What makes that cute little bungalow cute? What makes any house on the block desirable? What can you do to make your house stand out and catch the eye of a prospective buyer or renter?
Certainly the style of the building has certain eye-catching appeal, some people are looking for a two story, or it could be a ranch style with lots of room. It could be the roofline, color, window accents or even the rain gutters or lack of, that finds favor in the eye of the traveler going by. The Realtor or For Sale by Owner might be the factor that first catches their eye but it will soon travel past that and take in what is offered and if that shows neglect or disarray chances are they will keep right on traveling and a possibility has been lost.
Having a property for sale, or rent is more than sticking a sign in the yard and then sitting back while the world beats a path to your doorway. It might be on a good street where it will get plenty of exposure and once it is bought or moved into it will take on the character of the occupants. But NO one wants to start out with the yard overgrown, leaves and tree trash on the roof, gutters overflowing, flower beds full of weeds. It may wind up that way due to any number of reasons. If they own the property it is a matter between the neighbors, or city ordinances that would compel them to clean up their act. As a landlord there is a little more control by careful screening and if necessary taking the matter into your own hands. Comment might be made as long as they pay the rent who cares? I would, if it were my property, first it reflects on you as the property owner. Second it devalues the assets, third it makes it harder to clean up, and get ready when the old tenants finally move out.
I recently encountered a Realtor putting up her signs on a corner I frequent often, stopping I asked what she was selling. She excitedly told me where the vacant lot was situated and the price. It was a little further than I normally travel but I drove by. One quick glance told me her three signs would stay there a long time, there was nothing there to catch my eye, overgrown with weeds, a falling down shed, and price in my opinion way over the value of what the market and location would bear. As I have explained before I am not a Realtor and probably have no right to try to tell them how to run their business, but to me common sense would make me want to present the best looking commodity as possible. It is hard to visualize your dream home on a lot when all you can see is weeds, small trees, and derelict buildings. I personally would not want to go tramping around in such a mess, one quick drive by was all it took for me and I am sure for many to come as well.
The point I am trying to get across here is you may have a well kept home and still have it on the market for longer than you might want. There might be and probably are reasons for this, we can discuss them later. But if you are wanting top dollar for what you have, it better show the value from the street because if it doesn’t, your foot traffic will never transpire and all the signs in the world in the yard will not help.
It might take a couple hundred dollars, maybe more, depending on the condition, but a little money spent on the front end will manifest its self quite nicely on the business end and make the cash flow into your pocket a lot quicker. Time is money, and unless your pockets are full the less time the more money.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
House Keeping
Having moved a time or two and looked at a lot of houses both for rent and for sale I consider myself somewhat of an expert when it comes to cleanliness. I understand that there are different degrees, some people are not too picky and what might seem OK for one is not even close for another.
When I go into a house the first thing I notice is the air, you might think this a strange thing to say, but if I smell dampness, or smoke I pretty much think that there is either a moisture problem or the previous tenants were smokers. I have nothing against smokers as a rule, having been one myself, and I guess that is probably why I am so conscious when I catch the odor. If I do catch the scent then my gaze tends to go to the ceiling and walls, it only takes a few times of washing them to realize what a mess the nicotine can make, and the effect clean walls and ceilings make on a room. If it is moisture I smell then I look under the sinks, wash basins, around the commodes, and dishwasher or clothes washing machine. Water heaters and bath tubs are another good source of moisture, anywhere that water is brought into the house could be a potential wet spot.
Curtains are another good place for odors to hide and rugs as well, a house is just not clean unless the air tells you so. It can be masked with freshener but only for so long.
If I was going to put a house in top shape what would I do? First check the things just mentioned and correct any problems found there. Next I would move into the kitchen. Drawers, cabinets, and under the sink, if shelf paper is there it is probably old take it out. Wipe them out with a mild solution of Joy on a damp cloth, the doors as well. Cooking stoves are another place I check. Not only on the surface but under the lid, along the side if exposed, and of course the oven. It may take something a little stronger for these areas, but well worth the effort to get that much used and sometimes abused appliance back into shape. The floors go without saying pay attention to build up in the corners under the cabinets and while down there look at the refrigerator if one is there, look underneath, surprising what you might find.
Do much the same for the bathrooms and if the tub needs new caulking do it! If you plan on painting which I will cover in detail on another blog, now might be a good time to check the windows, caulk if necessary and wash by all means.
