Get YOUR Twin Cities Home Ready for Sale in 30 Days or Less

Sellers Need a Cheat Sheet

Shortly after becoming a REALTOR® and after visiting several homes in the north and east Twin Cities metro, I realized when sellers invited me over to give them a market analysis they didn't just want an estimate of their current equity. Potential home sellers needed specifics on how to prepare their home for sale. I would walk through the home and make suggestions but sellers wanted a checklist or cheat sheet. Over a decade ago, I wrote my Teri's Top 10 Tips for a Fast Sale informational flyer. My clients used this print out as their guide to preparing their home for sale.

I still pass out a printed copy of my Top Ten Tips from time to time but many sellers today prefer to watch tips on YouTube. So today I pared down my original To-Do guide and updated it as 3 minute video . 

These basic ideas really do help home sellers to get a home ready and sold quickly. Many motivated home sellers are able to complete the tasks in a few weeks.And best of all, most of the sellers that did a diligent job preparing their property, were able to obtain top dollar offers too!

Teri's Top 10 Tips for Preparing a Home for Sale Video

Enjoyed the video but want the more detailed checklist? Send me a message and I will email you a pdf.


READY to Make YOUR Move? It IS essential to have a knowledgeable agent at your side. If you are buying, selling or relocating to Minnesota and need help from a professional REALTOR®, give me, Teri Eckholm of BOARDMAN Realty, a call at 651-336-7073 or visit my website for a FREE Home Buyer Success Guide or FREE Home Value Report. I specialize in acreage and lakeshore properties in the north and east Twin Cities metro area including Ham Lake, Lino Lakes and all communities in the Forest Lake School District! Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.
 
Copyright 2018 terieckholm.com

Spring Home Selling Tip: Stage the Exterior!

Selling your home this spring? Don't forget to stage the exterior! With a bit of thought you can make your Minneapolis/St Paul home standout on all those real estate websites. Homes with great staging sell quickly and for top dollar. Sunny warm weather has many buyers searching for their dream home. And they are not just on the looking online. Buyers drive by homes to check out the neighborhood and to see what each home's exterior looks like in person. During the winter a fresh blanket of snow and shoveled the sidewalk are enough to jazz up the exterior of a Minnesota home. But in May and June, Minnesotan's can really make their home's curb appeal POP! Here are a few quick ideas:

• CUT the GRASS If you home is on the market you have to make sure the lawn is manicured to perfection at all times. In fact, it is a very good idea to make sure all trees and shrubs are trimmed to show of the home too.
• PAINT the FRONT DOOR There are no excuses for having a dirty, scuffed up front entry with peeling paint. If you want to sell to an FHA buyer, you need to address the peeling paint issue anyway so why not make a great first impression with a freshly painted front door and entry?
• ADD POPS of COLOR Even if you don't have a green thumb, invest in some bright colorful hanging baskets full of annuals for your front porch. Or put some planters with assorted plants on your front stoop. However, if you think you will be too busy to water the plants, it might be best to get a colorful flag or entry wreath instead. Dead plants in the doorway will be noticed too.
•  SEAL COAT the ASPHALT If the driveway is looking more gray than black, a fresh coat of sealant can make a world of difference.
• JAZZ UP the "SHE" SHED! Have a garden storage shed in your backyard? "She" sheds are IN! It is a beautified "makeover" of a basic shed with bright paint, fun planters, lights and decor that breathes new life into a boring, old shed. 

Have more questions about your selling your Anoka County home? Ask Me! I Can Help!

Need More Ideas Home Selling Tips? If you are buying, selling or relocating to Minnesota and need help from a professional REALTOR®, give me, Teri Eckholm of BOARDMAN Realty, a call or visit my website for a FREE Home Buyer Success Guide or FREE Home Value Report. I specialize in acreage and lakeshore properties in the north and east Twin Cities metro area including Ham Lake, Lino Lakes and all communities in the Forest Lake School District! Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.
 
Copyright 2017 terieckholm.com

Checklist to Get Your Home Ready to Sell in 30 Days

Home buyers are poised and ready to purchase in the Twin Cities but there is very little housing inventory right now. I am really surprised at how few listings I am seeing in the north and east metro right now. It is spring after all. And, spring is one of the best time to sell a home in Minnesota. 

