Sell your home quicker

It’s not just the Groundhog who says spring is coming early, housing data shows this trend too! Buyers are taking advantage of lower interest rates, and of course the warmer weather after a cold and snowy winter. In several markets across the country, real estate activity is picking up!

In Kansas City, the temperature is finally warming up. The weather impacts the real estate market locally and nationally. Despite a cold and snowy winter, sales only dipped slightly, which is setting us up for a strong spring real estate market in the KC area.

“Weather-related events have hampered some of the necessary machinations of making home sales during February 2019, yet buyers have shown determination toward achieving their homeownership goals,” the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors® (KRAR) wrote in its recent KC real estate market report.

While there’s no doubt spring is a popular time to buy and sell a home, why wait? If you sell before the official start of the busy real estate season, you get several advantages. You’ll have less competition. So, you’re more likely to sell your home faster.

With our team, we’ll make sure you sell your home quickly no matter the time of year with FREE home staging. Plus, staging will sell it for more money too! Statistics show a staged home leads to a sales price worth 17-percent more according to the International Association of Home Staging Professionals and StagedHomes.com.

May 1 is traditionally the busiest day of the year for listing homes for sale. Think about it, by May 1, spring has sprung. Get a jump start on the competition, and consider selling before the busy season. Now is the time you have fewer neighbors to compete against, and with limited inventory still, homes sell quickly.

We recently sold two in less than 24 hours, and we’ve seen this trend all winter. It’s continuing this spring. We recently sold a home in Blue Springs before we even had the photos back! Curious what all these sales mean for your home’s value? Find out for FREE instantly!

Sales prices are up

Also, the average sale price is up this year. The average sales price in the Kansas City real estate market in 2018, was $215,592. This last month, it was $228,138. That’s nearly a 6% increase!

So, how much can you get from your home? Find out instantly and for FREE! Just type your address in below.

When priced right, which you’ll get with an experienced real estate expert team, Kansas City homeowners are selling their home for 96% of the original list price.

If you’re even remotely considering selling anytime soon, act quickly! This chart shows you how high home prices are climbing compared to just a few years ago. We can’t predict the future, but man I wish we could! So, take advantage of the increase while it lasts.

Look at that growth! Sellers need to act now! Here are more reasons why this is one of the best times to sell in years!

It’s still a seller’s market

So, how long will it take you to sell your home? We’re seeing some homes sell very quickly, within days! The average time is 62 days in the KC area, according to KCRAR data.

The resale market still favors the seller. However, it’s unknown how long this will last. We may shift to a buyer’s market this year.

Right now, inventory is up nearly a percent year over year according to the latest data from the KCRAR.

While we’re seeing more homes on the market year over year, resale properties went down 1.2% last month. That trend should reverse course as we know inventory typically surges in May. So take advantage of the market now before all your neighbors list their Kansas City area homes.

Plus, think about your buyers. They’re looking at resale and new construction properties. There aren’t as many options on the resale market, so they’re looking at new construction.

Inventory increased 7% for new construction last month, compared to the slight dip for resale properties. As a seller, of course, you’re competing against the strong new construction market. However, if your home shows well, which we’ll make sure it does with our FREE home staging, you’re in a great position to attract buyers who are looking at new construction and resale properties. Undoubtedly, your home will offer a better value to a buyer! See before and after pictures of how home staging works.

Interest rates are low

While interest rates are not top of mind for sellers, they are important since they fuel the real estate market. Plus, if you’re buying once you sell, interest rates will affect you.

According to recent Freddie Mac data, the average 30-year fixed rate is 4.41 percent. That’s national data. Statewide, the rates are a little higher. You can check out the going rate statewide, and see what that means for the cost of your mortgage through this interactive tool from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

While rates went up slightly, they’re still below year-ago levels for the fourth week in a row. Plus, they’re down from the national average of 5-percent in mid-November. Rates are still incredibly good, offering significant savings over the life of a loan. Buyers pay attention to these numbers.

For example, if a buyer puts a 10% down payment on a $250,000 house and pays 4.75% vs a 5% rate from the fall, they’re saving $2,792 in the first five years, according to the CFPB’s interest rate tool.

The lower mortgage rates compared with the fall and last year will have more buyers shopping for homes, helping you sell your home quickly!

Are you ready to sell? Our team is happy to answer your questions! Remember, we offer FREE Kansas City area home staging for all our sellers.

The post Here’s a Quick Way To Sell Your Kansas City Home Fast appeared first on Sally Moore Real Estate Team.

Zillow Kansas City, Mo.

Price. It’s a subjective number. You may value a home for one price, and I may place a different value on it. Add in computer algorithms, and we have a third rate.

Zillow and Trulia provide buyers and sellers instant real estate data, including home values.

Trulia calls it a Trulia Estimate.

Zillow calls it a “Zestimate®.” It’s an estimated market value of a home, based on publicly available data. Zillow points out it’s far from an appraisal, and serves as a baseline.

Both companies use proprietary formulas and algorithms to calculate your home’s value. Typically your home’s value, location, and market conditions play a role. Trulia and Zillow also rely on publicly available information. In some states, that data is better than in other states.

