Would-be buyers in Bellevue and other Eastside communities are going above list prices, waiving inspection and writing flowery letters to sellers. And if they can pay in cash, all the better.
5 Front Yard Landscaping Tips that will WOW Buyers
Your front yard is the red carpet inviting buyers into the beauty that is your home. If it’s rugged, messy and unkempt, buyers will take one look and then keep on driving to the next property on their list. Don’t let that happen by making your front yard luscious and as amazing as the inside of your home.
What areas should you focus on in your front yard? Where do you start? To help you break down the revitalization of your front yard, here are the steps you should take…
Solutions for Reroofing Your Home
Reroofing is necessary maintenance, depending on your roof’s materials. Finding a roofing solution that is the most cost effective and longest lasting can be confusing – how do you find what’s best for your home and budget?
The average roof consists of three layers of material. Resting atop your rafter boards is the first layer, known as the solid decking. On top of that is a layer of felt underlay, and finally comes the roofing shingles. Extra materials include flashing, a kind of siding that extends the roofing protection to the sides of the house, eves, and chimneys, and rain gutters.
You may only need to replace the underlay and shingles, but chances are good that you may need repairs to rafters or to the decking. So, the first thing you need to know is how your roof is constructed.
12 Thank-You notes Guaranteed to Generate Real Estate Leads
Richard and Beth Witt generate more business from sending thank-you cards than any other activity. They could write a book on the business they generated from these cards… for now they will just encourage everyone to start sending these much-loved and very appreciated notes to anyone and everyone. They promise that doing so will generate business.
Just think about this a second: Someone sends you an email thanking you for listing your home with them, or someone takes the time to handwrite you a note in a lovely thank-you card and mails it to you. Which one makes you feel special?
Did the Internet Kill the Real Estate Star?
These days, there’s a limitless amount of information available to the technology-savvy home shopper. It appears—at least on the surface—that the role of the real estate agent is diminishing, especially for the younger generations of buyers. In fact, as millennials embrace every emerging social platform and application from Vine to SnapChat, expanding their ability to access an incredible wealth of real estate information and opinions generated by their peers and friends, what will become of agents?
Housing Market Righting Itself – Buyers, Brokers Get Creative to Compete
Housing around Western Washington is on an upward trajectory, but inadequate inventory “in the right prices and locations” makes for a “very difficult market for purchasers and brokers,” according to an executive with one multi-office real estate company.
New figures from Northwest Multiple Listing Service show inventory increased in May compared to a year ago, but brokers say competition is keen. “Multiple offers and escalation clauses occur on a regular basis for properties that are extremely well priced and in great condition,” reports Dick Beeson, principal managing broker at RE/MAX Professionals in Tacoma.
Mike Gain, a former chairman of the Northwest MLS board of directors, also commented on the bidding wars. “We are experiencing more multiple offers than I have experienced in my 35 years of practicing real estate in this marketplace,” stated Gain, the president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northwest Real Estate. “This is a very difficult market for purchasers, our agents and brokers. If we had inventory to handle the demand our pending and sold numbers would be greatly increased,” he believes, adding, “We desperately need good quality inventory.”
Last month’s pending sales topped the 10,000 mark for the first time in twelve months. The number of mutually accepted offers totaled 10,373, outgaining a year ago by 328 transactions for an increase of almost 3.3 percent. Last month’s total was the highest volume of pending sales since June 2006 when brokers tallied 10,448 transactions.
With demand outpacing supply in many parts of the region, brokers are noticing more creativity among competing parties. “Offer review deadlines have become pretty commonplace in this market, as have pre-inspections,” said OB Jacobi, president of Windermere Real Estate. He said some agents and buyers are getting even more aggressive by submitting their offer prior to the deadline.
Jacobi said there’s also an increase in the number of cash buyers, and buyers willing to waive their financing contingency, “making it even more difficult for the vast majority who don’t have this option.” With ongoing competition likely to continue, Jacobi expects agents and buyers to be “increasingly creative until the market becomes more balanced, which probably isn’t going to happen any time soon.”
Contact Jennifer for more details!
Choosing the Right Surface Material for Your Patio
A patio can enhance the time you spend outdoors, add value to your home and save you money on landscaping maintenance. Just the thought of a patio evokes images of sun-drenched afternoons, relaxing evenings, cocktails and fireflies. In almost every case, a patio is a very attainable DIY project, as long as you plan well and choose wisely. The task is made more difficult, however, by the huge range of available materials, colors and patterns. Before you start a patio building project, it’s important to research your options and determine which material best suits your needs and abilities.
Brand Matters to Consumers
The recent Hear it Direct (HID) conference in Austin, Texas, was packed with powerful strategies based upon direct consumer feedback. Whether you want to be more effective at marketing or pricing properties, these ideas represent some of the best ways to grow your real estate business.
In Austin, HID co-creator Sue Adler shared a number of the highlights from previous consumer panels that she has conducted. Here are more best practices based upon what really matters to today’s buyers and sellers…
Relay For Life of Kent is May 30-31, 2014
Please help me fight back against cancer again this year, as this will be my final year Co-Chairing the Relay For Life of Kent. I enjoy helping the community CELEBRATE survivors, REMEMBER loved ones and FIGHT BACK against this disease that affects everyone directly or indirectly. It’s hard to believe that 1 in 3 people living in the United States will hear the words, “You have cancer,” in their lifetime. Let’s raise more funds to find a cure!
Donate online:
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/JenniferGilbert-Smith
When it comes to real estate marketing, don’t waste money on passive techniques
According to the National Association of Realtors’ newly released 2014 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report, only 4 percent of sellers and 9 percent of buyers found their agent on a website. If you’re spending gobs of money on pay-per-click, search engine optimization (SEO), and other online advertising formats with the idea of generating buyer and seller leads, your money may be better spent elsewhere.
As an agent, you are constantly bombarded with advertisements and recommendations about the various ways you can generate buyer and seller leads. Should you have a website? Should you spend money on online ads? Should you pay for Internet leads? Should you market using calendars, magnets and postcards? Here’s how to decide…
Managing The Real Estate Details 