Barb Schlinker The Real Estate Voice

Segment 4What Do Home Inspectors Really Look For?Hot New ListingsThe home inspection is one of those things both buyers and sellers fear the most.  What do home inspectors look for?1.   They are looking for any defect, safety issue, code violation or deferred maintenance issue that could affect the buyer’s decision to buy or ask for repairs.2.   The most common repair requests that come up on inspections are:a.   Furnace – clean and serviceb.   AC – clean and servicec.   Electrical – Two wires tapped into 1 circuitReverse polarity on an outletGFCI circuits – this new code does not apply to older homes. But inspectors try to impose new codes on older homes all the time.d.   Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors:e   Roof damage from Hailf.   Fireplace service or chimney cleanouts if woodg.   Radon tests and requests for Radon systemsh.   Sometimes – grading away from foundationi.   Deck RepairsHome Sellers can get ahead of a lot of these issues by getting the regular service work & inspections done up front.T

How Much Lack of Updating Affects the Home’s ValueNot every home is updated like a new home that is offered up for sale. Is it really important for homeowners to update their homes before they go on the market?1.  Well Richard, it depends on the price range.  Most home sellers will command top dollar if the home is in good shape with no “Deferred” Maintenance… eg none of these issues:a)  Stains on Carpetb)  Broken wood flooringc)  Un-kept landscapingd)  Dated kitchens and bathse) Dramatic paint, especially faux paintI had one recent listing in which the faux paint was to give a Tuscan look, very high-end home. The faux cracks in the wall looked so real, I had to photoshop the images to take them out AND when the inspector showed up he looked straight at them and said…”oh no, does it have structural issues?”We ended up having a bidding war on that home at $1.2 Million but I had to photoshop those fake cracks out of the images to attract multiple buyers.  Then we posted a notice in the home that these cracks we

The Pain of Moving – How to Make Moving Easier for Home SellersThe Pain of Moving How to Make Moving Easier for Home SellersI don’t know anyone who enjoys moving, but the whole process of selling your home then moving can be daunting.  You have some tips on how to make it easier, tell us about them?1.  There are a lot of options for moving, some good pre-planning can go a long way to make it easier! a) Let's start with getting your house ready to sell…1.  Enemy #1 for Getting Great Photos is CLUTTER2.  Part of our included services that we provide to our clients is the General Staging Notes, that get the homeowner started on Decluttering3.  Then when our included stage comes to visit: They can see the furniture and clutter that needs to be stored away ad what needs to be used for a ‘redesign’ that make the images look good with your own décor.4.  This is a subtle way to get ready to move:a) Store the things you MUST keep for your next homeb) Give away or Re-purpose the things you do not want to keep or m

What Homeowners Need to Know About Hail Damage When Selling Their HomesThe summer brings plenty of thunderstorms and hail. What can homeowners do about potential hail damage when selling their homes? 1.  For most, they find out after their home goes under contract and they are not expecting to have a buyer ask for a roof repair and/or replacement: a) Check your Homeowners insurance and verify your deductible.  One very popular company who serves military members and their families, USAA, has quietly and through fine print changed the deductible for hail damage to 1% of the home’s value. That means if it’s a $400,000 home, the home owner will have to come out of pocket between $3000 - $3500 to replace the roof.  Most roofs cost about $8000 - $11,000 to replace.2. I would recommend you get a roof, pre-inspection.  for FREE in most cases. Some roofers charge for it, some do not.You can also get what is called a Roof Certification.Roof Certificates are warm fuzzy documents that give the buyers some confidence tha

Is there an etiquette that home sellers should plan for when showing their homes?1.   Well there can be..but it’s not required.2.   Many people allow us to put a lock box on the home so the showings are done with the agents and their buyers and no others in the home.a.   Our lock boxes are digital and we can set them up so.i.  It sends you a text when the box is opened by the agent showingii.  And when the box is closed.4.  Most home sellers will leave for the showings.a.  Why: So buyers feel more comfortable discussing the home with their agents.b.  However it IS YOUR HOME.  If you cannot leave or it’s not convenient for you…that’s ok.c.  And, in prices below $400K there can be so many showings scheduled, it’s a bit challenging to leave all the time. d.  Typically , if you have to be there, we recommend you step out of the way during showings.Melissa Story:  Two Agents confronted the seller about being in her own hoThat, to me, was an agent etiquette issueThis is why picking the right team to sell your home

