by Kathe Barge | Nov 14, 2022 | Blog, Design, Helpful Tips, Listings, Marketing, Sellers, Selling Conditions
Our home is on the market – is it ok to show it decorated for the holidays?
Decorating for the holidays while your home is on the market is not a bad idea – homes often look their best decorated for the holidays – as long as a few basic guidelines are followed. Briefly stated, when decorating this holiday season, keep your decorations more neutral and reasonably simple.
Start by taking a more minimalist approach. You may have bins and bins of holiday decorations like I do, but when your home is on the market, its best to leave some of those decorations packed away. Choose decorations that have less of a religious theme. Snowmen, evergreen wreaths, poinsettias and nutcrackers, for example, have broad appeal. Be careful that the decorations that you do choose compliment your décor. You may have changed the color scheme in your home since buying your holiday decorations and it’s important that they don’t clash! Don’t over-decorate the exterior of your home either. A few well placed, tasteful strands of lights or an attractive evergreen wreath can add sense of warmth to your home, but keep your inflatables packed up!
If you bring in a tree, make sure it doesn’t overwhelm the room. This year a tall, skinny tree might be the best choice so that the room doesn’t feel small. And of course, consider using decorations to highlight some of your home’s special architectural features, such as using candles to draw attention to an attractive fireplace.
When showings are scheduled, a brewing pot of mulled cider or a plate of freshly baked cookies is not only seasonably appropriate but will go along way toward creating an inviting feel for your buyers. And don’t forget – even if you normally keep your thermostat down, be sure to turn it up for showings so that buyers are comfortably warm!
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by Kathe Barge | Sep 13, 2022 | Blog, For Sale By Owner, Helpful Tips, Home Improvements, Home Staging, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Property Updates, Property Value, Real Estate, Sellers, Selling Conditions
Do we really have to have our home professionally deep cleaned before putting it on the market?
The short answer is yes, but here is why! When we live in our homes, we don’t see the dirt and the grime build up. Even if you have your home cleaned every week, it is impossible for a weekly cleaning to keep up with the little things. And when you want to sell your home, to achieve top dollar, it is important that your home sparkles at the highest possible level. We are no longer in a market where buyers are happy to get any house. We have moved back to a more traditional market and that means that sellers must take the time and incur the expense of a deep cleaning to make sure your home is squeaky clean and showing its very best.
Deep cleans are expensive and when done properly take many days of work. It is unlikely that your weekly housekeeper (if you have one) is going to have the time to clean at this level. Should you choose to take on the task yourself, you will soon see why deep cleans are costly and time consuming. So what is involved? In every room of your home, every surface must be thoroughly cleaned. Light switches and plugs should have all grime completely removed and restored to new, all vent covers (heating, ceiling fans, appliances) must be removed and washed (some may need to be repainted), all lighting fixtures must be carefully cleaned (including removing any glass bowls to clean inside) and should sparkle, all cabinets and drawers should be cleaned inside and out, windows should be washed inside and out including screens and tracks, carpets should be steam cleaned, shower grout needs to be cleaned, mineral build-up should be removed from shower/bath glass and all plumbing fixtures (try CLR and a scrub brush, or Stanley Steamer if the deposits wont budge), fireplaces need to be swept out and scrubbed down (if you burn wood in them, call a chimney sweep for a professional cleaning). All wood work needs to be washed down or repainted as needed to look fresh. Any smudging on walls needs to be cleaned or painted away.
Outside your home be sure that all doors are clean and fresh, that your porch/deck is clean (power wash if needed), that all lighting fixtures sparkle and that all patios and walkways are freshly power washed.
You may of course find it helpful to employ additional service providers, such as a power washer, carpet cleaner and window washer to get the job done right! It’s a big task cleaning up after years of enjoying a home, but it will absolutely pay dividends when you go to sell.
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by Kathe Barge | Aug 15, 2022 | Buyers, Buying Conditions, Helpful Tips, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Property Updates, Property Value, Real Estate
We’re hoping to move in 2023 and are beginning our search online – is there anything we should keep in mind?
The majority of buyers will shop online during their search for a new home, and many will actually begin their search there, like yourselves! The internet has made it incredibly easy for buyers to do preliminary research for a new home. It does have its limitations, however, which is where your expert real estate advisor can fill in the gaps.
Online listings, if managed well by the listing agent, will always look amazing. Wide-angle lenses and professional photographers are employed, as well as photo-editing software and virtual staging, to make a home look as attractive as possible online. It’s worth keeping in mind that pictures may lie – be careful not to screen out potential homes just because the photos aren’t fabulous – rely instead on the wisdom of your agent. If she has listened to your feedback and is familiar with the inventory, she will be your best screen for which homes are better than they appear, and which may be worse.
Online listings also don’t give you much of a sense of location. While google earth may help with some of this, until you actually drive by a property, you may not be able to tell physical lot characteristics that may be a positive or a negative to you. Online listings also can do little to convey a sense of neighborhood or community. Again, that is where your real estate advisor should be able to fill in the picture for you.
Finally, online listings are only as good as the agent who enters the data – there may be information about the property that is not entered into the MLS, either by agent oversight or by simple lack of space, that might make a home more desirable to you. Information such as camera security systems, water softener and purification systems and high-efficiency mechanicals may have real value to you and is rarely listed online. Thus, while online is a great place to start, it’s a great idea to choose your real estate advisor early (and you can also research qualifications on his/her individual website)!
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by Kathe Barge | Jul 19, 2022 | Buyers, Buying Conditions, Helpful Tips, Home Staging, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Property Value, Real Estate, Sellers, Selling Conditions
We plan to move out of our home before we put it on the market. Any thoughts on selling an empty home?
Some homes definitely sell more readily vacant – my last home was one of them – and so I definitely do not dissuade sellers from emptying their homes before selling them, but there are some important tips to keep in mind!
If you are emptying your home, then empty it. Do not leave behind the items you don’t want. Do not leave behind soaps, shampoos, chemicals, lawn fertilizers… Empty is empty. So please plan on a complete clean out. If you need help finding people to help dispose of items, give me a call!
It is critical to be sure that once your home is empty, you bring in a handyman to make sure that everything is in good order. Holes should be patched and touch-up painted, scuffs eliminated, carpets and windows cleaned, all lightbulbs working … When there is no furniture to look at, the condition of the home is all the more important.
Make sure you have a plan for upkeep of your empty home. The yard must be regularly maintained, including weeding, leaf and snow removal. The interior tends to be easier to keep up, but do be sure you arrange for a periodic quick clean. It is also a good idea to hire a neighbor or friend to check your home regularly to make sure that there has been no crisis at your home (such as a broken water pipe).
Be sure to keep your home properly conditioned (warm enough in the winter and cool enough in the summer). I have actually seen mold grow inside a home when sellers do not keep the air conditioning running in warm weather in their vacant homes – this will cost far more to clean up than the air conditioning bill! Finally, consider putting lights on timers so when buyers drive by in the evening, your home does not appear dark and unloved!
Selling a vacant home is not a bad thing, but it is important that you follow these tips to be sure your home is presenting well to prospective buyers!
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by Kathe Barge | Jul 4, 2022 | Buyers, Buying Conditions, Helpful Tips, Home Staging, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Property Updates, Sellers
Is it necessary to neutralize our home to sell it and what exactly does that mean?
If you watch HGTV or read my weekly articles, you likely know how important it is to neutralize your home before you sell. But what exactly does that entail? Paint color is obvious. Your home is far more likely to sell for top dollar if its painted in a neutral color palate. This does not mean your home must be nothing but white. It does, mean, however, that you should remove most strong colors in favor of “colored” neutrals – colors such as harvest beige or light gray. A colorful room or two is fine as long as the color was chosen in the past couple years (trends in color change quickly, but when you live with a color daily and are not in the design business, you probably don’t realize when a color is no longer “in”)
Neutral colors in floor coverings is also key. Colored carpets are extremely difficult to sell. Be careful with ceramic tile –when it goes out of style, it is painfully obvious that you have dated tile and its expensive to replace. However, neutralizing a home goes beyond paint color and floor coverings. Consider the age of your most likely buyer. Buyers these days in their 20s, 30s and 40s as a general rule favor clean lines to florals. If you have floral drapes, silk flower arrangements or large floral prints on your upholstery, this could be a real turn off to a buyer even though these items do not convey with the home. The impression says dated even if the structure itself is not. This is pretty simple to address, however. Pack these things up – you are moving – get a head start. Drapes are great for decorating but unless they are very recently installed, they are unlikely to help your sale – most buyers prefer to see your windows. Slipcover furniture if it’s fabric trends toward yesteryear’s design styles.
Neutralizing also goes to removing personal effects – family photos being the most obvious. And of course, its important to neutralize odor. If you have pets, keep litterboxes perfectly clean and pet beds, blankets and toys frequently laundered. Have a friend double check – you should not be able to tell you have a pet when you enter your home. If you smoke, don’t smoke inside. If you like to cook with spicy food, avoid it while your home is on the market. If musty odors emanate from your basement, run a dehumidifier 24/ 7. If your refrigerator stays with your home, make sure it is clean smells fresh. Whatever the source of odors, remove them — your home should be odor free.
A neutralized home may seem impersonal to you, but try to remember, you are moving! While it may not be your style, it is far more likely to attract a buyer and a good price!
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by Kathe Barge | Oct 20, 2021 | Buying Conditions, Contracts, For Sale By Owner, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Property Value, Sellers, Selling Conditions
We are planning to sell our home but have an opportunity to sell it before it goes into the MLS – what are your thoughts?
Many people often think that it’s a great idea to sell before their home hits the MLS – you certainly save yourself the hassle of having to get your home completely ready for what could be a large number of showings. However, in this market, the multi list is really a sellers best friend for many reasons and I do not advise any seller to sell their home “quietly.”
Many homeowners have been bombarded with love letters this fall letting them know that, should they decide to sell, there is an eager buyer waiting to buy. Any realtor who is actively involved in our market will also likely have at least one buyer for just about every price category out there. All of these people would absolutely love the opportunity to be able to purchase a home without competition from other agents and buyers. But this is highly unlikely to be in a seller’s best interests.
The multi list is a very powerful tool when selling your home. It, and all of the attendant publicity, gives you the opportunity to cast a very wide net for buyers. With the extensive publicity, any serious buyer is going to be highly likely to produce an outstanding offer. They will not waste time trying to decide whether or not your home is the right home for them. You are also far more likely to get a higher offer from multi list exposure as buyers feel the pressure from the market and will produce higher offers to inure they get the home. It is true that some people simply do not need every last dollar out of their home and may be comfortable leaving what could be tens of thousands of dollars on the table in order to get a quick sale, and you may be that benevolent home owner that wants to give somebody a break, but that isn’t most home sellers I speak to. Additionally, without multi list exposure, should you put your home under agreement with a buyer through a “secret sale” you are much more likely to get a long list of inspection requests. Therefore, I highly advise that you select an agent experienced at handling the intricacies of multiple offer situations and get your home in the MLS!
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by Kathe Barge | Sep 7, 2021 | Blog, Buyers, Buying Conditions, Contracts, Inspections, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Mortgage, Property Value, Real Estate, Sellers, Selling Conditions
We hear selling a home can be a trying process. Any annoyances a seller should be expecting?
Below is a short list of many of the “joys” sellers might experience during the listing process. Being aware that these are possibilities will hopefully help you take them in good humor if they happen to you!
- The agent showing your home will miss appointments and not call or show up.
- Appointments will be made and cancelled at the last minute.
- Some showings will last about five minutes and some will last 3 hours.
- There will be a day when I call you and say someone wants to see your house, and you are going to ask me when. And I will say: “Look out your windows, they are sitting outside now”!
- Agents are going to knock on your door or even drive by, see you in the yard and ask if can they see you house.
- Agents showing your home will forget to turn lights off.
- Agents showing your home will let your pets out (best to remove them from your home for showings) or your neighbor’s pet in.
- Agents will provide unhelpful feedback – buyers buy homes when they attach emotionally to a home and when they don’t, their feedback is often nonsensical.
- Agents will not provide any feedback – incredibly annoying, I know.
- Expect lowball offers (at least it is a starting point). If your home has been on the market for more than a month, there is a reasonable chance that you priced it too high – maybe the lowball isn’t as low as you think.
- Things will come up on the inspection that you had no idea were wrong with your home and you will be sure the inspector made a mistake. A pre-inspection is a great way to protect yourself against this!
- The buyer will make ridiculous inspection requests.
- The buyer will ask to bring in contractors for estimates for work they want to do after the closing at the seemingly most inconvenient times.
- The property might not appraise at what you are selling it for. In a hot market like this one, this is a real risk. Be prepared to adjust your price if your sales price is over the listing price and it doesn’t appraise.
- The closing date on the contract may change. Lenders and closing companies remain swamped right now – be open to the possibility of a delay.
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by Kathe Barge | Aug 30, 2021 | Buyers, Buying Conditions, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Mortgage, Property Value, Real Estate, Sellers, Selling Conditions
In your articles you often write “when it is priced right, it will sell.” Our home is on the market, has not sold and we feel it is priced right. Is this maxim always true?
The short answer is that it is not always true. Some homes just take longer to sell than others. If your home is “quirky” in its market, then it may take longer to sell, even if it is priced correctly. By quirky I do not mean dated décor or with deferred maintenance you have not yet completed. What I mean by quirky is, for example, if you are trying to sell a 2 bedroom home in a market that is nearly uniformly 3+ bedroom homes, that could slow down its resale.
However, if your home has been on the market for several months and is under $1.5M and has not sold, it is likely it is overpriced. We have a tremendous backlog of buyers looking for homes in our area. It does take time for buyers to view and assess the possibilities of a home, but certainly not months. As a general rule of thumb we like to say that if a home has had 13 showings with no offer or if it has been well-marketed for 13 weeks without an offer, an adjustment must be made to draw an offer. In this hot market, it should take less time than that! Sellers currently have expectations that the market should yield them tremendous premiums, and 2021 has certainly been the year of increasing prices, but it is overall still grounded in reality. In the end, in this market if your home has not sold in the first month, you are likely aiming too high with your listing price. The three time-tested factors that determine sale-ability of a home are price, condition, and location. Location cannot be changed but does have a big impact on price. In Sewickley, even a block can dramatically impact whether a home sells quickly or not. Condition can be adjusted and I suggest you read some of my prior articles on my Ask Kathe blog at www.kathebarge.com for important information on what buyers expect in today’s market.
The final factor is of course price. Depending on the price range your home is in, even a small adjustment can result in renewed interest in the home. Additionally, if you have received constructive feedback regarding either deferred maintenance of dated décor, you will either need to adjust your condition or your price. In the end, price is the key and if this market is not yielding you an acceptable offer, in all likelihood it comes down to one factor – it is not priced correctly and should be repositioned in the market.
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by Kathe Barge | Jul 21, 2021 | Blog, Buyers, Buying Conditions, Contracts, Home Staging, Inspections, Listings, Marketing, Property Updates, Property Value, Real Estate, Sellers, Sellers-Contracts, Selling Conditions
Our home went under agreement quickly! When we moved in we installed expensive hardware that we really love (door knobs, switch plate covers, towel rods, etc.). We would like to take it with us. Can we substitute other items before we close?
Absolutely not! First of all, with a quick sale you likely got a high price or your home and when a buyer is paying top dollar, it is not appropriate to start pulling things out of your home! Additionally, any item that is affixed to your home with a screw, nail, etc. must convey with your home unless you have specifically excluded it from your agreement of sale. Unless you raise this question during negotiations and your buyer agreed prior to signing the agreement, the items must remain with your home.
About 20 years ago I represented a buyer of a home that was remodeled with high-end Restoration Hardware items – cabinet knobs, towel bars… After we agreed on a price but before closing, we returned to the home to discover that the sellers had removed the expensive Restoration Hardware items and installed baseline builder items from Lowes. This was not what my client had seen when they toured the home and not what they had agreed to purchase. The seller ended up providing a $7000 reduction in the purchase price to make up for the items that had been switched. I’m not sure if the buyer ever replaced the items – what is relevant was that the removal of the high end items made the home less valuable.
If you find yourself heading toward a closing and you are just realizing that there is something affixed to your home that has sentimental value that you forgot to exclude, you can certainly ask your buyer if they would agree to a substitution – most buyers will allow removal of a sentimental item if you replace it with a like value item. Absent buyer consent or upfront exclusion, all affixed items must stay. Items that are occasionally inappropriately removed include: appliances, doorknobs, switch covers, towel bars, curtain rods, mailboxes, attached shelving and TV wall mount brackets. Mirrors that are attached must stay. Those hanging on hooks can be removed if you have to have them (although most buyers do expect them to remain).
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by Kathe Barge | Jun 1, 2021 | Buyers, Buying Conditions, Home Staging, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Property Value, Real Estate, Sellers, Selling Conditions
Is there a preferred style that is more desirable to buyers?
Six months ago, I would have told you that buyers overwhelming preferred the gray and white aesthetic. You know the look. White as the base color for “hardscapes” like tile, countertops and cabinetry with gray as the primary color (and perhaps a few pops of color reflected in easy to change items such as throw pillows).
How times have changed! Today, the answer is – buyers just want a home, and if the home is well-conditioned, they seem to be looking past style and focusing on whether their baseline needs, such as the number of bathrooms, bedrooms and garages are met. Design aesthetic and color schemes have become much less important in this sellers’ market.
The next obvious question then would be does that mean that any home will sell in this market? And the answer is yes, as long as it is properly priced for condition. What we are seeing in this market is some homes are coming on priced as if they were completely remodeled and in perfect condition when they may in fact not be. Buyers are paying seemingly ridiculous prices for many homes on the market. However, the common thread amongst homes that are being snapped up quickly and achieving market high prices are that they are perfectly conditioned and well remodeled or are priced in line with the condition and updates that they do have.
