New Albany and Central Ohio Real Estate & Community » Ohio Real Estate

A Few Tips to Prepare Your Central Ohio Home to go on the Market – Part II

The Raines Group — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:42:47 +0000

When you’re selling your home, it’s important to consider what the buyer will experience as he or she enters the home for the first time. Here are a few additional things to take note of.

Take a whiff. If your house has an odor, that is a huge turnoff to buyers. Make sure it smells nice and clean. You should also make sure you have a fresh air filter.

Look around for anything that needs to be fixed. Buyers feel that a house is not well cared for if there are items throughiout the home that need to be repaired.

Make sure that all your doors work properly. Repair or replace them, if necessary.
Remove extraneous extension cords and exposed wires.
Clean, repair and paint all gutters and down spouts.
Fix dripping faucets as they may lead buyers to question the plumbing system.
Double check that all light switch and outlet covers are on.
Send your pets to Grandma’s house. A barking dog is unwelcoming. Plus, buyers may be allergic to your pets.

Additionally…

Do a pre-inspection of your home.
Do a pre-appraisal of your home.
Hire a professional stager.
Don’t be afraid to accept the first offer. The first offer is most often your best offer.
Obtain a floor plan of your home, if possible.
Assemble house records for the buyer to review.
Consider only written offers from lender pre-qualified buyers.
Enlist the services of a Realtor with a professional marketing program, such as The Raines Group, to effectively showcase your home using both traditional and digital methods.

If you are looking to buy or sell a property in New Albany, Gahanna, Blacklick, Westerville, or another Central Ohio community, please contact The Raines Group. We offer professional real estate advice and are happy to help you achieve your real estate goals. Please contact us today via our online contact form or by calling The Raines Group at 614-418-7417.

A Few Tips to Prepare Your Central Ohio Home to go on the Market – Part I

The Raines Group — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:01:56 +0000

Keep your yard looking good!

If you want to have an edge in the real estate market today, you should fully prepare your home before putting it on the market. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Start Outside: Stand across the street from your home and take an honest look at it, from a buyer’s perspective.

Keep the yard looking tidy – mowed, raked, fertilized, and watered if in the warmer months; remove snow from driveway and walkways in the winter months.
Remove all refuse, leaves, and clutter from yard, sidewalks, porches, patios, and decks.
Give trim, decks, gates, and the front door a fresh coat of paint.
Invest in a new door mat.

Clean your house: A filthy bathroom is the worst, second only to a dirty kitchen.

Re-caulk tile in the bathrooms if the caulk is not sparkling white.
Deep clean any spots on carpet, as well as the high-traffic areas.
Remove posters and adhesive from walls and doors.
Putty all nail holes and any other holes in the walls.
De-personalize your rooms and decorate them in a more neutral manner.
Clean or paint the basement walls and floor, seal if possible.

Let the light in:Wash your windows inside and out, because dirty windows keep out light.

Open the shades. Basically, people like light, so if your rooms have dark colors, you will want to consider repainting them.
Install high-wattage bulbs in areas where needed.

De-clutter your house: Clutter makes your house look small and unloved.

Put away ALL kitchen counter items.
Remove cars from the driveway or in front of the home.
Pack away framed family photographs, figureines, vases, and other excessive decorative items.
Remove all extra blankets and pillows from sofas, chairs, and tables.
Put away all pens, paper, medicine bottles, mail, and magazines from countertops and office area.
Minimize the amount of toys left out by children, both inside and outside the home.
Relocate high-chairs or children’s plastic/wood chairs to an area such as the laundry room or garage during showings.
Remove dog/cat toys, as well as food and water dishes.
Put away all shopping bags, season-specific decor, and laundry.
Organize your closets. Remove unnecessary items and put them in storage. Closets highlight the storage space that your home as to offer.

The Raines Group has sold hundreds of homes, and can take a professional look at your home. They are happy to help you prepare your home for the market. Please contact us if you need any assistance.

How Do You Know if Your Central Ohio Home is Priced Correctly?

The Raines Group — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 13:50:03 +0000

The Raines Group can help you target the right price for your home.

