What Should A Home Seller Do To Sell Their Home In Alpharetta or Greater Atlanta

From time-to-time, I find out that a friend or friend of a friend wants to sell their home, but is overwhelmed with the idea of what needs

What to do to sell your home in Alpharetta and Greater Altanta photo by© yuliaglam – Fotolia.com

to happen before listing their house for sale.  The preparation process is an important one and can feel like a bigger than life job.  Between preparing your home for potential buyers to see, finding an agent, signing and organizing paperwork, and the mental preparation of transitioning to a new living space – each step should be taken with care.

Below is a list of things to do that I give to my home sellers prior to us getting the For Sale sign in the ground.  It is a good checklist to have when you are thinking about what documents you need to find or what work really needs to be done. Do these items early will make life easier for you in the long run!

• Handle all “before market” repairs.  If you think it is too much to repair, the buyer probably does too.  Buyers often think repairs cost more than they actually do.

• Sign FMLS Exclusive Right to Sell Agreement and the Affiliated Business Arrangement Disclosure Statement

• Complete & Sign Seller’s Disclosure Form

• Sign Lead Based Paint Form, if built before 1978

• Copy of Legal Description (from Warranty Deed or Security Deed)

• Two Front Door Keys (one for lockbox, one for agent’s copy)

• Security Code (if applicable)

• Complete “Utility Costs” form

• Property Tax Bill (most recent year)

• Termite Bond/ Warranty (if under bond)

• FMLS Homeowner’s Association Fee Exhibit

• Homeowner’s Association Covenants & Restrictions

• Copy of Survey (if available)

• Copy of Appraisal

• Get Independent Appraisal, if necessary

• Floor Plan (if available)

• Confirmation of School District

• Neighborhood Newsletter (if available)

• List of Upgrades

• Keep Your Home In Showing Condition

Let me know if you are considering listing your home soon or in the future….we can walk through these steps together.

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Home Price forecasts for 2013 are on the rise

Source: Wall Street Journal

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. expects U.S. home prices to rise 3.4% in its base-case estimate and up to 9.7% in its most bullish scenario of economic growth. Standard & Poor’s, which rates private-issue mortgage bonds, on Friday said it expects a 5% rise in 2013.

The J.P. Morgan analysts boosted their base-case estimate from 1.5% after a convincing rise in the “net demand” for housing this year has surpassed 2 million homes for the first time since 2006, said John Sim, a strategist at the investment bank. Net demand is the pace of existing home sales minus the inventory of homes available for sale.

“Net demand has picked up a lot in 2012,” said Mr. Sim. “Once you get north of the 2 million territory, you are in the positive growth area unless you get a lot of distressed inventory, which this year hit a low point” since at least 2008, he added. J.P. Morgan predicts that net demand to rise to 2.7 million next year from 2.3 million this year.

An expected increase in home prices in 2012 triggered a run into some of the riskiest real estate assets, such as subprime mortgage-backed securities from the real estate boom, and analysts including Mr. Sim expect that trend to continue. Rising home prices and the quest for yield has also given a tailwind to new mortgage bond issuance that has been mired in the fallout of the housing crisis and regulatory uncertainty for the past four years.

U.S. home prices nationwide increased on a year-over-year basis by 6.3% in October, the biggest increase since June 2006, according to CoreLogic. Investors zoning in on the increases bought subprime mortgage bonds, which have posted returns of more than 40% since December.

Home price increases could exceed J.P. Morgan’s base forecast if investors seeking yield push deeper into real estate, according to Mr. Sim’s home price report.

What’s more, just the uncertainty over whether politicians will be able to steer clear of the “fiscal cliff,” the scheduled tax increases and spending cuts next month, may hurt investor confidence, the J.P. Morgan analysts said.

If taxes rise, reduced income for the potential homebuyers will damp housing demand, they added.

But the expectations for higher home prices are still widespread. Nearly three-quarters of investors polled by J.P. Morgan expect home prices to rise 5% in 2013.

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Happy Holidays!

The holidays are in full swing and the Cueny Team has been celebrating! First we hosted our 2012 client appreciation party at Party Chic in Downtown Roswell. Party Chic is a wonderful event space with whimsical and fun decor. Drinks were served along with a dessert menu full of sweets by KellyKakes. We enjoyed celebrating the season with our clients who we have helped throughout this year.

Everyone enjoyed a variety of sweets from KellyKakes in Roswell. Yum!

