ERA Justin Realty 2012 Tips on Dressing Your House For a Good Showing

The ERA Justin Realty broker team, Carol Darby, Ron Darby and Jennifer Darby Metzger offer suggestions on preparing your house for a good showing. In a competitive real estate market, staging and proper pricing can make the difference for a successful sale.

 

 ERA Justin Realty 2012 Tips on Dressing Your House For a Good Showing

As many recognize, positive signs abound for the 2012 regional real estate markets. The Meadowlands communities are perfect examples of that strength in listings and sales.

Ron Darby, Jennifer Darby Metzger and Carol Darby, ERA Justin Realty brokers completing their January review, report strong listings coming to market and positive signs from the many new contracts that the firm has just negotiated.

As important a landmark as buying a home is in people’s lives, you'd be surprised at how much of it can turn on snap decisions. If you're selling a house you'll have to put careful thought into customers’ first impressions, because many sales will be made or lost before they reach the front door – or as soon as they walk through it.

Jennifer Darby offers a menu of possible ‘first impression’ areas that an owner may want to consider.  “First consider curb appeal – the feeling customers get from the upkeep of the house and grounds, and how comfortable this makes them imagining themselves as a resident. You want to do everything you can to make them see your house as their house, both outside and in.  A new paint job is an investment that should more than pay for itself, and neat landscaping – trimmed shrubs, new flowers – puts your prospective buyers in just the right frame of mind. Inside, kitchens and bathrooms should be in sparkling condition – these rooms are known to be what makes up many home-seekers’ minds. Removal of odors like pet smells and smoke will lessen distractions for customers you want focusing on your home’s possibilities, and clearing of clutter is crucial.

The less belongings you have crowding your rooms and closets, the bigger the home will appear, and the easier it will be for potential buyers to envision placing their own possessions there. Put some things in storage if you need to, or hold a garage sale to help cut down on some of the build-up you were going to clear out for moving anyway.  For buyers picturing themselves in your home, it’s also good to present the house in as general taste as possible – personal memorabilia, collectibles, and eccentric wall colors and furnishings should go out with the clutter. Repainting rooms in a neutral white also helps convey the sense of spaciousness.  Clean windows, fresh flowers, and other small details with big impact – they’re what you want to remember. From major improvements to subtle touches that tip the scales in your favor, the features of a house that we often take for granted can be the ones that determine your home selling success. According to the National Association of Realtors^®, curb appeal alone accounts for strong percentages of all home sales.”

Jennifer continued, “A little effort now saves you a lengthy process later. First impressions will expedite the sale, and securing our services will help make it all the surer. One of our ERA Justin Realtor professionals can guide you in all the above matters and more, from supplying a checklist of presentation tips, to recommending affordable painting contractors from his or her industry connections, to helping you stage the furniture. Whatever it takes, we can give you confidence that, for some buyer soon, the showing of your home will be love at first sight.  We also will provide a 2012 home market analysis  (CMA) with information in determining the true value of a house and the right asking price. In the end, however, the homeowner should decide on a price that he or she feels is competitive and consistent with the price at which other houses in the area have sold. Our CMA report for our Sellers is truly comprehensive in all aspects.  Complete with color photos and detailed information, it make pricing easier for those planning a sale.  Truly, there is a difference in real estate companies, and our details will make the difference. We ask Buyers and Sellers to compare.  We believe that in order to exceed expectations of what ERA Justin Realty is about, we don’t offer just real estate basics, we try to be as comprehensive as possible.  In that way, we know that our Buyers and Sellers will hold us all in the highest regard.”

ERA Justin Realty proudly received the prestigious ERA world-wide 2003-2012 ‘Commitment to Excellence Award’, selected from all ERA real estate firms worldwide. Only outstanding business entities are honored and receive it.

For more information on CMAs and dressing your house for a good showing, consumers can reach the ERA Justin Realty sales team at either of their two Rutherford offices at 118 Jackson Avenue or 57 Park Avenue. By phone at (201) 939-7500, (201) 438-0588 or (201) 438-SOLD.  Additional real estate information is also available at the firms 1000s of homes website at www.ERAJustin.com

ERA Justin Report: Markets suggest now is the time to buy a home

2012 is to be a year of real estate decisions for hundreds of area buyers and sellers. It is an important time in a market that may have reached its bottom to select a Realtor professional who is trained to understand the market and can assist in proper determinations to be made. The ERA Justin Realty team of professionals stand ready to assist.

 

ERA Justin Report: Markets suggest now is the time to buy a home

What is the most important things a seller should look for when hiring a real estate agent to sell their house? How many houses has the agency sold and closed in their town? Is it the size of the company they are licensed with? Details of their  marketing program? Their years experience in the business?

There are many things that should be taken into consideration when hiring someone and giving them the responsibility for selling your home. According to ERA Justin Realty Broker Co-owner, Jennifer Darby Metzger, "With information from the well respected KCM group, we agree these things are needed to be known and in our opinion, one of the most important questions you can ask a potential listing agent is a simple one. Do you truly believe that now is a good time to buy a home?

Why should this matter when hiring someone to sell your home? Although buyers are back, they do have questions about purchasing right now. They want to know they are making an intelligent choice. We believe, especially in today’s market, you need to hire someone who realizes that this is one of the best times in American real estate history to buy. If an agent doesn't believe that, how will they be able to convey this to a potential buyer to buy your home?

