As we approach the 4th of July Holiday here in Northwest Houston it seems that maybe, just maybe the powers that be have exercised good judgement.  It's so hot and dry here that we are basically sitting on a powder keg.  The powers have Banned aerial fireworks like bottle rockets and rockets with fins that cause aerial bursts at low level because of the fire danger.  The sane among us are saying a HUGE THANK YOU!!!!!  If we were having normal rainfalls there would be no problem but we're not so the banning of this type of firework is certainly welcome.  I do symphatize with the vendors because I'm fully aware that this impacts their income but hopefully they will be able to make it up during the next season that allows fireworks.  God Bless the USA and may He help us get through this mess!  I hope everyone has a restful and safe holiday.  And if you want to buy a home in Northwest Houston, Tomball, Magnolia, Cypress, Spring or The Woodlands give me a call.

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We have posted an article on pricing, one on proper presentation, and now we will share some information about marketing.

Marketing, is the promotion of the product, your home.  It involves advertising, but ads are a very small part of the process.  In selling your own home the best place to start is having a nice looking professionally made yard sign.  Remember that you have just gone to great lengths to make the outside of your property look inviting.  It does not make sense to mess up the yards appearance with a cheap looking sign.  The sign should have a contact phone number on it.  Since you want people to be able to reach you, it is probably best to provide your cell phone as the number.  It is also a good idea to say “Agents welcome” on the sign.  You would not want to lose a qualified prospect because they are already working with a real estate agent.  Qualified prospects are not easy to come by, and most agents will work with you to arrive at a mutually agreeable fee for their services.

Next you need to put together a description of the best features of your home with a flattering photo.  Give enough information to get the interest of the people, but do not tell them too much.    These flyers that you are creating can be placed inside a weatherproof box that attaches to the sign in the yard.  Potential buyers can then pick them up and learn more about the house.   In putting together your flyer, sit down and think about the reasons you like your house.  What made you think it would be a good place to live?  What are some of the special features that you have enjoyed?  Does your house have extras to make folks more comfortable?  Have you replaced any appliances recently?  Have you replaced the roof?  Write all these things down.  Measure the rooms and include the approximate sizes.  We stress the word approximate.  You do not want to be too specific, because believe it or not there have been cases where people have purchased a home, moved in, measured it and found that the room sizes were wrong.  We live in a world where people have been known to sue over discrepancies.  Even when the rooms ended up being larger than represented, people have actually lost such law suits.  Just remember the word “approximate” and use it whenever you are representing anything!

Once you put your home on the market, spend some time thinking about what sort of person is going to want your home.  Where does that person work?  How can you reach them to let them know about the availability of your home?  This exercise is one of the things that will help you decide where to spend your advertising dollars. 

When you design your ad, use your location.  Let people know where you are.  Rosehill?  Tomball? Cypress? Magnolia? The1960 area?  Spring?  Think again about what people want, and where your home is.    What special features does the area offer?  Peace and tranquility plus towering trees appeal to some, and urban concrete and modern will little upkeep appeal to others.  Where does your home fall in these regards?  Design a line that will grab peoples’ attention.  Things like “New garbage disposal” will not impact desire to call, but tree shaded, privacy fenced yards very well may appeal to the masses.  Ads do not sell homes.  Statistically only about one caller in eleven will actually come to see the property they called on.  A sign in the yard, an ad in the paper and a prayer that the property will sell has been a frequently used marketing method to sell properties in days past.  Today there are far more compelling methods to conquering the sale.  There is incredible competition for every product out there.  Based upon the advances made in the technology in the past ten years, it appears that more marketing choices will be available in the market of tomorrow.  For today, be sure to utilize things like the internet, Facebook and email. 

Be sure that you have given the information about your property to all your neighbors.  Chances are that they may have a friend or relative who would love to live in the neighborhood.  Every one around you will want to know about your home anyway.  What you ultimately sell for has a direct impact upon the value of their house too.  Getting the word out about the availability of your property is important.  As you can see there are a myriad of creative ways to do it, spending as little money as you can.  Saving money was the reason for selling the property yourself in the first place, wasn’t it?

As soon as calls are coming in, you will need a way to see which callers are actually able to buy your home, and who you should show your home to.  The process for this is called “qualifying the prospect.”  The next blog will go into that in detail.  

We have talked in a previous article about the most important part of selling any property.  That is the price.

The second most important thing is getting the property in show shape.  This requires that you take a very objective look at your home.  Better yet, invite a trusted friend over, arm yourself with pad and pencil and begin to look from the street.  Are any limbs in the way of your view?  Do you see pleasant, clean lines, glistening windows, and brightly colored plants peeking out of well kept flower beds?  If this was the first time you had seen this house, would you want to go inside?  Write down anything you see that is less than picture perfect, and make plans to fix it.

Repainting trim, and using a power washer, especially on porches and around front doors, will help to make a good first impression on potential buyers.  Flaking paint anywhere should be addressed and freshened.  Neutral colors are a safe bet as a general rule.  The plan should be to make the front of the house look well cared for and friendly.

