5 Outdated Real Estate Tips

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There are many real estate myths out there that need to be debunked! Here are five pieces of real estate advice to IGNORE:

1) MYTH: Spring is the best time to sell. FACT: The best time to sell is when you’re ready. Don’t rush a major decision when there are perks to selling your home at all times throughout the year.

2) MYTH: FSBO saves you money. FACT: Real estate agents are experienced and knowledgeable about home pricing. A good agent can help you get more ROI on your investment.

3) MYTH: Higher list price = higher offer. FACT: Pricing your home accurately will generate interest among the right buyers, and may even lead to a competitive bid and higher offer price!

4) MYTH: Open houses sell homes. FACT: Open houses can be a helpful tool, but your agent should have a broader marketing strategy that also includes social and digital marketing.

5) MYTH: The first offer is always the best offer. FACT: Lots of factors come into play here — contingencies, closing date, down payment amount. Review all the terms of every offer — don’t just pick the highest offer price.

Have more questions? Give us a call, we are here to help! Give us a call, we are here to help! Chris 480-754-9077 & Cheryl 480-754-9477

Staging Your Home to Sell

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Why would you need to stage your home in a seller’s market? It’s simple: according to a 2021 study on home staging by the National Association of Realtors, 82% of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home. When you’re presenting your home for sale, you’re not selling what it is, you’re selling what it could be. Any new homebuyer is going to be looking for a place to make their own. The best way to help them see that potential is to keep it clean, uncluttered, and at its most charming. While professionally staged homes can sell faster and fetch higher offers than homes that are vacant, that doesn’t mean you need to pay lots of money for a professional stager. Here are a few ways to bring your home to life, with or without the pros:

  • Create a coffee corner: Do you love curling up in your breakfast nook to catch up on email with your AM coffee before the rest of your household wakes up? Your buyer will love it, too! Create a welcoming space on a sideboard table in the kitchen with your coffee maker, coffee beans in pretty canisters, your favorite mugs and even a cute sign or accessory.
  • Set the dining room table: pretend you’re having a casual dinner party and set your dining room table for guests. You don’t need to break out the good china, but a simply set table with some seasonal cloth napkins and a pretty centerpiece will help your potential buyers imagine entertaining their own family and hosting holidays at the table.
  • Make your primary bedroom extra cozy: replace über feminine or masculine bedding with a neutral beige or white duvet and matching sheets, blankets, and throw pillows. Remove any furniture aside from your bed and bedside table. This makes your room look more spacious and will give it a barely-lived-in luxury hotel room vibe.

For more tips, give us a call, we are here to help! Chris 480-754-9077 & Cheryl 480-754-9477

Home Design Hacks

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Our favorite 6 home design hacks when staging your home to sell:

1-Enlarge a room with rugs: While small rugs can make a room feel disjointed, a large area rug can make a room feel instantly larger and more spacious. Not only do they make beautiful tactile features, but they’re great at zoning open-plan living rooms too. Remember, all of the furniture in a functional area should be able to fit on the rug, or at least the front legs of any larger pieces if this isn’t possible.

2-Makeover worn metal with spray paint: If you have a metal-framed side table or desk that’s a little worse for wear, give it a new lease of life with spray paint. Select a bold statement shade to bring the piece up to date. (Remember to choose a well-ventilated space to get to work.)

3-Lower pendant lighting: If you want to add space and volume to a room, utilize its vertical space. Long pendant lights that hang down lower than normal can make a room feel elongated and airy. If hung extra-low, make sure they’re positioned over a side table or sideboard and away from thoroughfares to prevent any accidents.

4-Raise the curtain rail: It’s common practice to hang your curtains just above the window frame. However, simply raising your curtain rods by a foot or two will make the room feel taller and more spacious. Measure the curtains to hang at floor length and add coordinating blinds for the ultimate high-end window dressing.

5-Give the fireplace a facelift: Fireplaces can make great focal points. If yours is looking a little worse for wear, there are a few simple steps you can take to give it a modern facelift without losing its charm. A fresh coat of white paint can work wonders, while graphic tiles can elevate a lackluster hearth.

6-Maximize light with mirrors: If your home interior has a tendency to feel dark and dingy, try adding mirrors near lamps and light fixtures. They’ll reflect the light and make your room look bigger and brighter.

