Seller's Corner, Rio Rico Nogales Arizona Real Estate

Market for the Top Price and Fastest Sale.

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Currently, a growing inventory of buyers is scouting the area along the Santa Cruz River Valley in Southern Arizona for the perfect home, lot, vacation, investment, retirement or commercial property. Your property may offer the best value and best amenities, and target their price range. When you are selling from Arivaca to Tubac and Sonoita, or from Elgin to Patagonia to Nogales and Rio Rico, know that YOUR house, lot or acreage could be the one that fulfills the dream. To learn more about how to prepare your home to get you top dollar, read Make Your Home Sale Pay Top Dollar below.

New technologies are changing the face of real estate service. To give you the advantage of the best, most competitive marketing, sales, service and support available today, I put every available high-tech and traditional resource to work for you right here in the widespaces of Santa Cruz County Arizona.

List with me and I will spread the word to interested buyers using all the fast-paced, far-reaching technology available. I won’t satisfied until I sell your home or lot quickly for the highest possible price. In other words, until I get results.
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Our focus is homes, vacation, investment, commercial, retirement property including house resales, newly built home, lots and acreage.

Let me help you determine how much your property may be worth. We can explore what's selling in the neighborhood recently, and for how much? Request a free individual market analysis for your area. email me: info
The following is an article packed with helpful suggestions about preparing your home before you list it.

Make Your Home Sale Pay Top Dollar

There’s a lot of media attention recently about setting the stage to sell your home, and rightly so. The more attractive and appealing your home appears when you list it for sale, the more likely you are to sell it quickly for the price you want.

For all the hype, it helps to keep common sense at the forefront and remember your goal: get the highest possible selling price in shortest amount of time.

Even Small Expenditures Can Bring Big Gains

For some homes, spending wisely on upgrades and updates may bring a hefty return. In that case, you look for yield. You want the increase in the price you can expect to cover the work and expense you invest in the upgrades.

For other homes, there’s no advantage to the seller for spending lavishly before listing the house. The net gain would not likely make the effort worthwhile.

In almost all cases, though, there is an opportunity to improve the dollar amount you gain from your home sale by spending some time and a little money.

Your Home’s New Temporary Identity: Commodity

To do this, you probably need a viewpoint change. When you live in your home, it is the place where you rest, enjoy meals and the companionship of the people and pets closest to you. It is the place where you can be yourself. When you decide to sell your home, it enters a new dimension. It becomes a commodity.

A few important people will have their eye on your commodity: realtors, an inspector, an appraiser and prospective buyers.

Since it is real estate agents who will bring those buyers to your home, appeal to them first. They may preview dozens of homes in your home’s size and price range. Those properties are your home’s competition. When realtors brim with excitement to show your appealing home, you stand to get more and better action.

Since at some point your home will be inspected, you can be ready by making necessary repairs before you list. This can save you both money and time in the long run.

While your efforts to make your home its most attractive may not upwardly influence its appraised value, the things you leave undone could detract from its appraised value. For that reason, it is important to get and keep your home ship-shape as you prepare to sell.

Curb appeal is only the beginning of what it takes to make your home the saleable commodity you want it to be. You need to get your prospective buyers over the threshold, inside the house and then sell them on your house above all others.

Here are some areas of focus to help you prepare your home before you list it for sale.

Walk the perimeter of your house and try to see it from an outsider’s eyes. Remember, your home is now a commodity. You are creating buyer interest.

From Now On, Live 20-Minutes-to-Showtime!

Practice “20-minutes-to-showtime” living while your house is listed. Naturally, while you live in your home, it shows signs of life in progress. What you can do, though, is remain ready for a phone call that says someone is coming to look at your home. Here are some ways to prepare in advance so when that 20-minute announcement comes, you’re ready.

GENERAL

Condense. The things you use infrequently or not at all can be the first things you pack and remove from sight. If you have shed or a garage, stack boxes neatly there. Renting a small storage locker may also help during this transition period if you are short on space.

Begin with the portable things you treasure most. Knick-knacks, framed family photos, memorabilia, sculptures and ceramics, things that hang and things that stack.

Next, tackle the items that you use for special occasions, such as holiday and seasonal ware, linens and clothing. Pack up items that won’t be in use for months.

You may be able to remove one-third to one-half of visible personal items on countertops, floors, in closets and cabinets in this way. When you do, you allow prospective buyers to envision themselves living in the home, and that is key to their making you an offer you will be proud to consider.

EXTERIOR

Driveways, porches, patios and walkways

Sweep, hose and keep them clean.

If they are cracked, repair them.

If you have been meaning to expand a potentially useful parking area, there could be no better time than now. A fresh clean look with an expanded parking area could be a real selling feature that increases the value of your home.

Landscaping

Mow, edge and tidy up, trimming hedges and shrubs.

