Could Your Atlanta Home Be the Next Featured Property on HGTV’s Property Brothers?

Could Your Atlanta Home Be the Next Featured Property on HGTV’s Property Brothers?

In case you haven’t heard, Slyman Real Estate has a current listing that will be featured on HGTV’s Property Brothers in Atlanta later this year. As you can imagine, we are SUPER excited!

Here’s some even BETTER news: Having already worked with the show, we’ve been contacted by the Casting Director of another Property Brothers Show “Buying and Selling” to ask if we might have clients that would be interested in having their home made-over on the show and put on the market to sell. At the same time, they would assist the participating seller with their next purchase. I (Paige Slyman) would serve as your realtor and advisor throughout the entire process so you know I’ll make sure it’s a GREAT experience for YOU!  This could truly be an opportunity of a lifetime! Imagine all the attention your home would get!  And it would be a lot of fun too!

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! If you’ve ever thought about selling and think you would like to have your home featured on the show, please give me a call so we can talk about the details and forward the information to the Casting Director ASAP! They aren’t looking for perfect homes so don’t be concerned if your home has good bones but needs work. They are casting for Property Brothers in Atlanta NOW and will only be able to use a certain number of listings to complete the show. I’d love it if I could help you market your home in this BIG way and find your dream home through this unique opportunity!

I’d be very interested to talk to you, your friends, neighbors or family if you think it’s something that you or any of your contacts would be interested in. Please give me a call at (770) 405-0100 ext. 2 or you can reach me on my cell at 770-757-7671.

With Demand Outpacing Supply in Atlanta Real Estate, It’s a Great Time to Sell

Dissuaded by slow sales, declining home prices, a struggling economy and banks tightening up on lending, many sellers hunkered down for the long haul over the past five years deciding to make improvements to their existing homes and stay in them a little longer rather than risk losing money by putting them on the market.

Flash forward to first quarter 2013.

According to the National Association of REALTORS®, year-end numbers for 2012 brought the welcomed and encouraging news that last year was the best year in real estate since 2007. With the election behind us, mortgage rates that have remained incredibly low and a slow but steady increase in home prices along with a sharp drop in the number of foreclosures and short sales inflating the inventory count, buyers have come back in numbers much higher than current inventory levels can support. In fact, many Atlanta REALTORS®, are reporting a shorter time on the market for their seller clients and receiving multiple offers on properties is becoming commonplace.

Just how big is the discrepancy between buyers who are ready, willing and able to buy and the number of properties available in the Atlanta market? Consider the fact there are 30,000 homes currently listed as opposed to the average rate for this time of year being around 90,000 homes on the market. This parallels what is happening on a nationwide level with inventory of homes for sale in December at its lowest level since 2001. With February being a historically high-volume sales month in the Atlanta real estate market and moving right into spring which is always a very active season for homes sales, the number of interested buyers is expected to continue to rise as the realization that home prices are moving up hits home with buyers.

What does this mean for sellers? If you have a home that you’ve been sitting on or a property you need to sell, now is a terrific time to get it on the market while buyers are reluctantly playing a game of musical chairs, if you will. Demand is high, average time on the market is getting shorter, buyers are anxious and home prices are expected to continue to move up as demand outpaces supply.

If you have questions about selling your home, we’ll be happy to answer them for you. Give us a call at 770.405.0100 x 222 or email Paige Slyman at slymanfamily@comcast.net. We are also glad to work with buyers.

Has the Thought of Selling Your Home Scared You to Death?

Selling your home can be a daunting task. Add to that increased market competition and buyer leveraging power and sometimes the thought of selling your home can leave you feeling lost and sometimes even scared. Never fear, Paige Slyman of Slyman Real Estate’s metro Atlanta branch is here to guide you through the maze of cluttered confusion to the bright beacon of light…Also known as “Sold.”

For over 2 decades, Paige Slyman has been guiding and advising clients on ways they can stand out among the competition. The below information is a continuation of previous blogs we have written regarding advice that home sellers can implement to increase their chances of selling their homes.

In this blog we want to focus on three key aspects that anyone selling their home during the fall and holiday season should incorporate in their selling strategy.

