Dearborn Michigan Area Real Estate Blog

Web Appeal!

So… what is Web Appeal and why is it so important that your Dearborn and Dearborn Heights area home have it when you are selling?

Remember the old phrase “Curb Appeal Sells?” Well, “Web Appeal” is kind of like curb appeal only now it applys to the Internet. If you are selling your Dearborn area home in todays real estate market, chances are that the first showing of your Dearborn area home to any potential buyer is going to be on the Internet.

In the old days, real estate agents would often instruct their home sellers on the various things they could do to help their home have more Curb Appeal. Having nice Curb appeal was  important because you wanted to catch the eye of potential buyers that might be driving by throughout the week and on the occasional Sunday afternoon when open houses were held. It was really important for sellers to keep their front yard mowed, edged and looking nice so their home would have the curb appeal necessary to entice potential buyers into wanting to see the inside of their home.

 Before the Internet came along there were no inside photos to look at and no virtual tours available for potential buyers to preview. After looking at a single black and white photo in the MLS book or MLS printout, home buyers would most often do a drive-by of a house that they were interested in before making an appointment to see the inside. If a buyer did a drive-by and the house had nice outside curb appeal the potential buyer would usually make an appointment to preview the inside of the house.

Well, times have certainly changed! While physical curb appeal is still important, it has given way to Web Appeal.    Most buyers today rely soley on a homes Web Appeal.  A homes web appeal is created and based on the photos and virtual tours that are available for home buyers to preview online. Today, very few buyers will do an actual drive-by to decide if they want to preview a property in person. Instead, buyers use a homes web appeal to determine if they want to see the actual house in person.

This is part 1 of a 2 part blog post. To be continued on July 14th.

If you are planning to sell your home and want to find out how proper web appeal can help sell your home or if you are in the market to Buy a home or real estate in Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Garden City, Westland, Redford, Livonia, Plymouth, Canton, Northville, Novi, Farmington, Allen Park, Taylor or any other Detroit Michigan west side suburb, Contact Steve Hatfield today.

You’ve made the decision to sell your Dearborn Michigan area home and real estate but you just can’t part with that antique light fixture that was a gift from Grandma! Perhaps your window treatments match your favorite bed spread… you can’t leave those behind because you would NEVER find a perfect match like that!

Sometimes personal touches homeowners add to make their house into a “home” are items that they want to take with them. It is certainly understandable but if you are planning to sell your home you must be sure to handle the situation properly.

If you want to take certain items with you what should you do?
The best answer is to always switch them out with something else before you put your home on the market. Sure, you could make note that such and such light fixture is excluded but what if the buyer for your home has pictured their furniture in your home and WOW…it matches that cool light fixture! You might not get the buyer(s) unstuck from wanting you to leave that item. Worse yet, it might complicate your negotiations and put you at a disadvantage because NOW the buyers want something in exchange for that item or items…like a lower sale price.

If you want to take that antique light fixture…replace it with something else. If you want to take your draperies, valances or any window treatments…replace them with something else, etc.

Now if the washer and dryer are not staying because you want to take them with you or they have been promised to someone else, just make sure they are not listed as “included” in your MLS listing. Some buyers will want the kitchen appliances but it’s highly unlikely they will be thinking that they can’t live without YOUR washer and dryer.

Being a savvy Dearborn area home seller begins with thinking about how buyers will perceive your home, what stays and so much more.  By doing so, you will give yourself an advantage over other home sellers who aren’t as savvy!

If you are planing to sell your Dearborn area home or if you are in the market to Buy a home or real estate in Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Garden City, Westland, Redford, Livonia, Plymouth, Canton, Northville, Novi, Farmington, Allen Park, Taylor or any other Detroit Michigan west side suburb, Contact Steve Hatfield today.

Visit my web site at: www.DearbornHomes.com for in-depth information about Buying or Selling a home or Real Estate in the Dearborn area or the west side Detroit suburbs.

What does it mean to be selling your home in a buyer’s market?

It’s simple, a buyer’s market is a real estate market when there are many more Dearborn area home sellers trying to sell real estate,  than there are buyers wanting to buy Dearborn area real estate.  With all of the foreclosures and short sale homes on the market that you will be competing with, what can you do to make sure your home sells?  Well first of all you need to make sure you have a couple of  Aces in the hole.

