10 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Home Sale, Part 1

Here's part one of my two-part series on tips to ensure that you acquire the most money from your home sale this year.

Want to sell your Kansas City Home? Get a home value report here 

Want to buy a Kansas City home? Search all homes for sale here

If you’re selling your home this year, here are five of the 10 steps to follow:

1. Recognize that every real estate market is different. By having a deeper knowledge of the market itself, you’ll make well-informed decisions that other sellers won’t. Setting yourself apart in this way will allow you to maximize your equity and dollars acquired from the sale. Your agent should be constantly putting this information in front of you to assist you in your decision making.

2. Be sure to get your home inspected. Have a pre-inspection done on your home before it goes onto the market. This can be likened to a scenario where you’re buying a vehicle and you're trying to decide between two—are you more likely to purchase the road-ready, mechanic-certified car or the one that’s recently been traded in and has yet to be looked at by the mechanic? It’s no contest, right? The fact is a home that’s been pre-inspected is more apt to attract a higher offer.

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By having a deeper knowledge of the market itself, you’ll make well-informed decisions that other sellers won’t.

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3. Shape up before marketing. Simply put, be certain that your home is in tiptop shape before buyers view it. Using the car analogy above, a vehicle that sparkles inside and out, smells great, and would be a point of pride to own is sure to attract a higher offer than a dust- and dirt-coated car sitting on the lot. The same goes for your house. Some tips for preparing your home for sale include:

• A fresh coat of paint in areas such as the front door

• Maintain a super clean entryway

• Clean your windows and glass

• Replace any burnt out lightbulbs

• If possible, plant some flowers

4. Devise a great marketing plan. This is where an expert advisor comes in—their job is to guide you through the decision-making process to help you capture the highest price on your home sale.

5. Check into a company relocation assistance. If you work for a corporation or larger company, there may be some of this available to you.


Don’t forget to check back in a few weeks for part two! If you have any questions related to real estate, please get in touch with me. I look forward to talking to you!

What to Do When Your Home Won’t Sell: Part 1

Are you having trouble trying to sell your home? If so, you may want to try one of these four alternatives.

Want to sell your Kansas City Home? Get a home value report here 

Want to buy a Kansas City home? Search all homes for sale here

Listing your home can be a stressful experience in and of itself, but this is especially true if you’re having a difficult time attracting buyers. To help address this common problem, our team is launching a two-part series on what to do when your home won’t sell. And today marks the first episode.

We’ll be covering the first four solutions in this installment, so let’s dive right in:

1. List again in the future. Sometimes the reason your home won’t sell is simply that the timing’s wrong. Sellers must consider current market conditions, as well as their own personal circumstances, before putting their home on the market. If you’ve been struggling to sell, sometimes the best solution is to try again at a more opportune time.


2. Refinance your mortgage instead of selling. If your motivation to sell is largely financial, then perhaps a home sale is not the right solution at all. This isn’t to say that a sale is entirely out of the question, but you should consider other options if this is your reason for listing. Speaking with a lender is a great first step. They will be able to inform you of your options based on your individual situation. 

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If you’ve been struggling to sell, sometimes the best solution is to try again at a more opportune time.

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3. Turn your home into a rental. This isn’t always the best solution for those who lack experience in acting as a landlord, but it can be a decent alternative to selling for those ready to accept this (often hefty) responsibility. There are renters out there who will take great care of your home, but you must be prepared for less favorable outcomes before you decide to rent out your property. You should also check with your mortgage company to ensure that this option is within your legal right.


4. Pursue a short sale. This option isn’t as common right now as it was in years past, but it is still available for those who need it. Still, like the other options we’ve listed, sellers must think carefully about their situation before pursuing a short sale. Having an attorney by your side when you do so may also be a smart move.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Why an Auction May Be Your Best Bet to Sell a Unique Property

Selling a unique property isn’t the same as selling a conventional property, which is why an auction is a great way to sell them.

Want to sell your Kansas City Home? Get a home value report here 

Want to buy a Kansas City home? Search all homes for sale here

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to have been involved in a lot of sales of unique properties. What’s the best way to sell a unique property, though?

First, you should know that every property will sell, but there are four main components of that sale that have to be dialed in:

• Location: Location is crucial to maximizing the value of a property.
• Condition: If a property is in good condition, it will sell.
• Marketing: A property has to be exposed to the total buyer pool who might be interested in it.
• Price: A home has to be priced correctly for what it is, where it is, and what condition it’s in.

That being said, one selling method that I’ve always found works extremely well with a unique property is an auction. This is because an auction brings together all the competing buyers in one place and bids the property’s price up to what the market says it’s worth.

