Stage Your Ocean Edge Condo for Fall Showings

Stage Your Ocean Edge Condo in Brewster for Fall Showings

Staging your Ocean Edge condo properly for the fall real estate market is important in order to sell your property quickly and at the right price. Ocean Edge in Brewster is a very desirable location with plenty of competition within the condo complex. Know your market and who you are trying to sell your home to during the fall season. Check out our blog, “How to Appeal to Buyers of Every Generation.” Ocean Edge condos in Brewster can be very appealing to various generations of buyers for many reasons, which work to your favor as a seller. For example, the amenities at Ocean Edge Brewster are very appealing as is the location of the complex. Make sure you do not miss out on your sale and find out how to stage your Ocean Edge condo for the fall real estate market and sell it now!

De-Clutter

A cluttered environment distracts buyers from being able to see the potential of your property and ultimately purchasing your Ocean Edge condo. You could be covering up your property’s best features by cluttering up your space and turning buyers off. This could cause them to walk away and check out neighboring condos for sale that are staged to show off the condo’s full potential. Clutter can give buyers the impression that your condo is small because of all of the stuff in the way taking up precious space. This could be overcrowded shelves, too much furniture or even bulky furniture that does not fit the space.

This is why it is important to tidy up and remove clutter before you start showing your cond to potential buyers. It might be a good idea to retain a storage unit to keep unnecessary furniture or belongings that take up too much space in your condo. Finding creative storage pieces (as mentioned in our blog “5 Ways to Maximize Your Storage Space“) to create homes for your smaller pieces. Creating a place to put away your smaller items when you are not using them organizes your space and reduces the amount of stuff laying around your home when showing your Ocean Edge condo.

Declutter Your Condo

Thorough Cleaning

This might seem like a no brainer, but doing a thorough cleaning of your condo makes a huge difference in the appearance of your property. A dirty home will instantly turn buyers away because this is your chance to make a first impression! If the condo looks neglected, the potential buyer will wonder what else is being neglected. Is there a major issue that is being ignored and will they have to deal with it once they buy the condo? A sparkling property will keep buyers focused on the important key features of your home, and encourage them to picture themselves living in this clean and new feeling home.

Consider hiring a professional cleaner to do a deep clean on your Ocean Edge condo. It may seem like an unnecessary expense, but a professional cleaning makes a big difference in the quality of the job done on your property. As the homeowner, you are familiar with your condo and know it best without a doubt. However, you are also comfortable with your home and maybe miss out on cleaning key areas that wouldn’t stand out to you, but would stand out to the home buyer. Avoid this by hiring a cleaner every few weeks to do a cleaning on your property. If you have de-cluttered and organized your space, it shouldn’t be too difficult to keep your condo in good shape in between cleanings while your property is shown. For more tips on how to prepare your home for selling, check out our blog “5 First Time Seller Tips.”

Thorough Cleaning of your Ocean Edge condo

Depersonalize

When a buyer walks into your home, they need to be able to picture themselves and their families in that space. That is what will sell the home to the buyer. Walking into your home and seeing pictures of you and your family all over the place could make it difficult for the buyer to see themselves when they’re seeing you all over the condo. If your walls seem bare with all of your pictures down, consider hanging some mirrors to brighten the space and make it feel larger.

Remove pictures of yourself and your families from the walls and tables around your home so the buyer can only pictures themselves living in the space. Momentos from trips out and children’s artwork can also make your condo too personal for buyers, so consider putting these objects away until you move into your new home. Personal items are safer put away anyway when you are showing your home. It would be terrible to have your glass figurine from your child’s first Disney trip broken by accident as a buyer was viewing your property.

Define Space

It is important that every room in your home has a clear purpose and use. This will help the potential buyer envision themselves in this space. As we become more comfortable in our home, rooms often take on new roles as our needs change. A formal dining room may become a landing spot for backpacks and sports gear, and you eat dinner with your family in the kitchen or on the go. An office might become a laundry folding station and storage space. Whatever your rooms have developed with time, it is important that they have a purpose that is clearly communicated to the buyers.

