Barb Schlinker The Real Estate Voice

Not everyone wants to sell their home through a traditional sales process.  Many people think that their homes will sell for top dollar by selling their home themselves, what are the results from selling a home by owner?➢I completely understand why home sellers want to save the commission. And, in some respects it can be a simple process.➢I talk to a lot of home sellers throughout the year. Most do not even think about trying to sell on their own.➢Others find it easy.➢I met with a seller last night who had considered selling by owner after they tried with another agent for 4 months.  Besides not getting good advice from that agent, their home sat on the market for 4 months with bad pictures and a  dead looking dormant yard well into the summer. As you could imagine the seller did not see the value in that agent’s services.  The home is nearly new, on a great lot with beautiful Pikes Peak and front range views.  I get why some sellers get frustrated.➢Typically though  if a home seller decides to sell on their

You know I have recommended you and your team for years.  But many people do want to interview several agents to pick the best one.  You have a report on the Top 10 Questions You should Ask Before Hiring an Agent, tell us about that..1.  Many home sellers quickly figure out, that not all real estate agents are the same.2.  And picking the wrong agent can cost a home seller thousands.●There are agents that give a commission discount and do very little●There are agents that charge full price and do very little●Some people assume that the agent that sold them the home would be a good fit to be their agent to re-sell the home.○I recently met with a home seller that found out that was not the case.  While they really liked the agent to find them that home.  When it came to selling their was very little effort to appropriately: price the home & promote the home to get buyers to come see it.  The result was about 1 showing a month and no sale when they should have had 5 showings a week, and a sale in less than a

Welcome to KRDO's afternoon newsline Barb Schlinker of Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty Colorado. Today is Free Report Friday. It is one of my favorite times of my broadcast week here at KRDO, Barb, what is the latest in the real estate market?It is shocking, but actually realtor.com ranked Colorado Springs the number one real estate market in the country and August by far has been amazing. Inventory actually went down for available homes for the past 3 months. That is very uncommon because typically in the summer, the number of available homes go up. So if you're out shopping for a home, you want to make sure that all your lending is ready to go and in place. Because if you fall in love with the home, you could find out that somebody else got it because you didn't get your financing done. So as a buyer, you gotta be ready to roll. And agents of mine are reporting. They've written as many as 8 to 12 offers for their buyers just to get them a house. So, it's really important to get rea

Segment 27 Things You Must Know Before Putting Your Home Up for Sale(Costly Home seller Mistakes)Barb Schlinker Radio Show719-301-1802 | 719-301-3900Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty Colorado#coloradosprings #yourhomesoldguaranteedrealty #barbschlinker #realestatevoice1.The name of the report is the 9 Step System that can help you sell fast and for the most amount of money.2.The industry shows clearly how the traditional ways of selling homes have become increasingly less and less effective in today’s market.a)If fact 1/3 of homes put on the market in this area actually DON’T sell! Andb)Half of home sellers do not get the price they want for their homes.3.The report outlines the 7 deadly mistakes that can cost them literally thousands.  a)But the good news is that every one of these mistakes is preventable.4.Here are a few things that are in the report:Signing a Long-Term Listing Agreement with an agent without a Written Performance GuaranteeWe offer a Cancellation Guarantee because we want 100% satisfied cust

Not everyone wants to sell their home through a traditional sales process.  Perhaps they inherited a home that needs work or they have had a tenant in the home and do not want to deal with long waiting times to sell. To sell a home quickly. You have a unique RBID system to selling a house in 15 minutes…how does that work?●We are the only company in town offering the RBID system.  RBID stands for Realty Bid System.●In Today's real estate market, cutting through the advertising clutter and getting your sellers home sold quick can be difficult.  ●Most agents are simply left listing a seller’s home then merely hoping it will sell.●RBID solves this dilemma. The key to quickly selling any home is creating more demand for it.●RBID allows us to create a greater perception of value over and above other properties for sale, getting them sold faster with less hassle.●With this system there are massive Seller Benefits because:○RBID increases demand for the home○They are Much More Likely to Sell○They Sell Faster○They