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An auction brings together all the competing buyers in one place and bids the property’s price up to what the market says it’s worth.

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Think of it this way: If you inherited a rare, prized piece of art, you’d never think of putting a price tag on it and seeing if a buyer comes along to buy it. We sell a lot of conventional properties that way through normal marketing avenues, but not with unique properties. An auction isn’t the only way to sell a unique property, but it’s a way that can create maximum demand and maximum exposure in a time frame you can dictate.

If you’d rather sell a unique property through conventional marketing avenues, there are different strategies you need to take. Some of these strategies, for example, involve using social media platforms geared toward the type of buyers you want to attract.

If you have any more questions about selling unique properties or you have any other real estate needs I can assist you with, feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email. I’d be happy to help you.

No-Nos to Avoid During Your Home Sale: Part 1

When you sell your house, there are a few big no-nos you need to avoid that could end up sinking your sale. Today we're uncovering the first four.

Want to sell your Kansas City Home? Get a home value report here 

Want to buy a Kansas City home? Search all homes for sale here

When you sell your house, there are a number of no-nos that you need to avoid. Today, we'll discuss the first four.

1. Don't take your own photos. You want to use a professional real estate photographer who has the right equipment and is specifically trained on how to use lighting and place furniture in a way to get the most out of the photos to sell your house. Remember, the Internet is the first place buyers will see your home, so you want that photography to be as good as it can get.

2. Don't try to sell your house by yourself. According to the National Association of Realtors, 87% of people purchased their home through an agent or broker and that number has risen consistently since 2001 when it was just 69%. Homes sold by owners sold for an average of $210,000 compared to the average of $249,000 for homes sold by people working with an agent. They also sell weeks faster.

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Sellers who work with an agent make more money and sell faster.

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3. Don't argue with your agent about your home's price. It's important for an agent to explain the value of your home in today's market to you. One of the biggest mistakes I see is people hiring someone who's brand new in real estate who isn't very plugged into the market. If you hire someone to sell your biggest asset, they should have a great track record. You want to ask them how many homes they sell per year, what their average list-to-sales price ratio is, what their marketing strategy is, and what they'll do if your house doesn't sell.

4. Don't trust Zillow as the word of God. Zillow's Zestimates can be off by as much as 61% depending on the house and its location, according to an article in the LA Times. A recent study found that the average Zestimate is off by about $14,000. Zillow can't discern whether a home smells like pet urine or has a finished basement, among many other things. Zillow also can't tell you about absorption rates or give you a market analysis. Only a real estate expert advisor can do that for you.

Stay tuned for the rest of our tips on things to avoid when selling your house. In the meantime, if you have any questions or you're thinking about buying or selling a home in the Kansas City area, give me a call or send me an email. I'd be glad to help!

The Best Upgrades You Can Make to Sell Your Home

You don’t have to completely renovate or remodel your home before you put it on the market. Minor upgrades, like investing in curb appeal, get you a higher return on investment.

Want to sell your Kansas City Home? Get a home value report here 

Want to buy a Kansas City home? Search all homes for sale here

Should you work on major renovations or completely remodel your home before you put it on the market? I would say no. Minor upgrades actually get you a higher return on your investment than major renovations do.

The main reason minor upgrades net you more money is that huge construction projects always end up costing more money than you think they will. They also tend to take a lot longer than expected due to problems like scheduling conflicts.

The best place to spend money on your home is on the exterior. When buyers pull up to look at your home, those first 15 seconds are crucial. Your home should look as magical as Disney World. Make sure the lawn is freshly manicured and fertilized. Put down fresh mulch and invest in bright, colorful landscaping. Pull all of the weeds, too.

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Curb appeal helps sell homes.

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As for your house, make sure the windows are crystal clear. Paint your front door and power wash the house if necessary. Putting money into curb appeal will help your home make a great first impression on potential buyers. Many home sellers skip this step, so investing in curb appeal will also set you apart from the competition.

Research also shows that increasing the curb appeal of your home returns the most value for your money. Ultimately, curb appeal is what helps get buyers inside the house.

If you have any other questions about preparing your home for the market or about real estate in general, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you.

How to Sell Quicker Than Your Neighbor

When you’re in a competitive real estate market, there will likely be multiple sellers in your neighborhood at any given time.

When you are competing against your neighbors, there are some things that you should do to ensure you sell quicker than they do. Here are five tips on doing just that:

1. Update your landscaping. Make it look brand-new. Add mulch, remove damaged vegetation, and update with bright flowers.

