The Ames Group Real Estate Video Blog With Sue Langston-Ames

There are some specific things that you can do to keep your home safe while you're away on vacation.

Keep those lights on!

With the holidays approaching, don't skip any of these steps if you're going out of town or heading out on vacation! We hope you found this topic helpful and informative. If you have any other questions or you're interested in buying or selling a Wichita home, give us a call or send me an email. We'd love to help you.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it's time for our 4th annual pumpkin pie giveaway!

Any friends or past clients of The Ames Group interested in a free pie should let us know by November 18th; we have three pies to choose from this year! Send us an email at [email protected] and let us know if you want an apple, cherry, or pumpkin pie and, on Tuesday the 24th, swing by the office to say hello and get your free pie!

You also have the option to donate your free pie this year!

This year, you also have the choice to donate your free pie to the Wichita Children's Home. Just let us know if you'd like to donate a pie, and we will give your pie to the Wichita Children's Home in your honor. It's a really great thing to do for the kids who don't have a place to go this Thanksgiving.

We hope to hear from you soon, and of course, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Why should you list your home during the fall? Here are the top five reasons:

1. There is less competition in the fall. Most people think that spring is the best time to list their home, but the reality is that people in Wichita buy homes all year long. By listing in the fall, you will face less competition, which may mean a better sales price.

2. Buyers are more serious in the fall. In the spring and summer, there are a lot of looky-loos out there who are “just looking” at open houses. They waste your time and your Realtor’s time. In the fall, people are serious because they really want to get into a home before the weather gets really cold.

3. The fall is prime time for curb appeal. The leaves are turning colors and it is truly beautiful outside, which is great for your curb appeal.

4. You will get more attention from your agent. Since most people buy and sell in the spring, your agent won’t be as busy. They will be more available to help you work on things during the fall.

5. You will move in cooler weather. Who really wants to move when it’s 98 degrees out and the humidity is at 100%? A lot of people like moving in the fall because of the cool, crisp weather.

Fall is prime time for curb appeal.

As you can see, there are many advantages to selling your home during the fall. If you have any 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!

The 30-second rule is something I tell all of my clients about when they’re planning to sell their home. What is the 30-second rule?

Research has found that buyers decide whether or not they want to purchase a home within the first 30 seconds of going into that property. What can you do to make your home more appealing to buyers? Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes.

Park your car in the driveway, not the garage, and walk up the sidewalk to your house. Do you see gaps in the sidewalk that could be a tripping hazard? If so, you need to fix that. If you have overgrown weeds pouring over to the sidewalk, pull them. 

Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes.

As you approach your front door, check out the steps. Are there cracks in any of them? Is your doorbell clean? Don't forget to also check out your patio or porch. Is there a bird’s nest hanging over your patio? If so, get rid of the nest. If the birds made a mess on your porch, you need to power wash the porch. You can also power wash your front door. We can even lend you a power washer.

These are very simple things that people usually don’t think about when preparing their home for the market. These 30-second tips will make a big difference in how buyers will perceive your home.

If you have any other questions about getting your home ready for the market, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Staging your home before listing it is very important, and we have five essential tips for staging it correctly.

Here are the top five things homeowners should do in terms of staging their home before listing it:

Staging your home properly can make a huge difference in determining its saleability. Along with staging, professional photography also greatly improves your home’s aesthetic appeal.

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The more natural light you can let in, the better.

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If you have any questions about home staging, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to helping you in any way we can.

A common question we hear from buyers and sellers alike is, “Should I work with an individual agent or a real estate team?”

For the best shot at accomplishing your goals, work with a real estate team. A team is a group of specialists. For example, it’s the buyer specialist’s job to look for the right house for you. They are scouring the MLS daily to find new listings.

If you’re dealing with a solo agent, they’ve got a lot more on their plate than just helping you find a home to buy. They are also trying to deal with listings, paperwork, lockboxes, signs, you name it. Right now, we are in a strong seller’s market and if you’re buying, your buyer’s agent needs to be in tune with that’s going on. You’ve got to be able to get to that dream house first so you have the best shot at writing an offer.

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A team gives you more specialized, individual attention.

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A team helps when selling in many different ways. Our office manager’s job is to make sure the listing gets input in the best possible light. We also hire a professional photographer to capture your home’s unique beauty. We make sure all paperwork is accurate and compliant. Our specialists are here to make sure everything is where it needs to be and done when it needs to be done.

We’ve also got a marketing director who works with both the photographers and home stagers to make sure homes are shown in their best possible light and appeal to the highest number of buyers possible.

