Selling Home
Smartmoney.com: Real Estate: Sell Your Home — Fast Thursday December 29, 2005 3:32 PM ET U.S. Markets close in: :28 Search (choose an option below) Quote Charting Earnings Ratings Competition Financials Profile Key Statistics Insiders Site Search News (Enter Symbol) advanced search SmartMoney Select My Portfolio Tools Maps Stocks Advanced Trading Funds ETFs Personal Finance Autos Career Journal College Planning Debt Management Health Care Insurance Life LTC Insurance Real Estate Retirement Tax Guide Economy & Bonds Small Business SmartMoney TV SmartMoney Magazine SmartMoney University Business Travel Technology SmartMoney Mobile Holiday Survival Guide Select Homepage Stock Screener Market Map 1000 Fund Screener Stock Compare Fund Map 1000 Fund Compare XStream Quotes More... Portfolio Tracker Watchlist Calendar Intraday Alerts News Alerts Sector Tracker ETF Center Map of the Market XStream Quotes Stock Screener Stock Compare Price Check Calculator More... 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The Market Now ForexTV Futures Life Stages CEO Interview Sturm Screen Mossberg Report Subscribe Give a gift Customer Service Media Kit Editorial Calendar Custom Publishing Investing 101 Taking Action Strategic Investing Quizzes More... Please enable javascript to properly view the menu. Site Map DJIA 10789.06 -7.20 Nasdaq 2219.66 -9.28 S&P 500 1255.08 -3.09 Rus 2000 679.31 -0.77 10 Yr Bd 4.36 -0.01 DJTA 4248.75 24.82 Wil 5000 12585.54 -25.30 S&P 400 743.20 -0.93 Nas 100 1655.52 -11.58 Sign up now for FREE SmartMoney.com Newsletters Enter your email address below Personal Finance : Real Estate : Selling : Sell Your Home — Fast Real Estate Sell Your Home — Fast By Stacey L. Bradford Click here for more stories by Stacey L. Bradford . In This Section A Seller's Checklist Choosing a Broker Wisely Selling Without a Broker Taxes When You Sell Your Home More... Related Content Ask SmartMoney Who Gets the Home? To Rent or to Buy? Advertisement 4.25% APY with hsbcdirect.com Online Savings. Earn 8X the national savings average and make money into big money. No minimums. No monthly fees. Member FDIC. Email This Story Print This Story Save This Story Send Us Your Comments Add this column to your News Alerts (New!) IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO sell your home in a matter of days rather than months, you might want to take some tips from 32-year-old Mona Ross Berman. To get her Washington, D.C., townhouse ready for sale in early 2004, the interior designer went through every room, sweating the details. She rearranged furniture, added sophisticated coffee-table books and strategically placed vases and throw pillows to create a cozy environment. She then organized every closet to showcase her ample storage space. Finally, she removed all personal items, including her wedding photos, so potential buyers wouldn't associate the house with someone else. "I think that if you can get a home to show well, it can get you [better results] than it really should," Berman says. Her strategy worked. Within four days of placing her property on the market, she had five offers in hand. Long gone are the days when you can simply throw some cookie dough into the oven and get an offer for your house. Thanks to the Internet, home buyers are more sophisticated and demanding than ever before. At a bare minimum, would-be sellers need to dispose of clutter and make any necessary repairs. But to really make a property stand out from the crowd and sell quickly, sellers might need to do the following. 1. Hire an Interior Designer A well-decorated home will sell faster and for more money than one that looks frumpy. That's why more and more sellers are hiring interior designers to do everything from rearrange furniture and paint walls a neutral color to rent artwork. This service, known as "staging," can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars for a small job to several thousand dollars for high-end properties, says Patricia Dugan, a realtor with The Corcoran Group. Experts across the country agree that the investment is worthwhile for most properties. According to 2002 data from Coldwell Banker, staged homes in the San Francisco Bay area spent just 25.3 days on the market and sold at the asking price, while "non-staged" homes languished on the market for 48.2 days and sold for 2% below the asking price. This information is based on more than 3,000 homes sold between Jan. 1, 2002 and Oct. 31, 2002. 2. Hire an Organizer A lovely décor will get you only so far. To really get the buyers chomping at the bit, you need to highlight your home's storage space as well. That means everything should be clean and organized — closets, bathroom vanities, the garage and basement. It might sound trivial, but your home's sale really could rest on whether your linen closets can comfortably store your towels. If you identify more with Oscar Madison of "The Odd Couple" than with Felix Ungar, it might make sense to hire a professional organizer for $75 to $100 an hour. This is especially helpful for those who've lived in their homes for many years and don't know how to dig themselves out of the mess. Some organizers will even help run a yard sale that could end up paying for their services. If you're not sure how to find this type of service, ask your realtor. Most have a list of pros at their fingertips. 