11.04.11

It’s Time to Fall Back on Helpful Madison MS Real Estate Connections

Posted in Madison MS real estate tagged Madison MS real estate sellers at 7:00 am by Mississippi Real Estate Agent

With Daylight Saving Time turning back the clock this month, sellers having trouble going the for-sale-by-owner route should take a hint from Father Time: Set aside the time to “fall back” on helpful connections and get your Madison MS real estate sold.

Your for-sale-by-owner home is probably clear of clutter and staged to perfection, so why aren’t buyers lining up to take a peek? If it’s not the price, then it probably means you need to take a look at your marketing. The tips below will guide you on how to take some time to fall back on local connections and reach out to more people.

• Connect through all your communities. Networking online through real estate sites and social media  platforms are a good place to start, but don’t stop there. Utilize all of your connections by emailing friends, close coworkers, social groups and any other contacts from activities in which you participate. Also, talk to neighbors because they’ll be the best advocates for getting someone they know and like to move in down the street.
• Ask a friend to do a walk-through. It is always valuable to have a fresh set of eyes to notice the things that you’ve gotten used to, such as old hardware, a yard in need of attention or a wall that could use a fresh coat of paint. Also, if you have pets, make sure you ask a friend without any pets to give your home a quick sniff. Lingering pet smells are always a turnoff for potential buyers.
• Reach out to an experienced Madison MS real estate agent. While this may seem counter-intuitive for a for-sale-by-owner seller, this is actually a great avenue for reaching potential property purchasers. Real estate agents have buyers, and if you offer a commission, they might send them your way.

Selling Madison MS real estate is harder than it seems, so make sure you’re utilizing all of your resources and get the selling advantage.  And if nothing seems to be working, then you might want to seriously consider hiring an agent.

Please call me at 601-942-3392 or email me at Paula@KeyTrustProperties.com if you’re finding it hard to unload your home for sale.

Paula Ricks Broker/Owner, REALTOR®
220 W Jackson St, Suite 200, Ridgeland MS 39157
601-942-3392
www.PaulaRicks.com

Permalink Comments

10.28.11

Your Madison MS Home Won’t Sell? 4 Reasons Why It Might Not Be Your Agent’s Fault

Posted in Madison MS Homes for Sale tagged Madison MS real estate sellers at 7:00 am by Mississippi Real Estate Agent

Sellers are quick to blame their real estate agents if their Madison MS homes are slow to sell, but that can be an unfair assumption.  Here are four reasons for a slow sale that have nothing to do with your real estate agent:

Reason #1:  Your neighborhood has seen better days.
There are many signs that a neighborhood is in decline. Examine yours to determine if this could be one of the reasons why your home isn’t selling. Here are a few signs to look out for: local businesses going out of business, schools deteriorating, major traffic jams or a multitude of foreclosures or short sales. What can you do to get your home sold if your neighborhood is in decline? Work with your real estate agent to set the price of your home based on the neighborhood’s current market value.

Reason #2:  Your home is located in an area of high unemployment.
When businesses close or down-size, it impacts more than those who have lost their jobs; it effects the value of homes in the area as well.  It also makes it difficult to attract buyers to the area because most people want to live where there are more employment opportunities.

Reason #3:  You have an unrealistic idea of what your home is worth.
Regardless of what you might think, a real estate agent is not going to price your Madison MS home at bottom dollar just to get a sale.  This type of strategy doesn’t help anyone including your agent.   Do your homework on what comparable homes in your neighborhood are selling for, and listen to your agent’s pricing advice – you’re paying for his or her expertise!

Reason #4:  We are in a recession and banks are less willing to lend.
Banks have much tighter lending requirements and people have less money to spend.  That means buyers must have higher credit scores and larger down payments to qualify for a home loan.

The fact is that in the current market homes take longer to sell.  So, before you decide to replace your agent, be fair in assessing their job performance. And, don’t blame your real estate agent for the slow market.

Thinking of selling your Madison MS home? I’d be happy to do a free comparative analysis of the current value of your home. Give me a call today at 601-942-3392 or send me an email at Paula@KeyTrustProperties.com.

Paula Ricks Broker/Owner, REALTOR®
220 W Jackson St, Suite 200, Ridgeland MS 39157
601-942-3392
www.PaulaRicks.com

Permalink Comments

09.05.11

Madison MS Homes for Sale: Light the Night to Sell Your Home Faster

Posted in Madison MS Homes for Sale tagged Madison MS real estate sellers at 7:00 am by Mississippi Real Estate Agent

Have you ever thought about what your Madison MS home for sale looks like at night?  You should because potential buyers certainly do.

Imagine a potential buyer driving by your home after sunset.  What will they see – a beautifully lit walkway leading to a welcoming front door – or a house that’s dark and dreary?

