4 New Year Resolutions to Selling Your Central Alberta Home

It’s hard to believe that 2015 is coming to a close. Some of you have big plans on the horizon for the year ahead. You may be selling your house in order to move into a new, bigger, and better home. Others may be looking to cash-in on a long held investment property. Whichever the case, now is the time to apply that age old concept of New Year resolutions to your real estate goals. Selling a home in Central Alberta, regardless the economy, comes with a unique set of circumstances. Today, as the days of 2015 come to a close, we look at four key resolutions that will help you close a lucrative sale of your home or investment property in 2016.

Four Tips to Selling Your Central Alberta Home in the New Year

1. Set the Right Price

This may seem like stating the obvious, but trust us when we say that this point is the most overlooked. On one side, you have homeowners that assume setting a high listing price from the get-go is the best way to go. They do so under the logic that the tactic will leave them the negotiation room that they need to land on the actual price they had in mind. However, this overinflation of the price only serves to keep savvy Central Alberta buyers at bay. They and their real estate agents will simply gloss over your listing in favor of those that set a more reasonable price. The problem is compounded when your inflated price keeps your home on the market longer than necessary. Prospective buyers become suspicious (assuming something is wrong with your property) and bypass your listing.

On the other side of the loonie, you have homeowners that undervalue their home, fretting over the state of the economy and attempting to unload their property in a panic. Not only will this thought-process leave you with negative opportunity cost, setting a price too low can make agents and buyers cautious. They will assume anyone unloading a property at such an undervalued price is hiding something, and their suspicions will rise. Once again, your listing will be passed over. Set the price of your property at its true market value (view tips here) in 2016 if you hope to sell your home within the same year.

2. Consider Concessions Instead of Price Negotiation

Instead of diving too deep into the negotiation game, consider sweetening the pot to get prospective buyers off the fence and into the closure of the sales contract. If you have set a true market price for your home, it is not unreasonable to expect its receipt, especially if you have concessions to offer. These concessions can include existing furnishings within the home, small renovations, fresh paint, relocation allowances, and whatever creative items and services you can offer. Look at your resources and connections to determine what a prospective buyer may need from you, and use these concessions to help you close the sale on your home.

3. Quick Fixes to Design & Decor

Put yourself in the shoes of prospective buyers. How will they view your home from the moment they pull up to the curb to the moment they walk through the front door and exit into the backyard? While we discourage you from taking on excessive expenses and overdoing it with renovations, small aesthetic and functional edits to your interior/exterior design and decor will go a long way. Ensure that your yard is well kept and apply a quick coat of paint to gutters and the trim (window trim, etc.) of your home exterior to enhance curb appeal. Move your interior excess into storage, so that you remove clutter and open up the home, making it seem even more spacious that the literal square footage may allow. Manipulate natural and artificial lighting to focus on the best features of your interior while diverting attention away from less attractive zones (stains, cracked paint, etc.). Take down personal decorative pieces (artwork, etc.) that may distort a buyer’s vision of the home becoming theirs. While you may consider a professional home-stager, you can accomplish a lot with a little logical thought and putting yourself in the psychological position of buyers.

4. Use a Reputable Full-Service Real Estate Marketing Team

Last but most certainly not least comes the most important New Year resolution to selling your home in Central Alberta. There is no more efficient way to sell your property than by securing the services of a local area REALTOR that comes with a full-service and highly specialized real estate marketing team. A professional marketing team will be accessible to you at all hours of the day, have access to more prospective buyers than an individual agent, and will be far more versed in the numerous home marketing channels of modern times. In addition, such a team is better equipped to navigate the curious Central Alberta economy of 2016. Click here to learn more about how a full-service team will serve you best in the year ahead or simply contact the Dusty Smith Real Estate team anytime at 403-347-0744.

Why You Need a Real Estate Marketing Team to Sell Your Home

One of the biggest mistakes made by homeowners putting their property on the market is failing to recognize that a comprehensive marketing strategy is needed. Selling a home is a monumental thing. Putting the process in the hands of one single individual, no matter their credentials, does not afford your needs the full attention required. In order to sell your home fast and at a price as near to your listing as possible in this market requires a team of professional real estate marketers. Read further to find out why developing a full service real estate marketing strategy is your best course of action.

5 Reasons Why a Full-Service Real Estate Marketing Team is Your Best Bet to Selling Your Home

1. You Always Have Access to Someone

No matter how dedicated to clients a singular agent may be, they simply cannot be available to respond to questions, comments, and concerns at all times. In a volatile market when quick decisions and/or negotiations need to be made timing can be everything. When you have an entire real estate team working to sell your home, your ability to reach someone at a moment’s notice increases exponentially.

2. Specialization in Every Step of the Selling Process

A real estate sales transaction involves a whole lot more than negotiation, contracting signing, and passing of the keys. There are numerous and intricate steps in the process, from administration and financial management to online marketing and leveraging of buyer/seller concessions. While one Realtor can theoretically manage each element, it is impossible to efficiently manage each at optimal capacity. A professional real estate team on the other hand, with have individuals in place that specialize in their respective fields, ensuring that each duty is provided the care to fully protect your interests.

