A Story – House Seller Mark – Chapter 1
Once upon a time a fellow decided to sell his home. His name was Seller Mark. He wanted a maximum price for his home because he had his eye on a newer bigger more expensive home in the best neighbourhood in town. Seller Mark was torn between getting a real estate agent and listing the home on his own. He interviewed a number of agents. They all gave him an idea that his home should be listed for no more than $400,000. But Mark wanted more.
With each agent, Mark said that he wanted a discount on their commission plus he had decided to sell his home for $480,000. Most agents debated the price, knowing that it would be difficult to sell Mark’s home for that much money. Some agents agreed to reduce their commission, if Mark agreed to buy his next home through them. Mark thought he knew better.
Mark’s final decision was to sell the home on his own and he lowered the price to $475,000 because he thought it might be a more attractive and lucky number. Mark believed in luck. Mark also told the agents that, despite their comparables and the price of other homes in his neighbourhood, he was willing to wait until those homes sold and then his would be the only home available. He believed that it only took one buyer to come along and love his home and pay what he was asking. Seller Mark considered himself an entrepreneur.
Time passed. The sign in front of Mark’s house started to get sun bleached. The initial Lookie Loos who came to his Open House were no longer showing any interest. Mark was still waiting for all the homes in his neighbourhood to sell. He got calls from real estate agents asking if he would pay them commission to bring in a Buyer but Mark wanted his money so he said no. He stopped cleaning the house. It was months and there was no interest in his home.
Four months into trying to sell his home, Mark asked one of the original agents, Valerie, back for a discussion. She told Seller Mark:
- While he was waiting for all the homes to sell in his neighbourhood, others were coming on the market. He could not stop other listings and these were priced competitively. The market was not asleep while Mark’s house was for sale.
- The comparables were a basis for pricing and for Buyers to determine value. When Mark priced his home too high, Buyers knew it. They also knew that Mark did not have an agent so no commission was involved. Buyers were avoiding Mark’s house. The drop from $475,000 to $400,000 was too significant to generate an offer.
- Finally, Agent Valerie told Mark that his house had become stigmatized. It had lingered on the market too long and now Buyers wanted to know what the problem was with the house. They were concerned that there may be major structural issues or a haunting or a belligerent Seller. No one wanted to see or buy Mark’s house.
Finally, Agent Valerie told Mark that he needed a new selling plan. He should not expect:
ANOTHER MARK TO COME ALONG.
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eivindw/4208845685/
Happy Valentine’s Day
Four Granny Factors that Slow House Sales
Realtors know what the Granny Factor is. Buyers know it to see it. The Seller cannot see a problem. The Granny Factor is anything that says it was purchased in the 1960s or earlier and has not been updated. Why did the owner not update? Because good money was spent on perfectly good things. What are these things? Let me throw out some ideas:
1. The fuzzy bath mat, toilet tank cover and matching toilet lid cover. Subject of a previous post and here is what one persons decided was a better use for the bath mat….
2. Lace curtains (unless you live in Ireland).
3. Doilies. I bet you thought they have all been tossed but not so.
4. Outdated Appliances. Yes, those avocado green appliances are alive and well and living at granny’s.
Photo credit: Welcome Bath Mat?
Photo credit: Lace Curtains
Photo credit: Swan Doily
Photo credit: Husqvarna green stove
Bells Corner Sales in 2010
Sale in Bells Corner/Lynwood Village/Arbeatha Park (MLS® areas 7803-7805) were slightly up from the previous year.
|
All Sales Year over Year |
||
| 2009 | 2010 | Type |
| 31 | 29 | Residential |
| 23 | 29 | Condo |
| Multiple Family | ||
| 1 | Commercial | |
| Lot | ||
| 54 | 59 | Total |
The prices in this area of Ottawa have remained very reasonable. The homes were built in the early 1960s. Only one residential unit that sold last year was built after the mid-1960s. These homes all had between 3 and 5 bedrooms and most were bungelows. The Days on the Market ranged from 1 – 106 with the average being 22 days.
|
Residential Sales 2010 |
|
| # of units |
Price Range |
| 8 | $250,000 – 299,999 |
| 20 | $300,000 – 399,999 |
| 1 | $400,000 – 449,999 |
| 29 |
Total |
There are a number of condo developments in this area. Last year 28 of the 29 were row units. The other was a stacked unit. The average price was $189,786. The Days on the Market ranged from 2 – 161 with the average being 18 days.
|
Condo Sales 2010 |
|
| # of units |
Price Range |
| 19 | $150,000 – $199,999 |
| 9 | 200,000 – 249,,999 |
| 28 |
Total |
Bells Corner continues to be a desirable neighbourhood for its easy access to the Queensway, its large yards and the abundance of undeveloped NCC property that surrounds the community.
