Wasilla Real Estate News, Valley Market Real Estate

Selling Your Home With Minimal Risk January 17th, 2007

Categories: For Sellers

Selling a home in Alaska is risky.  This is especially true if the home has some major defects which you are hiding. I’ll never forget looking at a home for a seller who wanted to know what I thought his home was worth.  As we walked in the front yard he mentioned in an off-hand way that a fuel tank was buried under the lawn but he had cut the pipe off about a foot down.  He said he didn’t think it was important to tell anyone about it.  As you can imagine, that is not a listing I pursued.  That seller was just asking for trouble.

If the buyer knows about all the defects in your home and buys it anyway, you will incur very little risk.  The important thing is to disclose as much as possible.  The Alaska Property Disclosure Form is required for all residential properties in Alaska. You should complete it as thoroughly as you can.  Answer all the questions for which you know the answer.  Some questions may require a little research, so if you can find the answer, write it down. 

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Written by Marty Van Diest Please leave a comment.

For Sale By Owner, Is It For You? January 16th, 2007

Categories: Wasilla Real Estate News

Some people want to sell their home without the aid of a real estate broker.  This article will start you in the right direction to market your home yourself.  Hopefully it will help you find a buyer and bring you and your buyer to a trouble free closing.  In Wasilla and Palmer, real estate is a little tricky to market on your own so a few guidelines will help.

You need to determine price.  You need to determine what your house is worth to real buyers, not to friends and neighbors who aren’t  ready to part with money on your home.  You do this by comparing your home with similar homes that have recently sold or are now on the market.  A great resource is the Mat-Su Borough web site.  This shows you the amount that the Borough thinks the property is worth.  However because the Borough has to assess all the properties every year they are often way off.  For example I am currently marketing this property for $77,000 less than the borough’s assessed value.  And I have another going on the market today for just about $100,000 more than the assessed value.

Find recent sales.  If you live in a neighborhood or subdivision with other home similar to your own there should be some recent sales.  Since most Alaskans move every 5–6 years, you should find some homes in the area that have sold in the last year.  Find some homes similar in size and style to your own and find out what they sold for.  If they are recent sales the Mat-Su Borough website will often be up to date.  It may even have the most recent sales information on the site.  This is good information.  Figure the price per square foot and then multiply it times your square footage.  Now you are at least in the ball park. 

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Written by Marty Van Diest Please leave a comment.

The Three Laws Of Staging January 12th, 2007

Categories: For Sellers, Getting Ready For The Sale

Getting the price right is the most important issue in determining the sales time of a home.  If it isn’t priced right it will not sell, period.  But even if the price is right there is a final step to take that will put you a notch above the competition.  We call it staging your home.  You are setting your house up so that potential buyers can feel themselves moving in. 

Most people in Wasilla and Palmer do not stage their homes, so this will help put you over the top. 

You need to de-clutter mercilessly.  You are no longer making the home comfortable for yourself or for anyone, for that matter.  You are setting the home up like a model home.  If you’ve gone into a model home that is staged well, you will notice that it has furniture, but not too much furniture.  The table may be set but there aren’t any dishes on the counter or in the sink. There may be a book on an end table but only one book.  So get rid of all the extra furniture, all the extra dishes, all the extra clothes, all the extra books.  Pack them nicely in boxes and stack them in the garage, or better yet, put them in storage.  You are going to be moving anyway.

De-personalizing allows someone else to feel at home.  Even though we all have photos of loved ones on the walls, momentos of adventurous hunts hanging over the fireplace, small pictures of all the cousins, aunts, and babies stuck to the fridge with magnets, they now need to go.  Anything that reminds buyers that this is YOUR  home and not THEIRS needs to be taken down.  Pack it up, you are going to be moving anyway.

Neutralize.  I think I have shown close to 6,000 homes since I have been in real estate.  I have yet to show a home with wall paper without a buyer commenting on it.  And the comment is never positive.  Wall paper is so personal  that it will almost never please the next buyer.  Take it down and paint the wall.  And while you are painting, repaint the green and purple bedroom that your pre-teen insisted upon.  It is best to repaint the whole interior some neutral color. 

If you have anything else in the home that is not a very neutral color replace it.  Most sellers say they would rather allow the buyer to pick their own colors and replace at closing but that is a mistake. 

Most buyers will not even buy your home if the colors cause them to have an emotional reaction. Choosing a home to purchase is first and foremost an emotional decision.  If a home doesn’t feel right the buyer will walk away.  They will usually name something about the home that wasn’t right but the real reason is that they could not feel at home in the house. 

It is much easier to mentally move in to a home that is staged well.  The buyers will sit on the sofa and just try to imagine themselves living there if you have obeyed the three laws of staging.  

Written by Marty Van Diest 3 Comments »

Wasilla Interest Rates, Jan 11, 2007 January 11th, 2007

Categories: Market Trends, Wasilla Real Estate News

The information below was provided by Bryan Scoresby at Countrywide in Wasilla

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?Loan Type????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 30 year?????????????? 15 year

Bryan Scoresby
Home Loan Consultant
1981 East Palmer Wasilla Hwy. Ste. 200
Wasilla, AK 99654
(907) 352-4504 direct
(907) 357-5866 fax?????? Email Bryan

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Written by Marty Van Diest Please leave a comment.

Sell Your House…Quickly ! January 9th, 2007

Categories: For Sellers

Let?s take another look at market statistics to see what we can learn.?

As of today there are?328 homes on the market between Sutton to Big Lake to Settlers Bay.?I took out the?brand new homes and condos.? ?Those homes range in price from $75,000 to $2.5 million.? The median price for the homes is $245,000.? But this is the most important number?these homes have been on the market for an average of 119 days.? That?s right, these homes that are on the market right now have been there for an average of?almost 4 months!?

Now lets look at the houses that have sold in the last?4 months.? Since?September in this same area?265 houses have sold.? The median sales price was $195,000.? But here it is?the houses that actually sold in the last four months were only on the market for 68 days.? So the average days on the market for houses that sell is only 68 days.?But the average house on the market right now is almost twice that.? What is the difference?

The big difference is price.? People that wanted to sell, priced their home to sell.? People that wanted to sell only if they get a certain price ended up just putting their sign on the house, and it?s been there for 4 months.? Many of them used these methods to price their home.? Obviously, this doesn?t work.?

Some homes are just so unique that it?s difficult to get a good value comparing to what is on the market.? On those few homes it is best to get a very experienced realtor to help.? Use someone you trust and work with them.? They will honestly tell you how they are arriving on a price and work with you and the market to sell your home.

But most homes in the valley can be priced close enough to the market to sell.? Of the homes that did sell in the last 4 months, the sales price was 95% or more of the asking price.? That shows that it is very important to price it within 5%? of the market.? With a good selection of inventory, buyers are not even making offers on house priced 10?15% over market price.? An experienced realtor can help you find the correct price.? You should list the house at that price and expect an offer very close to the price.

I have been selling homes full time?in the valley for 16 years.? I average more than one sale a week? Call me, I can help you find that magic number.?My cell is 232?7900, and when you call it?guess what?? It?s me that answers, not a receptionist. Or you can email me [email protected]

Written by Marty Van Diest Please leave a comment.