One of the basic concepts in marketing anything is having an item appeal to the most amount of people possible, and this concept also applies to selling your Oklahoma City home. The more appealing it is to the market as a whole, the faster it will sell.

If you’re thinking about doing some home improvements to add value to your home, here are some that you may want to avoid. These improvements will not add as much value as kitchen or bathroom renovations would when you are selling your Oklahoma City home.

Additions

While some additions can add a lot of value, some rooms appear to be tacked on to the rest of the house. Buyers will get the feeling that the room simply doesn’t belong to the rest of the house and this will be a turn off for a lot of them.

Additions need to take into account the overall flow of the house and need to appear as natural as possible. It can be a problem adding a new room because you may not be able to sense the flow of the house as an insider. If you’re serious about putting up an addition get some outside help from a professional that can look at the layout and make suggestions.

Upgrades

Any type of upgrades that you add to your home need to be matched to the rest of the home. If you have a modest house and buy high-quality upgrades for one room only, that room will look completely out of place when compared to the rest of the house. Again, it is maintaining the flow of the whole house that will attract more buyers when selling your Oklahoma City home.

Pools

A lot of people are not even going to look at a home that has a pool. You will be limiting your target market by adding a pool to your home. If you are thinking of selling in the not too distance future, avoid getting a pool for the home you’re in now and put it in your next home instead.

Talk to a real estate agent about the home improvements you are planning before going ahead with any of them. The agent will let you know what kind of return you can expect by upgrading and whether it will hinder the buyer’s market when you are selling your Oklahoma City home.

No matter what the Oklahoma City real estate market is in your neighborhood, you can get your house sold to the right buyer. To do this, all you need to do is avoid the common selling mistakes that can effect how much you get from the sale, and make selling your property a nightmare.

The outside of the Property

It is a common mistake when selling Oklahoma City real estate to focus on the inside of the property and forget the outside. To make a good first impression, it is important to ensure that the outside is also well done and appealing. When potential buyers drive in to view the property, the outside of the property will be their first impression.

An unkempt garden with overgrown trees and shrubs will hide the beauty of the property and turn off potential buyers. Manicure the lawns and use outdoor furniture to enhance the beauty of the property.

Failing to stage

Staging Oklahoma City real estate is vital when selling the property to get the maximum profit possible. In order to sell a property, it is important to highlight the good points of the property and engage the imagination of potential buyers. Staging allows the seller to show potential buyers the potential of the property.

It is important to realize that buying is an emotional decision. You have to engage the emotions and imagination of the potential buyers to help them visualize how the property will look with their furniture in place.

Selling property when it is in a poor state

You cannot expect to sell property that is in a poor state at a premium price. The state of the property will have a direct impact on the selling price. Potential buyers will quickly lose interest when they see the condition of the Oklahoma City real estate property. A property with visible maintenance problems simply means that there are more problems in what cannot be seen like structural issues or roofing problems.

Removing clutter from all the rooms will make the rooms look bigger while a fresh coat of paint will brighten up the rooms. Arranging furniture creatively and removing personal items like photos will help buyers envision the home as their own. You may consider borrowing or renting good furniture to create the desired effect.

Selling Oklahoma City real estate involves appealing to the emotions of potential buyers so they will want to invest in that property. If the house is not selling, instead of reducing the asking price, work on the property to make it more appealing and attractive to buyers.

If you are buying a home in Oklahoma City you are going to be looking for the best deal possible. One of the biggest parts of landing a real estate deal lies in the art of negotiations. You need to hire the best agent to negotiate on your behalf when offers are being presented. As a buyer, you need to know a few basics about the negotiating process because you are ultimately in charge of making the final decision. You need to know that you are walking away with the best deal possible.

Here are the basics of the negotiation process and what you need to understand about it.

1. Be flexible

If you have your heart set on one house and are completely stuck on it, this “must-have” feeling will be picked up by the seller and his agent. It’s hard to disguise the “need to have it” mentality, and you may not end up with the best price because of it. Try to keep things calm and remember that finding one house you love means that there are probably a lot of other houses out there that you could love as well.

2. Hire a negotiator

Find out what type of skills your agent has as a negotiator. The Oklahoma City agent you choose will be acting on your behalf to get the best price. You need to know ahead of time exactly what you can expect when buying a home in Oklahoma City.

3. View the seller objectively

The seller is doing the same thing as you are – trying to get the best price at his end. He may have lived in this house for many years and be facing a hard time letting it go. The house probably means a lot more to the seller than you could ever realize. A lot of memories may have been made in the dwelling that are priceless. If you find that the seller does not want to negotiate as much as you’d expect, keep these things in mind. Work with your Oklahoma City real estate agent to avoid frustration. Your agent has worked with many reluctant sellers before and knows exactly how to deal with them.