We enjoyed celebrating the holiday season with our clients’ who purchased homes throughout 2012.

Eileen Hardison, Cueny Team Marketing Coordinator, and Nicole McAluney

We also celebrated with the Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty holiday party at Cherokee Town Club last week. The fabulous staff, exceptional agents and our top notch business partners came together for an evening filled with delicious food, great company and, of course, lots of dancing!

Our clients enjoyed drinks, sweets, and conversations at Party Chic in Downtown Roswell.

Bill Rawlings, Managing Broker of the North Atlanta office, and his wife Audra enjoyed the Cueny Team client party as well.

So, we’d like to wish you the best of holidays and a wonderful New Year –  we look forward to seeing you all in 2013!

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Carter’s moving worldwide headquarters to Phipps Tower

Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle

Children’s clothing maker Carter’s Inc. will move its headquarters to Buckhead’s Phipps Tower.

Carter’s (NYSE: CRI) reported today it’s agreed to lease 222,730 square feet at the 20-story tower that rises next to luxury shopping mall Phipps Plaza. Carter’s is terminating its current lease at Midtown’s The Proscenium building at 1170 Peachtree Street on Dec. 31, 2013.

The Phipps Tower will house Carter’s new world-wide headquarters and the company plans to occupy part of the space early next year.

The headquarters lease is one of Buckhead’s largest ever, and it was estimated to have a value of more than $70 million, excluding concessions and escalation, according to commercial real estate brokers.

In addition, I am proud to report that Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty is exclusively managing the relocation process for Carter’s employees. We look forward to helping them find homes throughout Metro Atlanta that suit each individual’s personal needs!

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The Atlanta Beltline makes intown trips faster

Atlanta has long been a car-centric city, but the Eastside Beltline’s opening is providing residents of nearby neighborhoods an alternative to the car. Despite the possibility of sitting in traffic, is the car still a faster option?

FOX 5′s Justin Gray decided to put it to the test by seeing which could get across town quicker: a bike, a car or a runner. They began at one end of a newly-paved trail in Inman Park and headed to Piedmont Park – a 2.25 mile trip on the trail.

So who won? Click the video to find out!

Click the video to find out who reaches Piedmont Park first!

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Real Estate Technology: Virtual Staging

527 Birch River Drive. No longer on the market – but you can click here to search for current homes for sale in the Atlanta area. 

Ten years ago, few real estate brokers and home sellers knew about or believed in the power of home staging. Now after years of successful selling, there are few sellers and agents who need to be “sold” on staging.

Proven statistics show staging works and is a critical marketing tool needed to sell a home. Now there is a new kid on the block in the home staging arena, called virtual staging.

Look at the virtual staging used in the listing photos below from 527 Birch River Drive, located in Dahlonega’s premier golf community Achasta.

At 527 Birch River Drive, there are three bedrooms, three full and one half bathrooms. On the lower level are two private suites and a recreation room. The following pictures feature this space virtually staged in two ways: as a bedroom or an additional living space.

Using the latest 3D rendering technologies, virtual staging takes a photo of an empty room and fills it full of beautiful furniture & accessories. This photo staged as a bedroom points out the size of the room. The expansive space could easily fit your bedroom suite with room to spare.

This picture presents the same room as above but virtually staged as an additional living space. Located on the terrace level adjacent to the game room, it could also provide the perfect space to entertain.

This is a picture of the second suite located on the lower level of 527 Birch River Drive. The following photo features this space virtually staged as a guest bedroom.

Statistics gathered by Stagedhomes.com show that staged homes sell 78% faster and at a stronger price since buyers can envision themselves in the home.

I believe this is a valuable service that I can provide my clients who may have empty spaces. Contact me if you plan on listing your home and could use some virtual staging!

Andrea Cueny, Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty

Andrea Cueny

Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty

404.695.7040

andreac@atlantafinehomes.com

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Three reasons your home may not sell in today’s market

John Adams is an author, broadcaster and investor. He answers real estate questions on radio station WGKA (920 AM) every Saturday at noon. money99.com

Written by John Adams for the AJC

The other day I overheard one very young agent talking to another very young agent about the listing she had that would not sell. The listing agent blamed her owners for not embracing social media and paying to set up a Facebook page and a twitter account to help market the house.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for smartphones and websites and tweets and blogs and SEO, but the real estate world just does not revolve around social media.

