Manhasset, NY

Depersonalizing a home is an easy, low cost way to prepare your your home for sale. And, it is absolutely necessary when getting the home market ready.

What is depersonalizing? It is the opposite of personalizing - which is to change or modify your home to show that it obviously originated from or belonged to you. When living in your home, you work hard to make it UNIQUE. When marketing your home, you need to work hard to have MASS APPEAL. You want to attract everyqualified buyer to see your home to find the ones who will step up and make an offer on your home. Buyers have many home choices and are in the driver seat. If they don't like what they see on line, they won't even come see the house. I have 15 years of helping sellers do all the things below.

So here's 5 easy and cost-effective things you can do to create a home that will appeal to as many buyers as possible. (You may see your own home in the photos that accompany each point!)

1. REMOVE FAMILY PHOTOS - when I tell my clients this one, they are usually puzzled...wouldn't a buyer want to see that a warm, loving family lives here? And my answer is two-part. First, when there are a lot of family photos, buyers start looking at the photos - do they know the people? (Isn't that the guy we see at the beach in his Speedo? He's married to her? Isn't that the kid who our kids hate? ) Second sometimes the photos show too much...buyers say AHA! (THIS is why they are selling...no photos of Dad...divorce! A pack of kids...house must be too small for them, so it's too small for us!) Either way, no one is looking at the house, they are looking at the photos! And...no one remembers why they are there.

2. PAINT -paint is one of the most inexpensive ways to broaden the appeal of a room. Some color choices or wallpaper can date a house. Others are sooo personal that a buyer finds them startling. When a buyer is startled, they see something they have to change. They see dollar signs and they start to think if the person who lives here would pick this color, maybe I don't want to live here...again like family photos, they stop thinking about the house and instead start thinking about who currently lives here. (I love color - that's a photo of my bright orange kitchen which my family and I adore. If I were to list my own house, that kitchen would be painted a broad-appeal, warm beige BEFORE I put the house on the market.)

3. DECLUTTER - Get some large plastic tubs for each of the main living areas of your house - one for the living room, one for the dining room etc. Label them by room. Go through and wrap up all the small items and treasures you have on open surfaces - Many people have little collections or doodads on tables etc. Removing them will make the rooms look more open and fresh. Also, those little treasures are likely to be knocked off a table or picked up by a small child. Again, you are moving so a little pre-packing makes sense. Again, these items speak to a buyer about who lives in the house and our focus is to always be on THE HOUSE.

4. THE KITCHEN - This is the MOST IMPORTANT room in the house. I work with my sellers to get EVERYTHING off the counters except for a coffeemaker. No exceptions. This usually means reorganizing the kitchen cabinets so that a place can be found for the toaster, canisters, blender and other things that are currently on the counter. Reorgainizing the cabinets is important as buyers will open your cabinets and look inside. Again, the large plastic containers work wonders. We pack up the little used items to make room for the countertop items that might need to be pulled out and used while the house is on the market. It is also the perfect time to throw out the old spices, give away the extra set of dishes, etc. You may not have a wow-factor, brand new kitchen, but organizing, decluttering and cleaning will bring out the best in a kitchen. Use the same approach with your bathrooms- clear of the vanities, the tub surround, the toiliet tank. Let the sufaces shine through!

5. YOUR PETS - having a pet is a wonderful thing...that's my dog in the photo. But, having a pet is a personal choice...one that might not appeal to a buyer. Many buyers are afraid of creatures great and small. Some are allergic and will not consider living in a house where an animal currently lives. So, first you must make arrangements for your pets while the house is on the market. If you have an exotic pet that might frighten buyers, ask a friend who shares your love of exotic pets to pet sit for you while the house is on the market. Your home should never smell like pet...ask a friend to be honest with you about the smell in your house. Worse than pet smell is flowery sprays trying to cover pet smell. Litterboxes, pet dishes, and pet beds should never be visible while the house is being shown. Also, pets should be taken with you or put into secure crates out of the main living space of the house while the house is being shown. A barking dog tearing at his crate in one of the main living spaces is very distracting. Discuss a showing strategy with your agent to accomodate your pets.

The list takes the ability to see your home as a product and no longer a reflection of yourself. I have many a reluctant seller in the beginning, but many a happy seller when the offers come in because their house stood out from the listings that don't take the time to do these tips. It doesn't take a lot of time, money or effort. It just takes trust in your agent's knowledge of what buyers look for and their instinct to do right by you. Once I start with my sellers, they find it hard to stop!

Depersonalizing your home is just one of many invaluable services I offer my seller clients. We share the same goal: to sell their home in the shortest time possible for the most amount of money!

Manhasset Real Estate Market for January 11 - January 28th 2010

Despite a local thermometer that hovered in the teens all week, real estate in Manhasset was heating up. Many savvy agents feel the Spring Market has come early to Manhasset. Maybe you should be jumping in to the market too!

Thinking of Selling a home in Manhasset? Don't wait...buyer activity is up and our inventory is still low...that gives your property a chance to stand out from the crowd. Buyers have been crowding into Open Houses all over Manhasset and only serious buyers would bundle up and come out in bitter cold to view homes....serious buyers are who you want to attract and negotiate with.

