Real Estate 101 with Craig and Gina Wiley

Staging Tips

Having curb appeal and preparing your home for buyers is one of the most important steps in the selling process. Below are some staging tips that won't break your bank!

• First impressions are EVERYTHING! Keeping your lawn watered in warmer months to maintain a healthy green color, planting flowers along a walkway or around a lamp or sign post, and/or placing attractive flowerpots on the porch are all good ideas. Make sure your trash cans are out of sight and there are no toys left outside.


• The front door is the place that could be examined the longest, here's why.... the buyer is usually standing with the REALTOR as he / she is unlocking front door. In reality this takes only a minute or two...but while the agent is fumbling around with the lock box and key, the buyer has nothing better to do than to look around. Make sure your doorway is clean, fresh and inviting. Look in the corners of your doorway for unexpected cob-webs or dirt and clean it! Shine your door-nob, door-knocker, and door-bell if applicable. Hang a seasonal wreath to brighten up the entrance way. These may seem like insignificant things...but they do catch the eye of the buyer waiting to get inside your home.

Ok..so they made it past your beautiful entrance and what do they see? Here are some things to think about as you prepare your home to sell.

1. De-personalize. We've all heard this term, but what does it mean. It means, pack up all your family pictures and put away your heritage artifacts. You don't want buyers to ask themselves what kind of family lives in this house....you want them to imagine themselves in your house.


2. Satisfy their sense of smell! There is nothing that is going to turn potential buyers off more than a "smelly" house! Get rid of any odors. Use air fresheners, candles, bake cookies before showings. Do whatever it takes to make your home smell nice and don't forget closets, bathrooms and the basement. If you have a pet it would be wise to remove it and things like cat litter, dog crates ...etc during showings.


3. De-clutter. When selling your home, less is more! Pack away all of the things that you don't need. Clean off the kitchen counter-top, put away all the appliances. Show off the counter-space and closet space. If you think you have too much furniture in a room...you probably do. Put some in storage. Remember the way you live in a house may be very different from the way you showcase your house to sell.


4. Make minor updates. Replacing light fixtures, switch plates and outlet covers is an inexpensive way to freshen up your home. Also minor things like new hand towels in the bathrooms and fresh flowers throughout your home sets a pleasant environment. If you you recently bought new carpets of if your normal practice is taking off your shoes before coming inside...by all means leave a note asking the buyers to do the same. Believe it or not...it has been our experience that buyers respect the owners wishes and are very impressed that the owners care enough to leave a note with this request. It shows that the property was well taken care of.


5. Things you may forget but are important. Make sure that your front door key works easily. There is nothing more frustrating to a showing agent and their clients than not being able to open the door. This is particularly important because most times sellers will get a key made to put into the lock box. If the key is not cut perfectly it will cause trouble when trying to open the door. Perhaps you will want to hold onto the new key and put the original key into the lock box assuring a smooth entry into your home. Another thing that is important is to create a clear path to your electrical box, heater and air conditioning units. Make sure they are wiped clean and cob-web free. Red flags will go up to potential buyers if the systems in your home look as though they haven't been serviced or cleaned in a long time.


6. Get feedback from someone that will tell you the truth! Find a friend or relative to walk through your home and give you honest feedback. Then make changes that are necessary. Remember that living in a home is a lot different than showcasing your home to sell.

With all of our listing agreements we offer a free home staging consultation that will provide you will great tips and ideas on staging your home to sell fast. Staging a home doesn't have to break your bank account. You can stage a home on any budget and in some cases you can pay the costs of staging at settlement!

Contact us directly to learn more about this.

Coldwell Banker Preferred
390 Waterloo Blvd., suite 101
Exton, PA 19341
Office 610-363-606
Direct 484-881-6066

craig_wiley@comcast.net
gina.wiley@comcast.net

"Teamwork makes the dream work!"

Real Estate Reality with Craig and Gina

Your Local REALTORS® Are Here To Help!
Craig & Gina Wiley
Coldwell Banker Preferred

Evaluating Schools

Usually, whenever a family selects a new home, one of their main concerns is the quality of the local school system. As parents of four children, we understand this concern.