In fact, there are three primary reasons that your house won’t sell. They haven’t changed in the thirty five years I have been in this business, and they bear repeating:

CONDITION :

The condition of your house is unacceptable.

It’s vitally important to remember that prospective purchasers will buy your house emotionally, then justify it logically. Buying a home is a very emotional process. And the house carries all manner of feelings along with it.

If your buyer simply can not imagine themselves living in your house and enjoying raising their family, they won’t fall in love with it and they won’t even make an offer. All buyers say they just want the facts, but in reality, emotions rule the day.

So if you are fooling yourself into believing that you shouldn’t replace your smelly dirty carpets because the new owner will want to pick out their own color, you are only hurting your chances of getting a sale.

MARKETING :

Nobody knows it’s for sale.

In today’s tough real estate selling market, it’s not enough to just stick a “for sale” sign in the yard and hope a prospective buyer will show up. OK, I admit it’s possible. But not likely.

In my opinion, this is where an experience real estate professional really earns their commission. Surveys show that almost 90 percent of homebuyers begin their home search on the internet, and there are literally a thousand ways to capture them as leads.

A good agent is worth his or her weight in iPads if they can bring the power of the Internet to bear in helping spread the word. The Internet-based Multiple Listing Service is likely the most powerful tool in the agent’s arsenal. But it takes even more than that.

My own experience shows that about a third of my prospects come from the internet, another third from yard sign and directional signs, and the final third from all other sources. It’s that final third that has become elusive in today’s younger real estate agents.

It involves everything to holding a neighborhood open house for nosey neighbors to posting fliers are nearby schools, churches and employers. It can be as expensive as catering an agent open house with great food and prizes to as little as taping business cards on the yard sign so passers-by will remember to call.

Great marketing will get the word out, but the third problem is the real deal killer.

PRICE :

Your asking price is too high.

I saved this for last because inexperienced agents always want to start with the price.

My advice is to get the house in excellent condition, have the house professionally appraised by a licensed appraiser, then list the house for sale at that amount.

Remember that almost every potential buyer will want to get a loan to purchase your house. And if the house won’t appraise for the contract price, they won’t be approved for the loan, and the deal will fall through.

In today’s real estate market, there is nothing more frustrating than reaching a meeting of the minds, signing a contract, having your inspection, applying for the loan, then watching the whole thing blow up because the house didn’t appraise for the contract price.

Further, you are better off turning down low ball offers than you are getting offers that won’t get to the closing table. Get it appraised, hand out copies of the appraisal to every prospect, and rest comfortably knowing you are selling it for what it’s worth.

Condition, marketing and price. Unless these three parts of the selling puzzle are in place from the beginning, all the facebook and tweeting in the world won’t move your home into the sold column.

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Buy or Rent? CNNMoney says in Atlanta to buy

Should you buy or rent a place to live?

Deciding whether to buy or rent depends on several factors. Among them: where you live, how long you plan to stay in your home and how home prices compare to rents in the area.

Zillow crunched the numbers for CNNMoney to figure out how long a new homebuyer would have to own their home before it would make better financial sense to buy. It’s at this “breakeven horizon” that total rental costs would exceed the total cost of home ownership.

In three-quarters of the U.S., that horizon is three years or less, according to Zillow’s chief economist, Stan Humphries.

To make these calculations, Zillow accounted for the costs associated with buying a home, including the down payment and transaction costs (such as commissions and fees), mortgage payments, property taxes, maintenance costs and tax deductions, among other things. It then compared that with rental costs, including monthly payments and commissions and adjusted the numbers for inflation and forecasted home value and rental price increases.

Here’s how the nation’s 10 biggest cities fared.

1. New York City – Rent

2. Los Angeles – Rent

3. Chicago – Buy

4. Dallas – Buy

5. Philadelphia – Buy

6. Washington, D.C. – Buy

7. Miami – Buy

8. Atlanta – Buy

Median home price: $176,200

Median rent : $1,950

Breakeven time: 5.9 years

Foreclosures have plagued the south Atlanta area recently. The metro area saw increases in foreclosure activity during each of the first half of this year.

Now pockets of the market have short sales and bank-owned properties aplenty — creating bargains. The median home price in Atlanta has fallen to well below $180,000, which, combined with low mortgage rates, has made buying a great deal in most intown communities.

But, as in most cities, it all depends on where you buy. In a depressed town like Jonesboro, where incomes is about 50% lower than the state average, you could breakeven in just over a year. But if you opt to purchase in the established Druid Hills area, it could take closer to seven and a half years.

