You’ve painted the walls, laid down new carpeting, and updated the foyer light fixture. But unless you’ve addressed the outside of your home, you’re not quite done preparing your home to sell. In short, curb appeal is a very important part of selling your Fort Sam Houston home – one that you cannot afford to overlook.

Luckily, however, there are a number of things you can tackle in a weekend that will improve your home’s curb appeal so it will stand out among the crowd of other houses for sale:

1. Cut back overgrown plants and trees – One of the easiest ways to spruce up your landscaping is to cut back any overgrown trees and shrubs. Make sure the path to your house is cleared of any shrubbery or low-hanging branches, and make sure the façade of your home isn’t blocked by any trees. Although tackling overgrown greenery can be done by most homeowners, if you have large trees that need to be pruned, it is best to call in the help of a professional.
2. Update outdoor lighting – From pathway lighting to the light beside your front door, lighting can add depth, dimension and interest to your Fort Sam Houston home, both during the daytime and nighttime hours. It is therefore best to switch out your dated lighting with more contemporary fixtures. Outdoor light fixtures are typically quite cost effective, yet they can instantly update the exterior of a home. You may also want to consider adding solar path lights; buyers will appreciate this touch and they are super-easy to install because there are no wires!
3. Spruce up your front door – Your front door is the entrance to your home and a sign of things to come. So if it’s seen its better day, now is a good time to give it some TLC. A fresh coat of paint always does the trick, and switching out dated hardware for something more attractive is a smart move. Finally, add a seasonal wreath to create an air of warmth and you’re ready to go!
4. Don’t forget the details – Often times, a few punches of color will give your home’s exterior an instant facelift. Consider adding pots of colorful annuals near your front door.

Even in a down market, real estate will move, provided it meets certain criteria. In other words, if you address all aspects of preparing and marketing your home, you can realistically expect your Fort Sam Houston home to sell. However, if you fail to do so, you could be faced with an expired listing.

If you don’t want to be another casualty of the shaky real estate market, you must take care of three, key issues, which include:

• The condition of your home – You simply can’t expect buyers to want to purchase your Fort Sam Houston home if the home is in poor condition. Because today’s real estate market is still a decidedly buyer’s market, buyers are looking to purchase homes that they can move into; not homes that need a considerable amount of work. Although you may want to think twice before embarking on any major renovations, you will need to address other things, such as repairs and updates. In other words, don’t put your home on the market without taking care of basic maintenance issues, such as leaky faucets and torn carpeting. Get your home clean and organized, and take care of basic maintenance issues, such as painting the walls and updating light fixtures.
• The price of your home – Sellers who are looking to get a few more bucks could be sabotaging their chances of selling their home. It is important, especially in today’s real estate market, to price your home to sell. If you don’t have any time frame for moving, then you can price your home according to what you want for it; otherwise, make sure to price it aggressively so you can sell it and move on.
• The marketing of your home – Although it may seem like a good idea to sell your home on your own, without the help of a realtor, the reality is that realtors simply have more resources to sell your home in a shorter amount of time. A qualified realtor can get the word out about your home through a number of outlets, thereby helping you sell your home quickly and for close to the asking price.

Your Bandera County home is likely a reflection of you. It is the place where you raise your family and spend time together. As such, your home likely has numerous personal effects. However, it is these personal touches that could turn buyers off or distract them from your home. Here’s how to de-personalize your home before selling:

• Take down the family photos that line the wall – Your family photo wall is your pride and joy, but to buyers it does little more than distract them. It is best to take down personal photographs and replace them with inexpensive mirrors or artwork, as this will allows buyers to imagine themselves in your home; not remind them that the home belongs to you.
• Remove your collections – Your doll collection lining the living room mantel or your collection of spoons along the kitchen wall are very important to you, but not to buyers. When selling your Bandera County home, part of depersonalizing it means removing personal effects like collections. Collections of anything in your home clutter rooms and may distract buyers from noticing the room’s many features. In other words, how can you expect buyers to appreciate the beautiful living room fireplace if your dolls are blocking it?
• Put away mail and other personal information – Before showing your home make sure all personal information about you and your family is safely tucked away. From the mail on the kitchen table to your checkbook and last week’s paystub, it is important to never give buyers access to your personal or financial information. If you have a locked desk or drawer, use it, and always make sure money and credit cards are also under lock and key.
• Remove hobbies or other personal effects – Because it is unlikely that buyers will have an appreciation for your hobbies or other personal interests, it is best to put away things such as mounted deer heads, gun displays, craft supplies and your stack of DVDs. Keep in mind, also, that it is possible that some buyers may be offended by certain personal items, so it is always a good idea to make your home as neutral and de-personalized as possible before the first buyer walks through the door.

