Thinking of Selling? Here’s What You Need to Know

Home Selling in the Spring

Spring can be the most popular time of the year to sell a home. In the midst of spring cleaning and a fresh start, it’s common for people to begin thinking about buying a new home. For sellers, this means an influx of excited buyers, but it also means there are more homes hitting the market. The Dunwoody and Sandy Springs neighborhoods are very competitive markets for finding a home so it can be advantageous to list sooner rather than later.

If you’re considering selling a home this spring, here is some advice to prepare yourself for a success.

What to Do When Preparing to Sell Your Home

One of the most important factors of any home listing is the way it looks online. Great homes are showcased through excellent marketing, high-definition photography, and 3D virtual tours. You can also help prepare your home for re-sale by choosing a top-rated Realtor who specializes in your area.

Here are few recommended items to help your home stand out from the competition:

Taking care of minor repairs
Neutralize paint colors
Replace old carpet
Clean and declutter your home
Pressure wash the driveway
Add fresh mulch or pine straw to your landscaping

It’s amazing what fresh paint and repairing nicks, scratches, and all the “little” things can do before a house hits the market. Sellers who put in the effort to make these small repairs and pay attention to the details that buyers are sure to notice, are apt to be rewarded more with offers, a higher sales price, and a quicker home sale.

Staging a Home for Better Showings

Ideally, a home should be staged for potential buyers, so they can see everything the property has to offer. Staging should be thought out so that the result matches the style of the home and the needs of the local market. A top local Realtor should be able to offer staging assistance;

For instance, if you have a spacious four-bedroom home and most buyers in the area tend to be empty nesters, staging the bedrooms as a great master suite, a guest room, and a functional home office would make more sense than staging kids’ rooms or a nursery.

Sellers should understand the comparable homes in the neighborhood and be certain that the home staging showcases its best features — especially those that nearby homes don’t have. For instance, natural light should be emphasized, as well as a large yard, extra storage, and so on.

Using Market Conditions to Your Favor

Spring is a great time of year to sell your home but hire a trusted and experience Realtor to have you navigate the market.

At Karen Cannon Realtors, we specialize in home selling in Sandy Springs, Dunwoody and North Atlanta and offer a team approach to help our clients reach their goals. We know that when it comes to selling a home, you need a professional, experienced team by your side. In 2020, we sold 124 homes. Over 10% of our sales were sold prior to listing because of the deep connections in the communities we provide.

Our homes sell on average in 25 days and at 99% of list price, that means our homes sell in half the time of other sales! Get in touch with a reliable, professional Realtor like Karen Cannon for tips, advice, and help with the next step of your home ownership journey.

Common Home Buying Mistakes to Avoid

When it comes to buying a home, many people lead with their heart. However, getting wrapped up in the emotion of the experience can cause you to overlook some important details. If you aren’t careful, you might make some major mistakes that can delay – or even prevent – closing on the home you’ve chosen. Here are some common home buying mistakes to avoid:

Failing to Get Pre-Approved

In today’s market, heading to the bank or mortgage company to be pre-qualified should be one of your first steps when you start thinking about buying a home. The process is relatively painless and can help you get a realistic picture of what sort of home you can really afford. Pre-qualification also signals to sellers and agents that you’re ready to buy and that you have no interest in wasting their time.

When taking out a home loan, make sure to understand the basic process, how your credit score will be taken into consideration, the avenues where you can get a loan, and the types of loans that are available to you.

Misunderstanding The Total Price Tag

Even if you have an idea of your budget, many homebuyers fail to set a specific price ceiling for the home they can afford. When hunting for homes, ask your lender to discuss closing costs with you – beyond a simple down-payment, there are often other fees associated with getting a loan and can add up quickly.

Inspections, title insurance, and legal fees should all be a part of your budget planning process from the beginning. There’s nothing more upsetting than having an offer accepted and finding out that you can’t pull the cash together to seal the deal.