Remove anything from the rooms that conveys a message that is anything different than what it should to define that space. If you work out in your office space, remove the elliptical machine, put it in storage and focus on making the room feel like an office. With the number of millennials working from home and spending time on their tablets or laptops, they need to be able to envision themselves in that space working. Empty nesters would like to see a dining room where they could invite their children over for dinner instead of a reminder of what they had when their children were young coming home from school dropping their things on the dining room table.

Define Space of your Ocean Edge condo

Stage Your Ocean Edge Condo

For a successful Ocean Edge showing, it is important that you consider the staging of your condo. Remove the clutter, clean your condo thoroughly, depersonalize and define the rooms in your home. Taking these steps will make your Ocean Edge condo stand out among the others, and get your condo sold in a timely manner for the right price! Michael Leighton has been the #1 Agent at Ocean Edge since 2004 and the #1 Agent in Brewster since 2007. Contact him and his team of professionals today to sell your Ocean Edge condo.

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5 Tips to Sell Your Ocean Edge Condo Above Market Price

5 Tips to Sell Your Ocean Edge Condo Above Market Price

When you want to sell your Ocean Edge condo it requires a lot more than finding a real estate agent on Google in your area and putting it on MLS. To be successful in selling your home for the right price, a seller needs to understand where buyers are coming from in order to get the best price. Many sellers believe that their condo is the best on the market, so of course many buyers are going to be interested in purchasing it. Maybe there will even be a bidding war because their house is such a great buy. They love it after all, why wouldn’t the next buyer? Unfortunately, this is often not the case and many homeowners settle for selling prices below what their home is worth because they just want the process to be over already. How to do you avoid this from happening to you? Follow these 5 steps to make sure you sell your Ocean Edge condo above market price.

Consider Investors

You might not think of approaching investors initially when you put your home on the market, but they are a great resource to look into once you make the decision to sell your Ocean Edge condo. Properties at Ocean Edge are great investments. As you may already know, many of the condo owners use their properties as income properties instead of their residences because of all of the potential for summer rentals. Investors know the value of a condo unit at Ocean Edge, and are often looking for the next great investment that guarantees a profit. Check out the investment potential of condo units when they are used as summer, winter and yearly rentals. Leighton Realty has a rental division that would be happy to discuss with you what your property could yield for an investor. You would want to do this beforehand, so when you approach someone who is interested in your property, you have the knowledge to present to them and know what your condo’s investment potential is and you get a fair price.

Price Below Market Value

This sounds counter intuitive, but it is one of the best kept secrets in real estate. If you price your home lower than the market value, you will spark interest in your property. Typically, you wouldn’t want to lower your price more than 5-10% below market value. This is just enough of a reduction for multiple buyers to become interested in your property, and want to jump on this bargain as soon as possible to beat out any other buyers. This is what usually causes bidding wars to start because the buyers are so excited to find such a deal, and do not want to lose it to another buyer. Once offers start coming in, you have the right to counter and also let the agents know that there are multiple offers on the table, so they should make their best offer to potentially get the property. Sometimes buyers are so caught up in trying to win, they offer more than what the fair market value actually is on the house, giving you a decent profit. Check out the latest Ocean Edge Market Reports.

Market Value to sell your Ocean Edge condo

 

Wait for Offers

Do not feel pressure to accept the first offer you receive when you try to sell your Ocean Edge condo, no matter how great it is. Let the buyer know by not accepting right away that you realize your property’s true value and potential price so you will not settle. After some time looking around at other properties, the original buyer could come back with an even better offer once they realize your Ocean Edge condo is truly one of a kind and they won’t find anything like it in their budget. Giving your property time on the market will give more buyers the opportunity to view your condominium online and check out your open house. This will give you the opportunity to receive more offers and sell your Ocean Edge condo above market price.

