Coloring Contest

Sophie and LColoring Contestisa spent last Saturday at Norwood Day, getting to meet lots of our neighbors. We ran a coloring contest inside our booth. Here is the link to the entries  Legal Edge Coloring Contest. The winner will recieve a $25 Visa gift card. We are still waiting for a few more entries to get sent in. Each participant received their very own box of crayons. We were very busy handing out information about buying and selling homes in Norwood, discussing the limited supply of homes on the market and why it is an excellent opportunity for sellers. We were also able to help make some connections for buyers looking for mortgage connections. It was a great day, with fantastic weather.

Visit our facebook page and tell us which one of the pictures is your favorite!

 

Does An Open House Help Sell Your Home?

Legal Edge For Sale Sign

Welcome to the Open House

In the fast paced world of the internet, where everything regarding a potential home purchase can be viewed on line, why would a Seller want to have an open house? Here are a few great reasons why you should schedule an open house.

First, this is a great opportunity to properly clean up and simplify what’s in your home. Just think that for every single item you give away or pack away during the staging process, it is one step closer to the actual move out date and one item less to pack later on. This cleaning process now gives you the best opportunity to showcase your house to the world.

Both scheduling an open house and the for sale sign on your lawn let friends and neighbors know what’s happening. You want them to come in and take a look. What better form of advertising is there then word of mouth? If your neighbors know of friends that are looking to move into the area, they can give them a great incentive to come take a look.

There are many first time home buyers that will want to take a look. If they see what they like, the Buyers will be encouraged to take a second look and schedule a private showing. Or, in some areas where home inventories are still low, offers may be made right on the spot.

At your open house, it’s a great idea to have a booklet with information about the neighborhood, a plot plan or blue prints for the home, a map showing where the local schools are and any local amenities.

Finally, try creating some excitement. By having a short time frame for your open house (for example, one hour only), it brings in all the potential Buyers at the same time. This creates a sense of buzz about the home since many people are viewing it at once. A home that everyone wants, creates better offers.

When you schedule your open house, make sure you take into consideration holidays, sporting events or any local activities that could keep potential Buyers away.

What Are Words Really Worth?

Great descriptions sell your home!

While an amazing picture of your home will catch a Buyer’s eye, the accompanying description must be equally as powerful. The description you create can actually increase of decrease your profitability margin.

Words can be too vague, over used or have become passé and will be a disservice to the listing if used. The goal is to appeal to something specific that the Buyer can connect with. Stay away from the following:

Fantastic = too good to be true

Charming = small and often not updated

Spacious = vast or by removing some furniture the room looks bigger than it is

Great Neighborhood = everyone views a neighborhood differently, what is important to a young family may not be important to couple that is down sizing.

To increase your profitability, use words that reflect Buyer’s needs and wants today. Here are some great examples that Buyers are looking for: state of the art, granite, energy efficient, gourmet, and hardwood.

A great description will not only get Buyers in the door quickly, but it will lead to a quicker seller with higher profits as you have managed to meet today’s expectations.

Should I Stay or Go? info for Sellers

When agents are showing your home to a prospective buyer, sellers often wonder should they stay or should they go? Some reasons sellers want to stay are because they think agents and buyers won’t be able to find everything, that they must be there to point out important features. Truthfully, most just want to be present to see buyer reaction firsthand.

Perhaps You Should Go…

Sellers should be aware that at the very least buyers feel uncomfortable when they are present, and that it can actually kill a sale. Buyers often won’t even open closet or cabinet doors when the seller is home, and when they cannot view a house comfortably, they’ll hurry up and move on to the next one.

Sellers want to talk, and not just about the house. You never know when a buyer will be turned off by the mood of the seller, or by a statement the seller makes. Buyers are there to look at the house, not chit chat about hobbies or the weather or worse–politics and other controversial topics.

If you (the seller) must be home during a showing, perhaps just go outside, take the dog for a walk or stay put in one location, do not wander around with the agent and buyers.