Skipping the Pre-Purchase Home Inspection

Skimping on your home inspection could seem like a money-saver, but could end up costing you a bundle in future home repairs. You may feel that the money for the inspection would better serve you as part of the down payment, but don’t be tempted to skip it. No matter how nice the house looks, or what the sellers tell you about its condition, always get a house inspected before you buy it. There are so many little details (and potentially major problems) that only a trained professional can spot.

Even if you’re willing to overlook some problems, it’s better to know exactly what you are buying, including any possible issues. A thorough inspection usually costs a few hundred dollars and is worth every penny.

Opting Against A Home Protection Plan

In the event that your home inspector misses a repair or issue with the home prior to your purchase, you can be left with huge repair bills for an unanticipated issue. A home protection plan, which you can arrange through your real estate agent or mortgage company, is a short-term insurance plan to hedge against just this sort of unforeseen issue – usually for a period of one year from the closing date. While they don’t cover every issue of a home, it offers peace of mind and costs are low. The benefits, should you need them, can help.

Failing to Hire a Real Estate Agent

With so many resources for finding homes for sale online, it can be tempting to go it alone. But without a qualified Realtor by your side, you are making yourself vulnerable to being taken advantage of, or not understanding everything in the contract. No one knows the housing marketing or what factors go into a home’s value like a professional real estate agent. When they specialize in the area in which you are looking, a Realtor is familiar with factors like the age of the homes in certain communities, market value, school ratings, traffic and commute details, and accessibility to shopping or public transportation.

All buyers have access to the same real estate websites that you do. As a result, in many markets, homes that show up through these mediums can be snatched up before you can schedule a visit. But with a good agent on your side, you may be shown homes that haven’t even hit the market yet. Armed with your specific requirements, the right agent can have you open the front door for a walk-through before other buyers even know about the property.

At Karen Cannon, Realtors, every agent on our team has been carefully chosen for his or her professionalism, industry knowledge, and connection to the community. We connect buyers and sellers better than anyone because we often know about homes for sale prior to listing. Let us be your advocate throughout the home buying process and help you avoid these common mistakes. We’ll save you time and money, and help you find the home that is perfect for you.

Get started today by exploring Dunwoody real estate, Sandy Springs real estate, and Chamblee real estate.

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Why Professional Photography Is Important When Selling A Home

We’ve all heard the old saying “A picture is worth a thousand words.” And, in real estate, pictures make a huge difference in how quickly you sell your home. Now, thanks to the continued advancement of technology, buyers can have an intimate look into your home they are interested in without ever leaving their couch. And buyers are doing their research, more now than ever before. They are filtering through sites based on location, prices, school districts, square footage, etc. Once they have narrowed down their search to their liking, they are immediately flipping through photos.

Often, the photos are what’s piquing a buyer’s interest in your home and prompting them to take the next step in contacting their real estate agent. That is why it is important to work with a real estate agent in getting professional photography done before putting your home on the market. Your agent should have the expert knowledge and connections to professional photographers to produce images that resonate and appeal to sellers. And the more photos the better, so choosing one or two won’t do the trick! At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we work with the best real estate photographers that have an eye for the right angles, best lighting and provide high-quality photos to capture the best features of your home.

Homes with more photos sell faster, which makes sense because buyers are doing more research than ever before. The more buyers can find ahead of time, the better your chances of getting your home sold quickly. According to the National Association of Realtors 2017 study, Homes with one photo spent an average of 70 days on the market, but a home with 20 photos spent 32 days on the market. Not only do professional photographs help you sell your home quickly, but it can also help you get a better deal, too. For homes in the $200,000-$1 million range, those that include high-quality photography in their listings sell for $3,000-$11,000 more.

And we’re putting an emphasis on the words professional photography because you need high-quality photos. While there are plenty of great HGTV shows with useful information out there, nothing can replace the quality and direction of an agent and a professional real estate photographer. It is often the first impression that buyers have of your home before stepping foot onto the actual property. In fact, 89% of buyers who used the internet to aid their home search found the photos to be very useful. Your agent will have referrals to photographers that specialize in real estate that they have worked with personally.