In the end, this is an extremely strong sellers’ market in which sellers are receiving more money for their homes and they would have even six months ago. However, while the prices that are realized may not be a function of the design aesthetic of the home as it perhaps was last year, it is still a function of how recently and fully updated the home is and how pristine the condition is, both mechanically and from a cleanliness perspective.
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by Kathe Barge | May 25, 2021 | Buying Conditions, Home Staging, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Property Updates, Real Estate, Sellers
We are hoping to put our home on the market soon. Any ideas for quick fixes that will help sell it fast?
The easiest and least expensive thing to do when getting your home ready to put on the market is to start packing and decluttering your space. You’re going to have to do this anyhow in order to move and so you might as well get ahead of the game and start before your home goes on the market. Take a few minutes to consider whether you actually want to pay to move the items you are boxing up. If there our items you haven’t used in years (or maybe haven’t even taken out of the box since your last move), this might be a great time to donate them to a local charity. Otherwise, create more space by packing items that do not otherwise add to the “magazine appeal” of your home. If you have room in the basement or garage to make a small neatly piled stack of these boxes, that is OK. If not, or if the stack gets too large, I recommend getting an offsite storage facility. Be sure to put away any particular personal items. These would include religious items, political items and most family pictures.
Once you have the cluttered (and be sure to leave a few items for decorative interest – it should not look like a stripped down shell of a home), take the time to do a deep clean of your home. Even if you have a weekly cleaning, the chances are there are many areas they just don’t have time to clean every week, such as HVAC return air vent covers, bathroom vent fan covers, baseboards, lighting fixtures… Online there are many resources for what not to miss in a deep-clean and this is a great place to start!
This time of year, another inexpensive yet wonderful way to increase the appeal of your home is to add annuals to your landscaping. Pots of well-watered, beautiful and colorful flowers go a long way in making a home feel inviting. Be sure to keep your lawn well mowed, weeds out of your landscaping beds, beds mulched and shrubs nicely trimmed. The outside of your home is visible 24/7 and so it’s important to always keep it looking great. A fresh coat of paint on the front door and surrounding trim is also some thing you will not want to overlook. This is a very simple item to address and yet it is the first thing a buyer sees when they approach your home. It’s very easy for front doors to get tired looking, so take a look at yours and make sure the paint is fresh.
These simple and inexpensive steps will go a long way to adding value to your home!
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by Kathe Barge | May 19, 2021 | Buyers, Buying Conditions, Home Staging, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Property Value, Real Estate, Sellers
We are planning to update the color palette in our home. What are the “in” colors these days?
Gray (and its many shades including greige) have been in-style for so long now that its hard to imagine it ever going out of style. Gray is still quite popular with buyers – homes painted in a gray/greige and white color palette almost universally fly off the market. However, the incoming trend is strongly leaning towards the whites. White comes in so many shades – and even straight out of the can white is quite a nice and refreshing color. In some cases, white is being combined with an accent wall in a gray tone or other neutral, and this can work quite well.
Of course, like any other color, it is critical that you choose the correct shade of white to compliment your trim. It is easy to end up with the walls clashing with the trim if you are not careful! An easy solution is to paint the walls the same color white as your trim! Don’t let the shades of white fool you – there are so many hues of white, and before you paint be sure to look at the undertones in the white to determine which undertone you prefer – a tiny hint of gray? Pink? Green? Unless you use the white straight out of the can, there will always be an undertone.
White is also a very popular base for countertops and tile. Ideally, they are not pure white – most popular are those that use white as the base color and then include other neutrals such as the grays and browns.
Where to start your painting? Strong colors are not currently where the market is, so it’s best to begin repainting the rooms that are currently wallpapered (also not popular with buyers unless the wallpaper is pretty new and very trendy) and rooms that are painted the strongest colors. In an ideal world, you will ultimately create an interior aesthetic that, while every room does not need to be the same, the colors blend nicely together.
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by Kathe Barge | May 10, 2021 | Buyers, Buying Conditions, Home Staging, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Property Value, Real Estate
What are the most popular “must haves” in higher end homes?
The pandemic has certainly shifted the most sought after features on a buyer wish list a bit, and it will be interesting to see how this continues to evolve as we achieve higher percentages of full vaccination and start moving back to “normal.” Right now, pools are at the very top of the wish list for high end buyers. As people have migrated away from larger social scenes and toward family-only or small group events, pools have skyrocketed in their popularity, which is not typical in climates like ours where pools have such a short season.
Other sought-after features in higher end homes include large kitchens. The appliance selection is less critical as long as they are stainless or panel-front. Commercial grade ranges are always a hit, but if the home has a cooktop and double ovens, that will work as well. The brands are less important than the look. White kitchens remain our most popular, but whatever the cabinet color, the trend has definitely swung toward lighter countertops.
A complete wish list would also include a home gym, a home office (two is even better), at least three garage bays (more is better in this case), a large walk-in closet in the owners’ bedroom (two walk-ins are strongly preferred), and a luxury owners bath with large shower, separate free-standing soaking tub and double vanities. Other popular items include upper level laundry rooms, lower level movie rooms, wine cellars and covered outdoor patio spaces (and outdoor kitchens and/or fireplaces). As more boomers enter their retirement years, main level owners’ suites have also become quite popular (and very hard to find in this area).
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by Kathe Barge | Apr 20, 2021 | Blog, Buyers, Buying Conditions, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Property Value, Real Estate, Sellers, Selling Conditions
How exactly do we know what our home is worth?
A home’s value is set by the market. Value is always determined by what a buyer is willing to pay for your home. Many factors come into play in setting that value. Market value reflects quantitative factors such as: # bedrooms, # bathrooms, # garages, placement of garages (attached or integral), lot configuration (large and functional back yard? Cliff lot?), location of the home generally, age of roof, age of mechanicals. Market value also reflects more qualitative items: how updated is your home, and is it all new, or just refreshed? What is the floorplan (open concept?) What are your wall colors? There is always a range that value will land in, which we call the range of reasonable. There is no ONE price at which a home will sell. If there are many buyers seeking a home like yours, it will sell at the top of the range of reasonable. If there are not, it will take longer to sell and may sell a bit lower in the range. What the market does not consider in setting a value of a home is what you need from the home. In 2008, many homeowners had used their homes as ATMs and withdrawn large sums of money for educations, vacations and cars. When the market softened, there was not enough equity for them to be able to sell their homes and not be in a short sale situation. This fact, that a homeowner over-extended themselves on mortgages, is not the least bit relevant to market value. The market is also not going to consider what you plan to do next. If you plan to move to Los Angeles to be closer to family and are finding that the Pittsburgh market is not going to yield you enough to be able to buy in L.A., you will need to turn to other investments to make up any difference.
We are in a very robust market – your home is far more likely to garner more now – whatever that may be – than it could have in the past. Forecasters are also suggesting that values will soften by year end. My crystal ball is out for service, but what I can tell you is that every hot market eventually softens. Waiting out the market so that you can get a price that the market is unprepared to deliver at this time may have you waiting many, many years, and during that time you may need to invest even more in your home in order to deliver to the market what it needs in order to deliver an acceptable sale to you.
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by Kathe Barge | Jan 14, 2021 | Buyers, Buying Conditions, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Property Updates, Property Value, Real Estate, Sellers, Selling Conditions, Sewickley
We’ve been cooped up in our house for nearly a year now with this pandemic and are feeling like it’s time for a change. Your thoughts?
We are in the absolute best sellers market I have seen here in western PA in my 22 years in the business! We have less than one half of the inventory in our MLS right now than we had last year, which was also a historic low. Prices are rising faster than the algorithms that predict price can keep up with. This is fueled in part by historically low interest rates, which we do anticipate will hold through this selling season – but I would not count on 2.5% interest rates being the norm forever. Buyers are able to afford more with these low rates, which is supporting the increasing prices. We are also seeing an influx of coastal buyers – most of these people have a prior connection to our region – many of them are returning “home” to be closer to family. I honestly have lists and lists of buyers seeking a home for their families in our area. So YES! If the pandemic has caused you to reassess your home or your lifestyle, there is no better time to reach out to me than TODAY to discuss the possible sale of your home. Sadly, my crystal ball is out for service so I can’t predict 2022 or forward, but what I can tell you is that now is a great time to be a seller.
The big question is of course where are you going to go? If you have dreamed of moving to a warmer location, now is the time to dive deeper into that dream and make it a reality. If you want to move to be closer to your family in another city, also a great time to make that happen! If you are working in another city remotely and just sticking around Pittsburgh and waiting for the pandemic to end, now is the ideal time to pack up and make that move. If you own multiple homes and aren’t in the Pittsburgh region too often anymore, now is a great time to liquidate your Pittsburgh area housing investment and invest elsewhere. If however you aren’t leaving the area and you don’t own another home to move to (at least temporarily until the housing market changes courses and becomes a buyers market again – and yes, the market ebbs and flows – we will see another buyers market in the future), then we should chat about what options might work for you here in Pittsburgh! Please reach out to me and lets start a conversation about how I can help you achieve the highest possible price for your home and make your real estate dreams a reality!
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by Kathe Barge | Dec 13, 2020 | Buyers, Buying Conditions, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sellers-Contracts, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Now that 2020 is coming to a close, do you have any reflections on the year in real estate?
2020 is a year we will all be happy to see in the rear view mirror, and that day is coming soon! In March, we were all worried that the pandemic would result in a major down turn in real estate, and for a couple of months, the market barely had a pulse. But when we moved out of the “red” zone, the market came crashing back like nothing we have ever seen before. While there was a huge influx in inventory that resulted from the near zero level of new listings in the “at home” months, there was an even larger crush of buyers looking for a new home, and the summer months were plagued with bidding wars at many price points. The lower price ranges saw significant appreciation as buyers vied for an opportunity at an affordable home in our school district, but even the two million dollar market saw more sales than it had in several years. In most years, our market slows down in August, but not this year. As we head toward the holidays, we don’t have the extreme over-supply of buyers that we saw this past summer, but many homes are still selling fast and for top dollar.
As we move into the new year, buyers are getting anxious. We are seeing minimal new inventory (not unusual this time of year) and they are justifiably anxious about whether there will be a nice selection in the spring. Being “stuck” at home, many homeowners have taken the opportunity to fix up the home they live in, and there is a real possibility that more people may be staying put for 2021 and enjoying the fruits of their labors. In the coming months, buyers will need to be prepared to compromise on their must haves and act fast if they see something that meets most of their wish list. And of course sellers, please reach out to me right away if you are thinking of selling this spring. Interest rates are low, prices are up and demand is high – there has never been a better time to sell.
As 2020 comes to a close, I wish you all a fabulous holiday season. It has been my great pleasure to work with so many in our community during this unusual pandemic year and I am looking forward to continuing to do so in 2021, a year we all have high hopes for! The Herald will not be published over the holidays, but you can check out my website, www.AskKathe.com, for continued real estate advice every week!
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by Kathe Barge | Dec 8, 2020 | Buyers, Buying Conditions, Home Staging, Inspections, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Property Updates, Real Estate, Sellers, Selling Conditions
If our home is on the market, how long is it ok to keep our decorations up?
In this incredibly dark time of the year, and even more so in this difficult holiday season as we continue to muddle through this global pandemic, festive holiday décor certainly helps to brighten everyone’s day, so if your home is on the market, it is certainly a good idea to tastefully decorate for the holidays. This year might be the year to embrace an inflatable (maybe a large Santa for example) to bring a little extra levity to the neighborhood! Even if your home is vacant, a seasonal wreath on the front door is a nice touch to welcome guests. We have been unusually busy this fall, so presentation remains important, even when its cold and snowy outside.
Once we start 2021 (and yes, we are all quite eager to put an end to 2020), if your home is on the market, it is important to have your holiday decorations down and stored as quickly as possible, ideally by January 2nd! Our spring market should jump into high gear as soon as we hit mid-January. Buyers themselves will have put the holidays behind them and will enter the new year with a new sense of urgency to find their new home. Once the holiday celebrating has past, decorations quickly look tired, so take them down and store them for another year. If you enjoy door wreaths, that could remain as long as it is more “wintery” and less holiday.
And don’t forget my other wintertime showings tips – lights on for showings, and use the highest acceptable wattage. Keep walks and driveways free of snow and ice. If you’re not going to be out or too long, a fire in the fireplace is also a nice idea. Thermostat at a warm, cozy temperature (Buyers will not embrace a home if it feels chilly). Boot mats by the front door to save your floors.
Enjoy the holidays – stay warm and safe!
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by Kathe Barge | Nov 10, 2020 | Blog, Home Staging, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers
How important do you think it is to have a visual tour as part of marketing a home in today’s home selling environment?
Visual tours are an essential part of every home sale. National Association of Realtor studies show that the majority of all home buyers start their search online, and almost all buyers will ultimately make online shopping a part of their home buying process. So while print media remains an important piece of any marketing campaign, it is critical that your online presence be top notch.
A premier online marketing campaign begins of course with professional quality photos. Wondering how important this really is? Spend an hour perusing the local listings online and check out the difference between the photography of agents who clearly employ a professional and those who do not – those with professional photos really stand out!
Once online, the more time a buyer spends viewing your home, the greater likelihood they will develop an interest in coming to see it. We consider every online viewing the same as an in-person showing – it is the initial visit by which a buyer will give your home a preliminary thumbs up or thumbs down. A visual tour is an important piece of that online viewing – with a visual tour available, a buyer will spend more time considering your home. I personally narrate all of my visual tours, giving the buyer even more information about your home, which will hopefully peak their interest in coming to take a look. Visual tours are also easily shared with friends and family. These days, buyers are eager to know what their most trusted circle thinks – and having a beautifully presented visual tour will make it easy for them to solicit that support.
The internet is a tremendous asset to home sellers when used effectively. Not only does it allow you to cast a wider net and be seen by exponentially more prospective buyers than ever before, but it allows the buyers to make an initial decision about whether your home is a contender, which saves everyone a lot of time. When done well, a visual tour can help put your home on the list of contenders, and ultimately help make it the chosen one!
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by Kathe Barge | Oct 30, 2020 | Blog, Buyers, Home Staging, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Property Value, Sellers, Selling Conditions, Sewickley
Our home is on the market – is it ok to show it decorated for the holidays or should we take it off the market?
Buyers who are shopping during the holidays are some of the most serious buyers we see each year – most people don’t bother spending their precious holiday time looking at homes unless they have a need to buy. So keeping your home on the market over the holidays is generally a good idea!
Decorating for the holidays while your home is on the market is also not a bad idea – homes often look their best decorated for the holidays – as long as a few basic guidelines are followed. Briefly stated, when decorating this holiday season, keep your decorations more neutral and reasonably simple.
Start by taking a more minimalist approach. You may have bins and bins of holiday decorations like I do, but when your home is on the market, its best to leave some of those decorations packed away. Choose decorations that have less of a religious theme. Snowmen, evergreen wreaths, poinsettias and nutcrackers, for example, have broad appeal. Be careful that the decorations that you do choose compliment your décor. You may have changed the color scheme in your home since buying your holiday decorations and it’s important that they don’t clash! Don’t over-decorate the exterior of your home either. A few well placed, tasteful strands of lights or an attractive evergreen wreath can add sense of warmth to your home, but keep your inflatables packed up!
If you bring in a tree, make sure it doesn’t overwhelm the room. This year a tall, skinny tree might be the best choice so that the room doesn’t feel small. And of course, consider using decorations to highlight some of your home’s special architectural features, such as using candles to draw attention to an attractive fireplace.
When showings are scheduled, a brewing pot of mulled cider or a plate of freshly baked cookies is not only seasonably appropriate but will go a long way toward creating an inviting feel for your buyers. And don’t forget – even if you normally keep your thermostat down, be sure to turn it up for showings so that buyers are comfortably warm!
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by Kathe Barge | Oct 26, 2020 | Blog, Buyers, Buying Conditions, Home Staging, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Property Value, Schools, Sellers, Selling Conditions
I’ve heard a lot about having my home professionally staged – I think my home is well decorated – is it something I need to do?
Home staging is more about marketing a home and less about interior design. Your home could be beautifully decorated and poorly staged. The distinction is critical if your main focus is getting your home sold. Interior design is often about creating a home that reflects you personally and showcases your personal effects. Home staging is about decluttering, neutralizing and showing off your home’s best qualities. It is after all, your home that you are selling, and not your stuff!
Home staging consultations generally cost less than $400 and are well worth the investment when you consider the size of the asset you are selling and your hoped for gains. Home stagers often stage hundreds of homes each year and are very familiar with how to tweak a home to make it as appealing as possible to today’s buyers. We’ve all heard stories about home sellers in California who pack their entire homes up and bring in a new home of rented furniture to stage the home to sell. Home staging does not have to involve renting expensive furniture. It is sometimes an excellent idea however—if you bought your “dream home” and didn’t have time to furnish it with furniture appropriate to the home’s value, for example, renting furniture is likely a sound investment and will give the home the feeling that it is of a higher caliber. Most of the time, however, a home stager will work with what you have, although some of it may find its way into storage for the duration!
Offended at the concept of stripping your decorating from your home? It is important to keep your end goal in mind – you are moving. This is not about impressing your friends. It’s about showcasing your home so that prospective buyers appreciate all that it has to offer. A home’s positive attributes are often missed buyers when they are too busy focusing on your stuff. Whether they like your stuff or not, you want them admiring your home – not what you have in it. Home staging is designed to make your home – that which you intend to leave behind – sparkle – a stager eliminates, rearranges and augments to enhance the impression buyers have of your home. So yes, no matter how beautiful your décor, I strongly recommend a home stager, and working with your agent as you implement what she recommends!
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by Kathe Barge | Oct 20, 2020 | Blog, Buyers, Buying Conditions, For Sale By Owner, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Property Value, Real Estate, Schools, Sellers, Selling Conditions, Sewickley
Do you think living in a top ten school district adds value to our homes?
