Home Seller Tips

1. Be mindful that you chose to sell your home. This can be an emotional roller coaster between selling a home that is filled with memories, to packing, to wonderment about the next place you will call home. Remember that a buyer is looking for any imperfections to share with you in a price war. It is always good to take your emotions and focus instead of the asking price and if the buyers demands are agreeable. It doesn’t matter if you heard that they hate your paint choice or they feel your living room is cluttered. Remember they are making an offer and you do wish to move.

2. Listen to your selling agent – They have been doing this a long time and know what sells and in what price range. You can list your home for whatever you want, however your agent can show you what price it is likely to sell in. Be open to any showing requests If potential buyers cannot get into your home, it cannot be sold. If they they tell you to downsize until the move, listen. Cluttered homes are hard for buyers to picture themselves in and often clutter makes the home look smaller.

3. Be realistic. When an offer comes in, again step away from emotions and really look at the offer. Sometimes a lower offer is actually a better offer than a higher one due to details on the buyers side. Sometimes a closing date is most important. Sometimes just moving is the highest goal. If you remain open minded as each offer comes in you will be at a good place to consider if this is a good offer. If you are not getting offers, listen carefully to your agent as well as any comments from home showings. Take these comments too heart. If they share its over market, consider a price change. If they all think that bright orange living room is hard to look at, consider buying a gallon of paint and go neutral. Focus on the small things. Dust cold air returns, wash light switches, add a fresh new rug, a few towels, perhaps a bedspread. These little tasteful changes can make someone wish to move in.

Kim Woehl is an real estate agent with Red Key Realty. You can contact her today at 651-214-1459

Wyoming Housing Market June 2015

Considering selling or buying a home in Wyoming MN? Check out the newest market report.

Click to access Wyoming.pdf

A few highlights are:
– The average sales price is $229,813
– Cost per square foot is up 5.6% at $112.00
– Days on market before sale is currently at 81 days

As a real estate professional I am always looking for buyers and sellers who are interested in working with an agent who is knowledgeable, and understands the current market. Let me show you what your current home will likely sell for. If you are looking to buy a home, let me listen to your needs and help you to find the perfect home. Whether you are a first time home buyer or you have been a home owner there is always more to learn about the process. No one likes surprises. Work with a team that supports you in all ways real estate.

Kim Woehl – Red Key Realty – 651-214-1459

Red Key Realty – An Exciting Change

Well, its official!  I have just transferred to Red Key Realty.  I am excited to continue working with buyers and sellers of residential real estate.  It won’t be long now before cabin fever hits us all hard and with this comes the thought of purchasing a new home or in some cases to leave this current space and look for that next dream.

Working with an agent who cares about you will be evident from our first conversation.  I believe in educating my clients and guiding them along in the whole real estate process so that in the end we pass the key and you cross the threshold into your new home.

Let’s talk today!  Call me – Kim Woehl – Red Key Realty – 651-214-1459

So Why Isn’t my Home Selling?

Let me sell your home!

As a real estate professional I like to sit down with future clients and spend some time educating them on the local market.  I share what has sold in the area that is similar to their home.  I ask what they feel their home is valued at and then I show them some homes in that price range that have recently sold.  If we can agree that their home will likely sell for $_______ and the home owner is willing to list their home for $_________ then likely their home will sell quickly and they can begin searching for their new home.

The bottom line when listing your home is to know what it likely will sell for.  If you are over the market your home will sit and while you may get people in to look at your home, they likely will want to get the most for their dollar and will choose the home down the block that is just a bit more reasonable.

So what other problems might be keeping those offers from coming in?  Do you quickly approve showings?  You want to have your home available for showings day or evening and be as accommodating as possible so that potential buyers can see your home on their schedule.

Remove as many personal items as possible and tidy up as much as possible.  Be prepared to leave in about a 30 minute notice and you will never have to be concerned about a showing.

When that offer does come in make sure you have decided before hand what offer you will likely accept and which offer you would reject.  If you are looking to buy or sell you want to work with an agent that is on your team working for you.  If you are looking for a professional to walk you through the process please give me a call.  Kim Woehl- Keller Williams Premier Realty  651-214-1459

That Stinks! Marketing with Fragrance – Home Selling

As a real estate professional I hear it often.  What is that smell?  There are of course good smells and bad smells and sometimes this is up to your own personal preference.  No one wants to smell garbage, dirty laundry, pet odors, urine, mold or mildew or that wet stagnant smell.  Potential buyers need to feel comfortable and be able to think about how they might arrange their furniture or hang photos.  They do not need to be wondering how they can remove the “stink”.

