Month: January 2011

Big House Little House

Posted on by Teresa Boardman
 houseforsale
 

A big house isn’t for everyone.  Many of the buyers I have been working with in recent months are looking for smaller homes.  By smaller I mean 600 to 1100 square feet.

You won’t find many homes that small in the burbs but you will find them in the city.  

There are some advantages to owning a small home:

  1. The heating and cooling costs are lower.
  2. There is less to clean 
  3. Less Maintenance
  4. greener – they leave a smaller carbon foot print
  5. Smaller homes are less expensive to buy.

The down side is there may not be enough room for all of your stuff.  The truth about houses is there is almost never room for all of the stuff because we tend to fill up the space we have.  

 
 

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A warm Friday

Posted on by Teresa Boardman
ice sculptures
Ice sculptures 2009 Winter Carnival

It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. I am traveling today and will spend the weekend in Arizona. When I was asked to speak about photography at a WordCamp how could I say no?  Would anyone who lives in Minnesota say no to a weekend in Arizona in January?  I hope to thaw out and warm up before returning to the deep freeze on Monday.   

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Homes are in better shape and cost less

Posted on by Teresa Boardman
IMG 1957 orange wm
 

A couple of years ago the homes on the market that were in the 80,000 to 100,000 dollar range were not in very good shape.  They often needed extensive repairs.

In the last few weeks I have seen some lovely smaller homes that cost less than $100,000 and are ready to be moved into.   Buyers are starting to buy these homes. Some are only on the market for a few days and some receive multiple offers.  There are always homes that sell quickly and with multiple offers but only the homes that are correctly priced. 

 
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Buyers and sellers on facebook

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

I used to advise sellers to watch what they say about selling their home because it can weaken their negotiating power, now I have also mention Facebook. 

facebook logo
 

All sellers have a bottom line but it is best not to share it with the world if that bottom line is less than the asking price.  Buyers also have a kind of bottom line.  They have set a limit on how much they will spend.  If the sellers know how much the buyers will spend they may counter the low ball offer with confidence.  

Facebook has added a new level of complexity to buying and selling real estate.  Buyers and sellers may make comments on Facebook that will weaken their negotiating power. It is a small world and sometimes what is said on Facebook does not stay on Facebook.  

Do you really want potential buyers to know that you are desperate to sell?  Buyers, do you want the sellers to know that you want the house so badly that you will pay more for it? 

Enough said

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