sellers: Move up Buyers - Do It Now! - 12/10/12 09:25 PM
Sellers – Still sitting on the sidelines, thinking about selling your home and buying something bigger? Listen carefully, act quickly!
Barbara Corcoran, on December 6, 2012, said: “Right now, if you are upgrading to a bigger house, even if you’re selling at 10% off, you buy your new house at 10% off. Price appreciation is going to go much higher than people anticipate.” 
Ms. Corcoran, founder of the Corcoran Group, recently appeared on CNBC’s Fast Money and shared her opinions about the future of the housing market.
Questions about the local Howard County market? You know who to call! 443-676-1625
Best … (1 comments)

sellers: Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars – #4 – Walls and Floors (Cost: Low; Return: High) - 11/21/11 11:17 PM
What do your neighbors, the Joneses, have?  Or the listing down the street or around the block?  The recent neighborhood comps?  If you don’t know, check with your Realtor.  Buyers will be looking at your house and at the other active listings, and will naturally compare them.  Appraisers will look at the recent market activity, the condition of the homes and the updates to the homes.
While you don’t want to overspend in your area, you do need to know what’s standard, so that you’ll know what buyers are comparing your home with, and ensure your home comes out on top.  … (0 comments)

sellers: Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars - #4 – Walls and Floors (Cost: Low; Return: High) - 03/24/11 12:56 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)

sellers: Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars - #3 – Curb Appeal (Cost: Low; Return: High) - 03/23/11 06:17 AM
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)

sellers: Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars - #2 – Cleaning (Cost: $0; Return: High) - 03/22/11 01:46 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)

sellers: Howard County Home Sellers – The 5 Best Uses of Your Time and Dollars - #1 – Decluttering (Cost: $0; Return: High) - 03/21/11 02:11 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)

sellers: Staging - 5 Reasons I Believe In Staging - Reason #5 - 03/18/11 01:31 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)

sellers: Staging - 5 Reasons I Believe In Staging - Reason #4 - 03/17/11 12:54 AM
Staging - 5 Reasons I Believe in Staging - Reason #4: The Competition
Howard County Buyers are looking at a lot of Howard County houses – Comparing, eliminating, choosing.  I saw three homes today with my buyer, very similarly priced.  It was clear, walking into the 2nd, that the 1st was only going to help sell the 2nd.  The 1st was not decluttered, not staged, not freshly painted or carpeted.  I had to look at the two prices again, just to be sure!  The house that’s NOT ready to be seen/sold is helping the OTHER Sellers.  Ask yourself:  Do you want … (2 comments)

sellers: Staging - 5 Reasons I Believe in Staging - Reason #3 - 03/16/11 01:18 AM
Staging - 5 Reasons I Believe In Staging - Reason #3:  Sellers and Buyers Have Difficulty Visualizing
For Homeowners, it can be exceptionally hard to see your own Howard County home as a buyer would.  We tend to overlook what we see each day in our own homes.  And because it’s so difficult to see our homes objectively, we have trouble packaging the home as a “product” for potential buyers.  Having a professional stager in, who will take the time to go through it from top to bottom with you, will absolutely open your eyes to seeing your home as a … (0 comments)

sellers: Staging - 5 Reasons I Believe In Staging - Reason #2 - 03/14/11 11:06 PM
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)

sellers: Staging – 5 Reasons I Believe In Staging – Reason #1 - 03/13/11 10:22 PM
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)

sellers: 5 Steps to Avoid Foreclosure in Howard County - Step 5 - 03/10/11 11:12 PM
Step 5 – Consider Tax and Future Ramifications So you’ve researched, Realtored, and worked together quickly as a Team.  (Steps 1-4)  It’s also very important that you consider the tax and future ramifications of the short sale of your Howard County home.
When this short sale phenomenon began a few years back, there was a lot more push back from the lenders, who wanted to retaining the right to pursue a deficiency judgment against you for the balance of the monies they didn’t get back as a result of the short sale.  You will want your Realtor to ensure negotiations with … (0 comments)

sellers: 5 Steps to Avoid Foreclosure in Howard County MD - Step 4 - 03/09/11 11:34 PM
Step 4 – Fully Participate
Help your Howard County Realtor help you get your house sold.  Selling a house, whether it’s a short sale or not, is really a team effort: the Sellers and the Realtor working together to achieve the same goal.  So when you hire an experienced short sale agent, listen to them.
Do what your Realtor says is necessary to get the house ready to sell – decluttering, staging – time spent here will REDUCE the time spent waiting for an offer. Understand that the pricing strategy will be different than for a regular sale; the price has … (2 comments)

sellers: 5 Steps to Avoid Foreclosure in Howard County MD - Step 3 - 03/08/11 10:16 PM
Step 3 – Call Today – Don’t Delay! Every day counts in terms of getting the short sale process started and beginning to negotiate with your mortgage company(ies).  Don’t wait!  Get a Realtor involved immediately!  (Need a Realtor?  See my last blogpost on Finding a Realtor.)
First, your Realtor will need to get your house listed, just like in a regular Howard County MD home sale.  And hopefully, fully marketed, photographed, staged, the works.  Maximum exposure immediately in order to attract a buyer and bring forth an offer to present to the bank.
At the same time, you’ll be authorizing your … (2 comments)

sellers: 5 Steps to Avoid Foreclosure in Howard County MD - Step 2 - 03/07/11 11:02 PM
Step 2 – Find A Realtor This is key.  It is truly important that you find a real estate agent that has done a short sale before and taken the time to do some of the intensive short sale training out there, one who is truly familiar with the process.   And, as the short sale adventure has moved and twisted and changed, that they’ve kept up with those bumps and turns.
A Realtor who has completed the Certified Distressed Property Expert® (CDPE) training has a thorough understanding of complex issues in today’s turbulent real estate industry and knowledge of foreclosure avoidance … (0 comments)

sellers: 5 Steps to Avoid Foreclosure in Howard County MD - Step 1 - 03/07/11 01:53 AM
Step 1 – Do Your Research Things not going well?  House value upside-down?  Can’t see a way out?  Unfortunately, you’re not alone.  But more unfortunately, many Howard County, Maryland homeowners go straight into foreclosure, rather than seeking and receiving help from their lender and a local, knowledgeable Realtor.  Don’t let this happen to you!
Here are some of the UNNECESSARY possible complications of going to foreclosure, rather than hiring a Realtor to short sale your house:
Credit Score:  A foreclosure will lower your credit score 250-300 points, affecting your credit score for over three years.  A short sale, best case, could … (0 comments)

sellers: 5 Steps to Selling Your Howard County Home in 2011 - Step 5 - 03/04/11 11:37 PM
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)

sellers: 5 Steps to Selling Your Howard County Home in 2011 - Step 4 - 03/04/11 12:51 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)

sellers: 5 Steps to Selling Your Howard County Home in 2011 - Step 3 - 03/03/11 12:06 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)

sellers: 5 Steps to Selling Your Howard County Home in 2011 - Step 2 - 03/02/11 12:11 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)