Real Estate Information Archive

In today's slowing Real Estate market it is more important than ever to have your property ready to sell before you start marketing the home.  Buyers have ample inventory to choose from and they are more critical than ever.  Some statistics show that approximately one in ten homes are selling.  In order to make yours the "one", let's take a look at what you need to do.

First of all, take a look around the property as if you are the buyer.  Forget that you love this house or that your babies have grown up in it or you spent $20,000 adding that custom deck.  From the front door back critique the house with objective eyes.  Does the front door needed paint or those flower boxes replanted?  As you go through make a list of all the things you meant to do but just didn't get around to.

"Cleanliness is next to Godliness" or so they say.  But this is so true in marketing your home.  Don't just burn candles or kill them with potpourri.  Actually clean the house till it smells fresh.  Nowadays you can find a good cleaning crew to give it the once over and you will be glad you did.

Pack away all the knick knacks.  You do not need to "decorate" the house for the buyer.  Chances are your taste and theirs are very different.  Clear off all the counters of anything unnecessary.  Pack away the toys and the dreadful stuffed animals.

Lastly clean up the yard.  Trim the bushes and rake the leaves.  The yard is the first and last impression a buyer has, don't you want it to be a good one?

For a complete list of "Getting your home ready to sell", please call The Melinda Duncan Team at 859-422-2035 or email at melinda@melindaduncan.com .

No, don't say it's really happening!  Well, in the Lexington, Kentucky Real Estate market not a lot.  However, for those neighborhoods in the 15 - 30 year old age range you may indeed experience some falling prices.  Nationally statistics are showing that some areas are experiencing the worst possible thing to happen and that is the value of your property to decrease.  In this age of interest only loans, adjustable rate mortgages and high loan to value ranges many areas are seeing a decline in what most people think of as secure investment.

How then do you protect your piece of the pie?  Some neighborhoods in the Lexington area were noticing a decline in appreciation or even a loss in value in a time that most neighborhoods were in the rise.  To combat this many neighborhood associations are putting together a list of "to do" items on the houses in their neighborhood.  When even one house is run-down it affects all the houses around it.  Whether a roof needs to be replaced or siding redone or even new landscaping this can affect what buyers are willing to pay to live in that neighborhood.

Even if you are not in the market to sell take a look around as if you are a buyer.  20 years of deferred maintenance and outdated decor lead to lower prices.  When you drive by would you want to move here?  If not talk to your neighbors about ways to spruce up your area.  It could help for the day you are ready to sell.  You never know when the need or desire may arise.

For more ideas on updating your home or a free home valuation please call The Melinda Duncan Team.  We are always happy to help.  Our office is 859-422-2035 or email us at www.melindaduncanteam.com .  The best compliment we can get is a personal referral of your family and friends.  We sell houses, big or small!