Have you made your New Year's Resolution yet?

Attention homeowners: are you looking to sell you home in 2011? If so, take a moment and read this article from Yahoo! Finance, "Resolutions for Home Sellers in 2011"- it might save you time on the market AND money in your pocket.

I really like this article because it gives sellers ideas on actions they can take, aside from merely staging their homes (click here for ideas on that), that can really impact the sale process. For instance, MAKE YOUR HOME EASY TO SHOW! This doesn't cost you a dime, doesn't require re-painting, replacing, or fixing, and is relatively painless! So, the next time an agent wants to show your home, don't make them reschedule because your favorite tv show is on...let them in! (Okay, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but we have all encountered the "less than flexible" seller. Newsflash: the more people that walk through your door, the greater your odds of receiving an offer!)

If you are thinking of listing your home this year, don't miss out on the early birds out house shopping before the rush of buyers for the spring market! A few weeks on the market with less competition could make all the difference!

Whether you are looking to buy or sell your home this year, feel free to contact me for all of your Real Estate needs!

-Jamie Wright, REALTOR
Jamie@BurlingtonVermontHomes.com
(802)846-9530

photo credit: BHG.com

Just a couple changes could get your home sold FAST!

As we enter the winter months, home sellers tend to get a tad anxious that their homes may take a little longer to sell. The truth is, there are less buyers out househunting in the middle of winter than there are in the summer months. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL BUYERS OUT THERE...and it only takes one to get your home sold! What sellers need to bear in mind is that they need to keep their homes looking better than competition! (Well, okay, they need to take into account other factors too...such as pricing, marketing, etc....but that can be for another post!)

Real Estate expert and author Barbara Corcoran (you might recognize her from TODAY on NBC) offers a few tidbits of advice in this article that I found on Hooked on Houses: 5 Things That Sell Houses Faster Now. While I am not suggesting that you re-paint the exterior of your home in the middle of the winter, a couple of these suggestions are low to no-cost solutions that could make a big difference. (Ahem: CLEAN AND DE-CLUTTER!!)

You can also check out her appearance on TODAY, in which she explains in a bit more detail her reasoning behind these suggestions (and adds a slight variation to them). To view the segment "5 Smartest Home Fixes" from TODAY, click here.

So, don't just wait for the spring to roll around in hopes that a new pool of buyers will generate the perfect buyer for your home...get it sold now!!

If you are looking to buy or sell a home this winter, feel free to contact me to discuss your options!

-Jamie Wright, Realtor
Jamie@BurligtonVermontHomes.com
(802)846-9530

photo credit: HookedonHouses.com