I think that’s great because I like technology. When it’s time to get your house sold, I use a plethora of web sites to advertise your listing. The Internet and I get along very well.

Check these [...]]]> Did you know that statistics show over 80% of today’s home buyers begin their home search online?

I think that’s great because I like technology. When it’s time to get your house sold, I use a plethora of web sites to advertise your listing. The Internet and I get along very well.

Check these files for more information on the sites used by my marketing efforts to get the house SOLD!

Web Sites

Realtor

Web Leads

ERA John Hausam – Online

The first day of Spring arrived on March 20th in 2009! [...]]]> As a home seller, you should recognize the importance of curb appeal. As a home owner, you may want to add a new touch to your landscape. Well…

The Tulsa Garden Center will be hosting their annual “SpringFest Garden Market and Festival”

The first day of Spring arrived on March 20th in 2009! Did it start you thinking about planting your garden? Your timing is very good. Tulsa Garden Center can help you get ready.

On April 10 and 11 from 9am to 4pm at 2435 S. Peoria the Tulsa Garden Center will present their Garden Market and Festival.

At this market you will find everything you need for your garden. There will be a plethora of plants, gardening information, garden art, unique art & craft vendors, food and fun for the whole family.

Tulsa area nurseries are going to be there to offer the newest and best plant selections for 2009 from Heirloom tomatoes, vegetable starts, hanging baskets, lilacs, roses, a super selection of perennials and annuals, and more. Included in the list of vendors is: Juniper Hill Farm, Roses Inc. Tulsa, A New Leaf, Colebrook Nursery, Duck Creek Farms, Utopia Gardens, We B Trees, MB Gardens, Creekside Plants and Timber Ridge Farms.

Do you have questions? Master Gardeners will be available to answer your those questions. They will also be selling plants from their own gardens.

Bring the whole family and get ready to spend a full day of fun at this spring event. There will be face painting by Gentle Jesters and they will be creating their many different balloon sculptures for all the children. Kids will also have the opportunity to visit and have a photo taken with the Easter Bunny.

There will be shopping among the beautiful landscaped areas of the mansion’s front lawn where you will find practically every type of plant you could ever want. Vendors outside and inside the historical Tulsa Garden Center home will offer unique craft items for you, your home and your garden. Vendors include North of Oz Designs, artist Stephen Smith, OK Statuary, Scentables, Zedel International, Stilesdecor, A-Mark on the World, Buzz Art, Lunsford Enterprises, Westfall Fine Art, J and B Jewelry, Silk Degrees, Oklahoma Botanical Garden, Kelly’s Soaps, Salts & Fizzies, Basket Sensations, The M.e.t, Marsha’s Pottery, Rosu Ella, Tulsa Artists’ Support Group, Images Etched, Homemade Gourmet, Essential Luxuries, artist Sue La Lond, artist Rene� Miller, Mud & Metal, artist Watona Robards, Mike’s Fresh Roasted Nuts, artist Bill Goree, and Dangles, Bangles and More.

Visitors are encouraged to visit the Garden Center Gift Shop, where they will find even more garden related items and unique gifts. Don’t forget the beautiful Linnaeus Teaching Gardens, a state-of-the-art demonstration garden in Woodward Park which offers an array of ideas for you to implement in your garden.

This gardening extravaganza will be on Easter weekend, April 10 and 11 so mark your calendar now.

Proceeds from SpringFest Garden Market and Festival benefit the Tulsa Garden Center. For more information call 746-5125 or visit their website.

Every seller wants to get as much money as possible when selling a home. However, a listing priced too high often gets the seller less money. If your home is not priced competitively, people looking in [...]]]> THE 9 MOST COSTLY MISTAKES YOU CAN MAKE WHEN SELLING YOUR HOME

Deadly Mistake No. 1
Pricing Incorrectly

Every seller wants to get as much money as possible when selling a home. However, a listing priced too high often gets the seller less money. If your home is not priced competitively, people looking in your price range will reject it in favor of other, larger homes for the same price. At the same time, the people who should be looking at your home will not see it because it is overpriced.! Overpricing usually increases time on the market, and adds to the carrying costs. Ultimately, many overpriced properties sell below market value.

To help avoid this, Wayne Barnes has prepared a report detailing the type of thorough information you’ll need prior to pricing you home. Simply put, Wayne provides all the information needed to help select the right price. You’ll learn:

*The difference between cost and price
*What market value really is
*How the principles of progression and regression apply to your home
*How much bargaining room to leave in your process
*How the principle of substitution affects your home’s value
*Plus many more insider secrets!

Once you learn these principles, you’ll know how to sell your home for the best price. Not only that, you’ll know how to avoid paying too much for any home you buy in the future! Just call or email and I’ll send you this valuable information.

Deadly Mistake No. 2
Failing to “Show Case” the home

Buyers look for a home in which they would like to live, not a house. Owners who fail to make necessary repairs, such as sprucing up the house, touching up the paint and keeping it clean can chase away buyers.

If you were selling a car, you would wash it, or maybe even detail it to get the highest price. Houses are no different.