Home buyers are ready, but are you? Preparing a home for sale is not an easy task but it can be done quickly if necessary. If the perfect place to move comes on the market next week, would you be ready to have your home on the market in 30 days?

I have several tips I share with my selling clients when I do a market analysis for a home. Many of my past clients refer to this as their check list of things to do to get your home in tip top shape before selling.  All are simple tasks and inexpensive ways to get your home ready so that first potential buyer is impressed. Following this list won’t take the place of hiring a professional home stager, but it does seem to get my seller’s on the right track to a quick sale.

Teri’s Tips for a Quick Home Sale

1. Pump Up the Curb Appeal—Jazz up the front entrance with a coat of paint and new hardware on the front door.  Remove any personalized signs or doorknockers. Trim trees, bushes and keep the walkway to the front door clear.  Once the weather is warm, invest in bright, colorful flowering plants to welcome visitors. 
2.  Prep the Kitchen—The Kitchen can sell the home so make it appear as large and inviting as possible!  Clean off counter and organize cabinets and drawers.  Store, pack or discard seldom used appliances and large pans. Large kitchen appliances should be in a matching color. Consider replacing the counter if worn or outdated. Replace dated faucets and light fixtures. 
3.  Update the Bathrooms—Bathrooms also can make or break a sale. Sometimes cleaning, painting and re-caulking is not enough to help a dingy bathroom.   Consider replacing a dated vanity, counter and sink. Look closely at the faucets and light fixtures. If they are dated, consider replacing.  A nasty discolored tub, might need resurfacing professionally or use a DIY product like Rustoleum. Likewise, the flooring needs to be scrutinized. If it is out of date or worn, replace. As a final touch, stage the room with colorful floor mats and fluffy coordinated towels to make cozy.
4.  Reduce Clutter—Sort out EVERYTHING! Throw away what you don’t need and pack the rest. Too much stuff? Consider an off-site storage locker or pod during the move. Donate unwanted items to charity. If you have big “toys” like a camper, boat or classic car, consider storing at another location until after the move. 
5.  Clean Inside and Out!—Your home needs to be spotless and smell wonderful. This goes for the garage and yard too. Don’t just dump everything from the house into the garage. A buyer will want to assess the size of the garage and won’t be able to do that if it is too cluttered. If you have pets, the yard, litter box and cages, must be clean and odor-free for every showing. 
6.  Paint—Light and neutral colors will make smaller rooms appear larger. Personalized painting of children’s names or cute designs should be painted over prior to the first showing.  Remove any wall paper. Almost every buyer I have worked with groans when they see wall paper in a house. Use premium quality paint, patch holes properly and tape woodwork prior to starting. A sloppy paint job is counterproductive and can hurt your bottom-line. 
7.  Make Minor Repairs—Tighten knobs, fix leaks, oil squeaks, replace dirty filters, repair cracked windows and holes in screens. Anything that can be fixed, should be fixed. Buyers will not pay top dollar for a “project house”. 
8.  Fix a Leaking Roof—Buyers look at ceilings for water stains. One small stain could cause a buyer to question the entire roof. Find and fix the leak at its source. This might be the time to call in a professional.  Make sure to have a permit for the work whether DIY or professional roofer. Repair any ceiling damage and be prepared to fully disclose the work done. 
9.  Explain a Wet Basement—Do what you can to make repairs and minimize moisture in the basement. Be prepared to fully disclosure any water intrusion issues past and present. 
10.  Exterminate—Call a professional to get rid of any rodent or insect intrusion. One bug, alive or dead, can scare away a potential buyer. If you get periodic mice in the home, remove traps and bait before showings. Again, honestly and fully disclose any pest issues to potential buyers before the sale.

Need more help to sell your Minneapolis/St Paul Home? Let me be your professional guide. If you are buying, selling or relocating to Minnesota and need help from a professional REALTOR®, give me, Teri Eckholm of Boardman Realty, a call or visit my website for a FREE Home Buyer Success Guide or FREE Home Value Report. I specialize in acreage and lakeshore properties in the north and east Twin Cities metro area including Ham Lake, Lino Lakes and all communities in the Forest Lake School District. Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.

Copyright 2015 www.terieckholm.com 

Mr. and Mrs. Clean Live Here!

A home buyer should impressed by the cleanliness of your home from the moment they step over the threshold.  PERIOD!

