In real estate, 2021 ended in a similar way that it began. Soaring demand for our mountain region has led to competitive, multiple offer situations and decreasing days on market. Rising prices have been met with a willingness from buyers to pay those prices (and beyond) to secure [...]
Since March 2020, stay at home orders, health and safety concerns, and the events surrounding the novel coronavirus have had an impact on daily life in the United States (and across the globe). It is no surprise that questions about the economy, including the health of the real estate market, have naturally surfaced as well. As North [...]
Greybeard Realty announces the addition of Amanda Berryhill as their newest broker. Realtors need to manage multiple details simultaneously, and Greybeard Realty’s newest real estate agent, Amanda Berryhill, has a strong history of success in that area, from many facets of her [...]
As recent real estate statistics indicate, Asheville area home sales are on the rise. With the housing market improving across the nation, some homesellers are overestimating their homes' value. Establishing an appropriate market-based price for your home can contribute to a timelier sale of your property. [...]
Asheville homeowners who wonder which home improvement project has the best return for the money only have to recall the trite but true adage, "you only make a first impression first." If you go by that saying and a recent study presented on the website houselogic, you will know that exterior projects are among the most valuable to consider.
Solid exterior projects sell well.
The website mentions that 8 of the top 10 most cost-effective projects, for people hoping to recoup their costs, are exterior projects. Specifically, replacing a front door with a steel door entry and adding a wooden deck top the list for projects. The two interior projects that make the list are adding an attic bedroom and making minor kitchen adjustments. The idea that a home's exterior is a huge selling point is not a new one. A Greybeard blog on how to prepare your home to sell pointed out that the so-called curb appeal goes a long way toward making that all-important first impression.
Another important factor to consider when planning any home improvement project is the timing of it. While some sellers often wait until they are preparing to put their home on the market to tackle that home project, it seems better to move forward with it when you can. After all, doesn't it make more sense to complete the home improvement project as soon as you can so you can enjoy the latest project for a while prior to moving on to your next home?
That being said, as recent market numbers indicate, the supply of homes on the market is tightening. Right now could be a great time to tackle that long-planned project so you can list your Asheville home by summertime. For more information on how to prepare your home for listing, please visit Greybeard's sellers' page for some tips. And don't forget; when considering home improvement projects, it is important to think outside the home!
It may seem as if the biggest decision was whether to put your home on the market to sell it. In fact some of your more difficult decisions may come as you prepare your home to sell. What do you need to have on hand in your home and what can you put in storage until your present home sells? Realtors agree that overcoming clutter is one of the biggest obstacles to selling a home.
Reduce and remove before relocating.
Greybeard has a whole page on how to prepare to sell your home which you can check out the seller's tips page here. Perhaps the most challenging for many people is de-cluttering your home. Everyone seems to understand that a home should be clean and well kept. Successfully preparing your home goes beyond sweeping the floor, however. You really need to pare down and remove most personal items so that potential buyers can imagine themselves in the home. That's really hard to do if the house if full of personal photos, including the ones in magnet frames on the refrigerator door.
And while you're in the kitchen, be sure to remove everything from the counter tops. Put the small appliances out of sight and be sure to take any old, unusable food out of the cupboards. Even if you've found the kitchen storage space to be limited, you need to create the appearance that there's more than enough room for the new owner's canned goods! And please don't just put the toaster into the coat closet. Potential owners open closet doors. Closets should be neat and organized, again giving the appearance that there is room for everything in the home. Are there clothes out of season or out of favor in the closets? Box them up, label them, and put them into storage. Just think, it's one less thing you'll have to do once the home sells and you're ready for moving day.
If it all seems overwhelming, choose one room at a time and really be thorough with that room. Consider removing furniture and putting it into storage as well. Do you need his and her recliners right now? Having less furniture in a room makes it look larger. While you're taking the other boxes to storage, take some of your furniture as well. Box up the knick-knacks that are meaningful to your family but clutter for new home buyers. And think about the fact that whatever you pack up, you will have to unpack at the new house. Can you part with some of the items and perhaps donate them somewhere?
With the tracking we do, we know that the real estate numbers are improving in the Asheville market, you need an edge to sell your home more quickly. When preparing your home to sell, just remember that less is better, especially when it comes to furniture, personal items and photos, and items on the kitchen counter. And again, doesn't it make sense to downsize on some possessions now and reduce what you have to pay the movers to transport? All of your hard work prior to showing your home will make your own transition to a new place that much easier. So go out and get those boxes. And don't forget the sharpie markers to label the boxes.
A recent article in the Asheville Citizens-Times discussed the plans for expanding the greenways throughout Black Mountain and talked about the inherent benefits of greenways, including recreation opportunities and attractiveness to new businesses. In addition, it's important to note the real estate advantages to having greenways throughout [...]
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. In the case of the real estate market, a good picture can be worth thousands of dollars. In a recent Wall Street Journal report, the use of nicer, professional photos increased home sale values anywhere from $934 to $116,076. The article details the specifics of how the figures were calculated. Professional quality photos of a listing can increase the sales price. In addition, listings across all price tiers with such photos receive an average of 61% more views than home listings taken with point and shoot cameras.
Try to use a professional photo for your listing
Perhaps the most surprising statistic of all is that only 15.4% of the homes in the data set were marketed using professional quality photos. While homeowners and brokers may balk at purchasing a DSLR camera ($500-$1,000+) for the simple purpose of illustrating a listing, consider that a professional photographer can do the work for you for $100-$500, a worthy investment considering the potential payback.
Homeowners often spend funds preparing the home for sale yet overlook investing in the photos to illustrate the beauty of their home. It's important to note that potential buyers these days often begin their home search on-line. In most cases, the first vision they have will be the photo posted with the listing. To quote another well-known adage: You only make a first impression once. Why not spend a little extra, or choose a broker who does, to get a good quality photo that illustrates your home's true value. For more information, please contact Greybeard Realty.
There are some new housing numbers that may indicate an improvement in the home sales market in the months to come. Nationally, new home sales jumped 17.5% in December which increased sales of new homes to their highest levels in 8 months. Economists had expected a 300,000 unit increase for the period. Instead, there was a seasonally [...]
Greybeard Realty experienced a 14 % increase in home sales volume for 2009. That figure in itself is impressive, but when it is compared with area sales volume overall it becomes even more [...]