The condition of the home pretty much dictates the amount of time and effort, but I have found that a good appearing house that smells clean and fresh will get a better reception, and increase your chances for rental or sale. By a good cleaning you are adding value to your property and while it might be tempting to skimp and do a once over lightly, a good conscientious cleaning person that takes pride in their work and is not worried about doing 6 houses in one day to make it, will well be worth the extra dollars. Once the house is put in top shape and not rented or sold for any extended period of time a "refresher" will be that much easier to keep it looking good. Look at it this way moving is tough enough, while probably the biggest majority of the people will clean before or during the move, perhaps after, the key to getting them there in the first place is cleanliness and how much they perceive they will have to do to put the property in their standards. Do you really want to add that extra chore to the moving experience? Think about it...
When I go into a house the first thing I notice is the air, you might think this a strange thing to say, but if I smell dampness, or smoke I pretty much think that there is either a moisture problem or the previous tenants were smokers. I have nothing against smokers as a rule, having been one myself, and I guess that is probably why I am so conscious when I catch the odor. If I do catch the scent then my gaze tends to go to the ceiling and walls, it only takes a few times of washing them to realize what a mess the nicotine can make, and the effect clean walls and ceilings make on a room. If it is moisture I smell then I look under the sinks, wash basins, around the commodes, and dishwasher or clothes washing machine. Water heaters and bath tubs are another good source of moisture, anywhere that water is brought into the house could be a potential wet spot.
Curtains are another good place for odors to hide and rugs as well, a house is just not clean unless the air tells you so. It can be masked with freshener but only for so long.
If I was going to put a house in top shape what would I do? First check the things just mentioned and correct any problems found there. Next I would move into the kitchen. Drawers, cabinets, and under the sink, if shelf paper is there it is probably old take it out. Wipe them out with a mild solution of Joy on a damp cloth, the doors as well. Cooking stoves are another place I check. Not only on the surface but under the lid, along the side if exposed, and of course the oven. It may take something a little stronger for these areas, but well worth the effort to get that much used and sometimes abused appliance back into shape. The floors go without saying pay attention to build up in the corners under the cabinets and while down there look at the refrigerator if one is there, look underneath, surprising what you might find.
Do much the same for the bathrooms and if the tub needs new caulking do it! If you plan on painting which I will cover in detail on another blog, now might be a good time to check the windows, caulk if necessary and wash by all means.
The condition of the home pretty much dictates the amount of time and effort, but I have found that a good appearing house that smells clean and fresh will get a better reception, and increase your chances for rental or sale. By a good cleaning you are adding value to your property and while it might be tempting to skimp and do a once over lightly, a good conscientious cleaning person that takes pride in their work and is not worried about doing 6 houses in one day to make it, will well be worth the extra dollars. Once the house is put in top shape and not rented or sold for any extended period of time a "refresher" will be that much easier to keep it looking good. Look at it this way moving is tough enough, while probably the biggest majority of the people will clean before or during the move, perhaps after, the key to getting them there in the first place is cleanliness and how much they perceive they will have to do to put the property in their standards. Do you really want to add that extra chore to the moving experience? Think about it...
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Where to start
Yesterday I started this blog with the idea that I was going to provide some help topics for homeowners wanting to sell their homes. In my travels around Little Rock I see time after time property for sale that have no appeal what so ever simply because the yard has been allowed to grow up or the paint has started to peel. A window has been cracked or broken. Sometimes it is for sale by owner, and sometimes there is a Realtor sign. I almost feel sorry for the Realtor because I know they will not have many lookers let alone offers for that property. I guess they probably know it better than the owner, it should be a no brainer as far as I am concerned, but it seems for whatever reason, once it is turned over to the Realtor especially if the owner is absent, time stands still as far as upkeep goes.
I am not trying to say bad things about either owners or Realtors I know that sometimes things are pretty tight and from the Realtors point of view why spend money out of their pocket for something that is not theirs?
I wonder if that is sound thinking or not.
Before I go any further let me make one thing clear, I am not a Realtor, never tried to sell a house, do not know what percentage they make and as far as that goes do not even know the average price of property in Little Rock. But lets say just for conversational purposes that the average price is $180,000.00 out of that 3% will go to the Realtor (my guess). If my math is right that would be $5,400.00 not a lot but a fair piece of money. OK now if I (playing like I am the Realtor) was able to sell in the first week pretty good. If not in the first month not so good, because now it is starting to show signs of vacancy, that is if it is vacant, and if not then this scenario might not apply. In this market you can get the lawn taken care of anywhere from $35.00 to $70.00.