We need to be careful to not mask these smells but rather eliminate them.  Once eliminated then you might find it appealing to add a bit of “good smell” to your home.  Research says that certain smells attach to our emotional self.  smells or fragrances from our past that were pleasant experiences bring back positive memories.

Have you been to the local mall lately?  Stores are using fragrances to get you to take out your card.  Its working.  Does this marketing work for home selling?  Research says yes!

My personal favorite is apple cinnamon.  It reminds me of my Grandma’s pies, piping hot coming out of the oven.  I especially love this around the holidays.  Lavender is another common fragrance that is said to be calming.  Do you want your potential buyers to feel relaxed as they tour your home?  The rage this time of year is pumpkin.  We find it in everything from candles to coffee, ice cream to snack cakes.

Now that we have covered “what stinks”, we also need to listen to this huge bit of advice.  Invite in a few friends that can be honest with you.  Ask them if they smell any smells in your home.  We grow accustomed to our own environment and often times can no longer recognize or notice an odor, but your friends will.

Kim Woehl is a real estate professional with Keller Williams Premier Realty.  Before you list your home with someone else, consider giving me a call.  It might make scents!  651-214-1459

Housing is Rebounding – Multiple Offers Attest!

The market continues to improve.  I don’t need data to know this.  The last month’s offers have left me with only one offer that was not part of a multiple offer deal.  Listing agents have reported back to me on a few of these and stated that we were one of 8 other offers on the same property.

People are buying and what they have to select from is limited and when a nice one comes around, it is likely gone before the day is out unless they are holding out for the best offer via multiple offers.

As a buyer you will find you will make an offer only to have your agent get back to you asking for your highest and best.  They need this as you are part of a multiple offer deal and the seller wants to make the most money and the buyer has to decide just how much they really want the property.  Often times someone else has a bit more money to spend, has a good qualification letter or is totally preapproved.

When you are ready to buy a home I highly suggest being pre approved and keep this letter updated so that it is always a good letter.  Once you have your letter in hand you are ready to talk to your licensed real estate expert.  We will help you to find the home that fits your budget and location criteria.  Choose an agent who will ask what you need and then will listen and show you what you really wish to see.  Use free MLS search sites like mine  🙂 to search on your own and then go see it for yourself.

Are you ready to make that move?  Let’s talk!

Kim Woehl is a licensed Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Premier Realty.  She is looking forward to working with you whether you are buying or selling your home.

Call now!  651-214-1459

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Investing in a Rental Home – Consider this.

Looking to invest in real estate? Contact Kim Woehl – Keller Williams Premier Realty 651-214-1459

We buy a home hoping that it will increase in value.  We watched for years as homes made a steady upward climb.  It began to seem almost impossible that this steady progression would stop, but it did.

Just like any investment we don’t have a lot of control over what ultimately happens when it comes to the market.  This said, we do have control over where to buy, how much to spend and how much to improve the property.

Consider for a moment that you purchase a home with the idea that it will never appreciate.  Even if the price of the home never goes up, you still are collecting monthly rental income while you pay down the mortgage.  You can also increase the property value by making updates that will bring value to the home.  How much can you afford to lose.  Before buying is the time to decide how much risk you can take and if investing is right for you.

 

Homes For Sale – Or are They?

I have future clients call all the time,  wishing me to look up a house that they want to go see.  They are soon disappointed when I share that the site they have been using is old and does not have current data and that the home that they wanted to see has been sold for quite some time.  Its frustrating as the real estate agent as well to have to share this information.  On the upside I am able to send them to a free website that allows them to search for free.  It only includes homes that are listed as actively for sale and you can set your criteria to look for what type of home you wish to find.  You can set up pricing, you can even look up just foreclosures or only lake homes.  The options are great!

The added bonus is that you can set up this site to do the searching for you and only send you an email when it has a home that fits your search criteria.  Doesn’t this sound like a better resource that the one you might have been using?

Now when you call or email me we can go look at the home and put in an offer before its gone.  With the inventory still down we are going into almost all offers as a multple offer situation, meaning that someone else or several someones wants the same home.  Now it comes down to the best offer.  We can discuss that too, but that is for another day.

