Above everything else, please remember, there is no magic wand to sell your home in a day.  It is going to take time, effort and perseverance by you and your Realtor®.  The real key question is, how is your house going to stand out compared to all of the others in the same price range and location?  Here are 10 steps to help you find a buyer for your home and potentially sell it for the most money possible.

•1)     First and foremost, make sure your home has curb appeal.  That first impression, when a potential buyer pulls up to your home for the first time is huge.  I kind of compare it to going on a first date.  Does that person you are meeting look clean and groomed?  Are they wearing old, torn cloths?  Do they smell good?  Can you see yourself going on a second date?  You get the picture.  You never get a second chance of impressing an individual.  It has to be the same way with your home.  Once you get that look going with the mowed lawn and the trimmed hedges, please keep it that way.  All too often, after a month, the seller will get complacent and start slacking off.  Remember, first impressions are forever.

•2)     Next, walk into your home with the eyes of a first time home buyer.  What do you see?  Is there clutter?  Do the rooms look inviting or cramped?  Is it easy to move from one room to the next?  Are the carpets or floors dirty?  Will the colors on the walls accommodate some one else's furniture?  How does it smell when you walk in?  When it comes to smells, clean always wins over candles and aroma scented sprays.  Think clean, bright and welcoming as you go.

•3)     Get rid of any toys or personal things that clutter shelves, walls desks and floors.  Always keep in the back of your mind as you do this, the people looking at your home want to imagine their stuff there.  The more you have of yours, the less likely they will be able to see theirs.  It is not a bad idea to rent a storage unit to start this process.  Out of sight with these items is always best in the long run.  Do this in every room.

•4)     Next, strange as it sounds, replace the toilet seats.  It does make a difference.

•5)     Ok, the house is clean, neat and smelling great.  Congrats!  Now is the time to go back outside and start looking for things that are broken or missing on the house.  Start in the front and move to the back, then work your way through the interior of the house. By doing this, you overcome potential objections from a potential buyer well before they come up in the negotiations.

•6)     When you have uncluttered, cleaned, mowed, trimmed and made the beds in all of the rooms, leave for a celebratory dinner for all of the hard work you have accomplished.

•7)     When you come back, look hard at the home you pull up to.  Look at it with a new buyer's eye.  Can you honestly say this is the nicest house on the block, without reservation?  If you say yes, you are half way to selling your home.

•8)     Now comes the hard part, finding a Realtor® that you can put your confidence in.  Whether buying or selling a home, there is always some degree of trepidation.  To ease some of the worry, do some homework on who you would like to help you sell your home.  Ask friends what experiences they had with their Realtor®, make phone calls and take notice as to how long it takes to return your call and how they answer it in the first place.

•9)     Invite three Realtors® to do a listing presentation.  How much do they listen to what you have to say and what your concerns are, as opposed to how smart they tell you they are?  Find out what their background is.  Experience in all aspects of real estate is important, that includes finance as well as marketing.  Ask how they intend to market your home and in what manner.  Hopefully it will include Open Houses, print advertising and internet marketing.  Ask them how many Open Houses you can expect within a certain period and what web sites will be showcasing your home?  The question of commission will also come up.  Remember, you get what you pay for, in all cases.

•10) Last and most difficult is to keep everything in your home exactly as it was the day you came back from your celebratory dinner.  Leave the rest to your Realtor®. You are in good hands.  Good luck in a challenging market.  Always remember, cream ALWAYS rises to the top.  God Bless.

Mark Chesnick

Realtor®

Blanchard and Calhoun Real Estate Co.

mchesnick@blanchardandcalhoun.com

706-495-1533 Cell

706-868-1000 ext 293 Office

 I am continually amazed by the lack of importance put on the appearance of a house when potential customers are allowed to view it.  I went to a grand opening this weekend and found models where the floors were not swept.  The A/C was not on.  The problem is I see it all the time.  To me it's like going on a first date with someone and they come dressed in wrinkled cloths and something stuck in between their teeth.  The likelihood of a second date is not very likely.  The same has to be with a home showing.  I applaud the homes that go the extra mile and use home stagers.  You usually get a great wow effect.  However, just mowing the lawn and putting flowers inside and out can make an impact as well.  Remember, first impressions do make a difference.