The Raines Group will do everything we can to sell your home quickly, at the best price, and with minimal hassles. But the one thing we cannot control or change is the market. Even though we know how valuable your home is, its value from a selling standpoint will be determined solely by the buyer. To help you decide whether your home is priced correctly, The Raines Group has generated the following levels of seriousness.

The “Maybe This Seller Isn’t Serious” Level. No showings and no offers. Agents and potential buyers are not even interested in seeing your home. They believe they can get more for their money elsewhere.

The “It’s Okay… But I Think I’ll Keep Looking” Level. Either ten or twelve showings and NO offers, or just a few showings. Maybe the pace of showings has slowed since the first few weeks when the listing was initially placed on the market. Or perhaps the home has been on the market for four to six weeks with no offers. Potential buyers believe they can still get more house for their money, and they are willing to keep looking.

The “This Is It!” Level. Showings, second showings, and offers in the first four to six weeks. This means you have placed your house on the market at the right price. At this level, we should be able to hold within just a few percentage points of where your home is listed. Potential purchasers believe that your home is one of the nicest homes and best values on the market. Your price supports their belief that your house might be their next home. They are ready to buy it from you.

Remember, even if your home is priced correctly today, that may change tomorrow as the market fluctuates. We will monitor your asking price to make sure that your home is neither overpriced nor underpriced. Throughout the time your home is listed, we will keep you informed about market conditions so you can make decisions that will help you realize your real estate goals as quickly as possible.

Ohio Awarded $570-million to Help Homeowners Avoid Foreclosure

The Raines Group — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 11:42:03 +0000

The Ohio Finance Agency (OHFA) administers Restoring Stability: A Save the Dream Ohio Initiative to help an estimated 53,000 Ohioans who are at high risk of default or foreclosure.

OHFA worked with Save the Dream Ohio partners to develop a comprehensive, statewide strategy to distribute federal funds and help as many Ohioans as possible. Through Restoring Stability: A Save the Dream Ohio Initiative, the State of Ohio designed four programs to help homeowners who have a temporary or permanent reduction in income.

Ohio has been awarede $570 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Hardest-Hit Fund to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. The programs include:

Rescue Payment Assistance Program: Provides a payment to the mortgage lender to help delinquent borrowers become current on their first mortgage.
Partial Mortgage Payment Assistance Program: Provides up to 15 months of assistance for unemployed homeowners while they search for a job or participate in job training.
Modification Assistance with Principal Reduction Program: Provides an incentive payment matched by an investor to reduce the mortgage principal balance so a loan modification may be possible.
Transition Assistance Program: Provides an incentive payment ot the mortgage lender and homewoners to assist with short sale or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure to help homeowners exit homes gracefully.

The Concord Mortgage Group can offer further information on these programs, as well as information on mortgages and refinancing options. Call Jodi McCoy Vermillion for information at 614-212-6929.

Five Factors to Consider When Selling your Central Ohio Home

The Raines Group — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:10:18 +0000

As the top selling real estate team in Ohio, there’s no doubt that The Raines Group knows how to sell homes. You may

The Raines Group put this home in contract after just 4 days on the market!

wonder how the team has become so accomplished. Part of their success is to keep focus on the basics. Let’s review the five basic factors to consider when selling a home.

1. Price. The single most important factor to consider is how to price your home. How much is it worth? If you overprice your home, you will quickly lose the “freshness” of the home’s appeal on the market. After 3 weeks, demand and interest typically decline. If you do not have an offer after 8-10 showings or 30 days, the market has rejected your price. Overpricing can delay or even prevent a successful sale. Pricing the home competitively or even below market value can and has led to multiple bid situations that drive the price above the asking price. Click here for an analysis of your home’s worth.

2. Location and Condition. The location of the home obviously cannot be changed. However, you have control over the condition of the home, and a professional stager can help your home appeal to a broader base of buyers. Buyers are looking to get the most home for their money, and many times are looking at new homes as well as resale homes. Homes sell faster when they are in pristine condition.

