Kristal Grimstead

5 Step Strategy for Downsizing Your Home

August 1, 2019 By Kristal Grimstead

In our “bigger is better” culture, there’s an expectation that each home should be larger and grander than the last. But life changes like divorce, kids leaving for college, or even the simple act of growing older can prompt us to find a smaller home that better suits our shifting needs and lifestyle.

Whatever your reasons are for downsizing, the process can seem overwhelming. That’s why we’ve outlined five steps to guide you on your journey. And in the end, we hope you’ll find that less is more … more comfort, more security, and more time and energy to spend on the activities and the people that you love.

5 STEPS TO DOWNSIZING SUCCESS

1. Determine Your Goals and Limitations

The first step is to figure out your goals and limitations for your new living environment. Do you want to live closer to family? Are you hoping to cut down on home maintenance? Do you need access to medical care? In the case of divorce, are there child-custody issues you need to take into account?

Make a “wish list” of features and prioritize them from most to least important. If you’d like any assistance with this process, give us a call! We’d be happy to sit down with you for a free consultation. We can also assess the value of your current home so you can set a realistic budget for your new one.

2. Find the Perfect New Home

Once you’ve established your “wish list,” we can begin the search for your new home. As local market experts, we know the ins and outs of all the top communities in our area. We can help you determine the neighborhood and type of home that will best fit your wants and needs.

From family neighborhoods to retirement communities, we serve clients in all stages of life. If you or a loved one are in need of extended support, we can also share our knowledge of the local assisted living facilities and help you identify those that offer the optimal level of care.

Planning to relocate out of town? We’ll refer you to a trusted agent in your target area who can help with your search.

3. Sell Your Current Home

If you’re ready to sell your current home, we’ll begin the process of preparing to list it as we search for your new one. We have a special interest in helping homeowners who are facing major life transitions, and we offer a full-service real estate experience that aims to remove as much of the stress and hassle of selling your home as possible. We also understand that many of our clients choose to downsize for financial reasons, so we employ preparation tactics and marketing strategies to maximize the potential sales revenue of your home.

4. Sort and Pack Your Belongings

Even before you find your new home, you can begin preparing for your move. A smaller home means less space for your furniture and other possessions, so you will need to decide what to keep and what to sell or donate. Focus on eliminating duplicates and anything you don’t regularly use. If you have sentimental pieces, family heirlooms, or just useful items you no longer need, think about who in your life would benefit from having them.

5. Get Help When You Need It

Moving is stressful in any situation. But if you’re downsizing due to health issues or a major life change, it can be an especially tough transition. Seek out friends and family members who can assist with packing and decluttering. If that’s not an option, or if you need additional help, consider hiring a full-service moving company or a senior move manager, which is a professional who assists older adults with the physical and emotional aspects of relocation.

ARE YOU LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE?

If your current home no longer meets your needs, maybe it’s time to consider a change. We would love to help you explore your options. Contact us today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.

Serious About Selling? 5 Steps to Make Your Home the Best on the Block

June 12, 2019 By Kristal Grimstead

We all want to be good neighbors. But when it comes to selling your home, it’s not just about “keeping up with the Joneses.” It’s about outshining them at every opportunity!

If you’re looking to sell your home fast and for the most money possible, you’ll need a strategy to set it apart from all the other listings competing for buyers in your area. That’s why we’ve outlined our proven, five-step plan for serious sellers.

Use these five tactics to help your home get noticed, win over buyers, and net a higher sales price than your neighbors!

1. Stage Your Home to Show Its Full Potential

According to the Real Estate Staging Association, homes that are professionally staged sell 73% faster. When staging a home, you might rearrange the furniture to make a room feel larger or remove heavy curtains to make it brighter. The goal is to highlight a home’s strengths, minimize deficiencies, and help buyers envision themselves living in the space.

Some sellers choose to hire a professional stager. Others opt to do it themselves, using guidance from their agent. We can help you determine the appropriate path to push your home ahead of the competition. The good news is, an investment in staging pays off. A 2018 survey found that 85% of staged homes sold for 6-25% more than their unstaged neighbor’s homes.