Zillow realizes its Zestimate® is just that — an estimate. It’s offering a Zillow Prize of $1 million for a methodology that improves its Zestimate® algorithm.

Nationally, its error rate is 5-percent. In certain markets where there’s limited public information on home sales, like the Kansas City area, the data is not as accurate. That’s why every homeowner should look at their Zillow home value.

Missouri and Kansas Zillow and Trulia estimates

Zillow rates their home values on a five-star system, with five being the most accurate. One is the least reliable.

In Kansas City, there are more than 671-thousand homes on Zillow with a Zestimate®. However, Zillow only gives Missouri home values one star for accuracy.

There are two reasons Missouri only gets one star out of five. In Missouri, the values are either based on the tax assessor’s value or Zillow can’t calculate the accuracy based on available data.

Zillow says a tax assessor’s value is not as accurate because it’s one data point rather than numerous like Zillow usually relies on to calculate its Zestimate®.

Trulia also points out the complexity of estimated prices in Kansas and some counties in Missouri, because sale prices are not publicly available.

While real estate agents prefer you ask them what your home is worth, so they can pull sale prices in your neighborhood, you can’t ignore Zillow home values. A million people visit Zillow every month.

Since the accuracy of the data in Missouri and Kansas is low, Kansas City homeowners should update their Zillow home value.

The actual value, given by an appraiser, comes much later in the home buying process.

While it’s an estimate, that number is valuable for some. Buyers and sellers put a lot of weight in the Zestimate®, even if real estate comps show something different.

How to change your Zillow home value

Zillow offers homeowners the opportunity to edit their Zestimate®. Trulia relies on feedback to find systematic issues with its algorithm. You can’t manually change the price.

So how do you change your Zillow Zestimate®?

First, claim your home. Full disclosure, here. Zillow requires an email address to move forward.

Once you enter your email address and claim your home, you verify the facts are accurate. You update the number of rooms, square footage, amenities, roof type, etc.

Courtesy of Zillow

What’s my home worth?

Zillow and Trulia are national companies pulling data from publicly available sources.

When a Realtor® tells you the value of your single family home, they use a Comparative Market Analysis or CMA. This analysis is custom made for you and reviewed by the agent to remove homes that don’t match your specs or upgrades.

There’s a human factor to buying and selling a home. Emotion plays a huge role, and real estate agents help you balance that so you find the right price.

When deciding what price to list a home, you also need to consider the potential appraisal. A Realtor® uses their years of market experience to help you predict the appraisal price. You want to price your home at a value that’s close to the expected appraisal. Banks want to know the true market value of a home before lending money. When appraisals don’t match the sale price, deals can fall through.

Home pricing is subjective. While formulas are great baselines, you need to add in the human factor.

The post Why Every Homeowner Should Look At Their Zillow Home Value appeared first on Sally Moore Real Estate Team.

Marketing a home on Twitter

What if your home could talk?

What would it say?

It turns out, houses across the country are spreading the word about all their bells & whistles—- by sending out strategic “tweets”!

That’s right. Twitter has become the latest marketing tool for promoting homes for sale. It seems to be working, too. One agent named his listing “Bob” after the street it was located on, and each day “Bob” would send out a tweet to toot his own horn. The results? Showings more than doubled.

So, I guess I’m giving you all the heads up that you will soon start seeing tweets from “Stone,” “Ryan,” “Sonora,” “Rosewood,” and others– yes, you guessed it– just a few of our new listings.

The more showings, the more offers we receive. So, guess what? A little birdie told me its time to start spreading our marketing wings.

Facebook real estate marketing

We have expanded our marketing wings, offering Facebook ads to our clients too! We geo-target potential buyers and drive traffic to your listing. The more exposure, the better, and social media allows us a new way of promoting properties.

We also regularly post on Facebook, promoting price drops and other unique features of a listing. We also showcase homes in a YouTube virtual tour so buyers can get a feel for the house.

Home staging

Home staging is unique because very few real estate agents stage your home for you. They charge a fee or ignore it altogether. My partner, Dee and I, stage every home for FREE!

As Accredited Staging Professionals, our homes sell faster and for more money. We de-personalize spaces and highlight the features. We use a combination of your items and our treasure trove too.

Market your home to sell

Finally, use a Realtor®. You get so much more marketing power than you’ll ever get with For Sale By Owner. When we list a house, it instantly populates on dozens of websites, so it’s easy to find in search engines. We also have the option of using email.

Plus, nothing beats good old-fashioned connections. Realtors® have many. Those leads pay off when it’s time to sell your home. Real estate agents know how to get your property in front of the right buyers.

It’s not just where you market a home, but how you sell it. Real estate agents know how to write descriptions that sound inviting.

In this connected world, we live in; you can’t rely on one way to sell a home. You need an agent who is creative, and willing to go the extra mile to get your home in front of the right buyer. A well-staged and marketed home will sell quickly in today’s market!

The post Unique Ways Realtors Market Your Home To Sell appeared first on Sally Moore Real Estate Team.

For Sale By Owner Mistakes

Home prices are up, listings are going fast, and sellers have the upper hand. Those are the headlines you hear in a seller’s market. They make you think there’s little to worry about when selling your home. So why not sell it yourself and save money on Realtor® fees?

