Posts by mary.w

MORTGAGE RATES UPDATE

Oct04
2017 Written by mary.w

The steadiness of the recent mortgage rates indicates that if you’re thinking of buying, now may be a good time for you to do so since your payments will be reasonable.  It also indicates that it may be a great time for you to sell since mortgages are so affordable for your prospective buyers.

On Thursday, September 29, 2017, Freddie Mac released it PMMS (Primary Mortgage Market Survey) revealing that both 15 and 30 year fixed mortgage rates remained unchanged from the week before.

Comparing current 2017 rates to the same time in 2016 shows that though rates have gone up, they still provide strong opportunities.

  • 30 year fixed rate mortgage averaged 3.83% this week vs 3.42% in 2016.
  • 15 year fixed rate mortgage averaged 3.13% this week vs 2.72% in 2016.

Only you can decide which option (30 year v 15 year) is best for you. Review your personal situation, work your numbers (either yourself or if you feel unsure with your banker or mortgage broker) and then confidently step forward into a new chapter of your journey!

 

Posted in Uncategorized

FALL INTO THE NEW SEASON

Sep22
2017 Written by mary.w

Today is the first day of Autumn. If your home has been on the market through the summer, here are some simple steps you can take to bring your marketing campaign into the new season.

  • Pull up the remainder of your dying summer flowers and replace with autumn specific plants or plantings such as mums, sunflowers, autumn crocus, goldenrod and others (do an online search for autumn blooms for your specific area). Mums are an inexpensive option in small, medium and large containers for quick How-Much-Is-A-View-Worthlandscaping changes at a minimal cost.
  • If you home is wrapped in fall colors and landscapes, update your photos highlight the season.
  • Use pumpkins or squash varieties to create autumn displays near your entryway.pumpkinFALL
  • On a tight budget? The Dollar Tree or other such stores have a wide variety of items you can use to create season specific decor without breaking your bank.
  • Change the wreath on your front door to more fall specific color tones than what you may have had on there for summer (or spring if you never changed it in June).
  • Put pumpkin scented waxes or candles around your home to update your aroma to a scent that reminds everyone of the fall and thanksgiving.
  • Having an open house? Instead of putting out chocolate chip cookies, replace them with pumpkin spice yummies instead.
  • Aromas have a very strong effect on people so put a pot of simmering hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks on the stove. Feels like coming home!

Key: Try to avoid being holiday specific such as halloween or thanksgiving decorations. Promote the season not the holiday.  Keep your advertising current to reap maximum results.

 

Posted in Decorating on a Budget, General Information, Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas, Uncategorized

CHANGE WITH THE SEASON

Aug31
2017 Written by mary.w

As we move into the Labor Day weekend, we put away our white pants (maybe) and pull on our favorite football team’s sweatshirt & hunker in for autumn. If we update ourselveorange-leavess for the new season, what can we do to roll our marketed home over as well? You don’t want your home to scream, “I’ve been on the market since spring” so follow these few steps to reap an Autumn harvest of your home being sold!

  • Remove all your dying summer annuals (that you’ve been dead heading to get them to last longer) and replace them with colorful mums. The great thing about mums is that they come in many colors so you can choose those that blend best with your home’s extrior.
  • Replace your summer plaques, wind chimes, doormats and other exterior decor with autumn focused items.pumpkinFALL
  • Don’t break your bank buying ‘special’ autumn decor. Use pumpkins and colorful squash to create charming, attractive ‘curb appeal’ near your home’s entryway.
  • When showing your home, light a couple of pumpkin scented candles or use fragrance plug-ins. It’s been proven that the pumpkin scent is very inviting, calming and creates positive sensory reactions.  Nothing feels like home than the smell of a pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. You don’t need to bake a pie…just provide the fragrance.
  • Another great wthanksgivingay to add the autumn fragrance into your home is to have a pot of hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks simmering on the stove…mmmm…nice!

 

Again, don’t break the bank just to change the season. Sow simple seeds to reap a bountiful harvest!!

Posted in Uncategorized

SELLING ON YOUR OWN DO’S and DON’TS

Aug04
2017 Written by mary.w

Tips when Selling Your Home By Owner:

DO:          Clear personal photos from counters, tables and fireplace mantels                             DON’T:   Remove all artwork & photos from your walls. Sterile is not a good look.

DO:          Reduce books and knik knaks from your bookcase or built-ins                                    DON’T:   Create an attractive display of your books w/some frames , candles & small items

DO:          Clear clutter from closets including racks, shelves & floor                                           DON’T:    Just throw everything into a laundry basket or open box/bin. Move it out!

DO:           Have Kitchen & Bathroom counters CLEAR in photos & for showings.                     DON’T:     Just throw it all a basket at the end of the counter. Clear means clear!

