Huge Selling Success Sometimes Come From the Smallest of Things

When most people put their home on the market, they expect and hope that it sells fairly quickly. The idea of more than one open house or constant showings can be daunting and also very exhausting, especially when you factor in daily life and the normal busy schedules to contend with. But with a bit of careful planning and some time spent toward setting up the house for sale, there is a tried and true success formula that will ease the burdens of having an unsold home on the market for a long period of time. Here are four basic, manageable things you can do to help the selling process right along.

Add Pizazz With Paint

One of easiest, simplest and least expensive ways to spruce up a home is to coat the walls with some fresh paint. One trip to the home store, a few cans of paint, some brushes and a weekend is all it takes to add a whole lot of extra pizazz and interest to the space. Make sure you pick neutral colors and coordinate with the existing furnishings. While you’re at it, simplify the way you set up the furniture when you put things back – and voila! Buyers will be drawn in to the clean and “new” feel of the place.

Bring in New Carpet

Even though you may not think the carpet needs changing – trust us, it needs changing. For a relatively small investment in livening up the space, changing the carpet by installing a newer style or a better color/texture is one of the best ways to attract buyer attention. Depending on the rooms that have carpeting and the time that it was last changed, you should carefully choose the type and style according to the expected use of the space. Buyers will be very keen on moving their own stuff into the area if they like what they see, including on the floors.

Take a Look at the Outside

A lot of people neglect to consider the first impressions left on potential buyers when it comes to looking at their home. Curb appeal is a very important part of making sure buyers’ experience of visiting your home is an enjoyable and hopefully fruitful one. All it takes is a little bit of time and attention to things like the walkway, existing trees, plants, hedges and flower patches. By taking the time to neaten these areas up and add some interesting elements such as a few strategically placed luminaires or an outside rocking chair with a garden statue, you will create a fabulous overall impression – on all sides.

Make Sure No Stone is Unturned

Imagine walking through a home you are considering buying – and spotting a cracked light switch or a leaking pipe. Things that are not only unsightly but also unappealing can detract a buyer’s interest and potentially cause you to lose a sale. When you are about to put up your house for sale, it is a good idea to walk through the entire house and make a list of all those things that would be an “eye sore” to buyers as they walk through during their “window shopping”. At the end of the day, a few small repairs and a little bit of expense incurred at this stage can make all the difference between selling or not selling your home.

As with a lot of things that we do on a large scale, the little things can often be drowned out and forgotten. When you are in the process of selling your home, these little things will take some extra time and effort but in the long run following through with them will prove beneficial and provide fruitful returns. It’s worth it!

Spring is In the Air for Silicon Valley and the Numbers Are Looking Good

Spring is looking good for residents of Santa Clara County, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. With a promising and healthy trend of balanced numbers on the scale of homes for sale vs. homes fresh off the market, there is much to look forward to as we roll into the warmer months of Spring and Summer. Here are the latest stats that show some very good activity on the market.

Santa Clara County

In the last 30 days, we’ve had 2200 homes come on the market and 1815 roll off, either having gone under contract or in pending status awaiting finalization. These numbers show a solid average of about one to one in terms of houses sold versus houses entering the market.

Single-family homes, condominiums and townhomes are showing some strong numbers at the present time, with 4701 properties on the market – a very normal number for this time of year. The number of closings we’ve seen are 949 – which is a fairly good number of closing transactions for this time of year, promising quite a healthy outlook in the near future.

Los Altos

Even stronger than Santa Clara County, Los Altos had a total of 49 properties actively listed for sale, 33 pending sales and 13 properties that closed out last month. While the number of closings is lower than the average figure, pending sales and listings are yielding a very strong 1.5 to 1 average ratio of homes for sale vs. homes that are selling.

The bottom line in this market is that things are moving right along, at or above par, and the trends are pointing up.

Lost Altos Hills

Out of 41 active listings with only 12 pending sales, the ratio of homes listed versus homes selling or sold is a weaker one at almost four to one. The low number of six closings from last month indicates a slower than average trend but then this makes sense given the higher average price of properties in Los Altos Hills.

No matter how you slice it, the overall Spring trend in Silicon Valley looks good. Healthy ratios of homes listed versus homes pending sale make this market a promising one, especially for sellers. By leveraging the low inventory as opposed to high numbers of buyers in the area, homeowners can greatly benefit from the current market trends. The important thing to remember is that regardless of many people’s trepidation about the current market, the outlook is looking up and is looking good!