Aug 27, 2010

Homes That Are Overpriced Do Not Sell

You have certainly seen many wonderfully looking houses with the sign 'for sale' right next to them. That is nothing unusual, is it? Unless the sign is there for way too long. Why aren't these homes, in spite of their fabulous look, sold already? Think about it.

You may be partially right if you guess it is because of their not very attractive location. Yes, the house might look absolutely gorgeous but if no important facilities are in close proximity or if its surrounding is not nice, it does not matter how awesome the house looks. Such scenario is not all that common, though. The reason houses do not sell is quite different. Usually these stunning homes, which seemingly do not sell, are simply overpriced.

Buyers, naturally, do not even want to offer on such homes. The seller might be offended by an offer which is way below the requested price and the buyers may be embarassed by offering too little. They simply do not think it would be beneficial for either side. Furthermore, the sellers are expected to realize they are asking too much. Buyers are convinced sellers know what they are doing and would not sell the house for any less money; otherwise, they would have dropped the price already.

My advice to you is, if you are trying to sell your home and nobody has put in an offer so far, even though the property has been on sale for some time, think about whether the price you are willing to sell it for is not unrealistic. One of the simplest way to find out is to ask your realtor or someone who is an expert for your area. Also, if you have almost no showings, no contract in spite of showings or really no offers at all, you are very likely actually overpricing your property. It is understandable that you like and value it, but be realistic, who is going to buy it if it is unreasonably expensive?

People are not that silly. In order to actually sell overpriced homes, their sellers have to lower their price eventually anyway. It is thus smarter to start off with a "normal" price and do not spend long months waiting and worrying that the home will never be sold.

Aug 6, 2010

Summertime and Your Garden

Summer time is the favorite time of the year for many. It is certainly not cold outside, the weather should be quite warm. You can spend so many summer nights outside having a barbecue session or simply relaxing in your flowery garden. The garden, oh yeah. We should not forget it needs attention during the summer, too. Perhaps, it requires even more regular care and it certainly needs a different type of care than usual. So what is the way to achieve having a nice garden which will last throughout the whole summer?

Do not forget to water and fertilize! When the weather is extremely hot, the soil dries out and it just needs to be watered. Late evenings, when the temperature cools down is the best time watering, as the overheated soil will not be unpleasantly shocked by very cool water. Also, fertilizing is quite important. Do not be too active with either of these activities, though. They might be harmful if you repeat them too often.

Another key activity is pruning! There are people who are scared to cut even those parts of trees or plants which essentially need it. That is one of the greatest gardening mistakes one can make, in my opinion. In case there is a dead head, the plant essentially needs pruning! Do not even think about it, just do it! It would probably end up completely destroyed otherwise.

Looks are important! Sculptures, wooden wheels or fountains form a part of many nice gardens. How many times have you stopped to look at them in someone's garden? Make them a part of yours, too! They might be a pretty good source of shadow or water, and thus not only attractive but also very useful. Nowadays, there are thousands of opportunities to make a garden look fabulous, just open your eyes and search a little! No need to go far from your home. Garage sales even in your neighborhood, for instance, can provide you with pretty and interesting items.

It is also important, in case you are leaving your house for a longer time, not to forget to ask someone to regularly water and check your garden. If you just left it here with nobody to look after it, it could be damaged after couple of very hot, dry days.