DO:          Pack up your off season clothes including coats, jackets, sweatshirts, etc.                 DON’T:    Spread the clothes out into other closets.  Everyone wants closet space!

DO:           Clean out your kitchen cabinets/pantry. Pack up holiday or seasonal dishes.    DON’T:    Assume that buyers won’t open your cabinets, pantry, etc. Serious ones will!

DO:            Be honest and precise when answering your prospective buyers questions.      DON’T:     Talk non-stop while showing your home. Share details then be quiet.

DO:            Have a Guest Book open for open house attendees to leave their info.                     DON’T:      Force the issue if someone doesn’t want to sign it. Always be friendly!

DO:             Freshen walls, trim & cabinets with a good cleaning. Paint if necessary.                 DON’T:      Get so overwhelmed with making things ‘perfect’ that you lose market time.

DO:             Put excess furniture, bins, boxes, etc in storage unit/pod IF you can afford it. DON’T:      Take on excessive debt in preparing your home for sale. Stay smart!

DO:             Have confidence that you can market your home w/Buy Owner’s help!                  DON’T:      Believe the ‘noise’ from others that you’re not competent enough to do so!

BuyOwner.com has been helping sellers successfully market their homes AND walk away with more of their hard earned equity for over 33 years. With full Customer Care service + your Personal Marketing Consultant assisting you each step of the way, you are able to sell your home on your own BUT not by yourself!  Before you know it you too will be saying, “Thanks Buy Owner”!

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized

Perform CPR on your Home Sale!

Jul23
2017 Written by mary.w

Just like a heart that has stopped beating, sometimes you have to jump start…electrify your marketing to bring your listing back to life.  CPR has 3 components: Airway…Breathing…Circulation. Let’s use that same concept to revive your home marketing.

Airway: After your home  has been on the market for awhile, you can feel the air of excitement become blocked by time…other homes that have come on the market at a lower price… your unwillingness to lower your price or accept that the market will not accept your valuation…reduction of showings…and just an overall blockage of results.

Breathing: Breathe new life into your listing by: lowering your price…increasing your marketing… holding a “Fresh to the Market Open House”…being completely available for showings and willing to at least listen to all offers…open to agents showing your home and offer a strong buyer’s agent commission (if you haven’t already done so).

Circulation: Circulate the news that your home price has been lowered, that you’re willing to negotiate, that you are having an amazing Open House (review some great ideas in previous blog posts, etc. Do this via social media such as Facebook and Twitter asking your friends to please share…via flyers on local community boards, in coffee shops and mailed to HR departments of police and fire departments, universities & hospitals…these all bring in new employees all the time who will be looking for housing…bring attention to your sign when other open houses are happening in your neighborhood by adding balloons and attaching flyers.

It’s very easy to become discouraged even fearful when your home is not selling as you’d hoped it would. Take a deep breath, determine a new strategy and perform CPR on your home’s marketing campaign. Then proceed with confidence into your desired future!

Posted in Uncategorized

IT’S ALL IN PERSPECTIVE!

Jul13
2017 Written by mary.w

Why is it a good time to sell?

  • Interest Rates Are Still Low
  • Interest Rates Might Be Going Up
  • Economy on Upswing
  • Prices Are Still Rising or are Stable
  • Buyers Are Still Shopping

Why is it a good time to buy?

  • Interest Rates Are Still Low
  • Interest Rates Might Be Going Up
  • Economy on Upswing
  • Prices Are Still Rising or are Stable
  • Buyers Are Still Shopping

Get the point? It’s all in perspective. If you want to sell…sell! If you want to buy…buy!  We’re in a unique time so take advantage and give yourself the authority to move forward into your future!!

Posted in Uncategorized

BE SAFE, SECURE & SMART WHILE TRAVELING THIS SUMMER!

Jun29
2017 Written by mary.w

Often during the summer, even though your home is on the market, you still do a lot of traveling to weddings, reunions, family picnics and family vacations.  You might only be gone over a weekend or perhaps a week or two.  So what can you do to ensure that your home is secure while you’re away from home? Here’s a few tips.

