Overpricing your home can lead to not selling your home. Some sellers believe that pricing their home at a top dollar price is not harmful because they can always negotiate and lower the price at a later date. While this may be true, you may be setting yourself up for having your home listed for much longer than you had planned on. Leaving your home on the market for a long period of time will only cost you money in the long run. Home buyers are looking for a bargain. A price that is too high sends out the message that you may be out of touch with the market. Many buyers won’t be willing to start making offers if they feel like the seller is unreasonable. Another point to consider, is that a potential buyer may not want to offend the seller by making a lower offer, that it might weaken their chances of buying the property. This type of buyer will be content to sit back and wait for the seller to lower the price of the home before making an offer.

Before you put your home on the market, ask your agent to update the evaluation that was done on your home before you listed it. If the price range has changed, adjust the price before you place your home on the market. The best time to lower your price is as soon as you learn the price is too high. So, keep a close eye on the market, this will ensure that you are offering a good product at the right price.

When getting your home ready to sell, take a critical look at your deck. Here in Hernando and Citrus Counties your deck is place where we gather for family funtions or just for the simple times when you want to sit back, relax and take in the beautiful nature wonderland that we call home.

Here, in West Central Florida your deck is subject to all kinds of different weather. The best thing you can do is keep your deck looking brand new by applying a heavy duty waterproofing sealant that is fade resistant and pressure clean your deck at least once a month. These few steps, will insure that your deck doesn’t get dull and dingy.

If your deck is already in trouble, fixing it up is something most people can do on thier own. Clean off your deck and check to see if any of the wood is cracked. If any wood is cracked, you’ll need to sand these areas down. After all the cleaning and sanding is done, add some stain. You have the choice to change the color at this point, or keep it the same. After the stain is dry, apply a few coats of sealant to give it a great shine. Having a beautiful deck is always a great selling point to new home buyers.

Trying to sell your home in today’s market can be tricky. With so many homes on the market trying to make your home stand out from the rest will take a little bit of time and patience on your part.

First thing you should do is clean up your home inside and out. Many buyers will drive by your home first to see if they like it. Make sure that your yard is cleaned up and that any noticeable repairs that need to be done are taken care of. Replace any torn screens, pressure wash the home, cut the grass and trim back the weeds. You want to entice the drive by buyers to want to see the inside of the home. The interior of your home also needs to be organized and cleaned up. After you have everything cleaned up to your satisfaction, have a friend stop by and pick out the things that you may have missed, four eyes is better than two! Make sure that your home has that warm cozy feeling. Potential buyers want to come into a home and feel like they don’t want to leave it.

Make sure that you have answers to the questions that the potential buyers will ask. “How old is the home, the a/c, the roof, do you have any plumbing issues?” If you have any repairs that need to be done, make sure that you take care of them before you put your home on the market. Buyers today want to move in right away, they don’t want to spend time making the repairs to the house that are necessary. Sometimes it takes a little money to make money. In the tricky market of today, be prepared to negotiate. You will increase your chances of selling your home if you place a reasonable price on the house and work around it.

When getting your house ready to sell, the walls and the ceilings should not be overlooked. Painting can be one of your best investments when selling your home. It’s not expensive and you can do it yourself. Sometimes adding some faux finishing to certain rooms can not only be attractive but also is fun to do.

Certain Faux Finishes are a bit too complex to do yourself, but others are simple, easy and very attractive. One faux finish that I have done personally that is inexpensive and simple, was done with an old tee shirt. Pick the room that you would like to paint and purchase a medium shade and a lighter shade of paint that are the same color. I used an olive green and a lighter green. Paint the walls of the room with the medium shade of paint and be certain to cover all areas of the walls making sure that you tape off the electrical outlets and the ceilings. Wait 24 hours until the paint is dry. Start with the upper right hand corner of one of the walls and roll on the lighter shade in a “M” pattern. Make your “M” about two feet by two feet. Then take the tee shirt and get it nice and wet and dab the “M” into a nice pattern that still shows the medium shade paint as well. This will create a sort of “cloud” effect. Repeat this pattern until the wall is complete working in 2×2 sections. This faux finish leaves a nice soft effect.

Curb appeal is the view that a potential buyer will see when they drive by your house. First impressions are important, you want to make sure the buyer wants to come inside and not just drive away because they are not impressed with the outside of your home.

By spending a little extra time working on the exterior of your home your can make those homebuyers feel welcome enough to want to come inside. The next time you come home, stop and look at your house as if you were seeing it for the first time. Take notes of the things you think you can improve. Make sure the windows and the gutters are clean, pressure wash any dirty sidings or dingy decks, (If you don’t have a pressure washer, you can rent one pretty inexpensively at most home improvement stores) and kill any mold or mildew you see on the house, roof, driveway and sidewalks.

Take note of the landscaping, how does your lawn look? If the lawn needs some extra work, start with spraying it down with weed killer and water it regularly. Keep it mowed down and edge out the sidewalks and driveway. Remove any weeds you see creeping up from cracks in your concrete or bricks. Rake and dispose of any leaves and trim back some of your tree limbs, especially those touching the roof of your house. If you don’t have any flowers in your yard, consider planting some. Flowers can really add to the curb appeal of your home.

Another quick way to add some curb appeal is with some lighting. It will also give your home a safe feel. Check out the front door. Changing the hardware or adding a brass knocker can really add to the appeal of the home.