Absolutely! There is no doubt in my mind that living in the Quaker Valley School District, ranked in the top ten in Western Pennsylvania, adds both value and sale-ability to our homes. We are fortunate to live in a district with well state-of-the-art elementary and middle schools and a hard-working board that continue to work to keep the caliber of our schools at a very high level.
How do these impressive rankings translate into more money for you? Families moving into Pittsburgh have been a significant force behind our home sales for decades. Buyers with children almost universally start their home search considering school districts. Our school district not only offers top numbers, but it is small and can afford more personal interactions between families and faculty. This personal touch makes Quaker Valley both unique and a highly sought-after school district for people moving to Pittsburgh.
Relocation buyers are not our only customers. We see dozens of home sales each year to families living in other Pittsburgh communities where the school districts are not as acclaimed looking to improve the educational opportunities for their children. Pittsburgh neighborhoods that seemed fun and exciting to DINKS give way to sensible communities with outstanding schools like Quaker Valley once kids come along.
And yet we are a small community, with limited housing options. As our educational performance continues to shine, living in Quaker Valley continues to be a strong draw for buyers coming from both near and far, and yet we only have so many places to house these buyers. The increased demand for housing in the District has continued to push our housing prices up, and that has become particularly evident in some of our more affordable price brackets, which are feeling less affordable each year.
So yes, absolutely – living in such a highly acclaimed school district is a very important component of housing value and driving more and more families to explore the possibility of living here. Despite our new construction, the very limited nature of our housing inventory, when combined with the strong demand resulting from the excellent reputation our school district has maintained, is continuing to put strong upward pressure on our housing values.
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by Kathe Barge | Oct 9, 2020 | Blog, Home Staging, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley
Now that fall is here, do you have any tips for presenting our home well in the fall market?
Fall can be such a wonderful season here in Pittsburgh, but sometimes sellers forget that they need to take a fresh look at their home to make sure it is still presenting at its best as summer ends. Start with your yard. It’s the first thing a buyer sees! Make sure you have trimmed away all of Summer’s dead blooms and that your garden beds are looking ready for their long winter’s nap. Put down fall fertilizer so your yard looks great again this coming spring! Be sure to give your lawn its final mow, and as we move into fall, keep your leaves raked!
Don’t forget to keep your gutters clean – if your home is actively on the market, you may need to do it more than once – you don’t want a buyer to see clogged gutters and mini-trees emerging! Give porches and patios a final thorough cleaning. If your windows aren’t really clean, get that done too – as we go into our grayer time of the year, its really important to get as much sunshine inside as possible!
Inside, check all of your lightbulbs and make sure they are all at the maximum possible wattage and in good working order. As days grow shorter, it will be important for your home to be bright and cheerful inside. Clean out your garage. You will need it once snow flies, and you won’t want to be out there in 30 degree weather! Be sure that if you choose seasonal decorations like mums or wreaths, that you remember to rotate them as we move through the season so that you reflect the current season!
And of course, if you know now that you want to list in the coming Spring season, which kicks off in January, give me a call now so we can get photography done while there are still leaves on the trees!
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by Kathe Barge | Sep 23, 2020 | Blog, Buyers, Contracts, Listings, Marketing, Sellers
We have been waiting for a while for some new homes to come on the market –are you anticipating more listings soon?
It has in fact been a very active summer season and it sure does feel like inventory is very low. In fact, we currently have ONLY 82 listings available for sale in the Quaker Valley School District – in most years that number would be approximately 200! So when we say that we need listings, we mean it!
Yes, we do expect that there will be more homes coming on the market in the new year. While March & April tend to be our largest listing months every year, we have had a few introductions recently and as a general rule they have flown off the market. We have a tremendous amount of pent up demand. There are dozens of buyers in every price range sitting on the fence waiting for their “perfect” listing. If you are one of those buyers, you should expect that you will have some stiff competition as we are seeing bidding wars with multiple offers in many price ranges. So make sure you have your financing in order and be prepared to move quickly if you see something that looks like it could work.
If you are one of the many Village dreamers we have out there, start thinking now about what compromises you might be willing to make to get a home. As Pittsburgh grows, our inventory is not keeping up with housing demands and we will continue to see a tighter and tighter housing market and increasing prices. Compromise will be necessary to even get into a home here.
Finally, if you are thinking of selling your home, I have said it many times before, but PLEASE reach out to me! I offer completely confidential consultations and strategic plans to maximize your returns, with a nearly 22-year proven track record. There is no better time to be selling your home!
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by Kathe Barge | Mar 26, 2019 | Blog, Buyers, Listings, Marketing, Sellers
We are ready to put our home on the market but are private people and would prefer not to have the home in the MLS. Could you just show it if you hear of a prospective buyer?
I may be repeating myself here, but in this hot spring market, it really is an important message. There is simply nothing more powerful for driving in a high offer for your home than listing it with a real estate agent who is fully engaged in the marketing and selling of your home! Yes, you did ask a realtor, so you probably expected that answer, but here’s why.
First, Sewickley loves a secret sale. Everyone loves knowing what no one else knows yet, and buyers feel really special if they get the first chance at your home. But that secret sale is unlikely to drive in your best offer. What credibility do you as a seller have for pricing your own home? All homeowners love their homes and most feel they are worth more than the comparable sales. A real estate agent with a proven track record for pricing homes correctly is going to add an air of credibility to your asking price.
Buyers at secret sales will also automatically go for the “you don’t have a realtor” discount. In other words, you are saving nothing by not listing your home with an agent – the buyers will discount their offer to you based on what they think you would have spent in commissions. So your net will be the same (at best) as if you did have a realtor and yet you don’t have an advocate on your side helping you through all of the tricky scenarios that come up in selling a home.
Secret sales are also just that – they are not publicized city wide. There could be a buyer in the South Hills waiting for a home like yours and without a full market press, they will probably never find your home and may buy another, frustrated that “nothing” is on the market.
But most important of all – buyers at secret sales don’t feel the market pressure that a real estate agent can bring to your home. If there is a potentially interested buyer and they see your home marketed absolutely everywhere, they will assume that there are many other buyers out there and they are more likely to succumb to the pressure of the market and perceived competition and pay you more. If it is a secret sale, they can take their time, think carefully, and ultimately will either talk themselves out of buying altogether or talk themselves down in price. Neither is a good answer for you.
So don’t take any chances – if you are serious about selling, list your home with an experienced full time agent and engage the power of our larger market to drive in your best deal. Give me a call today and we can develop a strategy that is tailored to your specific needs and goals!
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by Kathe Barge | Dec 5, 2018 | Blog, Buyers, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers
We’re hoping to move in the New Year and are beginning our search online – is there anything we should keep in mind?
The majority of buyers will shop online during their search for a new home, and many will actually begin their search there, like yourselves! The real estate industry has come such a long way in the 20 years since I started in this business. Back in what feels like a different century (perhaps because it was), we used bulky multilist books that were delivered every other week to find homes for our clients. Now you can access the entire nation’s real estate inventory on national websites such as realtor.com in the comfort of your own home!
The internet has made it incredibly easy for buyers to do some preliminary research for a new home. It does have its limitations, however, which is where your expert real estate agent can fill in the gaps.
Online listings, if managed well by the listing agent, will always look amazing. Wide-angle lenses and professional photographers are employed, as well as photo-editing software and virtual staging, to make a home look as attractive as possible online. It’s worth keeping in mind that pictures may lie – be careful not to screen out potential homes just because the photos aren’t fabulous – rely instead on the wisdom of your agent. If she has listened to your feedback and is familiar with the inventory, she will be your best screen for which homes are better than they appear, and which may be worse.
Online listings also don’t give you much of a sense of location. While google earth may help with some of this, until you actually drive by a property, you may not be able to tell physical lot characteristics that may be a positive or a negative to you. Online listings also can do little to convey a sense of neighborhood or community. Again, that is where your real estate professional should be able to fill in the picture for you.
Finally, online listings are only as good as the agent who enters the data – there may be information about the property that is not entered into the MLS, either by agent oversight or by simple lack of space, that might make a home more desirable to you. Information such as camera security systems, water softener and purification systems and high-efficiency mechanicals may have real value to you and is rarely listed online.
Online shopping is a great way to familiarize yourself with the market, but connecting with a Realtor who is an expert in the area of interest to you is your best course of action once your curiosity grows more serious.
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by Kathe Barge | Oct 22, 2018 | Blog, Home Staging, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley
Is it necessary to neutralize our home to sell it and what exactly does that mean?
If you watch HGTV or read my weekly articles, you likely know how important it is to neutralize your home before you sell. But what exactly does that entail? Paint color is obvious. Your home is far more likely to sell for top dollar if its painted in a neutral color palate. This does not mean your home must be nothing but white. It does, mean, however, that you should remove most strong colors in favor of “colored” neutrals – colors such as harvest beige or light gray. A colorful room or two is fine as long as the color was chosen in the past couple years (trends in color change quickly, but when you live with a color daily and are not in the design business, you probably don’t realize when a color is no longer “in”)
Neutral colors in floor coverings is also key. Colored carpets are extremely difficult to sell. Be careful with ceramic tile –when it goes out of style, it is painfully obvious that you have dated tile and its expensive to replace. However, neutralizing a home goes beyond paint color and floor coverings. Consider the age of your most likely buyer. Buyers these days in their 20s, 30s and 40s as a general rule favor clean lines to florals. If you have floral drapes, silk flower arrangements or large floral prints on your upholstery, this could be a real turn off to a buyer even though these items do not convey with the home. The impression says dated even if the structure itself is not. This is pretty simple to address, however. Pack these things up – you are moving – get a head start. Drapes are great for decorating but unless they are very recently installed, they are unlikely to help your sale – most buyers prefer to see your windows. Slipcover furniture if it’s fabric trends toward yesteryear’s design styles.
Neutralizing also goes to removing personal effects – family photos being the most obvious. And of course, its important to neutralize odor. If you have pets, keep litterboxes perfectly clean and pet beds, blankets and toys frequently laundered. Have a friend double check – you should not be able to tell you have a pet when you enter your home. If you smoke, don’t smoke inside. If you like to cook with spicy food, avoid it while your home is on the market. If musty odors emanate from your basement, run a dehumidifier 24/ 7. If your refrigerator stays with your home, make sure it is clean smells fresh
A neutralized home may seem impersonal to you, but try to remember, you are moving! While it may not be your style, it is far more likely to attract a buyer and a good price!
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by Kathe Barge | Sep 12, 2018 | Blog, Home Staging, Marketing, Real Estate
We are thinking about selling the home we have lived in for more than 20 years but it seems like such a daunting task. Do you have any advice?
If you are like most people who live in their homes for multiple decades, you have undoubtedly collected a lot of treasured memories in the form of physical objects. Your son’s first “big boy bed,” your daughters first bike. The furniture from your first apartment that you saved, certain one of your children would want it some day. Whatever it is, a move to a smaller home means that you are going to have to part with much of what you have collected.
For starters, you need to give some thought to how much you will be downsizing. If you are planning to move from a 4000 SF home to a 1500 SF condo, you have a lot of clean-out to do. If you are moving from 3800SF to 3000SF, you will not need to dispose of as much. I do recommend that you start your clean-out right away. Your home will show much better if it is emptied of your “collections” and presents in a more minimalist way.
If you need help, a professional home organizer is your best first step. An organizer can help you break down the process into manageable pieces and formulate a plan for the coming months. You should anticipate that the process will take several months, maybe even a year. Whether you use a professional or not, you should review all of your belongings to determine what you really NEED for your next adventure, and discard the rest. If you have items that hold treasured memories, consider photographing them and creating a “Memories” book on a website such as winkflash where your memories of these items can be compactly stored in a photo book.
Even if your move is years away, now is a good time to get started on those areas of your home that you don’t regularly use anymore, such as adult children’s rooms. Pack up their favorite things in Rubbermaid bins that you can easily send to their new residences someday and re-home the rest!
For all of your “no longer needed” items, there are so many wonderful charities that will take them, and in addition to getting a home ready to sell and easily moved, you will get a tax deduction as well for your benevolence! If you need help finding these organizations , or a professional organizer to get you started, feel free to give me a call!
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by Kathe Barge | Aug 10, 2017 | Blog, Buyers, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley
In your May 11th article your Tip #12 was “when it is priced right, it will sell.” Our home is on the market, has not sold and we feel it is priced right. Is this maxim always true?
The short answer is that it is not always true. Some homes just take longer to sell than others. If your home is “quirky” in its market, then it may take longer to sell, even if it is priced correctly. By quirky I do not mean dated décor or with deferred maintenance you have not yet completed. What I mean by quirky is, for example, if you are trying to sell a 2 bedroom home in a market that is nearly uniformly 3+ bedroom homes, that could slow down its resale. In Sewickley, if you have a home “up the hill” it will always take longer to sell than the same home in the Village or the same home in the North Allegheny School District. When buyers think Sewickley the overwhelming majority think “Village” and it takes longer for them to discover and understand the value of living “up the hill.”
However, if your home is located in the Village, has been on the market for several months and is under $1.5M and has not sold, it is likely it is overpriced. We have a tremendous backlog of buyers looking for homes in the Village. It does take time for buyers to view and assess the possibilities of a home, but certainly not months. As a general rule of thumb we like to say that if a home has had 13 showings with no offer or if it has been well-marketed for 13 weeks without an offer, an adjustment must be made to draw an offer. The three time-tested factors that determine sale-ability of a home are price, condition, and location. Location cannot be changed but does have a big impact on price. In Sewickley, even a block can dramatically impact whether a home sells quickly or not. Condition can be adjusted and I suggest you read some of my prior articles on my Ask Kathe blog at www.kathebarge.com for important information on what buyers expect in today’s market.
The final factor is of course price. Depending on the price range your home is in, even a small adjustment can result in renewed interest in the home. Additionally, it is important to consider where your competition is priced and selling, and this is a continually moving factor. Other home owners may underprice to be “the chosen one” and you may be faced with the choice of either reducing to match their price or understanding that theirs will likely sell first. Additionally, if you have received constructive feedback regarding either deferred maintenance of dated décor, you will either need too adjust your condition or your price.
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As an Associate Broker at HOWARD HANNA REAL ESTATE SERVICES, Kathe Barge, CRS, ABR, CNE, is ready to answer any questions you may have regarding your real estate needs. Feel free to contact her at the office (412) 741-2200 x238, or on her mobile phone (412) 779-6060.
by Kathe Barge | Jul 6, 2017 | Blog, Buyers, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sewickley
Why don’t realtors use plain language to advertise their listings? How are we to be able to translate what they write so that we know what a home really has to offer?
The first step in selling a home is marketing that home, and sometimes the brutal truth is just not going to attract a buyer. We figure that if we can at least get you to explore the possibilities, that there is a chance of a sale. “Cozy” sounds much more appealing than “small”, “motivated seller” is less alarming than “the seller needs a sale now” and “awaits your vision” is far more intriguing than “this place needs a complete overhaul.” I’ve included a translation guide to some of our more popular phrases to aid you in understanding “realtor-speak” as you peruse our listings!
- Complete Renovation: the home has had a top to bottom overhaul and nearly everything is new within the past few years
- Mature Landscaping: large trees, but it could border on overgrown
- Secluded: there is no one anywhere to be found
- Historic: old, with windows that don’t open, don’t stay open, don’t shut or don’t lock
- Original: everything is at least 50 years old
- Investment Opportunity: you’re going to need to gut this one to the studs
- Needs TLC – another complete rehab needed
- Custom Window Treatments: early 90s, expensive, teal or rose colored draperies
- Must see Inside: zero curb appeal
- Bonus Room – no one knows what to do with this space
- One Car Garage – you might get your Suburban in, but forget about opening the doors once inside
- Up & Coming Neighborhood – this home is next to the train tracks
- Desirable Neighborhood – you’ll be paying more for this house because people love the neighborhood
- As Is – inspect before making your offer – the seller won’t be fixing anything
- Unique – you might have a hard time reselling this one
- Close to the Village – a 10 minute drive by car
- Walk to Village Shops – might be possible, but who has time?
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by Kathe Barge | May 11, 2017 | Blog, Buyers, Listings, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers
You give a lot of advice each week – any way to sum it up quickly for those of us who need the Reader’s Digest version?
I recently came across a posting on one of my favorite Facebook pages that I shared on my Facebook business page (Kathe Barge Howard Hanna Sewickley) that I think does an outstanding job doing just that for sellers! Quoted from The Lighter Side of Real Estate, the following are words to live by if you are selling a home, presented in a brief, easily remembered format:
“Twelve Things You Should Know About Real Estate:
- A Home is Worth What a Buyer is Willing to Pay
- Updates May Not Increase the Value, But They Increase the Chances of Getting it Sold
- Cleanliness is Godliness
- Curb Appeal is the First (and Strongest) Impression
- Pet Odor and Clutter Leave the Longest Lasting Impressions
- Neutral Paint and Décor Will Always Appeal to the Masses
- Cheap Fixes or Updates Will Result in a Cheap (Low) Offer
- Everything is Negotiable
- Time is of the Essence
- Location Location Location
- Buyers Notice Things They Want to Change Before They Notice Any Updates
- When Priced Right It Will Sell”
Keep these principles in mind and apply them when selling your home and its sure to be a success!
As an Associate Broker at
HOWARD HANNA REAL ESTATE SERVICES,
Kathe Barge, CRS, ABR, CNE, is ready to answer any
questions you may have regarding your real estate needs.
Feel free to contact her at the office (412) 741-2200 x238,
or on her mobile phone (412) 779-6060.
You give a lot of advice each week – any way to sum it up quickly for those of us who need the Reader’s Digest version?
