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 top city for investing and making money in the housing market is Denver Colorado, according to Fox Business News. Denver will see home sales increase in 2012 as more investors will be buying up single family homes. That's good news for homeowners who are looking to sell.

Greg Rand, CEO of OwnAmerica.com spoke with Fox Business News on how to invest in the economic and housing growth of Denver.

People are moving to Denver from all over the country," says Rand, "The average age is 31 years old, so the population is young, stable and the future looks good in the long term."

The unemployment rate in Denver, at 7.9 percent, is lower than the national average and the foreclosure rate, according to Rand, is half the national average.

"It comes down to the lifestyle," says Rand, "low cost of living, high quality of life, and a love of the outdoors."

Denver is also home to 9 Fortune 500 companies, offering great job opportunities in top industries such as telecom, health care and aerospace defense. Looking at housing prices for Denver in the last 15 years; "we didn't see a full housing collapse in the Denver market," says Rand, "we see a correction, but it bounced back again." The median home price in Denver is only $244,100.

Watch the full video at Fox Business News.

Image Source: DenverTop5.com

Posted in Seller Resources, Real Estate Trends

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

Decluttering is the key to staging your home properly to sell, but Kathy Streib, a professional home stager says to make sure you leave enough so your home doesn't look "too staged".

"Sometimes the owner, thinking they were being helpful and offering me a clean slate, would pack up and cart away almost everything in the home except all but the basic pieces of furniture." says Streib. But she stresses that it's important to leave the stager with enough to work with.

"It saves you money in the long run." she says.  So, talk to your real estate professional or home stager before you begin packing or storing, donating or throwing away your furniture and accessories. They can help you repurpose and reposition what you have to help your home sell!

Watch a video about how to Get Rid of Clutter When Selling Your Home

photo credit: jchong

Posted in Marketing, Seller Resources

The number of homes for sale in the metro Denver area is dwindling, according to an article in the Denver Business Journal.  Dennis Huspeni of DBJ reports that the inventory of unsold homes in November is down 10 percent from October and down 30 percent, year over year.

The holiday season explains part of the drop in homes for sale, but there is also a shortage of "move-in ready" homes that don't need a lot of work, such as foreclosures.

"If the inventory continues to decrease, it could be a devastating blow to our economy and our ability to get out of this unlicensed recession we're in," said Gary Bauer, a Littleton real estate analyst.

This offers an opportunity for home sellers to enter the market and potentially get a better price than they would have 30, 60 or even 90 days ago.

The property however needs to be in top condition.  It's important to take care of any potential issues before you list your property.  A REALTOR® can give you home selling tips to make sure it sells in the shortest amount of time.

Read the full post at Denver Real Estate Blogger.

photo credit: Kim Novak, RE/MAX Masters

Posted in Marketing, Seller Resources