Deadly Mistake No. 3
Using the “Hard Sell” during showings

Buying a home is an emotional decision. People like to “try on” a house and see if it is comfortable for them. It’s difficult for them to do that if you follow them around pointing out every improvement that you’ve made. It may even have the opposite effect you want.

Resist the temptation to talk the entire time a buyer is there, and let them discover things on their own. Try a tasteful sign to point our some hidden amenity that they might miss.

Deadly Mistake No. 4
Mistaking lookers for buyers

For Sale by Owners nearly always get more activity than homes listed with an agent. No question about it. The reason… Realtors will only bring qualified buyers. A qualified buyer is one who is ready, willing and able to buy your home. We find that most people who look at “For Sale By Owner” homes are just starting to think about moving. They may be good buyers, but they are six to nine months away from being ready. They don’t want to bother an agent yet, so they call the “By Owner” ads to get a feel for what’s available. They may have a house to sell first, they may need to save some more money, or they may have credit that needs fixing. When everything is in place, that’s when they go looking with an agent.

An agent will ask buyers how much they can really spend for a home, discuss down payment, evaluate credit, and decide a realistic monthly payment. Also, it’s necessary to find out how much will be realized (realistically!) when their present home closes. Numerous other questions will be asked and answered as well. Unless your Realtor finds out all the facts first, you must ask all these questions before the buyer crosses your threshold. Otherwise, you may have a parade of Sunday afternoon shoppers with a dream of owning a home some day.

Deadly mistake No. 5
Not knowing your rights and obligations

Real Estate law is extensive and complex: the contract for sale and purchase is a legally binding document. An improperly written contract can cause the sale to fall through, or cost you thousands for repairs, inspections, and remedies for title defects. You must know whether the property can legally be sold “as is” and how deed restrictions and local zoning will affect the transaction. If there are defects in your title, or if the title or the property is in conflict with local restrictions, you must remedy them. Are you prepared to take that task alone? Also, contracts allow the buyer an option period to inspect and approve of any inspection reports and repair bids. Know your alternatives here.

Deadly Mistake No 6
Signing a listing contract with no way out

Many times an agent will have good intentions about marketing your home, but circumstances can change. Personal situations change, or an agent may even decide to quit the business. In cases where the agent couldn’t or wouldn’t perform, you should have the right to fire your agent. In some companies the broker will assign your listing to someone else in the office, someone you didn’t personally select. Always protect yourself by getting a guarantee of performance which gives you the right to cancel anytime for any reason.

Deadly Mistake No. 7
Limiting the marketing and exposure of the property

The two most obvious marketing tools (open houses and classified ads) are only moderately effective. Surprisingly, less that 1% of homes are sold at an open house. Agents use them to attract future prospects, not sell the house!

Advertising studies show that less than 3% of people purchased their home because they called on an ad.

The right Realtor will employ a broad spectrum of marketing activities, emphasizing the ones he or she believes will work best for you. There are dozens of more effective ways to find buyers that just open houses and advertising. Did you know that most calls come in during business hours when sellers are away at work, and most home showings are between 9:00 and 5:00 Monday through Friday? I market homes 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, 365 days a year! Ask about my 24 hour a day Marketing System.

Deadly Mistake No. 8
Believing that an appraisal is the market value of your home

An appraisal or tax assessment is an opinion of value for a certain purpose. If the lender wants to lend you money, they are motivated to have the appraisal come in high. The appraiser may ignore foreclosure or distress sales in order to justify the high value. But a real buyer in the real world will not ignore these properties. They are your competitors when you try to sell.

I can’t tell you how many ridiculous appraisals and tax assessments I’ve seen. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the value you were told 6 month ago when you re-financed your home is the price a real buyer would pay. Ask your Realtor for all the sold homes in your area, then decide. There are lots of opinions, but only one set of facts. Insist on FACTS!

Deadly Mistake No. 9
Choosing the wrong Realtor, or choosing them for the wrong reasons

It’s very likely that you don’t interview people very often, and yet in order to find the right Realtor, you may interview several. The quality of your home selling experience is dependent upon your skill at selecting the person best qualified.

It’s interesting that in the real estate business, someone with many successfully closed transactions almost always costs the same as an agent who is inexperienced. Bringing that experience to bear on your transaction could mean a higher price at the negotiating table, selling in less time, and with the minimum amount of hassles.

The world is populated with Realtors who are wrong for you. For example, the housewife who sells an occasional house because she needs a little pocket change, or the insurance salesman who believes he can handle two careers. Or perhaps your cousin George, who really needs your business.

The sale of your home could well be the most important financial transaction you have ever been involved with. The person you select can make it a satisfying and profitable activity, or a terrible experience. It’s your home, and your money. The choice of your Realtor is up to you. Make the selection carefully.

I’ve prepared a valuable checklist, “The Most Critical Questions to Ask Your Agent Before You Sign Anything”, Armed with these questions, you can be confident that you won’t make a mistake.

Sincerely at your service,
Wayne Barnes