Another thing a team is able to do differently than a solo agent is prospect. Instead of just waiting for buyers to find your house, we are actively engaged in finding them. We are on the phone on a daily basis looking for new buyers and receiving their information from our website. We know when buyers are looking at your property, how long they are looking at it, and we are following up with them.

That’s the benefit of using a team; you get specialized and individual attention that you simply can’t get with a solo agent. If you have any questions for us about working with a real estate team, give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you.

A lot has changed in a few short years for the Wichita real estate market. We wanted to highlight some of the biggest changes we’ve seen in the last few years by examining the difference in what we’re experiencing now vs. what we experienced a few years ago.

In 2012, per the Wichita MLS, a total of 8,209 homes were sold in Wichita and surrounding areas. In 2015, that number increased to 9,496 homes. That is a 15.7% increase - great news if you’re looking to sell a house. The other thing we wanted to mention was home appreciation. In 2012, we saw negative 1.1% appreciation. Homes were losing value. In 2015 however, we were back on the plus side and saw a 3.6% appreciation in home values. We expect that trend to continue through 2016.

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We have gone from a buyer’s market to a strong seller’s market.

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One key number agents pay attention to when examining the market is the absorption rate, which is a measure of inventory. A balanced market is somewhere between five and seven months of inventory. A buyer’s market is more than seven months, and a seller’s market is less than five. Interestingly enough, right now, we have less than a 3% absorption rate, which puts us in a great seller’s market. If you've been thinking about selling at all, now is a fantastic time.

We have gone from more of a buyer’s market to a very strong seller’s market. Because of limited inventory, buyers in today’s market will have to compete against multiple offers, at least in the $150,000 to $200,000 range.

We hope this information was helpful to you. If you have any questions at all, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to answer them.

Today, Shana Wurth, our top buyer’s agent, joins us to discuss what she does to help her clients and what the benefits are of working with a buyer specialist.

A buyer’s agent will help you get through the process of buying a home; from start to end, they help you get through the contract negotiations and repair negotiations, work closely with your lender and the title company, and get you in the house at the end of it all!

One thing that often comes up is how the buyer’s agent gets paid. As a buyer, you don’t have to worry about paying an agent’s commission. The commission is paid by the seller’s concessions; out of the proceeds at closing, it comes out of the seller’s portion of whatever they get once they sell their house. Essentially, the services offered by a buyer specialist are completely free to you as a buyer!

When you’re driving through a neighborhood and you see a great home for sale, DON’T call the number on the sign! This may sound counterintuitive, but it will save you from being taken advantage of. The agent whose number is on the sign is working for the seller and their interests, not yours. That agent wants to get the most money possible for their seller client, while a buyer's agent who is representing you will work to get you the best deal possible! It’s all about having someone to represent you and your interests in negotiations!

If you’re thinking about buying a home, the best thing you can do is find a good one who is willing to go to bat for you. Before getting started, they will walk you through the buying timeline so you’re never taken by surprise during the process. Give us a call or shoot us an email if you want to sit down for a free buyer consultation with Shana, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind. We’re always available to help!

Today we are excited to talk about the top 12 questions you should be asking any potential Realtor before deciding to hire them to sell your home. Most people know that it’s important to interview different agents when you are selling, which is good. However, many people don’t know what specific questions to ask. Today, we are going to give you 12 great questions that you can ask a Realtor before hiring them. These questions come straight from the National Association of Realtors.

If you’d like to view the document in its entirety, click here. However, we’re going to give you all 12 right now. Here they are:

1. How long have you been in residential real estate?
2. What professional training have you had?
3. How many homes did you sell last year?
4. How many days does it take you to sell a home on average? How does that compare to the overall market?
5. How close to the initial asking price of the homes you sold were the final sales prices?
6. What types of specific marketing systems and approaches will you use to sell my home?
7. Will you represent me exclusively in the transaction?
8. Can you recommend service providers who can help with the process such as mortgage brokers, home repair services, and others?
9. What type of support and supervision does your brokerage office provide to the seller?
10. What is your business philosophy?
11. How will you keep me informed of how things are proceeding throughout the selling process?
12. Ask for the names of past clients and referrals and talk to the people who have worked with them.
 

Another thing you should let your agent know about are your preferred methods of communication, and make sure they are able to do that. Communication is key in this process.

If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send a quick email. We would love to hear from you!

My clients in Wichita are always asking me what they can do to prepare for a home sale. There are hundreds and hundreds of potential things you could do before a sale, but today I've selected the twelve most important steps for you. This comes from one of our brochures, and we'd be happy to send you one!

 

Just remember that a buyer has already made up their mind 30 seconds after walking into a home. This means that your home has to look absolutely perfect!

To view and print our brochure, click here!