Tag: buy/sell

Sell A House and Buy A House at the same time!

Posted on by Janelle Freeman

Let’s talk about a Sell/Buy situation, as this seems like a pretty scary endeavor at first thought, but with the right plan, tools, and people, this process can be seamless.

PLANNING

Once you’ve decided it’s time to move on to your next house adventure, but you need to sell your current house in order to pay for it, CALL YOUR AGENT, and then call your lender!! These are the first steps. The second step is easy enough – your agent will do a walkthrough in your home that you need to sell. This will be the time when you can discuss your ideal timeline, where and why you’d like to move, and your agent will provide tips to get your house sell ready. This is such an important part! Since you’ll be needing to sell to pay for your next house, the selling element is crucial. You want the most eyes seeing this dialed in, put together, clutter-free, priced right house. It needs to be easily accessible for showings, open houses, and both the inside and out needs to be looking it’s best. You’re joining the dating pool, and you need to find the new lover of this house. First impressions are EVERYTHING!

I would recommend having a list that you all, (you and your agent), can see and make adjustments to as you check off the to-do’s. Something like Trello works wonders! Do the inexpensive, but impactful things such as updating light fixtures, shampoo that carpet, add some mulch and new flowers to the garden. Need contacts, contractors, or handyfolks to help, we have the resources! Create a realistic timeline on getting all the things done, then one to two weeks to list, have another walkthrough with your agent. Planning for selling is so very important. I want to ensure my seller clients are getting the most bang for your buck in prepping their property, but also that once we “go live!” with the listing, that it sells for top dollar to some excited buyers. That brings us to…

PRICING TO SELL

How long do you have to move? Did you just find the perfect house, but you haven’t even listed yet? Did you list, but the house isn’t selling, and you really want to put an offer on your dreamhouse? The price can be the selling or sticking point in this already challenging situation. Your agent will find some comparable sold properties that have sold recently in your area with similar criteria to your house. Price too high and it sits, price just right and it sells fast. List at the right time, et voila! We like to think it’s a bit of an art.

BEGIN THE HOUSE HUNT IN EARNEST

Now that your house is listed, or about to be listed, (within a few days), the house hunt begins in earnest. Time to go house shopping, which is so exciting! Since you’ve listed your home, the chances of competing are a bit higher as a contingent offer. If you’re pending on your house, even better! However, something to consider when writing an offer while being contingent, is that it’s so important to know what that seller needs, and then deliver and then some. The terms and purchase price of your offer will be crucial to beat out the other offers that may not be contingent.

HAVE A PLAN B

As with most things in real estate, predictions can be precarious. Of course, we want everything to go seamlessly, without too many hiccups or hurdles, but sometimes things just happen. While selling your house to buy your next one, having a plan b for the just in case moments is so very important. For example, say you sell your house, but you still haven’t found the next one. A very valid concern! Consider putting your things in storage and getting a short term rental or Airbnb. Maybe a stay with some family and friends for a while until you find that dream house. Never stop the house hunt no matter how exhausting it may be. It will be worth it in the end. Knowing you have a plan b will help take the pressure off an already very much pressurized situation.

All in all, your agent – whether it’s me or someone else just as fabulous – will be your guide, therapist, planner, manager, and advocate throughout this whole endeavor. Ready to list? Want to see the ‘just listed’ and then soon after the “offer accepted” posts? I’m here to help make your dreams come true!

Janelle Freeman, Broker at Living Room Realty

Janelle Freeman, Realtor (@janelleisrealestate) | Instagram

 

 

When you decide to buy a house together

Posted on by Living Room Realty

 

Sometimes buying a house together is just a breeze.  This was one of those times.  Kara and Nicole are one of those couples that works well together and were on the same page while shopping.  Looking to move out a little further for some more space, inside and outside, these two were open to a lot of options.  They settled on outer lents in a delightful little pocket neighborhood.

Kara was my very first client in 2013 and it has been great to watch her grow both personally and professionally and continue developing our friendship along the way.  These two caring, giving nurses brought masks to us and special treats specifically for me as I dealt with some health concerns.  It’s great to see them settle in a house that will allow for them to build their future family together.  It has been very rewarding to be part of that process. I can’t to see what the future holds for them!

Will my house sell for more money when I stage it?

Posted on by Julia Robertson

Perceived Value.

A homebuyer determines the value of a home before they even enter your home. The NAR reported 55% of buyers find their home on the internet. First impression is everything. A photo can speak a thousand words… but don’t take my word for it, see for yourself and review the research below. Forbes, the National Association of REALTORS®,  and HGTV agree that staging your home will earn you a positive return.

 

The photos shown here are from actual listings in Oregon & Washington, that I sold, and either personally staged or hired a professional stager. Some of these listings were full of clutter or located in a logistically difficult location.  One listing was on a very busy road with almost no driveway or garage and several unfinished construction projects. Another had little natural light and a slight pet odor. The last home was the most expensive house in the neighborhood, surrounded by homes that did not maintain their yard(or not attractive from the exterior), and did not have a garage. The point is- there may be other factors that make a home more difficult to sell. First impression is everything. If you can WOW potential buyers regarding the interior and exterior, the other factors are minimal in the end. A common rule of thumb for a home on a busy road, is to reduce the price 10%. If there are factors that already reduce the value of your home, wouldn’t you want to make up for it in some way? And if you could add 10%+ value to the true value of your home by re-arranging furniture or staging it- why wouldn’t you?

Forbes reported, “According to the National Association of REALTORS®, for every $100 invested in staging, the potential return is $400 . Compare that to the average sale price, which is a reduction of 10-20% from asking. So an average home with a $400,000 asking price will be reduced by $40,000 to $80,000.”

