What a time to sell a home!

When selling a home it is important that it stands out above the competition in the marketplace. This is not easy (or is it?) with so many homes, short sales, and foreclosures on the market for sale.

Unfortunately for many sellers, they are not thinking businesslike about the sale and putting their best foot forward. This gives those who have the right mindset and are willing and able to do some extra work a chance to make their property shine for a quicker sale at a higher price.

We have been well educated by Barbara Sperry of Relocation Strategies to get sellers to think of the home they are now living in as their current property. “Home” is where they are moving to. By focusing on the sale of their current property as a business transaction, they are more likely to be successful in making the right moves to sell their home.

Please keep this in mind: Buyers are more in tune with the market than sellers. Buyers know a good price when they hear it and know which homes are in the best shape. Sellers typically know their own house and not the market. Sellers tend to think more of their homes than buyers will. In other words (and especially in a buyer’s market) sellers are not fooling today’s buyers.

Before putting your home on the market:
· Get a realistic assessment of price by obtaining an appraisal or a number of broker assessments.
· Clean and freshen the outside of your current property by washing, weeding, mulching, painting, sealing, cleaning, planting and anything else that will give it curb appeal.
· De-clutter the inside of your current property including rooms, attics, basements, shelves, closets, cabinets, and any other overstuffed space.
· Remove excess furniture and stage your home in a way that will best show the room available.
· Remove outdated wall paper and paint in an earth tone color.
· Remove outdated carpeting and stick with neutral replacements.
· Eliminate pet, smoke and other odors.
· Keep the house clean and ready to show. Turn on lights and open curtains and blinds before each showing.

Buyers are looking for homes that are in “move in condition”.

When you think of it, these items don’t need to cost a lot of money and are a small investment when you consider what not doing them will mean for the number of days your current property will be on the market. So get busy and good luck getting to your new home!

The Best of Both Worlds

Owning a home and living in a manufactured housing land lease community offers residents the best of two types of home ownership. You get to own your own home and enjoy the benefits that typically only come with a multi-family complex. Best of all a home can be purchased and the site leased well within one’s means.

Given the choice, most people would choose a single family detached home. Without someone on the other side of a common wall, you really have your own place. Who wants to worry if someone will hear them just trying to live in their own home? And while a large lot is not always ideal, having a small yard to garden, work in, play on, and simply relax outdoors is part of the American Dream.

A small manageable home is a given in a land lease community. They provide for small homes and sites where people do not have to be burdened with all the responsibilities of land ownership. In a land lease community it is common that “everything below the ground or permanently attached to the ground” is the responsibility of the community owner. That means no pipes or leaks to worry about. When your driveway needs repaving or a tree needs removing, the community owner does the heavy lifting at their cost.

When some people hear the term “land lease” they might think its a bad deal. After considering the benefits of being able to make a much smaller housing investment, not having to worry about the problems of owning a lot (well, septic, tree trimming, replacing driveways, etc.), having common costs included like trash collection and land taxes, not getting involved in a homeowners association, and being able to enjoy any recreational amenities that are provided, the land lease has many advantages.

So consider a house within your means in a manufactured housing community near you!

I Wish We Had Moved to a 55 and over Community Sooner

When Jensen sales representatives sit down to learn about a potential buyer, we find they often feel all alone with their quandary over whether to sell the family home and make a move for themselves to a 55 and over community. We typically hear that the children have left the house (presumably for good!), the yard is getting too much to maintain, climbing stairs in the cape or colonial is wearing them out, and some more modern conveniences would help make cooking, cleaning, working and living a lot easier (like a first floor laundry, island kitchen, new flooring, better storage, etc.). They don’t need so many rooms and would like to reconfigure others to have open living/kitchen/dining areas, a first floor master bedroom/bath, and a home office or hobby space. If we only had a nickel every time we heard this…

Beyond the house, the old neighborhood holds great memories but has changed one too many times and they are now ready for a change. Yet, it is hard to give up the house and place that has meant so much to them. We understand what you are going through. Jensen is here to listen and help you find a more accommodating home and neighborhood.

You are not alone! Many Jensen residents have made the journey before you. A house within your means is more important today than ever. Making a move needs to be a step forward to a more secure and comfortable lifestyle. Using one’s equity to buy a new or resale home, perhaps being able to keep some funds in reserve for emergencies or that special trip, and having the income to cover monthly expenses allows for a good night’s sleep. Getting in on the Good Life in a right-sized and more manageable home is a dream come true.

Please keep in mind another statement we hear all the time: “We wish we had done it sooner!”