Luxury Real Estate

Courtesy of Cowan and Zellers Real Estate, Concord NH

Despite the record breaking snowfall last month, it seems the home buyers were still willing to brave the frosty weather to find their dream homes!

Reports for the New Hampshire real estate industry show that home sales in January were up 2.1% over 2010. Considering how many snow days we had here at the Cowan and Zellers office (and how many days schools were closed in the area!) that’s a very positive start to 2011.

If you’re still in the midst of selling your home this month, here are some quick tips to help make the most of your open houses and buyer visits in the winter months:

Break Out the Snow Blower – While it may seem that you’re chained to your snow shovel this winter, a snow-free driveway and path to your front door is important for both curb appeal and safety for your visitors. If you can’t face one more shoveling expedition, consider hiring a neighbor or landscape company to do a clean sweep for you. Most home buyers will want to check out your backyard, so consider doing a quick cleanup of the snow on backyard patios and decks as well.

Tidy Up the Entry Way – Your entry way is the first impression home buyers will have of your house, and a front hall that’s messy may turn them off right from the start. Be sure to keep floors clear of salt and melting snow or consider getting a nice entry carpet to hide the damage. Tidy up coats, mitts, hats, and boots and store them in the closet wherever possible; good storage is one of the first things that homeowners look for! During open houses, post a sign asking visitors to please remove their boots in the front entry.

Warm Up Your Home – In the winter months, house buyers have to be pretty determined to want to get out of their warm cars and trudge through the snow to an open house. Reward them for their efforts by creating a welcoming atmosphere. During open houses, consider turning up the thermostat a little, having a nice fire burning in every fireplace, and baking cookies or apple pies just before an open house to create the feeling that no matter how cold it is outside, their potential new home is cozy and comfortable.

By: NBC New York

Courtesy of: Jacky Teplitzky of Prudential Douglas Elliman

Pam Godwin is on the hunt for a new apartment with her broker Max Dobens of Prudential Douglas Elliman. Pam has a place in the Hamptons and in the city, but she’s looking to cash out on her NYC condo to reduce monthly expenses. She’s looking for a three-bedroom co-op on the Upper East Side with a budget of $1.7 million. Watch as Max brings Pam to 420 E 72nd St and 525 E 89th St.

This episode of Open House was hosted from 151 Wooster St., contact Angela Latigona of Brown Harris Stevens at 212-906-9240. View the listing.

Courtesy of John Butzko of Michael Saunders & Company

In the circles of real estate professionals, there are few issues that conjure more nuances and opinions than the effectiveness of hosting and holding open houses. Among the discussions, you will discover that some agents love hosting open houses and consider them a necessity to locate the right buyer for any property. Conversely, some rely on other means to ultimately produce a closing.

When done correctly, hosting an open house can be a significant step on getting your property sold. Before you decide on your preference when listing your home, we present the top 10 reasons why hosting an open house is a good idea

 1. In the House – When you host an open house, you are using the most effective means of getting the client through the door and making contact. From here, you can gather necessary information and get a feel for how the prospective buyers are responding to the market.

2. Get Serious – One of the biggest advantages of hosting an open house is that serious buyers overwhelmingly use open houses in their research. According to a recent study, 95 percent of people looking to buy a home visit an open house within three months of buying. That’s a pretty convincing percentage.

3. Decent Exposure – While exposing your home to the largest number of buyers is of great importance when selling your home, getting buyers inside to preview your property can be a huge hurdle to jump. Hosting an open house clears that obstacle and widens your pool of interested buyers.

4. Catch a Buzz – Opening your home to prospective buyers is a great way to generate a “buzz” amongst people in the real estate industry, both buyers and agents alike. Agents in the area can experience what your property has to offer and recommend it to their contacts looking for a comparable home.

5. See to Believe – Not all homes are camera friendly, and the photos featured on MLS and real estate websites may not be able to do them justice. Getting people in the door to experience the unique charms of your property can do wonders that no other method can achieve.

6. Feedback – Hosting an open house can be a valuable opportunity to get feedback about what is and isn’t attractive about your house. Ask each buyer what they thought of your home and would they consider buying it. Agents and sellers are hesitant to ask for a buyer’s opinion, so just grit your teeth and ask. It’s the only way you’re going to get a direct answer, and the answer just might astonish you.

7. Sense of Community – Not only does hosting an open house give your agent new prospects for your home, it also gives the listing agent a chance to really show the property and all the other reasons why the buyer should choose your home, including the nearby schools, parks and amenities. These can be the deciding factors for many prospects.

8. Prospective Gathering – An open house also benefits your agent because he or she doesn’t have to go anywhere to find new prospects; they come to him/her. Most open houses last between two and three hours, during which time up to thirty or forty people might show up. By gaining the information of these prospective buyers, your agent can do the work necessary to close the deal.

9. Fall in Love – Part of the reason for having an open house is you just want to find someone who falls in love with it. And by seeing the home in person and imagining themselves and their things inside, they can do just that.

