How to Get the Most Bang for Your Buck When Upgrading Your Home

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Every seller wants to get the best value for their home, right? Of course they do. But how do you take this goal and turn it into a reality? Actually, there are several quick fixes you can do to boost your home’s value before putting it on the market.

Amping up the appliances, upgrading your cabinets or countertops, switching out the kitchen sink, installing a charging station, and even giving your walls a fresh coat of paint will all bring a high return on your investment.

These are just a few of the ways you can add value before you sell, however.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Why Now Is a Great Time to Sell

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I hope the new year has been treating you well, and if you’ve been waiting until 2019 to sell your home and move, now’s the perfect time to do so. Waiting until spring means you’ll be dealing with a lot of competition, but the buyers we have now are incredibly motivated to make a deal. Reach out to us today and we can get the home selling process started while the timing is still perfect.

Looking to Sell Your Home? MacIntyre & Cowen Are the Realtors for the Job

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Home sellers: Are you looking for someone experienced, trustworthy, and knowledgeable about the market to help you sell your home for the most money possible?

Peter MacIntyre of MacIntyre & Cowen RE/MAX Real Estate Professionals Grand River is the agent for the job. Peter can offer you an intense, 12-step marketing plan to capture the maximum number of buyers for your home. Our show-stopping staging ideas combined with cutting-edge marketing tools that swarm your market will get your home seen by as many potential buyers as possible.

Peter understands the current market, and he works with sellers to help them make good business decisions and get their homes sold for top dollar—and fast.

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Peter can offer you an intense, 12-step marketing plan to capture the maximum number of buyers for your home.

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We are the experts, and we specialize in residential, luxury, relocation, and new construction home sales. We have expert buyer’s agents who understand both the real estate market and the financing programs available to work around your busy lifestyle.

We create a plan so our clients feel completely equipped every step of the way. We produce professional photographs, drone aerial pictures, or virtual 3D Matterport tours that will showcase your property to potential local and out-of-town buyers.

MacIntyre & Cowen RE/MAX Real Estate Professionals also provides you weekly updates, including feedback from the prospective buyers and agents. After all, follow-up is everything.

Your home will be so enticing that buyers can’t help but make an offer—something we're proud to consistently accomplish for our sellers. To find out the value of your home now, feel free to reach out to us. We’d love to be your real estate resource.

Now Might Be a Great Time to Sell Your Home

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Our market is definitely a seller’s market—it’s been unbelievable.

On the selling side, I normally keep 80 to 100 listings at any given time. This past year, if I got 50, that was a lot. I was scared to death that I was losing my inventory.

Looking at the statistics, the average days on market went from 36 days in 2016 to 24 days in 2017, and from there, it’s gone down to 18 days this year. The homes we list often receive offers the very afternoon they’re listed—they’re flying off the market. Some clients are frustrated because they can’t get to the homes fast enough.

Additionally, the average sales price has gone up by almost $20,000 from 2017 to 2018, which is a considerable increase.

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Though many think that this time of year is slow for real estate, that’s not the case in our office.

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Because of all this, if you’ve ever thought about selling your home, now is the time to do so.

Though many think that this time of year is slow for real estate, that’s not the case in our office; some of my best months have been November and December.

If you have any questions or are looking to sell your home, reach out to us. Our team offers great customer service and communication, which is critical in a transaction. We’re going at it 24/7, with four full-time assistants to help on the listing side. We’d be happy to speak with you and form a plan of how you can take advantage of this opportune seller’s market.

Read Up on How to Get More Money for Your Home

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If you haven’t sold a home in the last five to 10 years, a lot of things have changed about our real estate market.

In fact, our market is changing constantly, so if you’re thinking of selling your home soon, I recommend that you read my book “How to Get More Money for Your Home.”

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If you’d like a free copy, just call us at (517) 999-2675 and we’d be glad to send you one.

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It’s a simple read, but it contains a lot of great, helpful points that explain how to sell your home for the highest possible price. If you’d like a free copy, just call us at (517) 999-2675 and we’d be glad to send you one.

If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me as well. I’d be happy to help you.

Sellers: Right Now Is a Fantastic Time to List

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There are many, many buyers out there today in our local market. However, there simply aren’t enough homes out there to match this high level of buyer demand.