While the first step in home staging is decluttering, the second is to be cleaning. Not just “surface clean” either.   A seller must DEEP clean the home!  Potential home buyers will be assessing your property to determine if it is THEIR dream home.  Whose dream includes a half-eaten peanut butter sandwich on the kitchen counter and a dirty cat box in the utility room?  

Sadly, there are places sellers will overlook when too eager to get their home on the market. Here a few spots to have clean and shining so your listing will be known as where Mr & Mrs Clean reside:

Refrigerators—Clean inside and out! Yes buyers will look INSIDE the refrigerator.  Throw out half-eaten food or store in sealed storage containers. Get rid of that moldy bag of cheese that is lodged back behind the drawer. Remove all drawers and shelves and clean until all grime is removed. Take down all notes, photos and drawings from the front door if you have been using as a magnetic bulletin board. If they a If your white refrigerator has discolored, try car wax works to remove the yellowing. Open the doors and check along the inside edge—especially note the rubber molding around the edge where dirt can collect and cause mold.

re not essential, don’t put them back on.

Range/Ovens—Clean your stove from top to bottom, inside and out. Use non-abrasive cleaners to remove all of the stuck on food from the range top. If it is stained and/or damaged, consider replacing the appliance. Clean the microwave and oven. Just like with the fridge,  potential buyers will look inside. Don’t use your ovens as extra storage.  Buyers will think the oven/microwave doesn’t work!

Bathrooms—Take an honest look at your shower and the flooring around it. If it looks grimy and covered with mildew, it will literally gross out a potential buyer. Remove discolored, cracking caulk and put replace with new, matching silicone. Open the toilet lid and make sure that it is clean inside. Clean out every cabinet and drawer….make sure there is no “DNA” with leftover hair, nail clippings etc. at the bottom.

Walls—Wipe down walls by often used light fixtures--Especially if you have little ones. Also, move that trash bin in the kitchen and towel in the bathroom and check behind. It may require some scrubbing. If the stains cannot be removed, consider repainting.

Basements and Garages—These just cannot be a dumping area for all of the things you don’t know what to do with! Clean them out so that potential buyers can open the doors, walk around and see all the way to the corners. If you have to store some items in your garage or basement, they need to be boxed and stacked neatly with plenty of room for a buyer to see what the foundation looks like.

Litter Boxes and Kennels—Pet areas must be cleaned every day and before every showing. Beautiful homes are not considered if it appears that the pets have destroyed the home. If there is an odor, potential buyers assume that the smells have permeated the floors and walls. If possible, let your pet stay with a trusted friend during the duration of the sale of your home.

Light fixtures and Vents—Look up! Sellers will spend hours on their hands and knees scrubbing the corners and sweeping the floors but forget to look up toward the ceilings. Dirty ceiling fans and light fixtures are commonly overlooked in the frenzy of preparing a home for sale. But home buyers often turn on a fan and several months’ worth of dust bunnies are suddenly airborne. Remove the glass from every light fixture and clean off the grime. Wipe down every blade on every ceiling fan. Vacuum the top of every curtain and drape. Check every corner for cobwebs. Remove every vent whether bathroom or air return and wash in mild soapy water to remove the dust.

So before you have your first showing, take another look around your home from a buyer’s point of view and clean it until it shines!

READY TO MAKE A MOVE? Let me be your professional guide. If you are buying, selling or relocating to Minnesota and need help from a professional REALTOR®, give me, Teri Eckholm of Boardman Realty, a call or visit my website for a FREE Home Buyer Success Guide or FREE Home Value Report. I specialize in acreage and lakeshore properties in the north and east Twin Cities metro area including Ham Lake, Lino Lakes and all communities in the Forest Lake School District. Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.
Copyright 2015 www.terieckholm.com

Selling a Home AS-IS can Cost Thousands

Most home sellers today do their homework. There is a vast array of information on how to prep a home to sell for top dollar on the internet and cable TV. Most savvy sellers have watched an occasional HGTV program or YouTube video showing how to stage a home and flip a house. They know that to get the highest price possible for their home, it will take a bit of elbow grease and organization. Sellers expecting optimal dollars need to understand that buyers want optimal condition.

Sometimes I still run into someone who balks at making repairs to their home. They say, “Let the buyer tackle that project. I want the home sold AS-IS.” 

