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January 6, 2017November 23, 2021

Greedy home seller tips

Don't be a greedy home seller — Pricing Strategy for a Home Sale (infographic from forsalebyowner.com)

When there is a buzz about home sellers being greedy, you know home sales are doing well. So, not surprisingly, along with last year’s record home sales came the reports of greedy home sellers. Are you a greedy home seller? Or are you adjusting to a market where home prices are increasing?

Greed has developed a bad rap. Surely there is an evolutionary basis for greed. Many believe that early hominids promoted personal and group survival by being “greedy” (although disputed by some). Those who hoarded food, so as to have more than enough, lived through difficult winters and droughts. During times of financial prosperity, greed is looked upon favorably. However, in the aftermath of a recession, greed is thought of as the basis for fiscal calamity. Immortalized in Gordon Geckko’s famous “greed is good” speech in the 1987 movie Wall Street, “greed” is a cinematic vehicle to show the fine line between a healthy desire to prosper and a corrupt drive to have more than enough.

Avoid being viewed as a greedy home seller by creating a realistic pricing strategy. Creating a pricing strategy is an art and a science. When selling a home, you have to determine the list price. There are many factors to consider besides recent neighborhood sales, such as condition of your home, sales trends, mortgage interest rates, economic trends, etc. Like other home sellers, you fall into a conundrum. If you price your home too high, then it will limit potential home buyers who visit. However, if you price your home too low to increase home buyer interest, you may not get the price you want.

Contrary to some assertions that a home’s list price doesn’t play a role in the sale, there is evidence to suggest that it really does matter. Lu Han and William C. Strange determined that a lower list price does increase home buyer visits – but only to a point (What is the Role of the Asking Price for a House? University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management; 2012). They concluded that there is a point at which the home price is perceived to attract too much buyer competition, which may turn off other home buyers. Furthermore, their data shows that there is a negative relationship between a list price and the number of home buyers: meaning that the higher the list price relative to the neighborhood, the lower number of home buyer visits, and vice-versa.

If you fear being a greedy home seller by asking for a high price for your home, there is research to suggest that you’ll let go of the greed in order to make a deal. A 2013 study by Nuno T. Magessi and Luis Antunes looked at how the emotions of fear and greed compete internally (Agent’s fear monitors the spread of greed in a social network; Proceedings of the 11th European Workshop on Multi‐Agent Systems EUMAS, 12-13). They concluded that greed is mitigated by the fear of loss within the confines of a social network. When applied to a home sale, the fear of not selling a home competes with the impulse to hold out for the high price. Deducing further, there is a need to fit within one’s social network by trying to sell a home for the most money, and yet avoid the stigma of a failed home sale.

Don’t be a greedy home seller. RealtorMag described three common home seller mistakes in a 2015 post (3 Mistakes Sellers Often Make; realtormag.realtor.org; April 12, 2015). Included were “Not being honest with the home’s history,” “Not making a better home presentation,” and “Being unrealistic about the home’s value.” About unrealistic home value, it was said:

“…Despite tight inventories of homes for-sale in many markets, sellers still need to be careful not to get too greedy with their list price, say real estate professionals…Home owners tend to get a much lower price when they overprice a home at the onset and then drop the price several times. The longer the home lingers on a market, the more likely it will receive a deeper discount…”

If your home doesn’t sell, you must examine your pricing strategy. Was the price realistic, or were you too greedy?

Original published at https://dankrell.com/blog/2017/01/06/greedy-home-seller/

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Disclaimer. This article is not intended to provide nor should it be relied upon for legal and financial advice. Readers should not rely solely on the information contained herein, as it does not purport to be comprehensive or render specific advice. Readers should consult with an attorney regarding local real estate laws and customs as they vary by state and jurisdiction. Using this article without permission is a violation of copyright laws.

August 19, 2016November 23, 2021

Home sale timing – sell for more

Everyone wants to know the future, especially when it comes to the home sale timing. Home sellers and buyers want to predict home prices. Home sellers want to know the best time to sell. While Home buyers want to know if they’re getting a good price. And apparently there may be a fairly reliable predictor to home prices, however it’s not what you think it is.

Several empirical studies have attempted to provide a methodology for predicting the housing market (home sale timing). Of course there is the familiar of forecasting real estate through divorce and premarital agreements. Back in 2013, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyer (AAML.org) issued a press release citing the increase of prenuptial agreements as sign of the improving economy. The increase in prenuptial agreements meant that people felt there was value in their assets. And this was meant to be a good sign in for housing market.

Of course there was also a spike in divorces that year, leading some to believe this to also be a good sign that people felt better about the economy because of their willingness to begin anew. But as University of Maryland sociologist Philip N. Cohen pointed out in his November 2015 blog post (Divorce rate plunge continues; familyinequality.wordpress.com) the increased divorce activity of 2013 was a just a recession related “bump” and in actuality the divorce rate decreased in 2014.