Giving your home some curb appeal can be inexpensive and fun. It will make all the difference in the world when trying to sell your home in West Central Florida.

Some experts say that one of the main causes of the rise in foreclosures is that many people purchased a second home when the real estate market was booming. The second home was purchased with the intent of reselling it quickly for a profit. But when real estate sales slowed down, a majority of these homeowners were stuck making additional mortgage payments with no buyers. Those homeowners that could not afford a second mortgage are now looking at foreclosure.

Sellers who are headed into default with their mortgage company and cannot work out financing alternatives with their lender have the choice of a short sale.

A short sale is when a mortgage lender agrees to discount a loan balance due to an economic hardship on the part of the borrower. The homeowner would sell the mortgage for less than the balance of the loan. All proceeds of the sale would be given to the lender to satisfy the debt. A short sale is typically faster and less expensive than a foreclosure. Plus it could save your credit that you’ve worked so hard to maintain.

You will need to prove to the lender that you can not pay what you owe. Gather as much documentation as you can when you discuss a short sale with your lender. Write a letter explaining your financial hardships. Ask your real estate agent to provide an estimate of the market value and have an appraisal done on your home. With good strong proof of your hardship your lender may agree to a short sale.

Foreclosures are not just expensive for the homeowners but for the lender as well. You will find that most lenders are just as motivated as you are to avoid foreclosure.

Remember that you’re trying to sell a lifestyle, a place where potential homebuyers can see themself living, a place where someone would want to hang out and stay for awhile.

Get rid of the clutter. Make the rooms of the house look spacious and clean. Pack away the things that you won’t be using anytime soon, or donate them. I’ve found that after I donate a large amount of items to a charity, in a month’s time I can’t even remember what I donated. Clean out your closets. You want to show buyers the most amount of storage space that your home provides. Turn any little nook and cranny into something functional, special features are something that buyers will remember.

Create a relaxing setting with soft colors. If your doors and baseboards look old, give them a fresh coat of white paint. This will make your whole house look cleaner. Get rid of those blinds, window treatments are an easy and inexpensive way to change a rooms look. Put away most of your small kitchen appliances and leave your counter space clean and clear, less is more. Place a bowl of fresh fruit or a vase of flowers in the kitchen. Clean out any bathroom cabinets so they look spacious and neat, buyers do look at those. Clean up any tile grout that needs it, bleach and water usually does a great job with that.

Now that your home is ready for selling, it’s time to get with an agent and get that home on the market.

Make a list of the things that you find to be important in an agent. In today’s market there are plenty of available real estate agents. With America’s current mortgage crisis one thing is for sure, your home better stand out from the rest. After cleaning, shining and repairing everything it’s time to pick out the person that will will do the best job marketing and selling your home.

Between 85-90% of all potential buyers start looking for homes online. Why wouldn’t they? They can browse through a multitude of homes and find out all the particulars and never leave the comfort of their office chair. A picture paints a thousand words and buyers love to look at them. Browse through some real estate web sites in your area. Look for agents that market homes in the fashion that you would want your home marketed in. See if the agent is easily accessible by phone or email. Take note if they respond to your calls quickly. Is the agent pleasurable and easy to talk to? Do you feel like the agent has your interest at heart? After taking the first step towards finding the right agent for you, the rest of the journey to selling your home should be easy.

When comparing the price you pay of hiring an experienced real estate attorney to the price you pay with the lack of legal representation, the several hundred dollars to hire an attorney is one that should not be eliminated. The money that you saved without legal representation could end up costing you double, even triple with the tiniest of overlooked errors. Your CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty agent will have experience in this area and will be able to help you with this decision.

Consider retaining an attorney who specializes in residential real estate. Even if you have a friend or relative that is an attorney, they might not be familiar or updated with the laws in residential real estate contracts.

Have your real estate attorney look over any contracts that you sign. Most contracts allow for a attorney review period of at least five business days. Determine that your contract allows for this review period, if it is not the case with this specific contract, have your attorney review the contract BEFORE you sign. During this time period, you will be able to make changes that are necessary, or even void the contract.

Check on the legal description of your property to make sure that it has been updated. Have your attorney look this over to catch any mistakes that could have an impact on the property that you are buying/selling.

Request a title insurance policy. The history of the title will be provided and should be reviewed by both sides attorneys to look for any possible irregularities before the title insurance is delivered. The buyers attorney can request that any questionable items be removed or insured by the insurance provider.

Your attorney should receive and review the property survey before closing or escrow to check for encroachments, easements and to verify lot dimensions.

Your attorney should attend the closing or escrow to verify the smooth transfer of your property. Most attorneys will want to review all of the recorded documents related to the sale of a property AFTER they are recorded, to verify that they were recorded as agreed to at the closing. These documents included the title, deed, mortgages, and satisfaction of mortgages.

An experienced real estate attorney that has handled and most likely seen it all in real estate, is your best asset when a closing a deal!!

Question: What should I weigh before considering an addition to my home?

Answer: Thoroughly assess your space. You may find you have the room you need, particularly if there is unused or under utilized areas in your home. Perhaps a garage, attic, side porch, or basement can be converted to fit the use you have in mind. Or, maybe, a small area can be carved from a larger area like a kitchen or living room to create a powder room. These improvements are certainly cheaper than a major construction job.

To learn more about Real Estate ownership visit c21.com