What are some things that a home buyer should watch out for when buying a new home?1.  I have had the privilege many times to help home buyers go through the process of building a new home.  Even a regular track or production home where builders have 6-15 options of floor plans or a custom home, the process and layers of decisions can be daunting.●There are some BENEFITS TO BUILDING, ○You can pick your own style/colors, lot location and floor plan●You don’t have to remodel a resale home.●Many builders will allow a home sale contingency●Their prices are really competitive now●Many builders are offering finishes in the home that would normally be an upgrade like…quartz or granite counters in the kitchens and baths, hardwood flooring etc, built into the price.●Some builders have started what they call “Spec” homes that are in different stages of being finished in hopes a buyer will come along and purchase it before it finished…thus closing the gap of build time.2.  The DISADVANTAGES to Buying a New Home are:●Tim

Having a House to Sell Before You Buy Your Next HomeMany people need to Sell their Current Homes Before they Buy Their Next Home How Do They Accomplish This?1.  There are a lot of options but it definitely makes buyer a home more challenging! ●Talk to your local bank or lender and see if you can qualify for both…best case●If not  the 2nd best case is your home is ON THE Market and HAS a Contract!2.  As long as your contract is moving along just fine, and you are NOT facing competition, we are getting offers like that accepted.3.   the buyer has the opportunity, typically to back out anyway until about 1 week before closing, so the reason…..sale contingency, inspection, don’t like their loan, really does not matter.4.  Have a house to sell that is NOT yet on the market.●I’ve gotten those contracts accepted, if the seller agrees that once we go on the market, their home is expected to sell quickly….○ Which right now is. Any home priced under $500KYou are listening to the Real Estate Voice with myself Barb Schli

1.  This market is ON FIRE!2.  We are seeing:  ●Increase in Sales why…Rates are at Record lows●Median Sales Price…INCREASE BY 9.4%●Number of ACTIVE LISTINGS…DOWN by 38.2%!3.  The number of Homes Sold compared to 1 year ago was UP IN EVERY PRICE RANGE EXCEPT:●Under $300K – there just are not that many…○Had one sell last month price at $275K, sold for $300K●We have seen our overall Available inventory drop…like an Elevator since 2015Yet.. I have never seen the inventory DROP THIS TIME OF YEAR! Typically the number of SF Homes available goes UP in the summer, for the first time we are seeing that number go DOWN for two consecutive months!●If you are planning on buying a home, be Prepared for Competition, especially under $500,000!  That’s right I have been watching this metric since the beginning of the year.○We have not been able to keep up with inventory of homes under $400,000 BUT○Since January homes from $400,000 to $500,000 the % of sales to available inventory has gone from:■65% in January to 111% of Avail

We are back on the Real Estate Voice with your host, Barb Schlinker and my very special guest, Cindy Schwindt, Interior Designer and Certified Stager, we know that not everyone has the resources to spend a lot of money upgrading their homes.  I recently saw an ad for a storage shed 1st month $1.  Getting a storage shed for excess stuff is a great start. ●What are some low cost things home sellers can do to improve their homes to make the sell fast?o   Cleano   Light Fixtureso   De-ClutterI brought some before and after transformations you have helped my clients with, here is one you did that did not really need improvements just declutter… comments?Navigation Before:1373 Masters in Woodland ParkSat on market for 6 months with no saleHere is another that was in great condition, was professionally staged by another stager…but sat on the market for months with no sale.  You re-staged it and we got a bidding war over Christmas break and it sold for $2000 over asking price at $937,000I don’t know if remember Mikey

How You Can Stage a Room in 1 HourWe are back on the Real Estate Voice with your host, Barb Schlinker and my very special guest, Cindy Schwindt, Interior Designer and Certified Stager, we know that…●Staged homes command up to 4% more in price●Most people do not know what to do to get ready for pictures●We know that the master bathroom is 1 of the first rooms that gets viewed online, ahead of the master bedroom●How can home sellers quickly stage a bathroom●Remove all tissue boxes, soap dispensers, and personal items from countertops●Remove all personal items from shower and tub areas, ●Be sure bathrooms are clean!●Be sure all toilets are clean and the lids are closed!●Make sure medications are locked awayI brought some photos of bathrooms that have good and bad staging We are continuing to show why bathrooms being either staged or dated.  I’ve seen you help home sellers transform a master bath with very little investment. What are some things can cause a home to be rejected ONLINE.Here is one that is dated… si

