When selling your home, make sure the interior is spic and span! By now, you’ve got some serious momentum going in regards to preparing your home for sale. Whether you’re looking to sell La Quinta real estate property or a home in another area of the region, now is a great time to get the house looking its very best, since many visitors and international tourists in the market for a vacation home are visiting during this time of year.
Many of the details that you consider minor actually make a big difference to buyers who are seeing a property for the first time. Even if they’ve looked at other Indio real estate properties or homes in other areas of Palm Springs, when they come across a home that appears to be in mint condition and well-kept, the overall effect can quickly cause a sale to turn in your favor.
Do a scan of the house and then make it sparkle from top to bottom. When you have an open house coming up, wash the windows, both inside and outside, vacuum thoroughly and mop or wax the floors until they shine. Assess the sinks, tubs and showers to see if they need re-caulking and bleach any grout that is dingy. Dust all the furniture and areas where dirt accumulates, such as ceiling fan blades, light fixtures and chandeliers.
Remember, if you’re trying to sell a La Quinta real estate property or something similar, the buyers are going to expect the premises to be pristine and high-end. If there are worn bedspreads or duvets on the beds, replace them now. Buy brand new towels for the bathroom, only to be put out when you know there are some prospects coming to look at the house. If you’ve considered replacing a worn bedspread, do so now! Also, replace any burned-out light bulbs or worn-out rugs.
Last but not least, make sure the exterior of the house is spic and span. Hose the garage, driveways and sidewalks down, or rent a pressure washer to get the job done. Clean out any cobwebs in the garage or patio and sweep or rake any dead leaves. Polish any chrome faucets throughout, wipe down all the mirrors and air out any areas that are musty or have odors. It’s even recommended to clean out your refrigerator.
Whether your goal is to sell an Indio real estate property or any other area in Palm Springs Valley, know that if it takes some work to prepare your property, the payoff will be worth it.
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Now’s the time to replace items you want to take with you when you sell your home!
You’ve depersonalized, decluttered and rearranged—now it’s time to really get moving. Whether buyers are searching for Indian Wells real estate or equestrian homes in the Coachella Valley, there are certain things you can do to increase the appeal of your property as you prepare it for sale. Now is the time to replace and repair some of the items in your home.
If there are specific items in your home that you love or are very attached to, this is the perfect time to remove them. For example, there might be a chandelier that has sentimental value, or perhaps you really like those curtains you installed when you moved in. If that’s the case, remove them now before your house is shown to prospective buyers. The last thing you want to do is show the house with that item in it and have the buyer fall in love with it themselves! Replace those items with something that looks equally attractive, and no one will ever know the difference.
Another major component of your property that may need to be replaced in certain areas is carpeting or flooring. While you probably don’t want to make a large expenditure at this stage, if there is a room where the carpeting or the flooring is damaged beyond repair, you may want to simply replace it. Permanently stained carpeting can dissuade even the most eager buyer from purchasing your otherwise lovely Indian Wells real estate property.
If you’re selling a property that falls into a unique category, such as equestrian homes, assess specific areas with the same mindset. If there is something in particular in the barn or stables that you can’t live without, remove it and replace it before anyone sees the property.
Image source: www.houzz.com
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Making sure your house is neat and tidy is a great step to getting it sold! By now, you’ve depersonalized, de-cluttered and disassociated yourself from your home. You’re ready for the next stage: rearranging.
Every real estate agent or short sale Realtor will tell you that when they give tours of properties, potential buyers love to open every cabinet, drawer and closet that they can. Naturally, they want to see what kind of space they may be working with if they do purchase the home, but you can also chalk some of that inclination up to good old curiosity. Make sure that everything is clean and organized—you want to convey the image that every single thing in the house has been well taken care of, from little things like drawers to the big things like rooftops and plumbing.
Ways to organize your cabinets is to ensure all dishes are stacked neatly and with their matching accessories, turn the handles on coffee cups the same way, and put any mismatches at the very top, as far out of sight as possible. In your closet, hang like colors and items together and turn hangers to face the same direction. One short sale realtor gave us a great tip—try SlimLine hangers to maximize space in the closet. They’re flocked so that clothing stays in place and their slim design improves the overall aesthetic of the closet—plus, everyone knows that extra room is key. Get racks to organize your shoes and a laundry sorter that is out of view so that potential buyers aren’t looking at your laundry.