I recently came across a posting on one of my favorite Facebook pages that I shared on my Facebook business page (Kathe Barge Howard Hanna Sewickley) that I think does an outstanding job doing just that for sellers! Quoted from The Lighter Side of Real Estate, the following are words to live by if you are selling a home, presented in a brief, easily remembered format:
“Twelve Things You Should Know About Real Estate:
- A Home is Worth What a Buyer is Willing to Pay
- Updates May Not Increase the Value, But They Increase the Chances of Getting it Sold
- Cleanliness is Godliness
- Curb Appeal is the First (and Strongest) Impression
- Pet Odor and Clutter Leave the Longest Lasting Impressions
- Neutral Paint and Décor Will Always Appeal to the Masses
- Cheap Fixes or Updates Will Result in a Cheap (Low) Offer
- Everything is Negotiable
- Time is of the Essence
- Location Location Location
- Buyers Notice Things They Want to Change Before They Notice Any Updates
- When Priced Right It Will Sell”
Keep these principles in mind and apply them when selling your home and its sure to be a success!
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by Kathe Barge | Nov 23, 2016 | Blog, Home Staging, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
The holidays are here and our home is on the market – any tips for selling during the holidays?
The holidays can be a challenging time to sell your home – the number of people looking for a home is much lower than almost any other time of year. But those who do look around the holidays are usually very serious buyers and so it is worth making sure that your home presents as well as possible.
Start with a good fall cleanup! It’s definitely time to put your yard to bed! Make sure your yard is well raked and all dead plants removed. Curb appeal is even more important in colder months when the landscaping is less lush and appealing to a buyer. Make sure gutters are cleaned and everything outside is looking crisp.
Make sure you keep your thermostat up for showings – walking into a cold house for a showing can be a real turn-off. Warmer homes will cause buyers to linger when its cold outside – which will allow them time to admire your home’s wonderful amenities. And of course, with as gray as Pittsburgh can be in the winter, be sure all of your lights are on for showings (and that you have working lightbulbs in all of the lights). Its also a good idea to put a few lights on timers if you are away so the home always looks cheerful from the street.
Holiday decorations always add cheer to a home, but be careful not to overdo it! Keep your decorations this year on the more minimal side, and try to avoid religious themed decorations. Be sure that you de-clutter BEFORE you decorate and also be sure that your decorations coordinate well with your décor scheme. And of course, avoid large inflatables in your yard!
Finally, don’t forget that if it snows, you must keep your driveway and walk clear of snow so that the buyers can easily get inside
by Kathe Barge | Nov 17, 2016 | Blog, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Do you have any thoughts as to how the election will affect our housing market?
That is the million dollar question these days!
The quick answer: in the long run, I don’t expect it will have any effect. Real estate is very local. What happens in one part of the country often has nothing to do with what happens elsewhere. Pittsburgh tends to be a more cautious market. Our prices don’t escalate quickly and they also didn’t plummet after the recession. We have seen a very slow and steady upswing in our prices and I expect that to continue – because it is slow and steady, as Pittsburgh has always been.
Our sales have, however, came to a near standstill in recent weeks. But the elections are over and we have a new President elect – so where does that leave us?
When it comes to the real estate market, it really doesn’t matter who you voted for or what you think of the election results – it is common when there is an anticipated change in leadership for our real estate market to slow down. And so I expect, as has happened in prior leadership change years, that our real estate sales will be very slow from now until after Inauguration Day. Cautious Pittsburghers will be interested to see who is chosen to fill cabinet positions and what plans are laid out for the coming years. Home purchases are a big event in most people’s lives and they will want a greater sense of certainty before they make a big change like a new home. And then I fully expect, as has been the case with other elections, that normalcy will return to our market.
Because I expect the next three months to be slow in real estate sales, I do expect that will lead to a pent up demand and a strong spring market. If you are thinking of selling, now is the perfect time to put together a plan for selling your house this spring. The election is over and you can be certain one thing will not change – I will still be here selling houses for you!
by Kathe Barge | Oct 6, 2016 | Blog, Buyers, Inspections, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
We have our home listed with another agent and are unhappy with the service we are receiving. We can’t help but wonder what process we should have gone through to find the right agent. Any ideas?
When choosing a Realtor, it’s important to do more research than asking a colleague, friend or service provider who they would recommend. I often help my clients find an agent in the new city they are moving to, and I start online.
First, I look for agents who do a lot of business in the area my client is moving to. How many listings does the agent have? I look at her sold listings on Zillow and see how many she has sold, both in the area and in the price range my clients will be buying into to make sure she has the experience they will need.
I then look at her individual website for her certifications and qualifications. These credentials require extensive commitment to training by the agent, and training means the agent is best equipped to achieve the very best result for you. Much of this training requires years of dedication to learning and excellence. All agents are not brokers, for example. An Associate Broker’s license takes a minimum of three years commitment to additional learning and hands on experience. If you are buying or selling a Signature home, there is an even higher level of training available to an agents such as Distinctive Homes Specialist. Christie’s Great Estates Specialist. These programs add yet another level of skill and expertise to an agent’s repertoire.
I like to say “a monkey can stick a sign in your yard.” It takes years of training and experience though to sell real estate while making it look smooth and easy. By earning credentials, we learn how to price optimally, how to market strategically, how to use the latest technology for your benefit, the complex ins and outs of our lengthy Agreement of Sale (the intricacies of which are just waiting to ensnare the inexperienced), how to negotiate for success, how to navigate the rough seas of inspections and how to close on time. Every one of these skills inures directly to your benefit and your bottom line.
I also look to see how developed her website is (is it more than a simple blurb) and how many reviews/ quality of reviews she has on Zillow. This gives a sense of how committed the agent is to the business.
Finally, I interview the prospective agents to determine marketing plans, detailed knowledge of the area and their personal market statistics. So take the time – get to know our credentials – and make an educated decision when choosing your next real estate agent.
by Kathe Barge | Sep 8, 2016 | Blog, Buyers, Inspections, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
We want to downsize but are not sure how to go about that process – do we buy our new home first or sell our current one first?
Your question touches on one of the trickiest scenarios in real estate – sell first or buy first? The answer is different depending on an individual’s circumstances. Buying first is usually the best choice – you can take your time finding the perfect next house. And you can move out of your current home before listing it for sale, which will allow you to stage and present the home without clutter and without the hassle of having to tidy up for showings. However, buying first requires a few things. You must qualify to own two homes at once. You must have a down payment for your new home in a savings account, or an existing home equity line in place on your current home that will allow you to pull out the cash you need for a down payment. And you must be okay with the concept that you may be carrying two homes for an undefined amount of time.
If you do not qualify to own two homes at one time, do not have the required down payment for the new home, or are just too nervous about owning two homes for an undefined amount of time, then your only option is to sell first. It’s a good idea before putting your home on the market to get pre-approved for your new home purchase (you want to be sure you qualify before selling yourself out of your existing home) and to start looking online for new home possibilities. When you get an offer, you may need to act quickly. The buyer for your home is unlikely to be able to wait for you to figure out what you are going to do next. If you need to wait to figure that out, you may lose the buyer. Additionally, to purchase a new home, that seller is likely going to expect that you have already moved through inspections on your current home and have a solid deal. Therefore, you will want to agree to a longer closing date on your current home to give you time to get through the inspection negotiations and select a new home. Of course, there is always the option of renting if you cant find the right home!
It is tricky, but with proper strategic guidance it can be accomplished smoothly and successfully.
by Kathe Barge | Sep 1, 2016 | Blog, Contracts, Inspections, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
We have a very old (25 years) furnace.. It is still working well and we don’t have the cash to replace it. We are planning to sell our home next year. What advice do you have?
A 25 year old furnace is a very old furnace, well beyond the useful life expected of such equipment. If a buyer makes an offer on your home and then finds out how old your furnace is, there is a very high likelihood that they will be asking you to buy a new furnace as part of their inspection response. There are a few things you can do to set yourself up for a positive outcome.
First, when you complete your seller disclosure, be sure to write on the document that the furnace is past the end of its useful life and may need to be replaced soon. Price your home accordingly and be sure that your agent highlights to buyers agents that you have priced your home at a lower price point because of its older mechanicals. This will prevent the buyer from expecting you to buy them a new furnace – they should take the age of the furnace into account when making their offer.
Second, put a home warranty on your home when you list it. This will provide coverage to you should the furnace break while you own the home and will give the buyer 12 months of coverage should anything happen in their fist year of ownership (and it is renewable).
Finally, consider buying a new furnace. Many contractors are willing to accept payment at closing if you make arrangements for this upfront. With a new furnace you can ask more for your home and are more likely to draw more enthusiasm form the buyers who do see your home.
by Kathe Barge | Aug 11, 2016 | Blog, Home Staging, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
Our home has been on the market for a while – we are getting a fair amount of traffic but so far, no offers. We are concerned that others are selling and ours is not. What are your thoughts?
Selling a home is a partnership – a realtor cannot waive a magic wand and make a home sell. An agent’s initial primary job is to make sure that your home is well advertised and to provide honest advice and feedback about condition. If you are getting a reasonable amount of showings, then that’s a good sign that the marketing is working well. Hopefully, you have gotten feedback from these showing and have taken steps to overcome any perceived drawbacks. Some things can’t be overcome – if a buyer needs an extra bedroom or garage, there isn’t much to do about that, but if there are concerns that you can address, be sure that you do.
Take a quick tour of your home, invite a neighbor over for a look or visit other open houses to make sure your home is presenting as well as your competition. Take staging to a new level. If you have checked all of the typical boxes (no wallpaper, neutral carpets throughout, neutral paint, no clutter, removing personal items such as family photos and religious décor…) take the time to consider what else YOU can do to help improve the chances of an offer. If your rooms don’t look open and spacious, remove more items to a storage facility. Did you remember to clean your windows this spring? Dirty windows can make a home very dull inside. In this heat, have you been watering your landscaping so that it is alive and thriving? How about your lawn? Green or dead? Have you removed the signs of your own wear & tear – are switch plates and walls clean and smudge free? Have you de-cluttered too much making your home sterile? Pottery Barn is still the easiest look to sell—make sure that while your home is reasonably free of personal items such as family photos, it has some warmth – fluffy white towels in the bathrooms, attractive throw pillows on couches and beds… Unsure of what you need? Bring in a home stager for some professional advice. Remember, selling a home is team work – you need to be doing your part!
Finally, price must constantly be evaluated. Keep in mind the oldest rule of thumb in the book – 13 weeks or 13 showings – if you still don’t have an offer, its probably price. Yes, improving condition can improve price. But if you are getting the showings and you aren’t drawing an offer and can’t make significant changes to the home to overcome objections, you must reduce your price, or be very patient waiting for what could be years for that one buyer to come along.
by Kathe Barge | Jul 14, 2016 | Blog, Home Staging, Inspections, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
Friends of mine just had the sale of their home fall through because of a home inspection. How can that be prevented?
Yes – sellers should have their home pre-inspected before listing to prevent these kinds of issues! Finding a buyer and agreeing on a purchase price is only one small component of a real estate transaction and yet it is often all that sellers focus on. What happens between then and closing, however, is often the more difficult part of the process. Issues with a home uncovered on an inspection often cost a seller thousands in unexpected repairs and when sometimes even result in a terminated transaction. Inspectors are incredibly thorough (sometimes even finding problems that aren’t problems) and so every home seller should anticipate that the home inspector will find deficiencies and that the buyer will expect correction.
All home sellers should seriously consider having their homes pre-inspected. For as little as $250 – $500 for a basic pre-inspection you will quickly have an insiders view of how a buyer’s inspector will assess your home. Use the inspection as a maintenance check list – find a handyman to come in and fix all of the little things so that they don’t come up again on a buyer’s inspection. If there are larger items that you do not have the ability to repair, such as a roof nearing the end of its useful life, get an estimate or two for the repair or replacement. Note the issue on your disclosure and include a copy of the estimate. This should prevent you from having to credit the buyer for the repair later – buyers are supposed to review the disclosure and take any disclosed items into account in making their offer to you.
Of course, if your inspection is good or just has a lot of little items that a handyman can fix, attach the handyman’s receipt showing the repair provide a copy of the inspection in the house for buyers to see with a note indicating that the home has been pre-inspected and repaired and that they buyer can buy with confidence knowing that they are buying a house in great shape! In a town full of older and aging homes, this will really help your marketing!
So before you list your home – consider a pre-inspection. It will give buyers the confidence they need to move ahead with a purchase, may combat concerns that there are likely problems that would lower their initial offer to you, and will hopefully result in a smooth transaction once you do have your home under agreement.
by Kathe Barge | Jun 30, 2016 | Blog, Home Staging, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley Herald
It sometimes surprises me that homes which look great on paper – well priced, good condition – do not sell, and I often wonder why not? After reviewing statistics, the question often remains. All the data suggests that the home should have sold. So why then is it not sold? This can be a very difficult question for frustrated sellers and their agents. Recent studies show that greater than 60% of buyers (both men and women) know whether a home is right for them the first time they walk in the door – they just have a “gut instinct.” This is consistent with what I often tell home sellers – more often than not, people are guided by emotion in making their buying decisions and emotions are rarely something we as professionals can reduce to a clear-cut action plan.
What does this “emotional buying” mean for you, the home seller. First and foremost, it means that “first impressions die hard” – you will probably only get one chance at a buyer. Revisiting prospects later with news of a kitchen update, home staging or offer of a carpet allowance is usually a complete waste of time with respect to those buyers – they saw your home, had a negative gut reaction, and moved on. The focus needs to be, instead, on buyers who have yet to have that “first impression.”
If you are not yet on the market, it drives home the message once again – the message I have been sharing for years now – it is critical to enter the market ready to create an emotional “wow.” Partnering with a home stager, many of whom offer reasonably priced consultations, gives you the best chance of meeting current market expectations. An experienced agent should be able to give you some suggestions as well. Many of the basics I have covered in the past include: remove all wallpaper and paint with a neutral color palate; replace colored wall-to-wall carpeting with neutrals or, if possible, remove entirely to expose hardwoods; declutter and remove personal effects. The trick comes in not sterilizing décor too much – it’s important for the home to still create a warm and inviting feeling – just not one that feels too dated or too personal. Feel free to give me a call if you would like advice on how to best create the “wow factor” in your home.
by Kathe Barge | Jun 16, 2016 | Blog, Home Staging, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
We live in a somewhat dated home we would like to get ready to sell — we have older caret and flooring — an advice of what direction we should head in when updating?
These days, the trend in interior design is to unify interiors. Flooring is seen as a base on which to build a room. The most universally liked flooring style is one that remains the same throughout an entire level of a home. Unlike the 70s & 80s, when the trend was to choose a floorcovering for each room, these days it is far more popular to just pick one (or at most two) per level. You will therefore often find that the entire main level is hardwood. The entire second level may also be hardwood, but it could also be a neutral unifying carpet. The design scheme then builds off this neutral base, perhaps layering on area rugs to add personal style.
In light of these trends, nothing dates a home faster than if there are a multitude of different floor coverings on one level. It could be that each bedroom has a different color carpet. It could be that there are four different materials on the main level – tile in the kitchen, marble in the foyer, hardwood in the family room and carpet in the living and dining rooms. These floors all tell a story – the person who chose them was seeking a specific look in each individual room. Those days are gone, the person has likely moved on, but the floors still hint of stories past. Interestingly, when buyers visit homes like these they cannot usually pinpoint what they don’t like – they just say “its not for me,” or maybe “its too dated.” What they can’t usually put their finder on is that they are missing the harmony that generally comes from unified floor coverings.
What does this mean for you, the home owner? As you update your home, keep your floor coverings uniform throughout a level (up to two choices per level are usually ok).
by Kathe Barge | Jun 9, 2016 | Blog, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
How much more “life” do you think our spring market has left in it?
My crystal ball is out being repaired so I’m afraid my response will need to be a best guess, without it’s reliable aid! In all honesty, what the market is or is not doing in a given week or season is never more than a guess. There are certain norms that we have come to count on: the spring market is stronger than the fall market; homes in the Village sell faster than homes “up the hill,” which often require more patience. But being able to predict how long buyers will continue buying in any season, or how many buyers companies may transfer in, or how many buyers will accept the jobs they are offered and actually come to Pittsburgh, choosing Sewickley as their home base, is impossible to predict with any certainty.
And of course, there is the added uncertainty of what impact a Presidential election has on our market – historically it often slows around election time. It’s been a strong spring market. Buyers have come in waves – there was a huge surge in the March. Sales have been strong in certain brackets and not in others, but that could change on a dime. We saw a small surge “up the hill” but that market has quieted again.
To answer your question, I expect sales to continue along their usual patterns, with a reasonable number of sales in June and some in July as well. We are in our final push of families who need to be in for the school year. I expect that things will slow as they always do in August when most people desert Sewickley! Usually things pick back up again in October. If your home hasn’t sold yet, there is still a chance it could sell this spring, particularly if its well conditioned and priced perfectly. If you are thinking about listing in the future, it’s the perfect time to give me a call and develop a strategic plan for entering the market in the months to come!
by Kathe Barge | Jun 2, 2016 | Blog, Home Staging, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
Why does it seem that almost every home we view online is so neutral? What happened to all the color?
I recently reviewed a portion of a local market in the mid-price ranges and interestingly, almost every home that is under agreement has zero wallpaper and is painted in a neutral color palate (including beiges, grays, greiges and a few other nearly neutral tones). Only one of these homes had any true color on its walls, and that home took nearly a year and several price drops to go under agreement.
Professional home stagers have been counseling for years to remove all wallpaper before putting your home on the market –asking someone to buy a home with wallpaper is as personal as asking them to buy someone else’s wedding dress. No matter how beautiful, it’s rarely done and appeals to very few. Stagers are also quick to recommend neutralizing your paint palate. While there are some warmer neutrals, these days the cooler neutrals like gray and greige are the more popular tones with the buying public. Even having a more colorful child’s room can be a big turnoff.