2. Draw Buyers in with High-Quality Photos

Many buyers use listing photos to determine whether or not to visit a property in person. Therefore, poor-quality or amateur-looking pictures could keep buyers from ever stepping through your door. That’s why we only work with the top local professionals to photograph our listings.

Additionally, we’re always on site during the photo shoot to let the photographer know about unique or compelling selling features that they should capture. The extra effort pays off in the end. In fact, listings with high-quality photography sell 32% faster than the competition … and often for more money!

3. Price It Properly From the Start

Most buyers view homes within a set price range. If yours is overpriced, it can’t properly compete with other similarly priced listings. But if you price your home aggressively, it can be among the nicest homes that buyers have seen within their budget. This can lead to a fast sale with fewer seller concessions. And in some cases, it can create a bidding war. The result? More money in your pocket.

4. Put on a Good Show(ing)

Once buyers are interested enough to schedule a showing, it’s crucial that you make your home available—even on short notice. That means keeping it show-ready as long as it’s on the market. For most of us, our homes reflect the day-to-day reality of our busy (and sometimes messy) families. But keeping your home clean, fresh-smelling, and ready for buyers will help it sell faster … which means you can get back to your regular routine as quickly as possible!

5. Use a Proven Promotion Plan

We know that 93% of buyers search for homes online. That’s why we invest in the latest training and technology—to ensure our listings appear in the places where buyers are most likely to look. By utilizing online and social marketing platforms to connect with consumers and offline channels to connect with local real estate agents, your property gets maximum exposure to prospective buyers.

Let’s Get Moving

Are you thinking about listing your home? Get a jump start on your competition! Contact us for a copy of our Home Seller’s Guide, which offers a complete guide to the home selling process. Or call us to schedule a free, no-commitment consultation. We’d love to put together a custom plan to maximize the sales potential of your property!

Top 6 Home Organization Upgrades that “Spark Joy” for Buyers

May 14, 2019 By Kristal Grimstead

Thanks to Marie Kondo and her hit Netflix series “Tidying Up,” home organization is a hot topic. Marie encourages her viewers to minimize their possessions and keep only those items that “spark joy.”

With spring in full bloom, now is the perfect time to do some spring cleaning and add organizational systems to your own home. Not only will you clear out clutter, your efforts can actually increase the value of your home.

Ready to give it a try? Here are six home organization ideas that will “spark joy” for you and your property value.

Boost bathroom storage capacity. Start by tossing old or expired products. Add vanity drawer organizers and roll-out baskets, so your items are easier to find. Mount open shelves to store towels. These inexpensive additions can streamline your morning routine AND net you a 102% return at resale.

Upgrade your laundry room. Install a mix of cubbies and cabinets for storing supplies. Add a hanging rod and drying rack for sweaters and delicates. Include a work surface for ironing or folding clothes. A few simple tweaks can turn this chore into a score.

Fully utilize your basement or attic. These areas can quickly become a dumping ground for clutter. Donate items you no longer use. Built-in cabinets and shelves will help you organize the rest. Basement and attic renovations can net you a 60-70% return when it’s time to sell.

Customize your closets. The key to an organized closet is to give every item type its own space. High rods for dresses, low rods for pants, and racks for shoes and bags. A well-equipped closet can be a major draw for buyers. But most importantly, surveyed homeowners gave their closet remodel a “Joy Score” of 10 out of 10, higher than both kitchen and bath upgrades.

Install built-in bookcases and cabinets. Built-ins give your home a high-end look. They also provide an attractive place to store and display items. Just don’t go too custom- a design that only fits your furniture or belongings could turn off future buyers.

Equip your garage. If you can no longer fit your car in your garage, it may be time for a clean out. Install overhead racks for seasonal items and wall racks to hang bikes and other gear. Use a pegboard to organize your tools. You’ll be pulling in your car (and buyers) in no time!

Spring Into Action

If you’re searching for service providers to help with your spring cleaning or home organization efforts, let us know! We can connect you with our trusted network of local home improvement professionals. Call us today, and let us know how we can help!

