Love It or List It!

Should I stay or should I go now?  Well, it really depends on your personal situation.

Sooner or later, we homeowners must decide if it makes more sense to remodel or move.  This decision is not easily made as it can have enormous financial and emotional impact.

As an experienced realtor, I can personally guide you through what renovations both small and large will give you the most bang for your buck.  It’s up to you to decide what you are willing to do or pay someone else to in order to increase your bottom line.  Look at your house objectively and think about your future plans.  How long do you plan to keep the house? 24 months? 5 years? 10 years?  Time makes a difference on how much you will want to spend and what cosmetic and/or structural changes you make. 

There is no “Perfect” home.  Everyone wants to change some small or large features of their homes.  That’s what keeps Lowes and Home Depot in business.  We are constantly changing, and our tastes have evolved over the years.  If you’re happy with your neighbors and location, it may make sense for you to make adjustments to your current home.  You never know what you’re going to get on the other side of the fence when you move.  Homeowners who love their homes, neighbors and communities most often remodel because they already have most everything they want-except for some feature like a patio, master suite or updated kitchen or bath.  Despite the current home improvement boom, remodeling isn’t for everyone, especially not the faint of heart.  First of all, not every renovation is worth the time, money or effort. 

Remodeling a ten year old kitchen because you just don’t like it anymore doesn’t pay.  But if you are replacing a 1970’s kitchen, that’s a different story.  The secret to successful pre-sale remodeling is to keep up with the Jones’, but never surpass them.  The main things to keep in mind when remodeling are to keep it neutral, clean and classic.  Nine times out of ten you will recoup your money.  One main advantage of remodeling is that you only need to change one or two things to suit your needs. 

My Top 5 “Bang for Your Buck” Renovations:

1.  Bathroom renovations:  A typical half bath will range about $1500. Including materials and labor.  Think vanity, toilet, painting and light fixtures.
2. Replacing kitchen countertops with granite slab:  My 51 linear foot counters were replaced by E.W. Granite in Farmington for only $4,000. Great deal, huge improvement!
3. Take down the wallpaper please!  I see a lot of homes and I’ve never had buyers claim they liked the wallpaper in a seller’s home.  It’s a very personal choice and most buyers don’t want to spend their next few weekends taking down outdated nautical or floral paper.  It’s a hassle buyers try and avoid and it turns them off immediately. 
4. Replace Light Fixtures:  In the entryway, kitchen & bathrooms, replacing overhead light fixtures provides a lot of pop for a little money.  Brass fixtures are out, dark metals and brushed nickel is in.  Enough said!
5. Paint to your heart’s content:  Finish the walls with neutral paint.  In my experience, buyers gravitate more to warm colors rather than the standard: painters white.  A warm yellow or light coffee color is much more inviting and is so inexpensive & rewarding if you can do it yourself.    

Home improvements aren’t purely investment decisions:  you shouldn’t redo a kitchen or bathroom in hopes of making a profit.  But if you want to upgrade your quality of home life and can afford its money well spent.

Regardless which path you choose, call or email me for a consultation.  I will help you evaluate your home’s current market value and you can make an educated decision if remodeling or moving makes sense for you. 

For this and other helpful real estate information, please visit my website at eileenmazza.com

Buy Herself

Women are a force to be reckoned with in the real estate market. 

20% of all homebuyers last year were women compared with 12% of men. 

This doesn’t surprise me since women are usually so well organized, really know what they want in a home, and make it a haven. 

Women are earning and saving more money than ever before in our nation’s history.  They are getting their credit in order and getting informed of the home buying process to make their American Dream come true.  

The top 3 Factors Women look for in a home include:

1.  Safety:  Security is paramount to the female buyer, over schools & community features. 
2. Low Maintenance:  More time to spend with friends & family
3. Move in Condition:  Don’t have the time to do it (or the patience)

I purchased my first home as a single 27 yr. old.  It felt exhilarating to buy on my own at such a young age.  Not to mention, the value appreciated about $10k in six months.  It served my needs, was low maintenance with a great pool & tennis courts and a one car garage.  I painted rooms, added personal touches and enjoyed.  Two years later, I sold it for a $40k profit!  Not too shabby.  I knew what I wanted, and I went after it.  You can do the same.

The top 3 leading demographic factors that have opened up the real estate market for women include:

1. Women Marrying Later
2. Divorce
3. Women Live Longer than men

In new home construction, builders are responding to this trend by installing extras such as security systems, gourmet kitchens, low maintenance yards and larger walk-in closets for all of those shoes that were just too good to pass up. 

Buying a home on your own is a huge accomplishment and will provide you with a great sense of confidence and self-worth.  Not to mention, you can finally paint that bathroom pink like you’ve always wanted.  

Don’t wait for Mr. Right.  Save money and provide for yourself.  The sense of pride you’ll feel is priceless.  If home ownership is your dream, call me, I’m here to help you make that a reality.

For other real estate information and to start your house hunt, please visit www.eileenmazza.com

Benefits of an Open House

To have an open house or not to:  That is the question.

In my experience, this type of marketing can only help sell your home.

Over 75% of my listings resulted in a sale from buyers who came to my open house.

It’s always nice to have a personal touch with some refreshments.

This can help engage your potential buyers in conversation and keep them around a bit longer.   The longer they stay, the more they can picture themselves living in the home.

So keep up the good work when you’ve been busy baking those apple pies and cookies.

Nosy neighbors are also a useful tool in selling real estate. 

They are always welcome and know of people that want to move into the neighborhood.

All visitors can provide helpful feedback in selling your home faster.  It’s nice to have an objective eye see something you may have overlooked.

You want someone who’s approachable, friendly and knowledgeable about the marketplace to help represent your home.

Your realtor should be warm and welcoming to all visitors and thank them for coming to the open house.

It may be an outdated custom to some; but the bottom line is that open houses work!

For this and other helpful real estate information, please visit my website at eileenmazza.com

3 Quick Tips to Sell Your House Now!

If you're ready to sell in today's market, I'll share with you the three keys to make a quick sale at a fair price.

1.  Prep and De-Clutter:
Buyers are on a blind date with your home and they want love at first sight.  So make it shine!  Have your house cleaned from top to bottom, power wash, trim the shrubs and get the clutter out.

2.  Price it Right:
If you want to sell your house fast for top dollar, you'll need to compromise.  Realtors look at the recent comparable properties that have sold in your area.  We don't pull a number out of thin air.  If you start too high, you may get a few nibbles but today's buyer wants the cheapest house on the block.
You'll need to start off lower than your competition to generate traffic but you can always say not to unacceptable offers.

3.  Protect Your Deal:
Choose your buyer whose financing is most likely to go through.  Twenty percent down gives you a feeling of security, fifty percent is beautiful and all cash is great! 
When comparing multiple offers, sometimes the one with the highest price may not be the best.  If you're anxious to move on, cash is king and the more money down the better. 

Many first time buyers will have a laundry list of inspection items to be repaired.  You can protect yourself from excessive costs by setting a limit on that from the start.

For this and other helpful real estate information, please visit again soon.