Many potential buyers want a home that looks lovely both day and night.  Why do they care what it looks like in the dark?  They entertain primarily at night, they frequently come home from a long day at work after dark, and they want the added level of security provided by a well-lit home.

Here are some ideas to light the night to help your Madison MS home for sale sell faster:

• Add landscape lighting.  Create a gentle moon-glow lighting effect on flowers, trees and other landscaping features.  To do this, conceal the light source behind shrubs or other foliage.  Unless the light fixture is the decorative element, you want it to disappear when the lights are on.
• Put in path or walkway lighting.  This adds a measure of safety.  For the best results, use light sparingly.  When you place too many lights along walkways and borders, it creates an unattractive runway effect.  Instead, use taller path- or spread-light fixtures to create pools of light that illuminate the walkway and the surrounding flowers, shrubs or trees.
• Improve security lighting.  A well-lit home is more secure.  Use spot lights and flood lights to spread light across a wide area and light up a work or play area.  Place flood lights above garage doors, sheds and patios.
• Keep the outdoor and indoor lights on.  While your Madison MS home for sale is on the market, leave the lights on during the evening hours. If you don’t get home until after dark, put the lights on a timer.  You never know when a potential buyer will drive around the area at night checking things out, so be prepared.

Pathway lights, flood lights and accent lights aren’t overly expensive, and provide a dramatic effect. Choose “green” outdoor lighting options to keep your electric bills down.

If you’re thinking of selling your Madison MS home, and need help lighting the night, give me a call today at 601-942-3392 or email me at Paula@KeyTrustProperties.com.

Paula Ricks Broker/Owner, REALTOR®
220 W Jackson St, Suite 200, Ridgeland MS 39157
601-942-3392
www.PaulaRicks.com

Permalink Comments

08.29.11

Questions for Divorcing Couples Selling Their Madison MS Home

Posted in Madison MS Homes for Sale tagged Madison MS real estate sellers at 7:00 am by Mississippi Real Estate Agent

The housing downturn has a lot of divorcing couples struggling to decide what to do with their Madison MS home. Especially when the house is the largest marital asset, the situation can easily become contentious and unclear. Here are five questions to ask yourself before deciding what to do with your shared property.

1. Does keeping your Madison MS home make financial sense? Often, once a couple splits, neither party can afford the mortgage payment and maintenance of the house by themselves. If this is the case, selling is most likely your best option.
2. Could you manage to keep living together while separated? When going through a divorce, you may not be able to stand each other’s sight. It won’t work in every situation, but you might want to tough it out and continue sharing the house (just with different bedrooms) until the market rebounds and you can make a profit.
3. Are your emotions getting the better of you? Many people can’t help but develop a strong emotional attachment to a house. That’s certainly understandable, but it doesn’t always make the most monetary sense. It might help if you try viewing the house like any other asset. You’re unlikely to let emotion come into play regarding the yard tools and bedspreads; try to treat the house the same way.
4. How will you split the proceeds? You’ll want to make sure you have a plan in place to split the proceeds when the house does sell. If not, you could be thrown back into a huge argument instead of finally moving on with your life.
5. What if one of you won’t agree to a price? The negotiation process won’t go smoothly if it comes down to an argument between the two sellers. Therefore, you should have some sort of agreement as to your bottom-line price. Also, you’ll need to decide how you’ll handle counter offers.

If you need help determining if now is the best time to sell your Madison MS home, call me at 601-942-3392 or email me at Paula@PaulaRicks.com.

Paula Ricks Broker/Owner, REALTOR®
220 W Jackson St, Suite 200, Ridgeland MS 39157
601-942-3392
www.PaulaRicks.com

Permalink Comments

07.20.11

How to Avoid Deal-Killing Surprises When Selling Your Madison MS Real Estate

Posted in Madison MS real estate tagged Madison MS real estate sellers at 7:00 am by Mississippi Real Estate Agent

Permalink Comments

05.05.11

Sprucing Up Madison MS Homes for Sale this Spring

Posted in Madison MS Homes for Sale tagged Madison MS real estate sellers at 7:00 am by Mississippi Real Estate Agent

Now that the weather is improving, potential buyers will once again head out to shop for new Madison MS homes for sale. Make sure all your spring cleaning is finished and everything is spruced up to get ready to sell.

To help you prepare, here are some spring-cleaning tips for Madison MS homes for sale:

• Be objective: Think of your house as a product. If you distance yourself, you’ll be able to recognize and correct its faults that you’ve gotten used to.

• De-personalize: Pack up your family pictures and personal mementos. Remember, you want buyers to imagine they live in your house, and pictures of your family everywhere won’t help.

• Clean: Scrub, dust and vacuum like you haven’t in years! Nothing makes a better impression than an immaculately clean house. Buyers will often overlook small problems, if they feel like they could serve dinner on your dining room floor.