Thinking of Buying a home in Manhasset? Same thing...don't wait! Interest rates are still low and given the economic backdrop, most experts agree they won't stay low forever. Buying when the rates are low gives you the power to buy more house. Wouldn't you rather spend money on the house and not the money you are borrowing? And, sellers who are willing to shovel, and keep the house looking fantastic in the dark Winter months are serious too...and serious sellers are who you want to negotiate with.

New Listings.........List Price

58 Linden Street .............$525,000

13 Linden Street...............$599,000

30 2nd Street...................$639,000

64 Marjorie Court..............$699,000

153 Manhasset Avenue......$998,876

12 Belvedere Court...........$1,399,000

36 Colony Lane................$1,399,000

35 La Farge Lane.............$1,469,000

114 Woodhill Lane............$1,649,000

134 Mill Spring Road.........$1,669,000

665 Plandome Road.........$1,695,000

22 Westgate Blvd.............$1,699,000

Under Contract...............List Price

399 Stonytown Road............$1,299,000

234 Eakins Road................$1,299,000

Closed............List Price..................Sold Price

253 Thompson Shore Road.....$899,000...................$770,000

3 Shoredale Drive..................$949,000...................$880,000

29 Homer Place.....................$995,000...................$999,000

8 Shoredale Drive...................$1,190,000................$1,085,000

11 Knolls Lane........................$1,495,000................$1,400,000

158 Payne Whitney Lane..........$1,995,000................$1,700,000

* Residential Property information per the Multiple Listing Service Of Long Island

That's this week's look at the Manhasset Real Estate Market...subscribe to this blog to keep up to the minute on all things Manhasset. And don't hesitate to contact me for help with any real estate questions you may have.

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Click Here to Learn more About Annie Holdreith Licensed Associate Broker

Thinking of living in Manhasset? What makes living in Manhasset great?

NBC Channel Four will be broadcasting live tomorrow (Wednesday January 27, 2010) from Villa Milano.

Today, host Siafa Lewis of LX New York was in Manhasser interviewing Nancy Morris of Nancy Morris State Farm Insurance, David Haghani of Gallery Couture and Ed Wassmer of Young's Fine Wines and Liquors.

Facebook Friends have been buzzing all afternoon looking forward to gathering for the live Broadcast from Villa Milano at 168 Plandome Road across from Mary Jane Davies Park.

Show your Manhasset Pride and come down for a slice. Thinking of living in Manhasset? Then definately tune in to find out what makes living in Manhasset Great!

Click Here to Search Listings Like an Agent!

Manhasset Home Sales 2009 versus 2008

The number one question I get is "Annie Holdreith What is going on with the market?" Well, below you will see the 2009 and the 2008 figures for Manhasset. I search MLS for homes in zip code 11030 that fall into Manhasset School District 6. Figures posted below are from the MLS of Long Island.

So what do the numbers tell us? Here's my #1 professional take-away:

Price it right! House prices in Manhasset continued to drop through 2009, - too many days on the market directly and downwardly affected a property's ultimate selling price. Price continues to be the number one factor in the sale of a home. I like to say "Price it right and negotiate tight."

2008 2009

Number of homes sold 120 107

Mean Sold Price $1,580,000 $1,217,282

Average Days on Market 95 122

When searching for an agent, you want someone who can do more. Not everyone can deliver the same results...let me show you how I do things differently. I have been helping buyers and sellers with Manhasset home sales since 1995.

Call or text me at 516. 509-4082.

Email me at: annieholdreith@danielgale.com

The Manhasset Plandome Newcomer's Club is a great way to help you feel at home in no time at all.

The club has couple events, children's events, ladies-only events and sometimes when a few guys get ambitious and organized, men-only events. If you want to meet other new people in town and immediately feel connected to the community, don't hesitate, join!

I speak from personal experience. My husband and I relocated to Manhasset/Long Island for his job. The only person we knew here was our realtor, Holly. I grew up in New England and he grew up in the MidWest - we were both far from home.

Now, back then, I was not much of a joiner. We had no kids just a giant Labrador Retriever. I walked that dog until she limped. I made Holly keep showing me houses even though I had purchased one! I needed to meet people! Holly suggested joining the Newcomer's Club.

Reluctantly, I signed up to attend a "Ladies Coffee"(found out coffee was code for wine). Stood outside the hostess' house for 5 minutes trying to decide if I had the courage to walk in. Finally another gal came up the walk behind me and I had to go in or look foolish. Boy, am i glad I did! I sat down between two women who from that moment on are two of my best friends. I walked over to get some "coffee" and met another great woman (who is also a best friend) who I agreed to help with the club's newsletter. That was a fun!

The following month I couldn't wait to take my husband to the club's Wine Tasting Event. Then the Annual Progressive Dinner, then the Holiday Black Tie Dinner. One great event was a Scavenger Hunt. At each event, I met more and more wonderful people who were so fun to spend time with. Friendships grew right along with our families. Great people and great times I would not trade for the world.

New to Manhasset/Plandome? Email Newcomer's President Heidi Franchetti at ManhassetNewcomers@yahoo.com or call 516. 627-8516. Sign up for the next event...your new best friend could be there waiting for you! The Manhasset Plandome Newcomer's Club will make you feel at home!

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