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howard county home: Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars - #4 – Walls and Floors (Cost: Low; Return: High) - 03/24/11 07:56 AM
Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars - #4 – Walls and Floors (Cost: Low; Return: High)
Remove/Repaint/Replace: Remove wallpaper; Repaint walls; Replace carpet
Have wallpaper? I’ll bet you loved it when you first selected it and put it up; you may still love it. But what are the chances that a home buyer today, walking into your house, will have the exact same taste, especially several years later? Take it down.
We want your buyers to be able to envision themselves in this house, with their tastes, their colors, and their furnishings.
Liked … (0 comments)
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howard county home: Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars - #3 – Curb Appeal (Cost: Low; Return: High) - 03/23/11 01:17 PM
Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars - #3 – Curb Appeal (Cost: Low; Return: High)
Curb Appeal: You knew it was coming, didn’t you? Howard County Home Sellers should know that curb appeal matters. I always let my buyers know that it’ll be very helpful to them to DRIVE BY the homes they see on their internet searches, past the home, through the neighborhood, and at different times during the day and/or week, to get a feel for the area. So take my word for it, you will definitely have more buyers IN … (2 comments)
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howard county home: Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars - #2 – Cleaning (Cost: $0; Return: High) - 03/22/11 08:46 AM
Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars - #2 – Cleaning (Cost: $0; Return: High)
What would Martha Stewart do? Clean and Organize! Or as I like to tell my Howard County Home Sellers, “You need to Martha Stewartize this linen closet.”
Clean:
Windows: Wash inside and out. Twice, if necessary. Bathrooms: Re-caulk your tubs, showers and sink; bleach grout if stained; polish faucets and mirrors; fresh towels. Kitchen: Clean out the refrigerator, oven, stove top, the dishwasher. House-wide: Dust – cobwebs, ceiling fan blades, light fixtures; replace worn rugs. Daily upkeep: … (0 comments)
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howard county home: Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars - #1 – Decluttering (Cost: $0; Return: High) - 03/21/11 09:11 AM
Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars - #1 – Decluttering (Cost: $0; Return: High)
Really, you’re going to have to pack up your Howard County home sometime in order to sell it, so start now.
We’re getting ready to market your home, and your intention is to sell quickly for a good price. We want to make sure everything possible is done to attract buyers, so let’s get started.
Room by room, what do you want to keep? What is ready to go to someone else? Need resources? Call me. Craigslist, Freecycle, Vietnam … (0 comments)
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howard county home: Howard County MD Property Tax Reassessments - 03/19/11 11:02 AM
Just purchased a Howard County home and wondering about the current property tax reassessment requirements? On page 9 of the Maryland Association of Realtors' Residential Contract of Sale, is paragraph 51, entitled "Property Tax Notice - 60 Day Appeal." And it reads, "If any real property is transferred after January 1 and before the beginning of the next taxable year to a new owner, the new owner may submit a written appeal as to a value or classification on or before 60 days after the date of the transfer."
There is a lot of information in these contracts. With a standard … (0 comments)
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howard county home: Staging - 5 Reasons I Believe In Staging - Reason #5 - 03/18/11 08:31 AM
Staging - 5 Reasons I Believe In Staging - Reason #5: You Can Relax
Let’s work together to get your list of To-Dos for your Howard County home done quickly, so you can hit the ground running and sell your home for the highest price, in the least amount of time. Let’s inconvenience you for as short a period of time as is possible, attracting serious buyers right from the start.
If you’re selling in order to buy, this will be the time that you can focus on being a Buyer, knowing that you’ve done everything necessary to best show and … (0 comments)
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howard county home: Staging - 5 Reasons I Believe In Staging - Reason #2 - 03/15/11 06:06 AM
Staging – 5 Reasons I Believe In Staging -Reason #2: Your House Will Sell Faster
Ensuring that your Howard County home is shown in its best possible light is an important factor for attracting the largest number of qualified buyers to your home, potentially resulting in receiving a satisfactory offer on your home more quickly.
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has reported that the longer a home remains on the market unsold, the lower the final sales price drops. If a home sells in the first 4 weeks on the market, the final price averages 1% over the list … (2 comments)
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howard county home: Staging – 5 Reasons I Believe In Staging – Reason #1 - 03/14/11 05:22 AM
Staging – 5 Reasons I Believe In Staging – Reason #1: You Will Make More Money
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) who tracks these sorts of things, says that the average staging investment is between 1-3% of the home’s asking price, and that investment generates a return of between 8-10%.
For example, let’s say your Howard County home should sell for about $400,000 – Say you invest 2%, or $8,000 – update the lighting, the bathrooms, curb appeal, maybe a kitchen counter, some paint. For this, you could anticipate a return of $24,000+. What’s not to like? And for a … (2 comments)
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howard county home: Most Expensive Homes Sold in Howard County MD in February 2011 - 03/13/11 08:33 AM
Interested in Howard County real estate? Here are the homes with the highest sold prices in February 2011, as reported in MRIS for the month. These 5 had list prices of over $1,000,000, and 4 of the 5 sold for over the $1,000,000 mark.