If you’ve been thinking of selling your home, now may be the ideal time to do so. I myself sold my home this past year, and I was very successful in that transaction.

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If you want to sell your home quickly and for top dollar, don’t hesitate to seize this opportunity.

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So, if you want to sell your home quickly and for top dollar, don’t hesitate to seize this opportunity. Listings these days are commonly seeing multiple offers and are often selling for thousands above list price. 

If you have any other questions, would like more information, or want to know how my team can help you list, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Need a Reason to Sell This Winter? Here Are 5 of Them

Today I have five reasons why winter can be a great time to sell your home.

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Today I wanted to touch base with all of you and discuss five reasons why you should want to sell your home this winter. Despite the common myth that winter is a bad selling season, it’s actually a good time, and here’s why:

5. Inventory is still low, which means that demand is strong. It hasn’t been this low for quite some time, and homes that are put on the market are usually off the market within a week to 30 days.
 
4. There’s less competition. If you wait until spring, you’ll have to contend with the fact that everyone else will be listing their homes then as well. During the winter, there are typically fewer homes on the market, which means yours will stand out.

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If you wait til spring, you’ll have to contend with the fact that everyone else will be listing their homes then as well.

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3. The selling process will be quicker. Our average days on market at the moment is 38 days, which is the best that it’s been in my 15 years in the industry.

2. There will never be a better time to move up or scale down.
 
1. It’s time to move on with your life.

We’ve got a great team here in the office, all of whom will help you from start to finish in the process of selling your home. If you need our assistance with selling or with other real estate actions, feel free to reach out to us. We’d love to help you reach your goals.

Should You Sell Now or Wait Until Spring?

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Fall is a beautiful time of year in the Lansing area, so I wanted to talk to about listing a property here during this time of year.

This has been the best year ever for us in real estate—truly phenomenal.

We see some of our best numbers, on a monthly basis, during November and December. People have this mindset that the market slows down during the fall and winter time, and that’s not true at all.

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We see some of our best numbers during November and December.

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If you’re thinking of selling your home, now is the time to do it. The buyers are dead serious and frustrated with the low inventory, so don’t hesitate. Many people think waiting until spring is the right way to do it, but springtime is when everyone else comes on the market, so you’ll see a lot more competition from fellow sellers.

If you need any help selling your home this time of year, give us a call. My team and I would be happy to help you!

The Benefits of Working With a Buyer’s Agent in Our Seller’s Market

If you’re thinking about buying a home, you’ll want to work with a buyer’s agent. I’ll go over the benefits of doing so today.

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What are the benefits of having a buyer’s agent in today’s market?

Currently, we’re in a strong seller’s market. Houses are flying off the market as soon as they are listed. In fact, a house can be listed and sold on the same day. A lot of times, if you are relying on yourself alone or the Internet alone, it’s very difficult to snag a home because of the quick turnaround.

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Houses are flying off the market as soon as they are listed.

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It is very important to align yourself with a knowledgeable agent who’s going to help you find a home quickly and make sure that you get a good deal on that home.

Another benefit to working with a buyer’s agent is gaining access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). With the MLS, you’ll be able to see listings as soon as they come on the market, which is a huge advantage. Internet home search sites can take up to two days to update, which means a home that pops up on one of those sites might be sold before you even get the chance to see it.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We’d be more than happy to help.

The Best Time to Sell in a Long Time

We’ve got an incredible seller’s market on our hands. If you’ve been entertaining the idea of selling, it’s time to seriously consider it.

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 Looking to sell in Greater Lansing? Get a Home Price Evaluation

I’ve got a quick message for homeowners out there today. I was just looking at some of the latest numbers here for our market, and I’m floored by how good they are.

We’re in an incredible seller’s market right now. As soon as we list a property, we are getting multiple offers. Sometimes we are getting them on the day the home hits the market.

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I haven’t seen a market like this since 2003.

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I haven’t seen a market quite like this since all the way back in 2003. If you’ve ever entertained the idea of selling your house, now is absolutely the best time to do that in the last decade. 

If you have any questions for me about the market or you’re interested in selling your house, give me a call or send me an email today. I look forward to hearing from you.

Don't Try to Sell Your Home Without This

About 90% of today's homebuyers start shopping for their next home online. That has major implications on how you present it.