  • It’s great to put your lights on timers but it’s a mistake to use one that illuminates the same lights at the same times every day. A better choice is using timers that can be set for different times each day and to not all go on at that same time. You want it to appear that you are randomly moving from room to room throughout the day and evening.
  • There are numerous systems with apps now that you can purchase that allow you to control your lights from wherever you are. If you travel a lot, this may be the best way to provide yourself with a stress free trip.
  • If you’re road tripping in your own vehicle, see if a neighbor, friend or family member can stop by at different times while you’re gone and pick up your mail or just hang out for short periods of time so there are cars in your driveway while you’re gone. If the live nearby and can leave their car in your driveway overnight once in a while even better!
  • In the past it’s been suggested that you have your mail delivery stopped while you’re gone. This can be an ok idea but keep in mind that you are letting people in the local post office with whom you’re not acquainted know that no one is home. Better to have someone pick up your mail or if it drops through your mail slot, just gather it up when you get home.
  • This may be the most important tip. DO NOT POST on social media that you are heading out to your reunion or someone’s wedding or that you’re anxious to hop on that cruise…..WAIT and when you return you can post that you just got back and what a great time you had. Still get to share but do so wisely!
  • Don’t be afraid to let your local police department know that you’ll be gone and ask if they can periodically patrol your street and keep an eye on your home. They really don’t mind doing so.

With a few well thought out plans, you can enjoy your summer journeys while still marketing your home and feel safe and secure all the while!

Posted in Tips and Ideas, Uncategorized

PROACTIVELY PROMOTE YOUR HOME ALL DAY LONG!!

Jun08
2017 Written by mary.w

Maximize the impact of your BuyOwner.com advertising by proactively promoting your home throughout your daily activities.  Also, take a few hours a week and be deliberate with your personal marketing. You might not connect with your buyer but rather with someone who will share it with their friend or family member who wants to live in your area. Think beyond your buyer and create a network of marketers sharing your home with others.

Goal #1: Get your phone to ring or your email or social media messages to load up!

DISTRIBUTE FLYERS: Use your BuyOwner.com Online Seller Tool titled “Create Flyers” to personalize and print out eye catching flyers and then distribute them everywhere you can**:

    1. Area supermarkets and stores.
    2. Cafes.
    3. Local schools.
    4. Police and Fire Departments (many require that they reside within the city they protect).
    5. Non-profit organizations.
    6. Libraries.
    7. Laundromats.
    8. Independent booksellers.
    9. Nearby University, Colleges or Hospitals. Put on Community Boards but also give to HR departments who might be hiring new Professors/Doctors/Nurses/Staff, etc.
    10. Any additional place where you can obtain permission to post!
    11. Keep flyers with you at all times, ready to hand out!!  (flyers typically result in a 1% response so the more flyers you distribute the better your chances of reaching a prospective buyer!)

USE YOUR CONNECTIONS

    1. Post on the bulletin board at work or your gym, if possible.
    2. If your subdivision/neighborhood offers a bulletin board or some kind of announcement section, post your flyer there! By posting in the neighborhood, you’re targeting people who are already attracted to your location.
    3. Your town/city may have a similar bulletin board option at the town center or community rec center.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS

    1. Talk about your home sale with your friends and family.
    2. Mention it at work, at stores, with new acquaintances.
    3. Be bold! If you’re standing in line at the coffee shop, bank, etc., and you hear someone talking about wanting to move into the area, excuse yourself for ‘eavesdropping’ but let them know you might have the home for them and hand them your flyer! Don’t walk away too quickly as they may have questions and engage immediately, especially if they are relocating or their home is already sold and time is of the essence!
    4. Bring it up at book club, community events, parties, showers, holiday gatherings.

LINK TO YOUR BUYOWNER.COM AD

    1. Create free online ads at places like Craigslist and Google that link to your BuyOwner.com page. You’ll be drawing even more people to look at your home’s photos, tours and text!
    2. Post on your Facebook page and ask that people viewing it share it on their pages as well.
    3. Instagram or twitter including a link to your BuyOwner.com webpage.
    4. E-mail everyone in your e-mail address book a link to your online ad and ask them to pass it on to anyone who’s in the market.
    5. Blog about your home sale. If you, or someone you know, blogs regularly, that can be a great way to spread the word about your property. Try to get a post written that links to your advertisement and mentions some of your home’s key features.

HOLD AN OPEN HOUSE

    1. Schedule an open house on a weekend afternoon when not a lot of community events are happening. Hint: don’t plan the open house on the day of a big football game or the weekend of a holiday.
    2. Promote your open house everywhere (see above for suggestions about flyers).
    3. On the day of the open house, have a niece or nephew run a lemonade stand out front. This will help draw in other passers-by, inviting them inside.
    4. Mark your open house online, through your ByOwner seller dashboard. Contact Customer Care to add it to your MLS & realtor.com listings.
    5. Make the most of other open houses in the area. Check local ads, and when an open house is scheduled in nearby, put out several signs and draw those visitors to your home.

**Be careful to abide by all local ordinances regarding private property and only post the flyer after obtaining permission.**

Don’t hesitate to call your BuyOwner.com Customer Care Rep or your Personal Marketing Consultant and ask for help! We are here to make  your experience positive while helping you achieve your home selling goals!!

