Sunday 17 July 2016

Is it better to add value to your home or buy a new home?



Your home is outdated and you’re trying to decide if renovating is your best option, or if you should sell and move to a new property. I get this question a lot from home owners. “If I add value to my home would I be able to sell for more, including all the costs in renovating or am I best to sell as is and buy a new home that suits our needs? My answer is; “if you are happy in your location you are best to stay and renovate. If the home does not suit your needs, you are best to sell and move on”.

There are many factors to consider when deciding whether to renovate or buy a new property. To help you decide, there are three important steps to follow to help you reach your decision.

1)              Be really clear about the type of property you want.
This requires you to think about your immediate and future requirements. Whatever your needs, you should compare and contrast them with your current home to help identify any major gaps or shortcomings.
2)              Compare property values in your street and suburb.
This is a very important step. This goes to the heart of assessing how your property stacks up against everyone else’s, and whether there are any major price differentials. The reason for doing this is twofold. Firstly, to help you decide if it’s worth putting the time, effort and money into renovating, and secondly to help reduce the likelihood of overcapitalizing – that is, spending too much on your renovation.
3)              Do your sums
Once you’ve completed steps one and two, it’s time to start crunching some numbers and prepare a budget. Doing your sums is the financial side of the equation, and is all about letting you know what you can reasonably afford – which in itself may determine your best option.
Whether you renovate or sell, it is often a balance between what best fits your personal lifestyle needs, what’s affordable, what’s less disruptive and what gives you the best chance of long-term capital growth. However, if you plan to sell your property within the next one to two years, be very mindful of undertaking a major renovation project – you need to make sure you can at least recoup the cost of your investment.

If you would like any real estate help or advice, please contact Dianne. Contact her on 5952 5480 or 0408 080 034 www.diannerayrealty.com.au

Wednesday 6 July 2016



How to Get Ready To Sell for More
Firstly this blog has continued on from my last Blog on Property Presentation. I did say I was going to talk about the importance of photography but need to write more on home presentation because it is SO IMPORTANT. Photography will be mentioned soon.


Secondly Dianne Ray Realty is giving a free complimentary book ‘How To Sell Your Home For More” or “Hot Seller Tips” to sellers who thinking of selling in the next 6 months to 12 months. These books is very valuable and are very worthwhile to have. Send an SMS to 0408034080 with your name, address and contact details and you will receive your choice of either of the free books immediately.
 
Few homeowners ever sell their home for the highest price possible.


Your home does not have a recommended retail price, so if you are in control of the sale, you are able to significantly impact the final sale price you achieve. One of the key ways to sell for more is by knowing how to present your home for sale. By changing its “packaging”.


Have you ever heard about a friend or family member who had a ‘dream sale’? You know, the one where the first person to walk in the door absolutely loved the house and bought it on the spot? Or had three buyers fighting over it, making higher and higher offers?

If you want that to be your experience, you need to focus on that result and Do EXACTLTY WHAT IT TAKES to achieve it.

Yes, it’s finally happened! The real estate industry in Australia has caught up with mainstream consumer marketing. It is no longer acceptable to pass off home’s that are unfinished or poorly presented in the hope that your buyers will overlook these flaws in favour of your home’s more positive characteristics.

Before you do anything, you have to stop thinking of your house as a HOME and start thinking of it as a product on the market. And just like any other consumer product, you have competition and need to give buyers a reason to choose YOUR property over another. One of the keys here is that the right presentation is proven to sell…give your buyers what they are looking for, and your home will get loads of views, competitive offers, and get quickly snapped up – for a premium price!

You can’t use old-school selling strategies anymore and expect to achieve a premium sales result. You must change too. What use to work 5-10 years ago simply doesn’t’ work now. Did you know that over 95% of property marketing is destined to fail?

The evidence is in. here is the thing the big marketers know and use every day. Emotions drive sales.

Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist and Noble Prize Winner, is widely regarded as the world’s most influential living psychologist. His studies conclude that we have two brain systems;
1.      Emotional brain = 95%
2.     Rational brain = 5%

So you are making a BIG mistake if you only sell to 5% of your buyer’s brain.


Listen to what Richard Branson says about using emotional marketing.
“The idea that business is just a number affair has always struck me as preposterous. For one thing, I’ve never been good at numbers, but I think I’ve done a reasonable job with feelings. And I’m convinced that is feeling – and feeling alone – that account for the success of the Virgin brand in all of its myriad forms” – Richard Branson


And Tom Hopkins, well known international sales trainer, and founder of Tom Hopkins International says this: “Arouse Emotions. Don’t Sell Login.”


So the right presentation of your home is critical. Have you ever seen an empty display home? No? Here’s the reason why.

These big marketers create beautiful warm, aspirational display homes for buyers because it works. They understand they are selling to that emotional 95% of your brain. They know that buyers want to buy a “lifestyle package”. Not just an empty shell. Not drab, plain walls, floors and ceilings. And certainly not somebody else’s cluttered and tired old home.

And it’s exactly the same for you when selling YOUR home. The way you live in your home is NOT the way you present it for sale.

Do you want to attract premium buyers – or bargain hunters?


Article from the book “Hot Seller Tips” by Deb Lindner


Wednesday 9 March 2016

How important photography is in selling your home

Benefits of Good Photography for Selling Homes


They say that first impressions last a lifetime, and this could very well be true when it comes to buyers laying eyes on the perfect family home for the first time. To increase the chances that a buyer will fall in love at first sight with your property, you’ll need to impress them with a good first impression. Before buyers come to inspect a property, they will first get these impressions from listing photographs. As a result, these photographs are of the utmost importance, because they could be the deciding factor between a buyer deciding to come visit your home or not.