Employ these types of tactics in every area of your house and you’ll be well on the way to selling your property!
Image source: www.thenest.com
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The Movie Colony is home to some great historic Palm Springs homes for sale!
Likewise, when owners list Palm Springs homes for sale, often times, they are thrilled to discover that the neighborhood itself boosts their asking price. Studies have shown that home values rise significantly in historic districts, from between 5 and 30 percent per decade. While the posh areas of Coachella Valley offer a wide-ranging selection, from modern options in Palm Desert and La Quinta real estate properties to the country club vibe found in Indian Wells real estate, some find that living in a neighborhood where Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra or Cary Grant once resided holds a special allure.
When a neighborhood is designated as historic, it help ensure that your real estate investment will be protected over time, as there are explicit design limits on demolitions and exterior remodeling that doesn’t fit in with the character of the neighborhood. The goal of the historic designation is to foster an improved image of the community; this extends to protecting the area against specific threats of development that are not in line with this image, while encouraging reinvestment and development that is cohesive with the community as a whole.
When there is reinvestment and positive development in any area, whether it’s among Indian Wells real estate or a historic neighborhood in Palm Springs, this can only have a positive effect on the cumulative value of the properties in the area. So while you may not be searching for a historic designation, make sure to assess the neighborhood as a whole when you’re buying a new property.
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..still waiting to sell our house…
Listing Agents here in the Palm Springs Valley of California are everywhere! How do you know what to look for when you decide to sell your property? It’s not that difficult to put together a “blow your skirt up” listing presenttion. That simply requires time. It’s much more difficult to put together experience, references, and of course trust.
1. Is your Listing Agent hungry? Some Agents have so many listings that they simply cannot focus enough attention on YOUR property! Other Agents with many listings have a staff set up to manage them, but how badly do they want to sell YOUR property?
2. Does your Listing Agent use the Web? Seriously use the web? Paper ads in the newspaper and Real Estate mags are a supplementary advertisement to their exposure on the web. Where is their Website ranking? Where is their brokerage website ranking?
3. How long has your Agent sold homes in your City? There are so many different developments in each City that you wouldn’t expect an Agent to have sold in all of them. But selling in your particular part of the Valley is pretty important.
The onsite offices are not necessarily the best choice for the Agent to sell your home. They can become pretty laid back about marketing..expecting buyers to walk in. You may very well garner more exposure with an Agent that works the entire City because of their internet precense and social media precense.
Times have changed. The Agents with the most listings ACTIVE, may not be as strong as the Agents with the most listings that are Contingent, Pending, and certainly SOLD!
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Tips on how to get your home ready for Short Sale! Hopefully, you’ve de-personalized your home by now and disassociated your emotional attachment to it. If so, you’re ready to prep it for staging. This process has several steps and can take awhile, so get started as soon as you can. Whether you’re working with an agency you’ve worked with before or a short sale Realtor you’re newly acquainted with, either will want you to get your property looking as polished and well-cared for as possible so that it will sell quickly and for top dollar.
Careful planning and preparation are what transforms a property into a marketable, irresistible purchase. Once you’ve removed a lot of the personal touches and family heirlooms, it’s time to truly de-clutter your home. Imagine searching for homes for sale in Palm Springs and finding a listing that looks like a dream come true, and then you arrive to actually look at it and there’s a virtual junkyard in the garage. Even though potential buyers know that the current homeowners will be vacating soon, it’s very hard to visualize it without all the junk and personal belongings. Trust that your agent or short sale Realtor will be thrilled when you let them know you are de-cluttering your property.
It’s hard to believe how much clutter a family can accumulate over a short period of time. Set up some areas for things you will store, things to be donated and others that will simply be tossed. Be ruthless as you go through your family’s belongings and clutter and apply some rules to make the process less agonizing. For example, rule one can be, if you haven’t used something in a year, you probably don’t need it and won’t use it again.