3. Hire a Photographer Up to 74% of home buyers start their search online, according to the National Association of Realtors. Indeed, the Web has become such an important marketing tool that all the realtors we spoke with encourage their clients to hire a professional photographer, which can cost as little as $100, for their online snapshots. Think of it this way: If someone doesn't like how your home looks on the Web, he or she won't bother to make an appointment to see the property in person. Is that a risk you're willing to take? While putting photographs online isn't exactly new, there are some emerging trends. Six years ago it was OK to have one outside shot of the house, says Tara Rogers, director of marketing for Real Living, a Columbus, Ohio-based real-estate firm. Now, some potential buyers want to see up to a 10-picture slideshow detailing multiple rooms before they commit to a walk-through, she says. Dare to post small, grainy pictures, and risk little foot traffic in your home. 4. Try Marketing Gimmicks Despite impressive national home-sale figures, some local markets are starting to soften. For example, homes in the western suburbs of Boston are starting to languish on the market for up to 90 days after previously selling in just 15 to 30, says Nelson Zide, co-owner of ERA Key Realty Services, a Framingham, Mass.-based real-estate brokerage. Zide recently started implementing marketing gimmicks to increase the number of potential buyers to walk through his clients' homes. "I haven't done this in 12 or 13 years," he says. What strategies does he use? Rather than slash the asking price, he might encourage condo owners, for example, to pay the maintenance fees for a full year, or ask home owners to provide buyers with a cash rebate that's marketed as a decorating allowance. Nine times out of 10, such gimmicks cost less than it would to drop the asking price enough to attract a buyer with a smaller budget, says Zide. It's just one more way to get a potential buyer excited about your home. 5. Hold Open Houses The benefits of an open house are debatable. Industry experts agree that they tend to benefit realtors more than home owners. (After all, it's a great way for realtors to get new clients.) But that doesn't mean that they can't work. The key is to hold them at various times of the day and week so that folks with busy schedules can squeeze in a viewing. Real Living's Rogers says her company's agents make sure to schedule open houses on Saturdays, as well as in the evenings so people can stop by after work. Another technique more people are implementing is to hold open houses at the time of day when their house shows the best. If you have a beautiful garden, show it off during the morning before the flowers start to wilt. If you have a stunning view of the sunset, make sure people get to see the late-afternoon light. In other words, if there's one thing that you love most about your home, be sure to share it with potential buyers. For more on selling your home, read our recent article . 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Buy Property in Bulgaria:
Amazon.co.uk: Buying a Property in Bulgaria: Books BOOK SEARCH BROWSE CATEGORIES SPECIAL OFFERS TOP SELLERS AUDIO BOOKS Paperbacks 3 for £12 NEW & USED TEXTBOOKS HARRY POTTER SELL YOUR BOOKS All Products -Books -Used Books -Collectable Books All Subjects -Art, Architecture & Photography -Audio Cassettes -Audio CDs -Biography -Business, Finance & Law -Children's Books -Comics & Graphic Novels -Computers & Internet -Crime, Thrillers & Mystery -Fiction -Food & Drink -Gay & Lesbian -Health, Family & Lifestyle -History -Home & Garden -Horror -Humour -Mind, Body & Spirit -Music, Stage & Screen -Poetry, Drama & Criticism -Reference & Languages -Religion & Spirituality -Romance -Science & Nature -Science Fiction & Fantasy -Scientific, Technical & Medical -Society, Politics & Philosophy -Sports, Hobbies & Games -Travel & Holiday -Young Adult All Subjects Art, Architecture & Photography Audio Cassettes Audio CDs Biography Business, Finance & Law Children's Books Comics & Graphic Novels Computers & Internet Crime, Thrillers & Mystery Education & Languages Fiction Food & Drink Gay & Lesbian Health, Family & Lifestyle History Home & Garden Horror Humour Mind, Body & Spirit Music, Stage & Screen Poetry, Drama & Criticism Reference Religion & Spirituality Romance Science & Nature Science Fiction & Fantasy Scientific, Technical & Medical Society, Politics & Philosophy Sports, Hobbies & Games Travel & Holiday Young Adult BOOKS INFO At A Glance Reviews Customer Reviews Table of Contents See more by this author E-mail a Friend About This Item Recommendations If you already own this, rate it and improve your recommendations , Not Rated Visit the Software shop Talk Now! Learn Bulgarian Find a huge selection of books at 30% off Become an Associate Join our Associates Programme and make money from your website! Buying a Property in Bulgaria Jonathan White Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book. List Price: £14.99 Our Price: £10.49 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £15 with Super Saver Delivery. See details & conditions . You Save: £4.50 (30%) Availability: usually dispatched within 24 hours. 