The Exsell Blog

• The 5 Things Your Real Estate Broker Needs to Know Before You Start House Shopping

• Getting ready to start shopping for a new home? There are a few things that your real estate broker in Germantown will want to know before you get started. Having answers to these questions will help make the process of shopping for a home easier. It will also aid your real estate broker in narrowing down the pool of potential homes and finding the one that’s right for you and your family. Here are some of the things they’ll want to know. Questions to Answer Before You Start Shopping for a New Home What is your budget? This is the biggest question that you’ll need to answer before you start shopping for a home. This will prevent you from falling in love with a home that’s well outside of your price range. It’s a good idea to think about your budget before you start to even look at new homes online. It’s an even better idea to get pre-qualified with a bank. That way you’ll know exactly what you can afford and will be able to clearly communicate your budget to your broker. What do you want in your new home? Make a wish list of things you want to have in your new home, but be prepared to be flexible. If you have a long list, it’s going to be hard to find something that fulfills every wish, but you might find a place that you love that fulfills all of them. Think about what you must have versus what would be nice and have an open mind when looking at homes, particularly if it’s a limited market. What do you want to avoid? There are certain things you might absolutely want to avoid, such as particular neighborhoods or not having a yard for your dog. But there are other things that you might be able to correct over time, such as having granite countertops or mature landscaping. Know what’s an absolute deal breaker versus what you could live with if you had to in a home, and be clear with your real estate broker. They’ll be able to steer you away from properties that won’t meet your needs. What areas do you want to live in? Most people have a good idea of where they want to live. It’s becoming more and more important to homebuyers as they start to look for a new home. A lot of people want to be near (but not necessarily in) urban areas so they have easy access to lots of shopping, dining, and entertainment. Or maybe you need to stay within a certain school district so you don’t have to move your children from their current school. Make sure your broker knows what areas you want to be in or at least what you want in your new neighborhood. They may be able to suggest areas that you hadn’t considered but would love. How much maintenance are you willing to do? You can often get more for your money if you […]

• How the Real Estate Market is Changing (and How You Can Keep Up!)

• There are very few industries that haven’t been affected by the internet, and the real estate market is no exception. The way people are buying and selling their homes has changed over the years. It’s not done changing, either, and the most successful real estate companies are the ones that are going to be able to keep up. So what’s changing in the real estate market? And how can buyers and sellers take advantage of these changes? Our Germantown flat-rate realty team has the answers you need. How the Real Estate Market is Changing People are more concerned about where they live than ever before. The three most important factors in buying a property are location, location, and location. It’s been a saying in the real estate industry for decades, but it’s never been truer than it is in today’s market. Buyers are very conscious about where they want to live. The quality of the neighborhood matters more to today’s buyers; after all, you can fix up a house but it’s a lot harder to fix up the neighborhood. Buyers desire walkable neighborhoods that are close to their work and offer plenty of entertainment and dining opportunities. A lot of buyers are going to use the power of the internet to research their potential neighborhoods and will likely know more about it than a lot of the people who already live there. The home search starts on the smartphone now. In decades past, homeowners would often start their search for a home only after they contacted a real estate agent. They would have their list of must-haves and deal breakers and allow their broker to search for homes that fit the bill. That’s not how it works now; in fact, most buyers come to an agent only after they’ve looked at the housing market themselves and have a list of homes they want to see. That shift is due in large part to the internet. It’s easier than ever for people to access the MLS without the help of a broker agent. They can see all of the homes for sale in their budget, in their desired neighborhood, and in their price range without contacting an agent beforehand. And most of these searches are happening on their smartphones. Marketing is more important than ever. No longer can sellers depend on their agent alone to do the marketing of their home and get it in front of potential buyers. Marketing needs to be a full-service package and work for smartphone users. That means sellers must get their homes listed on the MLS right away as well as on the most popular home shopping sites. Photos of the property are more important in the marketing than ever, too. That’s because people aren’t waiting to pass judgment on a property once they’ve seen it in person; they are judging it based on the photos they see on their smartphones. Professional photography can help show the home off at it’s best and entice potential buyers to come […]

• Tips To Sell Successfully

• Tips to Sell Successfully In a market where home inventory is low and demand is soaring, those looking to sell real estate may think that their home will move in mere minutes — and at a price that defies even the loftiest expectations. When left untethered, these dreams of big prices and warp speed sales can spell disaster — and major disappointment. Don’t worry! You’re not doomed to this fate. With a few smart, premeditated steps, you can head-off common misconceptions and start on the path to a successful sale from the get-go. Here are some helpful pointers that you need to know before your home hits the market. Staging Matters Every agent knows the old adage, “Homes that don’t show well don’t close well.” But still, time and time again we see seller’s rail against the time and cost associated with staging a home. Afterall, if they love their home as it is, why shouldn’t everyone else? This is a situation where sometimes showing trumps telling. If you don’t believe it, go on a two-home showing with your Exsell Realtor; one where the home is staged and one where the home is not. You’ll see a noticeable difference right away. This doesn’t mean you need to buy all new furniture, revamp your entire way of living, or even hire someone to stage your home. Some simple examples are: Declutter, declutter and declutter some more. If you aren’t using it, pack it! Less is more when you sell real estate and you’re trying to move on to the next stage, so why not be ready? You want to showcase the main features of your home like your flooring, counter space, wall space, and exterior. For example, if you have the knife set, coffee maker, cookie jar, and other miscellaneous items on your kitchen counter, tuck them away during real estate showings. It may look sterile and plain to you, but this gives buyers a clean slate to picture their own items. If your living room has two couches, three end tables, coffee table, lots of wall hangings, and area rugs, decide what you can temporarily live without. Removing the area rugs as well as removing one couch will open up the floor space and be perceived as more space. These simple steps can make all the difference. Painting. No one really enjoys painting walls and we get it; however, a fresh coat of paint on interior walls can make a world of difference! Choose a neutral color that can be used in multiple rooms and watch the transformation it can make. It also is more visually pleasing and buyers will appreciate that clean, crisp canvas to work with. Tidy up the lawn and exterior of the home. If you have a garden gnome collection for example, adorable as it may be, try packing those away for the new house. Throw down a layer of fresh mulch, plant some annuals for a pop of color, and if you have piles of debris in […]