Stand Out from Comps

Watch some home improvement shows, pick up some magazines to see what the latest trends are and see how your condo stacks up. In order to get top dollar for your home, you need to make sure you have what it takes to demand that price. Seeking the advice of a knowledgeable and skilled real estate agent will help you make the right home improvement choices, as it can be overwhelming. With so many choices as to where to invest your money in renovations, it is easy to invest in the wrong area which eats away at your profit instead of add to your bottom line. Some renovations could boost your condo’s value by up to 10%, which is a good profit if you can keep your expenses low. One easy way to cut the cost of your renovation is to do the work yourself. Take the time to talk to your real estate agent where to focus your attention to get top dollar and be realistic with what you can do yourself and what you should hire a professional to take care of for you.

Highlight Key Features

Potential buyers need to know what makes your condo stand out from the other units that are for sale at Ocean Edge. Do you have solid flooring? A straight staircase? Renovated chef kitchen? Beach access? You need to make sure that this is highlighted in advertising when you sell your Ocean Edge condo unit so that it draws in buyers. Highlighting what makes your home special will make buyers more at ease to make an offer because your home is different from the other homes they checked out before your condo. Pay close attention to the wording of your blurb that describes your Ocean Edge condo and make sure the pictures are clear and appealing. Pictures are what sells a home. If the pictures are not good, buyers will not make a point of looking at your home. Millenials for example, rely heavily on pictures when buying a home. Learn more by reading our blog, How to Appeal to Buyers of Every Generation. Highlighting the right features will sell your Ocean Edge condo above market price.

Sell Your Condo Above Market Price

These five tips to sell your Ocean Edge condo above market price will not only get you top dollar for your home, they will also decrease the amount of time your home sits on the market. Generating buzz about your home by decreasing your price, making renovations and highlighting key features will get more traffic through your front door and sell your house fast. Figuring out what makes a home buyer tick is the first step in selling your home for a profit.

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7 Tips To Becoming the In Demand Condo at Ocean Edge Brewster

7 Tips To Becoming the In Demand Condo at Ocean Edge Brewster

After some careful thought and consideration, you have decided to put your condo at Ocean Edge on the market. The first thing you need to do as a seller is change the way you look at your property. You are selling a product, your condo is no longer your home, it is merchandise that you are trying to sell to a potential buyer. Put your sales hat on, and try to figure out how to attract the most buyers with your home. Your home needs to stand out among the other properties and become the in demand condo at Ocean Edge Brewster. With these 7 simple steps, you can easily transform your house in to the in demand condo at Ocean Edge Brewster and sell it fast!

Be the Salesperson

Of course it is difficult to remove all emotions from selling your home. Your home is filled with memories that are priceless. However, in order to be successful in the real estate market, you need to try to overcome your emotional attachment to your home and turn it into a financial transaction. Homes with sellers who are focused on selling their property without hesitation tend to move their home faster and moving fast could result in a better financial situation. This is as a result of buyers who are eager to move into the home faster, and willing to pay more to make that happen or because you don’t have the extra mortgage payment due to selling the house so quickly.

Good Clean Help

Consider hiring a cleaning service to do a thorough cleaning of your home before you start showing it. Whether you have lived in your home 2 or 20 years, it is easy to miss certain things when cleaning your home because you’re so used to it. You probably unintentionally miss the same spots every time. You may not notice, but a potential buyer walking in your home might. A cleaning company scheduled to do a “deep clean” will give attention to those dusty and neglected spaces such as the baseboards or the tops of your furniture. You do not want your home to appear tired or dirty to a buyer. Some cleaning companies will go to your home for a free estimate before charging you for the cleaning.

Good Clean Help for your Ocean Edge Condo

What Buyers Want

The majority of buyers are looking for a home that is move in ready. They do not need to do a full face lift or major repair in order to move their furniture in and start their lives in their new home. Take a look around your property and ask yourself if the property looks tired or in need of repair. If you want your home to be the in demand condo at Ocean Edge Brewster, you need to be honest with yourself when evaluating its current condition. Before you schedule your first open house, check out our blog 7 Open House Mistakes Home Sellers Make.