Need more home staging tips? Give us a call! Chris 480-754-9077 & Cheryl 480-754-9477

Price Your Home to Sell

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Here’s a reminder for anyone who needs it: pricing your home competitively is the most important part of your marketing strategy.

Even though it is a seller’s market, an overpriced home is not going to sell. Sometimes the best strategy is to price a home ever-so-slightly *below* market value to increase the likelihood of multiple offers. In a situation with multiple bids and buyers competing against one another, you’ll probably wind up selling for over-list price.

Of course, the best price for your home is going to depend on a lot of factors: market trends, local data, what comparable properties in your neighborhood are selling for, and what kind of updates you’ve made to your home.

If you’re interested in taking a peek at what your home is worth, give us a call, and we’d be glad to run some comps for you. Chris 480-754-9077 & Cheryl 480-754-9477

3 Expert Tips on Making the Most of a Favorable Market

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Good news: whether you’re thinking about buying or selling, there is still plenty of time to take advantage of the low-interest rates and high buyer demand. While sellers are positioned slightly better than buyers with the demand for homes higher than the supply, there are still some complexities involved in getting to the closing table. Here are a few things that we want you to keep in mind to help you make the most of the real estate market, whether you’re entering it as a buyer or seller:

1-Start the process as early as you can to allow for the unpredictable. For buyers, that means having a pre-approval letter in hand before you start house hunting. For sellers, be sure to meet with a real estate agent a few months before you want to sell so that you can develop a game plan.

2-Speaking of game plans, it’s important to have one if you’re buying or selling. If you’re buying a new home, decide what you are willing to compromise on. If a backyard, garage, and fireplace are non-negotiable, will you settle for a smaller kitchen and no extra bedroom? If you want to sell your home and buy a new one, remember that the market is competitive for buyers. I’ve seen home sellers list their homes, only to be unable to find a new one. Do you have a contingency plan in mind, whether it’s a short-term rental or staying with family?

3-Finally, think about what you will do if you find yourself in a multiple offer situation. As a buyer, are you comfortable offering over asking? Including an escalation clause? How much earnest money are you prepared to offer? As a seller, think about whether you’re going to take the highest offer or if you’ll consider other benefits like a fast closing or lease-back until you find a new home?

These are all questions we can help you answer during our initial consultation. If you’d like to start planning your real estate goals, give us a call! Chris 480-754-9077 & Cheryl 480-754-9477

Inspections VS Appraisals

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Inspections and appraisals might seem similar, but they play very different roles in the home closing process. An appraisal determines the fair market value of the home. An appraiser will walk through the property and take a general assessment of the home. They then use their report and comparable sales to determine the property’s fair market value. Lenders require appraisals to make sure that the home is worth the mortgage amount. They don’t want to lend money on something worth less than the mortgage. An inspection is an in-depth look through the home to determine its condition. An inspector will go through the house, test all of the major home systems and then create a report with recommendations on repairs and concerns. If you’re buying with cash, you don’t have to do either. But it’s still worth the time and money to get them done to make sure that you’re putting your money into a safe investment.

What’s Driving the Housing Demand in 2022?

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Why is it so hard to find a home to buy? That’s been the question on most home buyers’ and sellers’ minds for the past year. ​ Several have contributed to the low supply and high demand for homes over the past year:
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1- During Covid, many people were forced to stay at home. This influenced them to start looking for new homes with better amenities. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
2- Usually, new construction helps supply meet demand in the housing market. But with the spike of demand post-Covid, new construction could not keep up. Supply chain issues hindering construction companies from receiving the materials needed to stay on schedule only added to this problem. ​​​​​​​​
3- Due to the low mortgage rates, many homebuyers are purchasing their second home, so they are not generating new listings. ​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​4- In highly competitive markets like this Phoenix-Metro, homeowners are hesitant to list their property before being under contract on their new home.​​​​​​​​
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But don’t let these factor sway you from house hunting…we offer unmatched service to find your next dream home, despite the current challenging real estate market. Call us today to get started! Chris 480-754-9077 & Cheryl 480-754-9477

Selling Your Home During the Holidays

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Don’t let selling your home during the holiday season dampen your holiday spirit. Create a buyer-friendly home with these seasonal staging tips.