Once you get inside your front door, look again for anything that looks faded, discolored, smudged or extra.  Clutter tends to diminish the size of your rooms.  Since you are planning to move anyway, this is a great time to begin to pack.  Anything you consider personal, or precious should be put into a box, labeled for future reference, and put out of sight.

Look all around.  Look in corners, up and down.  Banish the dust bunnies, polish the paneling, clean the chandeliers, and discard the extras in your décor.  The objective as you go from room to room, is to look at the space through the eyes of a prospective buyer.  They are coming to look at the house, not your furnishings.  You want people to be able to visualize their things in your rooms.    

Now get really critical and look carefully at your flooring and wallpapers.  Do they reflect the tastes of today, or are they remnants of the past?  Remember that you  only get one chance to make a good first impression.  A little money invested in new floor coverings may make a lot of difference in the amount of time your home is on the market.  It will also influence the kind of offers you get.  At the very least, be sure that everything is clean and stain free.

Kitchens and bathrooms are areas that frequently help sell houses.  Be sure that your countertops are clear and all the sinks and faucets are gleaming.  Curtains should be open if possible to show off the view and to create light.  Everyone prefers to have things light and bright.  Arrange the things in the pantries and closets to appear orderly and to show off the space.  Color co-ordinate the towels and accessories to show off the tile or wallpapers.

 Extra time spent on this will pay off in greater results.  Just as you would take your car to get it detailed before you took it to the dealer to trade it in, getting your house in show shape is an important part of positioning it on the market.  We will discuss that phase in another upcoming blog.  If you have specific questions in the mean time please feel free to call us.

If you have an American Flag it needs to be on display at your home and/or business.  Be proud to be an American.  As you drive around our neighborhood Prestonwood Forest up here in Northwest Houston you see many American flags and you know that WE are proud to be in America.  Home of the free and Land of the Brave.

In the mad rush everyday that we call LIFE we sometimes forget to call up dad and spend some time with him.  Even if you can't get by to see him you really need to give him a call and just let him know that you love him.  If there have been times when you didn't see eye to eye with him and you feel there's a little bad blood between you it's time for you to be the adult here.  You both need to forgive and forget.... neither of you are getting any younger.  You can't go back and do over when he's gone.  Whether you realize it or not you will be a blessing to each other.  Slow down!  Take a deep breath and don't forget to smell the roses!  And if you live here in Northwest Houston there are lots of places you can take dad for a nice dinner.  After all, if not for dad you wouldn't be.

This area is a well kept secret.  Nestled in the trees of Northwest Houston, homeowners are under strict restrictions to keep up their property.  The result is a delightfully well landscaped and beautifully maintained area.  For many years Prestonwood Forest has been known for the creative lights at Christmas time.  The season is celebrated by many of the homeowners with a sharing of themes.  Streets are ablaze with lights and cut outs of beloved characters such as Snoopy and the Disney cartoons.  Other streets have done more traditional things such as candy canes and religious icons.   Residents compete for a few prizes from the homeowners association.

What most people do not know is that the lawns are also well done all year long.  A drive around the neighborhood will net the viewer a lot of pleasure in seeing the creative use of different plants in the landscapes.  

Animal lovers can find thrills in their backyards.  The area is in a migration path so many birds, such as ducks, doves, several species of woodpeckers, chickadees, mockingbirds, starlings and cardinals are frequent flyers through the neighborhood.  We have also enjoyed the antics of raccoons, possums, skunks and squirrels. The most exciting visitor was a Palliated Red headed woodpecker who stopped by very briefly last week.  

The towering trees, and larger lot sizes give a feeling of country serenity, yet the neighborhood is easily accessible from Willowbrook Mall and 1960 at 249.   

Homes were generally built in the mid 1970s and have spacious rooms and many built ins.  Lots of homes have updates such as tile or wood flooring and updated kitchens.  Many still have the original charm enjoyed by the owners for many years.  There is always a chance to find something that you can put your unique touches on.

If you are interested in finding a home in the low to mid 100s, this could be the place you want to call home. 

This is just another example of government out of control and most legislators not even reading the bills they are passing.

Many of the subdivisions that we have been active in in Houston and Northwest Houston since 1978 are stable, but not showing any appreciation right now.  We had become used to annual inflation factors of up to 15% over the years.  While things may not be gaining in value, for the most part they are holding.  Houston has an incredible ability to do better than most of the rest of the nation when it comes to upholding home values.

The largest hurdle right now is getting things to appraise for the value asked for by the seller and offered by the buyer.  This used to be what was defined as “Market Value.”  Things are changing due to new rules by the lenders.  Lenders have been hurt by the market collapse of recent years.  It was not a total surprise.  They had allowed people to purchase properties that they really could not afford and did not qualify for.  When the economy got a little soft, these folks could not make the payments and the lenders found themselves holding properties that they did not wish to own.  With the failing values, the properties often did not have the value they had when they were first sold to the folks who should not have bought them in the first place.   This in a nutshell describes the  general market mess.

