2010 January | Support Local Austin

Archive for January 2010 – Page 2

How to Sell It

January 26th, 2010

I have spent some time in Western Austin. From West Lake Hills, all the way up to Milwood. I have to say overall, I am a little disappointed some listing agents and owners aren’t preparing a home as well as they could for sale. Basic things like replacing the carpeting, touching up nail holes….how about vacuuming? When you sell your home, it should shine. If ’shine’ is too much to ask for…how about clean enough for company. You are going to have company when selling your home. I am calling them company, but they also happen to be your harshest critics.

My top 2 goals as a listing agent, are to sell your home in the shortest amount of time, for the most money possible. When I’m listing a home, I don’t really care how many homes are on the market. I just want my listing to shine, so it’s the next one to sell.

Now, I’m not telling you to install $30,000 in granite. All I am saying is make that Formica the best it can be!

Categories Selling a home
Comments (0)

Money Doesn’t Buy Everything

by Doreen Zelma

January 19th, 2010

I previewed a $3.5 million dollar home on Friday, in Tarrytown. I have several clients looking in Tarrytown, of which, this particular house turned out not to be a match for any of them. Not all of them are necessary looking in that price point, but I have clients who tell me all of time, if they could afford more; they would find the right house. More often than not, that is very far from the truth.

Even when I custom built a home, it still didn’t turn out to be perfect, for me. I always look at homes through my clients’ eyes. Even at $3.5 million, I walked around that home thinking, that’s not Shellie’s kitchen and that’s not the Smith’s family pool. Even at $3.5 million I couldn’t say that house was a good fit for any my clients. Now, don’t get me wrong. It was a great house, with an amazing view of the lake. Homes need to be functional in different ways, for different people. It just wasn’t going to work with my clients’ lifestyles.

Having more money to spend on a house isn’t going to necessarily buy you a home that’s a perfect fit. You can find a house at any price point that is a perfect fit for you. Money doesn’t buy ‘perfect’, because perfection really doesn’t have a price.

I support local Austin; after all I think it’s only neighborly.

Categories Buying a home
Comments (0)

What’s your dream house doing in someone else’s dream?

by Doreen Zelma

January 19th, 2010

I met my clients in the Denny’s parking lot on I-35 to sign an offer, which was then scanned and emailed to the Listing Agent, by midnight. After telling someone this, he said I was nuts. Yes, that may be true, but when my clients want a house, I don’t sit around and wait for someone else to buy it.

Even with our combined effort, the house had multiple offers on it, after only being on the market for 6 days, and we lost it. We tried our best, and will be just as passionate and steadfast for the next one, because your dream house often appears in the dreams of others as well.

Do you need my services? I support local Austin, after all I think its only neighborly.

Categories Buying a home
Comments (0)

Resale vs. New Construction

by Doreen Zelma

January 19th, 2010

I taught the Buyer Consultation class to new agents this week. When you are buying a home, especially in an area where there is still building going on, you need to be mindful of its resale value. If you are planning on selling in less than 3 years, you may very well be competing against new construction.

One year young – is not new. You will not be able to price your home equal to a new build, if all other things, like lot location, are equal. This is why certain areas have excess inventory right now. The Resale market is slower in price points in areas where new construction going on. Why buy used, when you can buy new? If your home is listed for resale in these areas, you need to be competitively priced. Its like picking a car off the lot, instead of ordering one.

I always say money has a way of making things disappear. So, maybe you can’t ‘pick your colors’ as with new construction, but if a buyer can save some money on your resale…you may be able to make that existing paint color vanish.

I support local Austin, after all I think its only neighborly.

Categories Buying a home, Selling a home
Comments (2)

« Previous Page