Friday, January 6, 2012

Skip, What I Don't Know Can't Hurt Me...Right?


Have you ever asked a question you already knew the answer to? As we ramp up into the new year I am once again reminded how bad surprises can be in the home buying and selling process. It seems to sound the same each time I list a home and ask the owners about the condition of the home: "Our home does not have anything wrong with it...that I know of."  You see, it is not what you know that will turn around and bite you; it is the things that you don't know about that will get you every time.  Knowledge is key here, and how do we get that knowledge? A home inspection!  Yes, I know, the buyers will usually do their own inspection a bit after they write a contract, but do we really want to wait until that point to find out that something really needs to be fixed?  Let's say you have your house listed and you decide to wait on the inspection. Lo and behold, you get a contract and the buyer's home inspection comes back with about $2000 dollars worth of things that need to be fixed...Ouch...deal falls through.  Could this be avoided? YES!  Listen, I know the home selling process can be expensive, so why would you throw out a tool that you could use in your favor in the selling process?  If a buyer is considering two homes, and one of the two homes has a home inspection that the sellers have gone through and done all the necessary repairs according to the report, and the other home does not, which do you think the sellers will favor?  Keep in mind, too, an inspection usually costs less than making a few extra mortgage payments because your contract falls through. Happy selling....

Grace and Peace...





Skip Geiser
(850) 221-6442
SkipGeiser@live.com

The Geiser Team with Main Street Properties

     

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Should I sell in '12?

SOLD

Cutting through the fat in 2012!  Ok, you're on the fence...should I sell in 2012, or wait it out because of doubt?  If you have to sell, then there is no better time than today, but let's just say you are thinking you could wait 'til the later part of the year, or maybe next year, to sell...so what should you do?   We need to look at your goals for selling.  "Wait," you may say, "what do my personal goals have to do with selling our home"?   If your goal, let's just say, is to move your family to a new home by June because of a job change or promotion, then your goals will drive your getting that home sold faster than if you are retired and just want to be closer to the grandkids.  So you need to take your temperature in relation to your motivation to sell.  We need to note here...usually your motivation to sell will help to determine how fast you sell, because your motivation will force you to be more serious about your price. 


Now let's just take a brief look at timing.  The natural "hot" season in our market is from late March to mid October. When you are ready to sell your home, you must have your home "IN" the market when the maximum number of buyers are in the market. This will allow you see the highest price in the shortest time, because you will have more buyers out looking at the peak or hot months.  Please keep in mind you and I have a common goal...get this home sold for the highest price in the shortest period of time.  

So, should you sell in 2012...
The Good: The market is poised to trend up in 2012, and with historically low interest rates, I predict this to be a strong year.      
The Bad: The Stock Market is still struggling abroad and here in the states, and gas prices are looking like they are on the rise, which affects consumer confidence...in turn keeping some buyers off the market this year.  
Grace and Peace...





Skip Geiser
(850) 221-6442
SkipGeiser@live.com

The Geiser Team with Main Street Properties



           

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Listing vs. Selling in 2012!

"Skip, how do I go from having my home listed to getting it sold in 2012?" Wow, am I glad you asked!  I have been working with clients that have been ON the market in the past, but not IN the market. "Wait, Skip, what is the difference between on and in the market?" Being on the market is easy and painless, but being in the market is usually a bit more difficult and painful.  A few years ago, I could look at your homes' value and let you to build in a $5,000 to $10,000 buffer, then expect a buyer to come in and make an offer. Not today...today we have to determine your home's value and put your price right on that value, or maybe just below the true value.  Ouch! I know.  I know this is what you are saying right now, "I am NOT going to give my house away."  or  "I need to get X dollars out of my house".  Well, let's look at it this way...say 3 years ago you bought stock at $103 dollars a share, but today on the open market it is worth $93 dollars a share.  What price do you think someone will pay you for your stock?   $93 right?  But wait, if you say to your stock broker, "Man I really need $105 a share." or "I am NOT going to give it away."  What is he going to say?   The Stock is worth what the open market will pay, just as your home is also worth what it will fetch on the open market today.  "So, Skip, what can I do to get my home sold?"  Well, I hope your sitting down...here it is in a nut shell....PRICE it so it will sell!
"Ouch, Skip, you're hurting me."  Yes, I know it hurts, but you did want me to tell you the truth, and you do want your home to sell, don't you?  Listen, I could candy coat it here, but that would just lead you down a path that would have your home ON the market in 2013, and that is not what you or I want.  I could give you a long list of things like paint the front door, or pressure wash the driveway, but if we don't get the price right, all the other factors will never get the attention of the buyer that went to see another home that was priced right. 

Grace and Peace...

Skip Geiser
(850) 221-6442
www.SkipGeiser.com
SkipGeiser@live.com
The Geiser Team with Main Street Properties