Oklahoma City Real Estate News

Everyone has heard rumors of de-cluttering when it's time to sell your home. But, what does that really mean? Before going hog wild and moving out... here's a few of the most important things to consider removing before you list your home for sale.

10. Personal photos. I don't always recommend removing photos of the 'family' but if you have hallways filled with photos or photos on every end table it is probably necessary. Buyers really DO get distracted by them. They will take them all in as they walk down the hall. Not only do they take away from the home, but it's really disturbing when a buyer is excited to 'know' the sellers. And, the buyers do look at them.

9. Bills and personal papers. I understand that you cannot remove these document from the home all together, but please take the time to organize them, box them up and put them out of sight. If you have bills laying out on the counter or kitchen table it's like an invitation for the buyers to 'peek' at them. Believe me - I discourage it - but it still happens. And as a seller you just don't want to leave the temptation behind.

8. Money. I would love to say that every buyer (and Realtor) going through every home is honest, but I really don't want to test those waters. If you have cash, cash boxes or coin jars sitting out in the open... put them away. It's just better for everyone if it's out of sight. As Realtors we do what we can to protect your home, but your help makes a difference!

7. Valuables. Jewelry, watches, valuable antiques.... anything that might be worth a bit of money that you wouldn't want to lose. Out of sight, out of mind. If buyers don't know they are there they won't think about it. I can't tell you how many homes I've been in where the jewelry is left on the dresser.... somehow it's uncomfortable. At least put it away.

6. Guns and ammo. I don't care if they are in a case or out laying around or under a bed. It's better if you just plain old remove them from the home prior to listing. For some reason they make buyers (in my experience) feel really insecure.

5. Shoes! If you have a pile of shoes at the door... ask yourself why. A pile of shoes gives a buyer two impressions. The first? That there isn't enough storage in your home. 2. That there are too many people living in the home. So, in order to avoid wondering on the part of the buyer... just put them away.

4. Medicine. Take it out. Don't store it on the counter. Don't store it in the cabinet. Don't store it in the bathroom. Remove it. There have been many complaints over the years of potential buyers 'stealing' the medicine out of the cabinets. I have never had it happen on my time clock, but to avoid any trouble it's best to simply remove it.

3. All things on your kitchen counter. Everything? Really? Yup. The cleaner you can leave the counter, the more buyers dream of being in there. Have you ever been in a cluttered kitchen? Does it feel inviting? How about a cleaned up kitchen? Does it make you wanna spend time there? Also, if you store things on the counter it gives the appearance that you do not have enough storage space.

2. No more junk drawers. Seriously. Clean 'em out. There is nothing more tacky than a potential buyer opening the cupboards and drawers and having things sticking out everywhere. Box up all the notes, pens, tacks, and odds and ends and put them away. Chances are you don't dig in the drawer often anyways.

1. Nothing but magnets.... and maybe not even that. Take a photo of your fridge, take everything off, wash the front (and side), and take another photo. It is really refreshing to walk into a home that has a clean fridge. The kids pictures are beautiful (believe me... my fridge is covered in them) but buyer's can't imagine their own children's drawing on there if it is covered with yours. And, the magnets... If they aren't decorative (and even then) they are generally more of a distraction to the room than a help. Consider it.

There are many more ways to declutter a home for sale... but these are some important things to consider. For more information on selling your home in Minnesota... give me a call.

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine

Is this really putting your best photo forward?

That main photo you post of your listing on the Internet–you know, the one that always pops up first and often depends if a buyer will click on it to see more–needs to make a great first impression. But in winter, will that exterior property photo really look inviting under gray skies and snowy mounds?

Some experts will argue that you want your main MLS photo to be seasonally appropriate. If it’s fall, you want the exterior photo of the home to reflect fall. If it’s winter, you don’t want a summer photo because buyers will know it’s a stale listing that has been sitting on the market.

But at a time when more properties are sitting on the market for longer periods of time, will buyers overlook the seasonal disconnect?

I decided to break the “rule” when I sold my row home last year. It was January in Chicago–cold, snowy, gray, and bare trees. When my real estate agent said she wanted to take a photo of the exterior, I was hesitant because the home as covered in snow. So I asked her to reconsider using a photo I had taken from the summer, showing the exterior of the home with flowers and landscaping, all cast under a bright blue summer sky.

Other row homes on my block that were also for sale had a seasonally appropriate wintery photo on the MLS. Ours stood out in the mix. We were flooded with showings, and the home sold in a month.

