Dave Sulvetta-Camden County Nj Realtor

So I have a buyer that I helped find the perfect house! What’s next? If my buyer asks me for a recommendation for a loan officer, I can help by offering them a few choices. This is a critical step to the purchase going smoothly and ending up with a happy client. Inevitably a happy client is always my goal. This brings referrals and friends. The best type of business is referrals! It shows that I’m doing my job well. Keep tabs on the mortgage process, ask questions to the loan officer as to how the process is going, any snags, red flags on the horizon? If you feel that you are not getting verbal responses, put your questions in an email, ask for a written response. You then have something to show if something along the way does not work out. Make contact at least once per week. I would say 2 times per week is ideal. (I don’t mean voice mail either) When the loan officer asks you for more information whether it be pay stubs, statements etc…be ready to get it to them quickly. Allow NO EXCUSES on the loan officer’s part. If you feel that your loan is not being processed properly, ask for the loan officer’s supervisor to step in. Some brief points. 1. Initial contact – Ask what is to be expected, how long it will take and if they feel the closing date will be an issue. 30 days seems to be a number most can deal with. 2. Have everything the loan officer needs prepared and ready to go. 3. Ask about points, rates, term, etc… 4. Ask if there is an application fee and if the loan fails will it be refunded..etc… I’m not a mortgage/loan officer so I cannot give out much advice on this subject. However, I am a Realtor® that knows how important it is when buying a house that you choose the correct people to help you. There is nothing worse in the real estate world than finding your dream home and having a third party mess up the deal.

Marketing and Selling a High End Home

(Part 1 of 3)

I have been quite busy lately selling real estate and have not had the time to post any writings. This past month alone, I closed (settled) 3 homes and put 4 more under contract...pretty good for a "bad market".

I wanted to touch base on a subject that I feel gets neglected, "Luxury" or "High End Homes". I'm going to write three different articles about this subject over the course of this month. I will write about what I see and know and I do hope this helps the sellers properly pick their Realtor® and get their house ready for Sale. Please also note I will only write in regards to my market area which is Camden County, Gloucester County and Burlington County NJ. By the way, some of this will be my opinion, some information will come from the best information I can compile from the web, and from experience, please consider this while reading.

"High End" or "Luxury Homes" begin at a price of approximately $500,000 (this is a generalization depending on the area) and from there the sky is the limit. These homes do tend to take more time to sell then other homes of lesser value, however there is a greater need to market this home properly and target to the correct audience then a home that is not priced this high.

A high end listing tends to take more attention to detail and market. I will touch on this area for this week's writing. PLEASE don't settle for just putting your listing on the MLS.

Photography

By all means, this is one of the MOST important things if not the most important and influential things a Realtor® can do to entice a qualified, perspective buyer to view your high end listing. I am so puzzled when I see a beautiful luxury home photographed with a pocket digital camera. My firs t thought is "how can the homeowner allow that".

Your audience, wealthy people, lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs etc. are just too busy to go out and physically view every home their Realtor sends them, your home will have to "pique" the interest of that buyer so be CERTAIN your Realtor® hires a professional photographer or takes the time to photograph the best points of the house. Angles, lighting, exposure, and views are all important facts to consider while photographing the home. Take this example, when a prospective client's Realtor® sends listings to look at, your home will be one a many, and wouldn't you want your home to "POP OFF" the page. I call it the "WOW" factor.

I am a FULL TIME Realtor® and a hobbyist or amateur photographer owning thousands of dollars of equipment that I purchased specifically for real estate. It is my hobby and my clients benefit from it! No matter what home I photograph, I use all of my equipment to make the house "POP". I have many Realtors calling me asking "how I get that effect". It just takes time, money and there is a learning curve. Here is an example of a photograph that is not so high end but I am purposely putting on this "high end" blog...Notice the colors.

Generally, it takes me at minimum 1 hour to shoot a 1500 sq. ft home. A home that is 3,000 to 5,000 sq ft and up, can take me upwards to 3 hours to shoot. I consider time of day, lighting, special views etc. when I shoot. I'll ask you if there is a "perfect time of day" that your house really shines. That's when ill shoot it!

When Mercedes Benz markets their cars they do it in such a way that the prospective buyer feels the car is really worth it. PERCEPTION AND PERCEIVED VALUE IS KEY to marketing your high end home.

In regards to myself, I don't charge anything extra to photograph and market your home and you are paying the commission when your home sells (and only when it sells). I feel that photography is so important that it can make or break a listing, so please take photography seriously. It can change EVERYTHING in regards to selling your high end home. Don't sell yourself short.

Please feel free to comment on this post.

Check back for Part 2 "Using Video & Virtual Tours".

