Cash in your pocket and equity in your Colorado Springs home?  If you’ve been thinking about making changes to your house but thought you couldn’t afford a remodel, it’s time to rethink the possibilities.  The payback on renovations in cost versus higher home value, should you decide to sell your house later, can be better than you thought.

Reason #1:  Lower bids from the contractors.  The home renovation business is falling with the current housing market, leading to lower bids for the homeowner’s remodeling project.  In addition, most contractors are willing to negotiate with you for a better price, leaving you with a beautiful remodel for an excellent price.

Reason #2:  Higher number of contractors to choose from.  Although homeowners are still making repairs and working on their houses, the number of bigger additions and fancy remodels is going down.  More contractors are competing against each other for your project.

Reason #3:  Lower financing costs.  If you have good credit and a steady economic foundation, you can get lower financing costs.  This, in turn, makes the project that much more affordable.

Reason #4:  Lower cost of materials.  Because the number of major remodels is dropping, the demand for materials (and thus the cost) is also dropping.

Reason #5:  Less waiting time for a top-rated remodeling contractor.  With a lower number of people wanting to remodel their Colorado Springs home, even top-rated professionals have a shorter waiting list.

Reason #6:  Better service.  With more competition, contractors are definitely giving “service with a smile.”  Calls are being returned faster; jobs are starting on time (or before!).

If you looked into remodeling your Colorado Springs home more than a year ago, now is definitely the time to do something about it.  However, even in this sweet time for remodeling, be aware of shady companies and shoddy work.  Do your research before accepting any contractor.

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There’s a lot of competition in the current market for Colorado Springs homes for sale.  If you’re thinking about adding your home to the list, this checklist is for you.

#1.  Set your goals.  What do you expect from your sale?  Do you just want to get rid of the home, or do you want the highest price possible?  Will you be ready if a buyer wants to close quickly?  The answers to these questions factor into how much time it takes for a house to come off the market.

#2.  Decide whether to use an agent or not.  Although many Colorado Springs homes for sale go faster and at better prices with a real estate agent, it’s still possible to get a decent price doing it yourself.  If you decide to use an agent, interview them and talk to their past clients to make sure you feel confident in their services.

#3.  Set your home price.  This is tricky, because if you don’t set the right price, your house can sit on the market for a long time and sell for much less than it’s worth.  If you hire an agent, they’ll analyze comparable homes and find a good price.  If you don’t hire an agent, make sure you look at recent sales on comparable homes, as well as neighborhood demographics to find the right price.

#4.  Find the problems and get serious issues fixed.  Although you aren’t obligated to hire a home inspector, a professional home inspection can help head off serious issues that can delay the sale.  If you can fix the serious issues, do so.  If you can’t, you can still sell the house “as is,” as a fixer-upper.  Keep records of everything you do fix.

#5.  Consider staging your home.  From curb appeal to inside style, home stagers can help your house look its best.  Studies show that, in general, staged homes sell faster and for better prices than those that haven’t been staged.

Adding your house to the list of Colorado Springs homes for sale will be an exercise in patience, but following this checklist can help make the exercise a much shorter one. 

If you’re thinking of selling your home, please allow me to interview for the job.  Call me today at 719-522-4412 or email me at Kelly@keldenhomes.org for more information or to schedule an interview.

If you’re looking for the right price to list your Colorado Springs home for sale, you may need to call on a real estate professional.  Pricing your home to sell in this buyer's market is part research and part experience.

You don’t want to overprice your Colorado Springs home for sale because you don’t want it to sit on the market week after week.  A home that is priced too high for the area will not attract as many buyers as a more reasonably priced home.  If you price your home below market value, you’re likely to receive several offers that will drive the sale price up, so you don’t have to worry about getting less money for your home than it’s worth.

A good way to get an idea of the current value of your home is to get the sale prices of homes that have recently sold in your area.  Your real estate agent can gather that information for you. Look for homes similar to yours in size, location and condition.
 
When setting the price of your home, you may also want to take a look at the listings that have expired in your area.  You may find that the homes were overpriced for your neighborhood or that some homes remain on the market because the home wasn't updated or in good condition.  Try to learn what caused the listing to expire and work to avoid the same mistakes.

You should not list your Colorado Springs home for sale at a price that you aren’t comfortable with.  Explain to your agent the concerns that you have about the home’s sale price and ask for his or her professional opinion about the price that you have chosen.
 
Want help pricing your home correctly?  Let me put together an analysis of current home prices in your neighborhood.  It's free and at absolutely no obligation.  To get your analysis, call me today at 719-522-4412 or email me at Kelly@keldenhomes.org.

