Every seller should consider staging to get highest possible return on their dollar

In a competitive Denver real estate market, eager sellers need to pull out all of the stops for their home to stand out from the sea of others. At TeamCox Realtors, we highly recommend staging a home, prior to putting it on the market. Staging is not about spending your money, but preserving your home’s equity. Contrary to some opinions, staging is not a fad - it is what every wise homeowner should do to get the highest possible return on their dollar, in the fastest amount of time.

It is important to remember that as your Realtor, I am selling your home, not your stuff. Since a potential buyer is not only looking at a home’s square footage, but also determining how his furnishings will fit into it, your home must be neutral so the buyer can see all of its possibilities.

The following are a few essential staging tips that we provide all of our sellers with:

• The home should be Q-tip clean
• Remember, less is more
• Keep the room balanced
• Let there be light – as much light as possible!
• Reduce the amount of furniture
• Take anything out that you have not used in eight weeks
• Add greenery to every room
• All vertical and horizontal lines should be neutral
• Add color for accent and accessories
• Paint will yield the highest return on your investment
• Pictures should be hung at the average person’s eye level
• Stagger picture height only when it follows an architectural line such as an staircase.

   

Having undergone extensive training to become Accredited Staging Professionals (ASP), TeamCox Realtors can help your home shine. We also  recommend the services of Trish Pachak, Accredited Senior Staging Professional Designer and Owner of WeStageColorado, who recently staged one of our Piney Creek listings. Not suprising to either Trish or TeamCox, the first couple that toured the home bought it for 98.5% of its list price. Needless to say, the home seller is absolutely ecstatic with their decision to invest in staging, since it obviously resulted in a high return and a shorter marketing time.

For more information on getting your Denver home ready to put on the market, please contact TeamCox Realtors.

Landscaping projects help but sellers shouldn't go overboard with costly outdoor projects

It’s amazing what a few flowers will do for a home’s appeal! In a tight Denver real estate market, every extra thing that a seller can do to help his home stand out from the glut of unsold homes will help. At TeamCox Realtors, we advise our clients that their house must be in top-notch condition for a quick sale. We are currently listing two beautiful homes that are in pristine showing condition. Their overall appeal to buyers is helping them stand out in a competitive market. 

During the spring and summer months, a home’s landscaping is especially important in a tight real estate market. A very informative article, "Outdoor Attraction" by Christian Toto, appeared in The Denver Post over the weekend. It examines the impact of a home’s landscaping on its salability. The article reveals that sellers are increasing their landscaping budgets as the housing market tightens. It brings up a very important point, though. While landscaping projects can help sell a home, it is important not to go overboard on outdoor projects, or you won’t see a solid return on your investment. This is a great point since kitchen and bathroom improvements often yield a higher return than landscaping.

 

While the article mentions installing costly concrete stamped patios or outdoor entertaining areas (keep in mind that a concrete stampled patio can cost up to $10,000), there are more simple things that a homeowner can do to improve the overall curb appeal to his or her home. For starters, try planting some colorful flowerbeds (tulips are beautiful in the spring!) or some new sod to patch up those problem areas. Trees are also a good investment since they are not only attractive, but provide shaded areas that might even eventually improve a home’s energy efficiency.

 

For more information on getting your home ready to sell in a tight Denver housing market, please contact TeamCox Realtors at 303-400-6060. We will help your home stand out from the crowd!

 

 

Many Reasons that Affect a Home's Salability Including Improper Marketing

While price and condition are absolutely crucial to a home’s salability, there may be other reasons that a particular home just isn’t selling. For instance, perhaps a home that has been on the market for nine months really isn’t a dog. It is possible that it has been on the market for a very long stretch due to the poor, inept efforts of its listing broker. Marketing DOES impact salability! 

We’ve seen numerous homes sit on the market way too long only to finally sell for considerably less than what they are worth. It is important to remember that just because someone has a real estate license or the ability to "put a home in the MLS", does not mean that the home is being properly marketed through photographic images or through a suitably written MLS description 

We’ve seen homes with beautifully finished basements be listed in the Denver MLS as having no basement - let alone a finished one. Or, a home with four bedrooms might listed as having only three bedrooms, a two-story might be described as a raised ranch, or a beautiful wooded lot might be described as  an "oversized city lot.” In addition, many beautiful homes’ MLS listings have no photos, virtual tours, or remarks section that are filled with inane "stuff.”

While a potential buyer may or may not care if the water heater was replaced last year, he or she would definitely care about the home’s unmentioned luxurious master suite with his/hers walk-in closets, luxury bath with double sinks, separate shower, Jacuzzi tub, etc.

When TeamCox Realtors lists a home, we immediately download multiple pictures and labor over the verbiage that we present to both Realtors and the public. Before submitting the premium marketing presentation, we have the homeowner review it since he or she is the most important team member in our eyes. Most homeowners will never have the opportunity to see their home in the MLS. Sometimes, but not often, the homeowner will want a feature mentioned differently or request that a photograph be taken from a different angle. We will happily do all of these things. Since buying and selling a home is usually a family’s biggest investment, it is essential that it is presented correctly through multiple real estate websites–with multiple exterior, interior and virtual tour pictures.

Do you have questions about putting your Piney Creek home on the market? As your Piney Creek real estate experts, TeamCox Realtors will happily walk you through the entire process.