The Greater Capital Association of Realtors most recent monthly statistics indicate that the 393 closed sales in the six county region in February was a 17% increase compared to the same month in 2009.  It did however reflect a 17.5% decrease compared to February of 2008.

Following the same trend, the first two months of this year were up 7.5% from 2009 with 784 closed sales, yet still lagged about 22% behind 2008. In addition the region experienced a 16.7% surge in new listings at 1290. Pending sales were up 13.5% to 615 and there was a 7% increase in the median sales price of homes to $187,000.

James Ader, the association’s chief executive officer commented that “It has been some time since so many indicators were positive at the same time.“  Ader and other experts agree that the up to $8000 tax credit for homebuyers helped attribute to the significant increases in the Albany real estate sales.

Both he and the association’s president, Laurene Curtin feel that despite the fact that the credit will expire in April, the real estate market will continue to improve. Though she doesn’t see consistent across the board improvements every month and not at the levels of last month, she does expect the market to slowly start rebuilding itself.

Putting your home on the market involves some work. There may be repairs to make, cleaning to do, and perhaps some painting. But one of the first and most important things you can do before putting your home on the market is to de-clutter it as much as possible.

The objective is to make the home appear open and inviting when you are welcoming prospective buyers. The reality is a clutter-free home looks more spacious. Think less is more!

The first step is to decide what items are essential for everyday living. Once you’ve established that, you can begin to sort through the rest of your things. It helps to organize items into three categories, one to keep, one to sell and one to donate.

Having a garage sale is a great way to begin your de-cluttering process. After the sale, you may wish to donate any items that didn’t sell.

Once you have decided which of the items you are keeping, it is best to pack up and store off-site your personal items like collections and photos. This allows the buyer to visualize the space being their own, and prevents them from being overwhelmed and distracted by your stuff.

De-cluttering your home can be quite a process, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get the job done right.

If you have a lot of things to get rid of it may be wise to consider a junk removal service. These companies specialize in residential cleanup and will remove unwanted items - from small items to old furniture, appliances, etc. - from your home. They do all of the loading and cleanup for one predetermined price.

If you are overwhelmed by the process, or have accumulated a vast inventory of items over the course of many years, you may want to check out The STACKS Organizational System. It is a step-by-step method for dealing with de-cluttering and organizing your home.

Whether you decide to tackle it on your own or with the help of a professional, begin the process as soon as you make the decision to sell your house and keep chipping away until you get the results you want. Not only will you be getting your house in perfect “show” condition, you will also be preparing to make your packing and moving experience a much lighter, organized and easier one.

You’ve received an offer on your home, now what? Remember once you accept an offer, that offer quickly becomes a legal binding contract to sell. So, before you accept any offer there are a few steps you should take to make sure the deal is in your best interest.

1. First find out if the buyer has been pre-approved for the mortgage loan. Many deals are either held up or get canceled because the buyer can’t obtain financing - thus wasting valuable time.
2. Find out if the buyers is expecting you to pay for repairs or agent commissions. Add these together and subtract that number from the offer they are proposing. This number represents the actual offer they are making.
3. Ascertain is what your absolute bottom line is. Make certain that you research your costs and do the math.
4. Once you obtain the balance of your mortgage, ask your real estate attorney to estimate closing and escrow costs you will be responsible for.
5. These numbers will determine whether you are going to profit or pay out of pocket to close the deal.
6. The offer will have an expiration date. Most buyers will give you enough time to consider the offer carefully. However, If the deadline you have been given is short, find out why. Most of the time, if the buyer feels there are other interested parties, the deadline will be shortened in hopes of getting their offer accepted first.
7. Alert any other serious, interested parties that you have an offer on the table. Multiple offers can lead to a bidding war and reward you with the best possible deal.
8. Above all, consult with the experts. Be sure to have your attorney review the contract prior to accepting it. He can fine tune it and make suggestions you may have overlooked.

So the saying goes - “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.”  When selling a home, the sign in the front yard is a big part of that first impression. Yet, many Capital Region for sale by owner home sellers seem to overlook this critical piece of their marketing campaign.

I recently drove by a Guilderland home for sale by owner. I instantly knew the house was for sale by owner because of the sign by the road, so in that respect it did it’s job. But the sign was bent over and nearly touching the ground and I really had to struggle to read the hand-written phone number of the home seller. In addition, there was no flyer box attached to the sign for a potential buyer to pick up detailed information about the home. I remember shaking my head thinking to myself “What kind of impression does this convey about this home? Are they even serious about selling?”

This isn’t an isolated scenario. I see it all over. It’s seems that many homeowners just don’t seem to get the importance of professional signage when selling a home. Here are some guidelines to make sure your drive-by traffic is getting the best impression of your home.

Yard signs should be easily visible from the street, and have a contact phone number clearly displayed.

Directional signs should always be used if you live off the beaten path. Place them at the end of all streets leading to your house. Write your address on them. They will have an arrow pointing the way to your home.

If you’re having an Open House, use directional signs specifically made for this purpose. You can also add an Open House attachment to your yard sign that will specify the day and time of your Open House.

Put a flyer box out in the yard (preferably attached to the sign), and keep it stocked with flyers. The flyers should  include the following: a description of your home, the asking price, a contact phone number or email address, or both, and multiple photos of the home.

Our FSBO Albany sign package includes everything you need to attract that drive-by traffic! A professional and easily visible 18×24 yard sign with the photo flyer box attached, a phone number set for the sign, and directional signs.

When you place an ad with us, you will have the ability to print photo flyers from your ad on our website. The flyers include your full ad description with contact info, price and up to 8 photos…perfect!

When marketing your home, don’t underestimate the power of signs and flyers. Taking an all-inclusive approach to your marketing strategy will ensure that your efforts are rewarded with success! Good luck and Happy Homeselling!

Using high quality, multiple photos of your property in a real estate ad is critical to successfully selling your home.

Time and time again property ads that don’t feature photos get overlooked by prospective buyers in favor of ads that are really able to showcase the unique features of the home.

Not only do buyers favor ads with photos, they often times feel a seller is being deceptive by not using them. The consensus is that if a seller isn’t showing the home, there must be something to hide!

The quality of the photos you choose for the ad is extremely important. Use a good camera. A slightly overcast day is great for outdoor shots. A bright sunny day is best for interior shots.

Concentrate on taking quality photos of the features a buyer would be most interested in. Encourage them to imagine cooking in the beautiful gourmet kitchen, cozying up to a  family room fireplace, or splashing in a sparkling in ground pool.

Help peak your buyers interest and motivate them to call by showcasing your home in it’s best light. A well written ad featuring multiple quality photos will be your first step to initiating a successful and rewarding marketing campaign for your home.