Plantation Lakes Blog!

This summer, success selling a home in Myrtle Beach will depend on the same factors that have always predicted home sale success in Myrtle Beach: location, quality, and buyer appeal.

A home’s location is pretty much a given. Not much you can do unless you pick up and transport the house. The structural quality of workmanship and the level of maintenance a home’s received though the years can (and should) be gussied up, but that, too, is most often something that can’t be entirely redone.

However, the final factor, what I call “the little touches” are things that sellers should pay a lot of attention to because they play a huge part in the successful sale of a home in Myrtle Beach. The difference between receiving a quick offer (or not) can hinge on the little touches that make your home more desirable than others in its price range.

A good example is closet space. Any property with a closet organization system will appeal to a large number of buyers. Compare this to the old style closets with a single curtain rod going across or those messy walk in closets cluttered with clothes.

Similarly, advanced home technology can stick in buyers’ memories at the end of a long day of house tours. They don’t even have to be expensive or whole-house systems: a simple programmable thermostat that can be accessed by a smart phone can be an interesting selling point that makes your home stick out. This is the kind of touch that isn’t a great deal of trouble to install - but it can provide the edge that makes selling your home that much easier.

More extensive (and expensive) tech-savvy features, like tricked-out media rooms or home offices wired to the hilt, are also very hot right now (especially for today’s younger buyers) and can provide the edge you’re looking for. When selling your home, pay attention to the little touches and then make sure you:

• Prep to emphasize each of these special features (like leaving that system-organized closet door open with the light on);
• Get your agent in the loop, ready to showcase these key elements;
• Print up a list of all the little touches, or newly refurbished utilities that might otherwise go unnoticed, and;
• Stage your home to bring out less visible features - like setting out a wine bottle and glasses with a note to “be sure to check out the killer wine cellar downstairs.”

It’s also possible that some appealing features are ones that you take for granted. You may have simply gotten used to them yet they ought to be emphasized. These are the details any good real estate agent will notice and can put into your home’s marketing plan.

The bottom line? Whatever is unique and desirable will make selling your home that much easier.

If you will be selling your own Myrtle Beach home in this summer, I hope you will give me a call. There’s never an obligation, but if you wish, we can go over your property to uncover the little touches that can be used to make your home stand-out!

Yes—a Myrtle Beach listing and a well-shot virtual tour are each important tools in this summer’s real estate marketing. But the low pressure, informal walk-through that a Myrtle Beach open house allows can be as effective today as it ever was. Your Myrtle Beach open house has every possibility of becoming your most direct path to engaging the prospect—­the one who ends up being your buyer. Making that happen takes the kind of ‘luck’ that preparation creates.

Of course, the house will be as thoroughly cleaned as possible. You don’t want to do the job of a contractor, but fixing blemished walls via a few small spot-painting fixes can make the difference in producing a house that looks in top shape; ready for a new owner.

You want your Myrtle Beach open house to be ‘open’ in the fullest sense of the word: open to as wide a group of prospective buyers as possible. Do a walkthrough with the object of removing anything that could present a personal or controversial element­­­—political or religious statements that might turn off potential buyers. Since you want visitors to be able to see your house as the place they want to call home, messages that strike a dissonant note run a high risk of being counter-productive.

Less is more when it comes to a successful open house. You know instinctively to clear away as much clutter as possible, but sometimes it’s worth going the extra mile. Do another walkthrough, and room by room, consider rolling up area rugs (bare floors create the feeling of open space) and removing pieces of furniture where you can. You want the house to feel spacious and airy rather than jam-packed with furnishings. If you come away worried that the furniture is overly dated or otherwise unsuitable for showing, it may be worth considering an investment in staging.

Summer weather makes it a great time to sell a home. A well-publicized open house in Myrtle Beach can be an important selling element. But it’s only one part of the overall marketing effort I offer clients.

Call me today for a top-to-bottom discussion of how we can sell your home for top dollar—and quickly! Trust your Myrtle Beach Experts at Plantation Realty Group to help you find your perfect, new home! (843) 796-2111

Wasn’t it just yesterday that we seemed locked into a classic home buyer’s market in Myrtle Beach? Bad economy, bad job numbers, tanked real estate values were all we heard about…until it eventually shifted. Over the past year or so, it’s become a very different landscape. If you’ve been out looking to become a Myrtle Beach home buyer, it’s possible that you’ve found yourself putting in offers on multiple houses…and also possibly watching from the sidelines as another Myrtle Beach home buyer walked away with a deal. If this isn’t a true seller’s market, to you the difference may not be apparent.