While I hardly credit that main MLS summer photo for selling the home so quickly in winter, I do believe that photo–along with others–helped to generate a more competitive first impression on the Internet that got more buyers in the door. (My real estate agent also used a professional photographer to capture the interior, and we mixed in more exterior photos taken from the summer of the home’s backyard and the neighborhood’s courtyard to have several photos available for viewing online.)

Designer Michelle Molinari, founder of Curb Appeal Concepts and co-owner of Feature This.., a design and staging company, says you want to put your best shot forward on that main MLS photo and if that means using a spring or summer photo during the winter months, do it. After all, she says, when buyers show up on the doorstep, they’ll see the home in the winter–so show them what it looks like during the spring and when the landscaping is in full bloom.

“I really think it does a great injustice using a photo from the winter when buyers can’t see what you’re selling,” Molinari says. “Every shot they see on the MLS may be a snowy photo, and it all starts to look the same. Then if there’s a house that actually shows the house in spring conditions–which one do you think looks better?” Many home owners likely have photos of the exterior of their home or the neighborhood taken from better days, if the listing is a new one.

(You can read some of Molinari’s ideas for generating curb appeal at anytime of year in this month’s REALTOR® Magazine or online: 3 Ways to Get Instant No-Cost Curb Appeal.)

So what do you think: Should you always use a seasonally appropriate exterior photo of a home or does it matter?

Melissa Tracey

By: Dave Toht

Published: September 30, 2009

If you want to make sure your bathroom remodeling project is as green as possible, here’s how to save energy, conserve resources, and protect your budget.

It’s all about the water

Thinking about greening your bathroom means considering how you use water in terms of consumption and energy. According to the American Water Works Association, your humble toilets are the thirstiest water users in the house, accounting for 27% of consumption. This fact inspired conservation schemes like placing something hefty in the toilet tank to reduce flushing capacity, and those low-flow toilets that too often didn’t flush what needed flushing.

A more successful approach is the dual-flush toilet. It has two flush buttons, one for light work, one for heavy. Long a mainstay in Europe, dual-flush toilets are available in the U.S. for $250–$400, a price in line with top-quality conventional toilets. A dual flush toilet can save 17,000 gallons of water a year—about $50 off your water bill. If you wish to keep your old toilet (a very green decision), you can retrofit it with a dual flush mechanism costing only $70.

The shower is another squanderer of water. Showers use 16% to 20% of a home’s water, most of it heated. The flow rate of a typical showerhead is 2.5 gallons per minute. Switching it out with a low-flow head of 1.5 to 2 gallons per minute still offers adequate cleansing power with a substantial savings in water usage. (If you cherish a really forceful blast of hot water, consider a full-flow showerhead with a lever that lets you shut it off while you lather.)

In addition to conserving water, you’ll want to take a close look at the way your water is heated. Second only to the kitchen, the bathroom is your home’s most intensive energy user, with most of that energy going towards those nice hot showers and baths. Curbing wasted energy can be as simple as adding an insulating blanket to your tank-type heater (reducing energy use by 4% to 9%) and insulating all accessible hot water pipes. In addition, most water heaters are set to 140 degrees; you can turn down the water heater temperature setting to a still-toasty 120 degrees and save up to $60 per year on energy costs.

If your old water heater is nearing the end of its 15-year life cycle and you’re considering investing in a new water heater, you can achieve some handsome energy savings. One smart option is a condensing storage water heater. Using technology similar to that of high-efficiency furnaces, the condensing heater puts nearly every possible BTU into the water instead of sending it up the flue. Currently, a 50-gallon gas unit costs $1,700 (versus $380 for a standard tank-type heater), a price that is expected to drop as demand takes hold. Installation costs are around $400, slightly higher than that of standard units. Those higher costs are offset by a $300 tax credit and an EPA estimated annual fuel savings of more than $100.

A tankless water heater heats water only as it is needed, avoiding the heat loss that occurs with a conventional tank. A unit costs about $2,000 installed, and your annual energy savings will be $70 a year. Be aware that these units take some getting used to; expect a shot of cold water before the hot kicks in.

Move that air

A bathroom remodel is an excellent time to consider installing a new exhaust ventilator fan to remove odors, moisture, and mold spores. Many bathroom fans only vent to the space between ceiling joists, creating an environment for mold and dampness that can damage walls and ceilings. Make sure your new fan vents completely to the outside of your house.