Want to go green but afraid it won’t work for condos in Colorado Springs?  Get rid of your worries, because it’s definitely possible.  It just takes a little thought!

1.  Go Energy Star – Anytime you get a chance, use Energy Star appliances, lighting, heating and cooling equipment.  When it’s time to replace something, look for the Energy Star option.

2.  Use a power strip – Many people have a slew of chargers and electronics.  Instead of plugging them directly into an outlet, use a power strip and then turn the power strip off when the electronics aren’t in use.

3.  Get an energy audit – If you get an energy audit you can find out how your insulation and heating and cooling equipment is working compared to the condos in Colorado Springs. If it’s not up to par, you can find out where you need to start.

4.  Check your seals – If you have windows and doors with poor seals, air can leak out, wasting the energy to heat or cool your condo.

5.  Recycle – It’s cheaper than trash collection and helps the environment.

6.  Rain catchers – Many condos in Colorado Springs have balconies with flowerpots and small beds.  As well, many owners use potted plants inside as accents.  If you’re one of them, use rain catchers on your balcony to reduce water usage instead of watering each plant with fresh water.

7.  Low flow toilets and leaks - If your association allows it, install a low flow toilet in your unit to help conserve water.  As well, check the toilet for leaks by putting food coloring in the tank and see if it moves to the bowel without flushing.  If it does, you have a leak.

If you’re looking for a condo that’s already green, I can help.  Call me at 719-522-4412 or email me at Kelly@keldenhomes.org for more information.

Sometimes, just sometimes, it seems that people don’t really want to sell their home.  They put the “Colorado Springs Home for Sale” sign up in the yard and then steadily push potential buyers away.  If you don’t want to sell your home, here are a few ways to get rid of the nosy buyers:

Open houses – Especially if you’re using a real estate agent, your home will be open to the public (i.e. buyers).  The best way to discourage these buyers is by making sure you’re there to point out all the flaws and issues you’ve had while living there.  They’ll eat it up and walk away.

Curb appeal – Weeds can cover up a beautiful lawn like nobody’s business.  Putting away the lawnmower, garden sheers and weed eater is an excellent way to ditch potential buyers.

Painting the house – Every article written by a real estate guru on “how to market your Colorado Springs home for sale” will tell you to paint your house in neutral colors if it needs to be repainted.  Therefore, it stands to reason that if you’re playing “ditch the buyer,” the best thing to do is pick a color that screams, “Here I am!”  No worries.  Once you know for sure your house won’t sell, you can always repaint.

Clearing the house – It’s a known fact that buyers like to be able to see themselves living in the house.  Your job is to go around and put up as many knick-knacks and pictures as possible to let them know it’s YOUR house.

Of course, if you’ve put up your Colorado Springs home for sale, chances are you do want to sell it.  Pay attention to the above and make sure you aren’t pushing clients away.  If need be, ask your real estate agent to go over the house with you and provide suggestions on how you can improve your home’s buyer appeal.

If you’re trying to sell your home and want it to be marketable, I can help.  Call me at 719-522-4412 or email me at Kelly@keldenhomes.org for more information.

Driving down the streets of the City, you’ll see a lot of Colorado Springs homes for sale.  What you’ll also see, however, are homes for rent.  What’s the difference?  Why did these people decide to rent out their home?  Why did that homeowner become a landlord?

There are a lot of reasons for renting out your home, rather than adding it to the list of Colorado Springs homes for sale:

1.  The competitive factor – The current housing market is great for homebuyers, but not so great for home sellers.  With so many homes to choose from, your property has to stand out from the rest to get sold.  Sometimes, it could take months, or even years, to sell your house.  During that time, renting can be a good way to make the house profitable.

2.  Belief that the area will grow – Many people need to move out of their first house because it doesn’t have enough room for their growing family.  However, they think the area has a lot of potential and will be growing.  It then becomes a real estate investment.  They may want to sell later, but not during the real estate slump.

3.  Not sure if they want to sell the home – Another set of landlords have moved to a new city and job, but aren’t sure whether they’ll like it or not.  Renting is a way to cover the cost of the house.  This is a “just in case” prospect, and works well for many.

4. More money – Especially with the housing slump, some landlords have been able to make more money renting than selling their house.  Because housing prices are currently very low, many owners have found renting their home more profitable than selling it for a lower value.