9. Boston – Rent

10. San Francisco – Rent

To see the details for each metro area, click here to view the CNNMoney slideshow.

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Walkway Landscaping Offers a Friendly Welcome

Add color and curb appeal to your home with a statement-making front landscape

Sprawling and beautifully manicured front yards line the streets of Metro Atlanta, no doubt about it. A well-landscaped yard creates curb appeal and helps your property retain maximum value. The walkway to your front door is one of the most important elements of the overall landscape because it greets guests to your home even before you do!

So whether you prefer something simple to fit into your traditional exterior or crave something extraordinary for a grand estate, there’s a perfect landscape scheme for every front walk. Below are a few tips and tricks, as well as shining examples of how to spruce up your outdoor spaces.

Green up the grass

If your house has a front yard, make sure it‘s neat and green. You don’t want bare spots, sprawling weeds, or an untrimmed appearance.

“It’s so simple to go to Home Depot, buy fertilizer, apply it every six weeks, and water it,” says Mitch Kalamian, a landscape designer. “It will green up.”

If the yard looks really scruffy, you may decide to invest in some sod. According to the National Gardening Association, the average cost of sod is 15 to 35 cents per sq. ft. If you hire a landscaper to sod your yard for you, labor will add 30% to 50% to the total cost of the project.

This Milton home for sale at 545 Treyburn View features a very green, well manicured lawn. Currently listed at $559,000, click on the image for more photos and information from Andrea Cueny of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty.

Add colorful planting beds

Flower beds add color and help enliven otherwise plain areas, such as along driveways and the edges of walkways. In general, annual flowers are a bit cheaper but must be replaced every year. Perennials cost a bit more but come back annually and usually get larger or spread with each growing season.

If you’re not sure what to plant, inquire at your local garden center. Often, they’ll have a display of bedding plants chosen for their adaptability to your area. Also, they‘ll be inexpensive because they’re in season, says Peter Mezitt, president of Weston Nurseries in Hopkinton, Mass. Try pansies in the summer, and asters and mums in the fall to add vibrant color. “That’s what we do around the entrance to our garden center,” Mezitt says.

Line it up

A row of simple shrubbery flanking the walkway to your front door feels clean and classic. Boxwoods are a great choice for imitating the look of one cohesive hedge.

Currently listed at $369,000, this beautiful brick home in Marietta features shrubbery that lines the driveway and directs you to the front walk. Click on the image for more photos and information of 143 Gant Quarters Lane from Andrea Cueny of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty.

For longer front walks, try incorporating shrubbery with different layers of height. Multiple heights add depth to a landscape and tall shrubs can mimic the effect of a beautiful gate.

5215 Estate View Trace in Suwanee is currently listed at $489,000. Along the front walkway shrubbery with different layers of height frame the front porch and highlight the dramatic double doors. Click on the image for more photos and information from Andrea Cueny of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty.

Add landscape lighting

For homeowners who have made a sizeable investment in landscaping, it makes sense to think about adding another 10% to 15% to the bill for professional lighting. “You can’t see landscaping after dark,“ says Brandon Stephens, vice president of marketing for a landscape lighting firm in Lubbock, Texas, “and buyers are not always looking at houses on a Saturday afternoon.”

The cost of a system runs from $200 for a DIY installation to more than $4,000 for a professional job. If you‘re doing it on your own, the key is to light what you want people to see, such as mature trees and flowering shrubs.

Source: HouseLogic

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Where you can find me after sales meeting…on caravan

Each week, the real estate professionals at Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty meet as a group for Sales Meeting. Commonly led by the Managing Broker, the President, or CEO of the company, Sales Meeting is a time for agents to share market updates, learn about market trends, and find out about the hottest new homes on the market. 

I have shared pertinent information from past sales meetings here on the blog, but what I haven’t disclosed is where you can find me and other Metro Atlanta REALTORS® immediately following sales meeting… on caravan. Bill Rawlings, North Atlanta office Managing Broker and Vice President, explains caravan below from The River Club in Suwanee where Tracy Sardelli, a fellow agent in the North Atlanta office, held a listing open.

Caravan at The River Club

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The River Club is exquisite and the 6 bedroom, 5 full and 3 half bath home was exceptional. As we toured the home, I took pictures of my favorite details and have included them below. You can also view the professional photographs here on my website.

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