Unfortunately, even properly installed fans that push the moist outdoors can carry away a lot of heated air as well. A clever solution to this problem is a heat-exchange ventilator that uses outgoing air to warm the cold incoming air. Such units cost about $250 uninstalled, twice the price of a standard fan. Whatever fan you have, avoid an on-off switch; it’s too easy to forget to turn it off. Replace it with a timer switch or, better yet, buy a new fan unit with a motion- or humidity-sensing switch.

Selecting green materials

A green bathroom remodel need not stint on style. Classic ceramic tile comes in limitless colors and patterns, and is a green choice due to its low maintenance, durability, and low toxicological impact. Some tiles have high recycled content; recycled glass tiles are a lovely way to do the right ecological thing. Not buying something new can be good green idea too. Consider refinishing your old tub or sink. Use the pros for the best results. Expect to pay $500 for a tub, $300 for a sink. You’ll save as much on installation costs.

LED illumination now produces pleasing light quality in fixtures that sip only 2 to 15 watts, emit little heat, and have a life span of 15–20 years. They cost about three times as much as conventional fixtures but use so little electricity that the payback can be as short as a year.

Paint and vinyl coverings often come loaded with VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that threaten indoor air quality. Look for building materials with Green Seal certification. Green Seal is a non-profit, independent organization that certifies products claiming to be environmentally friendly. Low-VOC options in paints and adhesives can be found at your local home center.

Waste not

Much of our landfill (estimates range from 22% to 40%) comes from construction debris. Any steps that reduce landfill potentially reduce the chance of ground water pollution, the odor and unsightliness of a local landfill, and in some cases the high cost of shipping waste elsewhere. Much of the debris that comes from a remodeling tear-out is not salvageable, but old toilets, sinks, light fixtures, medicine cabinets, and vanities can be donated to an organization like Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore. In fact, it may be just what someone is seeking for their own green remodeling.

• You can rent a home and pay rent to a landlord every month for the rest of your life, or
• You can buy a home with cash, or
• You can use mortgage financing to buy a home, and make payments on it over time.

Adding a fresh coat of paint to ceilings and walls is a tried and true way to increase your home’s appeal to buyers. Go for white or neutral tones that help lighten your rooms. (Now is not the time to show off your fascination with fuschia and lime green.) Buyers will have an easier time envisioning how they will infuse their own personalities into your home if they’re looking at a relatively blank slate.

Painting lightens and brightens rooms, instantly removes scuffs and dings and gives every room a fresh, polished feel.

(a) removing your personal belongings and replacing it with more artwork, decor and cleaner-looking furniture,

(b) and tweaking the home’s paint, wall coverings and even landscaping to show the place in its very best light.

• repairs the seller completed themselves,
• repeated repairs to the same home system,
• water and leakage issues, and
• any reports of non-functioning mechanical or other systems in the home.

• repair estimates they offer,
• items that seem like they will have to be completed soon (versus upgrades you can do over the long run)
• items that seem like they might run into big ticket dollar amounts, and
• especially watch for any recommendations that you get a specialist to look at something - some of the largest potential repairs are often dealt with in this way by a general property inspector.

• list your questions and concerns,
• ask the inspector(s) and seller any follow-up questions you have,
• obtain follow-up inspections (including obtaining an extension of your inspection contingency, if needed) and
• obtaining reliable repair estimates.

By G. M. Filisko, contributing writer, HouseLogic

In today’s market, cleaning a house about to be listed isn’t enough to cop a higher sales price. To boost your listing’s appeal, share the free “Pricing and Prep that Sells Your Home” article package from the REALTOR^® Content Resource.

Just two of the tips you’ll find there:

1. Have a home inspection. For $250 to $400, an inspector will warn you about troubles that could make potential buyers balk. Advise clients to make repairs before putting the home on the market. In some states, you may have to disclose what the inspection turns up.

2. Get replacement estimates. If your home inspection uncovers necessary repairs your client can’t fund, get estimates for the work. The figures will help buyers determine if they can afford the home and the repairs. Also hunt down warranties, guarantees, and user manuals for appliances you expect to remain with the house.

For even more free tips on how to use comparable sales in pricing, listing and selling a green home, reducing the sales price, and making a home FHA-friendly—all of which you can use on your Web site, blog, or e-newsletter—head to the September “Pricing and Prep that Sells Your Home” article package at the REALTOR^® Content Resource