How to decorate for the holidays when your home is for sale

Keeping your home on the market during the holidays is a smart move. Buyers who are searching during the holidays are serious and really want or need to find a home. If they weren’t, they’d be at home baking cookies, shopping for gifts, or attending holiday events.

 

So how can you best appeal to them? By remembering that this year, less may be more.

 

First, be mindful of curb appeal. Even if you love to cover your lawn with blow-up Santas and snowmen, restrain yourself. Stick with some basic lights and a wreath. A nice garland around the door and a poinsettia or three on the porch would also be inviting.

 

Next, although you probably de-cluttered a bit already, do a little more before you begin adding decorations to the interior. Remember that you want prospective buyers to see the house, not the “stuff.”

 

Pay attention to scale. If you’re bringing in a tree, be sure it fits the room – not too small and definitely not so large that it takes up the entire room.

 

Color and style count. When it comes to Christmas, many of us go all out with red and green, even if they don’t fit the décor. This year, change your plan. If your house is done in blues, choose blue and gold or blue and silver for your ornaments. The same goes for style – if the house is ultra-modern, stay away from decor that speaks of a country cabin.

 

Don’t over-do anything. Even if you get four dozen cards from friends and love to display them, don’t do it this year. The same goes for your collection of 79 Santa figurines, the three dozen candles you like to place on the mantle, and every ornament your children ever created.

 

Remember, everything you do should enhance the beauty of your home and draw attention to its best features. Don’t hide them!

 

Last but not least – be mindful of scent. Pine or Fir boughs smell wonderful, as does simmering cinnamon. Artificial sprays, on the other hand, will send some buyers back out the door before they have an opportunity to view the house.

 

Having your home on the market during the holidays is a bit of extra work – but worth the effort when you instantly appeal to those buyers who need to find a home before the month is over. 

One of the biggest mistakes Tamaqua home sellers can make

Home sellers here in Tamaqua an make plenty of mistakes, starting with hiring a listing agent because they’re related to you or to a friend; not listening when that agent shows you what your price should be; and failing to de-clutter, clean, and generally get the house ready for viewing.

Those are all serious mistakes, but another huge one is not paying attention to what your agent is doing to market your home.

Most of us make every effort to present our listings well. We either learn how to take excellent real estate photos ourselves or we hire a professional to do it for us. We carefully consider the words to use in describing homes in our brochures and on-line presentations. We make sure that our listings are seen on every important real estate portal.

Unfortunately, some agents don’t bother.

They take one rather lame photo because it’s required for a Multiple Listing Service entry. They write a brief description – usually one that simply repeats what’s in the details, such as the number of bedrooms and baths and the square footage and lot size. Perhaps they add the fact that there’s a garage.

In other words, they do nothing to arouse interest or entice a buyer. And what happens? Buyers skip right on past those listings.

Today’s Tamaqua home buyers expect to see a good photographic preview or a home’s exterior and interior. They expect to read words that tell them why they really need to view this home in person. When they don’t get it, they assume that there’s nothing good to see, and they move on.

Before you choose a Tamaqua listing agent, preview that agent’s other listings. See how he or she presents them. But don’t stop there. Once you’ve chosen, go on line and see how that agent is presenting YOUR home.

If you don’t approve of the presentation, speak up! Your Tamaqua agent owes you the best marketing possible, and if you aren’t getting that, you have a right to demand something better.

Buying your new Tamaqua home with eventual resale in mind? Here’s what most buyers want…

Whether you’re buying a home in Tamaqua with resale in mind or making improvements to your current home before putting it on the market, it’s wise to consider what the majority of buyers want – even if they aren’t your own top priorities.

 

The National Association of Home builders surveyed more than 4,300 buyers and prospective buyers and published the results in their 2016 Housing Preferences Across Generations report. Their findings will assist builders in planning new communities, and will assist you in considering home improvement projects.

