Tips For Pricing Your Home

• Consider comparables. What have other homes in your neighborhood sold for recently? How do they compare to yours in terms of size, upkeep, and amenities? 
• Consider competition. How many other houses are for sale in your area? Are you competing against new homes? 
• Consider your contingencies. Do you have special concerns that would affect the price you’ll receive? For example, do you want to be able to move in four months?
• Get an appraisal. For a few hundred dollars, a qualified appraiser can give you an estimate of your home’s value. Be sure to ask for a market-value appraisal. To locate appraisers in your area, contact The Appraisal Institute or ask your REALTOR® for some recommendations. 
• Ask a lender. Since most buyers will need a mortgage, it’s important that a home’s sale price be in line with a lender’s estimate of its value. 
• Be accurate. Studies show that homes priced more than 3 percent over the correct price take longer to sell. 
• Know what you’ll take. It’s critical to know what price you’ll accept before beginning a negotiation with a buyer. 

Colorado Home Sellers: 10 Home Features Buyers Want

Paul Cardis, CEO of Avid Ratings, which conducts an annual survey of buyer preferences, identified these must-haves in new homes:

• Large kitchens with islands
• Energy efficiency, including energy-efficient appliances, super insulation, and high-efficiency windows.
• Home offices
• Main-floor master suite
• Outdoor living space
• Ceiling fans
• Soaking tub in the master suite and/or an oversize shower with a seating area
• Stone and brick exteriors rather than stucco or vinyl
• Community walking paths and playgrounds
• Two-car garages, but three-car garages are even more desirable

Source: MarketWatch, Steve Kerch (01/30/2010)

Not Selling Your Colorado Home? Just In Case, Follow These Tips

Not selling your home right now? Chances are you will in the future, so I have a few recommendations for you, ones which will give you an advantage over your competition if you do decide to sell.

1. If you get work done to your home, get any required permits, and any required approval signatures. Many homeowners avoid getting permits, due to the expense, but this could later come back to bite you. Keep the permits in a file and make them available to potential buyers.

2. Keep all warranty information for relevant items such as appliances, roof, water heater, furnace, and garage door opener. When getting warranties, seek out ones that are transferable. Buyers appreciate this; it gives them more confidence in the home.

3. Take before and after photos of any remodeling done to your home. Buyers like to see these, and it could also help justify a higher asking price. Appraisers and lenders also like to see these pictures, even in the case of a refinance.

4. Hire a photographer to take professional pictures of your home when it looks the best, particularly the landscaping. If you list your home during the fall and winter months, these pictures will help buyers visualize the home when it looks its best. For my Colorado home sellers, this one is important (we have two feet of snow on the ground right now, and it is only October!).  This will not cost as much as you think, and I can refer you to photographers that I use when listing my client's homes.

Happy selling!

Stefan Geyer
Colorado Realtor
http://www.stefanmax.com/