A great quote right out of an HGTV article, “I see many home sellers confuse staging with decorating and consequently resisting the process and the recommendations of the staging professional. But the reality is that the moment you commit to marketing your home for sale, you need to commit to transforming your home into a place that potential buyers can easily picture as their home.”

Staging is not only about furniture or de-cluttering. Staging a home for sale is a process that starts by preparing a “listing-prep” plan. After I meet with a client and sign a listing contract, we do a walk through together and make this plan. It can include a calendar of timelines to get household projects completed, packing, storing furniture, and touching up paint. As you can see from all of the above “before” photos, lighting makes a HUGE difference. Lighting, furniture placement, and professional photography create the WOW. Once we have all those elements, the perceived value of your home is at its highest and best. When your home is presented at its highest and best value- you sell for the highest price! Actual value depends on your location and condition of home. To find out what your home value is and what staging can do to improve the value of your home- contact me.

If you’re curious what it’ll take to sell your home, call me! I’d love to discuss future real estate opportunities with you. Call, email or text anytime.

Julia Robertson | Broker Licensed in Oregon & Washington

Insta @realestatebyjulia

541-505-1111 | julia@rebyjulia.com

Living Room Realty

Be the Wolf – Be Like Chris

Posted on by Living Room Realty

My real estate partner, Chris Speth, has always reminded me of a character played by Harvey Keitel in the movie Pulp Fiction. That character is called “The Wolf”. Technically, the Wolf is a cleaner, which is a person that is brought in to fix a messy situation in a hurry. You call them to do the job that you personally don’t have the skills to do.  Cleaners are specialized people who remove incriminating evidence from a crime scene (usually one involving murder) in order to make the legal consequences of the crime go away. Cleaners flip a scene, shake things up, and transform a space so that it is whole again.  The house with stained carpet ✔ (taken care of), the house with the car that needs to be removed from the garage ✔ (hauled off), the filth and decay ✔ (bleach does the job), lastly, the multiple dump runs to clean the scene ✔ – done (by Chris personally- using his trailer).  Being a great REALTOR® is one thing, but being a combo ‘cleaner/realtor’ is something so incredibly special; it’s like having a bad-ass Tinker bell sitting on your shoulder protecting you at all times.

Elite cleaners, like my partner Chris, often work for agencies (government or boutique firms). You rarely hear about them because they are quiet and humble – stealth-like. You might hear a whisper about an event that ‘might have’ happened, but you will never know who cleaned it up because the cleaner never leaves a trail. Not only does he manage to get the job done, but he gets it done with grace and style. He’s the epitome of cool under pressure. Chris uses a checklist, and then he delivers. He doesn’t over-promise to his clients, nor is he cocky—instead; he surveys the scene, gets the facts and then confidently states what his plan is. Rather jumping-the-gun and diving in to the “the really messy parts”, Chris will often come up with a plan to delegate tasks. He understands that the goal can’t be met if he attempts to do it all himself, so he has a secretive team that he calls on: Clark, Jeff, and Jimmie often divvy up the work.

When all of the tasks are completed with the highest level of attention by the team members, the results can be extraordinary.  The key is to stay calm, cool, and collected throughout it all— and no one does this better than these guys.  The ‘situation’ that was once needing dire attention, is now cleaned up and transformed.

A Wolf understands that he must treat his help with encouraging words and celebrate all successful clean-ups at the Space Room.  Setting a holistic approach from the start of a clean-up, to consistently not loosing sight that whiskey is the perfect ending for all involved in the job. This assures everyone that the situation is under control. With a clink of glasses its done.  Cleaned, listed, ‘BOOM’ – Offer in the next day!

     The Wolf/Chris Check List:

  1. Introduce yourself to your new client
  2. Identify their needs
  3. Survey the scene
  4. Take notes – make a list
  5. Assess the situation
  6. Identify all of the shit that can go wrong
  7. Prioritize tasks
  8. Get to work and delegate if needed
  9. Always have a backup plan.  Always have a bag packed.

It’s Funny How Life Changes…

Posted on by Living Room Realty

Over the course of a couple years Tiffany would casually reach out  with questions about a property here, a house there.  Perhaps only two or three properties in total. She had dreams of one day, someday, buying a house.  She wasn’t serious about moving from her cozy St. John’s condo in which she’d lived for over a decade. Her three closest friends lived in North Portland, and aside from a daily commute to West Linn, all was well in her housing world.

 

That changed quickly however, when, in the span of a few month,  those three friends moved away to Idaho, Vancouver and SE Portland. Although the first two locations were not viable options for Tiffany, SE Portland held great appeal, not only due to the proximity to her friend, but also on account of the drastically reduced commute time that it would guarantee. She had also, a year prior, adopted a sweet and energetic pup who longed to have a yard in which to frolic. Suddenly, Tiffany kicked her search into high gear and set out to find her own little plot in SE Portland.

 

Within a matter of weeks she identified a perfect little country house on which she placed an offer.  She won despite two other competing bids. Sadly, during inspections it was found that various pests had been gnawing on the post, floor joists, and general foundation components, compromising it’s structure. Luckily, these issues were identified in inspections and she was able to decide against taking on these issues and this house.

 

Tiffany moved on to discover an even better fit – a tidy bungalow in the Woodstock neighborhood in very close proximity to New Seasons and popular restaurants.  Although I was traveling when she found this gem, my fantastic business partner, Sean O’Feery,  was able to get her purchase underway! By the time I returned less than a week later, we were sailing quickly into inspections which turned out to be far less “buggy” than those that came before. We were able to immediately get to work preparing her cute condo to sell!  Congratulations Tiffany on your new home and the sale of your condo!