 

While it’s true that few remodeling projects return 100% or more on the investment, they do generally cause homes to sell faster, which can be a huge money-saving benefit if you’re paying mortgage payments, utility bills, and maintenance costs on a home you no longer occupy.

 

So what do the majority of home buyers want today?

92% want a separate laundry room. They want a place to “hide” the soiled laundry, to fold and stack the clean laundry, and to set up an ironing board when necessary. This was true for buyers of all ages.

 

90% want exterior lighting. This includes spotlights, walkway lights, and pendant lights. Buyers especially appreciate motion sensor lights as a security and safety device.

 

90% want energy efficient appliances and 87% are looking for energy efficient windows. They’re looking for ways to increase their comfort and convenience while lowering utility bills.

 

84% are looking for a home with a patio. Of course, a really nice back yard is a prerequisite. As more buyers embrace outdoor living, they’re drawn to everything from a concrete patio to a raised deck to a complete outdoor kitchen area.

 

82% prefer hardwood flooring over traditional carpeting. It’s easier to clean, and far more durable than carpet. It can also be refinished periodically for a whole new look at a relatively low cost.

 

80% prefer eat-in kitchens. This is especially true for families with children. For them, the kitchen often becomes the place where the family congregates both morning and evening.

 

These features will make your home sell faster, but what improvements will give 100% or more return on investment?

 

Strangely, the answer is doors. Entry doors and garage doors top the list of improvements that add more to the selling price than the initial investment.

 

Could that be because curb appeal sets the tone for what buyers “see” when they enter the home? Probably so.

 

If you're thinking of making changes before putting your home on the market, get in touch. These are the results of a national survey, and they may or may not match our local market. I can tell you what buyers here in Tamaqua are looking for today.

 

Caution: Use your Home Equity with Care

Now that home prices are on the rise in many cities across the nation, homeowners are once again gaining equity – and that equity is like cash in a savings account. Actually, if prices continue to rise, it’s better than cash in a savings account, because it is appreciating in value at a higher rate.

 

According to Realtor.com, the overall average increase in home value for homes in the U.S. in the year ending in May was 4.7%. 

Your equity is also a hedge against disaster should something like the crash of 2007 happen again.

Should you pull equity out of your home here in Tamaqua?

That depends on the reason why. If you use it to make your home more valuable or more marketable, it could be a wise investment. Remodeling a kitchen or bath, adding a deck, finishing the basement, or building an addition will add value to your house. In essence, it will move the cash equity into “house value equity.” You’ll get the added benefit of enjoying your home more in the here and now.

If you need it to pay off devastating credit card bills, send a child to college, or grow your own small business, it might also be a wise decision. These are expenditures that will in some way give you a return on investment.

The equity in your home should never be used for discretionary spending.

An alarming article by Realty Times recently reported that approximately half of those aged 30 to 34 who have been in their homes for more than 3 years are taking out equity loans.

 

A Discover Home Equity Loans survey revealed that 43% of those borrowers planned to use their home equity to fund vacations. Others saw their home equity as a way to pay for a wedding.  

These are expenditures that leave you with nothing but the memory of a good time – and a monthly payment, perhaps for ten years or more. Is a good memory worth that cost?

 

Think twice before taking that step.  

If you’re thinking of a home equity loan, do talk it over with 2 or more lenders and learn the facts. Just as with first mortgages, different lenders have different programs and different fees.

 

There are two types of home equity loans - one that's a lump sum, just like your first mortgage. The other is a line of credit, that essentially turns your home into a credit card with a large limit that you can access any time you need extra funds. As with a credit card, you only pay interest on the balance you've spent. 

 

Do be aware that rates are higher for second mortgages than first mortgages, and you will still have to qualify, pay for an appraisal, and pay fees and closing costs. Different lenders offer different programs, fees, and rates of interest, so shop around before making a decision. 

Meanwhile, if you’re wondering how much value you might add to your Tamaqua home by remodeling or adding on, give me a call. I’ll be glad to show you the difference in recent selling prices so you can make an informed decision.