Questions To Ask Any Realtor You Hire

Buying or selling a home can be daunting. In fact, it can be a full-time job. For many people, it makes sense to hire an expert to handle the time-consuming tasks and the nitty-gritty details. Real estate agents can take work off your hands and also help you get a better deal.

Since your house is one of the biggest investments you'll ever make, no one should judge you for being more than a little choosy about whom you hire to help sell or buy it. Find an agent whose philosophy and methods align with your preferences.

Be prepared to interview at least two or three agents to find the right person. Asking the right questions will help you gain insight into the agent's capabilities and personality. Questions you should ask:

• What is the list to sale price ratio for your listings?
• Do you rank in the top 1% of agents in your county?
• May I see testimonials from your past clients?
• What percentage of your companies’ listings sells rather than expire?
• What areas or townships do you specialize in?
• What is the current absorption rate in our market right now?
• What is the average number of days on the market?
• Are we in a buyer’s or seller’s market? Explain.
• What do I need to do to prepare my house to sell?
• Isn’t my house worth more than the foreclosure down the street?

In the end, it’s important to hire a real estate agent you think will seek out your best interests. Even gut feelings can tell you something. You don't want to entrust such an important transaction to someone who doesn't make you feel comfortable.

Tips For Adding Resale Value

When you’re in a hurry to sell, you need top dollar, try some of these tips:

• Have us evaluate your home. As real estate professionals, we know what sells and what doesn’t and we can help you spend your money wisely to get the best return

• Have a home inspection. A certified home inspector can point out areas that need correcting, fixing or removing.

• Paint walls a neutral but modern color. Gone are the days of all white walls, but sticking to taupe and gray tones gives a hint of freshness while remaining timeless.

• Request a home energy audit. Most utility companies offer this service. Sometimes simple lighting changes or additions to insulation give your home a higher energy rating and make it more attractive to buyers.

• Clean up landscaping. Curb appeal is very important to selling your home. Add new mulch, clean up flowerbeds and add new flowers and shrubs, if possible.

• Remove dated wallpaper. Simple removing outdated, stained, peeling, or faded wallpaper from kitchens, baths and bedrooms gives the home a fresher, less outmoded look. Instead of replacing it with new wallpaper, simply finish and paint the area with a neutral color in an appropriate finish.

• Replace light fixtures. Ceiling and vanity lights that you replace with high-efficiency fixtures upgrades your home with very little expense and bring your home into the compact fluorescent era. Upgrading exterior lights with automatic lighting options adds a safety factor to your home’s exterior while reducing energy costs.

• Expose your hardwood. If you have hardwood flooring hiding underneath stained, faded or worn carpeting, remove the carpeting and expose the hardwood. If you can refinish the floor, do so, but even if you cannot, you can use some quick fix options to make your wood floors look inviting when your home is showing.

When in doubt, refer to number one above: call us at (317) 271-1700. We’ll help you determine the best options for your home.

The Value of Home Staging

Twenty years ago, nobody worried about staging their home before putting it on the market. Giving it a good scrubbing and hiding the kitty litter box was considered sufficient preparation for putting out the "For Sale" sign.

But all that has changed, as more and more home sellers in many parts of the United States enlist the services of home stagers. As with many trends, once the standards have been raised, it's hard to go back.

The Castetter Group recommends staging your home to help people fall in love with your place so they will want to buy it. A few things a stager might do to get your house ready for sale:

• Identify specific ways to highlight your home's best features and compensate for its shortcomings. For example, the stager might recommend removing curtains from a window that has a great view; or, in a small bedroom, replacing the double bed with a twin or even a baby's crib, in order to make the space look larger.
• Recommend which items of your furniture and household possessions should stay in the house and which should be removed before an open house or showing. Be prepared to have to either move or place into storage the majority of your possessions, so as to de-clutter and depersonalize your house. This will, of course, be much easier if you've already moved into your next abode.
• Bring in furniture, artwork, curtains, carpets, pillows, and even artful-yet-homey objects like a bowl of oranges (either real or high-quality fakes!), potted orchids, and a welcoming doormat. Many stagers keep warehouses of this stuff, all carefully matched and chosen to make your house feel like a place where people can live their dream life.
• Add finishing touches before an open house or major showing. For example, the stager might add fresh flowers, or put a pie in the oven on low heat in order to waft delicious aromas through the house.

Once you’re ready to put your house on the market, give us a call and we can help connect you with a quality home stager and get your house sold!

3 Reasons Your Home Didn't Sell

If you’ve been trying to sell your home and haven’t gotten the results you wanted, a number of factors could be to blame.

It can be frustrating wondering why someone didn’t want to purchase your lovely home. Many articles offer numerous reasons why, but it really comes down to three main problems.

1. Over Pricing

Every home will sell at a market appropriate price. A willing buyer sets the price. Not the seller (you), not your Realtor, not what your neighbor sold their home for, not what you paid plus what you put into repairs, not what the tax assessor says its worth and not what you owe your bank.

When you list your home with The Castetter Group, we will use our extensive resources to get a superior home evaluation, check the comparables in your neighborhood as well as stay on top of the market conditions.

2. Ineffective Marketing

Reaching today’s homebuyer is much different than it was even ten years ago. The Internet has given us a new way to reach prospective buyers. But, we can’t forget about traditional methods of marketing either.

Your home needs to have a major online presence. Our listings are syndicated to more than 300 local and international real estate search sites, so you’re home is sure to be found anywhere a buyer is looking.

We also offer virtual tours (which are also mobile optimized) and integrate social media into your online marketing.

Castetter Group agents also use traditional means of marketing for your home with advertising and brochures.

3. Poor Condition

According to the 2010 NAR Study of Buyers and Sellers, buyers look at 15 homes before they choose one. From experience, we know buyers comparison shop and you want your home to stand out as the best value of every home on the market.

Buyers have a hard time visualizing how they will live in your home. In fact, only 10% of buyers can visualize a home’s potential. We will assess your home’s condition and make recommendations on improvements.

Make your home in as close to move-in condition as you can. Buyers are willing to spend more money on a home they perceive as move-in ready.

When you’re ready to sell your home, give us a call or shoot us an email! We’ll help you come up with a new game plan, including a timeline, for getting your home sold once and for all.