Start by making sure the home is priced right!  Try to be very realistic about what homes similar to yours are selling for in your area, and price your home accordingly.  Pricing within 2% of conservative market value will maximize buyer interest and the chance of an offer. 

Beyond pricing, there are many other perks that a seller can offer a buyer today to make their home stand out and sell faster.  Start by having the home pre-inspected by a professional home inspector and fix what needs fixing in advance.  Buyers like the idea of knowing in advance what the problems are, and that you’re fixing them willingly. Read more…

(ARA) - Not everyone who relocates to Dearborn Michigan or the metro Detroit area has the luxury of doing it when school is out and the yard looks beautiful. If you’re forced to sell your Dearborn or Dearborn Heights house or real estate and/or buy a new one outside peak season, you might have to work a little harder and think creatively.

Anyone who has bought or sold a home or real estate has heard the standard advice: Find a good agent, be aware of local home values, fix up the house you’re selling and research school districts and crime rates where you’re buying.

“It’s all good advice, but it’s not always enough,” says Rich Novak, assistant vice president of Home Solutions, with USAA, a full-service financial services provider serving military personnel and their families. “Families who need to move quickly during a tough real estate market may need to go the extra mile to close a sale.”

Keep these five themes in mind from the moment you start planning your next move:

1. Dig deeper: You probably already know to use neighboring home values as a comparison point for selling or buying. But in today’s market, some additional homework can pay off. If you need to sell quickly, for example, keep a close eye on what other houses are selling for in your neighborhood and stay ahead of the market by pricing yours lower. In the wake of the bursting real estate bubble, it’s also important to have a heightened awareness of foreclosures, both where you’re selling and buying. As unfair as it seems, any foreclosures on your street can put a dent in your home’s market value. And if foreclosures are still prevalent in the neighborhood you’re moving to, it could be a warning sign that values could continue to drop after you buy. Read more…

6 easy ways to make your Dearborn Michigan area home and real estate more appealing to today’s buyers.

Faced with a massive glut of unsold homes, many would-be sellers are struggling to make their properties stand out in today’s downtrodden real-estate market. But while the economic head winds are beyond property owners’ control, home-marketing expert Barb Schwarz says they can dramatically improve their chances of making a sale by devoting attention to an often-overlooked aspect of real-estate selling: home staging.

Schwarz, the CEO of StagedHomes.com, was a pioneer in home staging back in the early 1970s and has used the techniques to sell properties ever since. “The goal [of home staging] is for the buyer to mentally move in,” Schwarz says. “If they cannot mentally feel and see themselves living here, you’ve lost them.” Schwarz offers six simple tips to help home sellers better position themselves in a sluggish market.

1. Get them inside. The first thing a prospective buyer notices about a home is not the living room but the front yard. “A lot of people think staging is the inside only,” Schwarz says. “[But] we’ve got to stage the outside to get them inside.” So cut the grass, trim the hedges, rake those leaves, sweep the sidewalks and power-wash the driveway. And make sure you don’t have too many potted plants scattered around the property. “Nothing dead,” Schwarz says. “You’d be amazed how many people have dead plants in their yards.” Read more…

Major home renovations can be overwhelming, but there are a few fundamental repairs that can update your Dearborn home’s appearance and increase its value.

If you’re planning to sell your Dearborn or Dearborn Heights home in 2011, take advantage of the colder winter months to prepare your home for a spring sale by focusing on a few key projects: 

Make a first impression.
The entryway is the first up-close encounter a potential homebuyer will have with your home. Manicure your front yard and update or even replace your front door to complement your home’s exterior. Select a rich, dark stained wood or bold white door to draw attention to the main entry and add personality to your home. If your door is already in great shape, consider a simple replacement of weak or older-looking hardware that will impress buyers at first sight.

Get cookin’ in the kitchen.
Experts agree that a kitchen can significantly impact a home’s perceived value. An outdated kitchen can be a deal breaker for many homebuyers. Naturally, then, it’s the place you might spend the most amount of time updating. To increase the appeal of your kitchen, consider investing in updated, matching appliances that match the style of your kitchen. Some manufacturers even offer replacement panels to update the exteriors of older appliances.

Next, if you can’t afford to add new cabinetry, change out the hardware so the knobs, drawer pulls and handles match your decor and add a modern flair. Adding technology-driven fixtures, including built-in water filtration systems, garbage disposals and high-tech faucets is another great way to increase the room’s appeal. Delta Faucet’s Touch2O Technology will impress Read more…