28 Used & New from £9.08 See larger photo Edition: Paperback More Product Details ~ See Table of Contents Perfect Partner Buy Buying a Property in Bulgaria with How to Buy Property in Bulgaria: Everything a Brit... today! Total List Price: £26.98 Buy Together Today: £21.48 Customers who bought this item also bought: Bulgaria (Euromap S.) ;Map~GeoCenter International Ltd The Rough Guide to Bulgaria (Rough Guide Travel Guides S.) ;Paperback~Jonathan Bousfield, Dan Richardson Teach Yourself Bulgarian Complete Course (Book + CD Pack) ;Paperback~Michael Holman, Mira Kovatcheva Bulgaria (Cartographia European Road Map S.) ;Map~Cartographia Bulgarian-English, English-Bulgarian Dictionary (Hippocrene Practical Dictionaries) ;Paperback~Ivan Tchomakov (Editor) Explore similar items ... Product Details: Paperback 224 pages(April 29, 2005) Publisher: How To Books Language: English ISBN: 1845280318 Category(ies): Home & Garden Average Customer Review: | Write a review Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 10,556 (Publishers and authors: improve your sales ) sign in to turn on 1-Click™ ordering. 23 New from 9.08 5 used from 9.40 Have one to sell? (We'll set one up for you) View my Wish List . Reviews A Place in the Sun Magazine, September 2005 "A godsend for holiday home buyers and property investors alike." Shelter Offshore.com, August 2005 "At last! A well written, up to date and completely all encompassing guide to buying property in Blugaria." See all reviews... Customer Reviews Avg. Customer Review: Write an online review and share your thoughts with other shoppers! Disappointing , December 27, 2005 Reviewer: John Roberts from Cardiff United Kingdom I bought this book with high hopes,currently being in the process of buying a property in Bulgaria. I was deeply disappointed. Much of the book contains bland generalisations and statements of the obvious. Much of it seemed to rely on the author's knowledge of Varna (a Black Sea coastal resort), which is no good to anyone buying a property in a ski resort, for example. There was also blatant advertising for a foreign exchange company. I can only assume that the company helped fund the book. I would estimate that less than 5% of the book is of any practical use, and much of that information can be obtained from a few internet searches. I am now nearing completion on my Bulgarian property purchase and this book has been of no assistance. Was this review helpful to you? 5 of 7 people found the following review helpful: Very Informative , September 13, 2005 Reviewer: D Smith from Bulgaria I bought a copy of this book in Golden sands from an estate agent known as Varna Property Sales. The book helped me decide what I should be looking out for, I returned to England and read the book thoroughly, the reading was very clear. I returned to Bulgaria armed with many questions for the estate agents, after which I bought a lovely detached house and have now retired to Bulgaria. If you are thinking of buying for investment or living, you should buy this book first. Was this review helpful to you? 3 of 4 people found the following review helpful: A book to buy if buying Bulgaria , August 23, 2005 Reviewer: Burns Family from England We found this book to be set out in clear, understandable information, and feel we have a better understanding of the processes to buying a property, and what pit falls to watch out for.If you want to buy in Bulgaria then you cannot go wrong in reading this book. The author as put a lot of time and efort into researing for this book and it shows.We will be taking this with us when we go to look for our new home in Bulgaria. Lets hope he will think of doing future books on living in Bulgaria as that will be our next step. Was this review helpful to you? 7 of 9 people found the following review helpful: Great read and very, very informative , May 11, 2005 Reviewer: Mr Parker from Leighton Buzzard, Beds United Kingdom At last - a coherent and informative guide to the real estate market in Bulgaria!!! It covered most aspects of property buying in great detail. Some sections, for example money transfer, give you step by step instructions to the best and cheapest options (e.g. an FX broker), including internet screenshots detailing how to fill in the forms etc. Many reference guide books send you to sleep after a few pages, but this book is written with a sense of humour and is a pleasure to read. We have already done some property deals in Bulgaria, but this book showed just how little we knew! Definite thumbs up! Was this review helpful to you? Customers who bought books by Jonathan White also bought books by these authors: Michael Holman Joanna Losack Paul Greenway Ivan Tchomakov Katy Pownall Look for similar books by subject: Browse for Books in: Subjects > Home & Garden > Buying & Developing Property > Property Guides Search for books by subject: Bulgaria Household Management Housing & property for the individual i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ... 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