This week activity in the market was more robust than in the
preceding few weeks. Our single-family dwelling inventory in San
Benito County remains at close to the 200 level it has maintained
for several months. However 27 new listings came on the scene, and
21 contracts were signed. Only eight properties cancelled, expired,
or withdrew, while 14 closed escrow. For the first time in awhile,
we’re seeing some significant movement in the upper-end market
segment.
This week activity in the market was more robust than in the preceding few weeks. Our single-family dwelling inventory in San Benito County remains at close to the 200 level it has maintained for several months. However 27 new listings came on the scene, and 21 contracts were signed. Only eight properties cancelled, expired, or withdrew, while 14 closed escrow. For the first time in awhile, we’re seeing some significant movement in the upper-end market segment.
This is not an uncommon time of the year for activity to increase. Kids are back in school routines, and families are hoping to be in new homes before the holidays.
If you’re trying to sell a home, you’ll want to display it differently than you live in it. Staging a home for sale focuses on the way a home is perceived. The place to begin is, of course, at the curb. That’s where an agent and his or her buyer will first encounter your home. Go outside right now and look at the front of your home. Is yours a little bit scary (and I don’t meant the goblin decorations awaiting Halloween!)?
It often helps to power wash the outside of a home to remove cobwebs and accumulated grit and grime. Sometimes a bit of touch up to trim can brighten a tired façade. The addition of a few bowls of bright chrysanthemums is good in the fall. Check out your doorbell. Chances are it bears the telltale sign of many visitors!
Now open the front door. What is the first thing to catch an eye? If it’s a cobweb, I think we have a lot of work to do! Most people respond well to light and bright. Keep that in mind while preparing your home for sale.
If the paint is tired and the carpet smells like Fido after a bath, you’ll need to do SOMETHING. Depending on your budget, you might need a lot of soap and water and elbow grease, or you can call in the painters and the carpet layers.
Make sure your home smells great. (Whoa, doggies! No kippered herring for breakfast, please!) When I sold my home, I boiled cinnamon and cloves in water each morning. The good news is I sold my home, the bad news is I no longer can stomach pumpkin pie. You can try vanilla, lemon, or any other light scent. Get a second opinion on its intensity, especially if you smoke. Trust me, spraying Glade mist will not mask Marlboros or malamutes.
Get rid of excess furniture and clutter. Think open and clean. Potential buyers should be able to envision their own possessions in the home, and to believe this home will be large enough for their needs. They won’t buy it if your home is stuffed to the brim with old magazines and paid bills, clothes you’ve outgrown, projects you’ll get to someday, and a large collection of poodle figurines from the fifties. Simplify, dress down, and soothe the rough edges of living.
Your local Realtor can help you stage your home. Or stay tuned for next week’s column. You’ll get a few good ideas for staging each area of your home. Until then, be kind to your Realtor!
Nants Foley is a Broker Associate for Coldwell Banker. Contact her at 831-630-1300.