Then there was predicting housing through internet search data, which sounds more like fortune-telling than research to be honest. However, Beracha and Wintoki (Forecasting Residential Real Estate Price Changes from Online Search Activity; The Journal of Real Estate Research 35.3 (2013): 283-312.) concluded that, indeed, you can gauge regional housing trends through specific keyword search volume. Given this method, I used Google Trends to look up the keyword “home for sale” for the Washington DC metro region – and it is bound to become a hot market in the next six months (maybe a Presidential election has something to do with that?).

But a better indicator of where home prices will go may be the availability of credit. Most would argue that mortgage lending is a matter of housing demand. However, a working paper by Manuel Adelino, Antoinette Schoar, and Felipe Severino (Credit Supply and House Prices: Evidence from Mortgage Market Segmentation; February 19, 2014) concluded that “easy credit supply leads to an increase in house prices.” They contend that higher conforming loan limits and low interest rates benefit home sellers in the form of higher sale prices.

Adelino, Schoar, and Severino’s premise can be witnessed in hindsight as the pre-recession housing boom seemed to be fueled on easy credit. As credit became increasingly available, home value appreciation took off. Likewise, housing stabilized and home values appreciated post-recession as home lending requirements loosened.

Of course, many associate easy credit policies with recessions, and even the Great Depression. However, it’s not necessarily the easy credit that precipitates the recession – but rather it’s the tightening of credit. Stephen Gandel (This is When You’ll Know it’s Time to Panic About a Recession; fortune.com; March 8,2016) said it succinctly, “Tightening credit doesn’t always lead to a recession. But every recession starts with that.”

One may infer from Adelino, Schoar, and Severino’s research that a home seller can gauge their home sale price based on the lending environment. Lower interest rates and loose credit points to a higher sale price. However, tightening credit policies may point to flat or even lower home prices.

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May 27, 2016December 13, 2022

Get top dollar for your home

The guarantee of “Getting top dollar for your home” is a theme in many real estate ads, as well as being promised by many agents. Of course the goal of every home owner is to get top dollar is the goal for every home seller! But why is this meme still prominent, and is it still meaningful?

What does “get top dollar” mean anyway? Getting top dollar on your sale may be relative to other home sales during the same period. Market conditions and timing are variables that may dictate your sales price; home sale prices are lower when home buyer demand wanes, as well as sales that occur during winter months. However, other influences on sale price include your home’s physical location and condition. For example, homes that sit on (or are in close proximity) to a main thoroughfare typically sell for less; as well as houses with deferred maintenance and a lack of updates.

Is “getting top dollar” just about listing at a high price? The key to a successful sale is pricing your home correctly. Proper pricing includes analyzing your local market, and comparing your home to the most recent neighborhood sales that are most similar to your home in style, size, age, and condition. Also, looking at market trends in three and six month segments will determine a seasonal effect.

How can you tell if your home sold for top dollar? Certainly if your house sells for more than others in the neighborhood, you might think you got “top dollar.” But if your neighbor sells immediately after you and sells for more; your claim to getting top dollar is now in jeopardy. There is also the home sale price conundrum: If your house sells fast with multiple offers, you might think that the list price was too low; However, if you price your home too high, you risk over pricing such that the house might languish on the market and miss the window of opportunity.

Maybe the promise of “getting top dollar” is just a marketing ploy by real estate agents to get your listing. A top complaint by home sellers is that their agent misled them; often citing the promise of a high sales price, only to be coerced into reducing and/or accepting a lower price at a later time. Regrettably, there are real estate agents who resort to questionable sales tactics to get business; and unfortunately, they learn these tactics from real estate trainers, and/or develop them on their own and share with other agents.

Maybe “getting top dollar” for your house is a metaphor for being satisfied. Although you might think you could be satisfied with just selling for a high price; customer satisfaction includes other factors too, including level of service. It has been determined that many consumers are less interested in hiring agents whose focus is about being “#1;” rather, consumers want to be treated as if they are “#1.”

Maybe “getting top dollar” is about your bottom line. Consider that many home buyers in today’s market are seeking “turnkey” homes, where they won’t have to worry about immediate maintenance issues – and some are willing to pay “top dollar” for such a home. Be honest about your home’s location, condition and features. Making some modifications can increase the sales price, however at a cost. A cost-benefit analysis of pre-listing repairs and updates may help you decide on the projects that will add to your sales net.

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May 6, 2016September 10, 2018

Home pricing strategy and housing market shift

home pricing strategy The apparent luxury home market collapse is most likely due to an increased inventory of luxury homes, and a lack of foreign investors (who were active in the market several years ago). The impact of reduced prices is noticeable in home price indices as well, as there seems to be a consensus that there is a hint of a slowdown of price appreciation.

