selling a home Archives - Real Estate News and Commentary

September 15, 2019September 15, 2019

Autumn Home Selling

What was once considered a winding down period for the year’s home sales, has become housing’s second wind. Autumn is not only a time when the leaves start falling, but it also has become a target selling season for home sellers who miss the spring market. Autumn home selling is also a second chance for those who could not sell their home earlier in the year. In fact, the fall has become an active home selling season.

The general consensus for the autumn home selling phenomenon is that home sale inventory is low. But the truth is that the fall tends to be when home sale inventory begins to decrease anyway. Many home sellers who didn’t sell their home during the spring or summer will be pulling their homes off the market. Sure, new listings are available during the fall, but not as many as there were in the spring. Fall is a time for home buyers and sellers to strike while the iron is hot. The combination of fewer listings along with serious home buyers and sellers makes the fall housing market a brisk selling time.

This year, autumn home selling may be different. Existing home sales have declined year-to-date (compared to last year). The National Association of Realtors reported that as of June, existing home sales are about 2.2 percent behind last year’s sales. Year-to-date Montgomery County home sales are 2.1 percent below last year’s sales. This decline actually started last fall. The home sale drop-off stifled what could have been a record year for 2018 home sales.

Autumn home selling

If you’re selling a home this fall keep an eye on neighborhood home sales. Setting a reasonable list price will be key to getting your home sold. Keep in mind that although home sale prices continue to climb, monthly appreciation is slowing. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index (spindices.com) reported a year-to-date nationwide 2.29 percent increase. You get a sense of the magnitude of decelerating appreciation when compared to 2018’s increase of 4.55 percent, and 2017’s increase of 6.24 percent nationwide. The year-to-date Montgomery County average home sale price is about $554,932, which is only an increase of 1.2 percent from the same time last year (MarketStats by ShowingTime).

Over pricing your home can be a disastrous mistake during the fall market. Don’t be greedy, and be prepared to adjust your pricing strategy. There are many storms brewing that can easily scare home buyers. If the list price is too high, you may end up with low ball offers because of a protracted time in the MLS.

Although having less competition makes it a good time to sell your home, it can also be challenging. Fall weather can be significantly different day to day. Be prepared to adjust the thermostat. Make sure your HVAC system gets a fall service so it will be ready for colder temps.

Don’t forget to keep up with your home’s curb appeal. Although you may want to get lazy about maintaining your lawn, don’t let it grow too high. Also, remove excessive leaves from the ground too, as this can also diminish your home’s curb appeal.

Make accommodations for home buyers to visit your home. Many home buyers will probably schedule tours after work, when it will be getting dark. Open houses are still a good option for a fall home sale. Turnout may be scant, but fall open house visitors are more likely to buy.

Original article is located at https://dankrell.com/blog/2019/09/15/autumn-home-selling/

By Dan Krell
Copyright© 2019

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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.

April 27, 2019May 2, 2019

Home buyer preferences

Homes can vary along a spectrum of many factors. Size, style, location, are just the basic differences and are generally used by home buyers in their home search. However, even similar homes in the same neighborhood can differ depending on the homes’ features. Home buyer preferences and trends toward home features is usually the reason for price differences on similar neighborhood homes. This truth was validated by a study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (How Features of a Home Impact Its Price; nahb.org; November 30, 2004). If you’re selling this spring, consider home buyers preferences and current home buyer trends.

In past columns, I talked about how most home buyers in the current housing market want a turn-key home. And that still holds true. Home buyers still prefer to buy a new home. However, buying a recently updated/renovated home is the next best thing. Generally, homes with new kitchens, bathrooms, and flooring get multiple offers and sell very quickly. Alas, updating and renovating a home takes time and money. Discuss with your listing agent how making (or not making) updates and renovations affect your sale price. You may have to adjust your pricing expectations accordingly.

So, what tops the list of home buyer preferences? The National Association of Home Builders latest “Trends in Home Buyer Preferences” (nahb.org) indicates that the kitchen is a prime area of focus. Current kitchen trends include a strong preference to either “traditional” or contemporary style cabinets. The styling would depend on the kitchen overall (consulting with a design center would be helpful). Additionally, water filtration has also become a desirable feature. If not already installed, water filtration can be added when replacing a refrigerator, as it is now a common function of modern refrigerators.

In today’s growing awareness of environment and sustainability, it’s a given that home buyer preferences show a strong preference toward energy efficiency. When updating, consider Energy Star (energystar.gov) certified appliances. Energy Star appliances typically use 50 percent less energy than standard models. Additionally, consider having an energy audit prior to listing your home. The energy audit will reveal the home’s energy efficiency. It will also highlight where improvements are recommended. The report itself is useful to the home buyer, even if you don’t follow all the recommendations.

