Want To Know What Your Johnson County Kansas Home Is Worth?

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Jason Brown

Checking The Pulse Of The Kansas City Real Estate Market

On many listing appointments home sellers perk up once we get past discussions about showing condition, marketing, commission and staging and get on to another important home selling factor… pricing of the home. Although I’ve been doing this for years, I continue to find it interesting how different agents can have such varying opinions on an appropriate list price for a given home. It seems that agents either don’t agree on the best comparable listings for establishing pricing or maybe there’s ulterior motives involved.

When going over pricing, I discuss a price range and explain that whether we go on the high or low side of that range depends on the seller’s real estate goals. I like to welcome the seller’s opinion because knowing a seller’s motivation is critical to helping them achieve their real estate goals. Still, there are cases when a seller asks me point-blank, “How much will my home sell for?” And my answer is always the same… Unless I’m going to buy the home from them right then and there, it’s impossible to answer that question because we don’t know who the BUYER is going to be. What I can tell them are the factors that buyers will NOT be considering when deciding how much they’re willing to pay for a home…

Most agents are somewhere between pretty sure and really sure what your home will sell for, but the truth is no agent knows for sure because the market value of every home is determined by what a buyer is willing to pay for it. The market changes daily and think of it this way… While there may be a buyer today willing to pay $300,000 for your home, if they buy another home today and you don’t put your home on the market until tomorrow, there’s no way to know how quickly a similar buyer will enter the market-place.

A home that is in excellent condition Structurally (foundation, roof, driveway, etc.), Mechanically (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, etc.) and Cosmetically (paint, carpeting, fixtures, etc.) and which is listed by a real estate agent who uses effective marketing techniques will net the highest possible sales price from a ready, willing and able home buyer.

Posted by Jason Brown

Seller’s Market Allows More Johnson County Kansas Home Sellers To Stand Firm On Price

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Jason Brown

Checking The Pulse Of The Kansas City Real Estate Market

With the supply of homes down in Johnson County Kansas, now is a great time to be selling a home. We have heard from sellers planning to wait a month or longer to put their home on the market and we’ve explained it would be a good idea to go ahead now and get the home on the market while inventory is low. The volume of inventory hasn’t been this low in years and in the real estate market, low supply means higher prices… and that’s putting many home sellers in the driver’s seat.

Still thinking of waiting? Who knows how the market will be in a month or two? There could be an influx of listings by that time and more supply means more options for home buyers. More options for home buyers generally means lower home prices. And who knows what mortgage interest rates are going to do? They’re already trending higher and higher interest rates mean buyers who can afford your home today may not be able to next month. At this time, most home sellers are a big fish in a small pond and waiting to put a home on the market could definitely prove costly.

Much of the inventory of homes on the market now are distressed properties that need work. So if your home is in pristine condition and priced appropriately, it could sell within a week’s time. Average listings are selling within 30 days. Some of the best homes are even seeing multiple offer situations and selling above list price. Wouldn’t it be nice to get an offer where the buyer isn’t asking you to pay for their closing costs? Where the buyer isn’t asking for a home warranty and your refrigerator, washer and dryer? Most of all, wouldn’t it be nice to tell a buyer you are standing firm on your price because there’s considerable demand for your home? That’s the market many home sellers are finding themselves in today and now is an excellent time to get your home on the market.

Posted by Jason Brown

A Cost Effective Bathroom Staging Tip For Kansas City Home Sellers

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Jason Brown

Checking The Pulse Of The Kansas City Real Estate Market

Staging a home to sell is about more than giving a home a thorough cleaning and strategically placing some furniture. Those are great starting points of course, but as a seller works to make their home as appealing as possible to potential home buyers, they must take every reasonable step to get their home on par with the other area homes for sale. In fact, in today’s real estate market home sellers are having to go above and beyond to blow the competition away and win over the next home buyer that comes into the neighborhood and in to view their home.

Staging a home has costs involved but when done properly, can be the key to getting a home sold. In most cases, the costs of staging are made back up by generating a higher sales price. But the costs may need to be viewed as simply a preparation cost and necessary to get a home sold in today’s complicated real estate market — in other words the costs may not be recouped but could be the difference between for sale and sold. One of the biggest buyer turn-offs I see is dated ceramic tile. From your rose-colored 1960’s tile, to your 8×8 1970’s tile and almond 1980’s tile… out-dated tile can really hurt the eyes.

Sellers who can’t afford to install new tile can neutralize the tile by painting it. We all know that tile is made with the specific goal of KEEPING things from attaching to the tile. But there are some great products out there – like Sherwin Williams Adhesion Primer – that are specifically designed to help paint adhere to tile. When choosing a primer, spend whatever it costs to get the best product available. If you don’t, the paint could be peeling off within a year. The finished paint can be either a latex or oil-based paint. Latex paint is easier to use and provides easy cleanup but may require multiple coats and won’t last as long. Oil based paint often requires one coat and are longer lasting but can be complicated to apply, hard to clean up and leave an odor in the home for several days.