When interviewing a real estate professional, ask them to explain why purchasing a home makes sense today. They should be able to explain it simply and effectively."

Jennifer continued, "These positive quotes recently were noted." The Wall Street Journal  stated: “With home sales starting to improve, and with prices now possibly forming a bottom, real estate could well be the asset class that represents the best low-risk buying opportunity out there today.” Donald Trump said, “I'm pretty sure this is a great time to go out and buy a house. And if you do, in 10 years you're going to look back and say, ‘You know, I‘m glad I listened to Donald Trump’. John Paulson, a multi billionaire hedge fund operator and the investment genius who made a killing betting against housing a few years ago, is now bullish on residential real estate market. He recently said," If you don't own a home, buy one. If you own one home, buy another one. If you own two homes, buy a third. And, lend your relatives the money to buy a home.” A recent Gallup Poll showed that 67% of American’s think that now is a ‘good time’ to buy a home. The Gallup Organization went on to say, “Overall, there is good reason for most Americans to think now is a good time to buy a house. Interest rates remain near historic lows. Home prices are down sharply, providing many incredible buys.”

According to Ron Darby Broker Co-owner, “We work with our agents each day to help them achieve the goals of their buyers and sellers. In a constant changing real estate industry we invite new agents to join us. We want them to have the education needed for success. Opportunities are just a  phone call away."

 

Jennifer added, “We stress stability, a necessity for success in this new world of real estate. We also provide buyer potential with stronger area advertising than any other real estate firm in South Bergen County.  Two full color page advertisements of our listings in The South Bergenite and other ads in the Community News brings an abundance of potential buyers to our agents for their buyers while giving our sellers strong marketing exposure.  We proudly are considered a real estate market leader by thousands of sellers and buyers and hope to be the Realtor of choice to thousands more in the upcoming years."

ERA Justin Realty is once again honored as a ‘Top-100’ ERA firm worldwide and is the recipient of the ‘ERA Commitment to Excellence’ award from 2003 through 2011.  .

Jennifer concluded, “To learn more, phone us or view our websites at www.ERAJustin.com and www.ERAJustinRealty.com." ERA Justin Realty operates two state-of-the-art Rutherford offices at 118 Jackson Avenue and 57 Park Avenue.  By office phone (201) 939-7500, (201) 438-0588 or (201) 438-SOLD." 

ERA JUSTIN REALTY IN MOTION: READYING FOR MDA CAMP FOR KIDS

ERA Justin Realty Muscular Dystrophy Teams are focused on the 2012 MDA Summer Camp for kids program so they can enjoy a week of structured fun in the sun. Left to right: Ron Darby, Jennifer Darby Metzger, Cathy Vick, June Incorvaia, Glenn Elliot, Daniel Weiner, Justine Slater, John Boguszewski, Carol Calamari, Sal Macri and Adrian Tridel. The ERA  Justin kids joined the day and presented stuffed animal gifts to the campers.

 

ERA JUSTIN REALTY IN MOTION:  READYING FOR MDA CAMP FOR KIDS

The setting and plans for the ERA Muscular Dystrophy Summer Camp 2012 recently began.  Jennifer Darby Metzer Broker Co-owner met as plans were reviewed for ERA New Jersey offices and ERA Justin Realty who help MDA’s lifesaving mission and the summer camp program.

Jennifer stated, “This past fall, our ERA Justin Realty MDA coordinator teams of sales agents focused and succeeded in an outstanding fundraising effort in sending area MDA children to summer camp. It culminated at the MDA Labor Day Telethon when we presented our donations which were used for the kids summer camp program. We are know setting plans for 2012 for the kids.”

Ron Darby New Jersey ERA MDA Chairman continued,  “Our ERA Justin teammates spent time at summer camp with the kids.  At that moment, one can see how rewarding it is to participate.  We spent the day working with the kids in their arts and crafts projects, viewed their games and activities and enjoyed their varied conversations.  Each year MDA supports some 90 summer camps across the country. Whether in Alaska or Hawaii, in California or New Jersey, at MDA camp barriers simply don’t exist. A child with a disability can just be a child among friends. MDA camp is a magical place offering a wide range of activities specially designed for young people who have limited mobility or use wheelchairs. MDA camp programs, although structured, are conducted in a relaxed atmosphere that gives campers an unmatched opportunity to develop lifelong friendships, share interests and build self-confidence. Activities range from outdoor sports such as swimming, boating, baseball and horseback riding to less physically demanding programs like arts and crafts and talent shows. Thousands of youngsters attend MDA camp each year at no cost to their families.”

 For their efforts, ERA Justin Realty will again be inducted into the President’s Club of the Muscular Dystrophy Association to be held in New Orleans.

Jennifer concluded “We are requesting all of our area residents who would like to become involved in MDA fundraising for our Summer Camp 2012 program to reach us at our offices.  We are anxious to have as much help as possible.   We, and all of our ERA Justin Realty full service Realtors can be reached at either of our two Rutherford offices at 118 Jackson Avenue and 57 Park Avenue.  By office phone (201) 939-7500, (201) 438-0588 or (201) 438-SOLD.  More MDA information can be found on our website, www.ERAJustin.com.”