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Reasons to list now:

THE HOLIDAY MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES
(Reasons to consider listing now, rather than waiting until after the Holidays)

1. Supply and demand. You'll be in a more competitive position because there is less inventory now. As a result, your home could sell quicker and for a higher price.

2. Waiting time. Everyone else waits until after the Holidays, and so by listing now you avoid getting ' lost in the shuffle.'

3. Busy time. Everyone is ' busier' at this time of year, so only the really serious buyers are shopping, including out-of-town transferees, oftentimes the most qualified now buyer.

4. Home for the Holidays. The excitement [and happy mess] of the Holidays is a selling point. Homes decorated for the season project warmth to buyers, causing them to ' mentally move in.' Buyers pay more for a home than a house.

5. Void time. If you sell now, you can take advantage of void time, when most of the people needed to close a sale are available; that way you can get all the preliminary processing out of the way.

6. Fewer fall-throughs. The best agents are still working now, and the best agents are more likely to have the most qualified buyers, and are the best prepared to smoothly close a sale.

7. Schedule Sensitivity. Buyers are more sensitive to the time of year, so appointments will be more conveniently scheduled. Come the first of the year, if someone wants to see your home now, you have to drop everything and show it.

8. Positioning. Selling before the first of the year positions you to be able to buy in the Spring, when inventories are traditionally higher and you have more to choose from. This could save you money when you buy.

9. Protection. Selling now enables you to avoid contingencies and lengthy delays when you buy, saving money and processing time.

10. Financial Analysis. Rates may go up, and tax advantages may go down after the first of the year. They might not, but they could, and if they do' ?

(And don't forget, tongue firmly in cheek, snow hides the flaws; and it's easier to back the moving van up to the door when the ground is frozen!)

Selling Tips In This Down Market

Price it RIGHT!!!! - This is where most homeowners are going wrong. They are not getting good advice and/or are not analyzing the data so that they correctly price the property. Close attention to absorption rates/recent sold data is crucial. The days of the uninformed buyer are over. Just about everybody has a computer and they know which web sites to go to to find data to determine a good price point. Russ Connors Realty, LLC has all the tools necessary to "drill down" to the data so that a good, accurate price point can be determined. Having the "price right" from the "get-go" will separate your listing from those that end up on an expired list or withdrawn list.

Stage the home - Consult with an experience home stager or use your Realtor (Russ Connors Realty, LLC) if they have the experience and training to coach you properly. Russ Connors has the ability to coach you on how to stage your home. It's a proven fact that staged homes sell faster and for more money than ones that weren't staged. You only get one chance to make a 1st impression so don't hurry to get your home "listed" before you have it ready. A local "Stager", "Dreamlight Design" says that statistically homes sell 50% faster and for 6-10% more.

Know your competition - Have Russ Connors provide you with a current snapshot of the current real estate market in your immediate area. Analyze the listings solds and listings pendings. See what the trend is. Look at DOM (Days On Market) and also the price reduction history. In some areas in Northern KY there is a 10 month supply of homes. To beat out the competition you must have a smart marketing plan. Russ will help you develop this.

Do a "NET SHEET" - know in advance what you will net (take away from the closing table-- or how much you will need to bring to the closing to complete the transaction. Deals are falling apart at the last minute because the seller didn't correctly anticipate how much money they needed to bring to the closing. Many residential real estate transactions are between a buyer and a seller who is "Upside Down" in their home. This happens when the amount owed on the mortgage(s) plus selling expenses exceeds the market value. This most often occurs in new subdivisions where buyers did 100% mortgages or took out HELOC (Home Equity Lines Of Credit), essentially ending up with no or a negative equity position.

Stress PAYMENT instead of SALES PRICE- Offer attractive financing options such as a 2/1 buy down. The seller pays about 2.5% of the sales price to fund the buydown. The buydown works this way: The buyer has their interest rate reduced 2% from the "regular rate" the 1st year, reduced 1% from the "regular rate" the 2nd year and then going to the regular rate the 3rd year and beyond. This is not a ARM. The regular interest rate is locked in and not variable. Now you're competing with similar homes offering a much lower mortgage payment.

Alert potential buyers to the availability of your home. Russ Connors Realty, LLC has specific techniques for accomplishing this.

Get a "Whole House Inspection" before listing. If "issues" are found- correct them. Use this as a tool to sell your home instead of a club used by the buyer to beat your price down.

Russ Connors' Tips for First-Time Homebuyers

1	Get PRE-APPROVED by a lender or Mortgage broker
2	Repair any problems/mistakes with your credit report
3	Stop opening revolving credit accounts
4	Don’t buy anything big
5	Make certain you can end your lease if renting
6	Select one Realtor to work with but don’t stay with this person if they won’t do the job properly
7	Write down and distinguish between your NEEDS and WANTS.
8	Talk to potential future neighbors about the neighborhood and check sex offender registry
9	Review a blank Purchase Contract with your Realtor
10	When looking at multiple homes, name each one
11	Select a Whole House Inspector and have your home inspected
12	Have your Realtor negotiate for best terms
13	Don’t arrange for a mover until you are CERTAIN the property will close or has closed.
14	Work with previous owner to transfer utilities and provide you operating manuals.

Russ Connors, Broker/Owner

Reasons to list now:

Selling Tips In This Down Market

Russ Connors' Tips for First-Time Homebuyers