What’s Trending

Start looking at home improvement magazines or switch on HGTV to see what the hot trends are in home design to transform your unit into in demand condo at Ocean Edge Brewster. Not too long ago, stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops were the hot feature in any home. Talk to kitchen and bath designers in your local home improvement store to see what the trends are, and price it out to see if the upgrades could fit into your budget. If you could do some updates that would appeal to the trends of today’s buyer, it will only increase interest in viewing your property in person when a person stumbles upon it on an online home search engine.

Picture Perfect

A good sales person needs to be concerned with how they are advertising the product they are trying to sell. When selling your house, the pictures are really important. Buyers are on their phone constantly looking at images of houses for sale. First impressions mean everything when selling your home. If you are not confident in your ability to take pictures of your home, or do not like the pictures from your real estate agent, consider hiring a professional to take the pictures for you. Make sure they take pictures of the key features of your home so the seller sees what makes your home stand out from the others. These features will set you apart from the other properties for sale at Ocean Edge and make your property the in demand condo at Ocean Edge Brewster.

Picture Perfect To See Your Ocean Edge Condo

Kitchen vs Bathroom

If you are considering upgrading a room or two, take a look at your kitchen and bathrooms first. It has always been true that the most important rooms to a buyer are the kitchen and the bathroom. If your kitchen or bathroom is looking tired or outdated, that will turn a buyer off right away. Focusing your attention first on those rooms will pay off for you in the long run and make your home the in demand condo at Ocean Edge Brewster. Sometimes a big renovation is not necessary, just some new hardware on the cabinets or a splash of paint.

Focus on Key Features

To become the in demand condo at Ocean Edge Brewster, you need to know what the key features of the home are and play them up! If subway tile in the bathroom is the hot features and you just installed it in your bathroom, make sure that you have a great picture on your listing and mention it in the description. These features help move homes faster, because buyers want them in the home that they are purchasing without having to do the work themselves. Sometimes you are lucky enough to have a house with key features that were there when you bought the house. For example, a beautiful hardwood floor is a key feature that many people are looking for in a home. Carpeting on Cape Cod tends to hold in moisture, creating a musty odor in the home, so solid flooring is always desirable for buyers.

You Are the In Demand Condo at Ocean Edge Brewster

A home seller that really wants to sell their home and move it as quickly as possible needs to think of themselves as the CEO of a business. The business of selling your house. Take an honest look at your product (your home) and do whatever it takes to make it appealing to buyers and bring you the most money. Selling your home can be a difficult and stressful time. Check out our blog, 5 First Time Home Seller Tips to make sure you are prepared!

For a free home valuation, contact Michael Leighton and his team. Michael Leighton has been the #1 Sales Agent at Ocean Edge since 2004 and the #1 Agent in Brewster since 2007. Contact our team and let us make your home be the in demand condo at Ocean Edge Brewster and sell it quicker and for more dollars!

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5 Reasons to be Thankful for a Great Real Estate Agent

5 Reasons to be Thankful for a Great Real Estate Agent

Every real estate agent is different. They all have their own styles. There are many benefits to working with a real estate agent during your real estate transaction. If you’re on the verge of buying a home or selling your home, one of your first decisions is whether or not you are going to use a real estate agent. The idea of saving yourself a couple bucks by cutting out the middle man might be appealing, but the rewards of using a great real estate agent outweigh the money you would save by working on your own. If you’ve had a qualified and experienced real estate agent, you could not imagine going through any real estate transaction without their guidance and support. Here are the 5 Reasons to be Thankful for a Great Real Estate Agent once you’ve found one.