Stop by my website to find all that I have shared.  You can find it on the blog page as well under Free Home Search.  When you find what you are looking for, give me a call.  I want to be Your Real Estate Expert!

Kim Woehl is an agent with Keller Williams Premier Realty.   Her goal is to listen and find you that perfect home while educating you along the way whenever possible.

Click the link below for your Free Home Search!

http://kwoehl.kwrealty.com/listings/propertytype/SINGLE/maxprice/300000/areas/33294,33658,42028,50220,53643/sort/price+asc/

 

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Finding Your New Home

Call me! I am your local real estate expert! 651-214-1459

You are looking for a new home, there are homes for sale so why can it be so hard to find the right one?  Searching for a new home can be frustrating, time consuming and confusing if you don’t know where to begin your search.

I strongly suggest beginning with a list of wants as well as a list of what you definitely do not want.  Its important to know that you won’t likely find a home that matches your entire wish list.  Some times you may not even know what you are looking for and that is okay.  Your agent can help you decipher what it is that you are looking for.  The first place I always recommend that how buyers visit is a local mortgage company to see what they qualify for and to get a pre-qualification letter.  We use this letter later on to attach to all offers and this one piece of paper will often set you ahead of the next guy especially if they have not pre-qualified.  With today’s market we are seeing lots of multiple offers so anything that can put you ahead of the other buyer is a good thing.

With your letter in hand, it is now a good time to sit down with your real estate agent to discuss what you are looking for.  Will it be a town home, single family home, lake home or anything else.  Will you wish to live in town, in the country, next to a park, close to schools?  Do you want a garage, stairs, how many bedrooms will you need?  Are you looking for a move in ready home or are you handy and are hoping to save some costs coming in and doing some of your own renovations?  These and many other questions can be asked and considered before your agent even begins a search.

Now the fun part begins.  You can start previewing homes on line.  You can do this for free at my website and find homes all of the homes that are currently available on the MLS.  (www.kwoehl.kwrealty.com)

The website lets you set up price, location, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, garage, if you require a fireplace you can find that too.  Perhaps you want lake shore.  You can set the criteria to only find water front properties.  There is even a way to search for rentals if you don’t have quite enough for a down payment yet and need to rent for a bit.

Here is the best part.  Once you have signed up and set your criteria you won’t have to do this each time.  You can even set this up (or your agent can) so that you get daily emails of new listings that fit your criteria so that you can get in and make an offer before other potential buyers scoop up your dream home.

While viewing homes online can be a huge time saver and helps your agent to learn what you like it is also important to remember to have an open mind.  Sometimes photos can be deceiving and other times they don’t do a home justice.  Perhaps this home is in the perfect neighborhood or maybe its not.  Sticking to your list and then being diligent in your search will find you that perfect home and get you moved in!

 

Mom and Dad Spaces – Dealing with Aging Parents

More and more families are going back to years gone by and making spaces for aging parents.  Some are adding additions so that parents can have separate living quarters and yet have their family very near by.  Others opt for a shared space with a bedroom devoted to mom, dad or both.

When my husband and I were young we built our first home.  While we were in the construction phase we bought a camper and moved it to my parent’s farm.  This worked pretty well as we hooked up to their sewer and used their water.  We had our own space and this worked for us even though it was cramped and did not allow for a lot of storage.  It was a short term living space.

As fall came and then the snow, it became too difficult to keep the little camper heated and we had to refill the fuel tank daily.  My parents let us move into their home for the last month of construction.  We made it work.  We were all a bit more cramped and my hubby and I shared a place on a pull out couch that had to be cleaned up and put away daily in their living room.  We were both allergic to cats and my parents had several.  It worked, but wasn’t the best living arrangements.  Let’s say we were happy to finally move into our new home and they were happy to see us move out and into our new space.

There are certainly things to consider when having your parents or your spouses move into your home.  Will it be separate, will you plan to hang out during the day, will noise be a factor, will you be sharing meals, will you have them sign a lease or will they be allowed to occupy the space for free?  Planning for success will bring success and many families are doing it already.  What a great way to save on rent, lower housing expenses and keep your parents near as they age.  I would love to hear success and horror stories and of course any tips you might have.

Kim is a real estate agent working in the north metro area with Keller Williams Premier Realty.  Let her find you your next home.  Perhaps a home large enough to support your family and a space for mom or dad!

Here is a you tube clip that will give additional considerations to shared space living.  http://youtu.be/XDZdMAJ7KOA