Sometimes it does make sense to hold off on an expensive repair that would be nice but not necessary. These are more expensive cosmetic repairs like new siding or windows. However anything that would prevent a buyer from getting financing or insurance is a must like a new roof if the shingles are showing extensive wear or septic system if it is not compliant. These issues will not be overlooked by any buyer. 

Cosmetic and minor repairs will definitely reflect in what a home buyer offers on a property. Replacing doors with holes, broken glass in windows and settling cracks in a ceiling make a huge difference in a buyer’s perception of a home. Damage like this is always noticed by the buyers 

4 Reasons to Make Home Repairs Before Listing

1. Less Buyer Distraction. Buyers will be able to focus on the positive attributes of your home rather than needed repairs.
2. Homebuyers Inflate Repair Costs. My rule of thumb is: If it will cost a seller $100 to fix an issue, the buyer will ask for a $1000!
3. Easier Negotiations. When a purchase agreement comes in, it doesn’t come with a “laundry list” of things the buyer will have to repair to justify the low offer.
4. Faster to SOLD! Homes that are in optimal condition do sell quickly. Homes that need repairs often can sit on the mark for weeks or months longer waiting for a buyer willing to accept the home in its current condition. Longer market time can mean having to reduce the price significantly to keep buyers interested.

Copyright 2013 www.terieckholm.com

Playing Words with Friends and Selling Real Estate with Ethics

I have always loved to play Scrabble; so much so that my family will groan at the mere mention of this game as a potential pastime.When I received a Kindle last Christmas, I quickly installed and became hooked on Words with Friends and my family rejoiced!

I have a few people I play games with every evening. Some of the other players are really my friends and some are random opponents who are apparently as hooked as I am. (FYI—I refuse to put this or any other game on my phone or I would never get anything done.)

The other day my college student son saw me playing and said, “You know people cheat at that game, right?”

I said that yes, I did know. I know there are apps that will give the best words and online resources to find words ending with x or z. I could play that way too, but I don’t. There’s more sport in a game if you don’t cheat, plain and simple.   

Because it comes down to one word, ethics. But I am not naive; I do realize not everyone has the same ethics as I do...whether playing online or working in the real world.

When I do a market analysis, I play fair. A past selling client recently referred me to a friend of theirs by saying I was a “straight shooter”. I kind of liked that label. 

Even though these particular clients didn’t like all of the things I told them in regard to getting their Forest Lake home sold, I laid it all on the table, the good and the bad. And with work on both of our parts, their house did sell. It was sold within their time frame, budget and they now happily relocated out west.

With their strong recommendation, I was called in along with several very good agents that work the north metro to do a market to do a market analysis for another property. As always, I was honest with my market analysis and recommendations. A week later, I got the call. These sellers went with another agent. I was not surprised or upset by this…it happens when we are all good agents. So, I asked how the final decision was made and who they went with.

The wife’s answer floored me. They chose an agent from out of the area but who said she worked in the north metro. This agent also told them she “sells most of her listings in a day or two via word of mouth”.

Though were selling very quickly this spring certain metro communities, was an anomaly in the Forest Lake area when there are several new construction developments within a few miles selling brand new houses in the same price point. Most homes in this particular development stay on the market 3-4 months at the very least before receiving an offer. This was true even as the market activity increased because the builders in the area had really ramped up their construction efforts.

Telling a seller what they want to hear, whether it is price, timing or any other over promise is not the way I do business. My ethics just don’t allow me to puff up my abilities in that regard to get a listing.

When I was interviewed, I did say I had sold a couple of homes in a matter of days this past spring, but I also said the circumstances were very different. I could not guarantee the same results for their home. If I had over-promised or lead a seller to believe that I could work miracles when it came to their home sale, I would have to deal with their eventual disappointment. An upset client is never a positive in a service business. So I was up front and honest but lost the listing. I was not upset by this…it is the only way to “play the game” in my book. It is not about winning a listing. When it comes to my sellers expectations, I don’t play around.

So if you call me to do a market analysis of your home or list your house, rest assured, I will shoot straight. You might not like everything you hear, but I will be honest. Using this information, we can devise a plan together that will get your home sold. Like I said, it is all about ethics (and a lot of hard work too!)

