When I walked into a neighbor's Vienna Virginia rambler recently to give her an idea of what needed to be done, I had to be brutally honest about a strategy for selling it. Since she and her husband bought it way back in 1957 when it was a brand new home (she is one of the last original owners in the neighborhood), my dose of reality wasn't too Continue Reading
So your Vienna home still hasn’t sold…
After 60 days on the market you may start to panic... or take it personally. Been there, seen it before. It is hard to be rejected by 25 people. At REALTOR training school, the instructors tell us it must be "x" and we need to do our best to make a case to help you understand the facts. Of course they don't point out that we (REALTORS) should Continue Reading
Home Sellers: You gotta paint!
Ever had a moment when you realized, "Hey, I'm one of those people!"? That happened to me when I was showing "newer" homes to a client and kept pointing out how the homes would show much better properly painted. After 3 to 5 years they were still "builder's white" and looked dirty. As I walked into my own house at the end of the day, I Continue Reading
When Should You Respond to Counter Offers?
There isn't anything worse than waiting for an answer. Yes or No. Come on man, just let me know! The tip that I give my Northern Virginia real estate clients is to respond to any type of offer quickly, and to take every one seriously. Speed is very powerful when negotiating. In real estate, a quick response is powerful If that answer is too Continue Reading
Do Home Buyers Look for a Fenced Yard?
Our decision to get a dog was the final reason to install a fence in my back yard. I always liked the free-flowing yards we had which allowed the kids to run or sled from yard to yard but, I have to admit, the yard looks good with the new fence. Is a backyard fence going to add value when I sell my Vienna VA home? After helping hundreds of people Continue Reading
Realtor Tip of the Week | Think CLEAN
If you are planning to sell your home anytime in the future then you should start cleaning right now. In the old days we used to say... give it a "white glove test" but most people under forty wouldn't automatically understand that reference. People want to buy clean homes! It seems that many people miss this one point when they are putting their Continue Reading
Home Selling Tips: The “Coming Soon” Sign
When a Vienna VA real estate client asked recently about putting a Coming Soon sign in her yard, I adamantly told her that this would be a huge mistake. In fact, such an act would squander her best marketing opportunity and alienate the exact people she needed to attract. Don't alienate home buyers Giving home selling tips about properly Continue Reading
Your Home has too much Wallpaper
When the "listing agent" of a home for sale in Oakton, VA gave me a call recently hoping to get some feedback, I told her that my clients were totally turned off by the floral wallpaper and had ruled out her IMPRESSIVE listing. You are probably nodding your head in agreement right now because you have seen homes that were wallpapered in the Continue Reading
