The effect “Turning back the clock” has on the Rochester real estate market

Most people would not even think that turning back the clocks in the fall and switching out of Daylight Savings Time, would have an effect on the Rochester real estate market, but it does most definitely!

Remembering the old saying, “Spring ahead, Fall back.” It means that we turn the clocks back an hour this coming weekend. Most people readily think, “Great and extra hour to sleep, party, or do something.” I’m not saying these aren’t good things, but it also means to me that it is going to get dark at 4pm which means a reduction in the evening showings during the week.

When you cut back on the available hours you can show houses, it’s going to mean fewer sales! Tell me what your experience has been with this “turning back the clock.”

Home Staging

Home Staging is a word that today is synonymous with getting your house ready to sell. It’s a buzz word we hear all the time. So I decided to ask my friend Naomi Harel of Invision Design Partners to share with me some of her thoughts on the topic.

Home Staging is the art of preparing a home for sale by maximizing its appeal to the broadest range of potential buyers and creating immediate interest for purchase.

Wow, that’s saying it pretty concisely!

As most people naturally strive to personalize their homes with meaningful decorations, artifacts and specific aesthetic tastes or styles, Home Staging on the other hand, aims at creating an impersonalized space that would make it possible for others to imagine themselves living there and making it their own.

Some of the actions necessary for achieving this goal include painting with neutral colors and de-cluttering living spaces or simply put, removing junk!. Usually, the owner’s own furniture and accessories are rearranged for greater advantage and impact. On occasion, however, these types of items are brought in on a temporary basis to maximize the marketability of the home.

A home seller would greatly benefit from accepting that they must “let go” of their own personal taste in interior decoration in return for the creation of a neutral, warm and welcoming interior style that appeals to others. A practice that could bring a higher sales price and a speedy sale of the property.

The best strategy for achieving this goal may be to hire the services of an interior decorator who has an unbiased “eye” to see the living spaces as they will appear to potential buyers. For additional information on Home Staging go to Home Staging Tips.

What do you think about Home Staging and how do you handle it as an agent?

Outside Things to do around your Home in the Fall

I was talking to my daughter about their home the other day, and in the course of the conversation she asked me to remind her of the things they should be doing to their home in the fall. As I thought about the different things to do, it dawned on me that other people might also be interested in being reminded of these things.

Here we go with the outside first-

One of the first things that come to mind is the gutters. They will keep your basement dry if you will keep them clean of leaves and branches! As the leaves start falling it may be necessary to clean them 3 or 4 times before the snow flies. I know this is a lot, but they need to be kept clear of leaves when it starts to freeze and snow falls.

Second, cut down all the stalky dead plants, this will prepare the gardens for new growth in the spring and also keep the mice from making winter nests under it.

Next, walk around your house with a caulk-gun and look for areas where the caulk has dried up or fallen out. This will keep the cold drafts from seeping into your warm cozy home in the winter months and the bees from making nests in the summer months.

The fourth thing to do is walk around your house again but this time with a paint scraper and look at your window sills or wood areas where the paint is peeling. Scrap the peeling paint, sand the area, paint a primer over the bare wood, and then paint with finish paint. This will prevent the snow from decaying the wood over the course of the winter months.

Now you are ready for the winter winds and snow! Ugh! Well, at least the house is!
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