After weeding, lay mulch around flower beds and tree bases.

If you have a lawn, fill in bare spots or disguise them decoratively.

If one corner of a patio, a slope or grade has always been an eyesore to you, now is time to spruce it up.

Short on outdoor landscaping ideas? Scour real estate sales magazines for creative ideas. These publications are available free at newsstands or from your realtor. Thumb through and look at photos of homes priced slightly higher than you expect yours to be. By simply re-arranging potted plants and the outdoor furnishings you have or by adding a few low-cost touches, you may be able to gain new eye appeal.

Entrances

Make the entrance to your home clean, pristine, inviting and welcoming.

Seasonal flowers in pots near the door can say, “This is a well-cared for home.”

Lay down a new doormat.

Clean or replace light fixtures and mail boxes.

Get the doorbell in working order.

Make sure latches, locks and door knobs shine and work easily and well.

Repair loose railings--paint or wash if needed.

Outdoor furnishings

Make sure outdoor furniture is clean. If it is tattered and you want to keep it as project to repair at your next home, store it out of sight.

Barbecue looking well-used? Purchase an inexpensive, attractive cover for it.

Gutters, spouts, eaves and fascias

If you have rain gutters and drain spouts, before you list your house, make sure they are clean, functioning and securely connected.

Similarly, check under eaves and around the fascia for insect activity. If pests are nesting, now is the time to clear them away.

Paint

Power-wash any surfaces that have peeling paint or discolorations.

Repair, patch and repaint any needy surfaces. Don’t have the original paint on hand? Don’t worry. Paint matching technology has bounded ahead light years recently.

INTERIOR

Plumbing

Make sure faucets are drip free. In many cases, replacing a washer is a simple, inexpensive repair.

Make sure toilets are leak-free, drip-free and stain-free.

Make sure drains are clean and that they flow freely.

If your plumbing is affected by rust or corrosion, have a plumber make necessary repairs or replacements.

Lighting

Replace burned-out bulbs in lamps and light fixtures indoors and out.

Have any defective electrical switches replaced.

Make sure switch plates are clean and in good repair. If you have specialty switch plates or light fixtures you want to take with you, replace them before you list your home.

Electrical

Be sure to replace all defective light bulbs and electrical switches.

Have any wiring that was not installed by a licensed electrician? Get a licensed electrician remove, repair or replace it and retain evidence of this completed work.

Windows

Make sure windowsand close easily.

Remove and clean screens.

Before cleaning windows, start with the tracks.

For window cleaning, consider using a squeegee and a warm water-based solution with a combination of grease-cutting dishwashing liquid such as Joy or Dawn and a spritz of dishwasher drying enhancement.

Repair or replace ripped screens on doors and windows.

Heating & Cooling

Have your heating and cooling systems checked and serviced.

If replacement parts such as filters are needed, replace them.

Clean the exterior of heating and cooling units.

Keep your home at a comfortable temperature level.

Give Your Home the Sniff Tests:

There are three main offenders that can detract from the appeal of your clean, bright, light home:

Smoke: Smokers of cigarettes and cigars often don’t realize that their passion sets off someone else’s strong aversion. Fresh paint can often rid a smoker’s home of the smell non-smokers notice and recoil from. If you are a smoker, consider smoking out-of-doors or in a doorway during your listing period.

Pets: Pet owners become so accustomed to their favorite pets’ odors that they cease to notice any smell. Prospective buyers, however, are likely to find pet odors strong and unappealing, a detraction from an otherwise inviting home. Again, fresh paint can make a big difference. Also, make sure the pet and his areas are sparkling clean. If you have an indoor cat, keep litter boxes super clean and out of sight.

Cooking Odors: When you anticipate showing your home, consider keeping stronger smelling cooking ingredients such as garlic and pungent fish off the recipe list. Use the kitchen’s ventilation fan andwindows when the season permits.

4 Quick, Effective Smell-Good Tricks

As you clean your home,windows and allow fresh air to circulate.

Burn a favorite scented candle for a few minutes, then snuff it out before prospective buyers arrive.

Simmer potpourri. You can make your own using a pan or crock pot with a cinnamon stick, sprinkle of nutmeg and a dash of vanilla.

Bake bread. Purchase pre-made loaves in the frozen foods section of the supermarket (no kneading required) or used a boxed mix and an electric bread maker.

Window Treatments

Shutters and blinds should be clean and dusted. Curtains, drapes, pulls and rods should be clean and in good repair. During daylight hours,window coverings to allow in natural light. In areas of the home that don’t receive natural light or that look out on vistas you don’t care to feature, leave a light on.

Paint

Repaint rooms that show significant wear. Touch up areas that are scratched or marked with a matching color. Remember, light, neutral colors give prospective buyers and opportunity to envision their furnishings your home.