Why Curb Appeal Matters and What to Do About itWe are back on the Real Estate Voice with your host, Barb Schlinker and my very special guest, Cindy Schwindt, Interior Designer and Stager, we know that…●Most Buyers, 99% start their search online●A majority of that time is spent viewing the outside and yard●What Can a Home Seller Do to Improve their Curb Appeal?○Clean up yard○Freshen mulch beds○Paint front door○Fix Doorbell○Plant fresh shrubs and flowers○Fix the mailboxI brought some outside front photos of homes that are sitting on the market for over 65 days, what issues do you see here?●Clean up driveway, take a better angle with this photoSnow on the ground!  Ha!  It is July, how about updating it, agent too cheap to spend money on an updated photo!Yard Dormant…Grass and trees sticks, Cloudy sky…Yard dormant, car in driveway!!!!I just find it amazing that other agents will not invest the money in great imagery. Then they wonder why their listings are not selling.This is one of our client’s largest assets an

Welcome to the Real Estate Voice with your host, Barb Schlinker of Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty Colorado. It’s the weekly show that educates and informs about buying and selling real estate.  Today I have a very special Guest, Mrs Cindy Schwindt who is a veteran Interior Designer and works with my team helping home sellers prepare their homes for sale by staging.Why is staging so important?●Buyers start their home search looking online●If they do not like the photos, they will pass on to the next house●Staging helps motivate home buyers to want to come see the home and most often help home sellers get the MOST amount of money when it sells●According to the National Association of Realtors, Staged homes cause buyers to offer from 1% to 4% more money when they are staged. In this market that means, on average $4000 to $16,000 more in your pocket when it sells.●More importantly, that it will sell FAST and for TOP Dollar.●You do not want to have your home sit on the market.What do you mean by staging and what

What are Best Ways to Find Homes, How to Get the Advice of an Agent When Planning to Sell, Hot New Listings#1 – Best Ways to Find a HomeMost people find a home on Zillow or Realtor because it’s the easy button. However, Zillow does not tell you the homes are under contract!Hiring a great agent, they can help youMy team is trained to do just that.Not just online homes but all homes in your criteria.Buyers gets really frustrated finding out homes are going under contract so fast.Then when you do find one you like, make sure your agent is NOT a secret agent!Sellers can accept an offer at ANY time.Had a property last weekend, got a question about other offers?  Answer yes.6 hours later No communication from that agent.Sellers accepted an offer and the other agent whined that she had an interested buyer??Typically I slow down the process, however some sellers want to stop the pain of showing so much as soon as possibleHad another seller that only allowed showings on day caz one just had surgery and it was painful

Segment 3Why are Inspections and Appraisals Needed and Who Does ThemInspections and Appraisals - Why are they needed and who does them?1.  They are two different things:Inspection – typically done by the buyer’s inspector to make sure the home is in workable condition.Kicker:  Inspectors do NOT have to be Licensed in ColoradoI’ve had buyers do their own inspectionHome Inspection Issue – Inspector tore apart pedestal sink story2.  Appraisal is done by someone who holds a license with the state to verify the home meets the loan guidelines and it’s an outside 3rd party opinion of the home’s value.●Used by lenders to substantiate to the investor, person providing the money for the loan and●That the home meets the loan guidelines and is worth the agreed upon price.This is another example why Agent Selection matters.Not every agent understands that the Lender Requirements are for the Buyer and are NOT a seller obligation. Yet some agents think its ok to charge the seller for stuff like this.You are listening to the

Why Agent Selection Really Matters When Selling a HomeWhy agent selection really matters when selling a home1. There are a LOT of choices, the Pikes Peak region over 4900+, some have the experience, some do not.  The sad part is most homes sellers expect that agents are experts…however…There is little training in the industry in:MarketingSalesNegotiatingClosingIn Colorado, we go through 1 month of school it gets a license and are thrown the market to go get sales…That was my experience when I started and I came from a tech type background as a Navy Veteran and Commercial Pilot there was training and procedures, memory items for absolutely EVERYTHING…Not so in real estate.3. So, I would caution would be home sellers from picking the agent who offers the lowest price.. all agents are NOT the same…4. It’s not about the lowest commission you can get.  Those are agent who take bad photos, don’t help you stage, and suggest low prices for a quick sale.5. You will actually net MORE money hiring a quality agent who kn

