Elkhart County, Indiana, Increase Your Homes Value Before Selling

If you are planning to sell your home in Elkhart County, Indiana, which renovations will increase the value of your house the most?
Assuming the house has no major weaknesses, remodeling the kitchen or bathroom is usually a good bet.
Making improvements in a home can boost the selling price of the property substantially beyond the cost of the renovation and even mean the difference in whether or not the house sells at all. When contemplating an upgrade, a homeowner is wise to consider not only renovations that are needed, but those that will most enhance the value - and selling appearance - of the home.
Evaluate the home from the buyer's point of view. Your local Elkhart County Expert, Evelyn Johnston, Real Estate Agent with Prudential One Realty will be able to offer an objective view and will also know what buyers are looking - and asking - for. Renovations accomplish one of two things; they improve or update the condition of the home, or they actually add features to it. (A small renovation might be a skylight, a larger one - an extra bedroom and bath.) Before embarking on any ambitious projects, sellers should first confirm that their money wouldn't be better spent with more basic work, like replacing drafty old windows, adding insulation or installing an attic fan.

Assuming the house is otherwise appealing, modernizing the kitchen is usually a worthwhile investment. Not only is it the "heart" of the home, the kitchen is also the main workplace, where modern convenience is expected. Buyers are attracted to a bright, cheerful, convenient kitchen. This means that as a minimum, floors and counters should be in good condition; cabinetry should be freshly painted or natural; appliances should look good and operate well; window coverings should be tasteful and feature light paint; and there should be lots of sunlight or at least pleasant artificial lighting. Cabinet space, also an important feature in a kitchen, can be maximized by inexpensive organizing and space-saving devices that are available. For older kitchens, replacement of countertops, floors, cabinet doors or appliances can freshen the look and improve the utility of the kitchen without disturbing the character of the room - and with less expense than a complete rebuild.
Bathrooms are another good candidate for refurbishment. Buyers are fussy about cleanliness, and a sparkling clean, looking-like-new bathroom is an excellent sale feature. And bathroom renovations are not as expensive as you might think, even for a complete remodeling.
Many of the refurbishments can be done in a weekend without hiring a contractor. But, if you do need the services of a contractor, ask friends or your local Elkhart County Expert, Evelyn Johnston, REALTOR with Prudential One Realty at 574-304-7148 for referrals of companies that provide quality service.

Top 10 Reasons To Hire A Real Estate Agent

With so much information readily available online, clients often ask me, "why should we hire a real estate agent" They wonder, and rightfully so, if they couldn't buy or sell a home through the Internet or through regular marketing and advertising channels without representation, without a real estate agent. Some do ok, many don't. So, if you've wondered the same thing, here are 10 reasons why you might want to consider hiring a professional real estate agent.

