Idaho Real Estate >> ID Real Estate Specialist

I have made some observations these past few weeks which includes taking a good look at the statistics for our market area and listened to several sellers, Realtors, Mortgage lenders and title companies.

My suggestion to all sellers is "Don't spook the buyers this Halloween"

1) Please stop insisting you don't need a home stager because your sister-in-law worked for a furniture company 15 years ago and can stage your home just fine.  With all the homes on the market you need to have your home staged more that ever before to set it apart from all of the competition. Home stagers are trained to know what is new year after year and what trends are taking place.

2) When you come home from work tomorrow night park across the street from your home and tell yourself (honestly) what it is you see. Home stager Barb Schwarz wrote about this years ago and it impacted me. When I first read it I came home, parked across the street and immediately didn't like a few things I saw.  Remember that the street view of your home either welcomes or turns away potential buyers even though you may think the front of your home is great.

3) Please stop thinking an open house every weekend and print advertising every week is going to bring you a buyer. Buyers are using signs and the internet to shop for homes.  You could have an open house every weekend of the year and have it in the newspaper every week and it would not make a difference.

4) Stop thinking that the market is going to get better next month or by the end of the year and you can hold on to the same price you demanded at the listing table.  I can't tell you how many eternal optimists told me late last year (2006) that 2007 was going to set records.  It set records alright but not the kind of records that are good for homeowners. Optomism is great but numbers don't lie. The overwhelming number of experts agree on one thing; Home prices will continue to dip through at least the 3^rd quarter of 2008 and some think the correction will last into 2009. 

5) Firing your Realtor is not the answer.  If you have had good sign and internet exposure with no results price is the only thing holding you back from attracting buyers. Either keep lowering the price of your home until you attract buyers or be prepared for the same results you have been getting.  Going through 6 Realtors in one year is not a solution.  Lowering the price of your home is the only solution to get positive activity. Don't spook away buyers with an unrealistic listing price. Talk to your Realtor and make sure you are priced where you are competitive with the market place.

6) Real estate runs in cycles just like the economy or the stock market but has still been the most stable investment over the years hands down.  Prices rose in most states from around 1990 through 2005 and even early 2006.  That is a long time for anything to appreciate consistently.  Anyone buying real estate prior to 2005 saw some handsome returns.  Please realize that appreciation took place over those years that you could not have been seen with too many investments.  Realize that many of you will still be seeing profits, just not as big a profit as you would have liked.

Don't have the neighborhood "Haunted House"  Make it attractive to more and more buyers by taking these tips to heart.