8 Ways to Spruce Up Your Listing's Curb Appeal

Spring is on it's way. The weather man assures us that we only have a day or two more of the cold and it will then start warming up! Here are some ideas for once the snow is gone...

Staging a yard can give a home the all-important, buyer-pleasing curb appeal. Here are some suggestions that are both inexpensive and easy.

• Make it green. Balancing the pH level and feeding the lawn lots of nutrients will give it a lush and healthy look.
• Trim trees and shrubbery. Overgrown branches hide a home’s good looks.
• Mulch everything. Mulch gives flowerbeds visual appeal.
• Edge the beds. Edging makes everything look neat.
• Power wash the siding, sidewalks and patios. Power washing gets rid of all the winter grunge.
• Plant annuals. Lots of geraniums, impatiens and petunias brighten up the look.
• Plant a garden. If the Obama's can do it, so can everyone else.
• Hang a hammock. It suggests life is easy.
  
  Source: The Wall Street Journal, June Fletcher (04/03/2009)

Now is the Time to Buy!!!

Every year the REALTORs in our area are given statistics by Bruce M. Closser, MAI, SRA, CRE at Closser Associates, Inc. in Marquette. These statistics represent the state of our housing market here in the Marquette area. We received an update from Bruce this week that suggests that our housing market is on the upswing. As with any sales environment, housing depends heavily on supply and demand. In general when the inventory is higher, more people are selling and less are buying, causing prices to fall. When the inventory decreases, more people are buying and less are selling, causing prices to increase. We have seen three consecutive quarters with a decrease in inventory, which would suggest that the current "buyer's market" may be on the way out. I am advising my clients that if they want to catch the market when it's a great time to buy, now is the time to do it, before we start seeing an upswing in pricing again.

Here is an excerpt from Closser's update...
"We have just completed our survey of MLS listings in the study area for the 2nd quarter, 2009. When we presented our 2008 Residential Market Analysis in January, we reported that the average number of residential listings for 2008 was up substantially over 2007 (an average of 246 in 2008 compared to 199 in 2007, or an increase of 24%). We also noted that the fourth quarter of 2008 showed a decline in listings as compared to the fourth quarter of 2007 (-17%) and that this pattern was repeated in the first quarter of 2009, which was down from the first quarter of 2008 (-19%). We can now report that this trend is continuing into the second quarter of 2009. Average listings in the study area for the 2nd quarter 2009 were 194, compared to 249 in the 2nd quarter 2008, a decline of 28%. We now have seen three consecutive quarters of declines in the number of listings compared to the corresponding quarters of the previous year. It appears that the number of listings peaked in the period from the 4th quarter, 2007 through the third quarter, 2008 and have been declining since then."

If you have any questions or would like to discuss, please feel free to call me at (906) 362-4747

Take Care,
Chris