Chris deLambert

It's not a great time to be selling your house. Turn on the news, browse the internet, or just ask someone who knows. If you didn't already know, it won't take much effort to find out. By all accounts, it's a buyer's market. Now, I don't mean to scare you. I just want you to be aware that there's a surplus out there. You're going to have to do everything you can to set your house apart from the pack and lure in that one buyer.

Just what those things are is material for another day. Today's advice begins with a story...

I've been working with a family from the midwest that plans to retire here in Tupelo, MS. We've been working for months to find them a home. We had a beautiful lakeside property picked out two months ago. I'd sent them everything there was to send. They knew they'd they'd found 'the one'. Immediately, they made plans to travel down and see the house in person and make their offer. Less than a week before they arrived, the house sold out from under them.

Well, they came down as scheduled anyway. We visited 8 houses. They liked all of them - but none of them measured up to that first home they had fallen in love with. Disappointed, they returned home.

Three days later, I sent them a new listing. A nice house. In fact, a very nice house, but frankly, I didn't give it a second thought. At 7;30 that evening these folks called me, almost out of breath. "Chris", they said, "You have outdone yourself." Really? "We're coming down next weekend and we're going to buy that house."

As planned, I shceduled the showing and they returned to the area.

It was almost like watching my kids on Christmas morning. Their eyes lit up and aournd every corner, there was another, "ooooh" or "aaaah". It was perfect.

Three days later we presented an offer. Not a great offer, but a very good offer -7% less than list price and had a pre-approval letter from JP Morgan/Chase. We asked to close on March 21at (about 90 days) with no contingencies. I told the agent that we understood that the date was a little bit out there and that, if necessary, we could pull it forward.

This is where the fun started. Two days later, I got a call from the listing agent. I knew right away that something was wrong. After 5 minutes of hemming and hawing, he tells me that the sellers have elected not to counter. Their reason? First, they were not happy with the closing date. OK, got it. Second? They would prefer that the buyers use a local lender. WHAT?

So, these sellers instructed their agent to thank us for our interest, inform us that their would be no counteroffer, and let us know that if we elected to close sooner and use a different lender they MIGHT be willing to consider another offer.

Hehe.

I've got a better idea. How 'bout you go fly a kite. As of 5 minutes ago, there are 184 comparables in town. I'll bet you there's at least one that can get the same 'oooohs' and 'aaaahs'. Not only are we not going to entertain your nonsense, I personally will never show your house again and I'll do everything I know how to make sure that no agent with any sense does either.

Sellers, you're not going to get a perfect offer. EVER. The only way that I know of to ensure that the offer NEVER makes you happy, is to not counter. Don't be stupid.

Here's a great article from the Wall Street Journal. Homeowners! Pay attention. There'll be a test on this material. Seriously, the value of good pictures can't be overstated. Virtual tours and video are coming of age, but many buyers can't be bothered to check them out. Regarding photos, though, the bottom line is that if they don't get a buyer's attention, they're moving on. I shows other agents' properties all the time and clients tell me: "We saw this one on the internet, but the [insert feature] looked awful." If the photos of your home aren't impressive, make your agent do them again.

One point that's not captured here is the importance of which picture is selected as your 'thumbnail'. This is the photo that serves as the My personal opinion is to use the shot that accentuates the best exterior feature. What do I mean? If your wooded lot is the most attractive feature, choose a picture that shows off the trees. Well tended landscaping? Get the picture that's angled to best capture it. If you've got a particularly nice patio or pool, use that.

There are far too many block, straight on shots of homes that don't give any perspective. If you can't get someone past that first photo, they'll never have a chance to see that wooded lot or custom pool that's buried at the end of 30 other pictures.

Enjoy...

By JUNE FLETCHER

Scott Van Dyke

Props like the wine and cheese shown here can make a kitchen look warm and inviting.

Here are some tips from professional architectural photographers on how to show your home's best face to buyers:

• Always use a tripod.
• Take interior photos at twilight when the light coming through windows better matches the interior levels.
• If a room is empty, bring in a prop like a chair to give it a sense of scale.

-Alan Stoker, Iowa City, Iowa

• Outside, keep the sun behind you, shining on the face of the home. If the main entry is always in the shade (on the north face), shoot it on a partly cloudy day to lower the contrast.
• Inside, close the drapes to lessen the possibility of the camera's light meter being fooled by bright exterior light.
• For empty houses, try to capture rooms that are together, like a master bedroom and bathroom, to add interest to the image.

-Joel Eden, Denver

• Keep the camera straight and level. Tilting it makes side walls appear slanted.
• Don't get too close to objects with a wide lens. This will create distortion, especially with rounded objects.

See Photo Dos and Don'ts

View Slideshow

Nick Gorski

Photographers explain how to use natural light to your advantage in this slideshow.

• Use props such as fruit, drinks, magazines and towels. This will make the space look as if someone was just there.
• Get dynamic angles by shooting low or with something in the foreground.

-Jeff Green, Las Vegas

• You don't always have to shoot the entire room; keep the composition balanced. A vase, chair or object in the foreground gives more depth to the shot.
• Turn on as many lights as possible, and fill in dark areas with work lights.
• Draw blinds so they are horizontal and windows look transparent.

-Dale Christopher Lang, Seattle

• Outside, remove garbage cans, cars, seasonal decorations, flags and plaques. Inside, put away toys and clothes on hooks.
• If there are heavy shadows from trees, shoot on an overcast day.
• Shoot at chest-level so you show less ceiling.

