Tag Archives: Coldwell Banker

Tiny Changes Can Go a Long Way When Selling Your Home

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ColdwellBanker.com gives us some helpful hints and simple tasks to consider when selling a home…

Selling a home can seem like a tedious task and it’s common for homeowners to feel discouraged if their home doesn’t sell right away. But the truth is, image is everything and making small changes to spruce up a property can make a home much more appealing to the general public.

After a home has been inspected, scrubbed down and ready to go on the market, consider a few helpful tips that may make the home more attractive.

Clean up the outside

First impressions can be the difference between a successful open house and limited buyer attention. Clean up and landscape the outside. Plant a colorful flower bed. Replace old house numbers with new, shiny placards. Removing clutter and presenting a neat, clean outside can make the home seem more inviting to potential buyers, according to MainStreet.com. Homeowners who have the budget may also go above and beyond by installing a new door or painting the current one to add a splash of color and appeal to the home.

Replace old appliances and freshen features

When buyers walk into a home, they may immediately try to see themselves living in that space. When a house has old cabinets, counters and tiles, it can make the space seem more outdated than it really is. Although purchasing new fixtures and tiles can be an investment, it may be one worth making in order to attract more potential buyers. In addition, removing old appliances or storing them below in cabinets can also make rooms, such as kitchens and dining areas, appear more fresh-faced and modern.

A coat of paint can also go a long way in livening up a home or a particular room, and the right color can make certain smaller rooms appear more spacious and inviting. Most real estate agents agree that neutral and light or bright colors can make a room stand out while still giving it a fresh and clean appearance.

De-clutter the house

Over the years, homeowners accumulate new furniture, pictures, keepsakes and family heirlooms. And while these treasures make existing homeowners feel comfortable, they can make a home appear smaller and cluttered. For this reason, sellers should consider boxing up items they do not currently use and adding more space to their living area. A few accent pieces can be sufficient in making the place feel homey without infringing on the living space.

Builders are Feeling More Optimistic

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REALTORMag reports that for the fifth straight month, builders are more optimistic in the single-family home market. Here’s what they had to say…

Signs are improving in the new-home market and builders are feeling more optimistic about where the real estate market is heading, after coming off last year’s worst year on record for new home construction. 

For the fifth consecutive month, builder confidence in the single-family home market increased in February, reaching its highest level in four years.

“Builder confidence has doubled since September,” says Barry Rutenberg, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders. “Given the recent improvements in new home starts and the increasing number of markets included in the NAHB/First American Improving Market Index, this consistency suggests that the housing market is moving toward more sustainable growth.” 

While the jumps in builder confidence have been an encouraging sign for the industry, housing experts warn that confidence is still historically low, and that foreclosures, low appraisals, and more stringent credit standards continue to hamper the new-home market’s full recovery. 

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine Daily News

 

Outer Banks Featured Home: S Old Oregon Inlet Road, Nags Head

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You will fall in love with this bright, cheery 4 bedroom, 3 bath home, located at 8630 S Old Oregon Inlet Road, that features panoramic ocean views, in convenient South Nags Head just before MP 18.

With a great beach access directly across the street and unbelievable sunsets over the marsh and bay that can be viewed from the hot tub on the 2nd level decking or on the top level screened porch or sun deck, this home instantly gives you the “Island Feeling” of the southern Outer Banks.

This cozy home offers a natural setting in South Nags Head nestled between the Pea Island National Wildlife Preserve and the Atlantic Ocean. South Nags Head is located off the beaten track with no highways. You are close to historic lighthouses, world class deep sea fishing, watersports, outlet shopping, and restaurants. It is also just a short drive to the Lost Colony Outdoor Drama and Historic Roanoke Island complete with the North Carolina Aquarium. You will find bike paths from this house all through the area.

This property has been well maintained and the VIEWS will take your breath away! The large backyard is great for grilling out and there is a side fenced in yard as well. Under the carport you will also find a large storage room perfect for your beach gear.