Please note that these statistics do not include private sales and transfers and are provided only as an indication of the sales activity in an area.
What Sold in Old Ottawa South in 2010
In 2010, 88 units were sold and recorded on the MLS® for Old Ottawa South (MLS® areas 4403 and 4404). The comparison to the sales in 2009 is as follows:
| 2009 | 2010 | Type |
| 81 | 78 | Residential |
| 6 | 6 | Condo |
| 6 | 2 | Multiple Family |
| 1 | 2 | Commercial |
| 1 | - | Lot |
| 95 | 88 | Total Sales |
For the 6 condos, the sold price ranged from $197,500 to $376,000 with an average of $298,400 and an average Days on the Market of 19 days.
The 78 residential units ranged in sold price from $338,500 to $1,169,000 with an average Days on the Market of 28 days. Only 6 of the 78 units were built since 2000. The number of bedrooms ranged from 2 to 6. For an idea of how many residential untis sold at each price range the following is provided:
| # of units | Price Sold at or Less than: |
| 7 | $ 400,000 |
| 20 | to 500,000 |
| 26 | to 600,000 |
| 14 | to 700,000 |
| 6 | to 800,000 |
| 2 | to 900,000 |
| 1 | to 1,000,000 |
| 2 | Over $1Million |
| 78 | Total |
These statistics are taken from the Multiple Listing Service®. They do not include any units sold or transferred privately.
Dead is so yesterday
Buyers talk about finding ‘the’ house, about a feeling when they are in some homes and sometimes they talk about karma. What they are really saying is that the home appeals to all of their senses, If you are putting your house on the market, look around your home for anything dead in the house and either toss it or pack it away for your next home. What should you take away?
- Stuffed animals and fish. Some basements are a museum to the owner’s hunting and fishing exploits.
- Skins. You might be surprised how many people have animal skins hanging on the wall or on the floor. Why alienate animal activist Buyers?
- Dried flowers and dried flower wreaths. You may have saved your wedding bouquet but that was then and this is now. Put the flowers away. Use fresh flowers, fruit and beautiful green leaves. Yes artificial flowers and trees last longer than real but they also say dead and dusty.
- Dead spiders and spider webs. If the spiders are not dead try a catch and release to the great outdoors. Think – NO BUGS!
- Don’t serve the dog a big knuckle bone during the sale. Either it is on the kitchen floor and looks yukky or it is out in the yard and makes Buyers wonder what has been killed.
- Urns with the ashes of deceased pets or family members. Yes, you have put the urn in a place of respect because of your love for the deceased. You may have even staged a little corner with flowers and photos with the urn. However, during the sale, it is best to move the shrine and urn to a new far less visible location.
- Finally, and most important during the fall and winter, check your mouse traps before every showing. You might go years without a mouse and then, just when you have a For Sale sign on the front lawn, the mice move in. Think – NO TRAPPED MICE.
Make your house overflow with life and vitality.
Photo credit: Hearst Castle – Stuffed Owl
I poured Spot Remover on my dog. Now he is gone.
What types of hardwood flooring are best for pets?
This post is a reblog from ActiveRain.
What types of Hardwood Flooring are best for pets – Westchester NY and Stamford CT
I get this question often from my customers – which type of hardwood should I use for pet? It’s a hard question to answer because truthfully all hardwood will dent and scratch over time – it’s just a matter of how much and how much you can see it. But I do not think this is a reason to avoid getting hardwood for your home. Tons of consumers have hardwood and pets and they can easily co-exist together.
Usually, this question is less of an issue for cats and more of a concern with dogs, especially active dogs. And, while there are things you can do w/ your pets (e.g. clip or file nails), I’m going to focus on hardwoods that can take a better beating and/or not show it as much.
1. First, by all means stay away from the softer woods:
- American Cherry
- American Walnut
- Pine
These woods are softer and will dent very easily – even without a pet or without kids. They look beautiful, but they are not practical. And, ironically, they often cost more (because fewer people buy them). Note: American Cherry and Walnut are different than Brazilian Cherry and Walnut. American = soft; Brazilian = hard.