In any case, when a prospective home buyer in Myrtle Beach finds themselves vying for one of the plum homes that are now appearing in this summer’s Myrtle Beach listings, there’s no need to passively watch as others get the nod. If you are sure of the value of the property you are going for, there are straightforward tactics for improving your chances of winning the day:

• Offering at or above list price is the time-tested way to give you the best shot of getting your contract accepted over bidders who offer less than list. Real estate prices are again on the rise, increasing your likelihood of being able to recoup the extra money if you decide to sell several years down the road. Look at the comps with your agent to determine what an aggressive—yet realistic price—will be.
• Ask your real estate agent what the recommended earnest money amount would be; then double or triple that deposit amount. It’s a sure way to signal that you’re a serious and financially able home buyer. This tactic has the advantage that it doesn’t really cost you anything in the long run, assuming you hold up your end of the contract. It is a way to stand out from other Myrtle Beach home buyers without actually spending more.
• In a buyer’s market, it’s almost expected to ask for add-ons like fixing a staircase or leaving the swing set. But in a seller’s market, you can beat the competition by not asking for extras beyond what is offered in the listing. Home sellers may be fully occupied with many outside details (like looking for their own next home!) and often assign high value to an offer that looks uncomplicated.
• Along the same lines, another way to set yourself apart from every other home buyer is to offer to give the seller more than the usual time to move out of their house. Many other bidders won’t think of this—but it can make the deal if the sellers are having to cope with difficult deadlines for their own move.

Above all, don’t let yourself get discouraged. The right house is out there, and you will get an offer accepted! Particularly in a seller’s market, any Myrtle Beach home buyer will be rewarded by just remaining patient and cool-headed.

First step if you will be looking to buy this summer: call me today to get started!

When you determine to sell your house, one of the first choices that comes up is tactical: do you try to sell it yourself as a Myrtle Beach “For Sale by Owner” property—or do you enlist a real estate agent? Since your object is to maximize your profit, you might think that most thrift-minded home owners would decide to eliminate the agent’s commission and do the work themselves. But that’s not the case.

The majority of sellers ultimately team up with a Myrtle Beach real estate agent. Sometimes they go the For Sale by Owner route first, but after testing that method, change courses. The statistics show that the selling price of Realtor®-assisted home sales is higher (a $40,000 difference, according to the latest study) which certainly would explain part of the reason. But other factors come into play, too:

1. Pricing: If you aren’t immersed in Myrtle Beach’s real estate business five to seven days a week, there’s no way you can have the intimate knowledge about the current market that comes with daily work in the field. A real estate agent comes armed with extensive knowledge of the local market and all the changes that have brought it about. It’s extremely important to price your home correctly to sell it on the first go-round. It’s a demonstrated fact that the longer a home sits on the market, the lower its final sale price.

2. Time and Energy: A Myrtle Beach For Sale by Owner sign in the front yard means you are in charge, 24/7! That’s despite any other demands on your time—for example, your job! One of the benefits of using a real estate pro is that selling your property is our singular focus: our job! It means marketing, networking, working with buyers. Doing whatever it takes to get your house sold is our first priority. Lacking the same kind of time and resources, a For Sale by Owner seller is at a clear disadvantage in the competition to sell houses. It’s a marketplace where one missed buyer can mean the difference between a listing that turns into a sale…and a listing that turns stale.

3. Objectivity: The house is yours: you designed or decorated it; you’ve fixed and painted and mowed and swept it. If you took your work seriously, you feel at least some pride in how it’s presented. Unfortunately, that’s a problem. Lacking objectivity in the sales milieu can be one of the biggest hindrances to actually selling your house. It makes it hard for you to negotiate—to see and acknowledge the flaws a buyer sees. And it can make buyers wary of even wanting to negotiate with you in the first place. Either factor can prove costly. Separating owner from sales agent opens communication. It’s a relief for everyone!

4. Paperwork: This is the most obvious point. If you choose to wade into the paperwork/deadline process yourself, you’d be wise to count on needing a bit of extra attention from a good real estate attorney—if only to avoid potential litigation down the line.

5. Security: It’s unfortunate, but putting your house up For Sale by Owner in Myrtle Beach (or anywhere) can make you a target. Less-than-honest folks are out there—creeps who may specialize in sellers who might not follow the proper measures for letting people into their homes.

If you are looking into selling your own home this summer, I’d like to offer you a complimentary property evaluation. Whether or not you decide to go the Myrtle Beach For Sale by Owner route, it’s sure to be well worth discussing what to expect from today’s market! Trust your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Experts at Plantation Realty Group to help you sell your home! (843) 796-2111