3. Competition. Buyers decide which homes to buy and how much they are worth through the time-honored method of comparison shopping. The pool of available homes constantly changes. If there are many homes in your area similar to yours, it is even more important to keep your home in top condition and well-priced so that your home rises above the competition.

4. Timing. Sometimes it’s a buyer’s market, and sometimes it’s a seller’s market. The market conditions when you’re ready to sell can make a big difference in how quickly the process goes.

5. Marketing Campaign. A comprehensive marketing campaign gives your home the maximum exposure utilizing a variety of resources, which is essential for a timely sale. But if the other factors mentioned above are out of balance, even the best marketing campaign will fail.

The Raines Group can help you with the above factors, and have several agents who will give you a detailed analysis of the current market, and how your home fits into the market. This will help determine a competitive price in the market today. Once you decide to list your home, our marketing campaign will give your home the exposure it needs.

The Raines Group and Real Living in the Real Trends Top 1,000 List

The Raines Group — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 23:31:05 +0000

The 2011 Real Trends Top 1000 rankings are out and 12 members of the Real Living family are included on the list. The rankings were compiled by the Wall Street Journal and Real Trends, Inc. focusing on individual professionals and teams from across the United States.

Top sales representatives are slotted into four categories of rankings including the top 250 real estate professionals by transaction sides, professionals by transaction volume, teams by transaction sides and teams by transaction volume.

Here’s how Real Living and Agents ranked in the top 1,000:

Top 250 Teams by Transaction Volume
Sandy Raines/ The Raines Group Real Living HER 83
Marie Jo Atkins Real Living Lifestyles 204
Teti-Olenik (Diane Teti & John Olenik) Real Living Lifestyles 239

Top 250 Teams by Transaction Sides
Sandy Raines/ The Raines Group Real Living HER 131
Ralph Suarez Dilbeck Real Estate Real Living 226

Top 250 Real Estate Professionals by Transaction Sides
Gary May Real Living Success 131
Anngel Benoun Dilbeck Real Estate Real Living 246

Top 250 Real Estate Professionals by Transaction Volume
Tracy McLaughlin Pacific Union International, Inc. 110
Sandra Tanco Kinlin Grover Real Estate 145
Dana Green Pacific Union International, Inc. 153
Steven Mavromihalis Pacific Union International Inc. 171
John Lee Pacific Union International, Inc. 245

Once again, The Raines Group achieved the highest ranking (83rd) and is thus the #1 sales team for Real Living, nationwide. In 2011, The Raines Group has already surpassed last year’s success (with a few months still to go!) which begs the question, “Where will they place next year?”

New Albany Home – Staged to Sell!

The Raines Group — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:31:25 +0000

The Raines Group firmly believes in proper staging. This beautiful home in the New Albany Country Club listed with Sandy Raines, who recommended making a few cosmetic changes and staging the home. Dan Messer of Exceptional Home Services, LLC helped open up the kitchen and painted several rooms, while Linda Powell used her staging talents. The home generated a lot of interest on the market and sold!

The Raines Group named Top Team in Ohio by The Wall Street Journal

The Raines Group — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:59:14 +0000

The Raines Group of Real Living HER was named one of America’s top real estate professional teams by The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends. The team is now a member of the “The Thousand Top Real Estate Professionals,” a prestigious national awards ranking sponsored annually by the two respected publications. The Raines Group is now ranked in the top one half of 1 percent of the more than 1 million REALTORS® nationwide.

The Thousand Top Real Estate Professionals was announced on September 6, 2011 with four separate categories honoring the top 250 residential agents and agent teams for excellence in:

Individual Sales Professionals – Sales volume
Individual Sales Professionals – Transaction sides (in each real estate transaction, there are two sides that can be represented by a real estate agent: a buyer’s and a seller’s.)
Team Professionals – Sales Volume
Team Professionals – Transaction sides

According to The Thousand Top Real Estate Professionals, The Raines Group had sales volume totaling $70,892,266.00, ranking the team 82^nd in the nation, and first in the state of Ohio. The Raines Group also closed 202 sides, placing them 132^nd in the nation, and second in the state of Ohio. They are one of the few teams to rank in both volume and sides.

