SMALL IMPROVEMENTS THAT SELL

Simple Improvements Can Go A Long Way Towards

Selling Your Home

With very little effort, you can transform an average house into an above-average property that is sure to get second looks from buyers. Follow these guidelines to make sure your property stands out above the rest:

Paint inside and out:

Fresh paint is the most cost-effective and profitable improvement you can make, even if your home doesn't need a new coat. Paint the interior walls a neutral color and the ceilings white to make rooms look bigger.

New lights:

Replace outdated fixtures. This inexpensive improvement can update old decor that might have discouraged buyers.

New flooring:

Install new carpet, linoleum, or tile, and refurbish hardwood floors if needed. Choose a neutral color for new carpeting. New flooring will increase the market value of your home, while shabby floors can kill a sale.

Planted landscape:

Attractive front and back yards boost the value of any property. Mow the lawn, trim shrubs, and plant new bedding flowers. Clean up perennial beds. Plant some trees if the yard is barren, especially in the front parkway. Sweep the patio or deck and decorate with potted plants and flowers.

Completed repairs:

Before listing your home for sale, make all minor repairs and catch up on maintenance. If you've deferred maintenance, get a professional home inspection. If the inspection reveals problems, make the repairs before listing the home. If you don't, the buyer will probably discount the offer price for more than the cost of repairs or replacement.

A clean garage:

If you use your garage for storage, clean it out and rent a storage space. Paint the interior white. If your garage is unfinished, install wallboard or build storage shelves on the back wall. A clean garage will help solidify a buyer's impression of a home in move-in condition.

(MSN.com article.)

HOW'S REAL ESTATE?

Mike & I are asked this question almost daily. Most of the national media that we hear has everyone a little nervous about the value of their homes. The good news is that Tulsa's real estate market has fared this recession fairly well. Especially if you consider the hard hit areas of California, Florida, Nevada, and Arizona.

Ten years ago a Tulsa area home owner could typically count on 3% appreciate per year on their home value and that's not been the case for about the last 5 years. In those years, we've seen some years of 0% appreciate to a slight negative in some areas and price ranges. There have also been some lucky areas that have had slight increases. Everyone's situation is unique, in that, it depends on how good of a deal you got when you purchased your home; what improvements have you made (and at what cost); how the neighborhood is selling; and do the properties on your street help or hurt you. It's always good advice to be the smaller or less valued home in an area with larger and more expensive homes around you. That gives you a better opportunity to appreciate in value.

I will add that it is still a Buyer's Market due to there being so much competition on the market and the low interest rates. But there are Buyer's in the market...that's the good news!  Sellers have to put their best foot forward, be priced competitively, and obviously use an experienced realtor! (I have the number of a good one!)

Feel free to call Mike or I if you have questions about buying or selling a home. We frequently meet with homeowners and provide a Market Analysis of their area and at no cost.

Tina 918-740-1000                               Mike 918-645-9669

2011 REAL TRENDS GATHERING OF EAGLES

Sheryl Chinowth, CEO/Broker Owner Chinowth & Cohen Realtors, was recently a guest speaker at the exclusive 2011 REAL Trends Gathering of Eagles conference. The conference is held annually and this year's event attracted over 200 principals and CEOs from the nation’s 500 largest residential real estate brokerage firms plus senior management of the nation’s largest real estate franchise organizations.

Chinowth participated in the Billionaires meeting discussing how she managed significant growth in the tough markets of 2007-2010. Consistently Chinowth & Cohen Realtors experiences yearly increases in size and sales volume since opening in 2004. The company was recently named 70th in size in the nation for Independent Real Estate Brokerages by Real Trends in 2010. “Our company’s growth through the challenging real estate market has been a result of carefully selecting and working with the most elite Realtors. We strive to educate and motivate our Realtors to be the best they can be, “said Sheryl Chinowth, CEO of Chinowth & Cohen Realtors. “Sharing our company’s vision and strategies to a group of established industry leaders was an honor. I wanted to impart to the audience the hard work and spirit our Associates bring to work every day in order to grow their business and contribute to the success of Chinowth & Cohen Realtors.

“While there are new challenges that appear each year, among the largest issues facing leaders throughout the real estate industry is where to keep the focus. This year’s conference was focused on understanding more of the basics of the business than in years’ past; business models, new incremental revenue opportunities and the reality that housing consumers need professional assistance more than ever. Leaders need to stay focused on how to reach out and touch more customers with more assistance. The 2011 Gathering of Eagles will go down as the year that housing started to turn the corner and those in attendance were able to see where to focus their efforts to take advantage of the market,” said Steve Murray, editor of REAL Trends.

Chinowth & Cohen Realtors is a full service real estate company specializing in residential and commercial real estate. Founded in 2004, by Sheryl Chinowth and Lee Cohen, the firm has over 350 Associates in six offices. The offices are located in Bartlesville, Broken Arrow, South Tulsa, Midtown Tulsa, Sand Springs and Owasso.

Mike & I are proud to say we're been with the company since it was founded in 2004 and count Lee & Sheryl as dear friends. It's been quite a ride to watch the company grow from a group of 18 to over 350 associates!

BIXBY'S GREEN CORN FESTIVAL

Green Corn Festival

June 23-25, 2011

Charley Young Park in Downtown Bixby

The Green Corn Festival is a kick back to the good old fashioned family oriented picnics. The annual festival (held on the 4th Thursday, Friday and Saturday of June) features great music, arts and crafts, food, bingo, carnival and great games and contests for the young and young at heart. A talent show to highlight area youth is held on Friday at the Community Center and the annual Green Corn Parade entertains the masses on Saturday morning.

The Festival is held in downtown Bixby, south and east of 151st and Memorial. Charley Young Park is the site of the Gazebo stage, and games, surrounded by food and crafts booths. Just a hop and skip over is the Youth Stage and Carnival. Cool off during the heat of the day by joining in a few rounds of bingo in the building at the corner of Charley Young Park.

What could be more traditional than an afternoon or evening in the bright summer sun, with lemonade to sip, an array of crafts and gifts to purchase, music to enjoy listening to, with your friends all around? Only a ride on the ferris wheel as the sun sets and the sounds of carnival music drift up in the evening air…

(Information From Bixby Optimist website)

HOW TO IMPROVE CURB APPEAL

Home Selling Advice to Help You Attract Potential Buyers

A large percentage of home buyers decide whether or not to look inside a house or take it seriously based on its curb appeal—the view they see when they drive by or arrive for a showing. You can help make sure they want to come inside your house by spending some time working on the its exterior appearance.

It's difficult to look at our own house in the same way that potential home buyers do, because when we become accustomed to the way something looks and functions, we can't see its faults. Decide right now to stop thinking of the property as a home. It's a house—a commodity you want to sell for the highest dollar possible.

Curb Appeal Exercise:

The next time you come home, stop across the street or far enough down the driveway to get a good view of the house and its surroundings.

1.What is your first impression of the house and yard area?

2.What are the best exterior features of the house or lot? How can you enhance them?

3.What are the worst exterior features of the house or lot? How can you minimize or improve them?

Park where a potential buyer would and walk towards the house, looking around you as if it were your first visit. Is the approach clean and tidy? What could you do to make it more attractive?

Take photos of the home's exterior. If you have a digital camera, view the color versions first, then remove the color and look at it in black and white, because it's easier to see problems when color isn't around to affect our senses.

Make a list of the problem areas you discovered. Tackle clean up and repair chores first, then put some time into projects that make the grounds more attractive.