  • A few subtle touches like pinecone centerpieces and an evergreen wreath can create a warm and festive feeling in your home. Avoid overtly religious items, this may be off-putting to some buyers.
  • Make sure your holiday decorations match your current decor. If your family room has a clean blue and white color scheme, then skip the clashing red garland. If you have an earthy color scheme, then accent with rich tones like cranberries, forest greens and gold.
  • Too much can distract buyers, but the right amount of accessories can draw attention to your home’s best features. Try hanging a few tasteful ornaments from your mantel to highlight an elegant fireplace.
  • Go light on the lights and leave the inflatable snowman in the storage room. Instead, use simple string lights to play up your home’s architecture or draw attention to your landscaping.
  • If your living space is small, then save space with a skinny Christmas tree. Swap the kids’ homemade ornaments for cohesive themed ornaments such as all red and gold, or icicle lights and silver tinsel.

Contact the us when you are ready to sell your home or do some holiday home shopping! Chris 480-754-9077 & Cheryl 480-754-9477

Upgrading Your Home When Selling

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Upgrading your home can be a good way to help you get back even more on your investment when the time comes to sell. If this is the main reason behind the idea of upgrading, then you should pay special attention to the renovations that bring in more money when it comes to resale value in today’s housing market.

Exterior

Spruce up the outside of your home before you try to put it on the market. Repaint the house if it’s looking a little faded. Consider painting the doors as well to help improve the curb appeal. And don’t forget about the landscaping. A small investment will go a long way toward making a good first impression.

Bathroom

Redo your bathroom, but don’t worry about trying to take apart the whole thing. A bathroom remodel should really consist of a replacement for your tub, toilet, sink, and tile. You don’t have to change the layout of the room, which may be very costly, but you should update the fixtures to suit what’s popular at the time. Don’t forget to redo the wall coverings if they’re outdated, too.

Kitchen

Just like the bathroom, you don’t have to gut your kitchen and redo the whole floor plan to update it enough to sell well. Bring in a new oven, sink, and new countertops, and consider redoing the cabinetry if it’s very outdated. The refrigerator may not need to be updated, but don’t forget to replace it too if it does. Recessed lighting and a kitchen island if you have the space for it are both great options, too. And don’t forget, a fresh coat of paint in the kitchen and any other room in the house that needs a fresh look.

Patio

Everybody enjoys outdoor spaces, and if they’re ready to use as soon as someone buys your home, that’s even better. Consider extending your patio or adding ceiling fans to encourage buyers to look twice at your home. The nicer your outdoor space, the better off you’ll be.

 

Top Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your Home

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Avoid these top mistakes when selling your home to help you sell fast and for Top Dollar:

Setting an Unreasonable Price

Setting the correct asking price is critical no matter the current real estate market. Remember when you or your agent completed a comparative market research to determine a reasonable asking price for your home? Buyers will do the same for your home, so you should be one step ahead of them as a seller.

Hiding Problems

Don’t fool yourself into believing you can get away with concealing severe property issues. During the buyer’s home inspection, any problems will be discovered. You have three options to deal with any issues. Either fix the problem before listing for sale, price the property below market value to account for it, or list the property at a normal price and offer the buyer a credit to fix the problem.

Not Getting Ready 

Decluttering, cleaning thoroughly, putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls, and getting rid of any odors will also make a good impression on buyers. This can be an overwhelming process for many, that is why the Sibbach Team has complimentary stagers to assist you with preparing your home for sale.

Getting Emotional

When it comes to selling your home, especially your first one, it’s easy to feel emotional. You put in a lot of time and effort to find the ideal one, put money aside for a down payment and furniture, and made a lot of memories. When it comes to saying goodbye, most people struggle to keep their emotions in check, but it’s not impossible. Instead of thinking of yourself as a homeowner, start thinking of yourself as a businessperson and a salesperson once you’ve decided to sell your property. In fact, forget that you’re the one who owns the house. You’ll be able to separate yourself from the emotional components of selling the property if you approach the deal solely from a financial standpoint.

In Conclusion

It’s critical to understand how to sell a home. By avoiding costly errors, you’ll be well on your way to putting your best foot forward and accomplishing a smooth, profitable sale that every home seller desires.

Ready to sell your home? Call us TODAY! Chris 480-754-9077 & Cheryl 480-754-9477!