Kristin Graziano Group

Park Scottsdale Experts

5 Tips to Consider in a Real Estate Transaction

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The Kristin Graziano Group is your go-to source of knowledge for all real estate matters! Check out our downloadable English or Spanish versions of 5 Valuable Things Buyers and Sellers Need to Know About a Transaction, like crafting a smart offer or staging the home for showings. This is a very practical piece to demystify the real estate process and help those who were hesitant to jump in feel more comfortable. Especially in today’s market.

This home is a great value for the market and with so many homes selling quickly it’s a rare opportunity. We have lots of homes like this one and we are ready to talk with you about your goals. Call us today at 480-229-6569.

New decade, new home decor trends

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2020 decor trendsA new decade is upon us. And with the dawning of this new decade comes the opportunity to embrace the interior design trends that will make your home feel fresh and new—and, just as importantly, leave behind the trends that feel tired and dated.

In a recent article from realtor.com, design experts shared their picks for the interior design trends you may want to leave behind in the new year. Some of the trends to ditch in 2020 include:

  1. Accent walls. Accent walls were all the rage—but instead of going bold on a single wall, 2020 will see bold, rich hues and fun, patterned wallpaper expanding to cover all four walls. As the old saying goes, go big or go home!
  2. Rose gold and millennial pink. Millennial pink and rose gold were go-to hues in 2019—but design experts expect to see bolder shades of pink take center stage in 2020.
  3. All things farmhouse. Farmhouse style has been everywhere in recent years (in large part thanks to Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper fame). But it looks like this trend has finally run its course—and homeowners will be ditching their farmhouse decor for more unique, eclectic interiors in the upcoming year.

So, what does that mean for you? If you’re thinking about selling your home, it’s important to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s trending (and what’s not) in interior design. That way, you can stage your home in a way that feels fresh, modern, and on-trend—which will appeal to buyers and help you sell.

Why You Shouldn’t Let A Website Tell You Your Home’s Value

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Picture this…

There’s an inexperienced real estate agent in your town.

He hasn’t sold any homes yet.

He wants to drum up some business.

So, he climbs up onto your roof and paints what he estimates to be the value of your home.

He feels like this could be a win-win:

YOU get to know the value of your house, so he was helpful to you, without even having to meet with him…

… and HE gets to show you how that he knows his stuff. Hopefully you’ll turn to him for help once you want to sell your home.

But you’re kind of ticked off, aren’t you?

First off, this guy painted on your roof. That’s just vandalism.

Beyond that, he wasn’t even close to accurate! The value he painted up there is tens of thousands of dollars off.

He didn’t even see inside your home

You notice he did the same thing to all the other houses in the area.

He seems off on the value of all of them.

It’s still kind of intriguing, though, because you’re like, “Hmm, I always felt like Bill’s place was worth less than mine. Looks like I was right. But there’s no way Gary’s house is worth more than mine, that agent is craaaazy. Unless maybe Gary did some major remodeling inside…”

But how would the agent know? He never even went inside your neighbor’s house. Or your house. Or anyone else’s house.

He just eyeballed everyone’s house from outside, and took a quick peek at some data available to the public. Then slapped his estimate up on your roof for everyone to see.

His estimates are all over the place. Some high. Some low. Once in a while he seems to be somewhat in the ballpark.

His “value” affects your actual value

Beside the fact that this guy vandalized your roof, now you have people sizing up the value of your home based upon a number he came up with, without even seeing inside your home.

It was careless and thoughtless.

He lacked respect for your privacy, your equity, and ultimately your wealth. The value of your home can now be viewed by anyone, for whatever reason they feel.

It would be even worse if you were in the middle of trying to sell your home, and now you have buyers pulling up, seeing your painted roof, and considering his estimate when (and if) they make an offer.

Can you imagine if a real estate agent actually did this?!

You’d probably want to report him to the police, his real estate broker, the real estate commission… and all of your friends, family and neighbors.

You’d want everyone to know not to trust this guy, or give him any business.

Online valuation sites are basically doing this to you

You’ve probably seen or heard about websites where you can look up the value of your house (or anyone else’s house) for free.

It seems great because there’s no need to even talk to a real estate agent. Just pop in the address, and voila, you get to see the value of the home.

You might figure that it’s super accurate, since they use fancy algorithms and stuff.

However, these online real estate valuation sites are all basically painting a number on your roof, without ever having gone inside, and without ever having sold a house. And they’re definitely not experts in your local market.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do about it.

They’re using public data to come up with their estimates. They didn’t steal anything. They didn’t actually paint on your roof (they just hover a value over it digitally).

They post disclaimers about their accuracy (or lack thereof), at least if you really, really look for them.

Plus, who would you even report them to anyway?!

Start valuing real estate agents’ values

The thing is, these sites exist because people tend to like them, and look at them. They wouldn’t exist if people didn’t continue to click on them. But people do.

They certainly are convenient, and entertaining, even if they are not accurate.

Many people just don’t want to deal with real estate agents, until and unless they have to. But that’s actually what you should be doing if you want an accurate value of your home.

Great real estate agents take a lot of time and pride in estimating the value of a home. This is not something you can do remotely by simply reviewing public data and algorithms.

In order to be accurate, even a local real estate agent needs to see inside of your home.

So, instead of encouraging these online valuation sites to exist, by visiting their sites and clicking around…

…click on a local real estate agent’s site, and invite him or her in to take a look at your house, and come up with an accurate value.