Corelogic’s May Home Price Insights (corelogic.com) indicated that nationwide home prices during March increased 6.7% year over year; and projects 5.7% appreciation for next March. Additionally, the report highlights twelve states that have reached new home price highs. Month over month average home prices nationwide increased 2.1%; however next month’s projection is for a gain of only 0.7%.

April’s S&P/Case-Shiller National Home Price Index (spindices.com) indicted that February home prices increased at an annual rate of 5.3%, which is roughly the same as the previous month’s index. The hot real estate markets of Portland, Seattle, and Denver realized the highest year over year gains, growing at 11.9%, 11% and 9.7% respectively. However, the national 0.2% month over month gain was not as encouraging.

David Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices, provided commentary about the April S&P/Case-Shiller report, saying “…Home prices continue to rise twice as fast as inflation, but the pace is easing off in the most recent numbers…While financing is not an issue for home buyers, rising prices are a concern in many parts of the country. The visible supply of homes on the market is low at 4.8 months in the last report. Homeowners looking to sell their house and trade up to a larger house or a more desirable location are concerned with finding that new house. Additionally, the pace of new single family home construction and sales has not completely recovered from the recession.”

Although the recent home price indices have not yet established negative trends, they are telling of a housing market under pressure. Local home sellers should take note that the S&P/Case Shiller Home Price Index for the Washington DC metro area indicates a month over month -0.2% (negative two tenths of a percent) change in the average home price. The Corelogic HPI Market Condition Indicator for the Washington DC-MD-VA-WV metro area is “Overvalued.”

If you are planning a home sale during the latter half of this year, you should be extra aware of the local market trends; paying attention to competition and general inventory. Home pricing strategies that were common last year may not work to your advantage. Over pricing your home could result in driving home buyers to your competition, rather than netting a higher sales price.

Original post at https://dankrell.com/blog/2016/05/06/new-home-sale-strategy-needed-as-home-prices-start-to-shift/

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April 21, 2016November 23, 2021

Coping with today’s market

It’s that time of year again; the real estate market is getting hot along with the temperature. And that’s about the only thing most are able to predict about this year’s real estate market. Since the Great Recession, early forecasts about home buying and selling trends have typically missed the mark; the trends have varied, sometimes significantly, from year to year. Notwithstanding a very active season, many will be in for a surprise; some will be pleased about their home sale, while others not so much. And if you are selling a home, I’ve provided some tips to help you cope with today’s market:

Home buyers in today’s market

The most important point to remember this year: many home buyers are looking to buy a home, but not necessarily yours. The notion that your home appeals to all home buyers is false. If your home isn’t selling as fast as you thought it would, consider stepping back for a moment to re-evaluate your home and marketing plan.

Most home buyers are looking for a “turn-key” home and won’t settle for just anything on the market. Additionally, most are not willing to spend time and money updating a home they just purchased. Know your home before marketing it and consider making repairs if your home has considerable deferred maintenance.

Prepare your home for today’s market

The next item to remember this year, is that no matter how well your home shows: be prepared for a less than complimentary home inspection. Because there are a number of systems and many components to your home; chances are that there are items that need attention, repairing, and/or replacement – which the home inspector will cheerfully point out. Home inspectors will visually inspect your home, probing structural components when necessary; a detailed report indicates their observations. Most home inspectors are not experts in all aspects of home construction; and commonly recommend other professionals to examine items more closely.

As a home seller, you should understand that buyers in today’s market are under pressure about the investment they are undertaking; and are willing to walk away based on the home inspection findings. Sometimes, it’s not what – but how it’s said that will rattle buyers. Regardless, an uncomplimentary report does not have to blow up the deal. Be prepared for extra rounds of negotiating after the home inspection. Every transaction is different, and your agent should provide guidance on what’s reasonable and appropriate.

A final thought: don’t get greedy, but don’t leave money on the table either. Although inventory remains an issue in a number of areas, don’t feel compelled to over price your home based on the lack of homes for sale. However, don’t be complacent with the “average” home sale price of the neighborhood either. When comparing recent neighborhood sales, you should make pricing adjustments (plus and minus) depending on differences in your home’s age, amenities, size and other factors.

A word of caution: There is a growing trend in the reliance on automated valuations by real estate agents. AVM (automated valuation models) are helpful, but not always accurate. These reports are based on public information about your home and may not include correct information. If your agent recommends a sale price based an automated valuation, you should review the report attentively. If the report confidence level is low to medium, be prepared to carefully review the report and comparables, making adjustments as needed.

Original located at https://dankrell.com/blog/2016/04/21/home-sale-tips-on-coping-with-todays-market/

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