Last week we talked about the Average Days on the Market is about 21 Days and Your average is about 7 Days, If a home is sitting on the Market longer than that, what are some of the reasons why that is happening?1. Although the average Days on Market is at lower levels than all of Last Year…that number is a reflection of the homes that getting contracts…NOT the ones that are NOT getting contracts.  2. The average Days on Market statistic IS an indication of How Long on Average it Takes to Sell a Home that is Priced REALISTICALLY and that is marketing properly to attract a buyer in this market.3. So if a home is NOT selling in that time frame there are Seven typical reasons why:a. The #1 Reason…Price is Too High●Buyers are afraid to make an offer if it’s Over Priced because they fear rejection, especially in this hot market.●That leads me to Why is it Priced too High?○Many times the sellers rely on the advice of agents and/or those online valuation systems to tell them their home’s value.○Pricing is one of tho

Why Curb Appeal is SO, SO ImportantBarb Schlinker Radio Show719-301-1802 | 719-301-3900Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty Colorado#coloradosprings #yourhomesoldguaranteedrealty #barbschlinker #realestatevoiceYou are listening to the Real Estate Voice with Barb Schlinker of Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty Colorado and I’ve heard you talk about how important Curb Appeal is to Buyers, tell us about it…a. We Know that Buyers Eliminate Homes Online…b. The typical buyer looks at home online for LESS THAT 57 SECONDSI. One of my clients said each home gets NOT MORE than 5 Clicksii. Yet too many agents put bad photos, wrong order of photos, and photos of things in the house that do NOT make the house look more attractive than the asking price!1. This has to do with the fact that the industry is very weak on teaching marketing to agents.c. Curb Appeal HAS to be right!i. This is THE time of year to get it right!ii. Even if you are planning to sell next year if your flowers come in really nicely this year…take a horizonta

Segment 3The Quest for Main Level Living and How to Find Those HomesWhat is defined as main level living and how to home buyers find them?●What is fun about working with buyers is that they all have different wants and needs in a home.●Lately, I have noticed with my clientele that there is a growing demand for people to move into a home that has few if any stairs and more easy-care homes with main level living.●People entering into the retirement years typically want main level living but enough space to entertain family or grandkids.●Main level living is defined as: ○Few if any stairs○1, preferably 2 bedrooms on the main level○Laundry on the main level and○Homes that do not require a ton of maintenance○Some have basements, some do not○Some the HOA takes care of the yard, exterior snow removal, trash removal, some do not.○Some are attached to other homes called “Paired Patio Homes”.  Those are homes attached by 1 wall, typically the garage wall.What Can a Home Buyer Expect to Pay for a Home with Main Level Li

What are some Inspection Blunders you have Seen and how Sellers watch out for them?1. Inspectors are NOT licensed in the state of CO2. For our Errors and Omission Insurance to be Valid, we as licensed agents CANNOT let an unlicensed person go in the house on their own…yet...●Weekly, I get requests from agents asking if we can give out the code to let inspectors spend 3 hours in someone’s home touching every system on their own without an escort. Not only is this behavior a license law violation but it invalidates our insurance!●I’ve caught agents, going to the home, letting them in THEN LEAVING DURING THE INSPECTION●I’m not sure what agents have to do other than represent their clients (of which they are getting thousands and thousands of dollars to do… but not attending to their buyer’s due diligence, to me, is a failure to represent the client.●As a result, if the seller is NOT present during the inspection, we staff the inspection with our team to represent the seller during the inspection.●The state contr

How to Write a Winning OfferWhat are the Top Mistakes Buyers Make When Making an Offer on Homes?Buyers Do Not Know HOW it Works...Buyer Mistake #1: Not Getting Pre-APPROVED FOR FINANCINGa. Define: Pre-Approved - Submitted financial docs to lender and lender has approved the buyers loan, just need a house!i. Similar to Cashii. Just Need an Appraisalb. Pre-Qualified - Talked to a Lender on the Phone and Lender MAYBE pulled creditNOTE: Pre-Qualification tells me there is NO Verification by the lender of the Buyer's Financial statusBuyer Mistake # 2: FAILURE TO SEND OVER BUYER’S ABILITY TO PAY WITH PROOF OF FUNDS OR LENDER LETTER - -NO Lender Letter ProvidedPuts Buyers Ability to Perform in DoubtAgents have said to me…”I was so busy”Too busy to present your buyer in the best possible light?Buyer Mistake # 3: HOUSE TO SELL CONTINGENCY 1. Hot Property – 20 Showings on Day 12. Offer Came in with a House to Sell that gave the buyer a back out, no harm no foul to buyer all the way until closing day…6 weeks later!