| Shelia Swaim's My Home In Alabama Blog
|
|
|
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
How to Get Your Home Ready to Sell
Prepping a Home for
Sale:
Simple Staging Tips for
Inside and Out
FOR THE INSIDE
·
Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture
throughout the house. Keep accessories
and objects on the furniture restricted to groups of 1, 3, or 5 items. In general, a de-cluttered home helps the
buyer mentally “move in” with their won things.
Rearrange or remove some of the furniture in your home, if necessary. Many times home owners have too much
furniture in a room. When it comes to
selling your home, thin out overcrowded rooms to make the rooms appear larger.
·
Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen
countertops. If it hasn’t been used for
three months…put it away! Clear
refrigerator fronts of messages, magnets, pictures, etc.
·
In the bathroom, remove any unnecessary items
from the countertops, tub, shower stall, and commode top. Keep only the most necessary cosmetics,
brushes, perfumes, etc., in one small group on the counter. Coordinate towels in one or two colors only.
·
Take down, reduce, or rearrange pictures and
object on walls. Patch and paint all
walls, if necessary.
·
Review the house interior, room by room, and…..
1. Paint any room needing paint.
2. Clean carpet and draperies that need it.
3. Clean windows.
·
Pack up and store. If you need room to store extra possessions,
get a storage unit.
·
Leave on certain lights during the day. During showings turn on ALL lights and lamps.
·
Set a background tune. Play light FM music every day in the house,
for all viewings.
FOR THE OUTSIDE
·
Go around the perimeter of the house and move
all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc., to the
garage or, if applicable, take them to the dump.
·
Check gutters and roof for dry rot and
moss. Make sure they are swept and
cleaned.
·
Examine all plants. Plants are like children… they grow so
fast. Prune bushes and trees. Keep plants from blocking windows: “You can’t
sell a house if you can’t see it!”
·
Remove any dead plants, weed all planting areas,
and put down fresh mulching material.
·
Keep your lawn freshly cut, edged, and
fertilized during the growing season.
·
Clear patios or decks of all small items, such
as little planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbeques, toys, etc.
·
Check the condition of the paint on your home,
especially the trim and the front door.
The first impression, or “curb appeal,” is very important.
IN GENERAL
Try to look at your
house “through a buyer’s eyes,” as though you’ve never seen it before. This exercise will help you see what needs to
be done. Any time and money invested on
these items will usually bring you the return of more money and quicker sale.
# posted by Shelia Swaim @ 10:21 AM
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
UPDATE on Market in Huntsville
http://www.realtor.org/sites/default/files/reports/2013/local-market-reports-2013-q4/local-market-reports-2013-q4-al-huntsville.pdf
# posted by Shelia Swaim @ 9:54 AM
Monday, November 11, 2013
Veterans Day 2013
I just want to take a few minutes and thank EVERY VETERAN who ever fought and sacrificed so much for this Country! I also want to thank all the FAMILIES who were not selfish with their loved ones!!! I cannot imagine having my son, or my daughters in battle! Before coming to the office this morning, I watched a "segment" on ESPN called "GOING HOME". I bawled like a baby watching children's faces when they saw their Daddy or Mommy come home unexpectedly! It was amazing!
I am so proud to be an American! Our Military gives us that freedom!
Thank you so much to all active, retired and deceased members of our Military! Without you, America would not be the Great Country that it is!
God Bless You and God Bless America!!!!
Sincerely,
Shelia Swaim
# posted by Shelia Swaim @ 10:12 AM
Monday, September 30, 2013
I just wanted to share this great link to lots of exciting things to do in North Alabama and Southern Tennessee in the month of October!
Pumpkin Farms, Maze and more! Have a very happy October!!!!
http://www.rocketcitymom.com/fall-activities-and-events-for-families-in-huntsville/
Oh yes, if you wanna buy or sell a house in October, that's great too! Call me!!!
Thanks so much,
Shelia
Shelia Swaim Team
Re/Max Alliance Madison/Huntsville
37 Hughes Rd.
Madison, Al 35758
sheliaswaim@gmail.com
www.myhouseinalabama.com
256-682-0268
# posted by Shelia Swaim @ 10:00 AM
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Madison County Alabama is a Hidden Gem!!!
Hello Everyone! I thought this week I would share some statistics on the sale of homes in the Madison, Al City Limits! Madison is a great city on it's own, a suburb of Huntsville! We are so blessed to live in a great part of the country that did not feel the "heavy hand" of economic downturn! We did lose "some" value, but nothing compared to hard hit areas! Values are headed up again and business is great! Come and visit us and don't forget to call me! I'll introduce you to the hidden gem of Madison, Alabama!
