Roslyn Ashford, a professional home-stager in Washington DC says to keep color on the walls when trying to sell your home.

Experts agree that a home sells better when it is staged.  When staging vacant homes, Ashford is frustrated to have to work with freshly painted white or off-white walls.

"Even though many of the staging and home selling television shows clearly demonstrate and showcase the positive use of color when selling home," says Ashford, "I rarely find color on the walls when I'm asked to stage vacant homes."

The colors, however, must be "acceptable" to buyers.  "Pick up the latest furniture retail catalogs to find what the accepted colors are. 

"In general, colors help to give every home life, even more than only using furniture and decorative accents." Says Ashford.   Your local home stager and real estate agent can help you select colors that work in your area.

Read the full article at Zillow.com

photo credit: russelljsmith

Posted in Marketing, Seller Resources

The economic outlook for the Denver metro area is looking towards growth in 2012.

Employment is expected to increase by 1.1%, which means about 15,000 new jobs will be added in the Denver metro region in 2012, according to Patricia Silverstein President of Development Research Partners.

National growth for 2012 is expected to be 1.8 percent according to the International Money Fund (IMF). Projected growth for 2013 for the U.S. is 2.2 percent. "Some countries, notably the United States and Japan, need to clarify their plans to reduce debts and deficits in the years ahead." said the IMF.

"Consumers are the largest drivers of our economic structure," says Silverstein, "and consumer activity represents 70% of our economy. They are spending a little bit more, their investment portfolios are increasing a little bit and the housing market is solidifying so that's helping consumers feel a little wealthier."

Experts in Colorado track the eight strongest industry clusters to determine the economic outlook, including healthcare, energy, aerospace, and IT technology.

Watch the video at cobizmag.com

photo credit: Charlotte Gilhooly

Posted in Marketing

YouTube is streaming 4 billion online videos every day.  This accounts for a 25 % percent increase in the past eight months, according to parent company, Google Inc.

Almost 60 hours of video is uploaded every minute, compared to 48 hours of video per minute last May.  Video marketing is a great communication tool for any company.

"Video marketing works better than most other electronic tools because it hits two senses simultaneously (sight and hearing) where most other media only titillate the eyes. There is a reason thousands more humans watch TV rather than read." says Kern Lewis on Forbes.com.

Out of the 4 billion videos, three billion make money for Google, running ads alongside the videos.  Google has revamped its platform to push YouTube beyond the personal computer, with versions that work on smartphones, tablets and TV.'s and they are hoping to get more professional-grade content on the site.

"YouTube recently redesigned its website to more prominently showcase specialized channels organized around different types of content." reported Reuters, "In October, YouTube announced that it had struck 100 original video programming deals with media partners including Madonna and Jay-Z. Thomson Reuters and YouTube recently announced a partnership to create a Reuters TV channel for the website."

Read more at Reuters.com

photo credit: MACSD

Posted in Marketing

For the eighth time in a year, 30-year fixed mortgage rates have hit a new low, dipping to 3.88 percent this week, down from the old record of 3.89 percent one week ago.

The low rates are attracting few takers, however, because most who can afford to buy or refinance have already done so says Derek Kravitz of the Associated Press.

15 year mortgages went up slightly from 3.16 percent (a record low) to 3.17 percent.

"High unemployment and scant wage gains have made it harder for many people to qualify for loans." said Kravitz. "Many don't want to sink money into a home that they fear could lose value over the next few years."

The National Association of Builders is hoping the low rates will entice buyers after a dismal year last year. 

But Kravitz says that so far the low rates have had minimal impact. "Mortgage applications have risen 6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis over the past four weeks, but that is based off of extremely low levels."

Read the full article at msnbc.com

Image Source: AboutMortgageRates.net

Posted in Marketing, Buyer Resources, Real Estate Market Conditions

How much can you sell your home for?  Looking at comparable sales in your neighborhood is the best way to price your home to sell.

"The trick is finding sales that closely match yours." writes Carl Vogel on HouseLogic.com.  "Your best comparable sale is the same model as your house in the same subdivision."

Look at these factors when finding comparable homes to determine your sales price:

• Location: The closer the better! The ultimate comparable would be "a house in your neighborhood, your subdivision, on the same type of street as your house and in your school district." says Vogel.
• Home Style: Same construction, square footage, number of rooms, baths and basement and yard.
• Amenities and Upgrades: Updated kitchen? Baths? Full A/C? Compare community amenities such as pool, walking paths, etc.
• Date of Sale: Most lending programs won't use comparable sales older than 90 days.
• Sales Incentives: Look at incentives used during the purchase, such as down payment assistance or discounted closing costs. "You have to reduce the value of any comparable sale to account for (this)." says Vogel.

Your REALTOR® will help you adjust your price to sell it fast by evaluating the differences.  "This is one of the many ways real estate agents add value." reminds Vogel. "Ask your real estate agent to be honest about your home and the other homes on the market (and then listen to her without taking the criticism personally)."

Short Sales and Foreclosures- are these comparable? 

"A foreclosed home is usually in poor condition because owners who can't pay their mortgage can't afford to pay for upkeep. Your home is in great shape, so the foreclosure should be priced lower than your home." says Vogel.

"Short sales are typically in good condition, although they are still distressed sales. The owners usually have to sell because they're divorcing, or their employer is moving them to Kansas."

Your REALTOR® can help you sort through these comparables because they know the local market.

Read the full article at HouseLogic.

Photo Source: DallasNews.com

Posted in Marketing, Seller Resources, Real Estate Market Conditions