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Kim Fischer – NBCDFW.com October 8, 2010 When it comes to staging your home for sale, making small changes can make a big impact with a potential buyer.
Click here for video. Gina Branch was interviewed as part of this story that aired on NBC 5 News on October 8 and October 9, 2010. You can see more of us “in the media” by clicking here.
I was recently reading some of the responses to Margaret Gross’ Member’s Only blog titled, “Use Professional Photos – They’re Worth It!” Fred Light commented that, “‘Web appeal’ is curb appeal of 10 years ago, like it or not. “ That got me thinking. Years ago people would drive around neighborhoods looking at homes for sale and picking up flyers. Curb appeal made a huge difference in which homes they selected to see. Times have changed and the smart listing agents have adapted to the changes. Today it all starts with great Internet Marketing. Why? According to the National Association of REALTORS®, over 85 percent of all buyers start their searches on the Internet. The drive-bys in the cars of yesteryears are now done by driving their mouse on one of several hundred thousand IDX websites displaying listings from the Multiple Listing Services (MLS). The new curb appeal is that first look on the Internet. Quality photos and well-written marketing text are essential to getting past that first look. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, professional quality photographs not only speeds up the marketing time but also increase the final sales price of a property. Why? I’ll argue that homes that are better photographed have higher showing rates and better chances of early and multiple offers. Buyers simple pass up on homes with no or very poor photos. Well-written marketing text is also critical. We still see listings with little to no text (this is usually combined with poor or no photos) in the MLSs. Marketing a home takes much more than sticking a sign in the ground and inputting some basic data into the MLS. The great listing agents understand that the old paradigm has shifted online and they made that shift as well. True curb appeal is still important as buyers make subconscious decisions about properties in the first few minutes of a showing and that starts with drive-up or curb appeal. For more information on keeping a property in Show-Ready condition and Showing Restrictions see my earlier blogs titled, “Are You Show Ready?” and Showing Restrictions“. Sellers need to take a look at how their property is being marketed online. Every home, regardless of price or condition, deserves to be well-marketed. If something does not look right, call your listing agent. Single Property Websites seem to be in-fashion. I like the idea of the seller having an easy URL that they can give out to their friends and family. I didn’t care for all the work and added expense so I found an easier way. Here’s a step-by-step: Register the New Domain – I use GoDaddy and always use a .info Top Level Domain. You can register the new domain for one year for $2.17. In this example, I registered www.6002greenoaks.info.
Forward Domain to Site – Log in to the domain manager and open the control panel for the new domain. Click on Domain Forwarding, enter the URL of the single property website, and click Save. I use the property website on remax.com but you could easily use realtor.com or any other site such as Point2, Zillow, etc.
I hope this brief tutorial gives you some ideas on how to add value to your sellers with a minimal amount of time and cost.
Action Makes the Difference! It’s important to keep an open mind as you read, hear, or otherwise experience ideas that can help you. Try not to judge them or cast them aside too quickly because they don’t sound good, they’re not part of your personality or make‑up, or because you may have heard them before. Instead, consider these courses of action: If you’ve heard an idea before, say to yourself, “Yes, I’ve heard that before, but am I using it? If not, why not?” If you are currently using the idea, ask yourself, “How effective am I at using it? How can I improve on it to make it even more effective for me and my business?” Next, ask yourself this question: “What will I do as a result of what I’ve learned?” Remember, it’s not what you know – it’s what you do that counts. Ideas are powerful. And good ideas are really important for any business. They’re what keep your interest up and your business fresh and alive and growing. And when put into action, good ideas can make a huge difference in the way you do business, the results you realize, the fun you have, and the profits you make. Activerain is full of good, practical, and usable ideas that can help make that big difference for you. But it’s up to you to tailor them to your own unique situation, and more importantly, to put them into action.
The Texas Attorney General’s office has halted all foreclosures, all sales of properties previously foreclosed upon, and all evictions of persons residing in previously foreclosed upon properties, until mortgage companies have completed a review of their processes, including whether employees or agents “robosigned” affidavits and other documents recorded in Texas. The AG suspension notices were sent to 30 mortgage-loan servicers doing business in Texas including: American Home Mortgage Servicing, Inc. American General Finance, Inc. AmTrust Mortgage Corporation Aurora Loan Servicec, Inc. Bank of America Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC Cenlar, FSB JP Morgan Chase & Co. CitiMortgage, Inc. EMC Mortgage Corporation First Horizon National Corp. Ally Financial, Inc./GMAC Home Loan Services HomEq Servicing, Inc. HSBC North America Holdings, Inc. Litton Loan Servicing, Inc. MGC Mortgage, Inc. Midland Mortgage Company MorEquity, Inc. National City Mortgage c/o PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. Nationstar Mortgage Company Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC OneWest Bank Group LLC PHH Mortgage Services Corporation Saxon Mortgage Services, Inc. Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc. Washington Mutual Wells Fargo & Company Wilshire Credit Corporation Expect more on this developing story in the next few days. We need to determine what impact this will have on existing sales contracts.
Source: Texas Association of REALTORS® The Branch Team | Texas Real Estate Broker 0547597 | RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs
3 Bedrooms | 2 Baths | 2-Car Garage | 1628 SF/Tax Plano TX Homes For Sale – Wonderfully updated home. Kitchen has been updated with granite counters, tumbled marble backsplash and ceramic tile flooring. Hardwoods in the formals. Both baths have some updating including granite vanities. French Doors lead to covered patio that is perfect for entertaining. Large backyard with mature trees and recent fence. Outside of house was recently painted. About 90 percent done–needs appliances, fresh carpet and some minor repairs. Click here for more details, current status, pricing, photos, and a virtual tour. Source: NTREIS | Photo Credit -Tom Branch
I received a phone call today from a radio station in California wanting to do an interview about avoiding foreclosure. Their focus is on loan modifications and the companies that have sprung up offering to assist distressed homeowners apply for loan modifications in an effort to save their homes. I recently listed a short sale property and while I was talking with the homeowner, she related that she had paid a company close to $2000 to assist her with a loan modification. Of course, nothing came of the modification other than the homeowner forking over $2000. It not like she was naive or gullible either. This homeowner has a doctorate and years of experience in the business world. The last thing any of these people want to do is to lose their home and they’ll hand over their last few dollars to someone who tells them that they can help. It seems thousands of little companies have been formed to assist distressed homeowners with loan modifications. Run a search on Google and you’ll find a seemingly endless array of offerings. While I suspect there are some legitimate companies out there, homeowners can work directly with their lenders to attempt a modification. Want the good news? There’s no cost to the homeowner. Homeowners also need to be aware that only a small percentage of modifications have been approved and 80-plus percent of those that are approved do not make it through the modification trial period. Loan modification is a low-percentage shot. If the homeowner is simply too busy to work on the modification themselves and desire to hire a third-party to assist them, they should do some research. They should check out the company they’re considering. Homeowners can look companies up by name or phone number with the Better Business Bureau. They should also run a Google search on the company name and look for problems being reported. The best course of action is for distressed homeowners to call their lenders or discuss the matter with their trusted real estate or mortgage professional.
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