Posted in General Information, Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas, Uncategorized

BEWARE OF RENTAL and RENT TO OWN SCAMS!

Jun08
2017 Written by mary.w

You’ve probably seen several listings online (often posted on Zillow and Craigslist) that seem “too good to be true” because of how low the rent is or because you can rent to own the property with very little down, low rent and a less than stellar credit score.  They seem too good to be true because most likely they are. These scams have become much more prevalent over the last couple of years and though your head might be screaming “This is a scam” your heart may be saying, “Wow it would be great to live in that neighborhood and maybe it’s true that the owner is building a bridge in Nigeria or has already moved and just wants to know that someone will love the home as much as they did”  and is looking for a perfect renter/buyer. Below are some red flags to look for and hopefully wave you in the other direction!

* They can’t meet you in person and show you the home because they are out of town or out of the country BUT they trust you so as soon as you send funds via wire transfer or Western Union to cover the security deposit and/or first or first and last month’s rent, they will send you the keys. Note: If they send you a long heartfelt email about why they can’t be there or share a sob story, google search the first couple of lines of the email and you may find that it is one that is used over and over again in the scam market. Run!

* Don’t assume because the ad includes a realtor’s name that this is an actual listing. Research the name, agency and phone number to see if they exist and are actively working in the marketplace. Even if you discover that they do exist and are actively working, take the extra very important step to see if the home is listed differently on the realtor’s website. If so, and clearly their listing has been hijacked by a scammer, take a moment and call the agent to let them know so they can handle it on their end and protect their client. Good Karma!

* They will always ask you for your personal and financial information either via the internet, an email or over the phone. SCAM! Hang up or shut down. Never provide any financial information over the phone or online to anyone you don’t know, haven’t met or cannot verify as legitimate.

* If you cannot tour the home with an agent or the owner prior to committing to the rental, take a pass! This is Scam 101!

* If they try to rush you because there are so many others who want the property and it’s first come “with the deposit”, think twice. This might be the case sometimes, but never rush without doing due diligence.

* If you see a home with a big Rent To Own regardless of credit or Rent to Own this home for a few hundred dollars move on to the next listing. These are typically fraudulent. Don’t hesitate to notify the site or even local law enforcement of these scams so as to protect others who might not have read this blog!

KEYS: Be diligent. Do your research. Don’t rush into anything. Decide with your mind and not your feelings. And as always, remember that usually if it seems too good to be true, it is!

 

Posted in General Information, Tips and Ideas, Uncategorized

BE MEMORABLE!!

May25
2017 Written by mary.w

So you’ve had an open house or a showing. Odds are those buyers have looked at other homes besides yours today or within the last few days. So, how do you make yours the one they remember?

  • Have prospective buyers sign a guest book before they walk through your Open House….Do not say “you must sign this or you cannot walk through”. But, if as soon as they arrive you greet them with a friendly hello and a smile while immediately asking them to sign in most likely they will. Prepare the book with a column for Name, Phone Number, Email Address. They might not give you all of it but the purpose is to hopefully have an opportunity to follow up with them after the event or showing.
  • If a realtor brings their prospective buyer through ask them to please leave a card. They should give it to you on their own, but if they don’t, don’t hesitate to ask for it.
  • Have a prepared “give away” sheet to give them when they arrive, not when they are leaving.  Detail it room by room noting any recent update, upgrades, etc. Include a photo file if possible (easily created on your BuyOwner.com seller’s dashboard!). This allows them to see all your home is offering them plus once they’ve left and are reviewing the homes they’ve seen, something you’ve noted on your sheet may be the very item that stands out to them as a deal maker!
  • Have small chilled water bottles for them to grab and enjoy as they walk through your home.  Even better, create labels on your printer with a photo of your home, your address and your contact info and tape it to the bottles. Remember, you’re trying to stand out above the crowd!
  • Don’t be afraid to follow up with anyone (buyer or realtor) who have walked through your home and ask for their feedback. Even if they are not interested, their input might prove valuable for your next showing.
  • Be friendly….smile…..show no fear….don’t over talk….let them know you’re happy to answer any of their questions.  First impressions of you can be as valuable as a first impression of your home.

The best way to become memorable to prospective buyers is to think like one of them and not as a seller…..what can you do that would cause you to positively remember a walk through of your home? Then add that to the list above. Now go sell your home!!

Posted in Uncategorized
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Welcome to the BuyOwner.com Blog, your source for regularly updated market information!

Founded in 1984, BuyOwner.com® is the leading provider of real estate marketing services. We pioneered the "For Sale by Owner" (FSBO) market, which today represents over 20 percent of all residential real estate transactions.

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