The Squirrels are telling us to Get ready for Winter

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My grandfather always told me to pay attention to the squirrels. They are telling us what the winter will be like. Sure they are scurrying for nuts all the time. Look at the tails, are they bushy? Thick and bushy, don’t you think they want to be warm this winter? How about their nest? Higher in the tree, worse the winter. (he said that about the paper hornets nest too!) Thicker the nest, worse the winter. I don’t know about Channel 7 News, but I like to believe my grandfather…not that it came true all the time…I just liked to listen to his wisdom.

And with that I must say, vacant home owners need to be ready…How many times has a Buyer’s agent taken their client to show a houses and couldn’t get in? That’s frustrating for the buyers. This buyer might need to find something real soon and your house wasn’t ready for show. Worse off, your house was perfect for them.

Here are a couple tips to remember with your vacant house.

Shovel the sidewalks - This is just asking for problems. And not only that, you can be fined by the city (with in the city limits)
Winterize the house - If you think you home will be vacant for a long time, call a plumber to removed the water from your pipes. This way if the furnace breaks down while it is freezing outside, you don’t have problems.
Visit a couple times - Either send someone or do it yourself. Pick up the free publications and pizza notices from the driveway and the door.
Vacuum - While at the house at least once or twice a month, vacuum up leaves or dust bunnies that might have been tracked into the house.
Remove Toilet Paper - WHAT? Believe me, if you don’t turn off the water, you are going to want to remove the toilet paper. If available sometimes, people will use the bathrooms. What no plunger? You get my drift or the next visitor will.
Call your Insurance Company - this is for your protection. Not all insurance companies offer the same coverage when the home is vacant. You will need to clear this up before an accident happens.
Hire a Home Stager - Yes it cost some money, but a stager will be able to make the empty home look homey and that’s all it might take to sell your home.

Now these are only a few suggestions, but they will help you with the successful sale of your home.

Good Luck, be patient, price right and make it best of show.

January 17, 2008 · Filed Under Frederick MD Real Estate, Staging, frederick real estate, seller

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Casual Dress Friday or is it -Staging your home

OK, Its Friday…time to poke a little fun. You have heard of the old saying “You can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig” I didn’t have a picture of a pig in my photo collection, so I am using a black cow. OK not just any black cow, but Black Angus Cow. No matter how you dress him up…(Yes, he is in “Drag”) He is still a cow. Since, they were marketed so well, the Black Angus Beef was the preferred Steak in your stores and restaraunts. Don’t believe me look at the shelves in your meat department and the ones that stand out are the ones that have the big seal on it that says Certified Angus Beef. Well, some farmers jumped on that wagon and started to breed “Black” Cows…not Angus, but just black cows. Why?? They were preferred!!! Beef purchasers paid more…because they “look” like Black Angus Cows.

You can do the same thing with your house. Dress it up and make it more attractive to the “Beef Purchaser” In real estate, we call it staging. By staging, you set focal points in your house to make buyers see your house through a different light. Maybe, its matching towels and floral arrangement in the Master Bathroom or rearranging your furniture and wall fixtures to maximize the usuable space in a room. In todays market as a seller, you really need to have the upper hand on your competition. It has been proven that “Staged” homes have sold for more and much quicker than “unstaged” homes. Here’s a trip outside of Frederick to Rockland County NY for example of what staging can do for you. Click Here. Maureen Henry runs a successful business helping Sellers attract more buyers. You can see what a little effort does to the home. Unfortunately, plenty of homes that I have seen in Frederick County don’t show well because of simple things like a good cleaning…and they are still on the market. Well, we aren’t in Rockland we are in Frederick. One stager I can recommend is Gigi Giles…she’s local and has a great eye for making your home attractive. Her profession is organization and Staging. You can reach her at 888-No-Clutter (662-5888) or email here at gigi(at)roomdini.com.

No cows were hurt in the making of this blog post. Bob Carney only supports local cows from Middletown, MD. Black Angus Cow #556 approves this post.

June 22, 2007 · Filed Under Food, Fun, Staging, frederick real estate, seller

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Staging Real Estate, who us?

Here again, GMA (Good Morning America) is talking about real estate. This time the sky wasn’t falling. They were out to tell the world our trade secrets. What it comes down to is that the we secretly stage the properties to make them sell! Of course we do, part our job is to make ETHICAL suggestions to make your property as attractive to buyers as possible. You see there are real estate agents that don’t subscribe to a strict of code of ethics as REALTORSÂ® and may not be ethically in their suggestions to the home owners. By Maryland law, if there is a problem with the house..You have to disclose the fact. Anyways, back on topic…Yes we make suggestions to make the house more appealing to the buyer. Digitally repairing pictures has gone wild in today’s technology. Don’t believe me, look at your “Glamour Shots” photo…YOU LOOK GREAT (is that you?) Some REALTORS® use that same concept to enhance photos. Which one looks more attractive below?

The home owner had a grass patch down at the time of the photo. This is not hiding a problem. It is only making it more attractive for online viewing. This yard does look very similarar to the picture on the right now. GMA also said that agents digitally insert furniture into empty rooms. Now, that is a great idea. I don’t know about hiding the view out the window, like they said. If there is an ugly building outside the window, but the picture shows bright fluffy clouds. That’s a little deceiving. As most disclaimers on MLS sites say…Information deemed accurate but not warranted. You must verify all information yourself. (or something to that affect)

And yes, when we have the chance, we stage the showings. If possible, we try to show ones that are not as attractive early in the trip and put the more appealing ones closer to the end and then end with a dud. Don’t take this the wrong way. If you are working with a good agent, the agent will know what you are looking for in a home. Afterall he/she has been in the car with you for sometime, he/she will be able to pick up on your needs and wants. This process only helps you, the buyer, make a decision. In today’s market, you can see a lot of houses before you find the one you like. Good agents, are out looking at houses all the time, whether virtually on-line or physically in the house. Buyers can be awe struck by some of the cosmetics of the house and the excitement of the process. We try to match them up with all of their needs. Ultimately the buyer is still in charge and makes the final decision.

GMA mentioned about zillow.com. This is the latest buzz in the virtual world. My comment is this..Look at the pictures above..Don’t always believe what you see. Ask your agent to pull comparable homes for you. They will be so much more accurate. Now the secrets are out… we try to make homes sell.

48 new in the last 2 days
77 under contract in the last 7
1278 total homes active in Frederick County

March 24, 2006 · Filed Under Market Condition, Staging, seller

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