Sellers pay the real estate fees, roughly 6-percent of a home’s purchase price. When you sell it on your own, you instantly cut those fees in half with the potential to save even more. What’s not to like about that? Real estate agents know there’s plenty of problems with focusing on commissions.

The dollars and cents look great on paper when you do the math for a FSBO property. However, it may not make sense to sell your own home considering all the hurdles you’ll climb on your own.

There’s a long list of things that go into selling a home fast, even when sellers are in the driver’s seat.

The ten reasons For Sale By Owner (FSBO) listings often lead to disappointment even in a seller’s market.

1. Setting emotion aside

First, home sales are emotional and personal. Even if you’re ready to sell, there’s emotion tied to your home. The good and bad memories you made in your home rise to the surface. Detaching yourself from them is difficult especially when the real estate transaction doesn’t go as planned.

When you sell your own home, it’s hard to separate your emotional ties to the home from the business or transactional side of your home.

Real estate agents take the emotion out the transaction, making it easier to make decisions and ultimately sell your home.

2. Bad photos

You’ve heard the saying — a photo is worth a thousand words. It’s true, especially in the digital real estate age where people look at hundreds of homes online before they step foot in one.

Your photos need to stick out. Sure anyone can take a photo. However, there’s an art to taking real estate photos. Lighting and angles make a big difference in how a room and home appear in a photo.

Without high-quality photos, your listing is already at a disadvantage compared to your neighbor’s listing.

3. DIY home staging

Since taking photos is so important, how do you make your home look good for those photos? You need a home staging professional.

Of course, you can stage your own home. I even share some of my home staging secrets with before and after photos for DIYer or FSBO. However, an Accredited Staging Professional, truly makes a difference.

Consider the numbers — I remembered you like numbers. That’s why you’re selling your own home or considering it, right? 95-percent of ASP homes sell in 11 days or less and for 17-percent more.

Remember that emotion? Independent stagers don’t have an emotional tie to the items in your home. They know how to de-personalize a space and have the tools to make the room look larger and updated.

Let’s face it. Most homeowners, don’t have a storage area full of items that make a home pop. You may have a basement full of items, but if they had value wouldn’t they already be in your living space?

You know those areas in your home that you don’t like? We all have them. A professional home stager knows how to downplay the negatives of a space and feature the positives.

They do this with a mix of your items and their storage shed of tricks that make a room stand out.

4. Poor listing description

Once you have the photos, you need words to describe your home. Anyone can write a listing. It doesn’t require a degree, but those with a real estate license know the right descriptive words to sell a home.

Think about the last home you sold a home. Did the Realtor® describe your home as you would? Probably not. They find ways to capture a buyer’s attention with compelling words.

Real estate agents have a pulse on what buyers want. That inside knowledge helps them market properties with words in ways that a regular homeowner can’t.

5. Wrong list price

Even in a seller’s market, you want a home priced to sell. The longer it sits on the market, the more buyers turn away from it. They think something must be wrong with it, or they make an even lower offer looking for a deal.

Home pricing constantly changes depending on market and neighborhood factors. Agents know current home values and how to price a home that matches the latest trend.

The National Association of Realtors® found 18-percent of sellers listing their own home struggled with getting the price right.

It hurts you on the front end, trying to get buyers in the door, and later on once you have an offer on the table.

6. No negotiation strategy

There’s an art to negotiation. You need a strategy to deal with buyers. Most buyers are represented by an agent because they don’t pay for the service. So, you’re at a disadvantage if you’re selling a home and negotiating with a trained real estate agent. They may outsmart and outwit you, costing you money.

There’s a price to making negotiating mistakes. According to the National Association of Realtors®, the average sales price for an agent listed home was $240,000 in 2016. FBSO homes sold for $185,000 on average. That’s a $55,000 difference.

7. Undervaluing time

FSBO sellers underestimate the value of their time. It’s valuable. Would you rather spend time navigating the real estate business, that you know very little about, or making money doing your job?

There’s a hidden cost to selling your own home. You need to factor in the value of your own time to make the sale happen.

Plus, the longer a property sits, the more it costs you. You’ll see lower offers and increased costs to maintain the property like utilities, mortgage, taxes, and insurance.

Related Link: For Sale By Owner: 10 Ways To Safely Hold An Open House

8. Not thinking about liability

If something goes wrong with a real estate transaction, your agent or title company typically offers insurance to cover problems.

If you sell a home on your own, the buyer may come back on you.

Do you want to assume that type of liability?

9. Underestimating stress

Let’s face it. Home buying and selling is stressful even on a most smooth purchase. There are the nail-biting moments when you’re waiting to see if your offer or counteroffer is accepted.

There are the home inspection and that negotiation process.

Then there’s the buyer’s financing. You hope that falls through quick enough to close.

It’s stressful throughout the sale of a home.

Plus, FSBO homes attract a whole new crop of potential buyers. You’ll hear from real estate agents trying to get your business, investors, and scammers. You don’t have anyone protecting you when you sell on your own. You’re on your own so to speak. That just adds more stress to an already difficult process.

If you choose FSBO, you’re navigating the stress by yourself. Sometimes it drags on for weeks and months.