Lets take a middle of the road and go with $50.00. Speaking for myself, I know that if I knew I would get $50.00 every two weeks for a lawn until it was sold I would be pretty happy. If it sold in the first month probably only one cutting, second month three cuttings, third month five cuttings. Total cost for lawn care $250.00, how many more times would I be able to show that property to potential buyers? How much easier would it be to sell the house and get what the customer wants? Would I be looking for a lawnmower man? You bet your sweet bippy I would. Would there be a way I could recover my cost? I don't know, perhaps if I put my mind to it. I could get the owner to reimburse me when the sale goes through if we talked about it up front. But even if not I still have a pretty good chunk of change from the commission and to me, spending a little money to make a profitable return would be worth it.
I think there would be all kinds of ways to put money in my pocket if I had a good looking house to sale. After all when I go to trade my car in do I take it in there all dirty, trash all over inside and expect to get a good trade in? Why would it be any different with a house? Think about it..
I am not trying to say bad things about either owners or Realtors I know that sometimes things are pretty tight and from the Realtors point of view why spend money out of their pocket for something that is not theirs?
I wonder if that is sound thinking or not.
Before I go any further let me make one thing clear, I am not a Realtor, never tried to sell a house, do not know what percentage they make and as far as that goes do not even know the average price of property in Little Rock. But lets say just for conversational purposes that the average price is $180,000.00 out of that 3% will go to the Realtor (my guess). If my math is right that would be $5,400.00 not a lot but a fair piece of money. OK now if I (playing like I am the Realtor) was able to sell in the first week pretty good. If not in the first month not so good, because now it is starting to show signs of vacancy, that is if it is vacant, and if not then this scenario might not apply. In this market you can get the lawn taken care of anywhere from $35.00 to $70.00.
Lets take a middle of the road and go with $50.00. Speaking for myself, I know that if I knew I would get $50.00 every two weeks for a lawn until it was sold I would be pretty happy. If it sold in the first month probably only one cutting, second month three cuttings, third month five cuttings. Total cost for lawn care $250.00, how many more times would I be able to show that property to potential buyers? How much easier would it be to sell the house and get what the customer wants? Would I be looking for a lawnmower man? You bet your sweet bippy I would. Would there be a way I could recover my cost? I don't know, perhaps if I put my mind to it. I could get the owner to reimburse me when the sale goes through if we talked about it up front. But even if not I still have a pretty good chunk of change from the commission and to me, spending a little money to make a profitable return would be worth it.
I think there would be all kinds of ways to put money in my pocket if I had a good looking house to sale. After all when I go to trade my car in do I take it in there all dirty, trash all over inside and expect to get a good trade in? Why would it be any different with a house? Think about it..
Friday, August 1, 2008
Information Research
Not your typical run of the mill concierge we also like to surf the web and find things that are of interest or beneficial to that grant proposal, school paper, what ever you have in mind. The next time you are in a "Tight Spot", let us go to work for you.
Errand Running
Some times it seems like there is just not enough time in a day. The kids are doing more and more after school, the boss is putting the pressure on you to get the proposal done. Your suit is in the cleaners and where has the time gone? Things are crashing down around you and yes, you guessed it, you are in a "Tight Spot". Who can you trust to pull you out of the fire? Hmmmmm you know who!
Personalized Shopping
The big night is only a few days away and you still have not managed to go to the store to finalize your menu. The car tags are due but faced with a big project at work no way to get off and wait in line for hours to get them. Looks like you are in a "Tight Spot", we love to shop and wait in line, what ever your needs we will personalize it just for you.
Interior Decorating
So you have found that new home and now comes the time to make it "your's". But when you get home after a long day your energy is gone and there is all those pictures to hang. Colors to pick for the kids rooms and they want something special, different than they had at the "old house". The garage is a mess and organization seems just less and less like a reality. The boss is asking to meet the family and you are in a "Tight Spot". You guessed it call us we can help.
House Hunting
Looking for the dream house to buy? Moving in from another state and not sure where you want to live in Little Rock? Don't have a Realtor in this area? We are associated with Realtors for both the home owner and the investor. When you find yourself in a "Tight Spot" for time or just want someone you can trust we are there for you with service personalized just for you.
Curb Appeal
We specialize in bringing property back to the "lived in" look. Too often investors or for sale by owners run into the vacant mode when it takes a while to sale or to rent their houses. It is understandable that some times they are out of state and are just not aware of the condition that their investment has fallen into. When the property is out of sight it some times becomes out of mind. In to days economy and the market being as it is it pays to have your curb appeal kept in good shape. Nothing turns off a prospective buyer or renter more than an over grown yard, trash, dead shrubbery, leaves, anything that might preclude them from enjoying moving into a new residence. If your property has fallen into such condition and you are in a "Tight Spot", call us and let us do the dirty work.
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