If you’re trying to determine if you should sell or rent your home, I can help.  Call me today at 719-522-4412 or email me at Kelly@keldenhomes.org for more information.

http://www.keldenhomes.com

Many putting up their home for sale on the Colorado Springs market don’t have a lot of available cash to spruce it up.  While staging houses is a definite plus, it costs, as does many of the other suggested “to-dos."  Here are a few cheap, easy ways to make your home look more inviting to buyers:

1. Put up your personal stuff
Not every buyer looking at a home for sale in Colorado Springs appreciates the fact that someone still lives there.  Putting away the following things can help the buyers’ see themselves in the home:

•    your pet’s things (toys, litter box, bowls)
•    your medications, toothbrushes and toilet accessories
•    any toys
•    knick-knacks and personal pictures

2. Create more space
Small, closed in spaces are major turnoffs for buyers.  Create the illusion of more space by:

•    putting up out-of-season clothes or clothes you don’t wear very often to make your closets look bigger
•    taking one piece of furniture out of your bedroom
•    packing up the small appliances in your kitchen
•    taking out all but four chairs in your dining room, as well as extra table leaves

3. Touch on the trends
Chances are that some of the buyers are paying attention to celebrity trends.  Feng shui is a big one, and you can do your part with just a few touches:

•    add a fresh bowl of fruit to the kitchen
•    put a comfortable couch or chair on the east side of your living room or den
•    put a green welcome mat on your porch to symbolize opportunity
•    get rid of reds

Whether you see or feel a difference doesn’t matter.  Keep in mind that you’re trying to appeal to potential buyers of your home for sale in Colorado Springs, not make the home more livable for you.  If it helps, pretend that you’re the buyer, seeing the house for the first time.

If you’re trying to get your home ready to sell, I can help.  Call me at 719-522-4412 or email me at Kelly@keldenhomes.org for more information.

http://www.keldenhomes.com

Nowadays, home buyers are having more choice about the homesthey will buy. In the real estate market, competition is tough now to find abuyer that sees the potential in a home that needs a little work, withoutsubstantially lowering your asking price.

There is a reason why you cannot get a fair price. In manycases buyers expect your home to be in 'move-in' condition before parting withtheir money. They see new carpets and freshly painted walls in showrooms andare judging your home with the same measuring stick. It changes what people arewilling to pay. You receive offers subject to negotiations - meaning you havemore work to do before the sale takes place. Others may simply try to give youa ridiculously low offer if they buy 'as-is'.

If you have pressing circumstances that mean you cannot dothe work or cannot afford the time it would take to have the work done you maytake one of these offers, losing thousands of dollars of value just because itwas the best offer on the table or get help from http://www.keldenhomes.com

Real estate investors know the market you are selling in.They are not put off by stains on the carpets, fading paint or any of the othertypical wear and tear that comes with lived-in homes. You can find real estateinvestors who will take on all of the hassle of cleaning and prepping your homefor new buyers - all the while taking over your payments so you don't have towait for the closing before moving on.

If you contact http://www.keldenhomes.com you save yourself the hassle of findinga buyer that's willing to give you a fair price for your home while also beingrelieved of the work involved to make it look what its worth. This can be veryimportant when a move needs to be made right away but you simply don't have thetime or ability to fix things up.

It is better to find a realtor that can sell your home onthe date you choose, giving you a fair price and doing the fixing up for you!All they can do is listing your home to the market - the market will decidewhat they will pay, not the realtor. Instead you may be talked into doing thework yourself or lowering your price - not always an option.

Remember that an investor is a buyer - you will not bepaying them to list your property, they will be purchasing it from you ortaking over the payments until a buyer is ready to purchase. You will not paycommission fees and other usual closing costs - you just sell your home. Haveyour home evaluated and find out the process involved - it’s easier than youthink!

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Getting your house decluttered will help you clear your own mind and get you ready for the prospective buyers to start coming.  The best way to get organized is to try to see your house through new eyes.  When you pretend like you are the one who is considering buying your home, you can better see the areas which need improvement. Take a clipboard and pen with you as you survey from the outside to the inside.  Write down everything which disturbs your eye for even a moment.  Chances are that if you notice something that does not look right, your potential buyers will, too.  You will probably want to share this list with your real estate agent and go through this process more than once, so you don't miss anything.

Getting ready to sell your home can be one of the most stressful areas of the real estate experience, but it does not have to be.  Keeping in mind some key advice will help you get your house looking top shape from the inside and out.  Throughout the process, the best way to go through your to-do list is to accept the fact that you can only do one thing at a time.  With this perspective, all of the pieces will fall into just the right places.