Stay Away from Decorations

Having a minimalist approach to decoration allows for potential home buyers to envision your house as their new home. Paige Slyman recommends keeping your home un-decorated when your home is on the market. Over decorating is simply too personal and interferes with the buyer’s ability to imagine them living in your home. If you must decorate for the holidays, it is advisable to keep it to a minimum.  This advice goes hand in hand with the notion that it is best to unclutter your home with religious items or other “collection” items that the potential buyer might not relate to on a personal level.

A Clutter Free Home is a Sold Home

Keeping your home totally uncluttered is very important.  With competition in the metro Atlanta real estate market becoming fiercer than ever, it is completely necessary to keep your home immaculate.  This goes for both the inside and outside of the home. With the autumn season upon us, anyone selling a home must keep up with the falling leaves and keep them out of your yard. An uncluttered home (both inside and out) is more likely to be sold than a home that is not as well maintained.

Shining Bright equals Quickly Sold

As the fall days slip into winter and the days get shorter, Paige Slyman suggests investing in the brightest exterior light bulbs possible. This allows your home to shine bright and seem available to potential home buyers when the sun sets. On a complete side note, it is recommended that you pull up your real estate sign only on Halloween night as sometimes kids like to steal them or damage them for fun.

In closing, selling a home is much more than simply putting a “for sign” in the front yard. Strategy and anticipating buyer needs and wants are imperative to ensure a successful and quick selling process. Paige Slyman is an expert in counseling clients in ways they can improve their current selling strategy.  Be sure to read previous and future blogs to get other ideas on ways you can improve your chances of selling your home. Paige Slyman is also available for an initial consultation by contacting him at the info below.

Give us a call at 770.405.0100 x 2 or email us at paige@paigeslyman.com.

Count Down To Autumn Part 2: 7 critical things to do when selling your home

In last week’s blog we focused on the fact that we are steadfastly drawing near the end of what most real estate professionals consider to be the “real estate buying” season. If you recall, we mentioned that the months between February and October have been coined that because historically, the real estate industry sees more transactions during those months than any other time of the year. In part one of our series on things to do as the real estate buying season ends” we focused on tips for buyers that have yet to find their dream home. In part two, we will take a look at what MUST be done to ensure that your home sells in a timely manner. After all, the real estate “buying season” is about to be over and you have still not sold your home, and that means one thing, it’s time to re-evaluate your selling strategy.

Re-evaluation is a key aspect to any real estate selling strategy. This requires taking an open and honest look about what is and is not working with your current approach. Below are tried and true, results driven tactics and advice given from one of Atlanta’s real estate heavy weights, Paige Slyman. The below advice comes from years of experience and industry know how. Take notes because you are about to learn the tricks of the trade that could make the difference between your home sitting on the market or you getting to say the triumphant and glorious word that anyone selling their home longs to hear, “Sold.”

Four Seasons, Four Sets of Photos

When prospective home buyers find your property on real estate listing websites, one of the biggest “red flags” they will see is if your photos do not match the current season that you are in. For example, if a home buyer is looking at your home photos in the summer months, but your photos are of your home with no trees and perhaps even worst … snow in the picture… nothing says “lack of attention to detail” and “wow, this home has still not sold?” than pictures that are not up to date and current. Paige recommends updating and changing your photos for all four seasons. This will also give a fresh new look and approach that could perhaps even interest people that have once overlooked your home. Providing current photos is a key aspect of real estate marketing strategy and should be executed immediately.

Maximize MSL Photos, Maximize MSL SEO

In the quest to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of their marketing efforts, many businesses go to great lengths to increase their search engine optimization. If you are unclear of what this is, let us briefly explain. Have you ever done a Google or other search engine Internet search? More than likely, the answer is yes. Well, search engine optimization or SEO for short, is an attempt to put your website or listing at the top of people’s internet search. Research proves that links that are at the top of Internet searches are more likely to be visited than links that are not at the top of a person’s search results.

MLS listings have the ability to have SEO capabilities as well. Did you know that MLS puts listings with the maximum number of photos (40 photos to be exact) at the top of all MLS searches. MLS then puts listings in order according to how many photos are in each listing. For example, if you have 40 photos in your listing you will be at the top of a person’s MLS search results, however, if you have only 10 photos you will be closer to the bottom of the search results, and also less likely to be viewed by home buyers.