Related link:
How to sell your home stress-free

10. Not reading the fine print

Real estate agents disclose their fees. There’s the obvious 6-percent commission, and possibly a broker fee. It’s all disclosed in the paperwork you sign.

When you sell your own home, you sign a contract too. Make sure you read it and understand the terms.

Sometimes there are upfront fees or commissions associated with the package. You’ll likely pay a fee to get your house on MLS and other marketing websites.

A la carte pricing adds up. Of course, you can hire a photographer, home stager, notary, title company, FSBO fees to sell your own home. However, the costs add up. A la carte is not as glamorous as it looks.

Read all the fine print, so you know what you’re signing.

What was the biggest surprise you faced selling your own home?

The post How To Fix 10 For Sale By Owner Mistakes appeared first on Sally Moore Real Estate Team.

Realtor® Superpowers

Your real estate agent’s knowledge of the market, neighborhoods, and home buying process is a valuable asset! First, you need to what your home is worth so you can price it accordingly. A Realtor® will help you do that by analyzing sales of similar priced and designed homes nearby. Of course, these are all past sales. Market conditions change often, and a real estate agent lists accordingly.

Many sellers overvalue their home! It’s natural, right? You lived there for years, put a lot of sweat equity into it, and created memories there. You have a personal connection to it, so the value is always more. A Realtor® offers an objective point of view based on the experience of what buyers are looking for in a home.

There are many reasons why a home value fluctuates. A Realtor® truly understands all the dynamics. Are prices on their way up or down? Is new construction in the neighborhood or area making it harder for resale properties? A real estate agent has all these answers.

If you price your home too high, it will take longer to sell, and you may get less money! The longer a home sits on the market, the harder it is to sell for the price you want. Price it right the first time!

Getting your home ready to show

Getting your home ready to sell takes time. It’s hard to de-personalize your space and declutter. Your personal items mean something to you which is why you have them on the wall or mantel.  A Realtor® offers objective advice making it easy to organize your space.

The Sally Moore Real Estate Team goes one step further. We offer FREE home staging. This extra service, which we offer for free, sells homes faster and for more money!

We use a combination of your home furnishings and our treasure trove that adds a pop of color. We can make rooms look larger and accentuate a home’s features.

You want your house show ready because first impressions matter! Remember, in this digital age, the first impression is usually online! You want your house to shine in the photographs, and the moment a buyer walks in the door.

Home selling takes time

Selling a home takes longer than you expect. First, you have to declutter your home, then stage it, fill out the disclosure paperwork, listing information, and finally, hit “list.” Are you tired yet? That’s just putting your property on the market. There’s more legwork to come.

Bottom line – selling a home takes more time than you expect.

While For Sale By Owner transactions seem attractive, many people become frustrated with the process. It’s time-consuming, and when you don’t know the ins and outs of real estate, everything takes even longer.

While some homes sell quickly in a seller’s market, others take longer to sell. Once it sells, tack on at least another 30-60 days to close on the house.

Getting a contract on the home is just one piece of the home sale process. There’s lots of other phone calls and paperwork involved up until the day the house closes.

Experience

When you’re selling a home, there’s so much more to the process than finding a buyer! There’s lots of paperwork to navigate, jargon to understand, and timelines to meet.

When you hire a Realtor®, you’re getting an experienced professional who knows the latest rules and regulations and guides you through the process.

Experience matters, especially when it comes to negotiation. There’s an art to negotiating. Remember, you’ll negotiate on the price and likely after the home inspection. The home buyer probably has a Realtor®, since they don’t pay for it, so you want someone with experience on your side too!

Protection

Real estate is complicated. For Sale By Owner is not the same as DIY projects around your home. There are legal implications to the decisions you make, so it’s crucial you make the right ones. There’s not any room for mistakes.

You need to know which documents to use and when, the appropriate timelines for responses, and disclosures to make.

A Realtor® protects your financial and personal interests. They know and understand the laws and process of selling a home.

Before you hire a real estate agent to sell your home, interview them. Make sure it’s a person you trust, get along with, and respect! You’ll have a lot of conversations together, so it’s important that you communicate well.

Now that you know everything a Realtor® does for a seller, it’s time to unlock their power!

The post How To Unlock The Power Of A Realtor When You’re Selling appeared first on Sally Moore Real Estate Team.

Seller mistakes

1. Not hiring a professional

The numbers speak for themselves. Home sellers who try to “do it themselves” to save money on real estate commission often end up on the losing end of the deal.   In fact, the National Association of Realtors® Statistics shows that selling your home with the assistance of a professional real estate agent will garner you a higher profit, enough to cover the commission as well as put more money in your pocket.

So how much more do homes with a real estate agent sell for? According to the National Association of Realtor®’s 2016 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, the average For Sale By Owner FSBO sales price was $185,000, while the average price for a home represented by an agent was $245,000.

When it’s a seller’s market, homeowners think it’s easy to sell a home. After all, they sell in days. Right? Some do. Some don’t.

There’s a lot that goes into selling a home in days – a properly priced home, good photos, good description, good marketing, and staging.

Homeowners who chose, For Sale By Owner (FSBO), don’t have all those tools at their discretion. Realtors® are pricing and marketing experts. Two things you need to sell a home.

