The Value of a Good Realtor

Jun 6, 2020 9:02 am
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Despite COVID 19 the market is still doing well.  The best thing about the real estate market right now, are those who are buying and selling property are serious.  What is getting listed, is selling fast.

So, why do you need to enlist the help of a good realtor to sell your property and not do it yourself?

  1. Overpricing. Experience shows that when the home is overpriced it usually doesn’t sell quickly; if at all.  A good realtor can get you good comparisons on what has sold nearby and advise if you need to have your property appraised prior to listing.
  2. Selling in “As-Is Condition. In today’s competitive market, you need to take the effort to make your house sparkle like the day you bought it.  If there are reasons that you have to sell ‘As-Is,’ then a good realtor will have alternative solutions, i.e. the I-Rep program, know of investors, etc. looking for property in the area.
  3. Drive-By Appeal. First impressions decide whether the buyer even stops to come in.  Depending on your location, you may not be able to depend on drive-by traffic to even get potential buyers interested except for perhaps your immediate neighbors.  And in today’s market people want a preview of the inside, so you need great photos for a virtual tour.  Your realtor will get your property listed on all the real estate listing sites so that all serious buyers and other realtors have access to the information on your property and can schedule showings.
  4. Dark Home Syndrome. The brighter and cleaner a home is, the better it shows.   A good realtor will ensure you have plenty of notice prior to bringing potential buyers to see your property to give you sufficient time to tidy up.
  5. Overvaluing Your Home. Beware of spending too much on your property so that you overvalue its worth in the neighborhood.  Having a conversation with a good realtor can give you good sound advice on where to make improvements and what will help your home sell.  It is advisable to have that conversation as soon as you’re thinking about listing your property.
  6. Financing. Be willing to be flexible with closing costs.  This is all part of why you hire a realtor.
  7. Do It Yourself Syndrome. Unless you know the laws about Seller’s Disclosure and termite reports you could cost yourself thousands of dollars by doing it yourself.
  8. Stay Out Of The Way. If you are underfoot when showing, a buyer does not feel free to really look at your home.  Put away and lock up any valuables before showing.  Yes, you love your home and you may think you can point out all it’s best features, leave this to your realtor.  Realtors screen potential buyers before bringing them into your home so as to only bring those who are serious.
  9. Attitude. A positive attitude is best; remember your taste is not everybody else’s.  Another reason you want to leave the showing of your property to your realtor.  They can also advise you on how to best prepare your home for showing.
  10. Seller’s Remorse. Respond to offers quickly, the first might be the best offer.  Your realtor will advise you on pricing your home correctly.  In today’s market, the offers come in quickly and are on target for what the property’s value truly is.  By not responding and being able to negotiate may delay the sell and getting the best price.

Have questions?  Give us a call.  We can help you through the maze of selling or buying in today’s market.

Sincerely,

Marie B. Dinsmore
RE/MAX Around Atlanta
Marie@DinsmoreTeam.com
www.DinsmoreTeam.com
770-712-7789

 

Still Listing / Still Showing Homes / Homes Still Being Sold

Mar 26, 2020 1:08 pm
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These are challenging times, but, Yes, we are still listing, showing homes, and selling homes.  Granted we have had to get creative in order to do so, but that is what a good experienced real estate agent does.

Some of our clients are willing to do Facetime Virtual tours.  Others have created a virtual tour of their home that we can send to prospects.  For those clients who decide they want to visit the property and see it in person, we are taking every precaution.  We ask the property owner to open all doors as well as cabinet doors, so we don’t have to touch anything.  Or if we do, we’re using gloves.  We are sanitizing upon entry and when we leave the property.  Our buyers and seller’s safety are our primary concern at this time.

There are also other ways to receive offers for your home rather than the traditional listing.  As an iRep Real Estate Pro, I can help you receive cash offers on your home and a retail market valuation in 48 hours.  So, if you were planning to sell this spring but are apprehensive, due to our current situation, this might be an option to consider.

Contact me and we can discuss all your options.

Marie Dinsmore

The Dinsmore Team

RE/MAX Around Atlanta

www.DinsmoreTeam.com

Cell 770-712-7789/Fax 770-888-7793

Experience, Passion, and Commitment to Excellence!

