Trying to sell your Ho- Ho- Home At The Holidays?

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, tis the season to be jolly!
What if your home is on the market?
How many nooks and crannies should you bespangle when trying to present your house as a perfect "Home"
to prospective buyers?

Conventional staging wisdom says "simplify, clear the clutter, depersonalize" the house, so buyers can imagine themselves in the space.  If you are typically the "Clark Griswold" of holiday lights, you might want to tone things down a bit this year. 
Perhaps instead of the fully lit Sleigh with Reindeer on the roof, you could settle for a professionally decorated wreath on the front of the house with a spotlight shining on it's sparkly splendor. 

If you normally have six fully decorated trees in the interior of your home, you could settle for two~ one upstairs one down or living room and family room. Then, bling them out to the max and your inner elf shouldn't feel deprived.  Try to keep the table top decor simple too. If you have a collection of nativity scenes that is rivaled only by Bronners, pick your favorite one to display prominently and store the rest in anticipation of your new home's display possibilities.

Then, when you know there is a showing, mull some cider with cinnamon, fill a "to-go cup" for your frayed nerves and leave the wonderful scent lingering in the air for your potential buyers.

Tips to Winterize Your Home

The temperatures have begun to dip and soon~ very soon for some of us, we will be into full winter mode.
If you have not done some things to prep for the worst of the winter weather, you may be "out in the cold". Literally!

• Check for Air Leaks-door frames, windows and even wall outlets are common areas for air to get in from outside, creating drafts, causing the temp to drop inside and the furnace to run more-increasing your heating costs. Caulking around windows, putting up storm windows, refreshing the weather stripping on doors are all easy ways to conserve energy for the long winter.
• Gutters must be cleaned and flushed with running water before it gets below freezing, to avoid ice dams and backups which will lead to water damage inside your home.
• While you are up there, inspect your roof for damage, wear and tear. If in doubt or if you know repairs are needed, call in a pro. The investment will save you repairs (and possibly hospitalizations from injury) in the long run!

Tips like these can help you be safer, warmer and dryer this winter!

Want a top-notch REALTOR? Ask questions!

If you are contemplating a home sale or purchase you owe it to yourself to be your own advocate and investigator before you "hire" a REALTOR.  Your agent represents you in the marketplace.  He or she will be your "go to" person regarding one of the most important business transactions that you will make. You will be working closely with him. Do you experience a sense of trust and ease with the agent?  Does she listen to your concerns and answer your questions to your satisfaction?  The National Association of REALTORS recommends that you ask a lot of questions to be sure you are entering into a partnership that will reward you both. Here are some suggestions:
1. How long have you been in residential real estate? Is it your full time job?
While experience is no guarantee of skill, real estate, like many professions, is mostly learned on the job.
2. What’s your business philosophy? While there’s no right answer to this question, the response will help you assess what’s important to the agent and determine how closely the agent’s goals and business emphasis mesh with your own.
3. How many homes did you and your real estate brokerage sell last year? By asking this question, you’ll get a good idea of how much experience the practitioner has.
4. How close to the initial asking prices of the homes you sold were the final sale prices? This is one indication of how skilled the REALTOR® is at pricing homes and marketing to suitable buyers. Of course, other factors also may be at play, including an exceptionally hot or cool real estate market.
5. How will you keep me informed about the progress of my transaction? How frequently? Again, this is not a question with a correct answer, but how you judge the response will reflect your own desires. Do you want updates twice a week or do you prefer not to be bothered unless there’s a hot prospect? Do you prefer phone, e-mail, or a personal visit? 
6. Could you please give me the names and phone numbers of your three most recent clients? Ask recent clients if they would work with this REALTOR® again. Find out whether they were pleased with the communication style, follow-up, and work ethic of the REALTOR®.

These are only a few ideas to get you started. There is lots of information available online from the National Association of REALTORS and other sites such as Realtor.com, any real estate professional worth working with welcomes your questions so, ask away!