You’ll get even more for your home if your Realtor® stages homes. 95-percent of homes staged by an Accredited Staging Professional, like Sally Moore or Dee Harding, sell for 17-percent more money.

Professional home stagers make rooms look bigger, brighter, and better. That’s why The Sally Moore Real Estate Team, offers free home staging for all clients.

Professionally staged homes sell faster too. Time is money. Buyers pay attention to how long your home sits on the market. The longer it takes to sell, the higher chance you’ll get a lower selling price.

You simply never get a second chance to make a first impression. Listen to your agent and follow their advice for decluttering, cleaning, staging and otherwise prepping your home for sale. And make sure they hire a professional photographer! With more than 90% of buyers starting their home searches online, you can’t afford to have crummy photos representing your home.

These are just some of the problems with selling your own home rather than hiring a professional.

2. Not pricing it right

Another major mistake—overpricing your home. It will cost you more money in the long run.

Sellers often want to “price it high” so they have room to negotiate.  That’s counterintuitive.  You may end up keeping buyers from presenting an offer at all and then chasing the market with price reductions to lure in buyers.

Plus, you can get more than asking price if you receive multiple offers. You’re more likely to get more than one offer on a competitively priced home.

Also, potential buyers take notice if you price your home too high and quickly drop it. It sets the tone for the negotiation. Plus, the longer a home sits on the market, the higher chance you’ll get less money for it.

In the end, an overpriced listing will sell for less than a listing priced right from the beginning.

It’s hard to put a dollar figure on a home after you put a lot of sweat equity into it. That’s how a real estate agent helps. They’ll take the emotion and finances out of the equation, and help you find a competitive listing price. Hire a STRONG agent who can provide you with a detailed Comparative Market Analysis, so you get your home priced right, and get the most for your money.

Remember the TV game show – “The Price Is Right”? Well, the price must be right in real estate too. Even in a real estate market where homes sell quickly!

3. Failing to disclose

When it comes to selling your home, our mantra is DISCLOSE, DISCLOSE, DISCLOSE!  Being upfront about everything you know about your property— warts and all—is always the smartest route to go.

Buyers will conduct inspections, and they will discover any hidden issues with the home.  Even a hint of dishonesty can spoil a sale on the spot.

4. Letting your ego get in the way

It’s tough not to get emotional when selling your home.  People are naturally attached to their properties because it’s filled with memories. Lean on your agent to help you stay focused on the sale.

This is a business transaction, and there’s no room for personal posturing or emotions during negotiations. Let your agent keep the focus on making the sale a win-win deal, so you get to the closing table with the most money in your pocket.

Since the market is so competitive, some sellers think they don’t have to negotiate. It’s easy to think that way when you hear the real estate headlines. However, don’t fall into that trap.

5. Failing to negotiate

Negotiation is key in all real estate transactions, even in a seller’s market.

If you’re unwilling to negotiate, you may lose a sale. While some buyers struggle to find the home they want in a seller’s market, not every buyer is desperate to find a home. As the seller, you don’t know the buyer’s timeline or if they’re making their first or tenth offer.

Keep an open mind, and forget the headlines you hear. Stay present in your financial situation and real estate transaction.

When a sale falls through, other home buyers take notice and ask more questions making it harder to get a second contract on a home.

Be willing to negotiate throughout the process – from the purchase price to the inspection.

Inspections frustrate sellers, especially when the inspector finds pages of problems. Be willing to negotiate and make some repairs. Your real estate agent can guide you through repairs you should make, and others that you can avoid making.

While sellers have the upper hand right now, don’t let that power drive your decisions. Maintain a smart home sale strategy, and you’ll get the best purchase price for your home in the Kansas City area and beyond.

Seller mistakes cost you money

Steering clear of these 5 mistakes can help you avoid a lot of pain in the home selling process.  Don’t leave money on the table. Enter the market with your best foot forward, and with the best representation, you can find.

Cutting corners will always cost you in the long run.  Follow these simple rules of the road to get the most for your money while selling your home.  The end result will be a faster sale with less stress and more profit for you to take with you as you invest in your future in your new home!

The post Top 5 Home Selling Mistakes And How To Fix Them appeared first on Sally Moore Real Estate Team.

Ready for a bigger home?

Whether it be a growing family, a need to work from home, or just a general desire for more elbow room, there are many reasons you may be considering “moving up” in today’s market.

Deciding whether NOW is the time to make a move can seem complicated, but asking yourself a few simple questions can often help you determine whether a change of address makes sense. Here are my top five quick questions that can help bring you clarity:

1. How much equity do you have in your home?

First, call your mortgage company and ask for a PAYOFF QUOTE. That will tell you how much you owe on your home if you were to pay it off today (or within a certain amount of days).

Then, call a trusted Realtor® to request a CMA, or Comparative Market Analysis, to show you how much your home is worth in today’s market.

Ask your Realtor® to create a Seller’s Estimated Net Proceeds Worksheet to calculate how much money – after all associated costs of the home sale—you would receive. Is this enough money to cover a down payment on a new home? Is it enough to help cover your moving expenses? With property values in the Kansas City area on the rise, the answer might be a pleasant surprise!

2. Are you making more money or do you have less debt?

Perhaps you’ve received a significant pay increase since you purchased your current property, or maybe you’ve paid off those credit cards or student loans.