Data Says April Is The Best Month To List Your Home For Sale

March 29, 2019 By Kristal Grimstead

The spring housing market is off to the races! The inventory of homes for sale is increasing, buyers are out in force, and interest rates have remained low, piquing the interest of buyers and sellers previously on the fence about making a move.

New research from realtor.com shows that the first week of April is actually the best time to list your house for sale! The report used “trends in median listing prices, views per property on realtor.com, home price drops, median days on market, and number of listings on the market over the last three years,” to determine a ranking for every week of the year.

Listing your home in the first week of April contributes 14x more property views, 5% less competition from other home sellers, and results in the home being sold 6 days faster!

Below is a graph indicating the average score for each month of the year.

It should come as no surprise that April and May dominate as the top months to sell. The second quarter of the year (April, May, June) is referred to as the Spring Buyers Season, when competition is fierce to find a dream home, often leading to bidding wars.

However, there is one caveat worth mentioning. When broken down by metro, realtor.com noticed that while warmer climates share an overall trend, they have different top sales months. The best month to get the most exposure in Miami, FL, for instance, is August, while in Phoenix, AZ, June leads the charge.

If you’re thinking of selling your home this year, the time to list is NOW! According to the National Association of Realtors, 41% of homes sold last month were on the market for less than 30 days! If you list now, you’ll have a really good chance to sell in April or May, setting yourself up for the most exposure!

Bottom Line

Contact me to show you the market conditions in your area to get the most exposure to the buyers ready and willing to make a move!

What’s Your Home Actually Worth? Discover What Buyers Will Pay in Today’s Market

March 12, 2019 By Kristal Grimstead

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It’s easy to look up how much money you have in your savings account or the real-time value of your stock investments. But determining the dollar value of a home is more challenging.

If you’ve been curious about the real value of your home, you may have plugged your address into an online estimator. While these tools can be a good starting point, don’t count on their computer algorithms to be entirely accurate. Has the online estimator factored in the private backyard that backs up to a greenbelt? Does it know that you recently replaced the roof and remodeled the kitchen?

The good news is, you don’t have to rely on a computer algorithm or your own best guess. A trained real estate agent — who understands the nuances of your particular neighborhood — can determine the true market value of your property … at no cost to you.

What is True Market Value?

True market value is the amount that a buyer is willing to pay for a property. A qualified real estate agent is an expert at determining true market value because they have hands-on experience with buying and selling homes in your area. They understand the mindsets of buyers in your market and know what they’ll pay for a desirable property.

As a seller, knowing your home’s value enables you to price it correctly for a quick sale while maximizing your profits. For buyers, it’s important to determine a property’s worth so you can write a competitive offer without overpaying.

How Does An Agent Determine True Market Value?

Your real estate agent will start by doing a comparative market analysis (CMA). This means they’ll compare your home’s features to current listings and recently sold properties in your area. For the CMA, the agent looks at a number of factors, including:

The exterior – What does your home look like from the outside? Your agent will factor in curb appeal, the style of the house, the front and backyard, and anything else that impacts how the house looks to everyone walking and driving by.
The interior – This is everything inside the walls of the house. Square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, appliances, and more all influence the overall market value.
Age of the home – Whether you have a newer or older home affects the number your agent comes up with as part of their assessment.
Style of the home – The style of your home is important because buyers in different markets have different tastes. If buyers prefer ranch-style homes and you have one, then your home may sell for a premium (aka more money!).
Market trends – Because a local agent has so much experience in your market, they have their finger on the pulse of your area’s trends and know what buyers are willing to pay for a property like yours.
Location, location, location – This one’s probably the most obvious. Your agent will think about how popular the area is, how safe it is, and what schools are like.

A computer algorithm simply can’t take all of these factors into account when calculating the value of your home. The reality is, the accuracy of a real estate agent or professional appraiser surpasses other valuation sources when it comes to determining a home’s true market value.

Get a Complimentary Report With Your Home’s True Market Value

Curious about your home’s true market value? Call us to request a free, no-obligation Comparative Market Analysis to find out exactly how much your home is worth.

Kristal Grimstead, Broker
Bellwether Real Estate
(360) 441-2202

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