Spring is Just Around The Corner

That’s right, Spring will be here before you know it.  While out showing homes today, I could see grass!  That was an encouraging site, as we have had snow on the ground here in Central Indiana since February 5th.

I also noticed that the snow and ice was melting off of the rooftops.  I noticed the driveways that hadn’t been shoveled were a little slick, because of the temps warming up in the day, and getting below freezing in the evenings. 

There are a few things you should watch for as the weather changes.  You may want to go around your home and carefully knock the icicles off of the gutters.  You’ll want to do this for a couple of different reasons, one being the weight of the snow/ice could potentially pull your gutters down, and secondly if you have a pet that likes to stay close to the house while outdoors, you wouldn’t want an icicle falling and injuring your family pet.

You‘ll also want to make sure that your stoop, porch is clear of ice.  This will not only protect you from falling, but also protect other people from falling on your property & you being sued for being negligent.

Once the snow has melted, you can certainly do some work on your lawn, fertilizing, picking up any limbs that are down & getting the yard ready for when it’s time to plant.

This is also a good time to check your roof and siding for any damage caused by the winter weather.

If you are looking for other ideas on how to prepare for the Spring weather, contact me at www.dawnwhalen.com, dawnwhalen@kw.com or 317-893-0648

Dawn Whalen, GRI

Serving Your Family’s Needs First!

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Interpreting Feedback

Generally after your home has been shown your agent will receive some type of feedback from the showing agent.

Many agents try and find a tactful, politically correct way to provide feedback. Below are a list of things that I’ve heard, and one way of interpreting it.

“The buyer thought the house was too small”can be interpreted to mean the buyer found more square footage for the same/less money elsewhere.

“They liked the house, but bought another one” can mean that the buyer found other houses that were a better value.

“They didn’t like the carpet”- can mean that the carpet should either be replaced due to age, color or condition.

“ They liked the home but bought a new one,” could mean that the buyer was willing to pay more for a similar new home, or the builder was offering incentives they couldn’t pass up.

‘They didn’t like the floor plan” well, that really has no other meaning than they didn’t like the floor plan.

“They didn’t like the lot” could possibly mean they found other homes in the same price range with larger yards, quieter streets, etc

Price objections are always clothed in different terms…always consider what you , as the seller have control over…Price & Condition

Unfortunately you don’t have control over Location and Market Conditions.

Your goal is to be the nicest home in the price range.

If you or anyone you know is looking to buy, build or sell, and need help understanding and interpreting the market & feedback, feel free to contact me.

www.dawnwhalen.com, dawnwhalen@kw.com or 317-893-0648

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Feedback, Why We Don’t Always Get It

So you’ve received a call and an agent wants to show your house.  Fantastic!  So you scurry around and make sure everything is picked up, but being the great seller you are, the home is always show ready, so there isn’t much to do, other than a quick dusting, and making sure everything is as it should be!

You anxiously await to hear from your agent with feedback.  At the time you listed your house your agent told you that feedback is generally provided within 24-48 hours and it would be sent to you as soon as it was received.

24 hours go by and nothing, so you check in with your agent to see if they’ve heard anything.  And they haven’t.

48-72 hours pass with no feedback.  And your agent is trying to get something to no avail.

Unfortunately not all agents provide feedback, and many of them have valid reasons. 

It may be that their client is very interested in the property and they don’t want to give away how much interest there is.  The client could be checking into financing, prior to deciding to make an offer, or comparing your home with another and trying to come up with a decision that makes sense for them.  And their agent, who is working in their best interest is not going to tell the seller “We love the home, it’s perfect everything we’ve been looking for & we think it is priced below market value” because they want to be able to negotiate fairly.

It may be that there was no interest at all, and many agents act on the belief that if they aren’t going to send an offer on the property, that is feedback enough.

There are agents that feel it is not up to them to tell a seller that they are overpriced, the home needs cleaned/updated etc, because they feel the listing agent should do that.  On the flip side of that, sometimes they look at feedback as critiquing a home & if it is priced right, in great condition, they feel the seller and sellers agent should already know that.

While it is discouraging to leave for a showing and then get no feedback at all, it does happen.  I’m not saying its right or wrong, unfortunately its a fact of the business.

But if you look for the positive, you have just let at least one agent and one consumer take a look at your home, and if it isn’t the right one for that buyer, the agent may have another buyer it would be perfect for, or the buyer may have a friend/family member who is also looking that the home may be perfect for.

If you or anyone you know are wanting to buy, build or sell with an agent who is a stickler for providing the good, bad & the ugly in feedback, then feel free to contact me at www.dawnwhalen.com, or 317-893-0648

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