If you find yourself spending more money on “stuff” that you don’t need, ask yourself if you’d rather be using that expendable cash on building equity in a new home.

Make a list of where you are spending your money monthly, then decide if reallocating your income could get you into your dream home!

Creating a budget, and sticking with it, are the first steps to take before you buy a home. That way you don’t overspend once you find your house.

3. Is your neighborhood no longer a good fit?

Maybe being within walking distance of bars and restaurants made perfect sense when you purchased your home, but now you are considering paying for private schools because you don’t care for the district in your area. That’s a concern in some Kansas City neighborhoods.

Maybe your job or work location changed, and you’re making a long drive to work. Would a new home in a new neighborhood improve your quality of life, and potentially save you time and money?

Kansas City neighborhoods have a lot to offer. There’s a ton of choices. Research the areas, so you can find the perfect one for your family.

4. If your house sold FAST, are you ready to move?

This one can be a head-scratcher. In today’s hot SELLER’S MARKET, it’s not uncommon for homes to sell within days of hitting the Kansas City market.  Do you know where you want to go?

If you’re worried about not being able to find the perfect resale home right away, would you consider building a house? New construction options are popular with home buyers, today, and offer a solution in this low inventory housing market.

Would you qualify to purchase another home, without selling your house first?  These are all options a good Realtor® can help explain to you.

5. Do today’s interest rates make sense for you?

Incredibly, interest rates remain at historic lows. If you haven’t refinanced your home recently, you may end up with a lower or equitable house payment—even if you are purchasing a more expensive property!

Talk to a qualified mortgage lender or check out our mortgage calculator to see what that new house payment will be, and even more importantly, to get preapproved to purchase, so you’re ready to write an offer when you find the perfect property!

Deciding whether the timing is right to make a move is a very personal one. A little soul searching and expert advice can help you decide whether to start packing or to stay put for a while.  Let us know how we can help!

The post How Do You Know When It’s Time To Buy A Bigger House? appeared first on Sally Moore Real Estate Team.

For Sale By Owner

When you’re selling your own home, you have to be on alert as you never know who is walking through your door.

While most open houses are uneventful, there are the occasional ones that make the headlines. That’s why Realtors take safety classes. You have to think about safety because criminals see open houses as an opportunity. Nothing may happen during the open house, but showing your home to strangers may open you up to problems down the road or the day of the open house.

With an open house, you have to worry about your safety and the possessions in your home. As the host at an open house, you just can’t be in every room and with every buyer.

10 Open House Safety Tips

1. Require visitors to sign in

When you’re welcoming visitors into your home, ask them to sign in with their name, phone number, and email address.

That helps you keep track of who visits, and provides you a list of buyers to follow-up with after the open house.

The National Association of Realtors even suggests writing down a physical description of visitors and their car and license plate if you’re selling your own home and holding your own open house.

If you feel comfortable, ask for a driver’s license.

If you’re showing your home outside of an open house, ask for the buyer’s name and research them before the appointment. Ask for a pre-approval letter and their driver’s license. That way you know as much as possible about who is visiting your home.

2. Have a buddy

If you can, show the home with someone else. That offers you an extra layer of protection. Plus, it allows you to watch buyers more carefully as they tour your home.

Plus, most buyers don’t look at homes alone. So, you’ll always be outnumbered if you’re alone.

Be smart. Don’t go it alone when you choose For Sale By Owner.

3. Share your location

In addition to enabling location services so you can track your cell phone if it’s stolen, share your location with friends and family.

With the iPhone, you can do this in your settings.

Plus, location sharing allows your friends or family members to use “Find My iPhone” to find your phone if it’s stolen.

You enable this by going to your location sharing settings. Then click share your location and choose a contact. Turn off the location sharing feature after the open house.

With an Android phone, login to your Google Contacts. Open the Google Maps app, tap the menu and location sharing. You can choose how long to share your location and the people with whom you want to share it.

You can also use third-party apps like Glympse. As the name says, it gives friends a “glimpse” of your location. You can set the amount of time that you share your location.

CNET breaks down several apps that also allow you to share your location.

Let your friends know you shared your location, and have them check on you from time to time during the open house. It shows your visitors you’ve taken extra safety steps, and it helps you feel safe.

4. Point out features of your home

If you have two people in the home, it offers better personal safety plus you can keep an eye on visitors more closely.

You can even offer to give personal tours of the home so that you can point out the features! If you do this, direct the visitor through your home. It’s safer to follow a stranger rather than lead them. Plus, this helps the buyer feel like they’re still exploring on their own.

Some buyers like to explore a home on their own. They want space so they can openly talk about the house. In that case, walk behind them at a distance. Tell them you’re nearby in case they have any questions. You know it’s also to keep an eye on them.

It’s natural for buyers to open cabinets and closets, so they see a lot of your home. Keeping a watchful eye prevents someone from grabbing something and making it their own.

5. Remove valuables

Remove or hide any valuables in the home, especially jewelry. It’s easy to grab and throw in a pocket, or your purse so keep it out of reach.

Out of sight means out of mind!

Think of anything with personal information on it as a valuable too. That includes mail and bills.