4. Find out why the offer was rejected

If you are buying a home in Oklahoma City and your offer has been turned down, don’t give up right away. Find out more about the rejection and see if there are any other concerns other than price. Sometimes your price can be just slightly lower than an offer that they would accept. Your agent will be able to find out more for you.

5. Give reasonable offers

It is really insulting to send an offer that is extremely low to the seller. When you are trying to find the best price when you are buying a home in Oklahoma City, you have the right make offers that are low, but they still should be reasonable. An offer that is too low to be considered reasonable is simply a waste of time for everybody concerned.

Remember that there are two sides to buying a home in Oklahoma City. The buyer wants to buy the home and the seller wants to sell it. Both sides will have an agent working on their behalf and the outcome should have both sides agreeing on an offer and happy with it.

Carrying out crime rate research is very important when you are planning to purchase Oklahoma City property or move to a particular neighborhood. There are different approaches you can use when doing your research. Here are some good ideas to help you find relevant and helpful information.

The Internet

The Internet is a good place to start your information search. Find out if there are any statistics listed for communities around Oklahoma City. You’ll then have to compare these stats to narrow down the list of safe communities. You can also read newspaper reports online to get a general idea about a certain area of Oklahoma City that you may be considering for a home purchase. Use a search engine to do more research and find other websites that provide similar information.

Talk to People

You can talk to a few people on the streets or strike up a conversation with a shop attendant as you make a purchase. Get first-hand information from the very people who live in that neighborhood if you are at all serious about buying a Oklahoma City property there.

Take a Drive

Armed with relevant information and statistics, take a drive around the areas of the city that you are interested in. The things you see on the streets will tell you a lot about that neighborhood. Are there groups of people idling in the streets? Can you hear loud music blasting from homes? Are there any graffiti paintings on the walls? All these signs will indicate whether crime is rife or controlled. Select a time of day like the late afternoon or early evening when the neighborhood is more alive to see for yourself what life is really like in that part of town.

Ask your real estate agent

An agent will know the crime rates in various areas of town and can point you in the right direction. Your agent has your best interests at heart and does not want to put you in a compromising position.

The Education System

This can give you an idea of the neighborhood and its future potential. Take note of the upkeep of the schools and colleges. Any neglect and poor upkeep may point to a future deterioration of that neighborhood.

Do your homework thoroughly and make an informed decision. Buying Oklahoma City property is a long-term decision and one you’ll have to live with for many years to come. You cannot afford to go wrong when selecting a neighborhood in Oklahoma City and you’ll be thankful that you took the time to do a bit of research first on the crime rate.

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.

While real estate can be a very good investment vehicle worth considering, some people are now offering real estate seminars in Oklahoma City that make outrageous get rich quick promises. Many people are attracted to the prospect of making thousands of dollars on property after investing a small amount of money. You can end up investing hundreds and even thousands of dollars for these seminars that tell you there is fast money in real estate. While some seminars are legit, some are a scam.

Indeed there are genuine seminars that educate investors on the real estate industry without making guarantees of quick wealth. Tread cautiously if you see ads promoting ‘investment secrets’ and ‘risk free investments’ for these seminars.

Here are some questions to ask yourself before attending any of these seminars.

Can the speaker show real experience that he has he made money from real estate investments?

The speaker should be able to provide real proof that he has used the information he is offering to make wealth. Proper information and recommendations about the speaker should be provided with accurate contacts that can be investigated further. Be weary of speakers who use religion to gain credibility.

Is proper information provided prior at the seminar?

Most advertisements about a seminar tend to focus on the good things without giving real information. A beautiful picture of wealth and luxury is painted without any real information on how to get there. Good real estate seminars in Oklahoma City should give you details on what you would have to do to make a profit and mistakes you should avoid. The objectives and the discussion points of the seminar should be clearly spelt out in advance.

What materials are provided?

Many seminars offer books and CDs for sale. Ensure that the materials provided are useful and written by well-known authors. Read through the first few pages and go through the table of contents. This will give you a good idea about the material and what it covers. Many of these real estate seminars in Oklahoma City are simply used as avenues to sell more books and CDs while offering no real information.

Real estate seminars in Oklahoma City that offer exaggerated results and out of this world profits for a small investment are an outright scam. Legitimate seminars will focus on giving you step by step guidelines and solutions without making wild promises. Proper references will be provided, and speakers will be well known successful individuals in the real estate field.



Based on information provided to and compiled by MLSGateway.com, Inc. covering a period 2004 through 2010 MLSGateway.com, Inc. does not guarantee or is in any way responsible for its accuracy.

 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.