Homes for Sale

There are a lot of Oklahoma City homes for sale right now and you have hired an agent to get it sold fast. This is your first step when you are putting your house on the market. While your real estate agent is going to handle most of these things for you, there are some things that you can do as well to help speed up the whole process.

Advertising

Your agent is going to list your house on the MLS along with other Oklahoma City homes for sale. He is also going to let other agents know about your house and find out if they have any clients that are looking for a home like yours. There are also other strategic plans that your agent may use to get your home sold fast.

One thing that you can do to help out your agent is start your own form of advertising by using good old word of mouth. This is one of the oldest forms of advertising and is still one of the most effective. Tell your friends, family members and co-workers about your home for sale and tell them to let others know. Quite a few homes have been sold this way and you never know when the right buyer is going to come along.

Stay in communication

The more you communicate with your agent the better off you will be. Find out what else you could possibly do to help sell your Oklahoma City home. There may be a few cracks in the wall or some fixing to do on the exterior of your home that will make a difference when selling your home.

Communication needs to be kept in during all of the selling stages. There may be times when your agent needs to contact you to ask questions and needs them answered very quickly. Keep your cell phone handy so you can always be available whenever your agent needs to get a hold of you.

Use word of mouth advertising to let others know about your home and stay in communication with your agent at all times. Anything you can do to help further a fast sale is worth the small effort it takes!

If you have been thinking about selling your home but don’t really know what to expect, here is a basic Oklahoma City home selling guide to look at. It outlines the basics of selling your home in Oklahoma City and what you need to do to get prepared for it.

1. Why are you selling?

Examine the reasons why you want to sell your Oklahoma City home. You should only put your home up for sale if you are firmly motivated to sell it. If you have any vague doubts lingering about buying a new home and leaving your existing one, get those worked out first.

2. Look at other home options

If you are selling your Oklahoma City home to move to a new neighborhood, make sure that you have done your homework first. You may find that the price of moving simply isn’t worth your time or effort. You may also find that you can’t find another house that you’d like to live in that’s better than the one you are in now. It’s always best to explore all your options before making a final decision one way or another.

3. Select a real estate agent

Talk to a Oklahoma City agent that you feel will be able to market your home efficiently and get it sold fast. Find out more about the agent you plan on working with to establish a trust factor. Find out what types of marketing the agent can do to sell your home.

4. Prepare your home

If you have decided to list your Oklahoma City home you’ll have to prepared for the sale. Look for any repairs that need to be done and any outpoints that a potential buyer would see when entering your home. In most cases small fix ups may be necessary to sell your house faster and get a higher price.

5. Get ready for financing

Get in touch with your current lender to learn the exact amount that still needs to be paid off on your home and how much equity it has built up. At that point you can approach different lenders and look for the best mortgage deal.

While there is a lot more to selling a house, this basic Oklahoma City home guide should help you put things in perspective. Your real estate agent will help guide you through every step of the process and you’ll find that it is probably easier than what you first imagined.

Interest Rates are currently hovering between 4.25% and 4.5%.  If you buy a $350,000.00 house today with a 4.25% rate and 20% down your payment on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage would be 1377.43 per month(Principal and Interest).  Add in taxes at $3000.00 per year and insurance at $1600.00 per year and your total payment would be $1760.77.  If you are interested in what that will buy you click here.

 There is a growing trend for home builders to build green home plans or at least implement green home design in their new home plans.  They are doing this because their is a growing demand for green homes.  So, what is a green home?  A Green Home is a home that is usually certified based on criteria set up by a third party program such as ENERGY STAR or the NAHB NATIONAL GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM.

Why would someone want a green home?  The answer to this question falls into two camps depending on what you want to save.  Some want to save the planet while others just want to save money.  During our current recessionary times I think most are focused on the latter while saving the planet is just a perk.

Currently I am marketing a green home for sale at 8604 SW 57th ST.  (embarrassing plug I know OPEN HOUSE SAT & SUN 12-5 PM).  This home is being certified by both of the aforementioned programs.  Some of the money saving features are low-E windows, Energy Star appliances, energy efficient HVAC, and energy efficient tankless hot water heaters. Some of the planet saving features are the use of indigenous materials and low VOC carpet.   It gives the best of both worlds. Save the planet and save money.  The save the planet push is important to many people and may and should endure but I think we can agree that all people are interested in saving money and that the desire to save money will definitely endure.  This is an idea that is definitely here to stay.  As an example the green home mentioned above was designed to cut utility bills by one half of what they would be on a non-green home.  At 3300 SF it is assumed the bills would be about $500.  If you save half of that you would be saving $250 a month.  The additional cost to make this home green is about $9,000 which financed in the purchase would equal about $50 a month.  So you are spending $50 a month to save $250 a month plus you are helping your environment and your health.  Not a bad deal at all. 

I believe this trend will endure and at some point will become the standard.  If you are buying a new home you should definitely consider buying a green home.  Else, you may find yourself spending money to update your home to green just to be able to sell it.

Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what kind of homes you will find in the Edgemere Park Neighborhood in Oklahoma City.  You can get a feel for the architectural style of the neighborhood.

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Total closed in February 2009 was 997 down ↓21.1% from the 1264 closed in February 2008.

The average price was $139,632 down ↓6.4 % from the February 2008 price of $149,107.

The median price was $123,500 down ↓1.2% from the February 2008 price of $125,000.

The average Days On Market for February 2008 was 94 down from 95 in 2008.

 Based on information provided to and compiled by MLSGateway.com, Inc. covering a period 2008 through 2009MLSGateway.com, Inc. does not guarantee or is in any way responsible for its accuracy.

Find out How Much Your Home is worth Today!

The number closed is sharply down indicating a slowing real estate market in Oklahoma City.  Often a sharp drop in the numbers sold will precede a corresponding sharp drop in prices.  Let’s hope this phenomena does not prove to be true in this case.

Total closed in January 2009 was 741 down ↓36.7 % from the 1170 closed in January 2008.

The average price was $146,837 down ↓5.9 % from the January 2008 price of $156,089.

The median price was $125,000 down ↓6.7% from the January 2008 price of $134,000.

The average Days On Market for November 2008 was 95 up from 92 in 2008.

 Based on information provided to and compiled by MLSGateway.com, Inc. covering a period 2008 through 2009MLSGateway.com, Inc. does not guarantee or is in any way responsible for its accuracy.

Find out How Much Your Home is worth Today!

14521 Fossil Creek Ln – Remington Read the rest of this entry »