If an open house visitor has to look for something, they’re less likely to take it. Especially if you have two people in the home and one is watching the buyer from afar.

6. Remove medicine

Take medicine, especially painkillers, out of the cabinets. Many people are addicted to painkillers, and people have been known to steal them from open houses. Prescription drug abuse is a big problem; often with people, you wouldn’t suspect.

7. Alert your neighbors

Let’s face it – neighbors are nosy! Some more than others. Homeowners are protective of their neighborhood, so they’re naturally curious when something is going on. Let your neighbors know you’re having an open house, and ask them to keep an eye out for suspicious cars or activity during the open house. They’ll probably like being nosy for the day.

In fact, invite your neighbors to the open house. That will provide another set of eyes and ears to make sure everything runs smoothly. Plus, it exposes your home to more people something you need when you choose FSBO.

8. Keep your car keys and cell phone nearby

While your home is the focus of the open house, pay attention to where you park your car. Make sure it’s in a location that’s easy to access in case of an emergency. Keep your keys handy, preferably in your pocket or a nearby area that you, not a thief, can grab!

Keep your cell phone within arms reach at all times. Perhaps put it in a pocket, so it’s handy in case of an emergency. Disable passwords on the phone to make it easier to access in case of an emergency.

9. Have an escape route

Before you open your doors for an open house, plan your escape route. Keep all the doors unlocked, so it’s easier to escape.

10. Open the curtains and turn on the light

Open the curtains, so it’s easy for neighbors to keep an eye on your home. If anything strange happens, it’ll be easier for someone to see the commotion or your calls for help.

Also, turn on the lights, so it’s easy to see inside your home.

If you choose For Sale By Owner, be smart about your surroundings. If you tried it for awhile and didn’t get a buyer, you can always hire a Realtor later. Hire one with experience and marketing prowess. Here’s a cheat sheet – the steps you can take to unlock the power of a Realtor!

The post For Sale By Owner: 10 Ways To Safely Hold An Open House appeared first on Sally Moore Real Estate Team.

10 Stress-Free Home Sales Strategies

You never know how quickly a home will sell, so you need to be prepared just in case it goes fast! Once you have a contract, the deal can close in as little as 30 days. So, plan ahead even before you put the house on the market.

1. Declutter

First, declutter your home! Less is more when a buyer walks into your house. Put away anything you don’t immediately need, only keeping out essential items.

Also, go through every room including your closets and storage. Declutter every space.

I tell sellers to make three piles for clothing, decorations, and furnishings. Put anything you want to keep in pile one, pile two gets thrown away, and pile three goes to charity.

If you haven’t worn the clothing in six months, or haven’t used the decoration for six months, throw it in the trash or give it to charity.

Start this process several weeks before you put your home on the market. Go room by room, and be realistic about that six-month timeframe. At the end of every day, load up your car with the bags for charity.

Afterward, your load is lighter, and your home shows brighter.

2. Find a Realtor® who’s invested in your move

Meet with your Realtor®, before you hire them to sell your home. Ask them if they’ve sold other homes in your neighborhood or city. Find out their involvement in the listing process. Do they have open houses, how do they market your home, and what additional services can they offer?

My partner and I offer FREE home staging with every listing. That makes a huge difference! Homes sell faster and for more money. See the difference between before and after photos from Lee’s Summit area homes we staged.

When you’re selling a home, your Realtor® will tell you which improvements to make and which you can ignore. Real estate agents have a network of contractors who usually offer fair prices and quick service! Tap into this valuable resource so you can get your home on the market quicker.

Personality drives the relationship between you and your Realtor®. Make sure you mix well! As HGTV points out, you want a Realtor® who can manage you and the market!

3. Make your home stand out with home staging

Home staging features the best points of a home and minimizes its downfalls. An Accredited Staging Professional like myself can make a room feel larger with accessories!

In addition to your home staging professional’s tricks, homeowners play a role in staging. You need to depersonalize and declutter your space.

Nearly half of buyers’ agents say home staging affects their buyer’s view of a home, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Why not hire a Kansas City Realtor® who gives you “Moore” for your money, with free home staging?

4. Keep your home show ready

In a seller’s market, you can expect a lot of showings! Sometimes at a moment’s notice.

You want your home to be show-ready when a buyer wants to see it. That’s how decluttering helps. There’s less to pick up when you have a showing!

Don’t leave for work in the morning, without picking up the home. Just in case you get a showing in the middle of the day.

The first two weeks a home hits the market, are the most important. So, make sure tidying up your home is an essential part of every day.

5. Be realistic about the sales price

If you’re selling, be realistic about the price. That starts with the list price for your home. Ask your Kansas City Realtor®, for a list of comparable sales so you can see the average selling price for your neighborhood.

Of course, everyone wants to make money, but you may make less if you overprice your home. It’s better to list a home right the first time than to make adjustments once it hits the market.

Homes that are priced right, sell quicker and for more money!

6. Get your pets ready for the move

Moving is stressful for humans, which is why I’m writing this article so you can de-stress! Imagine what it’s like for an animal who can’t speak!

Pets are an important part of most families, so remember them during the moving process. I’m an animal lover, so I understand!