The marketplace is full of properties that have either sat on the market for an extended period of time or have simply expired. And the number-one reason is because the home wasn’t priced right.

One of the most important things your realtor can do is help you price your home right, the first time, and here’s why:

• A Leon Valley home that’s priced right will sell faster – You may think pricing your home in a higher price range may fetch you more money for your home. Unfortunately, that’s just not the case. A home that’s priced out of its range will likely result in very few showings because it won’t be pooled in the same group as other homes similar to it. For example, if your home should be priced at $200,000, but you choose to price it at $250,000, potential buyers in the market for a home like yours will likely never see it because they won’t be searching for homes in the $250,000 range. And, the buyers who can spend $250,000 will likely pass over yours for another home that has more of what they are looking for. In other words, don’t bet on pricing your home high because it will likely backfire on you.
• A home that’s priced right will generate more interest – If your home pops up on the market at a competitive price, you can bet it will generate a considerable amount of interest. A home that’s overpriced, on the other hand, will likely generate very little interest. Even if you choose to lower the price of your home a few weeks or months after it has been on the market, your property will likely become a “stale” listing; or one that has been passed over for months and is therefore no longer of interest to buyers or realtors.
• A home that’s priced right will draw the right buyers – The last thing most sellers want to deal with are buyers who are out to fetch a bargain. If you fail to price your home right from the start, you will likely generate interest from buyers who simply want to lowball an offer your way. A home that’s competitively priced, on the other hand, will likely generate interest from serious buyers who are ready and willing to pay the asking price of your home.

Despite a continued foreclosure problem, the overall housing market picture in Bexar County, and San Antonio in particular, is showing tangible signs of improvement, with housing prices for resales likely to gain by four to four-and-a-half percent over the next twelve months.

As the unemployment rate subsides, qualified buyers will assuredly be attracted to the new “affordability” of San Antonio home values. Affordability, of course, is the crucial factor in determining the attraction to buyers. And, make no mistake, buyers are being attracted. A 2.4% vacancy rate, one of the lowest in the state is proof of the attraction San Antonio property holds for newcomers.

Currently –and always subject to variation – there are approximately more than 12,000 homes on the market in San Antonio at a median price of $149,950, up 0.3% from last month, (February.)

Texas mortgage rates as of this writing, and continuously fluctuating are:

• 15 year fixed 4.525% – up 0.006% from the previous week at 4.518%

• 30 year fixed 5.070% – down 0.043% from the previous week at 5.113%

• 1 year ARM 3.280% – up 0.062% from the previous week at 3.218%

• 3/1 year ARM 3.415% – up 0.049% from the previous week at 3.266%

• 5/1 year ARM 3.451% – up 0.020% from the previous week at 3.431%

San Antonio home values continue to appreciate due to the fact that so many buyers are purchasing a primary residence, not strictly investment property

You’ve done everything right – or so you think – to sell your home. You’ve priced it right and sat back and waited for the onslaught of offers. However, a few months later and no offers have you rethinking your plan for selling your Live home.

Pricing your home to sell may only be one part of the equation. It is important to understand that most home buyers of today want homes that appeal to them; homes that they feel welcome in; homes that they get a warm, fuzzy feeling about. After all, much of the home buying process involves emotions.

With that in mind, are you doing everything you can to appeal to your buyers? The following tips may help you create the mood to attract your buyers:

• Let the sun shine in – A dark home doesn’t show well. It makes the rooms appear smaller and makes the home appear less welcoming. Therefore, the best thing you can do brighten things up is to open the blinds, throw back the curtains and let the sun shine in. Take it one step further and turn on all the lights in the house. A bright home will do wonders for the mood of your buyers.
• Take a whiff – Is your home filled with less-than-pleasant odors? The first thing you can do to sell your Live Oak home is to stop smoking in it. Second, avoid cooking any food that may linger in your home, such as fish. Third, keep the kitty’s litter box clean. Lastly, open the windows, if possible, before a showing to flood the home with fresh air. Light a few candles and add fresh flowers and, voila! Your home is now attractive to the noses of your buyers.
• Clean it up – Most of us understand that a clean home sells, but many home sellers fail to realize that it just isn’t about running the vacuum before potential buyers arrive. Instead, your home must be in showcase condition. Things to consider: shampoo the carpets; scrub down the appliances, inside and out; scrub every inch of your bathroom; remove any dirt or marks from the walls; and scrub your kitchen sink until it shines.

