5 Common Questions Potential Home Buyers May Ask

After seeing your home online or during an open house, potential home buyers may have additional questions for you, the homeowner. Being knowledgeable and honest with potential buyers may expedite your home’s sale. Below are five questions you should be able to answer during the selling process.

What is the status of…?
Although you’ve probably listed the vital information about your home’s integrity in accordance with state law, there’s some information that may be absent from those forms and of general interest to potential buyers. They will likely want to know the quality and age of items such as your roof, appliances, plumbing, windows, central heating and cooling, and garage doors. Research your home’s various parts to know this information for potential home buyers.

Has your home ever had a pest problem?
Potential buyers may want to know if your home is prone to infestation by rodents, insects, or any other irksome little creatures. You’ve most likely managed any pest problems before putting your home on the market, but it’s important to give an honest account of your pest history if asked.

How’s the neighborhood?
This question is intentionally open-ended to let you share any pertinent information about the neighborhood that potential buyers should know. Buyers may be curious about neighbors, schools, restaurants, entertainment, safety, and other general facts. Be sure to highlight the stellar aspects of the neighborhood and shift emphasis away from any negatives.

Where is…?
Certain features of your home may be harder for buyers to locate. They may want to inspect items such as the water heater, sprinkler controls, thermostat, pool filter, and circuit breaker. Show potential buyers where these can be found and how they’re maintained.

Is there anything else I should know about this house?
This is your chance to share all the information you wish you’d had known when you moved in or things that may not have been covered yet. You could share things like when trash day is, the nearest hospitals, the best way to care for your lawn and garden, or which neighborhood dogs are your favorite.

Be ready to answer any question a potential home buyer asks. If you don’t know the answer right away, be honest about it and be sure to get back to them promptly.

A Little Education Never Hurts!

The best method available to home sellers to learn their home's current value so they can select the best sale price is a CMA 

Everyone who has ever sold a car knows they have to first find out how much it is worth and what people are willing to pay for it. It's easy to gather the information you need to set a price from newspapers, the Blue Book, or online used car sales sites. When you've gathered this information you can then set a price that potential buyers will find attractive. It's really pretty simple and requires very little pricing expertise. 

If you want to sell your home, it's not so easy and it's certainly not simple. The value of your home is much more difficult to predict and the information available to home sellers can be untrustworthy. Online home valuation sites are fun to play with, but they are based on past sales, not current market factors. Newspaper listings give you some information, but houses are usually so different that it's hard to compare. 

The best method available to home sellers to learn their home's current value so they can select the best sale price is a CMA, or Comparative Market Analysis. CMA is the term real estate agents use when they conduct an in-depth analysis of a home's worth in today's market. 

The best part about this CMA, It's FREE! 

When should I ask for a CMA? 
If you don't get a CMA before you list your home you might try to sell it for the wrong price. Setting the price too low means you'll get less money for your home; setting it too high means it might not sell at all. Every real estate agent in the country will want to complete a CMA on your home before helping you sell it. Sellers who haven't yet chosen a real estate agent often ask several agents to complete CMAs so there is opportunity to meet different agents and to see how they work. 

How is a CMA prepared? 
First, an agent will walk through your home. The home does not have to be in perfect condition. However, property condition does affect price, so if you plan to do work on the property, let the agent know. At this point the agent may recommend improvements to increase your home's value. 

Second, the agent will research information about comparable properties in the area, usually using a real estate industry resource called the Multiple Listing Service. This includes:

• Properties that have sold and closed within the last 12 months
• Active listings - properties currently for sale
• Pending sales - listings that have sold but not yet closed
• Expired listings - properties that did not sell during the listing period

Lastly, the agent suggests a probable selling price. Don't be surprised if a CMA results in a price range rather than a set price, particularly in markets were there are price differences due to property size, age, architectural style or physical condition. 

What can you expect to see in a CMA?
A completed CMA is presented in the form of a report, which includes the selling price, detailed information about your home, and the comparable properties that were researched to determine its value. Because the price derived from a CMA is somewhat subjective, some agents may include brief statements on the perceived selling points your home. 

A CMA is not an appraisal.
A real estate appraisal is a comprehensive evaluation performed by an independent professional appraiser. With a CMA, the agent's experience in the business and familiarity with the local area can affect the accuracy. Typically, a CMA prepared by an experienced agent with good knowledge of the local market is right in line with your home's appraised value. A CMA can therefore be a very useful tool in a real estate transaction. 

When selling your car, an incorrect price might cost you a few hundred dollars. If you set the wrong price for your home, you could lose tens of thousands of dollars. Do your homework and ask a real estate professional for a Comparative Market Analysis to ensure you get the most value for your home. 

There is such thing as Winter Curb Appeal!

How to Up Your Winter Curb Appeal

Regardless of the season, your home should make a good first impression on potential home buyers. Here are some helpful tips for boosting your home’s curb appeal during the winter months.

Light It Up
With less sunshine and shorter days, adding outdoor lighting to your home will help illuminate it and could make it more inviting to buyers. Lighting the pathway to your front door and highlighting any features unique to your home may increase your home’s curb appeal.

Plan for Snow
Depending on where you live, you may get some (or quite a bit) of snow during winter. Your home’s aesthetic could benefit from having a neatly cleared driveway and walkway. It may also be helpful to avoid piling up shoveled snow into unsightly mounds while clearing it. Try using salt to melt snow and checking weather forecasts to prepare for heavy snowfall.

Add Winter Plants
Don’t let winter weather mean the end of your garden. Adding evergreen or winter-blooming plants can inject color into the white and gray winter landscape and make your home stand out. Flowers such as witch hazel, winter jasmine, and pansies can thrive and add color all winter.

Eliminate the Ice
Ice can be a problem in terms of both safety and curb appeal. Icy grounds can be a slipping hazard and hanging icicles can detach at any moment. Moreover, sharp and dangerous looking icicles attached to your home’s roof and gutters don’t make your home seem inviting to home buyers. Be sure to salt your walkway and safely clear ominous looking icicles.

Update Your Door
A front door that appears to be in need of a fresh coat of paint or refurbishing can deter home buyers. Your front door should be in pristine condition, and in the winter months it could benefit from a splash of vibrant color to juxtapose the sparsely colored winter season.

Don’t let winter freeze up your home’s curb appeal. Follow these helpful tips and you may make your home as appealing now as it is the rest of the year.