Anybody actually sell a house? (Alpharetta, Buford: townhome, neighborhood, buying)

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by SaraSatin

What's ziprealty? I like my agent, but if it doesn't work out we'll try other options after giving her enough time to really give it a good try.

I don't think I can link it since it'll be advertising, but I'm sure you can figure out the URL. Although it's full-service (unlike Redfin), it offers buyers a rebate of 20% of their commission. I know their agents get paid a salary from Ziprealty, so they work to get you the best price either as a buyer or seller. They're not commission-driven. Using it as a seller's agent will give you a lower commission than a traditional broker, but I'm not sure by how much.

[SaraSatin]

Gotcha. My agent's pretty good so if it's just another agency then I'll probably stick with mine and see what happens... for awhile at least.

[KLS15]

In reply to NYtoGA's question regarding offers:
In 2006 my husband and I bought a brand new house in Georgia. We spent the money on finishing the basement. We loved the home (great location, great floorplan, room to grow, tons of upgrades, etc). We then had to relocate. We set the selling price of our home as low as we could possibly afford. We are taking a loss because we obviously won't get all the money we put in the basement back. However, we are still above the average selling price. There are some older homes in our neighborhood who are asking way more than what they bought the house for or what the improvements are worth. We just recently offered a cash incentive in our effort to sell. If we end up paying the cash incentive to the buyer we will end up taking an even bigger hit and losing even more money. So, please understand that when you look at houses for sale not all are trying to get rich off their houses. Some people are actually being honest when they set their sale prices. My husband and I don't mind if we don't make money on the house. We are living elsewhere now and just want to sell losing as little money as possible.

[Go Blue 99]

Annie-
A company that operates just like Redfin is already here- it's called BuySide Realty. It's only licensed in 5 states but GA is one of them. They've received a bunch of positive publicity in the press. They refund 75% of their commission back to the buyer, with no maximum. We are planning on using them when we eventually buy a place.

[huntforhouses]

I have been a Realtor for 14 years. I have seen the market up and down. The market is not as bad as everyone thinks. The market is up 5.6%!!
Below is some advise on how to see your home... Hang tight and good luck to you all.

Okay home sellers; this is from me, a real live person and long time Realtor/Broker. I have taken home staging courses and love decorating. Regardless, I write this from the heart because I have seen it happen time and time again….A nice home gone bad! Are you ready? Here we go!

First… You know when you’re driving around to look at homes? You pull up in front of a home that’s for sale; you take one look at it and drive away? YOU DONT WANT THAT! So make sure your yard and the exterior of your home look fresh and inviting. A fresh coat of paint, a new door mat and some colorful flowers will draw buyers in.

Now that they are in your house, what do they see? Clutter? Dirty carpet? Ugly paint? Ouch, that’s a deal breaker. Please believe me when I tell you, the following things will help you sell:

Clear out clutter! That means collectibles, piles of books or extra furniture. It will make the room look much bigger. Now that that’s done, how does the paint look? It’s amazing what a $25.00 bucket of light beige paint can do for a room! I always tell my clients “Safety in beige”. So if you need to paint or to buy new carpet… remember my saying “safety in beige”. Now is NOT the time to go out a limb and try orange.

Clear off the kitchen counter tops. Really? All of them? Strategically place a small potted fern or decorative lamp where the toaster used to be. OH…I hear you, “but what about my coffee maker and toaster”? Put it somewhere close, but out of sight. Remember, as soon as you put that FOR SALE sign in the yard, your home should be a show place, the goal is to sell.

Need to freshen up the kitchen a bit more? How about replacing the knobs on the cabinet doors? Oh, you don’t have knobs on your cabinet doors? That’s okay, add them. You will be amazed at the difference it makes! Put a new throw rug in front of the sink and maybe a few new kitchen towels just for “pretty”.

YOU ARE DOING GREAT…we’re almost done!

How are the bathrooms? Not so bad? First, remember the painting rule. “Safety in beige”. Now that we have that out of the way. How about a new shower curtain, a rug and some new decor? You don’t have to spend a lot to get that “wow” effect! Once again, the clear the counter tops rule is in place.

Clean out the closets, basement and garage. Rent a storage space to put all that stuff into. I know it’s a big job. It will be worth it, I promise. FIX anything that is broken, cracked or looks just plain old (no, not your spouse). Think fresh, clean and new! PAINT PAINT PAINT! Have I mentioned that you should paint?

If you are going to show your home (hey, what’s your agent doing? Call me; I’ll help you with this stuff!) Make sure all the clothes are off the floor and the beds are made. Cage the animals (again, not your spouse). Turn all the lights on, put on some soft music and cross your fingers. If you have cleaned, removed clutter, painted & pretty-ed up, your good to go! Oh, one more thing….makes sure your home is priced right!

Okay, now let’s go get ‘em!

[brook2ga]

Sorry, but fresh paint and a plant won't make me want a home. I'm looking at the big stuff. Roof? Kitchen? musty odor/dampness? I just looked at a very nice house. Went out back and saw and small level yard, then it dropped off into a ravine with no fence. Another house had a mud slide out back. Those are deal breakers for me. I don't want to gut a kitchen, replace all the flooring, or do a major yard level/landscape unless the house is really priced right. There's so many homes on the market, I can afford to be a picky buyer.

I do agree that a clean, fresh, neat house is inviting. But once inside, I see beyond the paint. but that's just me

[Billdemartini]

Obviously you aren't going to buy a house if it has things you need that can't be changed (backyard, no basement, etc.) but he was just talking from a staging standpoint.

That stuff is very important. It's hard to notice how great a floorplan is if you are staring at stains on the carpet or the walls or it sells bad. If the house is well staged it allows the buyers to focus on the house itself instead of all of the things that need fixing.

[goozer]

I think that is good staging advice. A lot of people do not realize the cumulative subconscious effect that many small flaws have on a prospective buyer. You may think you can look beyond paint colors and clutter, but somewhere in the recesses of your mind, they are registering as negatives. I also think that if you have carpets that are in crappy condition, you should always replace them when selling. Carpet is not that expensive to replace and I think a dirty carpet registers as a bigger subconscious negative than kooky paint colors and clutter.

[Noc]

Excellent post huntforhouses

Many people do not realize these simple things is what keeps people interested in your home.

Paint can turn your house 180 degree's.

My home use to have all white walls and ceiling in every single room when my mother owned it. The house had NO personality. When I bought it from her years ago I painted everything. The walls are a sand color now and the house feels so warm. Everyone was blown away Oh and i added crown moldings too.

Then just recently when my brother moved out from the first floor I repainted that entire apt and turned it into my den. Again the walls are a sand color with an Orange accent wall and some new carpet that matches and orange futon new TV and chairs. I had a party about a week after he moved out The transformation took 3 days) for my baby girl and anyones jaw was on the floor. LOL! Then my brother asks me why I couldn't do this when he was here. "b/c it wouldn't look like this when you left" was my reply.

Anyway paint and carpet makes any home look and feel brand new. I almost didn't feel like moving after I did all that.

[Billdemartini]

Originally Posted by goozer

I think that is good staging advice. A lot of people do not realize the cumulative subconscious effect that many small flaws have on a prospective buyer. You may think you can look beyond paint colors and clutter, but somewhere in the recesses of your mind, they are registering as negatives. I also think that if you have carpets that are in crappy condition, you should always replace them when selling. Carpet is not that expensive to replace and I think a dirty carpet registers as a bigger subconscious negative than kooky paint colors and clutter.

Bingo. I have taken so many buyers to hundreds and hundreds of houses and the ones that have problems like that we don't end up staying more than a minute or two and the buyer never gives that house another though.