Thinking about Selling? Make Sure You Know About (SBO) Strategic Buyer Optimization Techniques.

The manner in which we buy and sell homes is evolving, and one MUST embrace the technology and the more savvy buyers that come along with it.

This may be a little technical to you, but if you are selling your home, make sure you know about SBO.  (Strategic Buyer Optimization)

For starters, it includes professional photography and "buyer optimized descriptions", and it's all part of Strategic Staging. If you haven't heard of these terms, ask any one of my three seller clients who all benefited from these strategies, and closed on their home in the last 30 days from the power of SBO.

Call me or contact me to learn how these strategies can work for you

JUST IN THE LAST MONTH:

1)  Home went under deposit in just 22 days when two other nearby homes priced similarly have languished on the market for 155 days, and 267 days, respectively.
2) Condo went under deposit in  just eight days AND sold a the highest price in the complex in three years!
3) Home in need of cosmetic and structural work sold in a bidding war 2.5 percent above asking price.

 Ask me how I can help you.  Email me today

Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact us!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like: Find out more about Judy here

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY

Tips on Choosing the Right Size Home For You in Fairfield County CT

One person's idea of small is someone else's idea of just right, and yet someone else's idea of large.  The right size is quite a subjective question.

There are a few great ways to be able to tell what size home is right for you, and bigger isn't necessarily better, just as smaller isn't necessarily easier to maintain.  Here are a few easy ways  to figure out the square footage range that will make you most happy for your next home.

Your first step is to ascertain the size home that you are living in right now, and whether you feel it's just a tad too small, way too small, or on the flip side- a tad too big, or just way too much for you to want to continue to handle.

If you don't know the size home that you are living in right now, your real estate agent (me!) can easily find that out through town records- that also holds true for rentals, by the way.

After having a conversation with you, your Realtor should be able to tell  just how much bigger or smaller your next home's square footage should be, in order to optimize your home search.

For example, let's say that your current home is just under 2,000 square feet, but you want another bedroom and a family room. That may very well mean that you should look in the 2500+ square footage category.

Maybe your 2,000 square foot home just does not have enough storage for your liking- so let's make sure we have some unfinished areas for storage that can at least double what you have.  The actual living area may not need to change, so if we need to stay within a particular budget, we may still be able to look at 2,000 square foot homes with different configuration, or even a different style.

Or maybe that 2,000 square foot home is just too big, or too much to reasonably maintain. We can look at smaller homes that offer you the same, or reasonably similar interior features that you have grown accustomed to, while, downsizing unnecessary rooms.

Square footage is a number to start with, but not the be-all and end-all. An experienced real estate agent (like me) can guide you the process of what's right for you.

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 Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact us!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like: Find out more about Judy here

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY

The Newest National Housing Stats- What You Probably Didn't See

Monthly housing reports always trigger headlines.  And today’s National Association of Realtors Existing-Home Sales Report for November is no exception.  Here are three nuggets of information that might get lost in the media coverage:

1. Median existing home prices are going up: The November national median existing-home price for all housing types is $196,300.  This is $15,700 more than this time last year, and $32,100 more than November, 2011.
2. Homes are selling fast: The median time on the market for all homes was 56 days in November, which is approximately 8 weeks. Last year at this time, the average time on the market was 70 days, approximately 10 weeks.
3. And faster!: Maybe the most important stat was buried in the seventh paragraph.  Get this, 35% of all homes sold within 30 days.  Wow! 

There is clearly demand for homes, but that demand is not being met by supply, since we also learned that inventory, the amount of homes available for sale, is at a 5.1 month supply.  While that might sound like a lot, it is a full month below a traditional balanced market of 6 months.  Therefore, in most locations around the U.S., supply is not meeting demand and therefore sellers are in the driver’s seat equating to higher prices.

One other interesting thing I find fascinating in each NAR report is the use of the term “median.”  Quick!  Are you smarter than a 5^th grader?  What’s the difference between median and average home price?

Median is the exact middle point of all homes sold while the average is the cumulative sales number, divided by the number of sales recorded.

But what does a median home look like?  I thought it would be fun to see and found five Coldwell Banker listings from around the nation that matched the nation’s current median price of $196,000:

• Beautiful ranch style home on three acres in Wakefield, NH
• 4-bedroom 2.5 bath family home in Lake Jackson, TX
• Home with two units – one to live and one to rent – in Prineville, OR
• 4-bedroom 2 bath home in Pooler, GA
• Home with a scenic lake view in Winter Haven, FL

The preceding was an excerpt from a Guest post from Dianne Falaguerra with our partner agency CooperKatz on "Coldwell Banker Blue Matter"

Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact Judy!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like: Find out more about Judy here

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY

Buy or Sell Your Home With Top Fairfield County CT Realtor Judy Szablak

Looking for a real estate agent with unrivaled  expertise?  Please take a moment to watch Judy's video resume  if you are considering buying or selling in Fairfield County, CT, or share with someone you know who needs a Realtor! 

When you Deserve the Best, You Deserve Judy Szablak!

Areas of expertise include, Westport, Weston, Easton, Norwalk, Fairfield, Southport, Trumbull and surrounding towns.

Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact us!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like:

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY

Best Buyer Tips: Open Houses are NOT the Best Way to Search For Homes

Did you know that just yesterday there were 341 open houses in ALL of Fairfield County? That's not even ten percent of the 4,292 available single family homes!

Yesterday's open houses comprised less than eight percent of all homes listed that were open to the public on Sunday..At that rate, it would take over three MONTHS to see all the houses for sale!

For your own edification, in our immediate area, yesterday's open houses included:
 
 36 open houses in Westport- out of 289 homes for sale, or just  12.45%

 11 open houses in Trumbull out of 159 homes for sale,  or just  6.9%

 27 open houses in Norwalk out of 288 homes for sale ,  or just  9.375%

 58 open houses in Fairfield  out of 426 homes for sale,  or just  13.62%

 9 open houses in Easton out of 80 homes for sale, or just  11.25%
 
So what are open houses good for? Three things.

1. Getting a feel for the market if you are just starting your search.
2. Meeting an agent that you feel would be a good fit to help you in your home search.
3. Meeting an agent to represent you in the sale of your home.

Many homes never have an open house, and one of those homes could be the perfect house for you. When you work with an agent, you won't miss out on that perfect property.

Likewise, if you are looking to meet an agent to represent you in the sale of your home, well...

...  I just happen to know someone :)

Contact me when you are ready to buy or sell your home, and check out my video resume, if you like.

Phone (203) 257-5892  or email at Judy@BestAgentsOnline.com

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The Featured Home of the Week is at 125 Norton Road in Easton  for $1,349,900. See the virtual tour HERE

Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County?  Contact us!

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in  Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy

Search for properties on any of our sites, or get the very best visibility available for your home. Visit us online wherever you like:

www.CThomesAndRealEstate.com      www.TheCTrealtyBlog.com     www.TheCTRB.com    and   www.CTfeaturedHomes.com 

 Email us or  call Toll Free (855) GET-JUDY