Now that you have an idea of what needs to be improved, cleaned or changed, you can start knocking them off the list one by one.  Get the outside, "curb appeal," taken care of first.  This will help your house attract attention right away even if the signs haven't gone up yet.  Seeing your house looking its best on the outside will also give you the courage to tackle the inside. If you visit our website at brianmurphyrealtor.com you can learn more on real estate in Port Saint Lucie, Florida.

Each room should contain as little clutter as possible.  Get a bunch of clear plastic bins and start filling them up with all of those extra knick-knacks.  Remember that buyers want to picture their belongings in your house.  If your stuff is in the way, then they can't form a mental picture as easily.  To properly declutter, you have to start detaching yourself from your home.  Make the rooms look as large as possible by removing extra furniture, books, objects and wall hangings.  Set aside some time to repaint colorful rooms a soothing beige, cream or linen.  This will make the rooms look even bigger and give the buyers more breathing room.

Any decorative object which you leave in a room should be used as a tool to attract the buyer to a special feature.  Place an interesting candle holder in the fire place, or a few small plants on the mantle.  Draw the eyes to windows with lamps and neat end tables. We are a one-stop source for Port Saint Lucie area real estate services. Find homes for sale and area information for Port Saint Lucie, Stuart, Jensen Beach and Fort Pierce, Florida - FL. Get real estate buying and selling tips, relocation help, and mortgage information visit brianmurphyrealtor.com

Despite all your efforts, be mentally and emotionally prepared to hear your agent tell you that you still need major improvements if you want to get the price you had in mind.  Consider it a good thing that the professional agent you hired is being completely honest with you.  You want to have a real estate agent who knows what and when things need to be done.  Talk to anyone you can about the good agents they have had in the past.  Get a feel for the agent's strengths by asking them as many questions as you can before committing to a contract.  If you have trouble getting a hold of them right from the beginning, then that is your first sign that they may not have the time or capacity to give you the proper amount of attention.

Your agent should thoroughly discuss the marketing plan for selling your home.  Deciding on the price will be one of the most important aspects of this plan.  Depending on your home and the time of year, there will be several approaches to combining the need to sell with the need to get the right price.  For example, if you live in a desirable neighborhood, you may be able to go a little higher than you thought, but may not want to if there are many nearby homes for sale at the same time.  Trust that your agent will inevitably come up with the right strategy, but be outspoken about your opinion.  Although you aren't the professional, it's always possible that you will have an angle that your agent didn't consider.

When you are going through the real estate process, there will always be plenty of people with tips, ideas and advice.  All the input can occasionally do more harm than good, so take everything in as much stride as you can.  Just make sure that your agent keeps you in the loop through the whole process and make your home as appealing as much as possible.  With a clean house and a clear strategy, you should be able to sell your home much more quickly


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The decision to sell a home is more complex then many people first realize. One of the primary issues to consider is your market and how it will impact the sale of the property.

Selling Tips – Determining Your Market

People sell their homes for a variety of reasons. In some cases, the sale is involuntary due to issues that arise in every day life such as a job-related transfer, divorce and financial problems. For a vast majority of people, however, the decision to sell is made under less trying circumstances. If you fall into this category, determining the nature of the real estate market in your area is a critical step to take.

When determining a market for real estate in a particular area, the central issue is what kind of a market is present? There are two types – the seller’s market and the buyer’s market. Each market has particular characteristics and will impact how much time and money will be involved in your selling effort.

A seller’s market is one where there are more buyers than properties being listed. It is no secret that the United States has been in one of the hottest seller’s markets ever seen for the last seven years, but it is really starting to cool off. This doesn’t mean, however, that the national trend reflects the situation in your particular area. If your area is still red hot, you are in the cat birds seat. You can list your home with a high price for your area and still reasonably expect to get offers.

A buyer’s market is one where there are more listings than buyers. In such a situation, homes tend to sit on the market for substantial amounts of time. Many parts of the country, such as Texas and Colorado in general, have historically been buyers markets. For some reason, these two states never really benefits from the massive seller’s market push the last few years.

Anyway, if you are in a buyer’s market, you need to determine two things. First, do you have sufficient equity in your home to make selling it at a competitive price a worthwhile decision? Second, would it perhaps be better to wait a few years until the market falls in your favor? Unless there is a compelling reason to sell, many homeowners will wait out buyer’s markets. If there is a compelling reason, you need to price your home near the bottom of the market for comparable homes in your area to get a quick sale. If it is any comfort, you should be able to turn around and find a good deal in your area as a buyer.

At times, the real estate process can be a confusing one for buyers and sellers. If you take the steps to determine your market before making a specific decision, you will be better off.


http://www.keldeninvestorrelations.com/