When we run across unique tips to help sell your home, we like to share them. Here are some that we find rather interesting!
• Lights, camera, action! Walk through your home and neighborhood and create a brief video for prospective buyers, telling them and showing them what you love about living there. Post the video on YouTube and promote the link across your favorite social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
• Socialize! Social media is a very powerful and helpful tool. Use platforms such as Facebook to connect to your friends, family and colleagues, and ask them to share your message with their friends.
• Involve the neighbors! If you’re friendly with your neighbors, email a link of your home’s online listing to them and ask them to share it with their contacts. And, be sure to tell your neighbors about your open house so they can share the news with any friends or family who may be looking for a home. This way, you’re letting your neighbors take part in the selection of their new neighbors!
We’ll have more selling tips in the coming days and weeks, so please stay tuned!
Recently, we’ve been sharing information with you on the topic of unique niche retirement communities — communities where residents all share a common interest —that are gaining popularity across the country. Well, we’ve found some more interesting examples to share with you!
The Wasserman Campus in California is run by the Motion Picture & Television Fund, a nonprofit organization founded in 1921 by silent-film stars Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and others to provide financial assistance to workers in the entertainment industry. Wasserman Campus opened in the 1940s and is open to individuals who worked in any aspect of the industry for at least 15 years.
Over in Texas is the Stilwell Retirement Residence that serves retired Texas teachers. It is owned and operated by the Texas Retired Teachers Residence Corp.
Back on the East Coast, the ElderSpirit Community in Virginia was founded by a group of nuns and welcomes anyone interested in spiritual growth.
While some of these niche communities are fairly new, others have been running a successful operation for decades! Who knows what the next decade will bring?
The Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors often provides us with important information related to real estate sales and trends. Their May 2016 report reflects data collected in February and March. Here are some interesting statistics that we pulled from the report:
• We are in the thick of an exciting period of home buying and selling, often with quick multiple offers that are near, at or even above asking price!
• It was widely predicted that we would see healthy sales activity during the second quarter of 2016, and the market has not disappointed.
• Prices moved higher as the median sales price was up 3.4 percent to $125,000. Days on the market decreased 11.6 percent to 61 days. (Note: Homes listed by The Olear Team are averaging just 22 days on the market in 2016.) The “days on the market” statistic is defined as the total number of days the listing is on the active market before an offer is accepted.
• Although inventory is still being stretched thin in many areas, low mortgage rates coupled with higher wages have built a relatively sturdy housing marketplace. How long that can continue without fresh supply remains an important question, but conditions are seemingly good enough for serious buyers.
If you’re thinking of selling your home, you want it to look its very best and make a great first impression. Once you have it looking perfect, walk through the house, from top to bottom, and bring a friend or family member with you … and sniff! Does your house pass the smell test?
We recently came across an an interesting article in which Realtors were asked about there favorite house scents. Here are some of their comments:
• One Realtor recommends using lemon- or citrus-scented candles and running a few lemon wedges through the garbage disposal. Others prefer cinnamon and vanilla fragrances.
• Don’t be afraid to try different scents throughout the house. Candles today come in a wide variety of fresh scents.
• Another Realtor said that some buyers can be turned off by the smell of candles or air fresheners, so she prefers to use a spray odor eliminator.
• We’re not sure about this one, but one Realtor suggests placing an open can of beer in the oven, on low, to achieve a house that shells like freshly baked bread!
One final tip: Don’t try to cover up odors when a thorough cleaning of carpets, drapes and furniture is needed. Cutting corners can be a huge turnoff!
Last week we wrote about the rise of unique niche communities across the country, including communities that cater to groups such as theater enthusiasts, retired postal workers and even aging hippies! Today we’ll introduce you to two more communities that are rather specific in nature.
First, there’s New Bridge on the Charles in Dedham, Mass., which is sponsored by Hebrew senior life. This unique residential campus offers several levels of care for seniors and also features a K-8 elementary school with 300 students! Pre-screened seniors can volunteer at the school as tutors, reading guides and foster grandparents, helping to bring out the best in these young learners.
Another niche community is Escapees CARE, which allows residents to park their RVs on a monthly basis and also offers nursing care for those living there, no matter how long they stay.
Who knows what the next niche community will be? But maybe, it will be the perfect destination for you!