• Purge furniture: When it comes to spring cleaning, don’t just stop with the dirt. Rent a storage unit and remove any furniture that is over-crowding a room or is out of date. Buyers respond best to houses that have just enough furniture to show each room’s purpose. Anything more just gets in the way.

• Organize: Buyers will snoop through your stuff, so ensure your cabinets and closets are in order. You’ll want to make it look like your house has plenty of storage.

• Invest in curb appeal: Remove weeds from flower beds or put a few pots full of plants near your front door. Go for bright colors that still complement your house color.

• Make minor repairs: The fewer things buyers need or want to fix about your house, the more they’ll like it.

• Remove keepers: If there are any appliances, window coverings, or light fixtures that you want to take to your new house, get them out before buyers walk through. That way, you won’t be expected to throw them in during negotiations. You don’t want your great-grandma’s chandelier to hold up a sale.

If you want to make sure your spring cleaning stacks up to other Madison MS homes for sale, give me a call today at 601-942-3392 or email me at Paula@PaulaRicks.com for more information.

Paula Ricks
Coldwell Banker Nell Wyatt, Inc.
REALTOR® and Broker Associate
443A Northpark Dr, Ridgeland, MS 39157
601-942-3392
Paula@PaulaRicks.com
www.PaulaRicks.com

Permalink Comments

04.04.11

3 Simple Steps to Prepare Your Madison MS Home for Sale

Posted in Madison MS Homes for Sale tagged Madison MS real estate sellers at 7:00 am by Mississippi Real Estate Agent

Here are a few tips to help your Madison MS home for sale show better and sell faster.

1. Get rid of the excess:  Eliminate as much as possible, and then do it again.  Remember when staging your Madison MS home for sale, less is best.  Swap out personal photos for framed art.  The main idea is to remove as much as possible and replace personal items with neutral objects so that people can imagine their things in the home.
2. Repair and paint:  Before painting, fix all those minor dings that don’t really bother you.  Buyers notice everything.  A missing piece of baseboard, an outlet that doesn’t work, or a closet door that won’t stay on track all seem minor, but they can have a huge affect on how a buyer views your home.  The next step is to apply a fresh coat of paint in a neutral color.  Freshly painted walls make a room look cleaner and larger.
3. Improve the curb appeal:  You have to get people in the door before they’ll buy your Madison MS home for sale.  If your house looks bad on the outside, buyers won’t waste their time taking a look at the inside.  Improving your curb appeal doesn’t mean you need to hire a landscaper.  It can be as basic as trimming your hedges and trees, especially those closest to your house.  Repair or replace loose porch railings and make sure the exterior paint is not chipping.  If needed, scrape and paint; peeling paint is a real turnoff to buyers.  Keep the lawn mowed.  Put away bikes, toys and garden tools.

Following these simple steps will go a long way to getting your home sold quickly.

Ready to sell your home?  Find out how you can receive a free home staging consultation and set the stage for the successful sale of your home.  Call me today at 601-942-3392 or email me at Paula@PaulaRicks.com.

Paula Ricks
Coldwell Banker Nell Wyatt, Inc.
REALTOR® and Broker Associate
443A Northpark Dr, Ridgeland, MS 39157
601-942-3392
Paula@PaulaRicks.com
www.PaulaRicks.com

Permalink Comments

02.07.11

To Stage or Not to Stage Madison MS Homes for Sale

Posted in Madison MS Homes for Sale tagged Madison MS real estate sellers at 7:00 am by Mississippi Real Estate Agent

With so many Madison MS homes for sale, it’s hard to determine how much money and time you need to invest in order to get your home ready for the real estate market. To sell your house quickly, one helpful strategy all real estate professionals agree on is staging.

In general, the goal of staging Madison MS homes for sale is to make it easier for potential buyers to see themselves living in that space.  From getting rid of the excess stuff we all seem to accumulate to filling a home you’ve already moved out of with furniture, you’ll increase your chances of a fast sale by staging your home.

3 strategies of staging

1. Minimize clutter – Buyers could completely skip over the positive qualities of your home if they’re too focused on all of the toys, gnome collections or stacks of stuff you have laying around. If you can’t part with the possessions, then rent a storage unit.
2. Bring in a professional – If staging is too daunting of a task for you, or you just don’t have time, hire a professional to get your home in ship shape. He or she might cost a little now, but will save you time and money in the long run.
3. Rent furniture – Not everyone has the money to go out and buy new furniture for their living room, especially if you’ve already moved into another home. Renting furniture is more affordable than you’d imagine. For just over $100 a month, you could rent furniture, sell your home swiftly and be rid of your mortgage payment!

From repainting a bright hallway for a more neutral look to putting your children’s larger toys in storage so they don’t clutter the living room, staging will take some time and effort, but your payoff could be huge.