Segment 111 High Cost Home Inspection TrapsMany home sellers fear the inspection.  Many people think most buyers want to purchase their home as it is.  What are some of the High Cost Home Inspection Traps you come across selling homes?Buyers want to buy – but in most cases NOT as isMost sellers assume their home is selling AS ISNot a time for UPGRADES butBuyers want broken things repairedLear StoryThe high cost things include:Roof replacements – particularly high deductiblesFurnace replacementsElectrical panelStructural stuff can be really costlySome pre planning with a great real estate agent can help go you ready to sell worry freeLess common ones are:Mold – Townhome storyPolybutylene plumbing issuesMore common are:RadonElectricalFurnace ServiceFireplace servicePlumbing leaksWhen we come back we will be discussing: Appraisals and What to Do When the Appraiser does NOT think Your Home is worth your Sale Price

Segment 4What Do Home Inspectors Really Look For?Hot New ListingsThe home inspection is one of those things both buyers and sellers fear the most.  What do home inspectors look for?1.   They are looking for any defect, safety issue, code violation or deferred maintenance issue that could affect the buyer’s decision to buy or ask for repairs.2.   The most common repair requests that come up on inspections are:a.   Furnace – clean and serviceb.   AC – clean and servicec.   Electrical – Two wires tapped into 1 circuitReverse polarity on an outletGFCI circuits – this new code does not apply to older homes. But inspectors try to impose new codes on older homes all the time.d.   Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors:e   Roof damage from Hailf.   Fireplace service or chimney cleanouts if woodg.   Radon tests and requests for Radon systemsh.   Sometimes – grading away from foundationi.   Deck RepairsHome Sellers can get ahead of a lot of these issues by getting the regular service work & inspections done up front.T

How Much Lack of Updating Affects the Home’s ValueNot every home is updated like a new home that is offered up for sale. Is it really important for homeowners to update their homes before they go on the market?1.  Well Richard, it depends on the price range.  Most home sellers will command top dollar if the home is in good shape with no “Deferred” Maintenance… eg none of these issues:a)  Stains on Carpetb)  Broken wood flooringc)  Un-kept landscapingd)  Dated kitchens and bathse) Dramatic paint, especially faux paintI had one recent listing in which the faux paint was to give a Tuscan look, very high-end home. The faux cracks in the wall looked so real, I had to photoshop the images to take them out AND when the inspector showed up he looked straight at them and said…”oh no, does it have structural issues?”We ended up having a bidding war on that home at $1.2 Million but I had to photoshop those fake cracks out of the images to attract multiple buyers.  Then we posted a notice in the home that these cracks we

The Pain of Moving – How to Make Moving Easier for Home SellersThe Pain of Moving How to Make Moving Easier for Home SellersI don’t know anyone who enjoys moving, but the whole process of selling your home then moving can be daunting.  You have some tips on how to make it easier, tell us about them?1.  There are a lot of options for moving, some good pre-planning can go a long way to make it easier! a) Let's start with getting your house ready to sell…1.  Enemy #1 for Getting Great Photos is CLUTTER2.  Part of our included services that we provide to our clients is the General Staging Notes, that get the homeowner started on Decluttering3.  Then when our included stage comes to visit: They can see the furniture and clutter that needs to be stored away ad what needs to be used for a ‘redesign’ that make the images look good with your own décor.4.  This is a subtle way to get ready to move:a) Store the things you MUST keep for your next homeb) Give away or Re-purpose the things you do not want to keep or m

What Homeowners Need to Know About Hail Damage When Selling Their HomesThe summer brings plenty of thunderstorms and hail. What can homeowners do about potential hail damage when selling their homes? 1.  For most, they find out after their home goes under contract and they are not expecting to have a buyer ask for a roof repair and/or replacement: a) Check your Homeowners insurance and verify your deductible.  One very popular company who serves military members and their families, USAA, has quietly and through fine print changed the deductible for hail damage to 1% of the home’s value. That means if it’s a $400,000 home, the home owner will have to come out of pocket between $3000 - $3500 to replace the roof.  Most roofs cost about $8000 - $11,000 to replace.2. I would recommend you get a roof, pre-inspection.  for FREE in most cases. Some roofers charge for it, some do not.You can also get what is called a Roof Certification.Roof Certificates are warm fuzzy documents that give the buyers some confidence tha

