Wisconsin Rapids Real Estate – Wisconsin Rapids Homes For Sale

Mention Marilyn Monroe. Everyone knows something. Everyone remembers her even if they weren’t alive at the time. Think for a second; what’s memorable about your home? What would make a buyer rush into making an offer on your home?

Everyday more homes hit the MLS. Each carries with it an excitement… One seller sees bigger and better things… Another sees a burden about to be lifted… An agent sees a commission…

But, then you also see reality. Currently there are 452 homes for sale in the Wisconsin Rapids area. Ouch! As we transition from summer into fall and winter, it becomes even more important to get your home ready for its next owner. Will buyers remember your home like we remember Marilyn Monroe?

What should you do to make your home memorable so it sells as quickly as possible? Here are some important pieces of advice when it comes to selling your Wisconsin Rapids area home:

Price it right. If you’d poll all Wisconsin Rapids real estate agents, ‘pricing your home correctly’ is the most important strategy to use in this saturated market. Unfortunately, this becomes difficult for many reasons. Do you already have an idea for a price of your home? Be honest… How did you come up with it? Remaining mortgage + equity loan + amount needed for down payment on your next home? Am I close? What if your agent gives you a price lower than what you’re thinking? What if it’s a lot lower?

Do you trust your real estate agent? It’s important for you to rely on the expertise of your real estate agent and property appraiser. Both will provide proof and examples of what they believe your home is worth. With 452 homes for sale, will you be able to find a buyer quickly if your home is overpriced? Or at all?

Remove clutter. Having to much stuff is distracting when a buyer tours your home. Your home and everything in it will look smaller. All of a sudden there isn’t enough counter space or storage. Your rooms are small and feel cramped. Nothing good will come from displaying to much stuff. Visualize a department store display. How many manikins do you see? Ten? One? Less is more… Rent a storage unit in which to keep all your nonessentials until your home sells.

Create your own little Switzerland. That’s right-neutrality. Pretend you’re a politician. Will you win your election by appealing to a small percentage or the masses? While you don’t have to paint everything light brown, it is worth toning down any unusual color choices. If it could possibly turn a buyer off, it’s best to remove or change it. You want a buyer to remember all the great things about your home, not the pink bedroom or toy doll collection.

Have your own Kim Woodburn or Aggie MacKenzie walk through your home. These are the two ladies from the BBC show “How Clean Is Your House?”. Have a brutally honest friend walk through your home to point out any potential turn offs for buyers. A new set of eyes may spot things you no longer see.

It’s in the details. Repaint, replace fixtures, clean, plant flowers, tidy up drawers, clean your garage. In short, do whatever you can so your home’s best foot is forward for a potential buyer. With a glut of inventory, buyers are choosy.

Continuesly think! Help out your agent. Is there another house in your neighborhood on the market? Ask your agent how the price and condition compare to yours. Received a low-ball offer? Don’t reject it; relook at comps. Be able to justify your price. A lot of traffic through your house but no offers? Make sure your agent is getting feedback, which can help you rethink your plan.

If you work hard getting your home ready for sale, if you view your home through a buyer’s eyes and if you trust and work with your agent, you’re better able to place yourself at the top of the 452 homes for sale.

If you’d like more information on getting your home ready to sell or would like to know what your home is worth in today’s market email, me at holberga [at] firstweber [dot] com. Like what you’ve read? Why not subscribe and have every article delivered right to your inbox?

Photo Credit: Designed By Me

Possibly a little perspective…

As interest rates continue to fluctuate, it becomes easy to view every blip and hiccup as a reason to continue sitting on the sidelines. The following graph, courtesty of Jay Thompson, demonstrates that a 6% interest rate is still almost like receiving free money.

If you’ve been around the block a few times you’ve seen the fluctuation in rates. You’re used to it. If your relatively new into the home buying game, or if you’re a first time home buyer, this new real estate world can be daunting. But in truth it has been a lot worse.