New flooring is also important to home buyers. The preference towards wood flooring has always been strong. However, be aware that there are differences in quality of flooring products, as well as workmanship of installers. Even if you purchase top quality hardwood, poor installation can actually negatively impact the sale price. If you’re installing wood, tile or similar flooring, hire an MHIC licensed flooring contractor. Your flooring contractor can also help with trendy flooring options.

As a home seller, you certainly consider your home as being special. And you probably spent a good amount of money on customizing your home over the years. However, a problem many home sellers encounter is that over customization and personalization can negatively affect the home sale price. The truth is that home buyers have preferences too, and their preferences may not reflect yours.

Home buyer preferences and trends are constantly changing. Your listing agent should be able to help understand how current home buyer preferences and trends impact your home sale. Additionally, consulting with a home staging or interior design professional can assist you with deciding on making relevant updates to your home.

Original published at https://dankrell.com/blog/2019/04/27/home-buyer-preferences

By Dan Krell
Copyright © 2019.

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April 18, 2019August 26, 2019

Short sale is still relevant

Believe it or not it’s been over ten years since the financial crises and Great Recession, and the short sale is still relevant! And this is why…

Coming on the heels of a dismal January, the National Association of Realtors March 22^nd data release announced good news declaring a home sales “surge” during February (nar.realtor). February’s closings increased 11.8 percent, compared to January! But the bad news is that the number of sales also decreased 1.8 percent from last year. If you follow real estate news, you know that homes sales stats were disappointing during the winter. (Consider that 2018’s total existing home sales were lower than the previous year’s total, according to NAR’s statistics). February’s adjusted annual home sale rate of 5.51 million is lower than the same time last year, and pales in comparison to the 6.48 million home sales in 2006.

Although February was indeed a busy month, NAR’s March 28^th data release of the Pending Home Sale Index predicts a slow start to the spring market. Homes that went under contract during February decreased 1 percent from the previous month and decreased 4.9 percent from the previous year. This “forward looking index” indicates that next month’s home sales may disappoint.

But there is a silver lining. Home sale prices continue to rise, meaning that home owner equity is not eroding. February’s median existing home sale price increased 3.6 percent from the same time last year. And according to NAR’s statistics, home sale prices have risen for 84 consecutive months (which equates to 7 years of continued gains)!

There are many reasons for a short sale

Although home sale prices are rising, there are still many home owners who are underwater. According to Attom Data (attomdata.com), distressed home sales still account for 12.4 percent of all home sales. Of course, this is far from the 38.6 percent in 2011. And the percentage of distressed sale continues to decrease. However, the number is still significant.

It’s estimated there are millions of underwater home owners. There are a number of reasons why home owners may be underwater, including (but not limited to) years of deferred maintenance, or a negative equity mortgage. Many short sales today include investment properties. Some home owners don’t know they are underwater until they list the home for sale.

Although not as prevalent as in 2011, the short sale is still relevant! Many underwater home owners don’t have to sell, as they are not financially distressed, and are happy to stay put for many years. However, some are compelled to sell for a number of reasons (such as divorce, bankruptcy, etc.). Some underwater home owners may have a desire to move, but can’t because they are underwater (such as empty nesters and retirees).

If you think your home sale may result in a short sale, get the facts. Question what you hear from others and what you find on the internet. There is a lot of information circulating about short sales. A majority of the information is either misleading, erroneous, and/or outdated. Consult with an attorney who negotiates sales to help you understand the legal aspects. Also consult your accountant for the financial implications.

There is much to consider, and a lot at stake! Be careful when considering your listing agent. Due your due diligence and hire an experienced short sales agent that knows the process and is savvy about appealing lender values. Many listing agents will give up on a short sale, mostly because it’s hard work. So most important, make sure your agent has a track record of getting the short sale to settlement.

Original published at https://dankrell.com/blog/2019/04/18/short-sale-is-still-relevant

By Dan Krell
Copyright © 2019.

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March 21, 2019May 3, 2019

Creating home staging vision

Although home staging has become entrenched in the home sale process, it doesn’t have to be a pricey way to prepare your home sale. Not only has it become part of the home seller experience, the home staging vision is now expected by buyers and their agents when they visit homes.

The spring home sale season is the perfect time for the National Association of Realtors to roll out the results of their 2019 Profile of Home Staging survey (nar.realtor). In a March 14^th press release, NAR President John Smaby summed up this year’s profile by stating, “Realtors understand the importance of making a residential property as welcoming and appealing as possible to potential buyers. While every Realtor doesn’t use staging in every situation, the potential value it brings is clear to both homebuyers and sellers.”

Staging may affect a home’s time on market, and it’s likely due to visual cues. Meaning that home staging vision helps the home buyer picture themselves living in the home. More than half of the agents who responded to the survey indicated that home staging reduces time on market. Forty percent of buyer agents said that home staging effects most buyers’ perceptions of a home. Eighty-three percent of buyer agents believe that home staging vision makes it easier to visualize living in the home.