Your Best Interest In Mind

The right real estate agent is interested in cultivating a long term relationship with you, and not just making a buck. This means that the agent will answer your calls, or return messages quickly if they are unable to speak. Your agent should be able to uncover any potential problems and advise you accordingly, whether it be to back out early or pursue additional inspections. Buying and /or selling a home is a huge financial, emotional, and practical decision that is not to be taken lightly. A great real estate agent will take this to heart and protect you from making the wrong decision. The reason your agent is focused on developing a long term relationship with you is so that any time you need a real estate agent or your friends or family need a real estate agent, their name is the first that comes to mind. A great real estate agent knows that investing all of their time and attention on you now will benefit them through referrals, so they want you to be completely satisfied with their performance.

Needed Advice

Listing your home for sale is a stressful time. What should you do to make it appealing to potential buyers? Having someone on your side to advise you on your decision making will help put your mind at ease because you will feel confident in your decision to sell your property and any improvements you do to make it more appealing. A seller’s real estate agent acts essentially as a project manager for their client. If a seller gives their real estate agent the permission to do so, the real estate agent can find decorators, stagers, contractors and painters if need be to prepare the home for sale.

Buying a home is equally stressful. What should you be looking for in a home? How can you tell if a home has good “bones” as they say in home buying shows? A great real estate agent who is experienced and knowledgeable in their field will have these answers for you. Your real estate agent will provide you with the needed advice to find a home within budget. A real estate agent advises where the buyer should focus their attention when inspecting a home and what types of professionals should be hired to make sure the property is sound once you’re ready to buy.

Real Estate Advice

Accommodate Your Busy Life

A great real estate agent is available to you at all times. They work for you and their priority is to make your real estate transaction go as smoothly as possible. If that means meeting you at your son’s soccer game to get a signature, they will do so to move the transaction along. Your real estate agent is there to reduce your load when it comes to procedures associated with your transaction. Buying and selling real estate is stressful. It is your agent’s job to make this process as easy and stress free as possible.

Life After Closing

For many real estate agents, once a property has gone through the closing procedure, that agent moves on to another client. However, once you have closed on your property, a great real estate agent would not just disappear from your life. Some real estate agents who maintain a relationship with their clients will keep up with comparable properties to yours to see what is happening with the market. This information is beneficial to you as the home owner, so they will pass it along every once in awhile, especially if it looks as if you could make a profit by selling your property before you may have otherwise.

Professional Network

A great real estate agent has a network of other professionals within reach to help you make your real estate dreams come true. Whether it’s a relationship with other agents who have access to properties you would be interested in, builders, or even bankers. These well connected real estate agents make your transaction process go smoothly because they know who to go to in order to make that happen. If you’re selling your home, your real estate agent would have the name of a great cleaner to get your home spotless for an open house and a landscaper to boost your curb appeal. A buyer’s agent would have the name of a great pest control company to check out a part of the property that looks like it has carpenter ant damage. Any professional that your real estate agent recommends should be as trust worthy as your agent themselves.

Professional Network

Do You Have A Great Real Estate Agent?

If you’re not working with an agent or if you’re not working with the right agent, it’s important you start looking now for a great real estate agent! When you find the right one, you will know it. A great real estate agent will make your life a lot easier. Michael Leighton has been named the #1 Sales Agent for Ocean Edge since 2004 and the #1 Agent for the town of Brewster since 2007. Michael and his team have proven results to get your Ocean Edge condo sold quickly and keep the experience as stress free as possible. Check our testimonials page for more insight from previous clients that have worked with Michael and his stellar team.

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Top 7 Open House Mistakes Sellers Make

Top 7 Open House Mistakes Sellers Make

As a seller, you may be puzzled by the title of this blog “Top 7 Open House Mistakes SELLERS Make”?! Isn’t the real estate agent responsible for what happens at the Open House? The answer is yes, however your real estate agent is not a magician. There are things that sellers do that make it difficult for even the most seasoned agent to sell their home. Do yourself and your agent a favor and before you walk out that door to let your agent host your Open House, make sure you haven’t committed any of these real estate sins.

