November 2016 Stats are in!

 The ERA Shields November stat pack and the numbers look great! Follow the link below! 

http://thescoop.erashields.com/november-2016-real-estate-market-stats/

Fall Back....Sunday, November 6, 2:00am

Ten Fall Maintenance Tips to Prepare Your Home for Colder Weather

For those of us on the East coast, brisk autumn weather is on its way. “Falling” between the end of summer and the return of old man winter, autumn is the best opportunity you have to bang out those maintenance must-do’s you’ve been meaning to address. As a fellow home-owner, I found the following tips from RISMedia

 to be incredibly helpful because, after all, half the battle is making the honey-do list. Read on below – your easy-to-follow list and tips await.

Have your furnace inspected. It’s smart to have your heating system serviced before you actually need to use it. Experts say that as much as 75 percent of the calls they receive about homeowners without heat are a result of not having the furnace serviced and cleaned. It will also keep your heating costs down and help keep the air in your home healthy.

Apply a fresh coat of paint. Interior painting requires good ventilation, so the best time to tackle a paint spruce-up is the time of year when you can open up your windows.

Inspect your roof. You’ll want to check for shingles that are cracked, buckling, or missing. Check for caulking that needs to be replaced, or moss or lichen, which could indicate deterioration underneath. If you don’t trust your own assessment, work with a certified inspector.

Check for mold. The humidity of summer can cause mold to flourish. Check locations such as around leaky pipes, basements, or areas that don’t get good ventilation. You will want to remove the mold as soon as possible. It’s wise to have this done by a professional.

Replace weatherstripping on doors. There could be gaps that you can’t see and that can jack up your energy costs. It’s a simple fix that can be done with items found at your local hardware store.

Check the airflow. Focus on areas like vents, the hood over your stove, dryer vents, baseboard heaters and room fans. Not only is a buildup of dust a fire hazard, but you also want to keep the air flowing and the allergens at bay.

Get control of gutters and downspouts. Clogs in gutters and downspouts can cause the roof to leak, which can lead to a host of other problems. It’s a slippery slope from clogged gutters to water damage in your home!

Look over your siding. You’ll want to look for any areas on vinyl siding that are buckled or warped. If you have wood siding, look for curling, splitting or cracking. Should you find an issue, you’ll definitely want it taken care of before the weather gets cold!

Inspect your insulation. The most important area to check is your attic. You should have the highest concentration of insulation here. See if there are any gaps that need to be filled. You don’t need to check the insulation in your walls unless you notice heating issues.

Make sure your detectors are working. Ensure both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors have fresh batteries. It’s smart to test them, also. Both are especially important once your furnace is in use.

Each season brings its own challenges and wear-and-tear on your home. With summer ending and autumn on the way, you can go into the new season secure that your home is in tip-top shape!

5 Must-Know Tips for Selling Your Home

Selling your home is a big decision that requires significant preparation, including listing your property and meeting with potential agents. Once you’ve done that, it can still take weeks or even months to find a buyer, depending on the market.

With all that in mind, it’s important to know the current best practices for selling your home. Following these five tips will lead to a better experience.

1. Spruce up your online listing

A recent National Association of Realtors study found that nearly 90% of homebuyers use the internet to house hunt. If your online listing is drab and uninviting, you’re already turning off potential buyers. Start by updating it with clear and colorful images of your property. You could even get creative and post a love letter video about your home on YouTube. If you really want to use technology to your advantage, consider renting a drone camera and filming a video that gives potential buyers a 360-degree view of your property.

Remember, you only have one chance to create a good first impression. Helping potential buyers envision themselves living in your home gets you that much closer to selling your property.

2. Shop around for a solid real estate agent

Finding a capable agent is just as important as marketing your home. Try out a few of your options by attending open houses and observing how the agents interact with guests. Do they actively engage the visitors? Are they organized, and do they have support from team members?

You can also ask successful sellers to recommend their listing agents, and let’s not forget the power of online review sites, which can be good tools for finding reputable agents.

3. Negotiate the commission

Once you’ve selected an agent, it’s important that you negotiate the commission. Most realtors charge around 6% of the sale price. But let’s say you’re trying to sell a property in Silicon Valley, where many homes are only on the market for a week or so. You could negotiate a lower commission based on the fact that houses tend to sell more easily in that area.

Research the underlying benefits of selling a property in your area and use this information to negotiate the commission. Six percent represents a big bite out of your proceeds. Don’t hesitate to try to cut a deal.

4. Keep your agent on track

From day one, it’s essential that you establish tasks and timelines for your agent, both verbally and in written agreement. Then make sure that he or she is on track at all stages of the selling process, whether that’s organizing open houses or advertising your property through social media. He or she is your employee, and the last thing that you want is miscommunication.

I have an acquaintance whose agent sneaked away on vacation without warning after setting up an open house. Prospective buyers quickly lost interest when the agent wasn’t around in the following days to answer questions, and the house took awhile to sell. Don’t let this happen to you.

5. Select your buyer wisely

As a seller, you get to choose who buys your house. Remember, this is a business decision — it’s not just a matter of liking the potential buyer personally. For that reason, it’s wise to choose buyers who are preapproved. These buyers have the backing of their lenders to complete a sale, meaning their credit reports and income tax returns have already been checked out, lessening the chance that a financial snafu will throw off the sale process. You shouldn’t dismiss an unapproved buyer immediately, but it’s best to lean toward those who are preapproved.

Selling your home is no simple feat. Always take the time to sort out your options. Happy selling!

2017 Preview: Interior Color Trends

Each year, paint company Sherwin-Williams releases its “Color Forecast” prediction highlighting the hues and color combinations that will influence interior design in the coming year. This September, at the Chicago Design Summit, the brand revealed the four palettes that will be prominent in 2017. 
REALTOR Magazine recently published an article highlighting why the company predicted these colors, in particular, will be trending. For the Noir palette, the author cited that the dark and dramatic tones of this group of colors mirror society’s rejection of screen time and light pollution. Additionally, she notes the fluidity of identity and emphasis on honest self-expression will drive the popularity of the Intrepid palette. You can read the full article here.
Will you be incorporating these color schemes in your listings in 2017? 

Color Forcast 2017

2016 Local Farmers Markets

Spring Home Buying Trends

Last month, the National Association of REALTORS Research Department released the spring edition of its Housing Opportunities and Market Experience (HOME) report. The quarterly report, which was created to monitor consumer sentiment about the housing market, covers consumer perception of core housing market topics including whether or not they believe now is a good time to buy or sell a home.

Highlights of the spring report, which you can read in full here, include:

75% of consumers believe now is a good time to buy a home, with 44% of consumers saying they believe that strongly

Single-family homes are the most popular type of home potential buyers would consider purchasing

47% of consumers believe home prices within their communities will be the same in six months, with 44% believing prices will increase and 9% believing prices will decrease in the same time-frame.

Got a brand new website!

It is full of great real estate information and if you want to join- please do!

Donna Hatch — ERA Shields Real Estate

Donna Hatch is a local ERA Shields Real Estate agent. Contact Donna today to discuss your real estate needs.

ERA.COM

Spring Forward March 13th 2016

Success can't be measured by the name of the award- but the journey! Thank you!!

A big thank you, to all my wonderful clients for helping make 2015 so successful and I hope you are all enjoying the wonderful life and experiences Colorado has to offer. With every client I meet and assist, it makes me recognize how blessed I have been to have the opportunity to make friends like you. Welcome home and wishing you many years of quiet enjoyment!