For more information on this property, please contact Heather Sakers with Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty.

Seven Staging Secrets from a Pro

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This recent post from Coldwell Banker’s Blue Matter gives us some inside scoop on staging homes for sale like a pro. Here are seven tips to help boost your home’s appeal and give homeowners a competitive edge when placing homes on the market. 
  • Stage rooms with one purpose.  Rooms that have many uses can confuse or even deter homebuyers, so staging rooms with one purpose is vital.  Determine who your most likely target market will be, whether it’s young professionals with no kids, families, or even empty nesters.  Then present your areas to fit their needs.  If you’ve been using a room as a guest room/kids playroom/home office, pick the one use that best suits your buyers.
  • Tackle the easy “do-it-yourself” projects. Spruce up your home by updating kitchen and bathroom fixtures and updating cabinet hardware.  Add a fresh coat of paint in a neutral palate that won’t distract from your home’s features. 
    A fresh coat of neutral paint goes a long way

  • Focus on the living areas.  Potential buyers should envision themselves entertaining friends and family in the living areas of the home.  Make sure those areas feel as spacious as possible by removing any unnecessary furniture to allow for easy traffic flow.
  • Make sure the master bedroom appeals to both sexes.  Remember that the master bedroom is a room that a couple will be sharing, so the décor should appeal to both sexes.  It should feel like a calm and peaceful refuge, not a frilly boudoir.  Remove any feature that seems too gender-specific and paint the walls a neutral colour.
  • De-clutter & depersonalize. Buyers want to picture their family living in a home, not the previous owners.  You’re going to be moving anyway, so start now by packing away family photos, personal mementos knickknacks. Store away valuables under lock and key. Some property owners find they need to store some of their belongings off premises to create an open feel.
  • Furnish the home, but don’t overdo it.  While an empty house may look spacious, it’s often hard for buyers to visualize their belongings in a home if they’re just looking at bare walls and floors. Leave the basic components that allow the viewer to define each room.
  • Don’t forget the outside spaces.  First impressions can play a key role in a consumer’s decision-making process, so don’t neglect your home’s curb appeal.  Make sure the home’s exterior is inviting by trimming the bushes, mowing the lawn and painting faded window trim.  Buyers will appreciate the seller’s efforts with the yard work, and will tend to assume that the same attention to detail has been devoted throughout the property.

Elizabeth City in the Spotlight Again

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Elizabeth City H.A.S. It has recently reported some exciting news for the Harbor of Hospitality. The beautiful city will not only be featured on one cable television show, but two. “Today in America” has announced Elizabeth City to be one of their “Hidden Gems” and the Travel Channel’s show “The Dead Files” will visit the city to explore the mystery behind Nell Cropsey’s death. Here’s what Elizabeth City H.A.S. It had to say about all the excitement…

“Just when one cable television show makes waves in The Harbor of Hospitality, another one comes right on its heals. The show “Today in America” just announced that Elizabeth City will be one of its “Hidden Gems.”

Now the Travel Channel comes in and spends a week in Elizabeth City taping an episode of one of its popular shows, “The Dead Files.” Seems producers at the show caught wind of our famous 110 year-old murder mystery, The Mysterious Death of Nell Cropsey. Armed with a rather large production team, the Travel Channel folks pointed their cameras at the famed Cropsey House, it’s current owners and a whole lot of local folks familiar with this compelling unsolved mystery. And while they were at it, the film crew wandered around town shooting what they said was undoubtedly a very beautiful town (they called it “B roll” shooting) for background purposes.

The show will air sometime in May. We’ll let you know when the date is announced. It will attempt to unravel the mystery of who killed Nell Cropsey. It might also reveal the nature of the reported haunting in the house. That’s right, a good old-fashioned haunted house, a Victorian-era house to boot. We have a lot of those beautiful old “painted ladies” in Elizabeth City.