• Education and Training-You don't need to know everything about buying and selling real estate if you hire a real estate professional who does. Henry Ford once said that when you hire people who are smarter than you are, it proves you are smarter than they are. The trick is to find the right person. For the most part, they all cost about the same. Why not hire a person with more education and experience than you? We're all looking for more precious time in our lives, and hiring pros gives us that time.
• Agents are Buffers-Agents take the spam out of your property showings and visits. If you're a buyer of new homes, your agent will whip out their sword and keep the builder's agents at bay, preventing them from biting or nipping at your heels. If you
• re a seller, your agent will filter all those phone calls that lead to nowhere from lookie loo's and try to induce serious buyers to immediately write an offer.
• Neighborhood Knowledge-Agents either possess intimate knowledge or they know where to find the industry buzz about your neighborhood. They can identify comparable sales and hand these facts to you, in addition to pointing you in the direction to where you can find more data on schools, crime or demographics. For example, you may know a home down the street was on the market for $350,000, but an agent will know it had upgrades and sold for $285,000 after 65 days on the market and after falling twice out of escrow.
• Price Guidance-Contrary to what some people believe, agents do not select prices for buyers or sellers. However, an agent will help to guide clients to make the right choices for themselves. If a listing is at 7%, for example, an agent has a 7% vested interest in the sale, but the client has a 93% interest. Selling agents will ask buyers to weigh all the data supplied to them and to choose a price. Then based on market supply, demand and the conditions, the agent will devise a negotiation strategy.
• Market Conditions Information-Real Estate agents can disclose market conditions, which will govern your selling or buying process. Many factors determine how you will proceed. Data such as the average square foot cost of similar homes, median and average sales prices, average days on the market and ratios of list to sold prices, among other criteria, will have a huge bearing on what you ultimately decide to do.
• Professional Networking-Real Estate Agents network with other professionals, many of whom provide services that you will need to buy or sell. Due to legal liability, many agents will hesitate to recommend a certain individual or company over another, but they do know which vendors have a reputation for efficiency, competency and competitive pricing. Agents can, however give you a list of references with whom they have worked and provide background information to help you make a wise selection.
• Negotiation Skills and Confidentiality-Top producing agents negotiate well because, unlike most buyers and sellers, they can remove themselves from the emotional aspects of the transaction, and because they are skilled. Its part of their job description. Good agents are not messengers, delivering buyers offers to sellers and vica versa. They are professionals who are trained to present their clients case in the best light and agree to hold client information from competing interests.
• Handling volumes of Paperwork-One page deposit receipts were prevalent in the early 1970's Today's purchase agreements are around 10 pages or more. That does not include the federal and state mandated disclosures nor disclosures dictated by local custom. Most real estate files average from one to three inches of paper. One tiny mistake or omission could land you in court or cost you thousands. In some states lawyers handle the disclosures, thank goodness!
• Answer Questions After Closing-Even the smoothest transactions that close without complications can come back to haunt. For example, taxing authorities that collect property tax assessments, doc stamps, or transfer tax can fall months behind and mix up invoices but one call to your agent can straighten out the confusion. Many questions can pop up that were overlooked in the excitement of closing. Good agents stand by ready to assist. Worthy and honest agents don't leave you in the dust to fend for yourself.
• Develop Relationships for future business-The basis for an agents success and continued career in real estate is referrals. Few agents would survive if their livelihood was dependent on consistently drumming up new business. This emphases gives agents strong incentives to make certain clients are happy and satisfied. It also means that an agent who stays in the business will be there for you when you need to hire an agent again. Many will periodically mail market updates to you to keep you informed and stay in touch.

How Long Should It Take You To Find What You Want?

Often, I show only one home, after all, how many homes does one family need? A few buyers will look for years, but buyers who do that are not motivated. A motivated buyer will find a home within two weeks. Most of my buyers, here in Elkhart County, Indiana, find a home within two days.

Good real estate agents will listen to your wants and needs and arrange to show you only those homes that fit your particular parameters.

How Many Homes Will You See?

Studies show that your memory dramatically improves after eating carbs and slows upon eating sugar. So, layoff the soft drinks and have a hearty meal of carbs before venturing out to tour homes. The average number of homes I show to a buyer in one day is seven. Any more than that, and the brain is overloaded. Therefore, don't expect to see 20 or 30 homes, although it is physically possible to do, you probably will not remember specific details about any of them.

The Red shoes Experience

Women will relate to this. say you need anew pair of red shoes. You go to the mall. At the first shoe store, you find a fabulous pair of red shoes. You try them on. They fit perfectly. They are glamorous, priced right too. Do you buy them? Of Course Not! You go to every other shoe store in the mall trying on red shoes until you are ready to drop from exhaustion! Then you return to the first store and buy those red shoes. Do not shop for a house this way. When you find the perfect home, buy it!

How To Rate Inventory

• Bring a digital camera and begin each series of photographs with a close up of the house number to identify where each group of home shots started and ended.
• Take copious notes of unusual features, colors and design elements.
• Pay attention to the homes surroundings. What is next door? Do 2 story homes tower over your single story?
• Immediately after leaving rate each home on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest.

View top choices a second time. After touring homes for a few days, you will probably instinctively know which one or two homes you would like to buy. Ask to see them again. You will see them with different eyes and notice elements that were overlooked the first go around.

At this point, your agent should call the listing agents to find out more about the sellers motivation and to double check than an offer hasn't come in, making sure these homes are still available to purchase.

Making the Selection

I'll let you in on a little secret. I generally know which home a buyer is going to choose, and I suspect most other agents operate the same way. Its our intuition, but I make a practice not to steer buyers, and I insist buyers choose the home without interference from me. Its not my choice to make.

Real Estate Agents are required, however, to point out defects and should help buyers feel confident that the home selected meets the buyers search parameters.

Talk to you again soon!

Evelyn Johnston

Prudential One Realty

574-304-7148

evelyn@evelynjohnston.com