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In this week's edition of Mac Facts, we're discussing the importance of photography and video in buying or selling a home.

Up to 90% of homebuyers shop for homes online, so it's crucial that a property's photos are shot by professionals. I'm always surprised at how bad some photos of homes I see online are. Sometimes I think, “Really? Did anybody look at this at all?"

When you have a photographer come to your home, you also need to be mindful of the home's condition and that everything is in the right place because some things you just can't change. We're lucky enough to get to put up to 50 photos of a home online, and that's a lot. They really let you get a good look the property, which is why it's so important for the space to look nice and present well.

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You need to be mindful of your home's condition as well as its showability.

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Since we live in Michigan, you have to think about the season as well. Since it's winter, do you have some photos of the home from the summer that we can possibly show? Keep that in mind if you're thinking about selling your house before the springtime. The buyers out looking in the winter are real, not tire kickers.

If you'd like some more information about professional photos or about selling your home, give me a call or send me an email. I'd be glad to help you.

Don’t Believe the Hype—Now Is a Great Time to Sell

Don’t believe the myth that winter is a bad time to put your home on the market. Now is a great time to sell your home, and today I’ll tell you why.

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A lot of sellers out there believe that this time of year isn’t a good time to list their homes, but that notion is false. Now is a great time to put your home on the market. Why?

First of all, there are a lot of buyers out there that are dead serious about buying a home—far more than any tire-kickers or looky-loos that would only waste your time. Secondly, inventory is very low in our area, but that will change once spring arrives. If you wait for warmer weather to list your home like everybody else, you’ll deal with a flooded market and increased competition.

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If you’re thinking about selling your home, now’s the time to do it.

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The first of the year is right around the corner, and January and February are great months to be a seller. If you’re thinking of selling your home, now’s the time to do it.

If you’re interested selling your home soon, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We would love to help!

Refinance Appraisal Vs. Regular Appraisals

Many times homeowners think that the value that they get back from a refinance appraisal is their home’s true value. Most times, this just isn’t the case.

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The market is booming here in Michigan, and today I’m joining you from one of the many listing appointments that I’ve been on lately. I’ve noticed that many people at these listings are actually showing me values that they’ve gotten from refinance appraisals, so I just wanted to break down the ways in which refinance appraisals differ today.

In a refinance appraisal, the bottom line is that the bank wants to lend you money no matter what. Because of this, the refinance appraisal is probably going to come in a little bit higher than a traditional appraisal would.

This is important to know because some home sellers see the amount that their house appraised for on the refinance appraisal and expect that it represents the true value of their home. Sometimes this just isn’t true.

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A refinance appraisal isn’t the same as a sale appraisal.

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It’s important to understand that a refinance appraisal isn’t the same as a sale appraisal and that the type of appraisal you get on your property largely depends on the type of loan that’s going to finance the sale of the property. The refinance appraisal will usually be higher than the other types of appraisals because it is in the bank’s best interest to loan you money and make sure that the property appraises at a high price.

If you have any other questions about appraisals or obtaining a loan, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

The Importance of Professional Photos

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I wanted to take a minute to talk about the importance of photography and having a professional capture photos of your home. You don't want just anyone taking photos of your home to use for marketing purposes.

Some of the photos I see people put up just amaze me because they're such low quality. Did you know that roughly 90% of people shop for homes online, just like they would shop for anything else? If the photos of your home aren't good, those people aren't even going to come look at it. You don't have long to grab someone's attention on the Internet.

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You only get one chance at a first impression.

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That's why it's so important to have a professional shoot photos of your home that capture a buyer's attention.

Years ago, many companies used to pay for professional photography; now, since many agents have to personally pay for it, they choose to take pictures - to be completely honest - are just crappy. It's amazing that some people even put them online.

We always have a professional come out for photos, as well as videos and a virtual tour as well. It's the number one thing that buyers see, so it's silly not to have the best photos possible.

If you have questions, please feel free to give me a call. I'd be happy to help you.

Your Zestimate Is Likely Inaccurate

                             

                              Looking to buy in Greater Lansing?  Perform a full home search

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I just got off the phone with an angry seller. They were recently online looking at Zillow’s Zestimate for their home’s value, and saw that it was $100,000 off from where we priced it. I understand this seller’s anger, but I also understand how inaccurate these estimates are. Zestimates are typically 5% to 15% off the actual market value of the home. Zillow also owns Trulia, which could make just as big an error on their estimation.