Things are not as bad as the media would have you think.  In fact, compared to the recession of the 1980s, it is not bad at all.  It does however have its challenges.  The fact that the lenders now are asking appraisers to work for less than they have ever charged for appraisals, is, in my opinion, going to be the root of a brand new evil.  Think about it.  If you had spent years learning your profession and now you are told what you can charge to do your job, what would you do?  It is highly possible that many of the good appraisers, who had worked hard to get the sellers the best value for the properties they were selling, will now change the way they do business, or retire and go into another line of work.  

Before all the trouble with the market, lenders hired appraisers that they knew, or that they had heard good things about.  No one likes to have to redo the loan process.  Agents who had studied the market before listing homes knew about what a subject home should sell for and priced it accordingly.  If an appraisal came in below what the agents studies had shown, the agent could share the comparables they had used, and if the appraiser could not find a value close to the sale price, (without knowing what the sales price was)  the agent could challenge the report.  We did that on many occasions.  Now, we are pretty much stuck with the appraisal report, and sellers have to sell for the appraised value, or not at all. 

We believe that this is a short term problem that will work itself out as the newer appraisers get more experience and are able to do more complete work.  The more experienced appraisers will not all disappear.  With the lowest interest rates since the Second World War, there are homes that will sell.  The foreclosures will all go away soon, and there will be a shortage of homes.  This will drive the prices back up, since all of the market is driven by supply and demand.  So, if you do not have to sell till mid August, hang in there.  That time of the year is always a good time to sell, and this year the limbo games should be over, or at least much less prevalent.  

OK.  Let's start the week and the summer homebuying season off on the right foot.  That way you'll be a happier person and feel good about yourself.  When you call a Broker or Agent please be considerate of them and they will be considerate to you.  Brokers and Agents are working for a living just like you do.  They have kids and grandkids, homes, cars, houses and everything else just like you.  And, sometimes they are not making "All that Money."  The pie gets cut into many pieces and many times the broker or agent only gets a very small piece which he/she has worked hours for.  But, I digress.... here's the real point of this post... If you have a relationship with a agent and that agent is busy when you want to see a home don't just call up another agent and expect the other agent to just run out and open up a few doors for you and show you the property and then you go back and have the agent you have a relationship with write up and negotiate an offer for you.  You have just cheated the second agent who did the work of showing you the property.  How would you feel if you were at work and did a nice job on a project and the guy or gal in the next cube/office got the credit and or money that you deserved?  I think you might be a little peeved wouldn't you.  So next time you want to look at a home and maybe buy it, think first and be courteous, work within your relationship and do the right thing.  That way everyone wins!  Oh, one more thing!  When you are beginning to look at homes and call a Broker or Agent and schedule an appointment..... Show Up!!  If you are not going to make it to the appointment, call back and cancel it.  Don't be RUDE and just not show up. Your momma taught you better than that.... and if she didn't she should have.

If you're thinking about buying or selling real estate here in Houston or Northwest Houston let's talk.

With all the advances in the information highway, it is just a matter of time before most people will not need a Realtor to sell their homes.  We  thought it would be fun to take a practical look at the whole process.

The most important thing is to establish a price.  That is absolutely crucial.  Unfortunately it is not just a matter of deciding what you would like for the property to sell for.  You may have added a lot of special extras to your home, such as a swimming pool, spa, fancy upgraded kitchen, luxury wall treatments, etc.  These things are wonderful for your enjoyment while you own the home, however, you may not get that money back when you sell.  The reason is fairly simple, yet is often misunderstood.

Your house will not sell for any more than someone can borrow from a bank or mortgage company.  What someone can borrow is governed by an APPRAISAL.  Every lending institution requires an appraisal on the property they finance.  This is to insure that they can get their money back out in case the buyer does not make the payments and they have to foreclose.  Appraisers can not always give you extra value for the lovely extras in your home in some cases.  They are concerned with quality and amenities up to a point, but mostly base their opinion of value on the amount of air conditioned square footage in the house.  The neighborhood and general condition of the property also factor into the equation, but nothing else weighs as much as the actual size of the house.

Now that we have established that the price is crucial, lets talk about how to arrive at the right one.  It is not an exact science, but it does have to be based upon facts.  One of the ways to establish a correct price is to gather data about how much the houses in your neighborhood have sold for.  Appraisers do not like to use data that is any more than six months old nor outside the neighborhood, so be sure that the information is recent and correct.  In order to avoid frustration down the line, please be sure that you get recent information, and that it is correct.  What you heard that a neighbor got for his house last year may not be correct, and it is too old to use.  Time spent in preparation will help you to get the highest possible price for your home in the shortest possible time.  You also need to understand that sometimes you will have a property that just will take a while to sell.  This may be due to location, price range or because it is considerably larger than those around you.

Older homes are also a price setting challenge all of their own.  Appraisers want to find similar homes to use for their evaluation.  Similar in terms of building materials used,key map quadrants and of course size.

Setting a price does not necessarily mean that it is what you will ultimately net from the property.  Even with all the information available, you are only establishing a price that you hope will attract a potential buyer.  The definition of Market Value is  “What a willing buyer will pay a willing seller when there is no duress on either side.”

If you still have questions about this or any other aspect of Real Estate, Please feel free to call us or leave a message on this website.  We love to put our 50+ years of experience to work for people.