In total, 137 Howard County homes went to settlement in February.
MOST EXPENSIVE SALES:
3621 Black Walnut Lane, Glenwood MD 21738, Sold for $1,350,000 on Feb.11th, a 4 BR 3 FB French Provincial on 3.5 acres in Cattail Creek, stone construction overlooking the golf course. 12107 Mayapple Trail, Marriottsville MD 21104, Sold for $1,170,000 on Feb. 8th, … (2 comments)
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howard county home: 5 Steps to Selling Your Howard County Home in 2011 - Step 5 - 03/05/11 07:37 AM
Step 5: Repairs, Pre-Packing and Making your Home Sparkle.
It’s time to go through your house, like a buyer, and make a list of all of those little repairs that have (or haven’t!) been nagging at you for the longest time. Call your favorite handyman (or call me for a referral; I’ve got some great ones!) and give them the list. Sticking doors, loose doorknobs, broken doorbells, broken tile, repainting, deck power washing and staining, curb appeal, you know the drill. Taking care of those items will make your home show very differently. Little superficial items that need work tend to … (0 comments)
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howard county home: 5 Steps to Selling Your Howard County Home in 2011 - Step 4 - 03/04/11 08:51 AM
Step 4: Pre-Plan Marketing with Your Realtor.
Your Realtor should have a written detailed marketing plan for your Howard County home. You’ll need to determine what repairs, etc., need to be done before the house goes on the market, the date to go “live”, the listing price, and the showing instructions for the appointments. Arrangements will have to be made for photographs and signs and flyers.
But beyond that, there should be a Plan B: If your home is not priced correctly, it’ll be apparent by the number of (or lack of) showings. And after a certain number of showings, by … (0 comments)
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howard county home: 5 Steps to Selling Your Howard County Home in 2011 - Step 3 - 03/03/11 08:06 AM
Step 3: Research Your Home’s Competition.
So it’s time to plan the marketing of your Howard County home. Your biggest responsibility is having your home ready to show. And how do you know what’s “ready to show”? The first place to look, in this day and age, is on the internet. Start searching for the neighborhood homes on the market. How do they look? Try and look from a buyer’s point of view.
If you’d like, have your Realtor make appointments to take you to some of the neighborhood competition. It’s amazing sometimes how different a home might look from … (3 comments)
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howard county home: 5 Steps to Selling Your Howard County Home in 2011 - Step 2 - 03/02/11 08:11 AM
Step 2: Research Your Local Howard County Market.
CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News all have a lot of housing market information and advice, but it’s important to remember that it’s all national news… and there is NO national housing market. It’s all local! Here’s the best way I’ve ever heard to explain this phenomenon: Getting a national weather forecast: Maybe say, it’ll be an average of 70 degrees across the country, partly sunny, some chance of rain, a 25% chance of snow. Imagine trying to dress for your day with that sort of information! You need a local weather forecast, just … (0 comments)
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howard county home: 5 Steps to Selling Your Howard County Home in 2011 - Step 1 - 03/01/11 01:11 PM
Step 1: Research Your Pricing.
Assemble a little Howard County pre-research first, both the similarities and the differences. This should give you a good determination of what a buyer would agree to pay for a home like yours, and what it would be apt to appraise for. And ask yourself, what would YOU pay for your home if you were the buyer, looking at the same comps?
At this point, it’s best to go back to paragraph #1 again, looking at your research, and then remembering why you’re selling. Be realistic when pricing your home. Don’t suddenly forget your research … (2 comments)
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howard county home: 5 Steps to Buying a Howard County Home in 2011 – Step 4 - 02/27/11 04:45 PM
Step 4: What Are You Spending Monthly Now, and How Is That Working For You?
How much are you comfortable spending each month? Have you thought that out already? That’s a question only you can answer. In years past, there were certainly homeowners who felt they’d been pushed into borrowing more than they should have, blaming the lender or real estate agent. Frequently, however, there have also been homeowners choosing to overspend on their own. At any rate, if someone tells you they can approve you for more than you think you want to spend, take a step back and … (0 comments)
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howard county home: 5 Steps to Buying a Howard County Home in 2011 – Step 3 - 01/31/11 06:23 PM
5 Steps to Buying a Howard County Home in 2011 – Step 3 If you haven't noticed by my two previous posts here on Active Rain, I am doing a 5 part series on Steps to Buying a Howard County Home. I have just put up the Step 3 article on my website. If you click on the link above you will be taken there directly.
Step 3: Know Your Numbers – Time for the Credit Check This article is a very important piece of the puzzle to buying a Howard County Home...you won't want to miss it...the credit pendulum has … (0 comments)
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Gretchen Conley - Howard County MD Real Estate
Columbia,
MD
More about me…
Keller Williams Realty Centre
Address: 6230 Old Dobbin Road, #150, Columbia, MD, 21045
Office Phone: (443) 766-1632
Cell Phone: (443) 676-1625
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