home before you list, consider an off-white shade to create consistency throughout your home and make the space feel larger and brighter. If you have photos of your garden or the home’s exterior in the spring or summer, display them so interested buyers can get a glimpse of what the home looks like in other seasons..

 

  1. Give your home a thorough cleaning. Cleaning puts your home in its best light. Clean and polish all the horizontal surfaces of your home, including countertops, window sills and baseboards; have the curtains dry cleaned or otherwise laundered; wash windows, glass doors and their tracks; vacuum carpeting and polish all wood surfaces, including the floor.

 

Additionally, this is a great time to pack any personal items and family photos as well as sort through your belongings and donate items you no longer use. This not only eliminates any clutter, but it also gives you less to pack and move when you sell.

 

If you’re thinking of selling, give me a call! I’d love to help you position your home to sell in our market.

Lesley Lambert, Western MA REALTOR with Park Square Realty 413-575-3611 (call or text)

Sources: 1. Time, October 30, 2015

  1. National Association of REALTORS, 2016 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
  2. Forbes, August, 27, 2013

The Top Three Mistakes Homeowners Make When Trying to Sell Their Home…in Western MA and beyond!

15 Irene Dr, Westfield #westernma

If your Western MA home  is currently on the market or you are considering selling your home in Western MA then you may want to know about the biggest home seller mistakes.

Data provided by ActiveRain.com.

#1- Overpricing their home
This is the all time worst thing you can do in the marketing of your home. Home prices should be dictated by recent comparable sales, not pipedreams. You must be realistic or else you will not accomplish your goal of making a move. Home buyers are very well educated on fair market value and if a home is priced beyond the point of reason, they will reject it without even viewing it. Find a reputable Western MA REALTOR that will work hard on researching current home values and work in conjunction with that real estate agent to properly price your Western MA home.

#2- Showing availablity
Selling your home is not about your convenience, it is about the buyer’s availability and schedule. When I am showing homes to buyers, often we are viewing a series of 8 or more homes and have a limited schedule. If you can’t accomodate the buyer’s time constraints, it is likely that the buyer will never view your home and will buy one of the others. Be prepared to find a way to let buyers see your home when they request to see it.

#3- Cluttered space
Staging your Western MA home is a major factor in getting a buyer to submit an offer. When a buyer tours the house they want to be able to assess the space and the structure of the home, not your personal items. Think of your home as a retail space and dress it out like a Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel and you will come out on top.

#4- Unpleasant odors

#5- Seller being unwilling to negotiate

#6- Seller being unwilling to make repairs

If you are considering selling your Western MA home and want some advice on staging, proper pricing or any other real estate question, please call or text anytime:

Lesley Lambert, Western MA REALTOR with Park Square Realty 413-575-3611

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The Truth about the 3.8% Home Sales Tax

Tax
Tax (Photo credit: 401(K) 2012)

Many of you have heard rumors or even read emails that are being circulated that state all home sales will be hit with a 3.8% sales tax after December of 2012. This information is a total mis-characterization of the actual tax that is being charged.

Here is a list of the Top Ten Things to know about the 3.8% Medicare tax:

1- When you add up all of your income from every possible source, and that total is less than $200,000 ($250,000 on a joint tax return), you will not be subject to this tax.

2- The 3.8% tax will never be collected as a transfer tax on real estate of any type, so you’ll never pay this tax at the time that you purchase a home or other investment property.

3- You’ll never pay this tax at settlement when you sell your home or investment property. Any capital gain you realize at settlement is just one component of that year’s gross income.

4- If you sell your principal residence, you will still receive the full benefit of the $250,000 (single tax return)/$500,000 (married filing joint tax return) exclusion on the sale of that home. If your capital gain is greater than these amounts, then you will include any gain above these amounts as income on your Form 1040 tax return. Even then, if your total income (including this taxable portion of gain on your residence) is less than the $200,000/$250,000 amounts, you will not pay this tax. If your total income is more than these amounts, a formula will protect some portion of your investment.

5- The tax applies to other types of investment income, not just real estate. If your income is more than the $200,000/$250,000 amount, then the tax formula will be applied to capital gains, interest income, dividend income and net rents (i.e., rents after expenses).

6- The tax goes into effect in 2013. If you have investment income in 2013, you won’t pay the 3.8% tax until you file your 2013 Form 1040 tax return in 2014. The 3.8% tax for any later year will be paid in the following calendar year when the tax returns are filed.

7- In any particular year, if you have no income from capital gains, rents, interest or dividends, you’ll never pay this tax, even if you have millions of dollars of other types of income.

8- The formula that determines the amount of 3.8% tax due will always protect $200,000 ($250,000 on a joint return) of your income from any burden of the 3.8% tax. For example, if you are single and have a total of $201,000 income, the 3.8% tax would never be imposed on more than $1,000.

9- It’s true that investment income from rents on an investment property could be subject to the 3.8% tax. But: The only rental income that would be included in your gross income and therefore possibly subject to the tax is net rental income: gross rents minus expenses like depreciation, interest, property tax, maintenance and utilities.

10- The tax was enacted along with the health care legislation in 2010. It was added to the package just hours before the final vote and without review. NAR strongly opposed the tax at the time, and remains hopeful that it will not go into effect. The tax will no doubt be debated during the upcoming tax reform debates in 2013.

this information was provided by the National Association of REALTORS

The NAR recently published a video that helps to clear up the confusion, also:

Finally, the guide below will walk you through the tax, what it is and what it is NOT and provides scenarios to help you better understand if you will be impacted. The truth is that only 2-3% of the population should be impacted by this legislation, which is very different than what you may have heard.

I hope these informative tools help you to better understand the truth behind the 3.8% tax and what it really means to most home sellers.

If you are considering selling your home and want to meet to discuss this issue, or any other real estate matter, I am here for you!
Lesley Lambert, Park Square Realty, 413.575.3611

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