Floors

If you have carpeted areas, keep them vacuumed, clean, stain-free and fresh.

If you have wood or tile floors, keep them clean.

If your floors show wear that no amount of cleaning can disguise, consider putting in new flooring or carpeting before you list. You could, of course, make an allowance for carpeting or flooring to prospective buyers. The overall message this sends is that not everything is right with your home. This message is not in keeping with your goal.

Kitchen

Meal preparation is an important part of life. Prospective buyers often explore the kitchen first to envision how they might live in the home. When the kitchen is clean, bright and fresh-smelling, with appliances shining, it indicates that the home overall is well-cared-for.

Here’s where the 20-minutes guideline comes in. While your home is for sale, cabinets should be neat and organized, not overcrowded on the inside. Counters and sinks should be cleaned, dishes put away after meals. Cabinet fronts, knobs and drawer pulls should be polished. Trash and recycling should be emptied regularly. Floors should be swept and clean.

Then, if someone wants to see your home in 20 minutes, all you need to do is make a quick pass through to wipe up that most recent spill.

Bathrooms

Prospective buyers look at bathrooms in the same way. If the bathroom looks clean and smells fresh, the home is perceived as having more value.

Keep shower stalls and bathtubs clean and wiped dry.

Remove mildew.

Repair or replace tile that detracts from a crisp, clean look.

Re-caulk re-grout wherever touch-ups are needed.

Make sure shower curtains are laundered and clean. If there’s a liner, replace it. This one very inexpensive replacement item can brighten a bathroom significantly.

Keep area rugs clean.

Clean mirrors and all metal surfaces such as faucets.

Empty the trash regularly.

Keep the floors clean.

If there are cabinets, clean and pare down contents of the inside shelves. By only keeping the up-to-date items you need and use, you make the shelves appear less crowded and the house better cared for.

Stow your personal items such as hairbrushes and toothbrushes out of sight.

Remove wet towels robes. Hang or lay a few fresh, clean dry towels in the bathroom.

Closets

To give the illusion of greater space, remove next season’s linens and clothing and put them into storage now.

Organize and hang clothing neatly.

Invest in wall-hanging shoe organizers or closet space-saving shelves.

Sleeping Areas

Make sure beds are made.

Up with the blinds, shades orthe curtains.

Tidy dresser tops (a small basket or box dropped into a top drawer creates a new out-of-view space for important small items)

Stow jewelry in a secure location so you don’t have to think about it as prospective buyers examine your home.

For an infant’s room, use a Diaper Genie or other odor reducer.

For young children’s rooms, consider packing those less-frequently used items and storing them until the move.

For teenagers, consider an incentive program during the listing period. Let teens accrue reward points toward re-decorating the soon-to-be new bedroom or tantalizing privileges. The object will likely be twofold. You’ll want teenagers to remove from sight any posters and memorabilia that may detract from your prospective buyers’ positive experience of the teen’s room. Secondly, you’ll want to reward the teen for hanging clean clothes, stowing shoes in the closet and placing dirty clothes in the hamper.

To bring a fresher scent to teen rooms, try placing cedar blocks in the closet and dryer sheets in the drawers.

Living Room/Family Room

Clean, light, bright and roomy is what works here. Remember that when prospective buyers come to look at your home, they may come with their agent and perhaps yours! If you canup space by removing furniture you don’t use daily, now is the time to store it. You will instantly create the illusion of more space, just by freeing a footprint of a few square feet.

Give your upholstered furnishings a hard look and a discerning sniff. If they show wear, consider ready-made slip-coverings for them. Remember your prospective buyers are looking at your home as a commodity. While they are probably not purchasing the sofa and chairs, they are trying to envision life in your home. If your covered furniture looks fine but carries deep odors from smoking, cooking or pet odors, clean those furnishings or have them cleaned.

20 Minutes to Showtime!

So, you’ve listed your home for sale. The phone rings. Prospective buyers are on their way. You’re within minutes of being ready for them…

Lights! Turn them on. Illumination will augment the natural light you have already let in with your shutters, curtains and blinds.

Make a quick tidy-up sweep, trolling for toys and stray dirty socks.

Play pleasant music softly and avoid noise pollution of any kind.

In the appropriate season, if you are home for the showing, light a fire in the fireplace.

If the season and weather permit,windows for fresh air.

Remove pets to a secure area, or better yet have pets, like you, be “not home” when prospective buyers come.

If you must be home, try to make yourself scarce, out of sight and earshot of the prospective buyers.

Prospective buyers want to envision themselves as residents of your home, and they want you to be the resident of your new home. You can better help the process if you allow them to spend plenty of time with their realtor focused on your home, not on you.

Remember your goal: to get the highest possible selling price in shortest amount of time. If you have made your home into an appealing, attractive, sound commodity, after that final 20-minute sweep, your work is done.

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