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Selling Tip #5 - Yard Facts

by Connie Erickson
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SELLING TIP #5
YARD FACTS

 

 

92% of all properties are sold from the CURB.  The front of your home immediately reflects the inside condition of your house to the buyers.  If there is no curb appeal, the buyers will drive right by the house and go to look and buy another house.

It is important that the house can be seen from the street, so you need to make sure that the trees and bushes are trimmed so the house can be seen from the street.  You need to have the grass mowed, trimmed and edged, and if there an inordinate amount of weeds, you need to do something to get rid of them.  Plant flowers to give the yard some color and appeal.  Walkways should always be swept and the debris cleaned away.  Remove parked cars.  If there are parked cars in the driveway, you see the cars and not the house.  Removing them adds to curb appeal.  If the buyer does not like the outside of the house.  I guarantee you that the buyer will simply drive by.  Another factor in a good presentation is cleaning the windows inside and out.  Few sellers do this, and it makes a huge impression not only attention that the seller is giving to the house, but allowing more light into the home which is always a good benefit.

BARK FOR LIFE!

by Connie Erickson
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Bark for Life

Location: Animal Clinic of Sturgeon Bay in Sturgeon Bay
Dates: Apr 26 2014 
 

10 a.m. Registration. 11 a.m. American Cancer Society's 1.47 mile noncompetitive walk for dogs and their owners to fight back against cancer. Music, food, silent auction and bake sale throughout the event.  DETAILS!

Groovin' Sisterhood Weekend

by Connie Erickson
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Groovin' Sisterhood Weekend

Location: Throughout Sturgeon Bay
Dates: Apr 24 2014 
 

A weekend event that caters to women…embracing life, love and laughter through shopping, sharing and indulging. DETAILS!

Selling Tip #4 - Paint and Carpet Fact

by Connie Erickson
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Selling Tip #4


Paint and Carpet Fact

 

 

Paint is the best improvement that you can make for getting a good return on your money for a small amount of investment.  A freshly painted home smells clean and looks neat.  Also, color is in style at this time. 

If your house has chipped paint, exposed wood, or the paint looks faded, it is time to do something about it.  If your carpet is worn, dirty or outdated or an unusual color, you need to seriously consider replacing it.  Many sellers will say that they do not want to replace it, because they, as sellers, will choose something the buyers do not want.  This cannot be further from the truth, get rid of the old and update with the new.  Giving an allowance does not work.

Buyers choose to buy or not buy based upon just what you show them in your home.  They don’t pay top dollars for possibilities.  They simply buy elsewhere. 

If painting is not necessary in your home, then usually, touch up is necessary.  Look for the areas where there are nicks in the wall or black marks where something has hit against the wall.  Paint over those areas, so the whole house looks brand new. 

Easter Egg Hunt

by Connie Erickson
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Easter Egg Hunt
Location: Baileys Harbor AND Sister Bay
Dates: Apr 19 2014 
For toddlers through high school aged children. Bring your own basket/bag. 

Baileys Harbor DETAILS!

Sister Bay DETAILS!

Selling Tip #3 - Access and Showing Facts

by Connie Erickson
​       Access and Showings Facts

Top selling agents will not show your home if the key and access to your home is not readily available.  Lock box entrances are key to your success.

Imagine having to drive all over Door County to pick up keys and then having to drop them off at the real estate offices after the showing occurred.  REALTORS do not want to do this, they want to show and sell houses.  The greatest way to show a house is to have your agent install and electronic lockbox for easy access to the property. 

While some agents guarantee that they will be present for all the showings, in most cases, this is not necessary.  What is necessary is to prepare the house for sale, and select a good REALTOR whose knows the ins and outs of making the property easy to show. 

When you property is being shown please do the following:  Keep all the lights on.  Don’t worry if the REALTOR turns them off after the viewing, you want the REALTOR to focus on the buyers who are previewing the house, not running around turning the lights off.   Keep all drapes and shutters open at all times.  I cannot tell you how many houses I walk into where they lights are not keys on (they are shut off at the electrical box) and every drape is closed.  Therefore, the REALTOR goes into every room to turn on the lights and open the drapes.  By this time, the buyers have looked at the house by themselves and are ready to leave.  It really helps to leave soft music playing and it is imperative that you leave the house with your children and your pets.  The worst thing you can do is be present during the showing.

And lastly, let the buyers be at ease and let the agents do their job.  There is nothing that a REALTOR dislikes more than having the sellers follow them around during the showing, let go of everything, and let the real estate agents do what they are being paid to do.

Baileys Harbor Brown Trout Tournament

by Connie Erickson
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Brown Trout Tournament

Location: Throughout Baileys Harbor
Dates: Apr 12 2014 
 

Cast your luck to see if you can catch the big one. Baileys Harbor’s Brown Trout Tournament is April 12thDETAILS HERE!

Selling Tip #2 - The Clean Factor

by Connie Erickson
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The Clean Factor

Most people are turned off even by the smallest amount of uncleanliness or odor when buying an improved property.  Sellers lose thousands of dollars because they do not adequately clean.  If your house is adequately cleaned you will be able to sell your home faster and net hundreds if not thousands of dollars more.

In preparing a house for sale, I encourage my sellers to attend to the small items, as that is what a major impression.  Ceiling fans should be washed and sparkling.  In going into the mechanical areas, I tell my sellers that if these mechanics are washed off with soapy/sudsy water, it gives the buyer the impression that this seller really takes care of their home.  Light fixtures are another area of extreme visibility, and rarely one which sellers clean on a regular basis.  Not only should this be done inside, but also on the outside lights of the property.  It is also important to clear and eliminate the spider webs.

Unless your property is sprayed by a spider man on a regular basis, I have found that the windows, and screens, become coated with spider webs and small pieces of debris like leaves.  Additionally, spiders have a tendency to defecate on the frames of the windows, and leave little spots all the way around.  Again, this attention to detail makes a huge difference.  Most agents have difficulty addressing odors in the house to their sellers.  One of the particular difficulty is that of pet odor.  Sellers who have pets in the home do not smell them.  Cat urine can be even more offensive in nature, Sellers today are even removing the pet food dishes at the time of the showings.  While most people loves pets, they are totally turned off by pet odors, and whether we as pet owners realize it or not, those smells do exist in your home.

If you are a smoker, it is a kiss of death.  A smoker’s house, in most cases, will stay on the market forever.

BUTTERFLY GARDENING

by Connie Erickson
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Door County Master Gardener Program

Location: Crossroads at Big Creek in Sturgeon Bay
Dates: Apr 8 2014 
 

"Butterfly Gardening" presented by Chris Daubner of the Door County County Master Gardeners. Free.  DETAILS!

Planting and Seed Collecting Class in Egg Harbor

by Connie Erickson
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Lunch and Lesson

Location: Greens N Grains in Egg Harbor
Dates: Apr 5 2014 
 

Join Door County's organic gardening guru, Linda Cockburn for an informative class on planting and seed collecting. $5/class only. $9/class with a bowl of soup, roll and coffee or tea to follow.  DETAILS!

Displaying blog entries 1-10 of 13

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Connie Erickson
Door County Realty, Shorewest, REALTORS®
10580 Country Walk Dr., #12
Sister Bay WI 54234
920-868-3245

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