Whether you’re thinking about moving to a new school district or just want to know how your current one ranks, the information is at the tip of your fingers. In addition to some of the Pennsylvania’s best school districts, Chester County also has private and charter schools to consider. For a list of all schools in Chester County with links to their websites, click here. To see school statistics or compare schools in Chester County click here.

Since this is such an important concern with most families, we would like to ask our readers… what is most important to you in choosing a school for your children?

Summertime…How will this affect getting our home sold?

In some places school is already out, others it will be in a few short days. With summer come kids running around the house, vacations, family gatherings, and more hours of daylight. And you want to sell your house during all of this chaos? Many people make their move during the summer for obvious reasons. It doesn’t interrupt the school year, there is a larger selection of homes to choose from, corporate relocations, etc. But how can I get my home sold and move before school starts again?


Here are a few suggestions:

· Hire a REALTOR® to sell your house and manage your transaction so you can enjoy vacations, picnics, etc. without worrying doing everything yourself.

· Prepare the house before it goes on the market so that it is in excellent condition. And please, fix all of the little things because buyers notice! If you don’t have the time, schedule a handyman for a few hours. (As a courtesy, we offer a free consultation from a professional home stager to all of our sellers.)

· Price your house to sell from the first day it’s on the market. Houses are still getting multiple offers and selling in less than 30 days. Yours could too! However, the market doesn’t lie about pricing and for some people it just may not be the right time to move.

· Schedule your house to go on the market or make a price reduction and then GO ON VACATION! Does anyone really like preparing for buyers to come through their house? Probably not. So prepare it once, hop on a plane, and let your REALTOR ® get your home sold. With modern technology, we can usually do everything necessary to get an agreement completed over email, fax or phone.

· One last thing, while a last minute appointment or knock on your door is inconvenient, it just might be the buyers that purchase your house! If possible, try to accommodate their request.

We would like to make a useful contribution to the Chester County Moms blog. Please send us your comments and questions!

Our next post will be on Friday, June 19, 2009.

Craig & Gina Wiley
Coldwell Banker Preferred
390 Waterloo Blvd, Suite 101
Exton, PA 19341
Office 610-363-6006
Direct 484-881-6066
Craig_Wiley@comcast.net
Gina.Wiley@comcast.net

“Teamwork makes the dream work!”

Get Your Real Estate Questions Answered with Craig and Gina!

Do You Have Real Estate Questions?
Your local REALTORS are here to help!
Craig & Gina Wiley
Coldwell Banker Preferred

We’re here to help you. When was the last time you turned on The News without some “expert” making negative comments about Real Estate? Can all of the doom and gloom really be true? Not necessarily in Chester County. We’re here to provide you with information about what really matters – the local market and how it impacts your future decisions. In our first post we are providing information on the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit and Interest Rates.

Could you be a “First-Time Homebuyer”? In general terms if you (or your spouse) haven’t owned a residence in the past 3 years, you will probably qualify for the current tax credit. Click here to learn more about the $8,000 tax credit that is available for purchases before December 1, 2009!

Economy turning around? Maybe and when it does you can bet interest rates will turn with it. They may not go up to 18% like buyers faced in the 80’s but they are likely to rise and this could make the difference in the affordability of the home. If you are considering a purchase, now is the time to act. To see the difference even a small change in the interest rate makes on your monthly payment just click here for a mortgage calculator.

Open Houses? For a list of open houses in your area this weekend (or any weekend), just email us at craig_wiley@comcast.net To see pictures and a description click on our spotlighted open house this Sunday from 12pm – 3pm. This spacious new home is just waiting for the right buyer to put on the finishing touches. The builder is ready to sell, so stop by if you’re in Exton!

Ideas / Questions - We’re open to your thoughts on topics for future posts. Feel free to leave comments or contact us directly with your ideas and questions. We hope you will find our posts interesting and helpful.

Our next post will be on Tuesday, June 16, 2009.

Craig & Gina Wiley
Coldwell Banker Preferred
390 Waterloo Blvd, Suite 101
Exton, PA 19341
Office 610-363-6006
Direct 484-881-6066
Craig_Wiley@comcast.net
Gina.Wiley@comcast.net

“Teamwork makes the dream work!”