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25Nov/090

Tips for Putting Your Home on the Market

Tips for Putting your Home on the Market

Selling your home can be a stressful process. Many people do not realize the work that goes into putting your home on the market. The reality usually sets in after the seller has met with a real estate agent and the agent has given them a different perspective on what the seller thought was the perfect home. It is very important to know some tips for selling your home.

Make sure to hire a reliable real estate agent. This means, someone who will work hard for you and be available to you when you need him/her. Also, see if you can get an agent through a referral. Start asking around and see what people have to say. This will give you confidence when choosing the right realtor.

You also want to make sure that you are not wasting any time on buyers who are just looking or are not interested. Too many times, sellers and agents spend many hours and a lot of energy trying to convince people to purchase when they are just not ready. Focus on the motivated buyers. Work with your agent to determine who the motivated buyers are. Maybe the buyer is on a deadline, this includes people who are relocating for a job, investors who are on tax deadlines, college students and staff who need to get in before the school year, etc. I think you get the point. Find out more about the buyers who are viewing your property and see what their situation is.

When putting your home on the market, it is a good idea to make sure that you price it to sell. A home that is priced too high for the market, will almost never sell! Make sure to price it low right off the bat. If you start high and do small price increases, you are just wasting time. Price it low, get some activity. If you do it right, you will price low and sell high!

It is always a good idea to have good curb appeal. This includes, sprucing up the landscaping, cleaning the gutters and touching up the paint. You want to keep the buyers safety in mind by making sure the stairs and walkways are clear and free of clutter.  Speaking of free of clutter, always remember less is more. The less furniture and décor you have, the bigger the space feels. Having just the right amount, will give any place a cozy and spacious feel! Again consulting with a realtor when putting your home on the market would be a good first step as they will assist you with letting you know how to prepare before selling your home. Go to OwnACondo.com to learn more about putting your home on the market!

21Aug/09Off

Selling A Condo In Chicago

Selling a condo in Chicago in today's market place is not as tough as one might imagine if they only listened to radio, newspapers and TV.  There will be more than 30,000 condos that will close in 2009 in the Chicago area.  We're on track to sell just as many condos this year as we did last year as an industry.  Just think of 30,000 condos selling.  That's a lot of condominiums.  How is it that these thirty thousand sold and you're having trouble selling yours?

Selling a condo doesn't have to be impossible, you just have to take the right approach and prepare.  The first step is choosing a real estate agent to represent you.  Make sure that the agent has experience in selling condos and selling condos in the area that your condo is located in. Many agents are part time in this business, which is how people get started.  But if I were selling a condo, I'd want my agent to be full-time with no other job than real estate. Ask the real estate agent that you hire several questions about being available for you and for buyers when they call from the advertising.

The next step in selling a condo in Chicago is to choose a price the condo will be marketed for. There is no step more important. If you mess up on this one you could market the condo for months and never attract a buyer.  You waste your time, the real estate agents time and the condo will have an overpriced stigmatism possibly forever regardless of you lower the price in the future.  I've seen sellers in this position having to sell lower than market value because they're product was on the market so long that people thought there was something wrong with it.  The only thing wrong was the price was so high right from the start.

The third piece of the puzzle in selling a condo in Chicago is you have to have an explosive campaign to market the condominium.   You've chosen your real estate agent, you've priced the condo to sell and now you've got to tell everyone you can about this product being available.

If you follow these three steps diligently, you'll find there's a very solid chance you'll sell your Chicago condo.  Thirty thousand plus will sell theirs this year, why not you?  There are over five hundred that sell every single week in the Chicago area.

18Apr/09Off

Sell A Condo In Chicago

Selling a condo in Chicago today has never been tougher, but when fully analyzed, can be achieved with a few simple moves.  First, let’s break down what is happening in the industry right now.  There are more foreclosures happening than ever before.  The amount has doubled year after year for the last three years.  And it doesn’t seem to be letting up.  It’s predicted that 2009 will have double the foreclosures than in 2008.  What can a person do when selling a condo in Chicago when there is so much inventory that is being wholesaled?

Are you really ready to sell a condo in Chicago?  What I mean by that is, are you ready to do everything necessary to sell the condo? When so many condos are on the market, you really have to do things that make you stick out.  You have to make sure you have the cleanest, best remodeled and that your price beats out the rest as well.  Remember, if you sell lower than you want, don’t worry so much about it.  You can make it up on the buy.  The price for condos have dropped just like any other real estate throughout the United States right now.  So what.  Make it up on the buy.  Let me explain.  If you sell your condo for $35,000 lower than what you think it’s really worth or you bought it higher than that and your pride gets in the way of a so called mistake when you bought it a few years ago, so what.  See the sucker and buy the next condo at a price even better than the $35,000 discount.  It’s all a game.  The deals have never been better and you can cash on this game right now.

To sell a condo in Chicago takes a professional.  It’s important that you get someone that sells condos for a living.  Someone that specializes is the key.  There are a few very good condo brokerages out there but make sure you do your homework.  I’d say of all the steps to selling your condo in Chicago, this is the most important of them all.  Choose a Realtor dedicated to your type of real estate…condos.  And then choose the Realtor that dedicates themselves to your area.  If you’re selling a condo in River North or you’re selling a condo in Lincoln Park, choose a real estate company that specializes in condos and in these areas.  It’s just common sense.  Try to stay away from your friends that have real estate licenses because you know them.  This almost never works out.  Dissect yourself from friends here.  This is business.

If you play your cards right, you can sell a condo in Chicago in this market.  It takes push, a lot of spring cleaning to get your condo looking great and choosing the right condo professional.