Selling your home can be a challenge that may seem especially daunting in a softer real estate market. If you decide now is the time to sell, there are several aspects that can make your home more attractive to potential buyers. Following this advice may help justify your asking price and attract buyers.
Setting the stage
There is a science to selling your home and in tight economic times, you want the exact elements to combine for successful selling opportunities. Dozens of online resources help guide you in staging your home to appeal to potential buyers. One of the more popular sites, Home and Garden Television (HGTV) offers these ideas:
1. What an entrance!
The outside of your home is the all-important first impression. And like it or not, it speaks volumes about what’s inside -- and about its owner. Glossy paint in a bold, cheerful color for the front door, new hardware, a doormat and seasonal potted plants on the porch will dramatically brighten and refresh your home’s entry and make a welcoming statement.
2. Create spaces
Part of what stagers do is create fantasy spaces: an exercise room, a meditation space, an art studio or a family game room. If a room currently only gathers junk, repurpose it into something that will add to the value -- and enjoyment -- of the home. Adding an armchair, a small table, and a lamp in a stairwell nook will transform an area into a cozy reading spot.
3. Brilliant natural light
Take off old, heavy drapery and put up something light and airy. This allows natural light and makes a previously closed-in space seem larger. Simple sheers on a tension rod are great for screening an unattractive view and providing some privacy while letting in light and visually enlarging a room. If privacy is paramount, top-down, bottom-up shades will block the neighbors’ view of your bathtub but still let you gaze at the sky while you soak in the tub.
Pella Designer Series windows and doors feature top-down or bottom-up shade options tucked neatly between panes of glass, so there’s no clutter of traditional room-side blinds and no need for dusting. The beauty of this product is since the window treatments are included in the window, their purchase price can be built into the mortgage.
Brand name windows
In today’s competitive market, buyers look for brand names everywhere in a home. While a name brand range or a countertop are influencers in the kitchen, so are quality name brand windows and entry doors throughout the home. Many sellers list Pella windows and doors by name in ads, adding a mark of distinction about a home offered for sale. More than just a quality name, Pella offers quality products in its wood, vinyl and fiberglass composite window collections. Plus, Pella has long been a leader in creating energy-saving products. The company was recently named a 2007 ENERGY STAR partner of the year winner among window manufacturers.
With Pella, homeowners can expect excellent performance, energy efficiency and peace of mind, knowing their investment in quality windows and doors will bring years of performance and satisfaction.
Only Pella offers its Rolscreen insect screen for windows and patio doors, which rolls out of sight when not in use. Another eye-catching option is the virtually transparent Vivid View insect screen which allows in more natural light and ventilation offering great views from inside or out.
Women as influencers and buyers
Knowing your audience is especially important when selling your home. Women directly purchase or influence the purchase of 91 percent of all new homes, according to the Business Women’s Network.
In today’s market, single women homebuyers are an especially powerful consumer segment -- 51 percent of American women live without a spouse according to the New York Times.
According to trend researcher Iconoculture, single women homeowners as a segment is “on the verge of a virtual marketplace takeover as women delay marriage until later in life and enjoy greater financial, intellectual and emotional independence than ever before.†According to the National Association of Realtors, single women purchased 1.76 million homes from July 2005 to July 2006 -- 22 percent of the housing market and more than double the 9 percent of homes bought by their single male counterparts.
Make sure your home is designed to sell and direct your efforts to the highly influential female market as buyers, decision-makers and passionate decorators.
For more information on home improvement featuring windows and doors, contact a local Pella Window & Door Showroom expert by calling (888) 84-PELLA or logging on to www.pella.com.
Courtesy of ARA content
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Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
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