It seems the selling public has in large part heeded this advice. The homes that are actually selling for the most part have been stripped of their wallpaper and painted in a more current, more neutral paint palate. Absent a compelling reason to choose a home that is not “sale ready” such as a severely discounted price, buyers are far more likely to overlook other “road blocks” to a sale such as a lack of a garage than they are to look past a personalized and colorful decorating scheme.
Does this mean that we must all live in color-free homes? Of course not! Your home should reflect your personality and your personal furnishings undoubtedly tie your color choices together. But it is important when we move toward a customized design scheme to remember that when its time to sell, part of the cost of selling will be repainting these spaces back to a more neutral palate!
by Kathe Barge | May 26, 2016 | Blog, For Sale By Owner, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
We have noticed that several homes have sold lately before they have hit the MLS. Are these “pocket listings” a good way to sell your home?
If a home sells before it hits the MLS, as a “pocket listing” as they are often called, it is highly likely that the seller could have sold the home for significantly more money. The MLS exposes a home to a large number of prospective buyers in a very short amount of time. This widespread exposure is what has the potential to drive the price up for the seller.
A “pocket listing” is more like a secret sale. The agent you are dealing with may have a buyer that is willing to buy your home, but if it’s that easy, chances are you could have received more money if the general public had a chance at your home, and a bidding war could have possibly ensued. If an agent is being straightforward with the seller and discusses the strategies involved with using the market pressure of the MLS to drive in a higher price, it’s a rare seller who will willingly leave money on the table.
So why do we occasionally see these seemingly “secret sales” taking place? Some sellers perceive these pocket listings as a good thing – some don’t want to be hassled with multiple showings, some don’t want the general public to know their home is available for sale. Some agents choose this strategy because they want to keep all of the commission for themselves and that only happens if their own buyer is the successful bidder. If a seller’s goal is to maximize financial return, however, a pocket listing, or accepting an agreement of sale before the home is marketed in the MLS, is rarely the best strategy.
So no, my 17 years experience indicates that a pocket listing is usually not in a seller’s best interests. The highest returns I have seen sellers achieve occur in scenarios when they have used strategies to maximize the excitement within the buying community through proper pricing, excellent conditioning and staging and full MLS exposure.
by Kathe Barge | May 19, 2016 | Blog, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
Why do some homes seem to fly off the market and others take years to sell?
Location. Price. Condition. These are the three most important factors that go into how long a home is on the market. Unique attributes and depth of market segment would be fourth and fifth!
Location is really where it all begins. If your home is in an easy to sell location, the market will be far more tolerant of imperfections in other areas, such as wallpaper or a slightly aggressive price. Location is sometimes relative to a particular buyer – their work address may make one part of town more desirable than another, but generally speaking, buyer excitement about properties rises and falls with address.
Condition is also a very important factor in pricing. Homes that look like they are straight from the pages of a Pottery Barn catalog tend to sell more quickly, and tend to bear higher prices than are sometimes warranted. Those that are dated, with older wallpaper and carpeting, for example, tend to sit – unless, of course, they are in a hot location and deeply discounted, in which case our stable of “flippers” will be ready to buy with cash and close quick for the opportunity at a profit when they renovate.
Price is the easiest of all factors to change. If priced well, even less popular locations and homes that have condition challenges can sell quickly. But if you are trying to match the price of competing sales that were in better locations, better condition or with more amenities, you may find your home takes far longer to sell.
Finally, you may have a home with unique features. A home with no off-street parking can be a challenge to sell at any price point, and it is a matter of being patient and waiting for the right buyer who appreciates the home’s other attributes. You may not have a master bathroom. You may not have any green space in your “yard.” You may have a kitchen barely big enough for one. You may have only two bedrooms. There are many factors that could lengthen time on the market even with perfect condition and price. And of course, depth of the market segment is relevant as well. The higher you go in price, the fewer qualified buyers there will be and the longer your home will take to sell.
by Kathe Barge | May 12, 2016 | Blog, Home Staging, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
Our home is on the market and not sold – where are the buyers this spring? How can we get it sold?
Our spring market has seen some very unusual fluctuations. In some weeks there have been surges, with several houses going under agreement in a week, and other weeks have been quiet. The one million dollar price range has been hot for the first time in a couple of years. The under $300,000 market is also moving very well. If you’re home is in the “middle” then yes, it’s been slower than expected and it’s hard to know why. Speculation has included the election, of course, as well as cutbacks in some oil and gas companies.
Sadly, real estate agents don’t have magic wands that we can wave to make a buyer appear for your home. If it’s been on the market for more than a few weeks it’s likely the local prospects have seen it and determined that its not a fit for them. The most likely buyer is someone currently outside the area, and there is just no predicting when a company is going to relocate someone who might be looking for a home.
Therefore, what you must do is make sure it is the best choice in the price range when a buyer does arrive on the scene. It is important to make sure that it shows perfectly – there is a lot of competition – other sellers who really want a buyer as well. I have written many articles that you can find on my blog at www.kathebarge.com that cover critical topics like de-cluttering and staging, and updating your home. It might be time to bring in a professional stager. It might be time to update paint colors, freshen any dated carpets, update lighting fixtures or baths. Many of these things can be done very cost effectively and could give your home the edge with the next buyer through town.
It may also be time to have a professional appraisal done of your home, both to check to make sure that you have it priced competitively and to give any buyer prospects confidence that the value is there.
In the end, homes with completely updated features and current design palates continue to be the first ones to sell. If that’s not your home and changes aren’t possible, then review price, do the best you can to stage and de-clutter, and then be patient. Buyers can be very fickle – your buyer will come!
by Kathe Barge | Mar 24, 2016 | Blog, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
How do we decide how to price our home? We know buyers like to negotiate!
Deciding on an asking price is a challenging task, particularly in Sewickley. Interestingly, in Pittsburgh’s North Hills, sellers realize much closer to their asking price, often 97% and higher. However, if a property is overpriced in the North Hills, buyers will simply write the property off – low-ball offers are not made. In Sewickley, however, we have developed the unique tradition of negotiating fairly heavily on the sale of a home. In prior years, the average realization was only 89% and offers often start as low as 80% below asking price. So how is a seller to price a property? If a seller prices 20% over the price a home is likely to sell for to allow for negotiating, it is likely to be seen as “overpriced.” If the seller prices only 2% over likely sales prices, many buyers will factor in the large discounts we often see and bring in inappropriately low offers. Developing a strategy for both pricing and marketing is therefore critical to make sure that a home is both well received and does not sit and get stale on the market.
If you’re facing a deadline due to job relocation or other reasons, then you need to price competitively, even more competitively than expected in today’s market. You’ll need to list at significantly less than your competition. And keep your commission higher as an incentive for a quicker offer. That may seem tough to stomach, but it’s better than continuing your monthly loan payments or the hassle of trying to find tenants to rent your home and of being a landlord for a year or more.
If your home has been listed for some time, but not generating interest, you may need to lower your price. Of the three elements that sell a home – price, location, and condition – price is the one you’ll have the most control over. Review your listing company’s programs and marketing, making sure that you are taking advantage of all of them.
Make sure your home shows better than its competition. Its condition should outshine all of the other listings in its price range. Take time to de-clutter, store off site what you can live without, stage and make sure you attend to all of the little maintenance projects you may have been putting off.
In the end, Sewickley statistics show that if your home does not have an agreement on it within 75 days of the listing date, you will not achieve 90% or more of your original asking price. This makes the original list price a critical decision and also makes it clear that after 75 days, it is absolutely essential to reevaluate your price in light of market feedback and price.
by Kathe Barge | Mar 17, 2016 | Blog, Buyers, Contracts, Inspections, Market Trends, Marketing, Mortgage, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Continuing from last week:
Dear Kathe,
We’re first time home buyers – where do we begin?
At this point in our journey to your new home, hopefully you have resolved any home inspection issues that you have and your financing is in process.
There are many pieces to the home financing puzzle that you will not see and some that you will. Financing has gotten quite tight now and you will need to be prepared for a high level of documentation required by the lender. They may ask you to document sources of deposits. They may ask you to document other expenses you are responsible for. They may need copies of letters of employment or bonus guarantee letters. Be prepared to respond quickly to any and all requests. While you are addressing these requests, the lender will order an appraisal to confirm value of the home. There is a range of reasonable in which a home may sell – the lender is simply trying to make sure that you are in that range.
Once your loan is approved you begin the long wait until closing. If you had a particularly delayed closing, you will begin to wonder if you are supposed to be doing something else. The next steps happen right before closing. You will set up your insurance coverage on the home with your insurance agent a few weeks in advance. Coverage options vary widely so you will want to work with an insurance agent who will thoroughly review all of your options with you. About a week before, you will need to call the utility companies to move the utility bills to your name. If you forget to do this, the utilities will simply be turned off and it will cost you more to get them turned back on again. For water and sewer, you will need to show up in person to get them connected, so be sure to schedule that in to your work schedule. Finally, the day before closing you will do your walk through to make sure the home is as you expected it would be. If the seller accidentally removed something you thought was to remain or forgot to make a requested repair, now is the time to raise those issues. Once you close, so does your window of opportunity to resolve any last minute concerns with the seller.
On the day of the closing, you will spend about an hour signing many documents and presenting a cashier’s check for any balance you owe above and beyond the mortgage. Once that is completed, you will receive the keys and may begin the happy process of unpacking into your new home!
by Kathe Barge | Mar 10, 2016 | Blog, Buyers, Contracts, Inspections, Market Trends, Marketing, Mortgage, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Continuing from last week:
Dear Kathe,
We’re first time home buyers – where do we begin?
If you’re following along each week, by now you have been pre-approved for a loan, selected a Buyer’s Agent, looked at and selected a Property, made an offer and are negotiating for your new home!
The process of negotiating for a home is one of give and take. Your Buyer’s Agent should be able to explain negotiating norms in the areas in which you are interested. For example, in our North Hills communities, Sellers price their homes more tightly and they generally sell in the range of 98% of list price. If you bring an offer at 90% of list price, you may not even get a response. In Sewickley, there is often a bit more flexibility. Keep in mind, however, that price isn’t the only concern. Closing date is important – if you can’t get the date you want, you may need to pay for temporary housing and storage of your things. Inclusions are important – if a Seller starts removing things from the home, they are things you may need to spend money to replace and this may affect what you are willing to pay for the home. You must keep all of this in mind as you try to negotiate to a final Agreement to purchase the home.
Once you and the seller reach a deal, both parties sign the Agreement and you are officially “under agreement.” At this point, the contract takes over and specifies exactly what you must do next. Your Buyer’s Agent should lay all of this out for you in easy-to-use timelines. This is absolutely critical – if you miss deadlines, you could lose your deposit money in some scenarios. You generally have 1-2 weeks to apply for a mortgage. Do not delay. The lending process is quite complex these days – there will be a lot of detailed information requested – this will take you time to compile.
At the exact same time that you are applying for your mortgage, you will also be inspecting your new home (yes, it will be very busy for a few weeks). More on inspections next week…
by Kathe Barge | Jan 14, 2016 | Blog, Home Staging, Listings, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
It’s snowing outside – hard to imagine this is a good time to list our home. When is it a good time to get our home on the market? Any last minute pointers?
The holidays are behind us and we are ready to start a new and exciting year. Just two weeks old, the 2016 real estate market is already abuzz — ahead lies the promise of another great year. If you thought we were in the slow real estate season then you thought wrong! This couldn’t be further from the truth. Pittsburgh’s inventory levels have never been lower for longer and there has never been a greater opportunity to sell your home. Homes that are coming on the market now are moving fast. In prior articles I have discussed the importance of readying your home for sale and there could be no better time to dig out those articles and start getting your home ready to sell. The spring market has started — there is no doubt and there is no time to lose! In the next few articles, I will focus on the details of getting your home ready to sell, so be sure to check in each week. This week I will address your bathrooms.
Bathrooms are a key component to selling a home. It is critical that they be both clean and as updated as possible. Clean is less obvious than you might think. In addition to the basics, grout should be clean (consider renting a steamer), tubs and showers should be caulked. Everything should be in good working order. Commodes should be firmly bolted down, lids should match the toilet, sinks should not drip, drain stoppers on sinks and tubs should properly close and all plumbing hardware should be in good condition and should not be significantly tarnished or corroded (if they are, you can replace them with a reasonably inexpensive fixture).
The bathrooms should also be as updated as possible. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to give a bathroom a fresh look. Remove all wallpaper and paint in a color that is reasonably neutral and brings out the best in the tile. Change lighting fixtures (there is a huge selection of inexpensive bathroom lights online) and cabinet hardware if it is dated. Consider painting old cabinetry either a shade of white or black. Replace old mirrors, or repaint their frames for an easy update. New tile and granite tops may be necessary to bring out the full value in your home if it is in a higher price bracket, but for many homes this level of expense is not necessary to create a fresh, updated and welcoming look. Take the time to take this list into each of your bathrooms for a detailed review (or call me and I will be happy to walk through with you and help you with this review) and it will pay dividends this spring in a fast and lucrative sale.
by Kathe Barge | Dec 24, 2015 | Blog, Buyers, Market Trends, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
We’re hoping to move in the New Year and are beginning our search online – is there anything we should keep in mind?
The majority of buyers will shop online during their search for a new home, and many will actually begin their search there, like yourselves! The real estate industry has come such a long way in the 17 years since I started in this business. Back in what feels like a different century (perhaps because it was), we used bulky multilist books that were delivered every other week to find homes for our clients. If you were in good with your agent, she might lend you a coveted book to take home and peruse! Now you can access the entire nation’s real estate inventory on national websites such as realtor.com in the comfort of your own home!
The internet has made it incredibly easy for buyers to do some preliminary research for a new home. It does have its limitations, however, which is where your expert real estate agent can fill in the gaps.
Online listings, if managed by a top agent, will always look amazing. Wide-angle lenses and professional photographers are employed, as well as photo-editing software, to make a home look as attractive as possible online. It’s worth keeping in mind that pictures may lie – be careful not to screen out potential homes just because the photos aren’t fabulous – rely instead on the wisdom of your agent. If she has listened to your feedback and is familiar with the inventory, she will be your best screen for which homes are better than they appear, and which may be worse.
Online listings also don’t give you much of a sense of location. While google earth may help with some of this, until you actually drive by a property, you may not be able to tell physical lot characteristics that may be a positive or a negative to you. Online listings also can do little to convey a sense of neighborhood or community. Again, that is where your real estate professional should be able to fill in the picture for you.
Finally, online listings are only as good as the agent who enters the data – there may be information about the property that is not entered into the MLS, either by agent oversight or by simple lack of space, that might make a home more desirable to you. Information such as camera security systems, water softener and purification systems, high-efficiency mechanicals and timered vacation/Christmas lighting may have real value to you and is rarely listed online.
Online shopping is a great way to familiarize yourself with the market, but a local real estate expert is your best course of action once your curiosity grows more serious.
by Kathe Barge | Dec 14, 2015 | Blog, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
How important do you think it is to have a visual tour as part of marketing a home in today’s home selling environment?
Visual tours are an essential part of every home sale. National Association of Realtor studies show that nearly half of all home buyers start their search online, and almost all buyers will ultimately make online shopping a part of their home buying process. So while print media remains an important piece of any marketing campaign, it is critical that your online presence be top notch.
A premier online marketing campaign begins of course with professional quality photos. Wondering how important this really is? Spend an hour perusing the local listings online and check out the difference between the photography of agents who clearly employ a professional and those who do not – those with professional photos really stand out!
Once online, the more time a buyer spends viewing your home, the greater likelihood they will develop an interest in coming to see it. We consider every online viewing the same as an in-person showing – it is the initial visit by which a buyer will give your home a preliminary thumbs up or thumbs down. A visual tour is an important piece of that online viewing – with a visual tour available, a buyer will spend more time considering your home. By augmenting text and voice narration, the agent can give the buyer even more information about your home, which will hopefully peak their interest in coming to take a look. Visual tours are also easily shared with friends and family. These days, buyers are eager to know what their most trusted circle thinks – and having a beautifully presented visual tour will make it easy for them to solicit that support.
The internet is a tremendous asset to home sellers when used effectively. Not only does it allow you to cast a wider net and be seen by exponentially more prospective buyers than ever before, but it allows the buyers to make an initial decision about whether your home is a contender, which saves everyone a lot of time. When done well, a visual tour can help put your home on the list of contenders, and ultimately help make it the chosen one!
by Kathe Barge | Nov 18, 2015 | Blog, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sewickley
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by Kathe Barge | Nov 9, 2015 | Blog, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Sewickley
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by Kathe Barge | Oct 29, 2015 | Blog, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
With Halloween approaching, I am wondering what tips you might have about selling a vacant home – it seems they can be a little spooky?
It is certainly important, whether your home is inhabited or not, that you keep your home from looking like a haunted house, at Halloween and throughout the rest of the year! Most buyers are driven to buy by their emotions – a scary looking house from the curb is not going to create a warm feeling for your buyer prospects. Keep your lawn mowed and your shrubbery trimmed – winter is approaching so its definitely time to do your final mow and yard clean-up. Beware of faded or chipping exterior paint – if your home suffers from this problem now is definitely the time to book a painter for spring. Also make sure that your windows are clean and in good repair and your sidewalk and driveway are also in well-maintained condition. These are important tips for all homes, and will go a long way to create a warm feeling from the curb.
Vacant homes do need additional thought if they are going to present well to buyer prospects. They must always be clean – dead bugs should not be apparent – a quick clean twice a month should be adequate. All light bulbs should be working, bright and not the kind that are slow to warm up. Leaving a light on a timer in a couple of rooms is a good idea – if a buyer has a strong interest they will often drive by at night and you don’t want your home to look dark and scary. Keep your home at a reasonable temperature – walking into a 55 degree home is not the least bit appealing on a cold day – programmable thermostats can help you keep your bills down. Condition is absolutely key in a vacant home — if buyers aren’t distracted by your things, they are far more likely to notice everything wrong with your home. If you have moved out, be sure you have moved everything out – it can be disturbing to a buyer to see that you have moved out but have left closets or cabinets full of your things. Finally, ask your agent whether you should have your home professionally staged – its not cheap, but professional staging helps to make a house feel more like a home to your prospective buyers.
by Kathe Barge | Oct 15, 2015 | Blog, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sewickley
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by Kathe Barge | Oct 1, 2015 | Blog, Contracts, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe:
What is reasonable to expect a real estate agent to do for you when selling your home, and what is not?
