Prepare the Deck to Sell the Home

(Tips to add appeal for a quick sale)

Many times outdoor furniture becomes soiled, chipped or rusted due to the weather. When you are selling your home or want to have a great cook out, but you don’t have the resources to replace your dated patio furniture, these tips can revitalize and put you above the competition of other homes on the market. Besides, we don’t just live inside our homes, the outside living space is valuable square footage. Here are a few of the techniques I use to get my agents listings sold for top dollar:

• For coated aluminum, use sponge instead of brush
• Rinse and dry, then rub on car wax to polish (avoiding fabric)
• Buff metal after it dries
• Plastic chairs may be less expensive to just replace rather than clean
• If you opt to clean plastic, use laundry detergent mixed in a gallon of warm water.
• Avoid stiff bristle brushes which can scratch or gouge plastic surface
• If cushions are washable, use warm, soapy water or foam cleaner.
• Apply with sponge, rinse and dry quickly.
• For wrought-iron furniture, use wire brush on metal lightly to remove rust (but not paint)
• Naval jelly can dissolve rust (get at any hardware store)
• Rust stains can be removed with fine steel wool dipped in kerosene
• For mildew umbrella or chairs: clean with oxygenated bleach in warm water

These and other cost saving techniques for the deck or patio including plants, lighting, outdoor photos and so much more is just waiting to be used on your next listing through your local Home Stager. Call Stage It & Redesign Professionals at 404-295-0440 to get a free consultation during the month of July, mention WCR. You can also log onto our website at www.Stageitpros.com.  “Stage It Today, Contracts are on the Way”.

Go From Ready To Sell, To Sold Already

Motivated sellers and excited home buyers have this in common; they both are ready to move. The sellers are ready to move from the home they are selling, and the home buyer is ready to move into a great home. So, why aren’t motivated sellers moving!! They are not Ready to Sell. Don’t believe me…check out the homes on the market within 10 miles of your office. About 1 out of 10 homes are prepared to sell and appeal to most buyers.

Cleaning a home and the smell of fresh baked cookies no longer gets a Buyer to put in an offer. A respected agent knows how lucrative it is to truly market and sell both to your buyer and seller with an experienced Home Stager.

A Home Stager set’s up the curb appeal, with low to no cost

A Stager removes, rearranges, and reinvents solutions for effective presentation

A Stager understands the needs and functionality that homeowners have while living in a home that is on the market to sell

A Stager allows a Realtor to market a good product without having to get into telling the seller what is wrong with their property and why it won’t sell, which could cause the Realtor a listing.

Simply put, an effective Home Stager has solutions to get a fast response from both the seller and buyer of a home. Don’t allow your listings to sit and become stale. Put your clients into the home of their dreams with a staged home and have your seller telling everyone how you took their home from Ready To Sell, To Sold Already. You got the listing, maybe even a buyer; now get the home sold with a Home Stager. For the month of July, mention WCR and get a free consultation worth $150.  Call Stage It & Redesign Professionals, at 404-295-0440 or email tarenia@stageitpros.com.

PROTECTION FROM THE UNEXPECTED -

IT’S ALL ABOUT A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP

It’s the home buyer’s worst nightmare; an after-the-sale headache for the seller; and a problem that creates an unhappy client keeping a real estate agent awake at night. What is it?  Post closing plumbing catastrophes; heating and air-conditioning system failures or appliances that give up the ghost despite having passed inspection before the sale was finalized.

How can home buyers, home sellers and real estate agents protect themselves against these unexpected repairs and/or replacement expenses?

Protect Yourself and your Family with a Home Warranty.

According to the National Home Warranty Association many pre-owned homes sold today are now covered by a home warranty service contract, which protects the buyer in the event of breakdowns in the home’s mechanical systems and major built-in appliances.

Many homeowners used to consider their home equity lines as their “repair safety net”, available to pay for a major repair or replacement of heating, air-conditioning or plumbing systems.  Today, the market is forcing homeowners to take another look and choose alternatives.  One f the BEST PRE-PLANNING options is to always purchase a home service agreement (home warranty for resale homes) when buying or selling.  A home service agreement will repair or replace covered systems and appliances for a breakdown due to normal wear and tear – the only other “thing” that does this is YOUR CASH.

With more that six out of 10 home buyers, on average, reporting the failure of two major items in the first year of ownership, more and more consumers recognize the benefits of a home warranty.

Sellers also benefit from providing a home warranty as part of the listing agreement. The NHWA states that “a home warranty enhances the perceived value of a home to potential buyers.  Homes with home warranties generally sell closer to their listing price and about 60 percent faster.”  Most home warranty companies offer limited coverage for the seller during the listing period for no additional cost. The listing coverage is for 6 months and then may be renewed.

What does a real estate agent gain from a home warranty?  A home marketed with a home warranty provides a competitive edge particularly in a buyer’s market or a market competing against new construction; a faster sale; and most importantly, protection from the unexpected and the unwanted – an upset buyer or seller.

Disclosure: Refer to contracts for terms, conditions, limitations, costs and trade fees.

Carol Bolka

Account Executive

2-10 Home Buyers Resale Warranty

678-468-4432 (cell)

cbolka@2-10.com (e-mail)

Welcome to the West Georgia Chapter of WCR Blog

The Women’s Council of REALTORS of West Georgia wish you all a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

If you have any questions about Real Estate, looking to buy, sell, or just curious, you can rely on one of our members to answer your questions. A link to our website is on the right. You can find a list of our members on our website or you can comment on our blog.

Real Estate is not just about sales, we want to help you through the process and make this a pleasant experience for everyone involved.