Pack your home slowly, so all the familiar items in a home don’t disappear at once. Keep your pet on his routine as much as possible. On moving day, crate your pet or send him to doggy daycare. If you use a crate, put it in a back room. That way the animal won’t see the commotion of movers coming in and out of your home.

Learn the 10 ways you can prepare your pet for moving!

7. Compromise

When you’re selling a home, you want the best sales price! Compromise is tough for some sellers, whether you stand to make a lot of money or lose money. That’s because you’re emotionally attached to your home and financially invested in it.

Set aside the emotion, and compromise. That’s important even in a seller’s market. If you don’t compromise, you may lose a home sale.

While compromise is essential, you also need a good strategy. A Realtor® will help you strike a balance between the two.

8. Don’t get too emotional

Moving is emotional, whether it’s a planned or an unexpected move. If it’s long distance, there may be added emotion as you’re leaving behind your friends and family.

Focus on the excitement you have for the future, rather than the past.

It’s hard to compromise when you’re emotionally attached to a property. While emotion is part of being human, don’t let it overwhelm you or cloud your judgment.

9. Expect the unexpected

When you’re selling a home, always be prepared for the unexpected. That may be financing that falls through on the buyer’s end, a home sale that falls through due to the home inspection, or a delay in closing.

The home buying process involves many steps, and you have to clear each hurdle one at a time.

Expect the unexpected, so you’re not disappointed when the home sale doesn’t go as planned.

10. Real estate isn’t perfect

When you’re selling, you want to time the market right. However, don’t get caught up in that because the reality is – there’s never a right time to buy or sell.

There are pros and cons to every real estate market. Sometimes you can’t wait for the right interest rates or comparable sales prices. Life happens, and you just have to sell!

HGTV suggests focusing on “why” you’re selling your home, and encourages home sellers even to write it down. Write down all the reasons that are motivating you to put your home on the market, and look back at those when you get too emotionally involved in the process, face a tough compromise, or the unexpected happens with the sale.

If you have a plan in place, you’ll make it through every type of market. Let me know how I can help!

The post How To Sell Your Home Stress-Free appeared first on Sally Moore Real Estate Team.

What is a home appraisal?

There’s an old saying in real estate regarding what a home is worth. What a seller is willing to sell it for, and what a buyer is willing to pay!  But at the end of the day, there’s a third voice that controls the final sales price. It’s what an APPRAISER thinks it is worth! That’s why sellers need to worry about a home appraisal, even though the buyer purchases it.

So, what exactly is an appraisal, and how does an appraiser determine a home’s value?   Unfortunately, although there are guidelines, policies, and procedures that appraisers must follow, there is no exact science.  Appraisers are supposed to provide an objective opinion of value, but the key word here is OPINION.

For purposes of a home purchase, an appraisal provides a buyer (and his or her lender, if applicable) an assessment of a home’s fair market value.

If the property does not appraise for the agreed upon sales price, the sale may fall through if a) the buyer isn’t willing or able to cover the difference in price, or b) if the seller is not willing to reduce the price to the value of the appraisal.

Appraisal problems in a seller’s market

Unfortunately, one of the “growing pains” in a strong seller’s market is appraisals aren’t always keeping pace with demand that is driving up sales prices. Of course, sellers love to receive multiple offers ABOVE LIST price on their home. However, there’s no guarantee the sale will go through if the appraiser can’t find comparable sales to justify that price.

Once again, the appraiser’s “opinion” plays a role. If you have three appraisers who evaluate the same property, you are likely to end up with three different values for that home. How does the price vary? Well, it depends on the appraiser’s interpretation and application of adjustments for the subject property against comparable sales.

This disparity highlights the need to price your home properly when putting it on the market.  While all sellers naturally want to get the most money possible, pricing the home too aggressively may end up backfiring if the result is a low appraisal.

Buyers tend to get cold feet when they feel they have overpaid for a property. Plus, sellers feel they’ve been cheated out of a strong sale when an appraisal comes in low.

Price your home right the first time

That is why it is so important to work with an experienced agent. I provide my clients a detailed Comparable Market Analysis, or CMA, before setting a price on your home. In Kansas City, prices vary by neighborhood so you need a Realtor® who understands the KC market.

I’ll even provide you an instant home market value, and then follow-up with a more detailed one so you know the value of your home.

Make sure the list of properties the agent provides as “comps” are as close as possible in style, age, and finishes of your home.  In a seller’s market, there is often a shortage of good, comparable sales for an “apples to apples” comparisons.  Ask your agent to explain how they interpret the comps. Does he or she use “apples to oranges” comps in determining market value?

How an independent appraisal helps home sales

Finally, invest in an independent appraisal before you put your home on the market if you have a very unusual property. That way, you can have an updated home value to present to the buyer’s appraiser.  They may be able to reference the comps your appraiser used, which may be of great assistance in helping them determine the value of your home.

Every market has its challenges, and appraisals change as the market changes.  The appraisal you had done when you purchased your home or perhaps when you refinanced it doesn’t matter today.  Ultimately, the key to a successful sale lies in the appraisal done at the time of the new buyer’s purchase. Do your homework up front to try to limit surprises down the line.

The post Why Sellers Need To Worry About A Home Appraisal appeared first on Sally Moore Real Estate Team.