  

Copyright 2013 www.terieckholm.com

Embrace Viking Purple, But Don’t Put THAT Color on Your Front Door!

Not if you want to sell your house that is. Home buyers gravitate toward certain colors. And unfortunately, purple is one of the top five turn offs as a front door color.

In an article by Angie’s List “What are the best front door colors to sell your home?”  color choices were put to the test. Home buyer surveys nixed purple as a favorite.

Believe it or not, I have seen Viking purple used on front doors of Minnesota homes. In our family we have an old family saying that “it looked better on the paint chip” when we see any unusual color choice on a house.  But purple isn’t the worst choice for a front door hue. Pink takes that spot with gray, orange and yellow also scoring low. Yellow is a bit of a surprise to me to be a low scorer because it IS appealing for siding, just not the front door.

Top colors are red and white. But white can be hard to keep clean. If you are going to put you home on the market and have a white front door, keep it sparkling. A dirty white door will be a huge turn off too!

Another caution if you choose to paint the front door red to attract buyers to your home; be careful with the shades. If the shade tends to look on the orangey side in the evening under a porch light, this could be a turn off to a home buyer viewing in the evening hours. 


 

Copyright 2013 www.terieckholm.com

Why Should a Home Seller Pay the Buyer's Closing Costs?

Sellers are excited about being in the driver's seat again...yes, it is a sellers market in the Minneapolis/St Paul north metro again. When I do a market analysis on a home for a potential home seller, I give always net sheet of estimated of closing costs associated with closing the sale of the home. 

One of the items on the list is “Seller contribution to the Buyer’s Closing Costs.” This particular cost doesn't sit well with most homeowners. Every now and again,  a seller will verbally scoff and say something to the effect of, “My own closing costs are high enough. Why would I want to contribute to the BUYERS too?”
 
But even in this seller's market, the answer is quite simple: So they can BUY your house!
Today most buyers are required to put down a minimum of 3-5% of the purchase price of the home as a down payment. The closing costs for a buyer include title insurance, home owner’s insurance, appraisals, loan origination fees, name search fees, filing fees and more. As a REALTOR® in the communties throughout Anoka County and the north metro Twin Cities, I see these closing costs will run anywhere from $6000-$8000 for a first time buyer. Couple this amount with a required down payment and few buyers have the funds to purchase a home. 

It's not just first time buyers that need the help either. Many move up buyers are getting out of their small starter homes that they purchased just before the housing market downturn. The market has recovered enough now that these families can break even at best. They don't have a huge down payment, but want to make the move up to a larger home so they often ask for closing cost assistance from the seller to make the deal work.

The bottom line is: homebuyers have the option of waiting and saving for additional closing costs or asking for seller assistance. In many cases a financial institution will allow a seller to assist a buyer by paying either points to reduce the interest rates and/or closing costs.

How does this work? Let’s say that a home is on the market for $200,000. The buyer writes their offer for $195,000 and their financial institution allows up to 3% seller’s assistance with fees and closing costs. They decide to ask the seller in their purchase agreement document for $5000, thus the net offer to the seller for the home is $190,000. 

If a seller does not want to pay the closing costs, the buyer in many cases will not be able to purchase the home. It the offer is accepted, the seller’s proceeds at closing would then be reduced by the $5000. Sellers do not have to come up with the funds in cash if there is sufficient equity in the home to cover both the buyer's and the seller's costs.

When an offer comes in on a home, it is sometimes confusing to sellers what the sale price versus net number is. In the case above, the $195,000 would be the sale’s price on the purchase agreement but by paying the $5000 in closing costs, the seller’s net number is really $190,000 less the seller's own closing costs including all fees and commission.

If as a seller you decide to counter on the original offer, you can counter on the sales price of the home or the amount of closing costs paid. When counter offers are involved, a seller needs to make certain that they understand what the net proceeds will be in each offer and counter offer.

This is where the assistance of an experienced, professional REALTOR® comes into play. As a real estate agent, I provide my clients with a seller's net sheet that outlines all costs and fees that has been updated after receiving the offer. When counter offers start going back and forth, I reiterate at each step what my seller's net number to help eliminate the confusion.

Assisting a buyer with closing costs can be the ticket to getting your home even in a seller driven real estate market. Understanding the process is simple with the assistance of a knowledgable real estate agent!

Copyright 2013 www.terieckholm.com