Why hire a Real Estate agent?
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A qualified, competent real estate agent will help you navigate the myriad of decisions that arise when buying and selling a home. An agent provides value to the homeowner in many ways:
- Pays for all marketing and advertising costs.
- Adds experience and expertise in all aspects of the sales process including marketing, financing, negotiations and more.
- Handles all showings.
- Brings a network of known, trusted real estate professionals. If your agent doesn't have the answer, he or she likely knows someone who does.
- Always has your interests in mind so you always have someone on your side.
- Can handle and advise on all price and contract negotiations.
- Provides you with all the possible options and opportunities without holding back.
- Gives an unbiased, realistic view of your home and your options. Unlike buyers and sellers, an agent has no emotional attachment to property.
- Has the knowledge to help you ask the right questions.
- Being a third party, potential buyers are more likely to tell your agent the truth about your home, even if it is unflattering. This objective viewpoint will help you make the necessary changes to get your home sold.
- Your time is valuable. A real estate agent allows you to spend your time how you want.
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The Sweet Smell of a Successful Sale |
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Scents and aromas can have a dramatic impact on people’s emotions, otherwise, there wouldn’t be a multi-billion-dollar fragrance industry!
Don’t ignore the power of fragrance when showing your home. Smoke, pet odors, and cooking smells can each dramatically impact how potential buyers feel about your house.
If your potential buyers never form an emotional connection to your home, chances are that they will remain just that – potential buyers.
Don’t allow smoking in your house for weeks leading up to showing it, find a pet-sitter for a few days, and clean, clean, clean!
Once you’ve removed any aromas that might be off-putting and freshened the air in your home, you can actually use scent to your advantage.
Consider doing some baking prior to showings. The scent of fresh apple pie is hard to beat when it comes to creating the atmosphere of a welcoming home!
TIP: In a pinch, a mixture of water, vanilla extract, and brown sugar in an oven on low heat can be used to create the pleasing aroma of fresh baking.
To a certain extent, buyers make purchase decisions based on their emotional response, so it’s important to make it easy for them to fall in love with your home. Pleasant smells are one more way to do so. | |
Luxury Real Estate Expert
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For those who own significant homes and estates, choosing the wrong real estate agency can be a costly mistake ... especially in today's luxury and land markets.
Barnes Real Estate Brokerage specializes in the sale of multi-million dollar homes, estates, and landholdings. We believe that successfully marketing luxury real estate requires aggressive and well-developed marketing programs and sophisticated marketing tools.
If you are considering the sale or purchase of a luxury property, Barnes Real Estate Brokerage offers a wide range of real estate services which can be customized to meet your specific needs.
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Selling Real Estate is a Marketing problem. Any product will be successfully sold when you position it as the most competitive product in front of the largest possible market.
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FREE Infomation
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First, welcome to the real estate business. Selling your real estate is an involved process that affects your family and your future. Before you begin this process, you'll want to ensure that you have the most up-to-date information. When should you sell? How do you get the best price? What kinds of renovations should be made prior to the sale?
These home selling reports will assist you in answering the many questions that arise during the home selling process. When you're armed with the right information, and an experienced real estate professional, you'll be closer to reaching your goal - selling fast, and for the best price. People make most of their money in real estate. It is the most valuable asset we own. |
Please contact me if you have any questions about your real estate.
Below, select desired reports and complete the form provided.
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1. Find the right representative
The experience and knowledge of a dedicated real estate professional can be priceless. A good Realtor® forms a powerful team with his or her clients that makes it possible for them to have a smooth, successful, stress-free sale.
2. Determine your needs/wants for the sale and for your new home
Selling your primary residence can be tricky because you have to simultaneously be thinking about where you would like to buy. First weigh your priorities – selling price is certainly important, but having a quick and efficient sale can often be worth accepting a slightly lower offer. Talk to your agent and make sure you’re comfortable with where your priorities are.
At the same time, you should be compiling a needs/wants list for the home you will buy. You will probably have to act fairly quickly when your house sells, so any amount of preparation you can do will serve you well.
3. Prepare your house for showing
Underprepared homes can be sales disasters. Your home will never get as much attention from potential buyers as when it is first listed, so clearing clutter, cleaning, making repairs, and putting your home’s best foot forward is essential. Don’t “open for business” until your home is ready to be seen as favorably as possible.
4. Find out what your local market looks like
Being realistic about your market is the key to a smooth sale. There is no substitute for a professional real estate representative when it comes to local market knowledge.
5. List away!
Lots of photos and online exposure are the key to getting a good response for your listing. Working with an agent who uses Point2 Agent software is a great step in the right direction. Now just “open” the house and sit back and wait for the flood of eager buyers!
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Preparing Your Home For Sale |
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First impressions make a significant impact on a buyer's decision-making process!
Once your home goes on the market, it becomes a product. Home Styling or Staging simply allows you to highlight the best of your home and de-emphasize its flaws. It's not about decorating, but actually turning your home into a model, to appeal to the broadest range of prospective buyers. The goal is to make people feel like they could live there, and the best way to do this is to "neutralize" the surroundings.
 
Try out these helpful styling tips taken from Setting the Stage - REALTOR® Magazine Online. They've compiled the best tips from stagers and real estate pros—things you can do for little or no expense—to put a home in prime showing shape.
- Clear out closets and clutter—sellers can give away or pack up toys, linens, and small kitchen appliances to store offsite. Buyers are also forgiving of storage boxes neatly tucked away in a garage or basement.
- Focus most on the most visible areas—the foyer, kitchen, living room, master bedroom, and family room.
- De-personalize the home by removing photos, mementos, and dated items.
- Use plants in colorful pots or inexpensive wicker baskets to fill in empty spaces.
- Look to home catalogs for little details on beautifying the home. For instance, group books, pictures, and objets d’art appealingly on bookcases.
- Try angling one or two pieces of furniture slightly and move furniture 4 inches to 6 inches from the wall to create more interesting room spaces.
- Put away large collections— porcelains, plates, and so on.
- Remove valuables, prescription medicine, collectibles, and breakables.
- Trim trees, prune shrubs, and make sure the lawn is mowed and watered regularly.
- In summer, turn on the sprinklers for five minutes, 30 minutes before the open house. It makes the lawn and driveway sparkle.
- Refrain from cooking anything that leaves a distinctive odor, such as fish, garlic, or cabbage.
- Hire a professional service to clean the home, including the carpets and the windows.
- Set the dining room table with attractive linens, dishes, and stemware.
- Arrange fresh or silk flowers throughout the home.
- Light a fire in the fireplace in fall and winter.
- A mirror in a pretty frame can make a small room feel more open.
- Use as much natural light as possible. Add extra lamps in dark rooms or corners.
- Make functional repairs—fix dripping faucets, sticking doors, and broken fences.
- Bring in another pair of eyes—even if it’s not a professional stylist. The person may see problems you and have missed.
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Determine the Right Selling Price for Your Home
When you’re selling your home, the price you set is a critical factor in the return you’ll receive...
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Selling Your Home: Where do you begin?
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Avoid the Most Common Selling Mistakes
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The Sweet Smell of a Successful Sale
Remember that potential buyers want to imagine themselves calling your house their home...
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The Best Way to Sell Your House...Get Lost!
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