How many buyers search the internet for a home?

In 2006 approximately 80% of home buyers searched the internet when looking for a home. Today the percentage of home buyers that search on the internet when looking for a home has jumped to approximately 92%. Consumers are purchasing and becoming competent with more technology devices such as laptops, iPads, tablets and smart phones. These consumers are home buyers and they want to shop online. Their trend is showing us that they recognise how useful technology is and therefore they are going to be better at noticing professional versus point-and-shoot photos.

The buyers main tool is using online to search for property, so when selling, online is a very important part of your advertising schedule.

With all the competition on the market, it is important to have professional photos because they are your first and maybe only impression, to the majority of buyers who are searching for homes on the internet.


Why professional real estate photography is so important

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. You only get one chance to make a first impression, and the same holds true for your home. Whether you’re looking to sell or rent, the right photographs can make or break the amount of interest your property receives.

While the tried and true channels of marketing your property – advertisements, window cards, signage, etc. – can still be very effective, it's a fact of modern life that most people spend a lot of their time online. Whether interacting with friends on social media or catching up with their favourite TV shows, consumers expect everything to be accessible by the click of a mouse.

Open houses may still be a great way to show off a property, but just as many people – if not more – are using the internet in their search for a home. For this reason, using high-quality photographs that show off the best features of your property is essential.

Why professional photographs help

With people counting on a detailed look at your property online, the damage poor photographs can do should not be underestimated. Shabby pictures can give the impression that your home is in poor condition or not worth a second look.

Additionally, focusing on the photographs you use can help you determine exactly what kind of buyer you're trying to appeal to. For instance, who is your ideal buyer? Someone with a family? A single person? A young couple? By figuring out who you're trying to attract, you can determine the features your pictures should accentuate.

A family might be most drawn to pictures of a large backyard offering plenty of space for children to play. Meanwhile, a young professional could be interested in pictures of a spare room that could double as a home office.

Every property has features that can be highlighted, and professional photography can help you emphasise them in a skillful and aesthetically pleasing manner.

The benefits of professional photography

The biggest hurdle preventing many property owners from utilising professional photography is price. No one wants to spend money on a service they feel they can do themselves. However, it's important to understand the advantages experienced and great-looking pictures can provide.

First, it's essential to remember that with so many people shopping for homes online, how your pictures look could very well be the most important factor in generating interest in your home.

Professional photos can result in your listing getting more attention, and in turn this increases your chances of making a sale or finding the ideal buyer. This can give you a huge competitive advantage, especially if you’re listing your home in a market where property owners are struggling to make their home stand out from the crowd.

In this way, there is a very real chance that using the wrong photographs could affect your bottom line for the worse.

Finding the right photographer

Unless you've been trained in photography, chances are you'll be better off outsourcing the duties to a professional.

When selecting a property photographer, it's important to do your research. Search online and analyse portfolios, as this will give you an idea of the type of work the professional has done in the past. Also always be on the lookout for referrals and customer reviews, as this will indicate that a photographer has done good work.

It's also worth narrowing your search for someone who specialises in real estate photography. An excellent wedding photographer may not have the skills necessary to make your home shine.

Most importantly, go for value over price. Cheap does not mean better and paying more for quality photographs can pay off big when it comes time to sell your house.

Make sure your agent gets a good professional photographer to take your photos. This is too important to leave to an amateur.

If you’re serious about selling your home for more hire a pro! A pro not only gets you the best possible image but also gives his or her professional advice on how to ‘stage’ the photo to give you maximum impact. Every week, real estate professionals in your area use their personal contacts and resources to help sellers prepare their homes for sale. Why not ask your real estate professional for a referral. (to find your local real estate professional go to www.HotSellerTips.com  and click Find My Agent)

My next blog will be on How to Price your Property For Sale.

Until next time.

Cheers Dianne
Dianne Ray Realty


Thursday 3 March 2016


One morning you woke up and said to yourself” I am going to sell my home for the best price possible and I am starting a new chapter in my life”.
What is involved? There are many areas involved in selling your home. I will be talking about a number of areas in my next couple of blogs. This blog is about how to present your home to achieve the best possible price?

This book “How to Sell Your Home for more” is invaluable to the sellers. Quote on page 1, “I discovered very early in selling homes, that a little time taken to enhance the visual appeal of a property substantially increases the chance of the seller achieving a better selling price”. If you would like a free copy please contact me on dianne@diannerayrealty.com.au or phone me on 0408 034 080.
The first 10 seconds when buyers enter your property is so important. The buyer will either like what they see or be turned off very quickly. Their eyes and mind are being made up - if interested or not?
Your first step is to walk around your home, internally and externally and make a checklist up, for jobs to be done before putting your home on the market. Such as internally; de-clutter, move furniture around or pack it away, clean the carpets, repair broken tiles, paint marks on walls, clean windows and more. Externally make sure the front of your home is perfect; paint steps or decking if needed, plant new plants and add mulch, weed the garden, trim trees and more if required.
You now have a checklist and all the jobs have to be ticked off and you have made a deadline date for all this to be completed. Once this has been completed it is time to contact a number of agents to give you an appraisal of your home and to come up with a recommended selling price that both you and the agent are happy with.
Next blog I will be talking about photography.
Until next time,
Cheers Dianne