Thinking about staging your Madison MS home for sale, but just aren’t sure which choices to make or where to invest?  As a professional home stager, I can help.  Call me today at 601-942-3392 or email me at Paula@PaulaRicks.com.

Paula Ricks
REALTOR® and Broker Associate
Coldwell Banker Nell Wyatt, Inc.
443A Northpark Dr, Ridgeland, MS 39157
Call Direct:  601-942-3392
Office:  601-956-8533
Email: Paula@PaulaRicks.com
Web: www.PaulaRicks.com

Permalink Comments

01.20.11

5 New Year’s Resolutions that Get Your Madison MS Real Estate Sold

Posted in Madison MS real estate tagged Madison MS real estate sellers at 7:00 am by Mississippi Real Estate Agent

If you’re hoping to sell your Madison MS real estate in 2011, make some New Year’s resolutions to help the process along.   Resolve to:

1. Interview and get a comparative marketing analysis (CMA) from at least three agents from three different Madison MS real estate agencies.  Each agent has a different opinion about the value of your home and how to best market your home.  Learn from each agent and then sign a contract with the agent you decide to hire. 

2. Research the number of foreclosures and short sales in your neighborhood.  To sell your home, find out how many foreclosures and short sales you’re competing against.  This impacts the value of your property as well as the length of time it takes you to sell.  Your Madison MS real estate agent can help you with this research.

3. Be realistic about price. After reviewing your three CMAs, talk with the agent you hired and come to an agreement on the price that can get your home sold.  Ideally, that price should be at or just below the selling price of similar houses in your neighborhood that have sold in the past 90 days.

4. Counter offers.  Be calm if a buyer suggests a lower price than you want. Don’t just snap his or her nose off. Consider your options.  Can you afford to let the house go at the offered price? If you can and still want to say no, think about it… how long did it take to get this potential buyer? Super low bids are not insults; they’re a buyer’s way of testing you.  So, even if an offer seems insulting low to you, counter it.  If the buyer wants your home, he or she will come up to a realistic price.

5. Remain flexible.  Make concessions where you can.  The buyer wants you to pay part of the closing costs?  That’s a great way to sweeten the deal.  Fix those small problems found in the home inspection.  Add on a home warranty.  A successful sale means everyone walks away happy. 

Put these resolutions into action, and your new year may turn out to be even happier than you expected!

If you’d like to get the selling advantage to get your Madison MS real estate sold, give me a call today at 601-942-3392 or email me at Paula@PaulaRicks.com.  You’ll also receive a free competitive marketing analysis.

Paula Ricks
Coldwell Banker Nell Wyatt, Inc.
443-A Northpark Dr, Ridgeland, MS 39157
Call Direct:  601-942-3392
Office:  601-956-8533
www.PaulaRicks.com  
Paula@PaulaRicks.com

Permalink Comments

12.24.10

Understanding the Madison MS Real Estate Market for FSBOs

Posted in Madison MS real estate tagged Madison MS real estate sellers at 7:00 am by Mississippi Real Estate Agent

On first thought, selling your home by yourself seems to make perfect sense. It doesn’t look all that hard, right? So you decide to sell your home the FSBO way (For Sale By Owner). You figure that you can put up a sign. Let people come to look at your house. Review all the offers you are sure to get and pick the best one and you’re done. That’s all there is to understanding the Madison MS real estate market—right?

Well, not quite. One of the most difficult things for a person trying to sell their own home to do is understand the Madison MS real estate market in order to price their home correctly. All of the above steps will stall without setting a price that will make you happy and get a buyer to sign on the dotted line.

The Price is Right

In some ways selling your home as a FSBO will seem a little like the television game show “The Price Is Right.” Some buyers will walk around your home and have no idea what local values are, but they will still do their best to talk down your price.

Others that come to view your FSBO will have a very firm grasp on local real estate values and how your home stacks up against the competition.

In either case, you must know what comparable homes in your area are selling for so that you can argue your own case and know when you are being under bid.

Overpricing is Costly

The temptation to want more than true market value for your home is common but counterproductive to selling your home.  It’ll set on the market so long that people will begin to wonder what’s wrong with your home.  Then, when you drop your price, you’ll appear desperate.  Potential buyers will devalue your house in their own minds, which decreases the chance of you getting a fair market price for your home.

If you have questions about the current Madison MS real estate market, give me a call today at 601-942-3392 or email me at Paula@PaulaRicks.com. 

Paula Ricks
Coldwell Banker Nell Wyatt, Inc.
443-A Northpark Dr, Ridgeland, MS 39157
Call Direct:  601-942-3392
Office:  601-956-8533
www.PaulaRicks.com  
Paula@PaulaRicks.com

Permalink Comments