The unusually strong nature of the very resilient New Orleans Real Estate market is amazing! Good quality homes that are priced right in Lake Front, Lake Vista, Mid-City, Uptown, Marigny, Bywater, The Garden District, University/Carrollton, Broadmoor, and more, are selling at a decent clip. And prices are NOT going down.
If you are in the market for a home, as I have been saying, do not delay, buy now. These historically low interest rates will not last forever, and we are well past the bottom of the market.
First time buyers still have enough time to find and buy a home prior to November 30th when the $8,000 first time buyer tax rebate ends.
On another subject…the process of selling a home can be difficult, and emotionally distressing. The very act of moving is stressful enough all by itself! This issue focuses on several aspects of the emotionally draining process of moving…and how to make the best of it.
For all of your real estate needs, I remain at your service.
Selling a Home? It’s an emotionally charged process!
It is a well known fact that part of the job description for any good real estate agent is, psychiatric counselor. Among the more stressful things a person or family can experience is moving, and the process of selling can be difficult. Are you thinking about selling your home? Here are a few thoughts you might consider.
Do you smoke? If you do there is a strong possibility that your home smells of tobacco smoke, an aroma that many people consider to be offensive. Like someone buying a used car, if it has been previously owned by a smoker, that car will have fewer potential buyers. If you want to sell your home to the broadest range of potential buyers, stop smoking inside, air it out, have the carpets cleaned, do anything necessary to get rid of the tobacco odor. But try telling that to a client who smokes. Nicotine addiction rules so when I recently informed a potential selling client that the odor from his smoking could put off a good number of potential buyers…well, three Marlborough Lights later, he had made no comment about that revelation.
Have you collected a lot of “stuff” over the years? If you are like most people there is a ton of accumulated “stuff” decoratively placed throughout the home. While the rest of my own home is, shall we say, moderately under control, “stuff” wise, the office where I am writing this article is completely out of control, and I have absolutely no intention of organizing the clutter. My cleaning lady just left, but before she did she stopped in the office and smiled when she looked around, “I touch nothing here”, she said. To which I replied, “For God’s sake don’t”. Parting with “stuff” with sentimental value or simply the inability to part with “stuff” period, will absolutely, positively, diminish the potential for selling a home. If I ever intend to sell my own home I’m doing two things, 1. Hire a shrink to help me throw certain things in the garbage can. 2. Clean out this office. Declutter your home in order to allow potential buyers to see where their “stuff” can go. How you arrive at the decision to do so may take professional help, but for the effort, you will be rewarded.
What process are you going to use when hiring an agent, and pricing your home? If I hear “I’m going to hire a friend of mine to sell my home” one more time, I’m going to shoot myself! But I’ve heard people say this many times, and something that’s even worse, “If I don’t hire so and so, they are going to be really mad at me!” We are talking about your money here; maybe the source of a great deal of your money, or money you need to buy another home. Being friends with someone or socially afraid of them is no criteria for hiring them. Yes, the possibility that someone’s friend actually knows what they are doing certainly exists. But to not interview three agents before deciding to hire one tells me that the seller has little understanding or appreciation for what a really good real estate agent can do for them. Sticking a sign in your front yard and advertising your home in the Times Picayune at an inflated price that gets you all excited is not a written marketing program. Sellers who park their egos and social sensibilities and demand verifiable, competitive pricing, that shows where a home ought to be positioned in the market, along with a 1st class written marketing program makes better sense. If a seller falls for a high number suggested by a real estate agent who only wants the listing, good luck! In the current market a home that isn’t correctly priced up front will inevitably wind up selling for less money than had it been priced correctly in the first place.
Are you reluctant to do a few things to spruce up your home before sale? Unless you absolutely can’t afford to do so, which is completely understandable, it is essential that your home puts its best foot forward before going on the block. And I don’t care how high or low the asking price might be. Deficiencies like cracked bathroom mirrors, broken or missing electrical outlet covers, visible rotted wood, defective appliances, slow drains, broken windows, rotted weather boards, (had a buyer, just the other day, walk from an otherwise great house for this one reason), rusted railings, peeling trim paint, door knobs that fall off, broken bathroom fixtures, you get the picture. Buyers see all of these things and just one or two of them, although a seller might consider them to be minor, can greatly diminish the real value of a home. Another good idea is to hire an inspector to go through your home prior to sale. Recently, after suggesting he hire an inspector up front to really know about his home’s condition, a seller told me, “There is nothing wrong with this house”. Fat chance! If you find out up front, you are in a much better position to defend against an inspection made by a buyer’s inspector. So, fix it up, and then have it inspected, before going on the market. You will sell your home faster, and for more money.
A friend of mine once told me, “You have to move in to your home in order to move out”. I think the logic works. A few bucks, and little effort, goes a very long way toward getting your home sold in the shortest amount of time possible.
For Sale!
A lovely cottage in move-in condition awaits you!
$148,500
A unique opportunity to build your dream home on a truly private piece of property.
$295,000