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Grace Hughes
REALTOR®
    Years of Experience: 6

    GRI: Graduate REALTOR® Institute
    e-Pro Certified
    Loss Mitigation Specialist

Direct: (904) 233-1341



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Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners
Jacksonville, FL


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Home Sellers

Check Out The Three Most Commom Mistakes You Can Make When Selling Your Home For Sale By Owner

Friday, March 18th, 2011

Are You Planning To Become A “For Sale By Owner’ Home Seller in Jacksonville, Florida? This is the time of year when some home owners are planning to become Home Sellers in Jacksonville, Florida.  They have begun to prepare their home For Sale or have already placed their homes on the market for a Spring purchase.  With that in mind I thought I’d post a list of some of the mistakes that can be made by Home Sellers when selling their home:

Incorrectly Pricing Their Home – If the home is not priced at competitive market prices the home may not be viewed by potential buyers.  Home buyers looking in the area will be looking at a different price range when they come to the neighborhood.  This makes the home invisible to the potential home buyers looking in the area.  They simply will not see it since they are looking in another price range.  Overpricing increases the time on the market and increases the sellers costs over time.  Ultimately many overpriced properties sell below market prices because people think there are issues if they sit on the market a long time waiting for that one buyer that has the money to pay their price.

Not Fixing Up the Home and Showcasing It - A home must be spotless to get showings in the market today.  I sometimes send my potential home sellers around to look at other homes for sale in the area and to other competing neighborhoods so they will see for themselves.  So spruce up the house inside and out.  Touch up the paint and landscaping and keep it that way.

Mistaking Lookers For Buyers - Anyone that sells their home themselves always gets more activity than houses listed by agents.  Real estate professionals will only bring qualified buyers and these will be fewer than when someone holds an open house and whoever walks through the door is qualified to see your home.

About 95% of people that come to Open Houses are not bona fide buyers.  Most of these (about 70%) will have a home to sell first, 15 to 20 percent will live in the neighborhood and 10 percent are looking for decorating ideas.  So about 5% based on National Association of Realtors  statistics are truly potential buyers.  That means if 50 people see your home then less than 3 or 2.5 are genuine buyers.  A real estate professional will not spend their time showing a property unless they have qualified the client prior to walking them through your home.  A For Sale By Owner may end up with a parade of Sunday afternoon shoppers.

If you would like a complete list of Mistakes You Can Make When Selling A Home, please text or call at 904-233-1341 or send an email to: gracehughesjax@gmail.com.  Thank you for reading my blog.

Attention Home Sellers – Home Buyers Are Beginning To Buy Smaller Homes Again!

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

With baby boomers entering retirement, young adults delaying marriage, and the US economy in a state of flux, home buyers are beginning to purchase smaller homes again.  Home sellers, this means you may have a greater chance of selling your home than you  thought. Although home buyers still want luxury, they are beginning to put their stuff into smaller spaces.

According to the Census Bureau the square footage of new homes purchased in 2008 dropped to 2215 sq feet, down from 2277 sq feet.  This is the first drop in square footage of new homes purchased since the recession of the early eighties.

However, to sell your home you still need to make it look larger than it’s actual size.  Some ways to do this are:  fresh paint using neutral coloring, blending colors in medium to light shades; having carpet and walls done in similar color tones.  Also applying one continuous type of flooring throughout the home will make a home seem more spacious.

Additionally, move out all furniture except the bare essentials.  Even if  your china hutch is a family heirloom, it will serve you best in storage.  Daddy may also have to give up his big, over-stuffed recliner for a few months in order to clear a path for potential buyers to walk from the living room and dining area to the kitchen area, when they view your home.

One of my dear friends asked me what they would need to do to sell their home.  Theirs was one of the older homes in Jacksonville, Florida that had been maintained beautifully, and like some other older homes, had smaller, narrow rooms.  We discussed several ideas and they took my suggestions to heart.  He gave up his recliner, for one thing, and we had a sale within a short time.   I am proud to say, at closing, he was quick to point out, “They sold their home by using some of their realtor’s suggestions, and that stuff works!”

Creating the feeling of space is the key, and there are numerous ways to do this.  Stashing things away, for instance, lowering the ceiling in the hallway or raising the ceiling adjacent to it.  The good thing is you don’t have to be as concerned about those smaller rooms because buyers are beginning to love the smaller spaces.  However, as an article in Realtor.org magazine for February suggests,  ”You have to create the illusion of space.”

If you have a particularly challenging situation with a home, or just need to sell your home and need the advise of an experienced professional, I will be glad to discuss your home by phone.  My email is: gracehughesjax@gmail.com.  You can find all homes on the MLS and in the Greater Jacksonville area on my site, including those in Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Ponte Vedra, Mandarin, and other cities of Duval, St Johns and Clay Counties: www. FindaPlaceWithStyleNgrace.com. Go to the Property Search Page.

My direct line is 904-233-1341.

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