If you’ve already listed your home in Palm Springs for sale, then it’s time to secure a storage room or bin from one of your local facilities. This way, you can get a head start on moving and start storing those knickknacks that you like, but that don’t need to be out during this process, as well as big items that are just taking up space, such as seasonal sports gear. Remove books from bookshelves, CDs and DVDs from their respective racks and other similar items—these can all go in storage since you don’t use or need them on a regular basis. Think of it this way, you’ll be way ahead of the game when it’s time to pack and move.
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..Don’t forget to sign and return all your docs!
Buyers and Sellers of ALL properties here in the Palm Springs Valley-return all of your documents! Whether it’s a Short Sale, Foreclosure, or equity Sale, there always seems to be a “few missed.”
A word of caution to Buyers and Sellers alike…please review your docs carefully and return them all. Docusign helps dramatically, but as the deal moves forward, there are going to be disclosures coming from the other side, negotiations on Repairs and credits, Pest results and potential negotiations..really, on and on.
Read your documents slowly, review them carefully, call with any questions, sign and date every single place indicated (I always put large arrows so you cannot miss them.), and return them all together when possible as it is then easier to track what you have signed and returned. If a signature/date place is missed, it will be returned. Not a panic, but a time waster.
With so many of my Sales coming from out of towners, it is really critical to slow down, ask questions, then take your time signing/dating the docs. Most importantly? Return them! Always call with ANY questions, then follow up and return all the docs. If you delay, you may misplace something and then when the clock is ticking down, the pressure intensifies..who needs that?
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The Debt Forgiveness that people with Foreclosures and Short Sales on their Primary and investment proerties have been enjoying since 2007 expires the end of 2012. What’s going to happen? It’s an unknown. It would seem that the Debt Forgiveness would be extended since it is one of the primary reasons that people have been able to re-organize and get back on their feet.
But..there is NOTHING logical about the Lenders I we know all too well from working Short Sales for the pasat 4, almost 5 years. If they see that it will affect their own bottom lines, I suspect it will be extended. In the mean time, be sure you get your Short Sales closed by 12/31 of this year.
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PGA West Short Sale; CLOSED!
Short Sale Specialist CLOSES another one! Short Sales aren’t easy, take patience and persistence on both the Buyers and the Sellers parts, but I get them done! List to Close on this beautiful semi-custom home at the Norman Estates in PGA West..approx. 95 days. Two notes.
First lienholder: B of A Approx. value of 1.4 mil
Second lienholder: Chase HELOC (Home equity line) Approx. value of $250,000.
Negotiated Sales Price: $925,000 and $8,500 went to pay off the second. Both lienholders released their right to sue for deficiencies and seller paid ZERO!
If you are underwater on your mortgage, or just want a FREE consultation, give me a call at 760-285-3578. Information is power!
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My Bermuda Dunes CC listing for a single-family HAFA Short Sale was Approved !!! This sizable home of 2,555sf at 42185 Caballeros Drive has 4 bedroom/3 bath and sits on an estate size lot of 10,454sf.
This home in Bermuda Dunes CC was Listed on 5/16 for $240,000… went into Back-up on 6/5…and was approved on 7/19… for $240,000! There was only one note with Bank of America and that was for approximately $284,000. That’s a Total of only 64 Days from List to Approval !!!
Not only was the accepted Sales price the same as the List price at $240,000, but the Seller will also receive a $3,000 HAFA Relocation Fee! The HAFA program is reserved for primary residences, but if you have moved out and can show you’ve lived in the home within the past 12 months, you may qualify. There are other restrictions, but a terrific program and a huge help to borrowers who have lost so much on their homes.
Only 64 Days from List to Approval? That’s why it’s important to work with a Listing Agent who knows Short Sales and has a proven track record of CLOSING their Short Sales. I List, Work and Negotiate my own Short Sales – I do not use a 3rd party to Negotiate for me. If your Agent is not working their own files then maybe they just have too many files..or even worse, don’t understand the short sale process?
Thinking about Short Selling your Home? Please give me a call for your free consultation. There is NO COST to you, for me to negotiate your Short Sale from list to close. Kim Kelly, Short Sale Specialist with HK Lane Real Estate in La Quinta.
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