FSBO Jane

 What Will They Think of Next? (San Diego’s Free-House Strategy)

What Does a Realtor Do That a Home Seller Can’t?

What’s the Best Advertising Medium for Reaching the Largest Number of People?  

Saving Water Saves Money

Home Not Selling? Before You Think Price…

Image: Mike Swanson

Caught an interesting article recently at Bloodhoundrealty.com, regarding the buyers’ perspective and how it affects your home sale.

Here’s a favorite clip: “As long as you’re priced right — and price can be a moving target in this market — you’ll get showings. But if your home is not a better value than the other houses your buyers are seeing, they’ll buy those homes instead.”

Price is incredibly important because it is THE thing potential buyers will consider first. But if your home is priced right, you’re still not home free. Price it right, BUT then get it looking its best!!

To read the rest of the article, go here.

Landscaping is a key factor when selling or purchasing a house. The quest for a perfect lawn, however, often leads to gallons of wasted water.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, of the 26 billion gallons of water consumed daily in the United States, approximately 7.8 billion gallons are devoted to outdoor uses. A water-efficient yard can be achieved with just a few inexpensive changes. Here are some tips for maintaining an immaculate yard without having to increase your water bill.

• Water your lawn only when it is necessary. Simply walk across your lawn and, if you leave footprints, it’s time to water.
• Water your lawn and plants long enough for the moisture to soak down to the roots where it will do the most good. A light sprinkling can evaporate quickly and tends to encourage shallow root systems.
• Grow drought-resistant shrubs and plants. They are just as beautiful and require far less water.
• Plant during the spring or fall, when the watering requirements are lower.
• Minimize evaporation by watering during the early morning hours, when temperatures are cooler and winds are lighter.
• Use a layer of organic mulch around plants to reduce evaporation and save hundreds of gallons of water a year.
• Adjust your lawn mower to a higher setting. Longer grass shades root systems and holds soil moisture better than a closely clipped lawn.
• Use porous materials for walkways and patios to keep water in your yard and prevent wasteful runoff.
• Direct downspouts and other runoff towards shrubs and trees, or collect and use for your garden.
• Install a rain shut-off device on your automatic sprinklers to eliminate unnecessary watering.
• Reduce the amount of grass in your yard by planting shrubs, and ground cover with rock and granite mulching.
• When watering grass on steep slopes, use a soaker hose to prevent wasteful runoff.
• Remember to weed your lawn and garden regularly. Weeds compete with other plants for nutrients, light and water.
• While fertilizers promote plant growth, they also increase water consumption. Apply the minimum amount of fertilizer needed.
• Avoid installing ornamental water features and fountains that spray water into the air. Trickling or cascading fountains lose less water to evaporation.
• Leave lower branches on trees and shrubs and allow leaf litter to accumulate on top of the soil. This keeps the soil cooler and reduces evaporation.
• Use sprinklers that throw big drops of water close to the ground. Smaller drops of water and mist often evaporate before they hit the ground.
• Adjust your watering schedule to the season. Water your summer lawn every third day and your winter lawn every fifth day.
• Bathe your pets outdoors in an area in need of water.
• Aerate your lawn. Punch holes in your lawn about six inches apart so water will reach the roots rather than run off the surface.
• For hanging baskets, planters and pots, place ice cubes under the moss or dirt to give your plants a cool drink of water and help eliminate water overflow.
• Consider using a drip irrigation system in your garden.

Photo: Low Impact Living

Water is one of the most precious resources, yet its continual waste is wreaking havoc on wallets across the country. The average American uses 400 gallons of water per day, most of which is wasted. Saving water is more than an environmental decision; it is an economic necessity.

Here are a few tips to help minimize water consumption.

• Use your dishwasher and clothes washer only when you have a full load.
• Refrain from buying multihead shower systems. These systems can spray an estimated 80 gallons per minute. Stick with a single-head shower that uses only 2.5 gallons per minute.
• Consider a tankless, on-demand water heater. Tankless systems heat water when you need it, cutting wait times down to about 30 seconds.
• Purchase toilets that feature the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense label.
• Fix toilet and faucet leaks immediately. An inefficient fixture can cost more money in wasted water than the price to have it fixed.
• Fill a plastic, quart-sized milk container with water and put it in your toilet tank, safely away from the operating mechanism. The jug can displace 10 gallons or more of water a day.
• Shorten your showers. Reducing showering time by just one minute can save 1,000 gallons of water a year.
• Attach a pistol-type sprayer to the end of your garden hose.
• Insulate your pipes with pre-slit foam pipe insulation. You’ll get hot water faster plus avoid wasting water while it heats up.
• Check your water meter and bill to track your water usage.
• Soak your pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you scrape them clean.
• Make sure your swimming pools, fountains, and ponds are equipped with recirculating pumps.
• Install water softening systems only when necessary. Save water and salt by running the minimum number of regenerations necessary to maintain water softness.

Image: Green Planet

Yachats, Oregon: When Sharon and Ray Sinclair couldn’t find a buyer for their $600K property, they decided to get creative. Rather than wait for an interested party to select and qualify for the purchase of their home, they created a new plan: win our house for $200.