-Gary Silverstein, Olympia, Wash.

• Shoot rooms from an angle; they'll look larger.
• Fluff the pillows, so you don't have an imprint of where people sat on the bed or sofa.
• Use odd numbers of accessories, like three or five, in different sizes. For instance, on a bedside table, put flowers, a few books and a small clock.

-Scott Van Dyke, Los Angeles

• Wait for shafts of sunlight to come through the window; they create a friendly mood.

House Talk

• The Best Shot: A Photography Lesson for Home Sellers

• Move furniture so it doesn't hide architectural features like a fireplace.

-Cameron Carothers, Glendale, Calif.

• Each room looks best at a different time of day, so give yourself a day to take your pictures.
• Shoot two walls only, with a bit of floor and ceiling. Shooting three walls creates a shoebox effect.
• For a fresh perspective, stand a few feet to one side of a corner, but angle the camera as if you were standing in the corner.

-Bradley Hart, San Diego

• Turn all the lights on in the house, and shoot the exterior at dusk. It will look welcoming.
• Never photograph a house dead on, or when it's backlit by the sun.
• Take exterior pictures from a ladder, or the top of your car, especially if you are using a wide-angle lens.

-Nick Gorski, Stillwater, Minn.

• Compose photos so corners aren't in the center of the frame.
• If an interior is empty, stand back as far as you can to show how large the space is.
• Figure out where the sun rises and set, and shoot when the sun is 45 degrees from the angle you want to take the shot. If a façade faces north, shoot just before sunset or on a cloudy day.

-Lincoln Barbour, Portland, Ore.

• Don't use a wide angle lens in an interior shot. They make rooms look smaller.
• Turn off your camera's flash; it will make the most spectacular room look like a scary, semi-lit dungeon.
• Don't tilt the camera up or down; it gives objects odd, unnatural shapes.

-Douglas Hill, Los Angeles

Cheers,

Chris

Chris deLambert retired from the United States Army after 20 years of distinguished service. He is now a licensed Realtor and certified Short Sale/Foreclosure Resource serving all of Northeast Mississippi, including Lee County, Pontotoc County, Union County, Itawamba County, and Prentiss County. His office is located at 1720 McCullough Blvd in Tupelo, MS. You can call him at (662) 891-8942 or reach him via email at chris.delambert@gmail.com. His website, delambertrealestate.com provides potential homebuyers and sellers with an array of data and tools without any registration requirements.

Anyone that lives in Northeast Mississippi knows about the Toyota announcement last week. To re-cap, the plant is finally going to open. The first cars will roll off the assembly line next fall. The impact is going to be felt throughout the region, but Lee, Union, and Pontotoc counties will see a dramatic effect almost immediately.

What, exactly, is that effect?

First and foremost, the Community Development Foundation predicts that the announcement means 10,000 new jobs for the region. That, obviously, is great news. While it may not solve all of our problems, it does mean that we'll see the unemployment rate go doen substantially over the next year and a half. Over the last two years, unemployment in the area has hovered at around 11%. Most folks in the know, predict it'll slide down to under 5% by the time the plant is up and running.

Second, Toyota is bringing executives and managers with them. That's around 400 upper middle class families coming into the region. We're talking about established, relatively well-off families that will add to our tax base and stimulate the economy.

That said, there is a lot of buzz about what's going to happen in the real estate market as the Toyota personnel move in and get settled into the community. For homeowners that have no intention of moving anywhere anytime soon, I've got good news for you. You can count on your property values increasing at a rate higher than the regional average. For the foreseeable future, that's probably only a couple of percent annually. If that doesn't sound like much, consider that right now, houses are selling for almost exactly what they did three years ago - and in some cases, they are selling for much less. I'll take 2 or 3% per year over that any day.

People that currently have their homes listed should thank their lucky stars. There are new buyers coming into the area in bigger numbers than we ever seen before. The chances of your house selling at close to list price are a good as they've ever been (and maybe ever will be). The bad news? Sellers that have waited to shop for a new home until after they sell are going to see much more competition for that next house. That translates to higher prices. My advice is to find your next house and lock in a contingent contract soon - very, very soon.

If you've been on the fence about whether or not to sell your house, the time has come to get it on the market. As I said previously, the value of your home is going to go up slightly over the next couple of years. That begs the question: Why not wait until homes prices have climbed a little more? The answer is simple. There is a small window of time during which Toyota is re-locating families into the area. There is a finite number of homes they can buy. Over the next 120 days, hundreds of them are going to be purchased. If your house is on the market, priced fairly, and in the 'target zones' for these buyers ($125K - $350), it stands a very good chance of selling very quickly. If you wait in an attempt to get more, you'll be selling during a period when their is much less demand and. That, as anyone, who's ever sold a home knows, is a crapshoot.

My advice is to take the safe bet and sell now.

If there's anything I can do to help you or if you just want to ask a question, feel free to contact me anytime.

Cheers,

Chris

Chris deLambert retired from the United States Army after 20 years of distinguished service. He is now a licensed Realtor and certified Short Sale/Foreclosure Resource serving all of Northeast Mississippi, including Lee County, Pontotoc County, Union County, Itawamba County, and Prentiss County. His office is located at 1720 McCullough Blvd in Tupelo, MS. You can call him at (662) 891-8942 or reach him via email at chris.delambert@gmail.com. His website, delambertrealestate.com provides potential homebuyers and sellers with an array of data and tools without any registration requirements.