2. Move out or make it appear like you have. Vacant homes show much better than occupied homes. In many cases, a motivated buyer may feel like it’s easier to buy that home and picture their own things in it. It’s hard to visualize their furniture and accessories in a property full of other people’s stuff. If this isn’t an option, move as much stuff as possible to a storage unit.

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Pricing is the most important.

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3. Add new painting and flooring. If you have to ask if you need new paint or flooring, the answer is most likely yes. We work with professional stagers and can help with this. When you live with the same flooring and carpet every day, it’s easy to feel like it’s “good enough.” However, you’ve got to compare your home to other properties for sale in the area to get an idea of what they are offering in terms of flooring and paint.

4. A professional walkthrough. A good video tour will sell the home to the buyer every time they watch it. You can sell the house to the buyer before they’ve ever seen it in person and make your listing stand out amongst those online buyers. Aerial drones are only adding to the kinds of views we can get of your home.

5. Price it right. This is the most important tip. You’ve got to price right from the beginning. There are three things that sell homes, as any good agent will tell you: price, location, and condition. Price is the most critical. People will look past the other two if the price is right. All buyers want to feel like they are getting a special deal, so come up with a plan to give them that deal. It starts with knowing your neighbors’ homes.

If you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you.

How to Win a Kansas City Bidding War

Want to buy a Kansas City Home?  Click here to perform a full home search  Want to sell a Kansas City home?  Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation   You may also call us at 1-800-686-5088 for a FREE home buying or  selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. 

We are in a hot seller’s market right now, and there are a lot of multiple-offer situations happening out there. How can you win and buy the house when you are up against multiple offers?

The most important thing you can do is work with an experienced agent. You want an agent who is people-smart. The relationship between your agent and the seller’s agent is extremely important to positioning your offer in the best light. These agents are going to work together through closing to make sure things go smoothly for the buyer and the seller. However, each agent is still looking to get the best deal for their client. 

Now, one strategy you can use during a multiple-offer situation is writing a letter to the seller. Talk about why you fell in love with their property and what the property means to you and your family. It’s very endearing to the seller to think of another family enjoying the home and creating memories in it like they have. The letter helps you connect with the seller on a personal level.  

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Work with an experienced agent.

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You can also add an escalatory addendum. If you’re up against five other offers and you can afford it, this strategy can be very helpful. The escalatory addendum basically says that you will pay a certain amount, like $500, over the highest competing offer for the home. We use this clause very carefully. It might not work for everyone, but it can position you to win that property.

In a market like this, it’s not unusual to get beaten out on several properties before you get into a home. If you find the perfect one and you can be flexible on terms and price, we will work to make your offer the most appealing to the seller. 

If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Which Properties Are Hard to Sell?

Want to buy a Kansas City Home?  Click here to perform a full home search  Want to sell a Kansas City home?  Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation   You may also call us at 1-800-686-5088 for a FREE home buying or  selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. 

Out of the 1,900 home sales my team has worked on, we’ve noticed there are certain types of homes that are more challenging to sell compared to others.

1. Odd properties: Over the years, we’ve successfully closed plenty of these properties. For instance, we’ve dealt with schools that closed down. This also includes homes with a weird shape that aren’t perfectly squared or have much road frontage. However, there’s a butt for every chair, so everyone wants a property.

2. Overbuilt homes: This describes homes that are nicer compared to their neighbor’s homes. This can be problematic from a lending or appraisal perspective. However, we’ve sold many homes like this, but it’s important for sellers to understand the buyer’s concerns or difficulties.

3. Clients with unrealistic expectations: Our goal is to educate our sellers to be the most educated in the entire marketplace. Sometimes, a seller with unrealistic expectations might owe too much on a property or already pulled the equity out when they refinanced. Those forces can make it difficult for us, but it’s still possible. We look at four primary factors when analyzing a property: condition, price, location, and marketing.

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There’s a butt for every chair.

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4.  Homes not staged correctly: Buyers shop competitively, and constantly compare your home to others in the surrounding community. To achieve an advantage over other available listings, stage your home professionally. It should shine and look its best to sell for top dollar.

5. No reasonable access: Sometimes, sellers don’t allow buyers to view their home during typical hours, such as after work or during dinner time. Things like having a daytime sleeper can make a property difficult to sell.

6. Unprepared sellers: Clients can be unprepared for the real estate process expectation-wise from time to time. For instance, they might be uncomfortable with strangers coming into their home at inconvenient times.

Despite these curve balls, there’s a strategy for every kind of property. We can help you in this process. If you’re thinking about buying or selling a Kansas City home, give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to help answer your questions!