A picture is worth a 1000 words … or a home that well sell quickly

The most important photo you can have in your marketing materials for selling your home is the picture of the front of the house being sold. With so many homes being placed in the metro Atlanta market, this is crucial in capturing initial interest of prospective home buyers. The internet savvy buyer will only click on “see more photos” if the initial photo is a good one. Sellers are often advised to cut trees down, trim shrubbery, plant flowers, remove cars from the driveway, among other “improvements” to ensure the perfect front of home photo. If you do not catch their attention in the first photo, research shows that often times buyers will pass you by. The lesson to be learned here is to one: Make sure the photo of the front of your home is amazing and two: make sure that the first photos home buyers see is the front of your home. Statistically, you will be more likely to catch their attention.

The market has spoken…Re-evaluate your asking price

As we begin to place another “real estate buying season” in the history books, it may be time for you to evaluate your asking price if you have gone the entire season without selling your home. A very wise and almost philosophic approach to this dilemma is a tried and true real estate saying that Paige Slyman has learned to live by, “The market has spoken.” Basically, this means that current market conditions are telling you that your current price needs to be re-evaluated if your home is not selling at the price you currently have it listed as. Paige Slyman is experienced in advising and guiding clients on what home sellers should be asking for considering current real estate market conditions.

Ensure directions, map book and page number is correct

This piece of advice ties in to the previous advice about keeping your photos current. It is essential that you ensure that your directions, map book and page number in your MLS listing or any other marketing materials you have are correct, accurate and clear. It is imperative that you make it as easy as possible for real estate agents to get the information they need to show your home. If you don’t, it is quite possible they will move on and show homes being sold by someone that took the time to make it simple and straight forward. It is also important for your real estate professional to remove negative comments such as “if the listing again shows the home the buyer’s agent will not get full commission.” This is unnecessary and often times angers real estate professionals and turns off potential buyers.

Ensure showing instructions are not appointment only.

It is very important to make sure that your home is not being shown with appointment only. This may be a bit of an inconvenience for you, but in the long run, it will work out to your benefit. Real estat professionals show their clients several perspective homes and if your “appointment” times do not match the schedules of both the real estate professional and their clients, more than likely your home will not get shown.

Use specific verbiage, not general jargon and fluff descriptive words

Most home buyers are savvy, and using words such as “great home” or “wonderfully decorated” is often ignored and viewed as biased fluff. When describing your home, get to the point and give key aspects you know home buyers will find as buying points.

In closing, often times selling your homes requires you to step back and put yourself in the position of both the real estate professionals showing your home and the potential buyers you are looking to entice to choose your home as opposed to the thousands of other homes on the market in the metro Atlanta area.

In a market where competition is fierce, it is imperative that you develop marketing and selling strategy that will set your home apart from the cluttered market and put you on the fast track to selling your home. If your home has been on the market for an extended period of time, contact Paige Slyman to begin the process of implementing higher level tactics to ensure that your home will sell. Numbers don’t lie and Paige has the proven track record to back up the success of his proven selling techniques.

Give us a call at 770.405.0100 x 2 or email us at paige@paigeslyman.com

A look at the differences: Why you should hire a Real Estate Broker

In general, most people are under the impression that all real estate professionals have the same level of educational requirements and adhere to the same ethical guidelines; however, this is simply not the case.

In fact, there are three types of real estate professionals: real estate agent, REALTOR® and real estate BROKER. If one were to compare the three types to our education system; the real estate agent is the equivalent of obtaining a bachelors degree, a REALTOR® is the equivalent obtaining a master’s degree and becoming a real estate BROKER is the educational equivalent of earning a doctorate degree in the real estate world. In addition to supplementary education requirements for both REALTORS® and BROKERS, these professionals take an oath to uphold strict ethical guidelines that someone with the title of real estate agent is not required to take.

Statistically, only 18% of all real estate professional have earned the right to have the title of “BROKER.” In addition due to his sales volume he has achieved top 12%. Paige Slyman of Slyman Real Estate is proud to say that he has joined the ranks among the “real estate elite.” The information below is meant to inform you of the differences between the three types of real estate professionals and help you make a more educated decision on choosing the real estate professional that is right for you.

In most states, real estate professionals can only become a real estate BROKER after an extensive period of time serving as a real estate agent or REALTOR® before the real estate profession qualifies to take the additional training required to become a real estate BROKER.