2. Take your shoes off. A lot of customers blame their pets for scratches, but often the we are the worst culprit. While high heels are often not wonderful for hardwood floor, the biggest culprit is not the shoes themselves, but rather what gets caught in the shoes. It’s those pebbles and dirt that get caught in our shoes that cause most of the scratches. Or, sometimes w/ high heels that have been word a while, the rubber wears off and their is a nail at the bottom. So before blaming your lovelu pets, look at your own habits. For my customers that take their shoes off, their hardwood floors are in way better condition and it’s a much longer time before they need to be refinished.
3. Consider handscraped or distressed hardwoods. This is a stylized look that some customers love and some hate. It tends to be in style in the South, certain areas in the west, and more rustic homes in the Northeast. This look is not for everyone. But, here’s why it’s good for pets…it shows the scratches and dents less because that’s how the wood is designed - it dent looks like it fits right in. Likewise, hardwood that has more knots and character marks will hide the dent and scratches more.
4. All things being equal, harder hardwoods are better. This is tricky because not all things are equal – see the next point. But, Hickory is great choice (1820 on the Janka scale). There are many other hardwoods that are harder…see the janka scale of hardness…but you can’t jut look at hardness by itself.
5. Woods with stronger graining are better for hiding the scratches. Oak is a great example of this, especially red oakwhich has stronger graining than white oak. While Red Oak is only 1290 on the janka hardness scale(which is still hard and is hard enough), it does an excellent job of hiding the dents and scratches due to the strong graining. In fact, it usually hides them better than Brazilian Cherry (2,350) and Brazilian Walnut (3684) which have less and smoother graining.
6. Less glossy finishes. Satin finishes are usually best. The glossier the finish, the more it will show the scratches from the light reflecting off of it.
7. Usually, lighter colors are better for pets. First, darker colors seem to show the scratches more. I’m not sure why, but they just do. Second, oak is the most common type of hardwood and oak is naturally light. So, if you have a scratch that penetrates the stain color, it will show less on lighter colors since what is revealed beneath is simiar in color.
8. Solid hardwood or high quality engineered hardwood that can be refinished. It’s always good to have an insurance plan so that you can refinish the hardwood floors when you need to.
9. Bamboo is “iffy” with pets – can vary greatly – some are good; most are not. Bamboo’s resilience can vary widely pending the type and the brand, and what follows are some generalizations. a) stay away from stained bamboo – these scratch very easily and bamboo does not accept stains as well as oak does, b) carmelized bamboo is weaker than natural as the process of heating it weakens the grass, c) strand bamboo can be very strong – so if you have pets and want bamboo, this is a GREAT option – more expensive, but will hold up better, d) buying bamboo from big box stores and/or cheap bamboo results in a lot of dents, e) even though natural bamboo is technically stronger than oak, it shows dents more easily (and carmelized bamboo is usually softer than oak). See my page on bamboo flooring for more info and for pictures.
10. Use felt pads underneath furniture and area rugs/entrance mats. This is especially important for chairs that are used a lot. Oh, and stay away from chairs with wheels – often thing get caught in the wheels and cause scratches. If you do have chairs with wheels, put an area rug underneath. And, make sure you have area rugs/entrance mats at all your main entries. You can even have one outside, too. These are the areas that get worn down the fastest due to rain, snow, salt, dirt, so protecting these areas will go a long way towards preserving your floors.
I hope this is helpful. Sorry it’s long, but there are a lot of things to consider with hardwood and this is not an easy question to answer. Above is meant to address denting/scratching. If you are concerned about pets peeing on the hardwood, that is a whole different issue…basically no hardwoods will stand up well to that, so clean up the mess quickly is the best advice I can give you on that. Also, if you have pet stains already in the hardwood, when you refinish the floors, try to replace those boards as that blackness from the water/urine, will not sand out. If you replace them and refinish, your floor will look good as new. Alternatively, if you can’t replace them/can’t afford it, then use a dark color to hide the dark marks.
Debbie Gartner, President and Owner
Floor Coverings International in Westchester NY/ Stamford CT
Pass the salt, please
Winter is just starting. For most of Canada, the northern US and poor poor Colorado, this means treacherous walking and driving season. Ice will form on the sidewalks and front stairs and along the railings and banisters. If you are selling your home, I know you don’t want prospective Buyers to harm themselves on your property. Just a couple of tips may help.