This is an outstanding question posed by a recently closed home seller. Clarifying listing agent responsibilities up front is an outstanding way to keep the consumer/agent relationship a happy and productive one. Homes don’t always sell quickly and the relationship can be lengthy!
It is reasonable to expect your agent to be well versed in the market you are in. She should be familiar with all comparable sales and competing listings and should have visited most of them personally. She should be able to describe their differences to you so that you can understand how your home realistically compares to others. She should also have an understanding of our market cycles and be able to explain when your home is most likely to sell, and how many days on average it takes to sell a home like yours.
It is reasonable to expect that your agent keep your home well advertised. You should expect professional quality photos and a full saturation of the internet, which drives most home sales these days. It should appear in print media as well and be occasionally open to the public, although sales from open houses are rare. It is reasonable to expect periodic market updates and feedback reports – monthly is the most common that I see among my colleagues.
If your home is vacant, it is reasonable to expect periodic property checks. Bi-weekly is appropriate, but I do provide weekly checks for my vacant listings. It is also reasonable to expect your agent to have enough community connections to be able to provide referrals for work that needs to be done.
It is important to remember that an agent’s job is to market your home, and ultimately, to negotiate a contract for the sale of the home. The home does remain your home, however. Therefore, it is important for you to be a continued partner in its sale. A real estate agent cannot maintain the property for you and cannot contract for you to have it done, but hopefully can refer you to service providers. Additionally, as much as we wish we did, a real estate agent does not have a magic wand to miraculously produce a buyer for you or a crystal ball to know when that buyer will come along, although sometimes we are able to sell homes so quickly that you might think we do. We must all work within the market that we are in and stay the course with consistent advertising, price reviews and condition adjustments as needed to get a home sold.
by Kathe Barge | Sep 24, 2015 | Blog, Home Staging, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe –
We’re getting our home ready for the spring market – we don’t want to do too much to get it ready because we’re sure the buyers will want to do projects to make it their own. What do you think?
Recently I was showing a lovely home that was, for the most part, picture perfect, in my professional opinion. And yet when my client walked into a room with a cream colored carpet on the floor, she couldn’t miss the glaring rust stain on the carpet. At that moment, the positive vibes she had been feeling instantly turned negative and the home was surprisingly crossed off her list.
This drove home the point once again of how critically important it is for sellers to make sure their homes really are picture perfect and if at all possible, to not leave obvious projects for the buyers. Buyers really are this critical these days and so unless you have a hot commodity that you are willing to sell at an obviously low price, it is well worth your time to make sure there is nothing that could turn a buyer off. If you were buying a used car and saw a big scratch on the side panel, would you stop and wonder what else is wrong with the car? Would you dig deeper than you otherwise might, searching for other deficiencies? Would you expect the dealer to give you a big discount because of the glaring issue? Would you be thinking that you would prefer to repair the scratch so that its done to your satisfaction? What if the dealer had taken the time to repair the scratch, so the car looked good as new? Would it have affected your perception of the car and its desirability to you, the used car buyer?
The same analysis applies to the sale of used homes and yet sometimes, sellers don’t seem to see it that way. Experience shows that your home will sell faster and for more money if it is properly conditioned for the market before it hits the market. This does not mean leaving projects for the next owner. Yes, they will want to make the home their own and yes, they may undo some of what you have just done. But they wont even consider making it their own home if they start off feeling like there is work that must be done.
So do yourself and your bank account a favor. Hire the agent who walks carefully through your home and makes a “to do” list for you of what you need to do to get your home sold, not the one who sweetly glosses over all those things you have seen on HGTV are “no nos” for home sales. Hire a home stager (they are quite reasonably priced). And then, take their advice and eliminate all of the objections possible before a buyer walks in the door. Don’t be the place that “needs a lot of work” — be the one that is “wow, they have really done a lot of work.”
by Kathe Barge | Aug 27, 2015 | Blog, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
Is now a good time to list our home for sale?
August is typically a quiet time in our real estate market, and this August is proving to be no exception. Buyers are distracted with last minute vacations or getting their kids back to school! However, a quiet market is not a dead market. For new introductions, there is still a reasonable number of buyers looking for homes. Just last week I listed a home and sold it in 3 days! The buyers had been looking for months and this home checked all their boxes!
If you’re ready, market entry is typically best right after Labor Day, once we really have closed the book on summer. I would not wait for the spring market to roll around. There are more buyers in the spring market, but there are more homes on the market to compete with. Our inventory is at a record low in most price ranges. Homes that are market ready will continue to sell well through the fall.
Market ready is the key, as it always is. I cannot overstate the importance of doing your homework upfront. If you’re new to my column, check out my blog on my website for back columns about readying your home for sale. Briefly, low cost must do’s include decluttering (and storing off-site if possible), repairing all damage/wear and tear, and giving the house a top-to-bottom (including basement and garage) scrub down. The next level of preparedness includes removing wallpaper, repainting in a current color palate and replacing worn or colored carpets with new neutral carpeting. If you’re not ready, you will either need to discount the price or take the time to prepare your home. If you’re not ready now, plan for a spring market entry in February and get to work! If you are ready now, give me a call and let’s get going – its been an exceptionally strong year! Interest rates remain low –it’s a great time to make your move!
by Kathe Barge | Aug 13, 2015 | Blog, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
My home has been on the market for quite a long time and has not sold. Should I take it off the market and give it a rest so that it doesn’t seem so stale?
The best course of action to take when a home has been on the market for a long time and hasn’t sold depends on why it hasn’t sold to begin with. For example, if you have a very unique home, it may take a long time to find the buyer looking for your unique features. If you take your home off the market, you may miss out on that one buyer seeking a home like yours.
If your home is located in a challenging location, such as next to a perceived detriment, then taking your home off the market may cause you to miss out on the one buyer who doesn’t perceive the neighboring feature as a detriment. If, however, the buying public perceives your price to be too high, then removing it from the market for a rest is highly unlikely to change that perception, unless your “rest” spans several market cycles! The risk with waiting for the market to “catch up” with what you “need” out of your home is that you don’t have a crystal ball –prices could go up or down and you could end up waiting a long time for the same price you could get today.
And of course, if your home has not sold because of condition, the passage of time isn’t going to change that and may even make it worse. Consider how large a renovation you are willing to take on in order to get your price. Stripping wallpaper and repainting, for example, might be a good start, but if you have dated kitchens and baths, it’s not going to do much to change the buyer perception of a “dated” home.
In the end, there is rarely a scenario when taking a home off the market for a “rest” ultimately yields a better result for a seller than staying the course. In fact, we have many examples of recent sellers who tried to do just that and have ended up with lower offers than they had just a couple of years ago. So my best advice to you is to reevaluate your home for possible problems that are easy to fix like too much stuff, reevaluate price to make sure it is realistic and in line with recent sales (consider an appraisal to be sure), stay the course and then work with the offer that you do get.
by Kathe Barge | Aug 6, 2015 | Blog, Buyers, Home Staging, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
What about this year’s spring market has surprised you?
I have been surprised by an interesting trend in real estate this year – I have actually had buyers choose homes based on how clean they are! And we aren’t talking about whether the home is broom swept clean. In these homes you could literally eat off the floors! There is no doubt that Mr. & Mrs. Clean live in these homes. Buyers have actually looked past their “must haves” and have chosen homes because they are so incredibly clean!
So what is incredibly clean to today’s discerning buyers? Decluttering is step one. Renting a storage facility or getting a pod is a great first step. After that, every inch of a home needs a good scrub down. Every light needs to be cleaned, every baseboard scrubbed, air returns and bath vent fans cleaned, carpets professionally cleaned (or replaced if they don’t look new again after cleaning), every smudge on the walls and cabinets removed (which may require repainting – and please make sure any touch-ups are NOT noticeable). Check every light switch – make sure they are crisp – if they are dingy looking, have them replaced. Air filters on furnaces should be changed. Worn floors need to be touched up or refinished. Grout must be completely clean – if you cant get it to look like new, hire a professional steaming company to steam your grout and then reseal it with grout sealant. Refrigerators and ovens should be spotless. Closets should be tidy and well staged. Light bulbs should all be working. Crystal chandeliers should be polished.
And of course outside, all landscaping should be well trimmed. Walks and driveways should be edged. Porches and patios should be swept and in great shape. Windows and futters should be clean. Garages should be swept out and well organized.
Sound like a lot of work? It is – super deep cleaning is no fun. But this spring we have certainly seen sellers who have taken their cleanliness to the next level rewarded for their efforts!
by Kathe Barge | Jun 11, 2015 | Blog, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
It seems like its been a busy spring market – why hasn’t my home sold? Any advice?
At Howard Hanna, we have just finished the busiest May that we have seen in the history of our company! If your home has been on the market for the entire spring cycle (at least since April 1st) and has not sold, then its time to review the listing and develop a new plan going forward.
The first factor in selling a home is location, and it’s the one you can’t do anything about. Currently, Village homes are in higher demand than those outside the Village, and certain locations in the Village are perceived to be more desirable than others. But you can adjust condition and price to account for location.
Condition and price go hand in hand and, if your home hasn’t sold, one or both probably need to be adjusted. You can read many past articles on my website about how to condition your home so that it actually sells – remove all wallpaper, paint in a current color palate, neutralize/freshen carpet, update lighting and plumbing fixtures, remove signs of wear and tear, declutter (pack in advance what you plan to move with you and donate the rest) and stage your home for success. It’s a simple formula and yet it always surprises me how often I show homes where this basic formula for success has not been followed. Yes, it often requires a home seller to invest even more money into their home to recoup their original investment. But you have likely used and enjoyed your house for several years and it’s a rare day that a buyer wants to be a product that feels well used, at least not without an appropriate “used” discount. If you can’t be objective, and who can be about their own home, calling in a home stager is the fastest way to unbiased advice on what it takes to get your home sold. A home stager doesn’t just move your furniture around — she can give advice on paint and carpet colors, what needs to be packed up and what wear and tear needs to be repaired.
Price is the easiest thing to adjust, and if you aren’t in a position to adjust condition, adjusting price may be your only option. There is a price at which every house will sell, even one that is not well conditioned for the market. Finding the right price can be a challenge. It’s hard to know how much to discount for a challenging location, a challenging feature (or lack thereof, such as no garage) or updates that buyers perceive are required. Touring competing listings at open houses will help you to understand your competition, but the most valuable data comes from understand the homes that have actually sold and why. Having an independent appraisal done is another excellent way to get an objective opinion on value.
If your home hasn’t had an offer this spring, then its well worth your time to take a serious look at condition and pricing and make any suggested improvements before the slow days of summer set i!
by Kathe Barge | Apr 30, 2015 | Blog, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
We are ready to put our home on the market but are private people and would prefer not to have the home in the MLS. Could you just show it if you hear of a prospective buyer?
I may be repeating myself here, but in this hot spring market, it really is an important message. There is simply nothing more powerful for driving in a high offer for your home than listing it with a real estate agent who is fully engaged in the marketing and selling of your home! Yes, you did ask a realtor, so you probably expected that answer, but here’s why.
First, Sewickley loves a secret sale. Everyone loves knowing what no one else knows yet, and buyers feel really special if they get the first chance at your home. But that secret sale is unlikely to drive in your best offer. What credibility do you as a seller have for pricing your own home? All homeowners love their homes and most feel they are worth more than the comparable sales. A real estate agent with a proven track record for pricing home correctly is going to add an air of credibility to your asking price.
Buyers at secret sales will also automatically go for the “you don’t have a realtor” discount. In other words, you are saving nothing by not listing your home with an agent – the buyers will discount their offer to you based on what they think you would have spent in commissions. So your net will be the same (at best) as if you did have a realtor and yet you don’t have an advocate on your side helping you through all of the tricky scenarios that come up in selling a home.
Secret sales are also just that – they are not publicized city wide. There could be a buyer in the South Hills waiting for a home like yours and without a full market press, they will probably never find your home and may buy another, frustrated that “nothing” is on the market.
But most important of all – buyers at secret sales don’t feel the market pressure that a real estate agent can bring to your home. If there is a potentially interested buyer and they see your home marketed absolutely everywhere, they will assume that there are many other buyers out there and they are more likely to succumb to the pressure of the market and perceived competition and pay you more. If it is a secret sale, they can take their time, think carefully, and ultimately will either talk themselves out of buying altogether or talk themselves down in price. Neither is a good answer for you.
So don’t take any chances – if you are serious about selling, list your home with an experienced full time agent and engage the power of our larger market to drive in your best deal.
by Kathe Barge | Apr 23, 2015 | Blog, Home Staging, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe:
I heard my neighbor’s home is sold and the sign never went up. Is the market really that hot? How does this happen?
The short answer is yes, the market really is that hot! We absolutely are selling some homes before the sign installer can get to the house! In fact, just this weekend, that happened to one of my listings! I would like to congratulate my clients (and column readers) Krista & Ryan on their one day sale of their home on Thorn Street! They didn’t just call 1-800-Ask-Kathe, but they actually took my advice, which was probably a little shocking out of the gate. They installed two completely new bathrooms and removed all of the old carpet from their home before entering our spring market. And they were handsomely rewarded for their hard work with a lucrative sale to the first buyer prospect who viewed their home!
I have to admit, I have been falsely accused on rare occasion of “strong arming” my sellers into investing money that may not need to be invested to get a home sold. Like many of you, I pay careful attention to our market and what I see is that those who don’t do the hard work up front are those who languish on our market. Prepping for market is not a guarantee of a one day sale – there still has to be a buyer out there looking for a home like yours. But not prepping is almost a guarantee of no sale, unless you price at a deep discount (or happen to own that rare home with a main level master on a prime street that I am always in a desperate search of).
So what did Ryan and Krista do so right? They started by calling me to get a road map! They decluttered. They staged. They installed two completely new bathrooms just weeks before coming on the market. They removed everything dated and presented a home that was clean, crisp and in a current design palette. There were no signs of wear and tear. There were no unfinished projects for the next owner to complete. And then they priced their home exactly in the range of reasonable.
Those of you who read my column each week could probably write it by now! What is the recipe for achieving a fast, lucrative sale in this market? Declutter. Stage. Update. Eliminate signs of wear and tear. Eliminate wall paper, worn or colored carpet. Choose a current design scheme if at all possible. Its hard work, but Ryan & Krista are the proof, yet again, that it works!
by Kathe Barge | Apr 2, 2015 | Blog, Home Staging, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
What advice do you have for pet owners hoping to sell their homes?
I am a dog lover. In fact, there are two canine members of my family. 60% of Americans own a pet, and 40% are dog owners. As a dog lover and owner and lover I am aware that not everyone loves pets. If I am a home seller, this is particularly important to keep in mind. It is critical when selling your home to remove any any all evidence of Fido!
What exactly does this entail? Smell should be your first concern. If you live with a pet you are probably used to the smell and don’t notice it, but your buyer will. Carpets should be professionally cleaned and deodorized to remove any possible smell. If any smell lingers after that, you probably need to change the furnace filter and quite possibly have the ducts cleaned. If you are still living in the home it is critical to keep all your pet things clean – launder blankets regularly, keep crates wiped down, empty litter boxes every day and give your dog a weekly bath. I can’t stress this enough. Any smell at all could kill your chances at an offer.
Cleanliness should be your next concern. If your home is vacant, after you move out make sure there is no evidence of a pet having lived there. Make sure there are no hair balls hiding in corners or behind doors. Clean or replace air return grills as they have likely become laden with pet hair and dander, resulting in a dirty look. Clean the vent cover on the bottom of refrigerators as well – they are often clogged with pet hair. If you are still living in the home, you must address all of the above as well as making sure that physical evidence of a pet disappears during a showing. Pack up toys and beds and tuck them in a discrete location.
Finally, if at all possible, remove the pets themselves for all showings for the best chance of selling the home. While Fido is likely cute as can be, many people are either fearful or allergic – why take any chances?
by Kathe Barge | Jan 22, 2015 | Blog, Buyers, Inspections, Market Trends, Marketing, Mortgage, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
One of my friends sold her house with multiple offers last week. We are planning to buy a new home this spring – are we going to find ourselves in the middle of a bidding war?
It is true that some of our inventory has seen multiple offers in the past couple of weeks! Even with multiple bids, however, buyers are still cognizant of value and sellers who bought or refinanced their equity out in earlier years may not yet see a return to those value levels.
Why are we seeing multiple bids? As I have mentioned in previous articles, our inventory is down substantially. Our typical inventory sources have been slow. Corporations cut back tremendously on relocations post-2008 and have transferred fewer employees in recent years. Trade-ups or trade-downs have decreased significantly, in many instances because sellers can’t find anything to move to. And so it becomes a vicious circle. At the same time, the lag in inventory introductions has been going on for quite a long time, so many buyers are just plain tired of sitting on the fence and are beginning to compromise on their criteria for a new home. When a new home comes on the market and is well-conditioned and properly priced, or when a home that has been on the market for a while has a price reduction, they spring into action, often resulting in multiple bids.
So what do you do if you are one of those buyers sitting on the fence, waiting for your perfect home? You need to have educated yourself on our market so that you recognize value when you see it. You need to be working with a buyer’s agent whom you feel has a thorough knowledge of the market and can correctly advise you on value. And when that home does become available, you need to make the best possible offer. Weaker offers contain terms such as long inspection periods, long mortgage approval periods, low hand money amounts, delayed closing dates, home sale & home appraisal contingencies and low offer prices. If a home is new to the market or recently had a price reduction, you need to assume it will sell at or close to asking price – if that’s not a price you are willing to pay, stand back – perhaps another buyer will see the value.