About me- I am a full time Realtor in Southern New Jersey servicing all of Camden County, Gloucester County and Burlington County NJ. Photography is a hobby of mine, Real Estate is my living.

Marketing and Selling a High End Home

(Part 1 of 3)

I have been quite busy lately selling real estate and have not had the time to post any writings. This past month alone, I closed (settled) 3 homes and put 4 more under contract...pretty good for a "bad market".

I wanted to touch base on a subject that I feel gets neglected, "Luxury" or "High End Homes". I'm going to write three different articles about this subject over the course of this month. I will write about what I see and know and I do hope this helps the sellers properly pick their Realtor® and get their house ready for Sale. Please also note I will only write in regards to my market area which is Camden County, Gloucester County and Burlington County NJ. By the way, some of this will be my opinion, some information will come from the best information I can compile from the web, and from experience, please consider this while reading.

"High End" or "Luxury Homes" begin at a price of approximately $500,000 (this is a generalization depending on the area) and from there the sky is the limit. These homes do tend to take more time to sell then other homes of lesser value, however there is a greater need to market this home properly and target to the correct audience then a home that is not priced this high.

A high end listing tends to take more attention to detail and market. I will touch on this area for this week's writing. PLEASE don't settle for just putting your listing on the MLS.

Photography

By all means, this is one of the MOST important things if not the most important and influential things a Realtor® can do to entice a qualified, perspective buyer to view your high end listing. I am so puzzled when I see a beautiful luxury home photographed with a pocket digital camera. My firs t thought is "how can the homeowner allow that".

Your audience, wealthy people, lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs etc. are just too busy to go out and physically view every home their Realtor sends them, your home will have to "pique" the interest of that buyer so be CERTAIN your Realtor® hires a professional photographer or takes the time to photograph the best points of the house. Angles, lighting, exposure, and views are all important facts to consider while photographing the home. Take this example, when a prospective client's Realtor® sends listings to look at, your home will be one a many, and wouldn't you want your home to "POP OFF" the page. I call it the "WOW" factor.

I am a FULL TIME Realtor® and a hobbyist or amateur photographer owning thousands of dollars of equipment that I purchased specifically for real estate. It is my hobby and my clients benefit from it! No matter what home I photograph, I use all of my equipment to make the house "POP". I have many Realtors calling me asking "how I get that effect". It just takes time, money and there is a learning curve. Here is an example of a photograph that is not so high end but I am purposely putting on this "high end" blog..notice the colors.

Generally, it takes me at minimum 1 hour to shoot a 1500 sq. ft home. A home that is 3,000 to 5,000 sq ft and up, can take me upwards to 3 hours to shoot. I consider time of day, lighting, special views etc. when I shoot. I'll ask you if there is a "perfect time of day" that your house really shines. That's when ill shoot it!

When Mercedes Benz markets their cars they do it in such a way that the prospective buyer feels the car is really worth it. PERCEPTION AND PERCEIVED VALUE IS KEY to marketing your high end home.

In regards to myself, I don't charge anything extra to photograph and market your home and you are paying the commission when your home sells (and only when it sells). I feel that photography is so important that it can make or break a listing, so please take photography seriously. It can change EVERYTHING in regards to selling your high end home. Don't sell yourself short.

Please feel free to comment on this post.

Check back for Part 2 "Using Video & Virtual Tours".

About me- I am a full time Realtor in Southern New Jersey servicing all of Camden County, Gloucester County and Burlington County NJ. Photography is a hobby of mine, Real Estate is my living.

Before I start, I would just like to add I little disclaimer *the views I am about to make are simply things I SEE, day to day, the comments I hear from buyers, the worries from sellers and the simple reasons that I feel some homes don't sell. (it's not always the market folks and it's not always the Realtor® either).

I always stay in contact with my sellers and buyers. If you can't make at minimum one phone call a week to give a status report to your seller/buyer, you're in the wrong business. This business is built on communication. It's that simple. It is important for your Realtor® to give you what we call FEEDBACK. Positive or not, you need to know. Please listen to them. Don't lash out at them as they are trying to help you sell your home when they give you honest feedback. Remember, we don't get paid until we sell your home.

First impressions are very important. When an agent walks into a home with their buyer, they WANT to sell your home, if they are not showing your home with the idea of selling it, they're wasting their time and yours.

Let us start out on the cheap here...

•1. Are your walls dirty? Clean them, it makes everything seem brighter...a day's worth of work, and there you go. How much could that cost?

•2. PAINT the walls if needed, NEUTRAL colors. I'm not saying the entire house either. Talk about bright! Paint changes everything folks, it makes the house smell new too. A couple days of work..average size house doing it yourself....$200 maybe....and that's for the good paint.