It’s not surprising that agents agree that the most staging attention goes to the living room, kitchen, master bedroom, and the dining room. It’s not that these rooms have special significance, but rather it’s because it’s where people spend most of their time in the home.

The NAR survey also found that real estate TV shows has impacted home buyers’ views and expectations. Thirty-nine percent of buyers indicated that they experienced a more difficult home buying process than what they expected. Twenty percent of buyers reported being disappointed that homes they visited didn’t look like the ones portrayed on TV. While ten percent believe that homes should look staged as they are depicted in TV shows.

Not all agents stage the homes they list for sale. Only twenty-eight percent of listing agents said they staged all sellers’ homes prior to listing them for sale. Compared to the thirteen percent of agents who confessed that they only stage homes that they deem difficult to sell.

Does home staging affect sale price? It was noted that all agents surveyed indicated that home staging affected their home sale positively. Twenty-two percent of the agents reported an increase of up to five percent in buyers’ offers, while seventeen percent reported offer increases up to ten percent. Only two percent of the agents responded that it increased offers up to twenty percent.

But the idea of staging your home to get top dollar may just be traditional wisdom, as evidenced by NAR’s survey. One of the few studies on staging revealed that indeed, staging does not have a significant impact on sale price. Lane, Seiler & Seiler’s 2015 study (The Impact of Staging Conditions on Residential Real Estate Demand. Journal of Housing Research, 24,1. 21-35) concluded that although staging affects the home buying process and the buyer’s opinion and perception of livability, it’s not enough to result in a higher sales price. The authors stated, “These results stand in stark contrast to the conscious (stated) opinion of both buyers and real estate agents that staging conditions significantly impact willingness to pay for a home. As such, the findings are new and useful to a large group of stakeholders (sellers and agents).”

Original published at https://dankrell.com/blog/2019/03/21/creating-home-staging-vision/

By Dan Krell
Copyright © 2019.

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March 14, 2019May 3, 2019

Curb appeal science

Curb appeal is one of those “intuitive” topics that only gets media attention in the spring and maybe the fall. If you search the internet, you’ll find millions of websites that talk about curb appeal. Because the concept is based on accepted lore, my guess is that most of those sites regurgitate the same ideas. Everyone has some understanding of curb appeal. And if asked, they will give you their opinion on improving it to get a higher home sale price. Everyone agrees that curb appeal can increase home buyer traffic. And most agree that curb appeal can increase the home’s sale price. But is there a curb appeal science?

I often present empirical studies to help you understand if widely accepted real estate traditions and principles are accurate. Unfortunately, curb appeal science is one of those subjects that doesn’t get much academic attention. Notwithstanding, there are two very compelling studies about curb appeal science.

One of the first studies to empirically confirm the connection between home sale price and curb appeal was published in 2013. Chen, Evans-Cowley, Rutherford, and Stanley (An Empirical Analysis of Effect of Housing Curb Appeal on Sales Price of Newer Houses. International Research Journal of Applied Finance. 2013, Vol 4 No 11, p1407-1419) examined how a home buyer’s preferences of a home’s exterior influenced the sale price. Not a surprise, they concluded that there is a connection between a home’s exterior and the sale price. They also quantified the relationship, saying that even small improvements to curb appeal can increase the value by as much as eight percent.

It’s not just the yard and exterior home maintenance. Chen’s study also discovered that architectural elements also determine the home’s sale price. They discovered that the demand for higher cost “modern” homes is relative to what’s contemporary. Meaning that today’s highly desirable new homes and floor plans could be less desirable and sell for less in the future.

A more recent study went further and developed a measurement of a building’s curb appeal. Freybote, Simon and Beitelspacher (Understanding the Contribution of Curb Appeal to Retail Real Estate Values; Journal of Property Research. 2016, Vol 33, No 2, p147–161) found that there are three dimensions of curb appeal that can be measured: atmosphere, architectural features and the authenticity of a building.

A home’s atmosphere describes the general landscape maintenance as well as emotional aspects, such as how relaxing, inviting, and vibrant the home feels. Architectural aspects rate the visual aesthetics of the home, highlighting modern design and interesting features. A home’s authenticity relates to its charm and how “genuine” it feels. In other words, can the home buyer picture themselves living there? The study concluded that curb appeal and sale price is not only connected, but can also be accurately measured. The two dimensions that affected sale price the most were atmosphere and architecture. The authors also suggested that the atmosphere dimension has a social component (which may be associated pride of ownership).

Although authenticity was not found to be as influential on sale price, it is notable. A home’s authenticity (as described in this study) is probably one of the least thought of aspects when preparing a home for sale. If the home staging, including landscaping and exterior elements, is over-the-top or does not portray the home accurately, a home buyer may be less interested in making an offer and negatively affect the home sale price.

Original published at https://dankrell.com/blog/2019/03/14/curb-appeal-science/

By Dan Krell
Copyright © 2019.

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