As for sellers, you need to follow the advice laid out in my earlier articles. Make your house that shiny penny, price it right, and you could receive a full price plus offer in less than one day!
by Kathe Barge | Jan 15, 2015 | Blog, Listings, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe –
We are relocating this spring. As soon as I told my friends we were moving, a few had friends who want to see my home. What’s the best way to handle this?
Sewickley is a small town and most folks are well intentioned. When word gets out that you are selling your home, you will undoubtedly receive calls that neighbors or friends have your “perfect buyer” – could they just get in and take a peek before you list your home?
This may sound very tempting to you. The thought of not having to stage your home, never mind the savings you are already be adding up in your head from not paying a real estate commission, may seem too good to resist.
Don’t do it! There is no surer way to ruin what may possibly be the best buyer prospect for your home than to let them in early. Think about it as if you were the buyer for a moment. Are you more likely to buy and buy high if you have all the time in the world to mull over the purchase? Probably not. You are far more likely to talk yourself out of buying, or at a minimum, buying at a high price. How about if there are several other buyers all looking at the home on the same day? The pressure is on – if you like the home, you know you have to buy. This scenario is far more likely to yield a seller a higher price in a shorter time.
In my 16 years in real estate I have seen this scenario play out hundreds of times. While true across all market segments, it is particularly true for Sewickley’s homes, where the buying pool may be incredibly deep. In markets like we are in now, if there is one anxious buyer for your home, there are probably several. Our inventory is uncharacteristically low. Don’t sell yourself short. If you are really concerned about your bottom line, then don’t limit yourself to just a buyer or two. Hire an agent such as myself who specializes in strategic selling, bar the door, turn away the “sneak peekers” and when we open the floodgates, we will drive in more money for you!
by Kathe Barge | Jan 10, 2015 | Blog, Listings, Market Trends, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sewickley
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by Kathe Barge | Dec 18, 2014 | Blog, Listings, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers
Dear Kathe,
We have noticed that some homes have a lot of photos online while others are more sparse. Shouldn’t you post as many photos as possible when you are trying to sell your home?
Real estate agents may now enter 25 photos for each of their listings into the MLS. Is more necessarily better? Probably not. Photographs should not be uploaded unless there is absolutely no chance that they will turn off a buyer. Yes, a certain photographic presence is expected, but it is quite possible to go too far.
As a general rule, I do not include photos of subservient bedrooms, for example. It’s a rare day that a photographer can get a great angle to make a small bedroom look spacious, and if it’s a child’s room, its likely “busy” with all of their things. It is simply too easy to turn buyers off with these types of photos. Children’s rooms may be brightly colored, and a buyer could reject even viewing the home as a result, thinking “that’s a project I don’t need.” Prospects may also not have children and may feel “that’s a home for a family, and that’s not me.”
Photos that showcase your furniture rather than the room is in should also ne avoided. Buyers are not buying your furniture – the photos must offer enough depth to each room that it is the room prospective buyers are viewing and not your stuff. Use a wide-angle lens or skip photographing the room.
Do not post any photos showcasing pets or clutter. As cute as they are, many people suffer from allergies and one look at a pet in a photo may cause them to screen out your home. Remember, these photos are what the world is using to decide whether they should come and view your home – you don’t want to lose prospects because you didn’t tidy up in advance or left clutter about – they may fear that the whole house will look that way.
Have a friend review your photos online and ask her to be brutally honest – if there is anything that could turn a buyer off (rooms that look tiny, photos showing a lot of wallpaper, photos showing strong wall colors, photos showing dated bathrooms), ask your agent to take them down. If you get buyers into your home, they may forgive things that would have turned them off in a photo because they otherwise love your home. Don’t lose them before they even get in the door. Less may very well be more.
by Kathe Barge | Nov 20, 2014 | Blog, Listings, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley Herald
Can you give me some general guidelines for figuring out what my home is worth? How much appreciation can we expect when we sell our home?
This question comes up all the time. At Starbucks. At the Giant Eagle. And of course, at a listing appointment. It’s the topic of many conversations. Home value is something that seems to always be on everyone’s mind.
If you study the trends in our area and have owned your home for 7 years or less, the answer is easier than you might guess. Generally speaking, when you own a home, you are using that home and as a result, its components are less valuable when you sell the home than when you bought it. If you bought your home in 2008, your roof has now been used and has 7 years less life on it, as does the water heater, the refrigerator… If you did absolutely nothing to your home and there was no market appreciation, you would expect your home would be worth less seven years later because everything has less life left in it.
However, our market does appreciate, very slowly. In most cases, there is enough appreciation to offset the amount of value you have “used up” during your ownership. However, if you have done absolutely nothing to the home – haven’t replaced, refreshed, updated or improved anything, then unless you bought your home prior to 2007, you probably wont sell your home for much more than you bought it for. What if this isn’t you…?
If you have kept your home updated, you will be entitled to some appreciation. In situations where homeowners have actually made improvements beyond routine maintenance – perhaps having been remodeled the kitchen or bathrooms, or added a patio or deck, they can generally recoup their investment. So the rule of thumb in establishing value is really quite simple if you bought your home less than 8 years ago. Start with your purchase price. Add in any improvements that you made that are beyond typically expected repairs and maintenance, deduct the cost of any urgent maintenance or repair items that you have ignored and that will get you reasonably close to what the market will bear for your home. Of course, if you transformed a home – bought a home that needed a ton of work and turned a diamond in the rough into a diamond, if you were careful with your budget it is quite possible that you could make a handsome profit as well. And if you bought your home greater than 7 years ago? Appreciation can start to play a greater role in value and the analysis will require a very close look at comparable sales.
https://staging.kathebarge.com/whats-home-worth/
by Kathe Barge | Nov 14, 2014 | Blog, Inspections, Listings, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
A friend in California tells me that all home sellers pre-inspect their homes before listing them, but that’s not something I hear a lot about here in Pittsburgh. Do you recommend a pre-inspection to home sellers?
Issues with a home uncovered on an inspection often cost a seller thousands in unexpected repairs and can sometimes even result in a terminated transaction. Inspectors are incredibly thorough (sometimes even finding problems that aren’t problems) and so every home seller should anticipate that the home inspector will find deficiencies and that the buyer will expect correction. To make the home selling process as smooth as possible and avoid finding themselves in the position of having large inspection bills or worse yet, a “dead deal,” sellers can have their home pre-inspected.
All home sellers should seriously consider having their homes pre-inspected. For as little as $350 – $500 for a basic pre-inspection you will quickly have an insiders view of how a buyer’s inspector will assess your home. Use the inspection as a maintenance check list – find a handyman to come in and fix all of the little things so that they don’t come up again on a buyer’s inspection. If there are larger items that you do not have the ability to repair, such as a roof nearing the end of its useful life, get an estimate or two for the repair or replacement. Note the issue on your disclosure and include a copy of the estimate. This should prevent you from having to credit the buyer for the repair later – buyers should review the disclosure and take any disclosed items into account in making their offer to you.
Of course, if your inspection is good or just has a lot of little items that a handyman can fix, attach the handyman’s receipt showing the repair and provide a copy of the inspection in the house for buyers to see with a note indicating that the home has been pre-inspected and repaired and that they buyer can buy with confidence knowing that they are buying a house in great shape! In a town full of older and aging homes, this will really help your marketing!
So before you list your home – yes, you should consider a pre-inspection. It will give buyers the confidence they need to move ahead with a purchase, may combat concerns that there are likely problems that would lower their initial offer to you, and will hopefully result in a smooth transaction once you do have your home under agreement.
by Kathe Barge | Nov 6, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
My house, a traditional American four square, currently has 1.5 baths with 3 bedrooms on the second floor and two rooms on the 3rd floor (one used as an office and the other a playroom/family room). I really want to add a master bath on the second floor but this would reduce our bedrooms on that floor to two and I’m worried about future resale. Thoughts?
The answer to this question is not so simple. There are many factors that must be considered, the first of which is the likely sales price of your home. At a certain price point, 2 full baths will be required – in Sewickley Village, that price point is likely in the range of $400,000 and above. If you expect your home to sell above this price point someday, you are going to have to figure out how to get a second full bath in your home (and not in the basement)!
The third floor is the most obvious and most frequent place to create a master suite in these scenarios. It would probably be difficult to sell a home with only two bedrooms on the second level, particularly if the two remaining bedrooms on the third floor have to travel down a set of stairs to use the bathroom. Third floors can be reconfigured to create private master suites, leaving three bedrooms on the second level which can be used for a variety of purposes. There is a negative that must be considered, however. Sometimes homes with third floor master suites can be challenging to sell because the home owner doesn’t want to have to walk up two flights of stairs to get to bed each night. If you get to a price point where the most likely buyer is near or past “middle” age, you may find that a third floor master limits your marketability. Third floor masters can also be perceived as a weakness by families with very young children, although with the advent of video baby monitors, this may be a lesser issue for young parents.
Given the limitations of third floor masters, they still receive my vote in light of the circumstances. Assuming you hope to sell your home for more than $400,000, a second full bath will be a necessity, and a third floor master suite is the most sensible way to attack the issue. Just make it as luxurious as possible so that when you go to sell your home, the buyers are so impressed with what they see that the extra flight of stairs seems like a minor inconvenience to get to their private oasis!
by Kathe Barge | Oct 9, 2014 | Blog, Home Staging, Listings, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
I read your article last week about home staging and de-cluttering and we do have a lot of stuff – not sure how to begin to de-clutter. Any tips?
When you are surrounded by a lot of stuff and it all seems important to you, it can be hard to know where to begin the clean out. As our days get shorter and the weather gets chillier, this is the perfect time for an inside project for de-cluttering and there are many ways to get started!
Start with all of the broken things you have piled up waiting to repair. From shoes with worn soles to pants with popped buttons, there are probably many things that have been waiting a long time for you to fix them. If you were out shopping today and wouldn’t buy the item again new, now is the time to part ways. While you are at it, this would be a good time to round up all those clothes you thought you might wear “someday.” If it’s been more than a few years, that someday is probably not coming. Saving clothes that used to fit with the hope of them fitting again? Give them to charity – if that day does come, you will deserve the treat of a new wardrobe, not outdated clothes.
Consider whether you can make the cubic square footage of what you are savings less. Children’s artwork, papers and tests are the perfect example. I have made a habit of saving a couple of key pieces in an accordion file for each year of school, have photographed everything else, and have included the photos in the file. Your children will be far more appreciative of a small file of momentos of their youth than boxes and boxes of stuff. The same can be said for documents. Scanning documents to a flash drive or external hard drive is a far more space efficient and organized than keeping the actual hard copies.
Holding onto things because you think they are valuable even though you are no longer using them? Chances are they are worth close to nothing. TVs and computer equipment are so quickly obsolete that in most cases, your old equipment’s highest and best value is as a charitable deduction. Old furniture also yields very little in the used goods market. There is no sense in considering what you have invested in the item – that money is long gone – if you aren’t using it, don’t love it or can’t repurpose it, let it go – many charities will even pick up at your home!
Finally, find a new home for things you have never really liked, the gifts you received that you were afraid you might offend someone by disposing of (the gift giver will never notice its gone), and inheritances that are not particularly meaningful to you (it took me years to part with the pewter pitcher that I inherited and had no use for). Do a reality check. Is your exercise bike more than a place to hang laundry? If its been collecting dust all these years, you won’t use it – why kid yourself? What else do you have that is more of a reflection of forgotten New Year’s resolutions? Add them to the charity donation! Follow these tips as you attack your clutter and you will be de-cluttered in no time!
by Kathe Barge | Sep 18, 2014 | Blog, Home Staging, Marketing, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
We watch a lot of HGTV and aren’t sure what is the most important thing to tackle when getting our home ready for the market.
Presenting a market ready home is the most important thing you can do to help your home sell quickly and for top dollar. Market ready is not, unfortunately, necessarily what you would choose if you were staying in the home and will not necessarily reflect your personal tastes. In preparing your home for market, it is important to keep in mind that you are moving and prepare your home for the tastes of your most likely buyer. The price point of your home will give you a good idea of who that buyer will likely be and that will help you and your agent strategize as to modifications necessary to attract that buyer.
The one thing that is reasonably universal across all price points is the general dislike of wallpaper, and so the most important thing you can do to prepare your home for market is to remove all of your wallpaper (including borders) and paint in a current color palette (which does not necessarily mean beige, but could include grays and greiges). Wallpaper is so very personal – I liken it to asking someone to wear your wedding dress – it is just not something that many people will want to do. There will be some buyers who might tolerate your wallpaper, but the likelihood is that most buyers will view it as too much work to take it down and move on to another home where they don’t face the issue. It is therefore prudent to remove your wallpaper and give yourself the greatest chance of a sale with the most buyers possible.
The paint color you choose to paint in (and please, do NOT paint over your wallpaper!) is also key. It is not advisable to choose paints that complement your furnishings (you are moving, remember?). It is very important to avoid choosing colors that could possibly be viewed as dated (such as peaches, pinks, burgundies, teals). Gray is a great choice. Not a gray person? You might change your mind if you saw how fast homes painted in a gray palette sell and how much over market buyers will pay for a gray palette universally applied throughout a home. Greige and shades of beige work well too.
So yes, we understand that your wallpaper works perfectly with your décor scheme. But we also know that the vast majority of our buyers don’t want it – so prepare yourself for success – take your wallpaper down before you enter the market and paint in a current and reasonably neutral color palette.
by Kathe Barge | May 29, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley Herald
What are quickly changing world we live in! You probably haven’t stopped to reflect upon the fact that just over ten years ago, real estate was still being sold from those big books that looked like phone books. We agents would flip through the pages in search of prospective homes for our buyers and listing agents had to get creative to get the word out about new listings while we waited for the next addition of the book to arrive!
Today, 90% of buyers use the internet to shop for their new home. While more buyers (40%) found the home they eventually purchased through their agent as opposed to finding it themselves on the internet (35%), most buyers actually started their search on the internet several weeks before contacting an agent.
The availability of information to home buyers has slowed down the home search process – the opposite of what you might have guessed. Because there is so much information that buyers can discover about homes on the internet, the typical home search has nearly doubled in length as buyers take time to do their due diligence.
While Buyers rank Realtor’s as the most useful source of information (81%), Buyers are heavily influenced by the materials available on the internet about a home. Among the most important items buyers seek and expect to fin on potential listings are multiple photos (84%), detailed property information (82%) and virtual tours (63%).
What does this mean for you when you plan to sell? Gone are the days when a sign in the yard is all you needed. In order to stack up well against competing listings, your home needs to present well to prospective buyers on the internet. Wonderful photos, a lot of relevant and helpful information and a visual tour are all key in drawing buyers to your home and maintain their interest long enough to request a showing. So before you list your home, check out your prospective agent’s other listings and see how they stack up against the competition. Make sure you trust your home sale to an agent who is using technology to your best advantage
by Kathe Barge | May 22, 2014 | Blog, Home Staging, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley Herald
If you follow my column, you have undoubtedly noted my near-weekly mention that our market is hot and our inventory has never been lower. It certainly couldn’t be a better time to sell. You may in fact have just heard that your neighbor’s home sold for top dollar in record time. How do you make that happen? Start by watching more TV!
Surprising advice, perhaps, but TV sets our style expectations and our aspirations of how we want to live our lives. Your potential buyer is watching TV and then coming to your home and expecting to see what the saw on TV. Want to make the most money? Meet their expectations!
This is easy to do if you also watch a healthy dose of HGTV . There you will quickly find the latest trends and tips on how to achieve them in a cost-effective manner. You will see what home designers are pushing and know what buyers will be looking for in your home. House Hunters is a particularly good show to learn from. You will get insight into buyers’ thought processes – you will get listen in on their conversations and take note of the factors that affect them in both positive and negative ways. Armed with this information, you will be ready to spring into action and create a home that buyers are instantly attracted to. And why are they attracted? Because they saw it on TV!
As a full-time real estate broker, every day my job lives like an episode on House Hunters. Through countless hours listening to my clients as they evaluate potential homes, I am easily able see how HGTV has greatly impacted the home selling process. Those sellers who choose to take to heart the lessons espoused on HGTV are rewarded with more money in less time. They create instant attraction by making their homes appear as if they were pulled straight from an episode of HGTV. So whether you plan to sell next month or next year, start watching more TV, put the advice into action and pocket more money when you sell!
by Kathe Barge | May 15, 2014 | Blog, Buyers, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
Our spring market has been quite interesting. Some homes have flown off the market in just days, yielding the sellers great satisfaction and peace of mind. Those homes fall into a surprisingly predictable pattern. Most are under $350,000, although there have been exceptions. Most are in the Village – Sewickley Village remains a strong draw for buyers. And most that sell quickly are offered by sellers who have done the heavy lifting in preparing their homes for market. And yet we have many wonderful, well priced homes that have not sold. Most of these are not in the Village.
Conversely, in the North Hills, homes are flying off the market consistently in just days, often with multiple offers. There are lines of buyers waiting for homes in the North Allegheny School District while we have terrific options available here, often at better prices, just waiting for their new families. It is certainly frustrating to sellers when their homes do not sell quickly. And its hard to figure out why. The most likely rationale is that the North Allegheny School District is ranked in the top three in Pittsburgh – Quaker Valley is top ten. The buyer profile these days trends toward people who give paramount importance to rankings.
What these buyer prospects are not hearing is why ranking is not everything, and it will take this Village to spread that word. Most of you own a home here and will benefit from the continued increase in real estate values. To protect your investment, it’s important that you share information about our town when you are talking to friends and colleagues outside of Sewickley. If you have kids in our schools, point out what makes our smaller school district the best choice – how many more opportunities are available to the kids when they don’t have to compete with 800 other children for everything – how much our teachers and administrators care and are able, given the small size, to know the children and families as individuals.