So now the question on everyone’s mind in these parts is:  Who will visit next? Come on down and find out why folks come from far and wide to experience Southern hospitality-Elizabeth City style. And find out why we attract all of these Hollywood types.”

Outer Banks Featured Home: Charleston Drive, The Carolina Club

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This amazing home, located at 109 Charleston Drive in Grandy, features high-end cabinetry, including natural hickory and natural cherry, granite counter tops, cathedral ceilings, 9 ft. ceilings, tray ceilings, and composite decking. Mouldings are exceptional and paint colors exquisite. Extras include a central vacuum system, berber carpet, custom tile and beautiful hardwood floors.

This home highlights a huge master suite with views of the golf course from many angles, a private finished room over the spacious two car garage and an amazing view of the 3rd Tee of The Carolina Club golf course off the back deck.

Relax in an open family room with cathedral ceiling while enjoying the golfers and flip the switch on your gas fireplace. Truly a year round paradise. Observe holes 9 and 18 from your front yard or take a stroll to the community pool, tennis courts or marina.

Live above “par”……or under if you’re golfing outside your door! You are truly living the good life at 109 Charleston Dr. at an amazingly affordable price and only 15 minutes to the beautiful beaches of the Outer Banks.

Open house for this home is February 11 from 1 til 5. 

About the Carolina Club: “The Carolina Club features superb bentgrass greens and a picturesque par-3 island green. Five sets of tees allow you to match your game to the challenge, to ensure that all skill levels can have an enjoyable time. All of this, compounded with strong ocean breezes will have you reaching for every club in your bag! The Carolina Club features a warm-up range, putting green, and chipping green to allow you to sharpen your skills. Be sure to visit the practice putting green prior to playing. It is maintained exactly like the greens on the course, so that your practice can be consistent with actual playing conditions. This is all outside your door. You can also practice at the sister course, The Pointe Golf Club. The Pointe Golf Club is home to one of the finest practice facilities in the region. The 30,000 sq. ft. practice tee can accommodate even the largest groups or outings. The short game area includes a large chipping green, practice bunker, and putting green.”

For more information on this listing please contact Teri Tillett with Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty. 

4 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Foreclosure

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“Foreclosures can offer big bargains, but buyers need to be careful that they don’t get over their heads in purchasing a home that may need more repairs than they bargained for.

Foreclosures are usually sold as-is, and homes that are left vacant standing too long can have a lot of maintenance problems.”

REALTORMag suggest buyers consider the following questions:

1. How long has the home been vacant? Be cautious of a foreclosed home that has stood vacant for more than a few weeks or had its utilities shut off a long time. Marvin Goldstein, a home inspector for many foreclosed properties, says a home can deteriorate quickly when heating, cooling, electricity, and running water have been turned off for awhile.

2. How old is the home? Goldstein says that homes that are more than 50 years old may have a failing plumbing system or inadequate electrical wiring.

3. How does the home look? Are there broken windows, gutters hanging down, or damaged siding? “Trust your instincts. If the house looks bad from the outside, it’s probably worse than you think,” Goldstein told The Oklahoman.

4. Is there anything missing? Sometimes former owners remove anything of value from the home, such as built-in light fixtures, bathroom tile, water heaters, air-conditioning units, and hardwoods, says Bill Jacques, president-elect of the American Society of Home Inspectors.

Housing experts encourage buyers to get a home inspector to look at the property, even if it is sold as-is, so that home buyers know any repairs needed and cost estimates before they purchase the home.

“Buying a bank-owned home gives you the opportunity to enter the market at a very low price level,” says Dorcas Helfant, a past president of the National Association of REALTORS®. “You can find terrific values among foreclosures, especially if they’re not in too bad shape. But, remember, these houses are discounted for a reason.”

Coldwell Banker Branded Websites Remain Most Visited

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Via ColdwellBanker.com…

According to Nielsen and comScore Media Metrix, the two global leaders in digital measurement, Coldwell Banker branded websites had the highest number of unique visitors among all national real estate franchise brands for full-year 2011.  This marks the second consecutive year that the Coldwell Banker brand ranked No. 1 in Web traffic among all real estate franchisors.

