Home Odors – Should I Bake Cookies Before an Open House?

Tags

odors in the home; tips and tricks for the home; home seller tips and tricks; open house showings; home odors; baking cookies; staged homes

Occasionally clients ask us about little extra tips and tricks to improve the appeal of their home while it’s on the market. This is especially true when it comes to open houses or showings. Below we answer a common question about home odors.

Q: Is it a good idea to add pleasant odors (cookies baking, cinnamon, fresh flowers) to a staged home for showings?

A: Not necessarily. Odors do matter, but assuming you know what “a nice smell” is to you buyers could be trouble.

If anything, your house should smell freshly cleaned, but not “chemical.” Your best bet is to focus on eliminating foul or dominant odors.

If the house smells stuffy or “closed up” (you know, that “back of the closet with coats from 1974 smell”), concentrate on circulating fresh air first and foremost. Replacing air filters in forced heat/air systems is a good place to start.

The problem with adding odors such as baking cookies or fresh coffee is one of preference. How do you know what sort of associations buyers will have with the smells you think are attractive? A bright, Spring smell might come across as cloying to your visitors. (Floral scents may even set off allergies!)

Also consider this: Are you adding a “good smell” in an effort to cover up a bad smell? We all know how well that works out. The mix is pretty awful.

Finally, many buyers are aware of the “sweet smell” tactic associated with open houses. While your intentions may be good, some savvy prospects may be thinking, “I wonder what that smell is supposed to distract us from?”

Need a sniff test before hand? Ask a few neighbors or friends to give them your opinion when they walk in the door fresh, prior to the main open house or showing.

We love to work with clients to prepare their home for a top-dollar sale. Need more ideas for staging or improving the curb appeal of your home? Let’s chat! Get in touch today: Kevin and Jennifer Hanley 904-422-7626 The Hanley Home Team

Advertisement

What are you grateful for?

Tags

effective stress exercise, grateful, stress reliever

Do you have a practice for dealing with daily stress? We thought we’d share a simple and surprisingly effective exercise you can do each day that will not only boost your spirits, but lighten the perceived burden of “the daily grind.” No running shoes required! You can do it without breaking a sweat, right from the comfort of your car, your desk, or even the line at Starbucks.

It sounds simple, but it’s quite powerful: Each day, think of five things you’re grateful for. They don’t have to be big things. In fact, it’s great to start with the little things. It helps get you in the flow.

Start with one or two basic things you take for granted, for example: “I’m grateful for a hot shower in the morning.” Or: “I’m grateful for a safe neighborhood.”

Come up with five new things each time you practice. You might find this challenging at first. There should be a little struggle, but push through it. “I’m grateful for the smile of the guy at the bagel shop.” Or: “I’m grateful for my family dinner on Sundays.”

It might seem silly at first, but you’ll notice that the more you express your gratitude, the more you’ll connect to a general feeling of benevolence for others and well-being. Really take a moment for each simple gratitude to sink in. Visualize what you’re grateful for and recall experiencing it.

This gratitude exercise connects you to the world in a positive way. It makes the trivial annoyances in life sting less, and reminds you to note what it is in the world you truly appreciate. When your focus shifts to gratitude, your attitude improves.

Give it a try this week and see what you think. Waiting in line, stuck in traffic, killing time between appointments… they’re all great windows to practice a little gratitude.

Sometimes our clients ask us how we keep our cool when dealing with a difficult real estate deal. Well, this is one of our tricks to keep everything in perspective. If you’re looking for a stress-free home buying or selling experience, we can help: Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com or http://www.HanleyShortSales.com

Tips for a Relocation Visit

Tags

Moving to a new city, referal to destination city, relocation, tips on relocating, visit your future home

Are you considering a move to a new city? Maybe you’re trying to make the choice between two or three potential options. If so, how you visit your future home can have a dramatic impact on which one makes the final cut.

By making a few subtle shifts in how you prepare for your visit (and how you spend your time while you’re in town), you can gain more useful insight into the community.

Tip 1: Stay a week if possible
While a long weekend might be your only shot, you can get a much better perspective on a place if you have enough time to unwind. A mix of weekdays and a weekend is a great way to get a view of the rhythm of the town. If you have a long time to plan, visit the place in Summer versus Winter, too.

Tip 2: Rent an apartment or house
A family living in a hotel is expensive and automatically puts you “outside” the community. With a little more room and the facilities of a real living space, you’ll get a better sense of what it might be like to “really be there.” Plus, avoiding the hotel will keep you off tourist-trap areas and hopefully away from major highways.

Tip 3: Explore some on foot
Driving aimlessly can be a good “survey” technique (and indeed, getting lost is a good idea, too), but walking neighborhoods and downtown districts will give you a vivid sense of the community.

Tip 4: Get the local low-down
Before you go, find friends-of-friends on Facebook and other social media sites who can give you an idea of the must-see places that locals love. Use this list as your guide, not the tourism brochures.

Tip 5: Pay attention to what matters to YOU
Remember: You’re the one thinking of living there. Don’t let what others see as the main benefit to the town be what guides your decision to live there. Go with your gut, your values, and your comfort level!

By the way, we’re glad to help you sell your home prior to the move, or refer you to a trusted agent in your destination city throughout the United States and Canada. Just get in touch! Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS 904-422-7626

A CMA the Right Way

Tags

CMA, Comparative Market Analysis

A lot of agents offer a free Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), but you’d be surprised how many are poorly done. Some are automated, some are dashed off quickly by agents hurry to sell a prospect on listing their property, and others are just plain lazy. Given that a CMA is often the first professional contact with a potential agent, shouldn’t the job be done right?

You should always ask about an agent’s process for the CMA. Don’t feel that just because it is freely offered you can’t ask questions. Most should be quite comfortable explaining their approach. Some will rely in part on a computer-assisted process, but the best will integrate their professional experience in a nuanced way.

In my opinion, here are three things every professional CMA should include:

1. Comps as close as possible to the proposed listing. A good agent should know neighborhoods and micro-regions within those neighborhoods. They shouldn’t scoop the whole metro to pick out a price. The closest comparable properties should be a point of departure.

2. A real understanding of the relative age and style of the proposed listing. Are we talking about a charming little 1920s farm house 3-bed/2-bath, or a 60s ranch? Is this new construction? Is it new construction in a McMansion ghost town, or a nice area?

3. An emphasis on closed sales in the past 90-days, not listing prices. Let sold and closed be your guide, not rumors, “what they heard it would sell for soon,” or any other shaky, unrecorded number.

Without these three components, a CMA may be incomplete. Pro pricing paves a smoother road to a timely sale. What better way to prove your experience as an agent?

We don’t buy listings with false promises. We want your home priced right and sold soon. Get in touch if you’d like us to put together a CMA for you: Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com or http://www.HanleyShortSales.com 904 422 7626