- Start by shoveling the snow. I know this just makes common sense but as an agent I cannot tell you the number of homes I have visited where the snow is deep on the sidewalk and getting to the front door is work. If you are leaving your home vacant or on vacation, get someone to shovel the sidewalks. Nothing says “Steal from me.” like a snow covered sidewalk with no footprints.
- Don’t shovel to the very edge of a snow bank. Sometimes the only grip is on that little bit of snow you left of the edges.
- Make sure that you salt your walkways and stairs before showings. If you want, use kitty litter as an alternative to sidewalk salt. Some people say lawn fertilizer will work and then have an added benefit in the spring. Find a product that works for your area’s weather conditions.
- Sand is a way to add grip to the sidewalk. I know you are worried about all the sand coming into your home but leave a sign inside the door asking people to take off their shoes and boots. Get familiar with Mr. Vacuum. He may become one of your best selling buddies.
Imagine a real buyer trying to sign an offer with his arms in casts from slipping and falling on your property. Okay, just imagine him wanting it submit and offer after that horrific accident. Imagine your insurance company canceling your insurance from the number of claims. Makes shoveling and salting look attractive, doesn’t it?
When it comes to winter and selling, throw some salt over your left shoulder and onto the sidewalk.
Photo credit: Austin shoveling snow
Let your sale burn brightly
Fireplaces and wood stoves are certainly selling features. Prove to Buyers that you have been taking care of your fireplace. If it is a gas fireplace, take off the glass doors (carefully) and clean them on the inside. These doors often get a greasy film on them and can cloud the appearance of the fire. If it is a wood fireplace, bring in a chimney sweep to clean out the flu. The sweep should also be checking for any problems. We all know of chimney fires and of squirrel and bird nests blocking the flu.
If you have a wood stove, ensure that it has been inspected by a WETT (Wood Energy Technology Transfer) certified inspector and that you have these papers available for Buyers to see. Most insurance companies will want to have this inspection done before insuring a house with a wood stove. Your Buyer will be happy that….
Ensure that where there is smoke – there is fire - where it should be.
Photo credit: Wood Stove
7 Tips to Secure Homes during the Holidays
This post is a re-blog from Charles D’Alessandro http://activerain.com/blogsview/2017193/7-tips-to-secure-homes-during-the-holidays and so worth reading as we get closer to having the house full of new gadgets and toys.
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Unfortunately, the winter holidays are peak times for thieves and burglars. Not only are burglaries of homes at their highest during the darkest months of the year, there’s also the added temptation of unoccupied homes full of expensive gifts.
A recent survey found that 39% of homeowners leave presents under the tree long before Christmas Day, with only 7% of respondents waiting until Christmas Day itself to put the presents on display in their homes. If gifts are in full view of passers-by who can see them through the windows, they could provide an incentive for thieves to target the house.
Take greater security measures during the holidays to keep yourself and your property safe.
1. Don’t hide presents in obvious locations such as closets, under the bed or in the garage. Instead, hide gifts in an attic. The average burglar doesn’t have time to climb into your attic.
2. Keep window shades drawn. If your gifts are easily visible from the street, burglars will be tempted to smash the window and grab the wrapped packages.
3. Don’t discard whole boxes in your trash. This gives thieves easy clues about what they can steal from your home. Instead, break the boxes up into small pieces and place them in your recycling bin or at the bottom of a sealed garbage bag.
4. Create a lived in look and feel. Before leaving your home, turn on lights and a radio or television.
5. Ask a neighbor or close friend to pick up your mail and newspapers if you go out of town for the holidays.
6. Lock up. Make sure all doors and windows are locked. Consider replacing your locks if they’re worn. Use deadbolts in entry doors.
7. Keep the garage, gates, driveway, and sides of your home well lit. Motion sensor lights work well for this.
If you’re looking for a home already equipped with an alarm system or other security features, I can help you find one. Call me at (718) 253-9600 ext 206 or email me atcharles@fillmoresbest.com
Welcome
My name is Valerie Zinger. I am a Realtor in Ottawa. I look forward to listing your property or helping you find your home.
Phone: 613-859-7759 Click here to contact Valerie by Email at:
OrganiZinger@gmail.com-