Spread the word about what a unique and special place Sewickley is to live. Whether you live in an older home in the Village, or up the hill in something newer, we are all part of one community here. The ability to stroll through town – enjoy a meal, shop the galleries, participate in May Mart or the House Tour or Sewickley Unleashed, just to name the most recent few – makes Sewickley special. Our neighbors care about and help each other. We work side by side to raise money for causes. There are very few places like Sewickley in all this country.
Realtors are clearly the most direct connection to incoming buyers and we tell the Sewickley story daily. But we are not the only connection. With the help of this Village we can jump start some of the more sluggish parts of our market and make Sewickley, not just the Village, the hot place to live in Pittsburgh. It will only help you in the long run as your property values increase. So spread the news about what makes Sewickley (and our schools) special to you!
by Kathe Barge | Apr 24, 2014 | Blog, Home Staging, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley, Sewickley Herald
It all starts with a picture. Your future buyer’s first impression of your home starts (and may end) with a photograph. The vast majority of homebuyers will choose the homes they want to see from photos on the internet. Therefore, it is very important when selling your home to make sure it is well presented in photographs. To start, when you list your home and photos are taken, be sure that all rooms look magazine perfect. For photographs, condition can be easy to fudge. You can’t see dust in a photograph, and you can hide your clutter out of the camera’s sight. But do take the time to move or store the evidence of your daily living. Clean off all countertops (kitchens and bathrooms). Remove refrigerator magnets. Remove all evidence of pets (including Fido himself). It can be amusing to check out listings online and see how many sellers and/or their agents do not put their best foot forward in photos. A quick scan of the MLS shows rooms photographed with the goodwill pile right in the middle of a room, unmade beds, glasses out on countertops, garden objects strewn around the yard, showers laden with bathing supplies, overflowing hampers, pillows askew and toys laying about. Not the best of first impressions.
What is photographed is equally as important. Your online presence is what will influence a buyer to choose to see your home, or not. Sometimes less is more. If it is hard to get a good angle on a room to make it look spacious, better to leave it out. Photos using a wide-angle lens will greatly aid in showing the whole room and conveying a spacious feel. If your agent does not use a professional level camera, you may need to request a professional photographer do the photography in order to present the rooms in their best light. Close up photos are rarely helpful, unless an architectural element is being highlighted. Be sure your kitchen and yard are included – two key items for a buyer – if they aren’t pictured online, buyers will assume there is a problem that you don’t want the public to see. On the other hand, do not include photos depicting what buyers may perceive as issue – leave out children’s rooms with bold paint colors (or repaint them first) and rooms with strong or dated wallpaper. You want to be certain that you don’t give a buyer a reason online to not come and see your home!
Your home’s pictures can make or break your listing. They need to present your home honestly (buyers feel deceived if they get to a home and it is not as pictured) but in doing so, need to present it in the best possible light. Be sure to take the time to adequately prepare your home for photographs, and review them periodically to be sure they reflect current condition. You may only get once chance at a buyer prospect – be sure your home shines in its photos!
by Kathe Barge | Oct 31, 2013 | Blog, Listings, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley Herald
We live in an old town, with homes dating back to the early 1800s. With old homes comes a lot of history, and sometimes a ghost story or two. If your home has a history of paranormal activity (real or imagined), or someone has died in the home, do you have a duty to disclose that to potential buyers? While approximately half of our states do require disclosure of paranormal activity, as of yet, Pennsylvania is not one of those states. However, a case in Delaware County where the seller failed to disclose a murder/suicide that happened in the home may change that in PA.
Many other states have adopted far more comprehensive disclosure laws. In our neighboring New York, paranormal activity must be disclosed. In California, any death in a home in the preceding three years must be disclosed. And in Massachusetts, the law is even more comprehensive, requiring disclosure of paranormal activity, as well as whether the home was ever the site of a felony, suicide or homicide or whether someone with HIV ever lived in the home.
Our disclosure simply asks whether there are any material defects, which is defined as anything that could significantly impact value. Material defects would clearly include any major problems with the physical structure, as well as pending tax assessments and disputes over property boundaries with adjoining landowners. But what about those ghostly apparitions or eerie cries in the night? According to a well-known California appraiser who specializes in diminution of value, a well-publicized murder can reduce value by 15% – 35%. Does a ghost reduce a home’s value and need to be disclosed? Right now, the answer in no in Pennsylvania, although sellers wishing to avoid lawsuits would be well advised to disclose anything that could be seen as stigmatizing a property, including paranormal activity and deaths in the home. For some buyers, value actually increases with the prospect of living among ghosts. But before disclosing the ghost in your attic, be sure there isn’t a rational explanation for what you are experiencing.
Buyers, if you don’t want to move into a haunted home, what can you do to protect yourself in the absence of required disclosure? You can start with the internet – do a thorough search of the property address and sellers’ names. That will likely turn up information on any more recent concerns with the property. Some recommend burning sage to rid the home of spirits, and if all else fails, you can always call Ghostbusters!
by Kathe Barge | Sep 27, 2013 | Blog, Marketing, Pittsburgh, Real Estate, Sewickley
Many many thanks to my clients, neighbors and friends for your confidence in me and my business, for choosing me as your real estate agent and for referring me to your colleagues, family, neighbors and friends. I am honored to be included by the Pittsburgh Business Times as one of Pittsburgh’s top real estate agents, and ranked as #1 in Sewickley! Thank you!
by Kathe Barge | Aug 8, 2013 | Blog, Inspections, Listings, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley Herald
When you are selling your home, its normal to think that only you can fully convey your home’s fine qualities to a buyer. This leads some sellers to consider the possibility of being home for showings, so that they can make sure that the buyer prospects appreciate all of the home’s amenities. While this may seem sensible to a seller, nothing could be further from the truth!
When buyers visit your home, it is important that they be allowed the space to imagine the home as their own. This starts, of course, with home staging, so that the home is not overly personal when the buyers arrive. But it extends to allowing them to tour the home alone with their buyer agent. For buyers to buy a home, they must bond to a home. For buyers to bond to a home, they need to be free to relax in your home and chat with their agent about what they would do to make the home their own. This will not happen if you are present. So what can you do to make sure they appreciate your home’s qualities? Hire a listing agent who will design a custom brochure for your home that is available when buyers visit your home. Such a brochure is your best ammunition – they can take it home and recall all of your home’s wonderful features and get their questions answered as well.
Giving the buyers their space extends to the home inspections as well. The period during the home inspection is one of normal buyer remorse. Did we buy the right home? Will a better home become available? Allowing buyers the freedom to return to your home alone will allow them to bond again to your home and stay committed to it during the sometimes difficult inspection process.
In fact, the only time you should interact with your buyer is at the closing. From initial showing to return visits, inspections and walk throughs, you should always vacate your home and give the buyers their space!
by Kathe Barge | Jul 25, 2013 | Blog, Listings, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley Herald
We all know the story of Goldilocks – be it the porridge being too hot, too cold or just right, or the beds being too big, too small or just right, or the chair being too hard, too soft or just right, the wining combination was not an extreme but the “just right” spot in between.
The same is true when pricing homes, and in particular, Signature homes. Price them too low, and they fly off the market, most likely far below a price you could have achieved. Price them to high and they sit for months or years. The trick is finding that sweet spot in the middle that will drive in an offer in a reasonable time, maximizing your return.
But how to find this sweet spot? If I could invent an App for that, I would be rich! Zillow has tried, but their zestimates are often hopelessly flawed for unique communities like Sewickley, and particularly for our Signature homes. A computer in a remote location simply cannot translate all of the high-end amenities you may have added to your home into a realistic number. Human judgment is required. And yet your agent may not have the most objective opinion – you may be friends, for example, and he may not want to hurt your feelings.
That is where the appraiser comes in. Having your home pre-appraised may be your very best course of action. For approximately $350, you can have an objective analysis that will not only allow you to most accurately price your home, but will allow you to say to buyers “this home was priced based on an independent appraisal.” That will carry a lot of weight when buyers are assessing how realistic your price is and usually drives in a price close to the appraisal. Please do note, this appraisal must be independent of a refinance – it must simply be done for pricing guidance for it to be truly objective. But if you take the time to get it “just right” out of the gate, after the buyers have tried on all the “too highs” yours will be the one they pick!
by Kathe Barge | Aug 28, 2012 | Blog, Home Staging, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley Herald
Our spring/summer market exceeded all expectations this year. Our inventory remains low and the number of homes selling have increased dramatically – all good news for home sellers. If you have been sitting on the sidelines thinking about selling, as the fall approaches, it is an excellent time to get your home on the market. We have fewer homes enter the market in the fall, meaning less competition for you. However, even in a strong market with low inventory, it is important to go into the market with a master plan and not just throw a sign in the yard and hope for the best. A successful sale starts with a master plan and a partnership between agent and homeowner. We must partner together to get your home sold. A great listing agent works hard to market your home, but only you must supply the highly saleable product. So what ‘s your role in the plan?
First, start packing right away. Your plan is to move and your treasures will all need to get boxed up anyhow. Move them to a pod or an off-site storage facility – no need to raise objections from buyers if there appears to be inadequate storage space.
Have your home pre-inspected and repair what is uncovered as deficient by the inspector. This will impress a buyer that you have taken the time to make sure the home is in good condition for them.
Bring in a staging expert to put the finishing touches in place – you only get one chance to make a first impression – make it a good one!
Finally, listen to feedback, from both agents and buyers, and act on it.. Buyers generally will not buy projects, unless of course you want to fire sell your home. So if any objections have been raised (wallpaper, paint colors, old roof, overgrown landscaping, too much clutter, dated décor), you must deal with them if you want your home to sell.
by Kathe Barge | Jul 19, 2012 | Blog, Contracts, For Sale By Owner, Inspections, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers
As the market has improved this spring, Sellers are occasionally considering selling their homes themselves, without the advocacy of their trusted agent. The rationale seems the same – save the commission. And yet, while a commission is in fact not paid, it is paid in reduced realizations. You see, buyers are very savvy – they know what the market will bear and if you, the seller, do not have to pay an agent, they expect to realize the benefit of a reduced purchase price. Buyers also know that if they can get you to start to walk down the FSBO road with them, you will be unlikely to back out even if they are less than reasonable because you will fear losing the deal you appear to have happening and will be very unsure about whether there will be another buyer. It is a rare day that we see FSBOs actually achieve a net sales price greater than what we, agents with the power of big advertising dollars and years and years of strong negotiating experience, can achieve. So in the end, your net sales price is the same, and yet you have to deal with all of the tricky little details yourself. Details like making sure you actually have a valid contract (not as simple as it might seem), to working your way through financing and inspection issues, to working to make sure you close on time. All of the jobs that we, the agents do – attending to every last detail to make your transaction smooth sailing – you must now handle on your own – and yet you are getting nothing for your effort because your net is no higher, and may be lower, than we agents could have achieved. If your house is “hot” enough to bring a FSBO buyer to the table with minimal or no advertising, imagine how much excitement we could generate with the power of our advertising behind your home – these days, a bidding war is even possible!
Statistically, FSBO transactions also fail to close more often than brokered transactions. So if it is important to you to close (and you are not just fishing for an offer if someone happens to come along), consider this as you decide how to proceed.
I can cut my own hair to save a few bucks – but it wont look as nice as it would if I went to the salon – I can paint my own walls (try to ignore the messy spots) – I can invest my own money (and watch it stagnate) – I can suture my own wounds (and end up in the ER with an infection). I can do almost anything – but not as well nor to as successful an end as someone with years of experience. The same is true for real estate. Years of transactions and we, the trained professionals, make it look easy. Before you don your real estate cap, take the time to think it through and ask yourself whether you are absolutely certain that you will actually come out ahead on your own. Statistics are clear that you will not.
by Kathe Barge | Jul 15, 2012 | Blog, Home Staging, Inspections, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley Herald
Dear Kathe,
Friends of mine just had the sale of their home fall through because of a home inspection. How can that be prevented?
Yes – sellers should have their home pre-inspected before listing to prevent these kinds of issues! Finding a buyer and agreeing on a purchase price is only one small component of a real estate transaction and yet it is often all that sellers focus on. What happens between then and closing, however, is often the more difficult part of the process. Issues with a home uncovered on an inspection often cost a seller thousands in unexpected repairs and when sometimes even result in a terminated transaction. Inspectors are incredibly thorough (sometimes even finding problems that aren’t problems) and so every home seller should anticipate that the home inspector will find deficiencies and that the buyer will expect correction.
All home sellers should seriously consider having their homes pre-inspected. For as little as $250 – $500 for a basic pre-inspection you will quickly have an insiders view of how a buyer’s inspector will assess your home. Use the inspection as a maintenance check list – find a handyman to come in and fix all of the little things so that they don’t come up again on a buyer’s inspection. If there are larger items that you do not have the ability to repair, such as a roof nearing the end of its useful life, get an estimate or two for the repair or replacement. Note the issue on your disclosure and include a copy of the estimate. This should prevent you from having to credit the buyer for the repair later – buyers are supposed to review the disclosure and take any disclosed items into account in making their offer to you.
Of course, if your inspection is good or just has a lot of little items that a handyman can fix, attach the handyman’s receipt showing the repair provide a copy of the inspection in the house for buyers to see with a note indicating that the home has been pre-inspected and repaired and that they buyer can buy with confidence knowing that they are buying a house in great shape! In a town full of older and aging homes, this will really help your marketing!
So before you list your home – consider a pre-inspection. It will give buyers the confidence they need to move ahead with a purchase, may combat concerns that there are likely problems that would lower their initial offer to you, and will hopefully result in a smooth transaction once you do have your home under agreement.
by Kathe Barge | Apr 26, 2012 | Blog, Home Staging, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley Herald
Last week I talked about how hot our spring market has been. To take advantage of this market, sellers must do their part in getting a home sold. While we are in a hot market, gone are the days when you can get away with sticking a for sale sign in the yard, a lock box on the house and watching the offers roll in. Too much HGTV! Buyers expect every home to look like it could be in a magazine and sellers who take the time to meet these expectations fare exceptionally well. Last week I talked about the exterior of the home, which is critical if a buyer is even going to consider the home. Once in the door though, the interior must present equally as well.
Getting the interior of your home ready for a buyer can be a real challenge for a seller who has lived in and loved their home for years. I was once criticized for wanting my listings to be “perfect,” but let me ask you – if you could spend $5,000 and make $25,000 more on your home sale, was that a worthwhile use of your time and resources? Of course, home sellers never know what they might have gotten if they had failed to make the recommended improvements. And those who chose not to do the hard work will never know what they might have gotten had they improved their home. So what do you do? You need the advice of an experienced agent who knows exactly which improvements will pay for themselves. You also need to hire an experienced home stager who can help you to best present what you do have. And finally, once you engage these professionals, as painful as it may be, you actually need to take their advice.
I personally learned this lesson the hard way. I marketed my own home in 2008 for 18 months. I was a big fan of color and that was obvious in my home. My home finally sold one month after every wall inside had been repainted a warm neutral color and I had it professionally staged, including a furniture and accessories package. In the end, the sale was well worth the effort!
Where to start? With the wallpaper! A Pittsburgh favorite in years past, most buyers have an extremely negative reaction to wallpaper – it is so personal that, no matter what the designer brand name, it is like asking someone to wear your wedding dress. It needs to come down. Paint can be in a warm neutral color tone (white is not necessarily a good choice) but should not be “loud.” Nick knacks need to be packed up and stored, ready to move to your new home. Windows may show better without drapes. Kitchens and baths may need “freshening” and if you have a lot of furniture, some of it may need to find a temporary home in a storage facility to open up the rooms.
Great condition sells homes. Feel free to call me and we can develop a strategy now for making a strong introduction into the market!
by Kathe Barge | Apr 5, 2012 | Blog, Marketing, Real Estate, Sellers, Sewickley Herald
Deciding on an asking price is a challenging task, particularly in Sewickley. Interestingly, in Pittsburgh’s North Hills, sellers realize much closer to their asking price, often 97% and higher. However, if a property is overpriced in the North Hills, buyers will simply write the property off – low-ball offers are not made. In Sewickley, however, we have developed the unique tradition of negotiating fairly heavily on the sale of a home. In Edgeworth last year, the average realization was only 89% and offers often start as low as 80% below asking price. So how is a seller to price a property? If a seller prices 20% over the price a home is likely to sell for to allow for negotiating, it is likely to be seen as “overpriced.” If the seller prices only 2% over likely sales prices, many buyers will factor in the large discounts we often see and bring in inappropriately low offers. Developing a strategy for both pricing and marketing is therefore critical to make sure that a home is both well received and does not sit and get stale on the market.
If you’re facing a deadline due to job relocation or other reasons, then you need to price competitively, even more competitively than expected in today’s market. You’ll need to list at significantly less than your competition. And keep your commission higher as an incentive for a quicker offer. That may seem tough to stomach, but it’s better than continuing your monthly loan payments or the hassle of trying to find tenants to rent your home and of being a landlord for a year or more.
If your home has been listed for some time, but not generating interest, you may need to lower your price. Of the three elements that sell a home – price, location, and condition – price is the one you’ll have the most control over. Review your listing company’s programs and marketing, making sure that you are taking advantage of all of them.
Make sure your home shows better than its competition. Its condition should outshine all of the other listings in its price range. Take time to de-clutter, store off site what you can live without, stage and make sure you attend to all of the little maintenance projects you may have been putting off.
In the end, Sewickley statistics show that if your home does not have an agreement on it within 75 days of the listing date, you will not achieve 90% or more of your original asking price. This makes the original list price a critical decision and also makes it clear that after 75 days, it is absolutely essential to reevaluate your price in light of market feedback and price.