There are a number of things you can do increase the chances of selling your home, but there is nothing better than showing buyers that you are interested, serious and motivated to sell your home.

Once you have shown buyers that your serious about selling your Alamo Heights home you will likely see an increase in activity, which will likely lead to a few serious offers.

There are a number of things you can do today to make sure that you show buyers you are more than ready to sell your Alamo Heights home:

• Price it Right – The absolute best way to show your intentions and your willingness to sell is to price your home right. Sure, you can price it according to what you want to get for it, but in the end it won’t do you a bit of good. Frankly, buyers will more often than not breeze past a home that is overpriced. Many buyers don’t want to deal with sellers who are confident that their home is worth more than it is, and they often don’t want to waste their time looking at an overpriced home. In other words, the best way to get buyers through the door of your home is to price it to sell.
• Make your home a showplace – Most buyers, because there is a large supply of homes on the market, are not willing to purchase a home that needs TLC. Because of the competition, many sellers are pulling out all the stops to sell their home; and so should you. Make it a priority to transform your home into a turn-key property by cleaning it up, clearing out the clutter, performing all necessary repairs, and making valuable upgrades.
• Engage in productive negotiations – If a buyer comes in with a lower-than-desirable offer, your first instinct may be to flat out reject it. However, this may not be the best idea, as many buyers are simply “testing the waters” with their first offer. Remain patient and counteroffer and continue the dialogue until you can make a deal.

Open houses are a bit of a confusing prospect for many home sellers. Some real estate agents swear by them, while others don’t ever hold open houses. The question is: where do you stand on the open house debate?

Open houses certainly have a purpose in today’s real estate market. They can draw a big crowd and generate loads of interest. However, on the opposite end, they can attract no more than curious neighbors and passers by.

• The first thing we all know is that we must prepare in advance for an open house for our Bexar County property. The house has to be in pristine condition and it has to be staged to show well. After all, the point of an open house is to wow potential buyers the moment they walk through the door.
• Secondly, you must be prepared to leave the house for the duration of the open house. And, because open houses are typically done on a weekend day, this could seriously cut into your down time. Most open houses last about four hours, so expect to be gone at least that long.
• Next, you can never be sure of your open house turnout. You can prepare for days and leave the house for the better part of a Saturday or Sunday only to have little or no people show. And, as always, you’re at the mercy of the weather. Have an open house during adverse weather conditions and you can be sure most buyers have chosen to stay home.
• Finally, you must be prepared for strangers to tour your home; many of whom have absolutely no interest in purchasing a home. Many sellers are more than reluctant to open their doors for an open house knowing that a stream of strangers will be marching through their home, looking through their kitchen cupboards and bedroom closets.

However, even given all of these not-so-positive features of holding an open house, there have been countless sales that have resulted from open houses. If your real estate agent believes that an open house will benefit you, it may be worth your while to give it a try.

Spring is almost here and that means you may have a renewed interest in your Olmos Park home! Why not take the time to refresh and spruce up your home so that your buyers can experience spring the moment they walk through the door?

There area a number of things you can do to spruce up your Olmos Park property today!

1. Fresh flowers – Nothing says spring more than a few strategically placed vases of fresh flowers. Stop by your local florist on the day of your next open house or showing and purchase a few bouquets of inexpensive, colorful flowers. Consider placing your flowers in the entry way, on the bedside table or on the dining room table.
2. Clean the windows – The rainy weather over the last few weeks has taken its toll on otherwise clean windows. Make it a point to clean both the outside and inside of your windows. Clean windows instantly lighten and brighten any room in your home, so clean them up and then open the curtains!
3. Change bed linens – Consider updating your bedding with fresh, spring colors. Your buyers will notice your fresh change the moment they walk into your bedroom, and you’ll appreciate the change of scenery, as well!
4. Tend to the bathroom – Consider purchasing bright white hand towels for the bathroom and accentuate your bathroom sink with a glass bowl of lightly scented soaps. These small touches can instantly make a dull bathroom feel luxurious and spa-like!
5. Polish your furniture – Get a good furniture polish and a soft rag and go to town on all your wood furniture. The polished wood will instantly polish any room in your Olmos Park and the luster of your newly polished wood will show well!
6. Scrub down your kitchen cabinets – Give your kitchen cabinets a glow by scrubbing away all of the dirt, grease and grime that have accumulated on them over the years. While you’re at it, give all your appliances a scrub down, both on the inside and out. Your kitchen will look and feel like brand new!