The difference between Real Estate Brokers and Real Estate Agents

Real Estate BROKERS have additional rights and responsibilities to serve the public that real estate agents do not have.  These rights include but are not limited to having the ability to managing other real estate professionals and the right to own and operate their own real estate firm. Of course, as stated earlier in this blog, there are tremendous educational, experience and ethical obligations that also separate a real estate agent from a real estate BROKER.

The difference between Real Estate BROKERS and REALTORS®

Not all REALTORS® can be a real estate BROKER. The reason is because to become a real estate BROKER, one must obtain additional educational requirements and a REALTOR® does not qualify to sit for these educational components to get their brokerage license until they have a certain amount of experience either as a real estate agent or a REALTOR®. At the most basic level, to be a REALTOR® means that the professional is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and have taken the association’s oath to uphold its strict and highly enforced code of ethics and standards of care.  Most real estate BROKERS are members of the National Association of REALTORS®, but the fact is, some are not.

What is the code of ethics taken by REALTOR®?

The REALTOR® Code of Ethics is strictly enforced and contains 17 Articles of Standards of Practice that is designed to hold the industry and its professionals to a high level of integrity, ethics and educational requirements.

In closing, when choosing a real estate professional it is crucial that you choose someone that is knowledgeable, experienced and committed to upholding ethical standards that protect you as a home buyer or seller. Paige Slyman has earned the title of real estate BROKER and has proudly taken the ethical oath given by the National Association of REALTORS®.  He has over 2 decades experience honorably serving the Atlanta real estate community with that title. If you hire someone that does not have the title of REALTOR® or real estate BROKER they are NOT bound by the same ethics and guidelines and you are literally putting the biggest investment of your entire life… You’re home… in the hands of someone that has not taken an oath to ensure that you are treated fairly and ethically or with the most education and experience in the real estate market.

Give us a call at 770.405.0100 x 2 or email us at paige@paigeslyman.com.

 

Slyman Real Estate Services Part 2: Selling Your Home

Selling a home can be a daunting task, add into the mix factors such as a down economy and the fact that it is a buyer’s real estate market and it can feel almost impossible. However, with the help of an experienced and trusted real estate professional it doesn’t have to be. Expert REALTOR® Paige Slyman in Marietta, Georgia has a distinguished over 2 decade career guiding metro Atlantans in both the home buying and home selling process.

Deciding to sell your home in a down economy requires careful planning and consideration. It is essential that home sellers are proactive and become informed about what to expect during the home selling process so their home will be a viable contender in the current hyper competitive buyer’s market.

Celebrated for his incredible industry knowledge and real estate know how, Paige Slyman recommends that home seller’s pay particular attention to the following:

-Accurately pricing the home being sold is a fundamental aspect of the selling process. If a seller fails to price the home correctly, it simply will not sell in the down market we’re in. Although it is not easy, sellers must price their home for what it’s worth. One must note that what the home is currently worth is not necessarily the same price as what the seller paid for the home or what the seller thinks the property is worth. An experienced and knowledgeable real estate professional will guide the home seller in developing an appropriate price for the home being sold.

(If a seller is not willing to sell their property for less than what they bought it for, they might be a candidate for property management. Check out our recent blog on our property management services and how this could be a viable option.

-Hiring a reputable and respected REALTOR® is the most effective and efficient way to market a home being sold on the real estate market. Each of Paige Slyman’s listings are viewed online, an average of 14441.28 times per month. In fact, As a result of his innovative marketing strategies, Paige averages 56 customer contacts per month, three times the national average.

-Home sellers must properly stage the home being sold to ensure that it grabs the buyer’s attention. Often times, the difference between getting an offer and not getting an offer depends upon the way the seller presents the home to potential buyers. The basics of home staging are depersonalizing and de-cluttering: packing up personal photographs, family heirlooms, and anything else that might prevent buyers touring the home from dreaming about their new life in the home.

In closing, choosing the right REALTOR® is the most important decision a person selling a home will make. When choosing a REALTOR®, home sellers should consider factors such as experience, industry knowledge, efficient and effective marketing strategies and having a proven track record. Paige Slyman is an Atlanta real estate industry leader and has the expert knowledge to accurately and successfully guide the home seller to maximize their return on investment and minimize the amount of time the home is on the market.  

Give us a call at 770.405.0100 x 2 or email paige@paigeslyman.com.

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