“The Coldwell Banker brand is clearly top of mind when consumers go online and search for a home,” said Michael Fischer, chief marketing officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.  “Consumers know our great brand and have shown a desire to utilize the suite of online tools seen throughout the Coldwell Banker network at the national and local levels.”
According to Nielson, Coldwell Banker websites had 17.5 million unique visitors in 2011, which was more than 28 percent higher than the next nearest franchise brand competitor (13.7 million). Similarly, Coldwell Banker branded websites (26.1 million unique visitors) had the highest Web traffic ranking among real estate franchisors in the comScore Media Metrix full-year ranking for 2011, easily outpacing its next nearest competitor by 21 percent (21.6 million unique visitors).

The Coldwell Banker brand continues to place an emphasis on developing its website into a hub for consumers to find and prepare for the home buying and selling process.  Recent additions include the lifestyle search page and first time home buyer resource center.

Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC accessed the aforementioned information through its subscription to both Nielson and comScore Media Metrix. The rankings encompass all consumer Web traffic (unique visitors) to national and local websites operated by the franchise brands as well as by their franchisees.

Outer Banks Featured Home: Dowdy Lane, Kitty Hawk Landing

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4164 Dowdy Lane, Kitty Hawk North Carolina

This one-of-a-kind property located on the west side of Kitty Hawk in the beautiful Kitty Hawk Landing neighborhood, cannot be compared. Designed by the owner to take full advantage of the unique site, views and natural environment, this is an architect’s home. This lot offers direct water access to the sounds with a private dock on Avery Pond.

The home offers beautiful views of the Albemarle and Currituck sounds. Located on the end of a quiet street, this home is only three miles from the beach and main highway. 

The house has eight levels, each with different and unsurpassed views. Built in 2001, there are three bedrooms and two and a half baths. Features in this home include a sunken atrium with twelve foot ceiling offering views of the sound, wetlands, one-of-a-kind sunsets and night skies; elevator; gourmet kitchen with bar over-looking the great room with dining area; an observation/breakfast room over-looking the sound; custom cabinetry in the great room including entertainment area, bookshelves, and wet-bar with refridgerator; porches and decks off of the guest suite, great room and master bedroom; and a three story elevator.

This home has been well maintained with low operating costs. For more information on this listing please contact Sarah Brown or BJ Neal.

Sales Stir Hope for the Housing Market

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December marked the third straight month of previously owned home sales, bringing the supply of homes listed for sale to the lowest level since 2006. We are now seeing a glimmer of hope that the housing market could be starting to climb out of a profound downturn, according to an article posted by The Wall Street Journal.

Existing-home sales increased 5% in December from a month earlier, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.61 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Friday. Lawrence Yun, the Realtors’ chief economist, called the December gain “a good finish to a very tough year.”

Many economists had predicted that 2011 would be the worst year on record for existing home sales, but the year ended with 4.26 million sales, about 1.6% higher than the 4.19 million existing homes sold in 2010. Market-watchers attributed this to a minor surge in sales at year-end, driven by historically low mortgage rates, falling prices, active investor-buyers and increasing consumer confidence.

Still, economists cautioned that it’s too early to assume that the market is recovering. “These were positive numbers, but that doesn’t mean the market is getting better. Lenders have been trying to get rid of distressed homes, and investors been snapping them up,” said Patrick Newport, chief economist at IHS Global Insight. According to the Realtors report, investors purchased 21% of all homes in December, up from 19% in November.

The inventory of homes for sale declined in December to 2.38 million, the equivalent of a 6.2-month supply, assuming the pace of sales remain at December’s level. A six-month supply of homes typically is considered healthy, although NAR’s numbers don’t take into account the “shadow inventory” of homes that are either in foreclosure or on bank balance sheets and not yet listed for sale.

Read full article here