Is there an etiquette that home sellers should plan for when showing their homes?1.   Well there can be..but it’s not required.2.   Many people allow us to put a lock box on the home so the showings are done with the agents and their buyers and no others in the home.a.   Our lock boxes are digital and we can set them up so.i.  It sends you a text when the box is opened by the agent showingii.  And when the box is closed.4.  Most home sellers will leave for the showings.a.  Why: So buyers feel more comfortable discussing the home with their agents.b.  However it IS YOUR HOME.  If you cannot leave or it’s not convenient for you…that’s ok.c.  And, in prices below $400K there can be so many showings scheduled, it’s a bit challenging to leave all the time. d.  Typically , if you have to be there, we recommend you step out of the way during showings.Melissa Story:  Two Agents confronted the seller about being in her own hoThat, to me, was an agent etiquette issueThis is why picking the right team to sell your home

What are some things that a home buyer should watch out for when buying a new home?1.  I have had the privilege many times to help home buyers go through the process of building a new home.  Even a regular track or production home where builders have 6-15 options of floor plans or a custom home, the process and layers of decisions can be daunting.●There are some BENEFITS TO BUILDING, ○You can pick your own style/colors, lot location and floor plan●You don’t have to remodel a resale home.●Many builders will allow a home sale contingency●Their prices are really competitive now●Many builders are offering finishes in the home that would normally be an upgrade like…quartz or granite counters in the kitchens and baths, hardwood flooring etc, built into the price.●Some builders have started what they call “Spec” homes that are in different stages of being finished in hopes a buyer will come along and purchase it before it finished…thus closing the gap of build time.2.  The DISADVANTAGES to Buying a New Home are:●Tim

Having a House to Sell Before You Buy Your Next HomeMany people need to Sell their Current Homes Before they Buy Their Next Home How Do They Accomplish This?1.  There are a lot of options but it definitely makes buyer a home more challenging! ●Talk to your local bank or lender and see if you can qualify for both…best case●If not  the 2nd best case is your home is ON THE Market and HAS a Contract!2.  As long as your contract is moving along just fine, and you are NOT facing competition, we are getting offers like that accepted.3.   the buyer has the opportunity, typically to back out anyway until about 1 week before closing, so the reason…..sale contingency, inspection, don’t like their loan, really does not matter.4.  Have a house to sell that is NOT yet on the market.●I’ve gotten those contracts accepted, if the seller agrees that once we go on the market, their home is expected to sell quickly….○ Which right now is. Any home priced under $500KYou are listening to the Real Estate Voice with myself Barb Schli

1.  This market is ON FIRE!2.  We are seeing:  ●Increase in Sales why…Rates are at Record lows●Median Sales Price…INCREASE BY 9.4%●Number of ACTIVE LISTINGS…DOWN by 38.2%!3.  The number of Homes Sold compared to 1 year ago was UP IN EVERY PRICE RANGE EXCEPT:●Under $300K – there just are not that many…○Had one sell last month price at $275K, sold for $300K●We have seen our overall Available inventory drop…like an Elevator since 2015Yet.. I have never seen the inventory DROP THIS TIME OF YEAR! Typically the number of SF Homes available goes UP in the summer, for the first time we are seeing that number go DOWN for two consecutive months!●If you are planning on buying a home, be Prepared for Competition, especially under $500,000!  That’s right I have been watching this metric since the beginning of the year.○We have not been able to keep up with inventory of homes under $400,000 BUT○Since January homes from $400,000 to $500,000 the % of sales to available inventory has gone from:■65% in January to 111% of Avail

We are back on the Real Estate Voice with your host, Barb Schlinker and my very special guest, Cindy Schwindt, Interior Designer and Certified Stager, we know that not everyone has the resources to spend a lot of money upgrading their homes.  I recently saw an ad for a storage shed 1st month $1.  Getting a storage shed for excess stuff is a great start. ●What are some low cost things home sellers can do to improve their homes to make the sell fast?o   Cleano   Light Fixtureso   De-ClutterI brought some before and after transformations you have helped my clients with, here is one you did that did not really need improvements just declutter… comments?Navigation Before:1373 Masters in Woodland ParkSat on market for 6 months with no saleHere is another that was in great condition, was professionally staged by another stager…but sat on the market for months with no sale.  You re-staged it and we got a bidding war over Christmas break and it sold for $2000 over asking price at $937,000I don’t know if remember Mikey

