John Day

Over dinner recently I heard a story about a woman who had done everything right to prepare real estate to sell fast. This story happened in VA but it could have happened with Dunkirk, MD real estate or Las Vegas real estate or anywhere in the country.

The woman went through a divorce and she got the house, but decided to sell it so she could have a fresh start. It was a nice house in a nice neighborhood and had certainly increase in value since she and her ex-husband had purchased it in the 1980s. Still, it needed some attention. So to impress potential buyers she repainted and renovated the kitchen, got some landscaping help to re-do her front and backyards. And the most ambitious project of all was adding a brand new bathroom to the house. All of this work was costly and time-consuming. It was probably inconvenient to live in a house over a year or so with different renovation projects going on, but she put up with the inconveniences and supervised the work because she felt that she would be able to sell faster and for a better price with the improvements.

This woman was able to shed her attachment to her home as it been in the past and get the house ready for sale and her efforts paid off! The person telling the story was a neighbor and friend of the woman, so the friend had seen all of the changes right from across the street. The house has been sold... to a couple that decided to tear it down to build a brand new home with entirely different landscaping. The neighbor is horrified after her friend did all the work, but the seller has moved into a new place with a new boyfriend.

Selling Maryland real estate involves a number of subject that people take in school--math and finance (to understand crunching the numbers), art (to see the big picture), language arts (to communicate effectively with clients and then sell properties to buyers) and finally psychology.

As a top Maryland real estate agent, I know all of the ins and outs of home staging and can tell clients how they can prepare a home to sell fast. However, I know that selling a home involves more than the actions one takes, because your mindset will also greatly affect the home selling process.

If you, as the seller cannot shed the emotional attachment to your existing home, we are going to have a tough time selling it. You can even make repairs and to all the necessary work, but somehow, buyers will enter and sense that they cannot wrench the property from your grasp. Reluctant home sellers can sabotage the sale process without realizing it. If you know that it is time to sell but cannot let go, you not only have to do work on the house, you also have to do some work on yourself.

When you are mentally ready to let go, you will joyfully get your home ready for someone else to live in and look forward to the next phase of your life. This means that it is easier for a real estate professional to work with you and get your home sold quickly for a price you will like.

Give Yourself Permission To Set Yourself Free!

Pretend that the house you live in is not yours

Focus your emotions on where you are going to move, not what you are leaving.

Don’t take it personally, it’s business. I know, I know, your house is different, it’s special etc., like I said, its business.

These days a number of people who want to buy Maryland real estate are not looking to get into a home and the sell it in a few years. Instead, they are looking for a home that is in a neighborhood where they can see themselves spending a decade or more. People are looking at real estate as an investment, but not the kind of investment that you can flip quickly; instead home buyers want to invest in themselves and in a neighborhood.

Staying in a house for at least five years has been a general rule of real estate, but during the heady times of the housing boom, people felt as if these kinds of rules did not apply. There was a feeling that real estate could be bought and sold at will and that there was lots of money to be made.

While no one sets out to lose money on a real estate purchase, today's home buyers are not thinking of buying a home as a ticket to easy money. Even if they do end up taking out a home equity loan in the future, people are not buying homes so they can borrow against them.

Mentioning neighborhood amenities is a part of selling Annapolis real estate and it is more important now than it has ever been. Because people plan to stay for awhile, they want to know that the place they are buying is either already a thriving community or on its way to soon becoming one.

It was not that long ago that people were looking to buy up property that they hoped to make a profit with quickly. Now prospective home buyers, whether they want to raise families or not, are looking for homes where they can stay in for years to come.

It is certainly not good to have a property languish on the market unsold. As a Maryland real estate agent, I work hard to get my clients' properties sold before that happens. One of the ways to accomplish this is to be certain to market Annapolis real estate and other Maryland properties aggressively. This means looking for innovative ways to market and seeking new ways to get the word out.

More and more investors are putting money into their local real estate market. These are not the typical "flippers" of before who wanted to buy a home and then sell it quickly. These investors are not in it for money to change hands quickly. A number of them are in it to change the place where they live for the better. They are willing to roll up their sleeves to not only make a property better, but they want to help neighborhoods improve as well. These kinds of buyers are looking in various kinds of areas--some may want a fixer-upper in an area that has seen better days, while others may be interested in a distressed property in a stable area.

So how can you appeal to these well-meaning real estate investors who have the cash and the desire to buy local real estate? Try to vary your marketing approach. Some investors really are looking for a project, but they may find the idea that they are needed to save a desperate owner unappealing. Instead focus on how buying and maintaining certain properties could make a difference in the neighborhood. The idea of helping an area regain its footing can be very enticing for some buyers. This will not work in all areas, but if you are careful about when and where you take this marketing approach, you may find that local real estate investors will come your way.

People talk about how we are used to having things ready in an instant and you may not think about it much, but a "microwave mentality" applies when you want to sell Maryland real estate as much as it applies anywhere else.

The desire to have things ready rather quickly is a good reason for you to put time into working on the curb appeal of the property that you want to sell. You can catch (or lose) the attention of potential buyers in an instant, so make your house instantly appealing to those who drive by and see a “For Sale” sign and those e who come for an open house:

-Put mulch on the bare ground around shrubs and trees to keep weeds at bay and give the landscape a more uniform appearance.

-Get flats of seasonal flowers in one color or two coordinated hues and make an appealing display.

-If the paint on your fence, railings or front door looks worn, give these things a fresh coat of paint.

-If you have a mailbox that is leaning over or looks outdated, replace it.

-If the numbers on the front of your house/front door are worn or faded, replace them with new ones.

Another influential force in our society is cable and the DIY culture. Years ago, people did see hours of television where experts help people make their homes go from acceptable to amazing. After being drawn in by curb appeal, some buyers will walk into your home and expect perfection. Let’s say you have great Annapolis real estate in a good condition in a prime location, some buyers will still expect to see a designer’s touch. This is when you can offer a price discount to cover the cost of cosmetic changes like new carpet or paint to seal the deal.