As time goes on and technology continues to advance, online platforms and visual tools become more robust allowing home buyers more and more insight into a home before ever connecting with the seller or agent. At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we stay on top of the latest trends and constantly look for innovative marketing techniques to help sell our clients home quickly. We take it to the next level with 3D Virtual Tours to let a buyer walk through your home no matter their location.

At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we are local real estate experts for Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and North Atlanta. We live, work and play here, and our agents are hand-picked for their connections in the community. Our clients know about homes coming on the market before anyone else. And our highly effective marketing program allows us to shorten the number of days on the market. We’ve even put homes under contract sight unseen!

If you are thinking about selling your home, or are interested in moving into Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or the surrounding areas, call us at 770-352-9658.

Should I List Now Or Wait Until Spring?

It’s that time of year and we know what you’re thinking: is it worth it to list now or wait for spring? While the spring may bring a surplus of buyers, quality is better than quantity. Here’s why we recommend sellers list now.

There’s Less Inventory

We understand that listing your home in the winter may sound unorthodox but it can be done successfully. The winter months are a great time to sell because fewer listings are on the market and there is less inventory for buyers to choose from. Most sellers are waiting until spring and summer, which can create a great opportunity for you!

“Many sellers are hesitant because their yard and trees are not green and nothing is blooming – but that is the case with everyone else – selling or not selling. But it’s best to get out sooner, beat the competition, and potentially have your home stand out to more buyers,” Karen Cannon explains.

Concerned about moving before the school year ends? We’ve been able to help our clients negotiate terms to accommodate their schedules while capitalizing on the time of year and reduced inventory.

More Motivated Buyers

If a buyer is house hunting in the winter, they could be more motivated to purchase. Many winter buyers are comprised of empty nesters looking for a change, millennials who’ve been waiting for the right time, and corporate workers transferring into the city for a new job. In fact, January is the most popular month for corporate transfers.

“We have helped many sellers sell in January/February by helping them prep in December/January. Last year, we sold more homes in Q1 than we had in previous years by helping our clients get a head start in prepping and we’re doing the same thing now,” says Cannon.

If you are looking to sell and buy, it’s ideal to sell now so that when you’re ready to buy you can make a more compelling offer. After the closing, many of our clients have rented their home back from the new owner, allowing them more time to find their next home. We create a win/win situation for both buyers and sellers to save our clients from having to make a double move.

If you’re looking to get ahead of the competition and list your home in Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, Roswell, and the surrounding Atlanta area, give us a call at 770-352-9658 or send us an email at info@KarenCannon.com. You can check out our current listings here.

3 Reasons to Buy in the Fall and Winter

Despite the misconception that the fall or winter months aren’t prime times for buying a home, buyers can save a lot of money and even reap some tax benefits. Here are a few reasons why you should buy your home before the new year.

Less Buyer Competition

While many buyers have already rushed to buy their home in the spring and summer, coasting into the market during the fall and winter months allows you to appeal to more sellers since they aren’t getting as many offers. Your offer will be among the few that sellers will have to choose from, which can give you an edge. Lenders, appraisers, and inspectors also have more availability after the spring and summer rush, ultimately getting you closer to closing.

More Motivated Sellers

You’ll find that sellers can be more motivated during the fall and winter because their home either has been sitting on the market for months with no luck or they’ve made a sudden decision to sell and need to sell quickly. At the end of the year, many sellers are feeling the pressure of selling their home since most buyers have put their home search on hold until the beginning of the year.

End-of-Year Tax Benefits

Some of the greatest perks about year-end home buying are the tax benefits. Closing on your home by December 31st allows for some sweet mortgage-related deductions. Home loan interest, property taxes, and interest costs can be used as deductible items when filing your taxes and save you hundreds of dollars. While access to these benefits doesn’t disappear on January 1st, but if you want to claim these deductibles as soon as possible it’s best to buy before the new year. According to the National Association of Realtors, new homeowners can deduct a percentage of purchasing expenses in the tax year when the home was purchased.

At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we are a team of experts who can help you find your dream home even during the holidays. If you’re looking for a home in Roswell, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, , and the surrounding Atlanta area, give us a call at 770-352-9658 or send us an email at Info@KarenCannon.com. You can check out our current listings here.