Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

Selling Your Home

Selling Your Western MA Home In A Buyer’s Market

Yes, it is a buyer’s market, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t successfully sell your home for fair market value.

Top Ten Tips For Selling Your Home In A Buyer’s Market

  1. Aggressive Pricing.  This is a discussion that we as REALTORS dread in this market, because we know our job is to present the facts and in this type of climate, many seller’s don’t like the facts.  It is important to remember a few things:  your home sale will most probably be subject to an appraisal which is based on the same comparable sales as your real estate agent looks at; your real estate agent is being paid on commission…you can be certain that we are trying to find as much value in your home as possible.
  2. Be The Beauty Queen.  Yes, selling your home is like a pageant.  Your home may have the best of everything, but if it isn’t dressed for sale you may never get the buyer’s in the door.  Take your real estate agent’s input on preparing for sale to heart, we are in the trenches daily and know what today’s fussy buyers want to see.  Fix every small item: dripping faucets, stuck windows, loose doorknobs, etc.  Remove excess “personal” items and trinkets.  PAINT in a neutral color.  Stage the home for sale: if you don’t have the talent for decorating you can hire professional home stagers for reasonable prices. Make it appealing from the curb:  plant flowers, keep the lawn tidy, put away toys and other yard “debris”, paint the front door, sweep the driveway and garage.
  3. Creative Financing.  Be prepared to offer some creative financing incentives.  Today’s buyers are being pinched by the mortgage situation, but they are still busy buying property.  They may ask for help with closing costs or for owner financing.  Plan ahead and decide what you may be able to do for a buyer in advance.
  4. Be Patient. The days of a quick sale are over for most people.  Here in Westfield, MA the average time on market is close to 100 days.  Give your real estate agent the time it takes to find the right buyer for your home.
  5. Flexible Showings. We all have hectic schedules and keeping your home in “ready to show” condition is a royal pain, however, it does pay in the end.  Remember that your buyers are just as busy as you are and they have limited time to see homes…be ready when they are.
  6. Stand Out From The Crowd.  At any given time there are several homes almost like yours in the same price range.  Make your home stand out from the crowd!  Instead of asking $199,900 why not advertise $198,765?  Sure it is gimmicky, but it makes people curious.
  7. Home Warranty. Most companies have the ability to offer you access to purchasing a home warranty for the buyers of your home.  Pricing and coverage varies, but typically speaking it gives the buyer confidence that for the set time of the warranty, they won’t have any unexpected expenses.  Buyers are usually taking all of their savings to buy your home…why not spend some money to give them peace of mind?
  8. Check the Competition. How many other homes like yours are on the market?  How long have they been there?  What features do they have?  Look at all the factors and then price your home competitively.
  9. Make Adjustments.  Even with all the research available, home pricing is a fluctuating property.  Comparable sales are usually months old and the market is adjusting daily at this point.  Be prepared to adjust your asking price.  Discuss a pre-set schedule of price reductions with your real estate agent.
  10. Hire The Right Agent.  Check the listings sold statistics in your area.  Here in Westfield, MA, Park Square Realty is the leader in listings sold.  You want the company with proven results and an agent with energy, experience and a professional approach.

GOOD LUCK!

Does Your Western MA REALTOR do this? 5 Facebook Marketing Tips to Sell Your Home

Did you know that Facebook statistics show they have:

* More than 500 million active users
* 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day
* Average user has 130 friends
* People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook

Perhaps you are even one of these growing numbers!

With this information at hand, doesn’t it make sense that you would want your home for sale presented to this vast audience/pool of prospective buyers?

With that in mind, I have techniques that I use to market the houses I represent for sale in Western MA on Facebook.

#1- My Fanpage has a tab that features my listings

#2- Every home gets a unique web site that has photos, videos, descriptions, open house dates, maps, area information and much more which is posted to my Facebook Fanpage wall

#3- Every property web page has a “Like” button on it. When clicked the property’s web page is pushed through to the users Facebook wall and seen by all of their friends in the newsfeed, allowing more exposure.

#4- Every property’s web page also has a “Share It” option (shown in the picture above) which allows the reader to send the listing to a number of places, including Facebook.

#5- My profile has a tab that features my current listings allowing people who are my friends, but not necessarily subscribers to my real estate fanpage access to view your property.

To meet with me to discuss my innovative internet based marketing plan you can call 413.575.3611 or reach out with this card:

Does your Western MA REALTOR do this?

In today’s tough marketplace it is more important than ever that your home be marketed to the most potential buyers in the strongest format possible.

As a professional real estate agent at Park Square Realty in Westfield, MA 01085 it is my goal to be constantly learning, evolving and creating new marketing strategies for my home sellers. A large part of my marketing plan is internet based. Take a look at my listings and ask yourself, “Does my Western MA REALTOR do this?”

Distressed Home Situation? Don’t Wait Another Minute, Help is Here!

There are many homeowners in Western Massachusetts who for a variety of reasons have fallen behind on their mortgage and are in a distressed home sale situation. Whether it is divorce or job loss or just a need to move, there are lots of people who need to sell their home, but fear that they can’t sell their home for enough to pay off the balance due to the lender.

Oftentimes these folks allow their fear to prevent them from asking for help or making proactive steps to work with their lender on a solution. Here are some tips that can help if you or someone you know is in a distressed home sale situation.

—Don’t ignore the lender’s efforts to contact you. Yes it is difficult to speak with them, open the mail and handle this terrible time, but sticking your head in the sand will not change what is happening. Staying in touch with the lender can help to gain some time that you can use to resolve the issues one way or another.

—-Call in the professionals. A good real estate agent with short sale, foreclosure and distressed sale experience is a priceless asset to you right now. They know what steps need to be taken and will act as your counselor and advocate.

—Speak with an attorney. There are attorneys in the area who specialize in helping with short sales, loan modifications and foreclosure delay. Reach out and ask questions.

—Don’t wait. If you are a candidate for a short sale it can take some time and the lender will not allow the time for you to try to accomplish the sale if it is too close to the foreclosure/auction date is.

This is a scary and stressful thing, there is no way around that fact, but you can move past this time.

Walking away from your mortgage has serious credit impact that is difficult to recover from not to mention the stigma and personal disappointment that foreclosure entails. Loan modifications and short sales can help you to move on and experience a much smaller credit impact.

Reprinted from my Masslive.com blog. See more from that blog here.

QR Code Technology for Real Estate Marketing in Western Massachusetts

Wondering what a QR Code is? Why you need one to help sell your Western Massachusetts home? This video explains how I am using QR Code technology to help home seller’s in Westfield, MA and the surrounding areas find buyers in an innovative way.