•3. Clean the carpets..$200 make sure the deodorize them.

•4. One of the most important features of the home -The K I T C H E N! I recently sold a home in Blackwood, NJ that was well kept throughout, the seller totally trusted me and did everything I asked. A little touch up paint, not much needed... I sold the home in 28 days for more than ANY other house in the same development. With so many houses in the area and my clients costing more than most, my client turned to the buyer at settlement and he just had to asked the buyer, "why my house"? the buyer turned to him and said , "Your Kitchen is Beautiful." Wow...THAT'S FEEDBACK! Here is that kitchen. The moral..it doesn't have to be a huge kitchen nor does have to be worth $50,000, just a nice, well kept modern kitchen.

•5. Bathrooms - We all spend a lot of time in our bathroom. Next to the kitchen, it is the most used room in the house. Why don't we treat it like that? With a little updating in the bathroom such as towel racks, new mirror, some paint...these little things could go a long way...trust me, I hear it all the time...clients saying "we would have to rip out the bathroom, lets pass to the next house".

One very important final note.

You may not need to do any updating or fixing, but take a good look around, be honest with yourself. Is there clutter, dog smell, dirty walls, holes in the wall...is your house out of date? These things can cost someone selling a house a good, reasonable offer and they all add up.

Thanks for reading.

Dave Sulvetta REALTOR-Associate
Cell 856 889-8163
Century 21 Hearst
Camden County NJ Realtor, Camden County Real Estate, Gloucester County Realtor, Gloucester County Real Estate, Burlington County Real Estate

http://www.davesulvetta.com
http://www.camdencountyrealestatenews.com
email; dave@davesulvetta.com
Know YOUR Market! Get Market Snapshot It's 100% Free click here

Before I start, I would just like to add I little disclaimer *the views I am about to make are simply things I SEE, day to day, the comments I hear from buyers, the worries from sellers and the simple reasons that I feel some homes don't sell. (it's not always the market folks and it's not always the Realtor® either).

I always stay in contact with my sellers and buyers. If you can't make at minimum one phone call a week to give a status report to your seller/buyer, you're in the wrong business. This business is built on communication. It's that simple. It is important for your Realtor® to give you what we call FEEDBACK. Positive or not, you need to know. Please listen to them. Don't lash out at them as they are trying to help you sell your home when they give you honest feedback. Remember, we don't get paid until we sell your home.

First impressions are very important. When an agent walks into a home with their buyer, they WANT to sell your home, if they are not showing your home with the idea of selling it, they're wasting their time and yours.

Let us start out on the cheap here...

•1. Are your walls dirty? Clean them, it makes everything seem brighter...a day's worth of work, and there you go. How much could that cost?

•2. PAINT the walls if needed, NEUTRAL colors. I'm not saying the entire house either. Talk about bright! Paint changes everything folks, it makes the house smell new too. A couple days of work..average size house doing it yourself....$200 maybe....and that's for the good paint.

•3. Clean the carpets..$200 make sure the deodorize them.

•4. One of the most important features of the home -The K I T C H E N! I recently sold a home in Blackwood, NJ that was well kept throughout, the seller totally trusted me and did everything I asked. A little touch up paint, not much needed... I sold the home in 28 days for more than ANY other house in the same development. With so many houses in the area and my clients costing more than most, my client turned to the buyer at settlement and he just had to asked the buyer, "why my house"? the buyer turned to him and said , "Your Kitchen is Beautiful." Wow...THAT'S FEEDBACK! Here is that kitchen. The moral..it doesn't have to be a huge kitchen nor does have to be worth $50,000, just a nice, well kept modern kitchen.

•5. Bathrooms - We all spend a lot of time in our bathroom. Next to the kitchen, it is the most used room in the house. Why don't we treat it like that? With a little updating in the bathroom such as towel racks, new mirror, some paint...these little things could go a long way...trust me, I hear it all the time...clients saying "we would have to rip out the bathroom, lets pass to the next house".

One very important final note.

You may not need to do any updating or fixing, but take a good look around, be honest with yourself. Is there clutter, dog smell, dirty walls, holes in the wall...is your house out of date? These things can cost someone selling a house a good, reasonable offer and they all add up.

Thanks for reading.

Dave Sulvetta REALTOR-Associate
Cell 856 889-8163
Century 21 Hearst
Camden County NJ Realtor, Camden County Real Estate, Gloucester County Realtor, Gloucester County Real Estate, Burlington County Real Estate

http://www.davesulvetta.com
http://www.camdencountyrealestatenews.com
email; dave@davesulvetta.com
Know YOUR Market! Get Market Snapshot It's 100% Free click here