“The best individual agents and teams – including The Raines Group’s award-winning efforts – were nothing short of phenomenal considering the challenging real estate market,” said Steve Murray, founder of Denver-based publishing and communications company REAL Trends, which compiled the list. “Ironically, if you look at the top 250 in each category you will find that collectively, their sales volume and transaction sides held up quite nicely compared with the market as a whole.”

“Becoming a member of such an elite group as the The Thousand Top Real Estate Professionals is an incredible accomplishment in any market, but what The Raines Group did during these challenging times is impressive on so many levels,” said Marti Gallardo, vice president, Global Sales, Vertical Markets Advertising for The Wall Street Journal. “Their efforts topped 99.99 percent of the more than 1 million REALTORS nationwide.”

“I am absolutely thrilled to be named to The Thousand,” said Sandy Raines, CEO of The Raines Group. “Even with the market’s challenges, it’s incredibly gratifying to help clients find their dream homes as well as help them sell their properties quickly and for the highest price possible.”

The four lists of the The Thousand can be found at:

http://realtrends.com/products/top-1000-sales-professionals/individual-sides

http://realtrends.com/products/top-1000-sales-professionals/individual-volume

http://realtrends.com/products/top-1000-sales-professionals/team-sides

http://realtrends.com/products/top-1000-sales-professionals/team-volume

Real Living Her wins 50% of statewide categories at OAR Promotion and Advertising Contest.

The Raines Group — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:54:23 +0000

On Sunday, The Ohio Association of Realtors announced the winners of this year’s OAR Promotion and Advertising Contest. Real Living HER won first place in 50% of the statewide categories! The contest winners will be part of the OAR exhibitor space at this year’s state convention through Wednesday.

Real Living was entered in the “large firm” category and here are the awards:

First Place – Auction Promotion Materials

First Place – Business Cards and Stationary

First Place – Commercial/Investment Brochures

First Place – Firm website (HERRealtors.com)

First Place – Institutional Advertising (Curbside Info campaign)

First Place – Institutional Communications (One Real Living company e-newsletter)

First Place – Billboard (Lancaster associates coop ad)

First Place – Photos of Office Exteriors (Granville – Hugh Price)

First Place – Photos of Office Signs (new Lewis Center Office)

First Place – Television Advertising (Curbside Info 30 second spot)

Real Living: Fastest Growing Real Estate Brand in the U.S.!

The Raines Group — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:20:00 +0000

According to the National Association Realtors (REALTOR Magazine July/August 2011) Franchise Report based on net office growth 2011 over 2009.

According to the National Association of Realtors Real Living has been crowned the fastest growing real estate brand.

While many residential real estate brokerages have been closing offices and losing agents, the Real Living brand stands out as an extreme example of success and progress. Since 2009 Real Living has opened 265 new offices. We now have 425 real estate offices and 10,000 agents through out the country.

“In an industry as fiercely competitive, complex and challenging as real estate, being the nation’s fastest-growing brand is a major achievement, and all of us at Real Living are extremely proud of this milestone,” Real Living President Harley E. Rouda, Jr., said.

Real Living’s national growth was set in motion in November, 2009 when it was acquired by Brookfield Residential Property Services, a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management. At that time, the company made its growth plans known, saying Real Living is, “about to get bigger — much bigger”. Brookfield Residential Property Services then merged Real Living with GMAC Real Estate, a company it purchased the previous year.

Since then, Real Living has welcomed hundreds of respected, market-leading real estate firms into its family of franchisees. Comprising large, medium and small firms, spanning virtually all across the United States.

“We deliver on our unique promise to help our brokers and agents every way we possibly can, from providing them with cutting-edge technology that streamlines day-to-day tasks, to training them in Premier Service®, the industry’s most comprehensive customer-service program, bar none,” Rouda explained.

Through Premier Service, Real Living agents put in writing, up front, the comprehensive services they will perform on customers’ behalf. Once transactions are completed, every customer is asked to work with a third-party firm on a detailed questionnaire to honestly assess their experiences with Real Living. The company has maintained an industry-leading 96 percent customer satisfaction rating.