Don’t rely on an online valuation.

And, whenever possible, spread the word about the inaccuracy of these online valuations because they can affect the perceived value of your home… and beyond. And they will exist as long as people continue to pay them any attention.

Pay attention to real estate agents instead.

6 Reasons Your Should Avoid Buying A Home From A For Sale By Owner

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When you’re looking to buy a home, you may wonder, “Does it matter if the property is listed with a real estate agent or the owners who are trying to sell it themselves?” Um, yes. It matters. A lot. The truth is: When it comes to signing contracts, handing over escrow money, and digging into the home’s history, going it alone can end up costing homebuyers a bundle.

The following are 6 reasons to avoid a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) home.

1. Are you sure it’s legit?

Unfortunately, scams abound and the real estate industry isn’t immune. If you don’t have an agent looking out for your best interests, it’s easy to be duped. For example, would you know what a proper sales contract looks like if real estate is not your field of expertise? Depending on the state in which your reside, there are a number of legal forms that must be completed. In addition to a contract, property disclosures, occupancy agreements, and lead paint records are just a few documents that must be signed. Because sellers aren’t bound by a code of ethics as Realtors® are, there’s no way to be certain they won’t try to take an unsuspecting buyer for all he or she is worth. No would-be buyer should suffer sleepless nights wondering where that escrow money ended up.

2. Full disclosure

Obviously, when you’re making a significant investment you want access to as much information as possible. Real estate agents have the ability to get you the answers you need. Whether it’s about repairs made to the home or liens against the property, the more you can find out, the better off you’ll be when it comes to negotiating. Plus, no one likes an unpleasant surprise. Remember: Knowledge is power. On your own, would you know what to ask a seller? And, more to the point, would you know if a seller is hiding key information? It’s a risk better off not taking.

3. Are you a skilled negotiator?

In the course of doing business, you’ll probably have to go back and forth quite a bit — and not just about the price. What if repairs need to be made? Are you ready to haggle over who takes care of a leak or a structural issue? What if you can’t agree on a closing date? When you have an agent, he or she will handle all that for you.

4. Is money an issue?

The main reason sellers choose to sell their homes themselves is to save money by not having to pay an agent’s commission. So what happens if your seller is strapped for cash but problems pop up during a home inspection and they can’t afford to fix them? This, in turn, raises a red flag as you start to wonder if they took the cheap way out when making important home repairs.

5. Are you ready to deal with the homeowner all the time?

When it comes to arranging the home inspection or any other viewings of the house, your agent can serve as your go-between so you don’t have to contact the homeowner repeatedly. Unless you’re completely comfortable making all those appointments yourself, you should probably have someone representing your best interests.

6. What’s the timeframe?

When a seller hires an agent, you know they’re serious about making a deal. With a FSBO, are you sure the sellers are really going to get moving? Some may have put the home on the market just to see what offers it could attract. If you’re an interested buyer, you need to know that the seller is just as eager to make a move; otherwise you’re wasting your time and getting your hopes up for nothing.

Of course, there are reputable sellers out there, but when it comes to making one of the largest investments of your life, you don’t want to take any chances. Having a real estate agent working on your behalf at every stage of the transaction can offer peace of mind and end up saving you money and countless headaches.

As always we are here to answer your questions! Call us at (480) 229-6569 anytime!

Renovating To Add To Your Home’s Resale Value

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When you renovate your home, you want to get the most bang for your buck. Not only do you want to make your home a better place for you and your family to live, but you also want your renovations to add to your home’s resale value.

But what, exactly, are the features that will help your home sell faster?

According to recent data from Realtor.com (which analyzed more than 1 million single-family listings), the top three renovations that will help you sell your home quickly and at a prime price point? A chef’s or gourmet kitchen, a theater room, and a home gym. These renovation projects were named the “most profitable home features for sellers banking on quick sales.”

Those three features were deemed the most profitable. But they weren’t the only renovations that helped homes fly off the market. Also included on the list of features that will help your home sell faster include a three-car garage (#4), solar panels (#5), a home office (#9), and an in-ground pool (#10).

The Takeaway

If you’re thinking about renovating and adding features to your home, you’re going to want to think about your return on investment and choose a renovation that’s going to help your home sell quickly and profitably. Call us and we can do an initial walk through with you and talk through the areas you are considering.

To Stage or Not to Stage

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If you’re getting ready to put your home on the market, you might think all you need to do is get organized and show your home as is.

But if you want to sell your home, you should definitely consider staging.

Home staging, which involves redecorating a property to remove personal effects and make it more appealing to buyers, can have a huge effect on your ability to sell your home. According to the Profile of Home Staging Report from the National Association of Realtors, a whopping 77% of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for buyers to visualize a property as their future home.

If you can’t afford to stage your entire home, try staging the rooms that will have the most impact on potential buyers. According to the report, the most important rooms to stage for buyers are the living room (55%), the master bedroom (51%), and the kitchen (41%). And even if you only stage a few rooms in your home, it’s going to give you an edge over the competition. The report indicates that only 25% of sellers pay to have their house professionally staged.

The Takeaway

If you’re serious about selling your home, you should also get serious about staging. Staging helps potential buyers picture themselves living in your home—and the easier it is for potential buyers to picture themselves living in your home, the more likely they are to make an offer.

One of the things setting the Kristin Graziano Group apart from other agents and real estate teams is our staging. We offer the staging services as part of our services. Call us to learn more about this option! (480) 229-6569