10. michaelsaunders.com – When listed with Michael Saunders & Company, your open house gets weekly attention on michaelsaunders.com complete with in-depth information, mapping tools, extensive pictures and more to help open house hunters on their personal tour of your home.

Courtesy of The Kentwood Companies

Don’t miss this Summertime Event in Premier Master-Planned Neighborhood

DENVER – Mark your calendar for Sunday, June 27, 2010, and enjoy one of the most exciting and comprehensive home tours of the summer. Deviree Vallejo, a leading broker associate with Kentwood City Properties, has announced a remarkable open house showcasing 20 residential properties in seven buildings in Denver’s master-planned Riverfront Park neighborhood.

Participants in the June 27th open house can tour homes priced from $250,000 up to $1 million. The residential venues include the distinctive Glass House, One Riverfront, Creekside, The Delgany, Park Place, The Townhomes at Riverfront Park, and Riverfront Tower. The event will run from 1-4 p.m. and complete details are available online at www.RiverfrontParkOpenHouse.com.

“Riverfront Park is nestled alongside the sparkling South Platte River in the Central Platte Valley,” said Vallejo. “It offers a true neighborhood environment in downtown Denver near a wealth of attractions and conveniences. Simply cross the pedestrian bridge that connects with the 16th Street Mall, and you’re in the heart of the downtown. The summertime open house is the perfect opportunity to secure a new residence as the Union Station redevelopment takes off and the area becomes one of the most exciting and talked about mixed use/transportation developments in the nation”

Riverfront Park rests along the 20-acre Commons Park where Denver residents walk their dogs, play Frisbee, jog, bicycle, and more. The community offers trails, and there are great places to picnic and people watch. Riverfront also features several excellent restaurants and taverns, a coffee shop, wine store, and a dry cleaners.

Riverfront Park is located at the intersection of 15th Street and Little Raven in downtown Denver. Open house attendees can begin their tour at any of the featured residences where you can pick up a tour map with details. There will also be balloons and open house signs directing participants. Simply park along Little Raven and you can walk to all featured properties which are located with a half-mile of one another.

Remember, the summertime home tour event of the year is scheduled for June 27th from 1-4 p.m. Visit www.RiverfrontParkOpenHouse.com for all the details. For more information, please also contact Deviree Vallejo at 303-931-0097 or via email at deviree@kentwoodcity.com.

Kentwood City Properties, formed in 1999, is the newest member of Kentwood Real Estate, known nationally as Denver’s premier real estate company. The company’s street-front office at the corner of 17^th and Wynkoop streets, directly across the street from Union Station, is comprised of 50 of metro Denver’s most experienced real estate professionals serving residential buyers, sellers, and developers. For more information phone 303-820-CITY (2489), and visit online at www.kentwoodcity.com.

Kentwood Real Estate is comprised of Kentwood City Properties, The Kentwood Company at Cherry Creek, and The Kentwood Company in the Denver Tech Center. View all Kentwood listings at www.DenverRealEstate.com.

By Christine Watson
From her blog: Hide Your Personals! Protecting your privacy when selling your home!

Putting your luxury home on the market poses two very personal concerns:

1. Invasion of privacy: that your personal life will be on show;
2. Theft: your personal effects are prey to any “prospective” buyers

De-clutter your property before placing it on the market: this is my first piece of advice for those vendors concerned with their privacy being publicised to the world.

To some it means removing everything from bench tops, cupboards and shelves and to others it means keeping the home clean, neat and tidy. But how do you protect your privacy and hide your personal items?

Your home generally depicts your personal life, showing your taste in furnishings, colours, art, antiques and family photographs. Is opening your home to the public an invasion of your privacy? Absolutely!

 

The experience of Marquette Turner Luxury Homes shows that people buy the home that “ticks most of the boxes”. When selling your home, you should take the distractions away so the buyer can concentrate solely on looking at your home.

Furthermore, we are not great advocates of open inspections in a troubled market and it is important to appreciate that household-contents insurance does not cover the loss of personal effects during a viewing of a property. Remove the opportunity for theft and protect yourself as if you were a celebrity like Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise or Hugh Jackman.

Selling your home can be stressful enough without the concern that someone is taking an interest in your personal life and possessions.

Marquette Turner Luxury Homes we will not allow anyone to view your home without showing their photo identification. If someone objects they are not respecting your home and are not serious about buying the property. Only a luxury agency can truly protect your privacy.


Editor’s Note:
Christine Watson is a Director of Marquette Turner Luxury Homes, a member of Luxury Real Estate in East Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded on Australia Day 2007 by Michael Marquette and Simon Turner, Marquette Turner is a property consultancy company covering the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria. Along with Marquette and Turner, now we have a new blogger providing excellent content for the Luxury Real Estate Blog. Wonderful! Thank you very much for the excellent advice, Christine. Don’t forget that both sellers and real-estate agents are at risk at open houses, so it’s best to be as safe as possible. The photo above is from www.flickr.com/photos/jef/1526987585 and it is the copyright of Jef Poskanzer.