This month CNN Money rated Madison County, Al as # 7 in the Country for WHERE THE JOBS ARE! Just remember, when you come to take a look at the job market, I'm your Realtor! Call Shelia Swaim at 256-682-0268 Re/Max Alliance! Re/Max sells more real estate than any other company in the world!!
http://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/jobs/2013/08/12/best-places-job-growth.moneymag/7.html
Statistics Summaries Report |
|---|
Category - Residential
Statistics for Entire MLS from 7/1/2013 - 7/31/2013 |
|---|
Category:1
Area:MC |
|
| Total | Total List/Total Sold | Avg List | Avg Sold | Avg DOM | Avg CDOM | Median Price | %SP/LP | %SP/OLP |
|---|
| MARKET SNAPSHOT AS OF TODAY |
|---|
| Currently Pending | 106 | $29,182,802/ N/A | $275,309 | N/A | 32 | 38 | $281,685 | N/A | N/A |
|
| ON MARKET (7/1/2013 - 7/31/2013) |
|---|
| New (7/1/2013 - 7/31/2013) | 127 | $32,222,177/ N/A | $253,717 | N/A | 24 | 38 | $225,650 | N/A | N/A |
|
| OFF MARKET (7/1/2013 - 7/31/2013) |
|---|
| Sold | 109 | $29,202,824/$28,664,387 | $267,915 | $262,976 | 59 | 75 | $245,088 | 98% | 97% |
|
|
|
|
--Information on this report is not guaranteed. There is no express or implied warranty by MLS of the accuracy of information which should be independently verified.--
Copyright: 2013 by the Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS® Inc.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL SHELIA SWAIM AT 256-682-0268. RE/MAX MADISON/HUNTSVILLE AT 256-830-8900 OR 256-682-0268 PLEASE VISIT MY WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.MYHOMESINALABAMA.COM
Prepared by Shelia Swaim of Re/Max Alliance Madison on Tuesday, August 27, 2013 10:01 AM. |
# posted by Shelia Swaim @ 8:34 AM
Monday, August 12, 2013
MY FIRST BLOG
Good Afternoon, Everyone!!!!!!
I hope you're all having a fantastic Monday, Aug. 12th, 2013!!!
Today, I start a new endeavor. My Blog. I love to talk about Real Estate, now it's time to write about it. Please bear with me as I "learn" the best way to achieve great results! I would love to have feedback from all of you. Please tell me what YOU would like to know! This is not about me, it's about YOU!
A quick introduction:
My name is Shelia Swaim. I've been a Re/Max Agent for almost 10 years! I absolutely LOVE the red, white and blue. Yes, that Red, White & Blue, too! This is my thought process as a Realtor. I'm in it for the LONG HAUL. I don't want a paycheck now, I want a client for life! I want your business now, I want your business 5 years from now, when you're ready to up-size or down-size! I want you to speak up when you hear your friends and family talking about real estate and say, you need to call Shelia Swaim!! With that being said, (lol) I listen to what YOU want, not what I need to sell. That's where my motto comes in: "I'll work harder for you than you will for yourself!" And it's true.
This year we started the Shelia Swaim Team. My wonderful husband and best friend, Dave Swaim, joined me in an effort to grow our Team. He's been a Realtor for 4 years, but is now full time and I'm loving it! He was in the Army for many years and loves working with all our clients, but especially those in the Military!
Brenda Gaston is the 3rd member of the team! She has been in the business for 18 years and brings a wealth of knowledge about real estate and the mortgage industry! She is my right arm and my left one too!
Enough about us, now a little bit about the current market in North Alabama!!!
We are blessed to be living in this area! Yes, when everything crashed, we did experience a down-turn and a slow-down, but nothing like much of the USA. The market has really picked back and we are excited to see sales increasing and buyers and sellers getting their homes bought and sold! I'm going to share a few statistics about sales in the month of July, 2013.
| Total | Total List/Total Sold | Avg List | Avg Sold | Avg DOM | Avg CDOM | Median Price | %SP/LP | %SP/OLP |
|---|
| MARKET SNAPSHOT AS OF TODAY |
|---|
| Currently Pending | 663 | $131,865,224/ N/A | $198,891 | N/A | 66 | 83 | $179,000 | N/A | N/A |
| Currently Active | 4674 | $1,050,695,501/ N/A | $224,795 | N/A | 116 | 150 | $179,996 | N/A | N/A |
| Currently Contingent | 398 | $82,621,680/ N/A | $207,592 | N/A | 105 | 147 | $169,900 | N/A | N/A |
|
| ON MARKET (7/1/2013 - 7/31/2013) |
|---|
| New (7/1/2013 - 7/31/2013) | 1167 | $245,234,634/ N/A | $210,141 | N/A | 17 | 44 | $171,000 | N/A | N/A |
| Pending (7/1/2013 - 7/31/2013) | 477 | $91,460,174/ N/A | $191,740 | N/A | 74 | 98 | $167,930 | N/A | N/A |
|
| OFF MARKET (7/1/2013 - 7/31/2013) |
|---|
| Sold | 636 | $129,048,671/$125,570,512 | $202,906 | $197,437 | 81 | 108 | $169,475 | 97% | 88% |
| Withdrawn | 429 | $85,568,481/ N/A | $199,460 | N/A | 113 | 149 | $164,500 | N/A | N/A |
| Expired | 165 | $32,885,056/ N/A | $199,303 | N/A | 132 | 166 | $175,000 | N/A | N/A |
|
I hope you'll give me a call when you're ready to buy or sell your home! I look forward to the opportunity to EARN your business!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Shelia
P.S. THE NEXT BLOG WON'T BE SO LONG!!!! :)
Shelia Swaim
Associate Broker, GRI, ABR
www.myhouseinalabama.com
sheliaswaim@remax.net
256-682-0268
# posted by Shelia Swaim @ 1:09 PM
|