“From the consumer’s perspective, the advantages of working with a realtor team besides the obvious seemingly unlimited access to an agent, is the efficiency of the organization of the team moving the transaction to closing and the idea that several real estate brains can be focused on seller solutions.” (Mark Greene, FORBES Magazine)

3. The Bigger the Team the Bigger Your Prospects

An individual Realtor will have access to a limited pool prospective buyers. A Realtor backed by a real estate team will have a much deeper well to draw from, with each individual on the team having connections in the field that will fire on all cylinders to find a suitable buyer for your property.

4. Real Estate Marketing Capabilities and Channels for Modern Times

Real estate marketing isn’t what it used to be five years ago. In fact, modern marketing technology moves so fast that a channel (to reach buyers) can become antiquated a year after it was the biggest thing in the industry. Whether it’s MLS database technology, mobile applications, social media, or getting your property found online through search engine optimization you gain access to it all when working with full-service real estate marketing team. There are very few individual Realtors that can provide that level of access to modern real estate marketing technology, if any.

5. A Sound Strategy and Team Provides Certainty in Uncertain Times

The economic challenges currently faced by Central Alberta have had their impact on the real estate market, especially with respect to buyer perception. As a seller, you are likely facing uncertainty. You may have no clue how to price your home during these trying times, and may feel as if you have to bend too far in negotiations surrounding your listing price. Do you feel comfortable, given the current economic climate, placing the sale of your home in the hands of one individual? Or does a full-service team that will develop a customized marketing plan unique to your property make more sense in uncertain times?

Avoid the pitfalls of working with a single Realtor who wears too many hats. Instead, secure the professional services of a top producing real estate team to sell your home faster and at the price you demand. Contact the Dusty Smith Real Estate Team today.

Can you believe that we’re already halfway through December? Christmas is less than two weeks away and while you’re likely going to spend much of that time shopping for last minute gifts and making preparations for guests we hope that you’ve left some time to take in some of the great gatherings occurring in Central Alberta. Two weeks ago our real estate team delivered event recommendations to launch the holiday season but now that we’re in the thick of it we thought we’d follow up with a more comprehensive look at what’s happening within our communities. Whether you’re a long time resident or are considering a move to Central Alberta we welcome you to join us at one or more of the following events.

Our Real Estate Team’s December 2015 Christmas Event Recommendations for Central Alberta

Ice Sculptures @ Parkland Nurseries & Garden Centre – Daily Until December 15

Red Deer’s favorite garden centre on Highway 11 becomes a haven for holiday cheer in December. People come from all over Central Alberta to make an afternoon or evening out of viewing the ice sculptures on display. Expert sculptors offer their takes on traditional scenes and contemporary pop-culture themes, including renditions of kids’ favorite movie characters and the like. Bring a thermos full of hot chocolate/coffee and free up digital memory on your camera to capture the memorable panorama at Parkland Nurseries & Garden Centre.

The Nutcracker Ballet @ RDC Arts Centre Mainstage – Dec 18-20 (1:30 PM / 7 PM)

No holiday season could be complete without an evening viewing of The Nutcracker Ballet. Enjoy magical visions of the Sugar Plum Fairy and more as students from the Red Deer College (RDC) Conservatory of Dance drape themselves in full costume and put their talents on display to deliver a Christmas tradition to all. Find tickets at www.blackknightinn.ca

Light Up the Village @ Innisfail Historical Village – Thur/Fri/Sat Until Dec 19 (5 to 7 PM)

You have until December 19 (every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening) to take in the breathtaking scene found at Innisfail Historical Village. Within you will find heritage buildings exquisitely decorated inside and out, dazzling all eyes and lenses laid upon them. Admission to the Village is $5 per person or $18 per family of five or more. For additional information on the event you can call the Innisfail Historical Village directly at 403-227-2906.

Christmas Eve Ice Skating @ Sylvan Lake Multiplex – Dec 24 (6:15 to 7:45 PM)

Ice skating may be a daily occurrence for residents in the Sylvan Lake area, be it on the lake or within the local Multiplex, but the most wonderful time of the year to join the public in doing so is on Christmas Eve. Bring your Santa hats for good measure and come with friends and/or family to cut a few figure 8’s before retiring for the evening.

Spreading Goodwill During the Holiday Season in Central Alberta – Until Dec 24 (anytime)

While not an “official” event, this addition is the most worthwhile on our list. This is the season for giving and there are residents in need whose hearts you could warm with your generosity. With so many communities in Central Alberta finding a non-profit organization that is close to your heart will be easy enough. For example, if in Sylvan Lake you could contact the Sylvan Lake Christmas Bureau. In Red Deer, the Loaves & Fishes Benevolent Society could use your helping hand. The Lacombe Family Community & Support Services (FCSS) has just launched their annual Christmas programs in support of local families. The opportunities to spread goodwill during the holidays are endless, and we encourage you to do so if you are able. Without question, this experience is the most rewarding of all.

We look forward to seeing you at one or more of the seasonal affairs detailed above. If you don’t happen upon our blog again before 25th then know that the Dusty Smith Real Estate Team wishes you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!