The Secrets to Finding the True Value of Your Kansas City Home

Want to buy a Kansas City Home?  Click here to perform a full home search  Want to sell a Kansas City home?  Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation   You may also call us at 1-800-686-5088 for a FREE home buying or selling  consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. 

How do you find out what your home is worth? There are many ways, but today we want to focus on a few best methods for finding the true value of your home.

The first thing you need to do is identify your X-factors. Look at three homes that have sold recently that are most similar to your own. The price those homes got per square foot is one crucial X-factor. Another one is the current supply and demand of buyers and sellers for homes like yours in the market today. If you miss the market, and your home isn’t priced in the sweet spot, your home could sit on the market and, ultimately, expire.

Next, you need to hire a local specialist to help you. In order to find a great agent, you need to ask the agent you interview the right questions. For one, you want to figure out their track record. Ask how many homes they sold last year and look online at their reviews to see if they are as good as they say they are. Make sure they are in-the-know and capable of getting as many eyes on your property as possible.

When selling in the Kansas City area, it’s crucial to get the opinions from experts. If your home is a unique property and there aren’t three comparable sales in the market, it may be difficult to come up with a price on your own. It’s only about $400 to get an appraisal and we often encourage our clients to do it. Being educated on the value of your home is a very important factor when selling, and an appraiser can be a very valuable part of that process.

Buyers are very educated nowadays. In fact, they are often better educated than sellers are because they are viewing many properties and they know what their money will buy them in the current market. This is why it’s crucial to price your home in the sweet spot; if it’s too high or too low, the right buyers might never even lay eyes on your property.
If you have any questions about how you can put the perfect price on your home, or if you would like our assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to help you!

3 Strategies to Sell Your Kansas City Home This Spring

Want to buy a Kansas City Home?  Click here to perform a full home search  Want to sell a Kansas City home?  Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation   You may also call us at 1-800-686-5088 for a FREE home buying or selling  consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. 

If you plan on listing this spring, you have to make your home stand out among competition. It’s the busiest real estate season of the entire year. Fortunately, I have some simple strategies to help you sell quickly and for top dollar in Kansas City this spring.

• Amp up the curb appeal. Refresh the landscaping, including the mulch and flowers. Maybe paint the front door and fertilize the yard.
• Address repairs. Think ahead and fix any repairs. Take this opportunity to fix minor repairs that could otherwise come up in a home inspection.
• Get serious about marketing your home. With the influx of inventory, you’ll likely experience intense competition. That’s why it’s so important to show your home in its best light during the springtime. Market like you mean it!

If you’re thinking about listing this spring, give me a call or send me an email! I’d be happy to serve your real estate needs in the surrounding area.

How We Helped Heather Quickly Sell Her Home

"Glennon Real Estate Experts sold our house quickly after it had been on the market 6 months with another agent. They had very good results, and knew exactly what to expect. Both Chip, Amanda, and Will knew the procedures extensively. If we called, they called us back. If we had questions, they either answered them or found them out within a 24 hour time period. They went above and beyond what was expected!" - Heather Cummings, Home Seller

What Do You Do When You're on the Wrong Side of the Market?

Looking to buy or sell a home in Kansas City? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at 1-800-686-5088 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. 

We receive questions all the time concerning current market conditions and how they affect people in different situations. Whether you're buying or selling, if the market isn't balanced, there is a chance you could be on the wrong side of the market. Is there any hope? What can you do about it? Today, we want to give you a few tips on how to make the most of these situations:

• If you are selling, you could consider taking advantage of a 72-hour cash offer guarantee. We work with investors who can provide you the liquidity you need to purchase that perfect home once you find it. That way, you don't have to wait until your home is sold before taking action in the market. 
• Our guaranteed home sale program has helped a lot of people get their home sold quickly so they can buy the next one. If we don't sell your home in 90 days, we'll buy it! 
• We have a reputable, time-tested system for knowing what it takes to get a home sold. Traditional real estate marketing is unpredictable - will your home sell in the summer, or over the holidays? When you move will be a function of the location of your home, how well it's marketed, what the condition of your home is, and how well your home is priced. If these factors align, your home will sell quickly and for top dollar. We have access to the necessary data to help you sell your home when you need to sell it. 
• You can always move somewhere temporary until your home sells. However, this can be incredibly taxing on a family. You may have to move as many as three times and it could cause a lot of tension. Make sure you are in a situation that allows for you to do something like this, as it is a big decision.

We're familiar with the many stresses of having to sell your home and move into a new one, and we understand how difficult it is to time it right. Because we've done this many times, we would love to help make the experience as smooth and stress-free as possible. If you would like to work with a team that can help you come up with solutions to help you meet your goals, give us a call today!