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Photos Can Increase Sales Price | Realtor Magazine
Marketing a listing starts long before it is active on the local MLS. Glass Slipper Homes agents work with Sellers months in advance advising on the necessary steps to prepare a home for sale. Decluttering, painting, staging and professional photos are essential components to a market-ready home. Professional photos can make an extraordinary difference in a buyer’s perception of the property. Realtor.com shares evidence to this fact below. http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2013/01/17/study-photos-can-increase-sales-price?om_rid=AAE6WO&om_mid=_BQ$CqPB8wX3ch0&om_ntype=RMODaily
Thinking of Selling in 2013
Ready to Sell?
Think you might want to move in the Spring? The market is still pretty hot for selling homes. Now is the time to talk to a real estate agent about what you might need to do to prepare your home for sale. It’s important to remember that to sell your home you will have to do a bit of investment – yes that means you will have to spend a little money before you put your house on the market.
Painting
The first question you might want to ask yourself is; when was the last time the house was painted? If it has been a while you may need to consider painting both the inside and outside of the house. If you painted recently you may want to consider toning down any of the unique or bold colors in your home. Neutrals are best, it will help the buyer picture themselves in the home.
Window washing
Ecspecially the outside upper floor windows. Clear windows will make those rooms brighter and more appealing to buyers.
Fix ups
We are not talking major reconstruction – that’s up to the new homeowner. However, if you have cracked windows or drywall, you will probably want to replace or patch. You may also want to consider putting in new carpeting or prepare for a carpeting allowance when you put the home on the market. That might mean saving up over the winter to ensure you have the funds for such an allowance.
Landscaping
Landscaping is a huge additional investment for buyers – not only money but also time. So you might want to spend some time sprucing up your garden this fall. Cutting out the weeds and pruning where necessary is a definite must. You might also want to fill in some empty spots in your garden with perennials such as crysanthamums and day lillies. If you haven’t paid much attention to your garden in recent years, consider sodding or seeding this last weekend of October.
Pre-inspection
Though pre-inspection is not required in Wisconsin you may want to consider a pre-inspection if you have been in your home for a long time and want to make sure there will be no surprises in the actual inspection. This will give you time to fix any problems that may show up, and it may also help you have peace of mind as you put your home on the market. Moreover, it may ensure a buyer does not walk away from a potential sale.
These are some of the things you might want to consider before putting your home on the market. To get a better idea of what preparations would be best for your house contact a real estate agent and discuss in greater detail what you need to do before you put your home on the market in the Spring of 2013.
Buying New, How Much Will You Invest
It is so alluring to buy a brand new home. The idea that you get to start from scratch and make the very first memories in a home, plant the first garden, and burn the first pizza are always heady ideas. But when buying a brand new home there are a few things you should consider.
Initial Investment and so much more…
Even with all the incentives to purchase a new home you will still have to invest more in your brand new home.
Interior Decorating: Most likely you will be responsible for the purchase and the labor investment necessary to decorate your home. This will certainly include window coverings, paint, maybe even wallpaper.
Exterior Decorating: You are probably also going to need to invest in the lawn and landscaping of your new property.
Other costs…
Unless your new home is close to you job you may be purchasing a home that is further away from your job. This means you maybe investing more in your car for repairs and oil changes. You may also fill your gas tank more often.
Another item you may need to think about when buying a new home is the layout of the new community will there be additional homes built in the area around home? You don’t want plan to sleep in one morning, only to wake up to a bulldozer digging up the lot in front of your home.
Buying a brand new home is exciting, just remember, there will be greater indoor and outdoor investments other then your home. Working with a real estate agent you will be able to discover what kind of house is the best fit for you.
Summer on Wisconsin’s Waterfronts Just Got Better
Summer on the waterfront in Wisconsin can be quite enjoyable. Waterfront owners now have something more to cheer about; aside from the lovely view from their pier. Since April when Wisconsin modified the rights of waterfront owners. The new law grandfathers in almost all existing piers and guarantees that waterfront property owners have the right to place a pier even in areas the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has deemed to be “environmentally significant.”
Existing Piers
Under the new law all existing piers are grandfathered in as long as the pier meets the guidelines below:
- The pier must have been originally placed prior to February 6, 2004.
- The width of the pier could be no wider than eight feet.
- A loading platform or deck was allowed as long as it is located at the lakeward end of the pier and the platform had a surface area no greater than either (a) 200 square feet, which may be any width, or (b) 300 square feet, if the deck/platform is no wider than 10 feet.
Moreover, the new law allows the waterfront owner to relocate or reconfigure the pier as long as the pier is not enlarged.
New Piers
A new pier can now be placed without getting a permit if the following requirements are met:
- Width: No more than six feet wide.
- Length: No longer than what is necessary to moor your boat or use a boat lift, or 3-foot water depth, whichever is greater.
- Number of boats: Two boat slips/lifts for the first 50 feet of water frontage of your property, plus one more boat slip/lift for each additional 50 feet of frontage.
- Number of personal watercraft: Two personal watercraft for the first 50 feet of water frontage of your property, plus one more personal watercraft for each additional 50 feet of frontage.
- Loading platforms: A loading platform/deck with a surface area no greater than 200 square feet.
If a waterfront property owner wants to place a pier that exceeds these standards, a permit must be obtained from the DNR.
New Piers in Environmentally Significant Areas
Piers can now be built in areas that are considered by the DNR to be environmentally significant. While you still have to obtain a general permit for building the pier, the DNR can no longer prohibit the construction of a pier. However, the DNR may impose condition on the location, design, construction, and installation of such piers.
Wet Boathouses
You may now maintain your existing boathouse if it was constructed prior to 1979. You may use unlimited resources to maintain the boathouse. However, the boathouse can not be expanded.
When looking at purchasing waterfront property it will be important to discuss with your realtor whether the current property owner has received notice from the DNR that the pier is detrimental to the public interest and if the pier interferes with the rights of other waterfront owners.
Source: “New Pier Grandfathering Legislation Signed Into Law,” The Wisconsin Realtors Association Real Estate Magazine (May 2012).