How You Can Stage a Room in 1 HourWe are back on the Real Estate Voice with your host, Barb Schlinker and my very special guest, Cindy Schwindt, Interior Designer and Certified Stager, we know that…●Staged homes command up to 4% more in price●Most people do not know what to do to get ready for pictures●We know that the master bathroom is 1 of the first rooms that gets viewed online, ahead of the master bedroom●How can home sellers quickly stage a bathroom●Remove all tissue boxes, soap dispensers, and personal items from countertops●Remove all personal items from shower and tub areas, ●Be sure bathrooms are clean!●Be sure all toilets are clean and the lids are closed!●Make sure medications are locked awayI brought some photos of bathrooms that have good and bad staging We are continuing to show why bathrooms being either staged or dated.  I’ve seen you help home sellers transform a master bath with very little investment. What are some things can cause a home to be rejected ONLINE.Here is one that is dated… si

Why Curb Appeal Matters and What to Do About itWe are back on the Real Estate Voice with your host, Barb Schlinker and my very special guest, Cindy Schwindt, Interior Designer and Stager, we know that…●Most Buyers, 99% start their search online●A majority of that time is spent viewing the outside and yard●What Can a Home Seller Do to Improve their Curb Appeal?○Clean up yard○Freshen mulch beds○Paint front door○Fix Doorbell○Plant fresh shrubs and flowers○Fix the mailboxI brought some outside front photos of homes that are sitting on the market for over 65 days, what issues do you see here?●Clean up driveway, take a better angle with this photoSnow on the ground!  Ha!  It is July, how about updating it, agent too cheap to spend money on an updated photo!Yard Dormant…Grass and trees sticks, Cloudy sky…Yard dormant, car in driveway!!!!I just find it amazing that other agents will not invest the money in great imagery. Then they wonder why their listings are not selling.This is one of our client’s largest assets an

Welcome to the Real Estate Voice with your host, Barb Schlinker of Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty Colorado. It’s the weekly show that educates and informs about buying and selling real estate.  Today I have a very special Guest, Mrs Cindy Schwindt who is a veteran Interior Designer and works with my team helping home sellers prepare their homes for sale by staging.Why is staging so important?●Buyers start their home search looking online●If they do not like the photos, they will pass on to the next house●Staging helps motivate home buyers to want to come see the home and most often help home sellers get the MOST amount of money when it sells●According to the National Association of Realtors, Staged homes cause buyers to offer from 1% to 4% more money when they are staged. In this market that means, on average $4000 to $16,000 more in your pocket when it sells.●More importantly, that it will sell FAST and for TOP Dollar.●You do not want to have your home sit on the market.What do you mean by staging and what

What are Best Ways to Find Homes, How to Get the Advice of an Agent When Planning to Sell, Hot New Listings#1 – Best Ways to Find a HomeMost people find a home on Zillow or Realtor because it’s the easy button. However, Zillow does not tell you the homes are under contract!Hiring a great agent, they can help youMy team is trained to do just that.Not just online homes but all homes in your criteria.Buyers gets really frustrated finding out homes are going under contract so fast.Then when you do find one you like, make sure your agent is NOT a secret agent!Sellers can accept an offer at ANY time.Had a property last weekend, got a question about other offers?  Answer yes.6 hours later No communication from that agent.Sellers accepted an offer and the other agent whined that she had an interested buyer??Typically I slow down the process, however some sellers want to stop the pain of showing so much as soon as possibleHad another seller that only allowed showings on day caz one just had surgery and it was painful

Segment 3Why are Inspections and Appraisals Needed and Who Does ThemInspections and Appraisals - Why are they needed and who does them?1.  They are two different things:Inspection – typically done by the buyer’s inspector to make sure the home is in workable condition.Kicker:  Inspectors do NOT have to be Licensed in ColoradoI’ve had buyers do their own inspectionHome Inspection Issue – Inspector tore apart pedestal sink story2.  Appraisal is done by someone who holds a license with the state to verify the home meets the loan guidelines and it’s an outside 3rd party opinion of the home’s value.●Used by lenders to substantiate to the investor, person providing the money for the loan and●That the home meets the loan guidelines and is worth the agreed upon price.This is another example why Agent Selection matters.Not every agent understands that the Lender Requirements are for the Buyer and are NOT a seller obligation. Yet some agents think its ok to charge the seller for stuff like this.You are listening to the