  It is amazing how the real estate buying and selling market has changed in the last 3 years.  It, as we all know has gone from a sellers market where people had to up bid to get the house they liked to having so many choices they do not know where to start looking.  I find the analytical path the best for me.  Gather all the information available after deciding what I CAN AFFORD and then writing down on paper what my family needs and then wants, in that order.  If you go out of order from that, you end up inevitably getting confused and angry.  That is where a great Real Estate agent comes into play.  Their advice can help remove a large percentage of grief.  I suggest finding a Realtor that when you talk to him/her they spend more time listening to your needs than talking about themselves.

  Let's hear from my Real Estate peers out there with their view on how a buyer should start their home buying process.  What to do and not do is the question at hand.

I spent the majority of my life in Florida.  I know its politics and its people.  It is a great state. I probably would never have moved, except for one day, 15 years ago, my brand new truck broke down outside of Augusta, Georgia and was forced to stay here for a week.  Looking back at it now, it was probably one of the best problems I have ever had.  My wife and I fell in love with this city and everything it was and could be. 

It is the second biggest city in Georgia, but it still feels like a small town.  It is pretty hard to go anywhere and not see someone you know.  It has an extremely stable economy with colleges, medical schools, multiple hospitals, great businesses, and a military base.  The people pride themselves for their courtesy and desire to make their community a great place to live.  Families with many children abound.  I have a 9 year old daughter and am really glad she can grow up in a family oriented environment where people still say please and thank you. 

  I am a Realtor with Blanchard and Calhoun Real Estate Co. here in Evans and love everything I do, especially sharing and welcoming others to my community.  If you have any notion of moving to Georgia and want to find out more about a great place to live, give me a call. 

  Sincerely,

Mark Chesnick

Blanchard and Calhoun Real Estate Co.
706-495-1533

I would like to take a poll as to how many of you have used lead services in the past and how many currently use them.  It is amazing to me all the varied opinions there are out there.  Some people I speak with are dead set against them others deal there is a place for them, if you can find the right one.  Then there is the unadulterated fact that very few local Realtors that have something good will divulge the info for fear of loss of business.  I think everyone knows what I mean.

  So, how about it, who says aye and who says nay?

It is wonderful at this point in our real estate market cycle.  There are those who groan and moan about how terrible the current market is.  There are those who will scramble to do whatever to get a deal, especially those who came on when it was a sellers market. 

Now there is work and sales ability and negotiation and effort required to get the job done.  I personally welcome it.  With everything there are two sides to be dealt with the yin and yang.  For those who can go back far enough to remember 18 and 19% interest rates, we still got the job done.  We are still in a great time, if you are willing to look at it with the right perspective.

  For those who look to find problems in our market or those around them are always welcome to move on to more suitable clerical jobs that sales ability are not necessary.  I welcome and embrace those who are looking to keep their glass always half full or more, striving for the best in themselves and those around them.  America was base on the willingness to bring out the best in others for the betterment the whole.  On a day like Memorial Day, it is all the more important to remember what makes us who we are and why.

I have been noticing that there seems to be more blogs than blog responses.  Is it that we write to chatter as a squirrel does or are we trying to evoke thought and or response?  I challenge those who use this form of communication to go beyond the day to day.  Elicit, evoke, involve those around you to do more than receive AR points.  I compliment those here that do just that.  Thank you for challenges, without which there will never be growth.

Let us all remember those who have given their lives to make this country the great place it is.  Here are a few quotes of great individuals that will make you think a little more about what Memorial Day is celebrating...At least I was going to, but truly I am not sure I legally can.  So, instead I challenge you to just Google Memorial Day Quotes and read the many that are available.  I think it helps remind us what this day is about.  Yes we go and enjoy our families and the freedom we have here in The U.S.A...  It is because of others who have given their lives to allow us that freedom.  I wish each and everyone of those reading this the very best.

God Bles America

It is not too unheard of the way things are going right now.  These are some very uncertain times with the cat chasing its tail.  As gas prices go up, everything else goes up except wages.  Will the cat catch it tail and scream no more or will it spin until it is a puddle of nothing (like in the children's novel)?  We use less gas to save pennies and the prices go up for the lack of demand.  At what point does the consumer get a break?  I apologize for ranting, but truly it scares me for my daughter's future.

Here is a question I often ask myself when I question the logic of working for myself.  If I had one year left, what would I be doing right now?  The truth is I would be doing exactly what I am doing now.  I love what I do and most of all it allows me to control the time I have with my family.  How about you?