Renovate and Love It?  Or List it?

Mar 5, 2020 4:08 pm
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This time of the year many people look around the house and see all those projects that need to be done and/or completed.  Regardless of where on the list your projects are, there’s always the investment that needs to be considered.  What will be my ROI when it comes time to sell?

When considering remodeling, a homeowner always must take into consideration many different aspects before starting the project such as:

  • Are you staying for a while or are you getting ready to list? If you’re staying then you can take into consideration your likes, tastes, color schemes, etc.  If you’re listing, then you will want to keep things neutral.  Many people can’t get past a color scheme to see the potential of a home.
  • Do you have several projects on your mind and wondering where to start first? Most will say, if the kitchen is on your list, start there first as a great kitchen will yield 70% ROI.  That’s why if a house has a great kitchen, the listing shows many photos of the kitchen.
  • Typically, next on the list is the bathroom and usually the master bath. When remodeling the bath, the functionality should be the heart of a bathroom remodel. Make a list of what you wish to gain with the remodel, i.e. more storage, need more lighting, more outlets, etc. Shower or tub or both?  If you very seldom take a bubble bath why have a huge garden tub taking up space?
  • Then there’s the floors. Sometimes that’s at the top of the list. If it’s the only project you want/need to do, that’s great, but if you have other renovations to do, save the floors for last due to the wear and tear from the other remodeling projects.  You don’t want your beautiful new floors scuffed and scared.
  • Hire a reliable contractor and have some ideas of what you what your finished project to look like. Start a notebook or Pinterest board with all your ideas so that you can show your contractor what you have in mind, because a picture is worth a 1000 words.  Many home improvement stores will also help draw up the plans for some remodels, like a kitchen.

So, what are the top renovations you can do that have the biggest ROI?  We searched many different sources and here is our overall list:

  • At the top of the list and the one that will give you the biggest ROI and pay for itself is attic insulation at 116.9%
  • Stone Veneer. This was a surprise, but in all the research, this one kept coming up and with a 95.6% ROI.  This one adds to that curb appeal.
  • Garage Door Replacement for a 91.5% ROI
  • Entry Door Replacement with a steel door. Again, looking for that curb appeal and safety. 91.1%
  • And lastly and most interesting we found that most projects recommended that are lower in cost often make cosmetic improvements and yield a very good ROI.
  • For example:
    • Minor kitchen remodel. Replacing or adding kitchen hardware.
    • Refinishing or painting cabinets can give up to 77% ROI.
    • Rather than a total remodel of a bathroom, consider replacing the fixtures and possibly the sink.
    • And then there’s the light fixtures that may also be out of date. Replacing outdated light fixtures and ceiling fans are other good investments that add a good esthetic appeal.

Still wondering whether to start on those projects or just sell as is?  Contact the Dinsmore Team.  We can advise you as to what home improvements make sense for the area and your neighborhood.  You can then decide if you want to renovate and Love It or List It.

The Dinsmore Team

RE/MAX Around Atlanta

www.DinsmoreTeam.com

Cell 770-712-7789/Fax 770-888-7793

Experience, Passion, and Commitment to Excellence!

Why Now Might be the Best Time to Sell Your Home

Feb 19, 2020 10:33 am
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Trying to decide when is the best time to sell your home can be tricky, but also is determining the final profit on your home.

Here is some information to help you make that decision.

  • Home prices are trending upward. According to Georgia Realtors, home prices from 2018 to 2019 increased by 3%. Prices are looking to trend even higher for 2020. That is good news for the seller, but if you are also buying, it’s another consideration.
  • Housing markets are low. When the housing inventory is low, buyers tend to contemplate all options in the market area and make quick offers. This is good news for sellers because it often leads to bidding wars in attempts from buyers to get the best house in the area.
  • Homes are spending less time on the market. As with inventory being low, buyers are acting fast. The average time on the market in 2019 was 56 days. That was a 5% decrease over the previous year’s statistics.

So, are you still trying to decide when is the best time to sell?  Still wondering what your final profit might be? We can help with that. We are now iRep certified.  What does that mean? We can test the market for you without doing a formal traditional listing. We can help you receive cash offers on your home and a retail market valuation in 48 hours. Then you can decide whether or not to accept the offers or go the traditional route of selling your home.

