Selling Your House during the Holidays?

Got a question from a homeowner asking "Is it a good idea to sell my house during the holidays?"
I believe it is a great idea to sell your home during the holidays season and here is why

• People who are looking at houses during this period are more serious buyers.
• Most home sellers take their homes off the market thinking that people are spending their money elsewhere which means there is less competition for the sellers and fewer homes for the buyer to choose from. In turn, higher chances to get a good offer on your house.
• After the holidays, many home sellers will put their houses back on the market and the inventory of homes will increase which means buyers will have more homes to choose from and most probably you might get less money for your house because you might need to drop the price to compete with the other houses in the market.
• People take lots of days off during the holidays and serious home buyers have more time to look at houses.
• Houses always feel more warm and show good with the Christmas decorations.
• Many people have their lease over by the end of the year and would like to move and spend the Christmas in their new home.

These are just some of the reasons I believe it is a good idea to sell your house during the holidays.
For more information, contact Jimmy
Jimmy Farag, REALTOR
Realm Real Estate Professionals
Phone: (832) 303-5000
Cell: (832) 744-7424
Fax: (281) 598-5402
Homes for Sale in Sugarland TX
www.SellMyHouseJimmy.com
www.HoustonHomesforSale-Here.com
www.HoustonForeclosureHomesFree.com

Americans Get More Confident About Home Buying

Americans Get More Confident About Home Buying

Want to make an offer, How low can I offer?

Everybody wants to get a good deal which is normal and understandable. BUT there is a difference between making an offer and insulting the seller.
The market in Houston is different than the rest of the country and it is way better than the national averages that they talk about on the news. We don’t have the 30-40 cents on the dollar type of deals. Let me rephrase that, we have them but very very very few and most probably will be in horrible condition to sell for that amount and will not even qualify for finance. AND the market is improving. So it will be harder and harder to negotiate.
So what is a reasonable offer?
You will have to check the average price in the neighborhood to see if the house is overpriced, within range or already below the average. If it is:
· Overpriced: I would say don’t bother to make an offer, it is either a seller who loves his house too much or not motivated. Either way, don’t bother, 99% of the time, it doesn’t sell
· Within range: The average negotiation in Houston is 3-5% and can be a little higher if the house is not in a good condition.
· Below average: Usually foreclosures and short sales, if it is already in a good condition, I would recommend offering the full price. It is already a good deal so making low offer might not be the smartest move because most probably you will not get it.
In the Houston market, if you are looking to offer 20-30% less than the asking price under the impression that the sellers or banks are desperate and should be happy to get an offer. Sorry to tell you that you are so wrong and you will be very frustrated getting rejected on each offer after the other.
Houses that are priced right or below the average are getting multiple offers in their first week on the market. Last week, a client wanted to see a house on its 2^nd day on the market and turned out that they already had 3 offers …….3 offers in 2 days and many of these houses sell for higher than the asking price.
I have tons of examples but will share them later. I am writing this for all the buyers who started looking for houses to know what to expect so they wouldn’t be frustrated and in some situation, people gave up because it didn’t the way they were expecting.
Jimmy Farag, REALTOR
Realm Real Estate Professionals
Phone: (832) 303-5000
Cell: (832) 744-7424
Fax: (281) 598-54
Homes for Sale in Sugarland TX
www.SellMyHouseJimmy.com
www.HoustonHomesforSale-Here.com
www.HoustonForeclosureHomesFree.com

Why My House Didn’t Sell??

With the uncertainty in today's economy, home sellers are wondering if the houses are selling in the Houston area. 

I would like to tell you that the Houston Market is strong and not like the east and west coasts. Home prices might have dropped in some areas because of foreclosures and short sales but we are talking about 10-15% of the whole real estate market in Houston.

Here are the homes sold sorted by price range in the Houston Area in 2011 compared to the home sales in 2010

If you are asking this question that means that your house was either listed with a realtor or listed as For Sale By Owner (FSBO) didn’t sell. Getting phone calls from realtors the day the listing of your house expired telling you “we know why your house didn’t sell”? Others calling telling you “A house like this can be sold for $20,000 more”? OR Your asking price is way too high?
Honestly, I can’t tell you why your house didn’t sell without seeing it. There are many conditions that can be the reason for not selling. It can be the location, the condition of the house, the age, the upgrades, the floor plan, size of the yard, even a pole in the backyard can affect the price.
Location: Most of the buyers prefer houses that are in a cul-de-sac or a quiet neighborhood that is safe for the kids. If you are on a busy street or a busy street passing behind your house, that a negative point that has to be considered in the price.
Condition: When we are talking about condition, we are talking about the outside and the inside. Most homeowners maintain the inside and forget about the outside. The outside appearance is the first impression about the house. Many buyers drive around to see the area and how it looks from the outside before calling their agent for showing. Do you do regular treatment for termites and insects? Do you check the condition of the roof and foundation?
Upgrades: There is a difference between upgrades and maintenance. If your water heater is old and you change it, that a maintenance and is not a reason for a higher house price. Let’s think about it the other way, if you don’t replace the water heater, you will have to drop the price or give the buyer credit for it, but if you replace it, that will keep your house at the market price. Upgrade is changing the carpet with hardwood floors or laminate countertops with granite.
Foreclosures: Is there any foreclosed homes for sale or sold in the last 6 months in your neighborhood? Sold foreclosures can affect the market value of your house even if your house is in a better condition. Current foreclosures are your competitors in the market because banks price them to sell fast and noticed that many of them now drop their price every month, it can be an aggressive drop, $10,000 for couple of month and then starting dropping it by $5000.
These are just some reasons, it can be different from one house to another. So before you ask yourself why your house didn’t sell, check the competition, the condition, the location and if the price is matching accordingly. The price has to be the market price not just the price you want to get.
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Would you like to know if houses are selling in your area, please feel free too contact me 

See All Homes for Sale in the Houston Area

Thanks,
Jimmy Farag, REALTOR
Realm Real Estate Professionals
Phone: (832) 303-5000
Cell: (832) 744-7424
Fax: (281) 598-5402
Homes for Sale in Sugarland TX
www.SellMyHouseJimmy.com
www.HoustonHomesforSale-Here.com
www.HoustonForeclosureHomesFree.com