Stay for the Open House

Never should you ever stay for the Open House if you want to sell your home. This is the cardinal sin as far as Open House mistakes goes. Selling your home is an emotional experience, and sometimes when a homeowner overhears criticism regarding their home it can be difficult. Your real estate agent is there to represent your property, let them do their job. Once the Open House is finished, they will update you on what happened during the Open House and present you with any offers they received. There is no reason whatsoever for a home owner to be present for their Open House. Having the owner at the Open House is distracting for your real estate agent, who should instead be focused on interacting with the potential buyers and trying to bring in offers for you.

Leave Fido at Home

We love our pets, and treat them as members of our family. However, at an Open House they are distracting and sometimes scary for potential buyers. Typically, you would have to keep your pets separate from the people walking your home, which blocks off an area of your home for potential buyers to see. Even if you have a baby gate so they could peek, who knows how your pet will react. The last thing you want is for someone to see your pet have an accident on your floor because they are over excited. It is always better when conducting an Open House to bring your pets to a friend or family member’s house. This gives home buyers the chance to walk freely through your house.

Leave Fido at Home

Ignoring Second Opinion

One of the Open House mistakes that many people don’t consider is the importance of having a second opinion of your home’s condition right before the Open House. If you have an opinionated neighbor or mother-in-law, put their pushy opinion to good use. A blunt second opinion could flag you to an issue you had not noticed such as a smell you’ve become used to or staging issue that makes your home unappealing. It is important to take this criticism lightly because remember, you are trying to sell your house. It is not a personal attack. Their insight will ultimately help you make your home more appealing to more people.

Your Home’s First Impression

Your front yard is your first impression for the potential home buyers coming to your open house. Yard waste and a dirty exterior could turn these buyers away before they reach your front door. Besides yard debris being an eyesore, it could also be dangerous for the people walking through your yard. Unclog the gutters, power wash any mold or mildew on your shingles, and clean your windows to make your property appear fresh. For more landscaping tips for selling your home, check out our blog “5 Easy Spring Landscaping Tips.”

Cleaning By Yourself

To save money, many homeowners clean their own home to prepare for an Open House. However, when you think about how much buying a house costs, you understand why someone walking into your Open House expects it to be spotless. Spending the money on a professional cleaning service is something that you should really consider to make your home stand out. A professional cleaner can remove odors and stains that may have been there for years that you have become accustomed to, and clean areas that you might miss (such as baseboards and switch plates). Check out our blog, “5 Household Chores You Should Consider Outsourcing,” to see where you could save yourself time and effort by letting a professional help you.

Cleaning By Yourself

Personal Items Out

It is important to remove any personal pictures, religious items, political items and of course drugs when preparing for an Open House. When a person walks into your home during an Open House, they need to be able to imagine their family living there, not see yours that is currently living there. You never know who is walking through your home, so medicine cabinets should be cleared of any prescriptions before you leave. Religious or political items could turn some buyers off, and you don’t want conflicting views that have nothing to do with your home keeping a buyer away. Medical equipment such as a walker could signal to a buyer that you are unable to care for your home, causing them to underbid you. It is best to keep these personal items out of sight so your home is a blank space with no indication of who you are as a person.

Ignore Kitchen Chores

You would be surprised at the number of people who ignore their kitchen duties when preparing for their Open House. Dirty dishes in the sink and messy counters are a big turn off for buyers, as the kitchen tends to be a big selling point for a home. Ideally, you would clear out your dishwasher and make sure your refrigerator are clean when showing your home because buyers tend to like to see the inside when investigating the kitchen. Small kitchen appliances should be put away in cabinets and taken off of the counters. You want to highlight for potential buyers the amount of counter space in the kitchen, so it should not appear cluttered.

How Can You Avoid Open House Mistakes?

It is difficult to avoid all Open House mistakes, but if you follow this guide, it will give your Open House a better chance of succeeding. Your real estate agent can only do so much, so if you set them up to succeed, they can focus on the potential buyer and bringing in the offers. The professionals at Leighton Realty have a proven track record at Ocean Edge. Michael Leighton has been the #1 Sales Agent for Ocean Edge since 2004. When selling your home, it is important you use an expert in your area. Contact us today.

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