Morrow County, Ohio Real Estate

What's the VALUE of my home in Morrow County?  What is VALUE anyway?  How do we judge VALUE?

(Authors note: This is the first in a series of posts from my publication called "The Seven Most Common Mistakes Sellers Make And How You Can Avoid Them").

The #1 Reason Homes Don't Sell In Morrow County (or anywhere else for that matter)

A surefire way to get less than the fair market value for your home here in Morrow County is to overprice it in the beginning. It sounds contradictory, but it is true.

There are several reasons for this. First, if your home is more expensive than the similar homes in the area, fewer buyers will choose to even look at it. Why would they waste their time? And the buyers that do decide to look at your home will likely use it for comparison, to justify their decision to purchase a different home. “See? A similar home but a lot more expensive. We should get the one we saw yesterday – it’s a bargain compared to this one.”

Second, the longer your home remains unsold, the less interest it will generate among the buyers. Eventually, when it’s been on the market longer than the other similar homes, buyers will start to think that there is something wrong with it. And then you are faced with the real possibility of being forced to sell it for less than its real value. So make sure that your home is priced correctly from the beginning. This will save you time, aggravation, and money.

Overpricing is not the only pitfall that sellers fall into, some even under-price their homes. How do you know your home’s real value? By getting a professional Comparative Market Analysis (CMA). A CMA will show you what similar homes in your area are selling for, and how long it takes to sell them. You will be able to see the range of values that your home falls into, and then determine an accurate asking price. I offer CMAs for the homeowners in Morrow County free of charge. Just give me a call at 419-947-4004 or send me an e-mail to herb@herbsells.com, and I will prepare one for you at no cost and no obligation.

Brighter is Better (In Morrow County Real Estate)

I always tell my sellers to make sure when my office calls to schedule a showing by an agent, to please make sure that all the lights in the house are turned on.  I realize that since they're going to work at 7:30 in the morning and the showing may not be scheduled until 3pm, that yes, these lights will be on all day long and this will increase the electric bill, but it's well worth the added expense to not lose a buyer because of poor lighting.

Sometimes I walk into a home that is basically attractive, yet it communicates the feeling that something is lacking. Then we see that all of the drapes are closed, interior lights are off and there is a lot of overgrown shrubbery blocking the sunlight that might otherwise pour through the windows.

A dark house is not as appealing to most buyers as one that is flooded with light. As a part of your preparations to market your home, try to maximize the light in your home.

Make sure that all the windows are clean and the drapes are open when the house is being shown. A fresh coat of light paint can do a lot to brighten up the interior. If your house has very dark paneling, and you do not wish to repaint the walls, you may want to consider adding additional lamps. Your real estate agent may be able to provide other simple and cost-effective ideas about how to maximize your home's appeal.

Listen to your real estate professional and take his/her advice.  You hired them to sell your home and they have the experience and the know how and are asking for you to partner with them to get your home sold.

 FOR RELEASE: IMMEDIATE

DATE: December, 2009 For more information, please contact:

Herb Baldwin, Realtor, RE/MAX Genesis, 419-947-4004 or herb@herbsells.com

LOCAL REALTOR EARNS PRESTIGIOUS DESIGNATION TO HELP

Herb Baldwin of RE/MAX Genesis has earned the prestigious Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) designation, having completed extensive training in foreclosure avoidance and short sales. This is invaluable expertise to offer at a time when the area is ravaged by "distressed" homes in the foreclosure process.

Short sales allow the cash-strapped seller to repay the mortgage at the price that the home sells for, even though it is lower than what is owed on the property. With plummeting property values, this can save many people from foreclosure and even bankruptcy. More and more lenders are willing to consider short sales because they are much less costly than foreclosures.

In Morrow County, hundreds of homes are in danger of foreclosing. It is happening in all price ranges. Local experts say that even high-priced homes are not immune.

"This CDPE designation has been invaluable as I work with sellers and lenders on complicated short sales," said Baldwin. "It is so rewarding to be able to help sellers save their homes from foreclosure."

Alex Charfen, founder of the Distressed Property Institute in Boca Raton, Fla., said that Realtors® such as Baldwin with the CDPE designation have valuable training in short sales that can offer the homeowner much better alternatives to foreclosure, which virtually destroys the credit rating. These experts also may better understand market conditions and can help sellers through the emotional experience, he said.

The Distressed Property Institute opened in January 2008 and provides training on-site and online. The CDPE is the premier designation for Realtors helping homeowners in distress and handling short sales.

"Our goal is to educate as many people as possible so we can help as many homeowners as possible," Charfen said.

For more information about CDPE designation or to find a certified distressed Realtor in your area, please call 1-800-482-0335.

Oh Crap!  I've been in this real estate business for about 12 years now and I've taken hundreds of clients through the process of buying and/or selling a home.  We talk about financing, we talk about inspections, we talk about appraisals, we talk about changing utilities, we talk about packing and we talk about the actual move.  Believe it or not, when I first got in the business, I even helped my clients move!  That lasted about a year or so and then my back said "Whoa Boy"!

Last year, Kathy and I decided we were going to sell our beautiful log home nestled in the woods that we lovingly built about 12 years ago, just as I was getting started in the real estate business full time.

Even though I'm "In The Business" it still took time but we've got first time buyers now who see the value of the $8000 income tax credit and they've fallen in love with our log home in the woods.  We close on August 24th.

What?  August 24th?  You mean in a few weeks?  Oh Crap!  We gotta hustle! 

The new home will not be ready for a few months and so we have to move to a rental.  Now as we pack we have to decide if it goes to the rental, to the "final" location, or to the kids, or to Goodwill.  What a hassle!  But it's a learing experience for me (learn to be patient) and learn where to collect boxes, how to recruit helpers, and how to keep a level head with the spouse.

I guess the best advice I can give, based on the fact that we moved 12 times in 35 years of marriage, is to; plan ahead, make lists, determine who does what (come to an agreement on this) and lay out your schedule on a calendar so the whole family knows what days are dedicated to packing and loading and the actual move.  Although we're not having a garage sale, we are getting a dumpster!