Really.

Essentially, the game works like this: up to 3000 entries, each with a $200 entry fee and an essay explaining why they should win the house. The winner will get the home; second place, $5K; third, $3.5K; fourth, $1.5K. It’s part-lottery, part-contest, part-brilliance, in the end providing the Sinclair with not just a home sale for $590K, but media coverage via television, Internet and newspapers.

What do you think? Interested? So far, the Sinclairs have received 2200 entries, and you too can enter here.

It’s Real Estate 101: When your home isn’t selling, you lower the price. Right?

Well, not so fast! says Chuck Marunde at Seattle Pi. Before you assume your high price is to blame, make sure you investigate every other option. Most importantly, Chuck says, look at your marketing plan.

In my opinion, marketing is the most important aspect of a home sale, and that’s why I’ve chosen to use Buy Owner, the king of home marketing, time and time again. But enough about me: look at your own home when you want to sell it, and look at what your chosen marketing says about it.

Take my house in Tampa, Florida, that I recently sold. It’s a four-bedroom, two-bath, part of a quiet neighborhood with lots of amenities. I wanted to make sure my marketing highlighted the upgrades I’d installed, the dynamic and thriving neighborhood and the spacious interior. So I talked to Buy Owner and got my ad looking exactly the way I wanted it. Two months later, I had an offer. I never lowered the price, which I knew was fair. I just got my advertising looking as good as it could be.

If you use a Realtor, he or she better be on the same page with you as far as how to market. If not, you’re the one that suffers. If you choose to sell FBSO, you better choose a company that will make your home look its best.

Bottom line: before you lower your price (and risk losing money), look at your marketing.

Considering that the Internet is the most popular medium for home searches, quality advertising needs to capitalize on that.

Individual homes can stand out by having virtual tours, quality descriptions, feature lists, extra information and community information. The more detailed the information that a property provides, the more likely that a prospective buyer will stay interested.

Image: Fresh-webs.co.uk

Congratulations to the Windy City for making the final cut and being one of the four finalists to host the 2016 Summer Olympics! To accommodate this world-renowned event, the city is planning for lots of additions including adding extensions to the El, implementing extra C.T.A. bus routes and building brand-new venues to house specific games. But if Chicago gets the bid, what does this mean for Chicago real estate?

BOOSTED TOURISM

First, the city will incur a huge boost in tourism, which can only create a positive trend for the market. With prices at an all time low in Chicago, there is nowhere to go but up! Once the final vote has been announced, if the U.S. gets the bid, investing in a condo could turn an excellent profit. The Olympics attracts visitors from all over the world! With hotels filling up, you may be able to rent out you condo for the duration of the Olympics to someone from as close as Milwaukee, which is only 90 miles away by Metra train, or as far as halfway across the globe!

ADDITIONAL REVENUE

Second, Chicago will benefit from a huge inflow of extra revenue. With tons of tourists flocking to the city, lots of money will be spent at hotels, shops, restaurants and other attractions. Many people will take time before or after the Olympics to tour the area. Some of this surplus could be used towards many things: beautifying and maintaining landscapes and parks across the city, fixing up dilapidated or vacant buildings or even erecting brand-new residential developments.

NEW CONSTRUCTION

Finally, the creation of the Olympic Village could be very beneficial long after the Olympics are over. The buildings, set to be constructed near McCormick Place, will house all of the athletes participating in the events. The dormitories could potentially be converted into luxury condos when all is said and done. Back in 1996, the Olympic Village in Atlanta was converted into college dorms for Georgia State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Once vacated, Chicago’s Olympic Village could be used for virtually anything!

With the possibility of the Olympics being held in Chicago, the potential for growth is inevitable. And even if the U.S. doesn’t host the Olympics in 2016, it won’t hurt to own a home or a condo that is just minutes away from the bustling city center.

Image: LogoBlog

Someone asked me the other day what exactly a real estate agent offers that you can’t do yourself. My answer is always the same: not a lot.

Using an agent is for people who don’t want to work at selling their home and are willing to pay the 6% to pay someone else to. It’s that simple.

Using a company like Buy Owner is a smart alternative, allowing you to combine your own personal knowledge with the professional advertising and assistance of a nationwide company. Think of the things a typical real estate agent provides, and look at what Buy Owner does. A sign in the front yard? Check. Marketing materials? Check. Helpful real estate information? Check. Buy Owner clients actually receive more than that: nationwide advertising, professional photographs, property descriptions written by an in-house writing staff, customer service… Plus, there’s the added benefit of all the advertising linking back to the seller directly.

That’s something you won’t find with an agent.

Without a doubt, the most effective method of advertising, right now, is the Internet.

Experts agree it’s the #1 resource for home-shopping today. Gone are the days of just looking in the newspaper or searching for for-sale signs. The Internet has made it possible for buyers to search for properties, with specific features in mind, right from the comfort of their living rooms. It allows home sellers to reach a nationwide audience, too-and that’s a feature you can’t compete with.

Image: Public Agenda