The time is right. All the pieces are falling into place. With increased housing costs, lower inventory, and fewer days on the market, now is the best time to sell a home.  Let the Dinsmore Team help you through the process.

Homestead Exemption

Feb 12, 2020 12:02 pm
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What is it?  How and when do I file? 

We have the answers for you.

If you purchased real estate property in 2019 and occupied it as your primary residence on January 1, 2020, you are potentially eligible to file for a homestead exemption. 

What is Homestead Exemption? 
Homestead exemption is a discount on your real estate property tax bill for an owner-occupied principal place of residence.

Am I Eligible? 
If the property is your principal place of residence as of January 1, 2020, and you purchased last year (or any year prior), you are likely eligible to file for a homestead exemption with your county’s tax assessor’s office.

How much will it save me?
Savings vary depending upon where the property is located, but if you are eligible, you don’t want to miss the deadline for filing!  A Savings on your tax bill is a good thing!

The deadline for filing is April 1st of this year for all counties in Georgia.

The best place to get information regarding filing instructions is from your county tax assessor’s office. If you are in a city, you may have to also file with the city (i.e. Cumming, Milton, Roswell, Alpharetta, etc).

Below are some of the websites for tax assessor’s offices for this area –

Fulton County –

Click to access 2018-Guide-To-Homestead-Exemptions.pdf

Cherokee County –

https://www.cobbtax.org/property/exemptioninformationhttps://www.cherokeega.com/tax-assessors-office/homestead-exemptions/

Forsyth County –

https://www.forsythco.com/Departments-Offices/Board-of-Assessors/Homestead-Exemption

If your tax assessor’s website is not shown in the list above, a google search for your county’s tax assessor should quickly locate the necessary information for filing directions.

Congratulations again on your purchase and please let The Dinsmore Real Estate know if you have any questions about homestead exemption filings.

 

 

There’s More than One Way to Sell a Home

Jan 31, 2020 9:15 am
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When it comes to selling your home, it’s a big undertaking.  Unless you’ve maintained your home in pristine condition, it make take a few months to get it to the point you can list and show it.  And what about those repairs that need to be done?  And do you invest in doing those upgrades or not?  Which upgrades will bring you your best ROI?  Just so much to take into consideration.

What if there was a way to get an idea of what your home value would be in it’s ‘as is’ condition?  Well, you may be thinking, I can just look at the other homes in my neighborhood.  Or call a Realtor who can give you an assessment.  Yes, those are viable options, but what if there was a way to present your property to multiple sources and receive multiple offers without the guess work?  What if I told you, there is a way?

I am now iRep certified.  Which means I can assess your property and put together a presentation to all those companies who advertise to give you cash offers on your home.  But you’re probably thinking, well can’t I just do that myself?  Yes, you could, but by using my services and expertise, I can help get you the best offer.

Typically, what happens when you go directly to one of these companies, they do no prior assessment of your property.  They just look at the basic information and what has sold around you and send you an offer.  If you want to proceed, then they send someone out to inspect your property and then give you the real offer, which is much lower than what they initially offered.  Why, because they see all the things that needs to be repaired, replaced, upgraded, etc. and lower their offer.  When you use my services, I provide the assessment to the company upfront which includes any repairs, etc. that need to be done.  You then get an offer of the true value of your property because they know upfront the condition of the property.  Plus, since I am representing you, you won’t be bombarded with emails and phone calls should you decide this is not the route you want to pursue.

Using my iRep services can help the home selling process in a couple of different ways.  First, if you’re thinking about selling and want to get a really good idea of what your home will bring, this is a good option.  Second, after receiving your offer, you can decide if you want to go through the listing and showing of the traditional route.  Perhaps you have small children, animals, or elderly parents that going the traditional route would be very disruptive to your home life.  Perhaps the difference between getting a cash offer and what it would take to get your home ready to list and show is not in your time constraints.  Perhaps you have a reason that you need to sell and move quickly.  All of these are very valid reasons to consider using the iRep process.

To learn more about the iRep process give me a call and we can discuss what is best for you and/or see our webpage at https://www.dinsmoreteam.com/irep/ for more information.