If you’d like to see home’s that are available, contact me today. Have a Wisconsin Rapids area home you need to sell first? Read what I offer sellers when I list a home.

As a real estate agent it’s my job to use words and pictures to entice a buyer to want to view, and ultimately buy, the homes I have listed. That’s not a surprise, everyone knows that. But of course, the words an agent uses sometimes have two different meanings…

Is your home’s description stopping you from selling your home?

Teresa Boardman and Erik Hare of the popular St. Paul Real Real Estate blog made public what buyers everywhere have always known. Enjoy their handy  ‘Agent to Buyer’ language translation primer. Here’s a similar article I wrote for FSBO’s to help them craft an effective home description when selling their Wisconsin Rapids home.

Has your Wisconsin Rapids Realtor taken the time to write you an effective property description? To many times a description looks very ‘cookie cutter’ or worse. If your home’s been on the market for awhile, maybe it’s time to look at your home’s description.

This is an actual property description from a home currently for sale:

GRAND RAPIDS—KELLNER. THIS IS JUST A VERY NICE HOUSE AND GARAGE ON ABOUT 1/2 ACRE LOT IN A VERY NICE RESIDENTIAL SETTING WITH NEW ROOF AND ABOUT A 3 YEAR-OLD SEPTIC SYSTEM WITH 1,000 GALLON TANK AND NEW WATER HEATER. RECENTLY REDECORATED AND LOOKING SHARP. CALL LISTING OFFICE FOR DETAILS.

It’s written in all caps, I didn’t have to add that. In an attempt to protect the innocent I also didn’t link to the subject property…

Do you want to guess how long the home has been for sale? 490 Days! (As of September 7, 2008)

Would you be happy? Make sure your real estate agent has taken the time to properly describe your property. Selling Wisconsin Rapids real estate isn’t rocked science… But it does involve a lot of knowledge and skill in order to craft a marketing message that will get your home sold. What I’m looking to do is sell a potential buyer on the benefits of living in your home. Not the features. In the end, that will sell your home. More to come… Why not receive new article’s as soon as their published?

Update: Jay Thompson, the Phoenix Real Estate Guy, wrote an excellent article adding to what Teresa and Erik had to say. Click to read Real Estate Decoder Ring. 

Photo Credit: snappybex

If you have children in school, you’re already well-aware that school started in Wisconsin Rapids yesterday, September 2.  You’ve either been counting the days or dreading it, depending on your own situation. Perhaps a little of both?

For the rest of you it probably became apparent on your way to work this morning. After the long summer, you get used to not seeing buses, crossing guards and having to drive slower, maybe a lot slower, through school zones.

As always, be careful as students get used to walking or biking to and from school. Allow yourself a few more minutes to get to work so you’re not running late and upset at having to wait for a bus or students. And remember, after a couple weeks everyone will be back in the swing of things and you won’t even notice…

Of course if you get caught by a train, that’s a whole other can of worms…

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Hope each and every one of you had a calm and relaxing Labor Day weekend. Every year I spend a day at the Central Wisconsin State Fair with my brother and his family. 

It’s always a fun time. I especially look forward to fair food. Is that how you’d say it, “fair food?” It is it’s own group, it’s like saying Italian, or Mexican food… You know instantly what it is. My must haves: a gyro ( I like the vendor lined up against the grandstand), a foot long corn dog, an elephant ear and cheese curds. After that, all I want to do is roll around on the floor for awhile… But it’s worth it!

Along with the food, obviously walking around and seeing all the animals is a high priority for all of us. You kind of forget how large these animals are. My favorite animal this year was the baby Highland Cow. That might be a ‘must have’ when I buy my future hobby farm… My brother teaches at West Junior High and he always enjoys seeing students who are exhibiting animals as well. 

And with the passing of Labor Day it also signifies the ending of the summer buying season and with it a slow down in the real estate market. If you’re thinking of selling now is the time to put your home on the market. For a free home evaluation email me at holberga [at] firstweber [dot] com.