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Zestimates are rarely accurate.

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The truth is, you shouldn’t pay much attention to all this online stuff. If you give us a call, we can give you a free market analysis of your home. Another good option is hiring an appraiser; a third-party who can give you an honest, professional opinion of the home’s value. The people at Zillow don’t have a clue what your home is really worth because they don’t take into account important factors that affect value, including location, updates, and improvements.

Your home's true market value is likely not even close to what a Zestimate says it is. In fact, the CEO of Zillow recently sold his home for 40% less than what the Zestimate said it was worth. He’s ignoring it, so that tells me you should too. 

If you have any questions for us or want to know your home’s true value, give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you.

Why Conditions Are Perfect for Selling

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The Federal Reserve is set to meet again soon and they are likely to raise interest rates when they do. This means that mortgage rates will be going up and a few buyers who were able to afford a home right now won’t be able to anymore. It’s been a long six-year recovery from the last recession, but in the last year or two it’s been a great market for sellers.

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We’ve been very successful in this market.

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However, there is no doubt in my mind that we’re going to have a market correction soon. It’s likely to come next year. If you’ve ever entertained the idea of selling, now is a good time to make the jump. We’ve been very successful in this market lately and our current inventory is depleted. We’re getting multiple offers on nearly every listing, and buyers are scrambling to buy up homes before those interest rates go up.

There’s a great opportunity out there for you if you're a home seller. If you have any questions or would like our help in taking advantage of these conditions, give us a call or send us an email.

The No. 1 Priority When Preparing to Sell

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I wanted to touch base with you briefly about decluttering your home when preparing to list in Lansing. I personally think it’s the number one key thing in order to get a home sold relatively quickly. I’ve gone into so many homes, and have listed hundreds and possibly thousands of homes over the years, and I’m just a little surprised.

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I think it’s the number one key thing to getting a home sold quickly.

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Whenever I move, the decluttering is always the first thing we do; packing stuff up, putting things away, making sure everything is nice and neat, and generally just getting rid of “stuff.” As humans I think we just have a tendency to hold onto stuff, but I think if you’re getting ready to sell your home, it’s the number one priority. This decluttering ranges from closets to clothes to knickknacks and any possessions that just sit in the crawl space or anywhere, really. It’s time to break them out and give them to family members or the Goodwill.

A quick Google search will actually give you some websites with really great ideas for decluttering places like closets and basements.

If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to ask me. Just give me a call.

Quick and Easy Lansing Home Selling Tips

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I recently read an article in Consumer Reports called “The Real State of Real Estate” and I found some fantastic insights into the current market.

It shared great tips for both buyers and sellers. In the article, you can find a portion titled “8 Ways to Boost Your Home’s Value” that shares how you can increase your home’s value by as much as 35%. 

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Kitchens are the most important thing to focus on when selling.

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Kitchens are the most important thing to focus on when selling. Cabinets in particular are something you want to address in order to get the best possible selling results.

If you’re interested in this incredibly helpful document, give us a call or shoot us a quick email. It includes great ways to get ready to sell that we think you’ll find incredibly helpful. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Is Now the Time to Sell Your Lansing Home?

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Today, I just want to touch base and explain why now is an ideal time to sell your Lansing home. 

If you've been thinking about selling your Lansing home, you need to take your curb appeal to the next level and price your home right. If you plan on making renovations and updating your home, don't list your home until you have completed those projects.

It's easier for you, and the results will be better, if you get your home ready before listing it. If your home is ready to go by the time the first potential buyers come view it, you will sell quickly.

If you need assistance selling your home, don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to make the process as smooth as possible. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

The Importance of Curb Appeal When Selling

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Today, I just want to quickly touch base with the sellers out there to let them know that right now the market is ideal for a successful home sale!

If you're planning on selling, the first thing to focus on is curb appeal! It's crucial if you want to get buyers into your home. An unappealing exterior will scare potential buyers away before they even step through the door.

The goal is to make your transaction go as quickly and smoothly as possible. Take your time and get your home looking great before listing it - it will make all the difference.

If you have any questions about how you can get your home ready for the market, give us a call or shoot us a quick email. We would love to give you a hand!