Take the Guesswork out Home Searching with a Highly Rated Allen Tate Greensboro Team

Published on June 25, 2015 by Smith Marketing

Do you want your new home search to go from tedious and frustrating to smooth and phenomenal? It’s all in choosing the right team, tools, and experts to guide you step by step through the process. Choosing an Allen Tate Greensboro Team that is known for customer service and results will ensure that your experience is not only smooth and satisfying but will result in the right home for your family. Smith Marketing, Inc., one of Allen Tate’s principal teams in selling and listing homes, was recently ranked as one of the top 25% real estate teams in the nation, according to 2015 Real Trends the Thousand on Allen Tate’s website, www.newsroom.allentate.com:

“The agents and teams were ranked nationally and by state in six categories: individual agent by transaction sides, individual agent by sales volume, individual agent by average sales price, agent team by transaction sides, agent team by sales volume and agent team by average sales price.

Other Tate teams ranked in the top 25 percent nationally were Team Honeycutt in the Allen Tate Concord office, at No. 194 and Smith Marketing in the Allen Tate Greensboro-Green Valley office, at No. 203 in the category of agent team by transaction sides.”

Honest Communication and Trusted Service from an Allen Tate Team

Instead of starting on a journey of home searching on your own, find a reputable real estate team that you can trust. A top Allen Tate Greensboro team, like Smith Marketing, will deliver honest communication about the properties that you are considering, and educate you on the various features, warranties and aspects of the homes so you will be fully prepared to make a smart decision. When you have an established expert team to work with, the process of purchasing your home will go much smoother. From neighborhood features, school districts, nearby businesses and any other critical information you need to feel secure about your next home purchase, Allen Tate REALTORS of Greensboro is committed to providing up to date, accurate and detailed data, not only about the house, but about the surrounding area as well.

Buyer’s Agent and Relocation Services in Greensboro

If you are moving from outside of the area in a short amount of time, there is a lot of information to learn quickly regarding the various neighborhoods, quality of life, communities and more. With an Allen Tate Greensboro expert team, such as Smith Marketing, Inc., this information is readily available to you. Schools, available health care, grocery store proximity, parks, restaurants and other activity centers are some of the most important factors that go into a buying decision. Whether you need a 3 bedroom or 4 bedroom home, a 2 car or 3 car garage, or a large, gourmet kitchen, are some of the home features that will be reviewed to help you narrow your search to the type of home that meets or exceeds your needs.

It can be a guessing game if you try to search through all of the available properties in the Greensboro area alone. Smith Marketing, Inc., will partner with you to provide you with the best resources and facts that will help you with your important buying decision. Our in-depth knowledge of the area builders, neighborhoods and amenities will help you find the right home for you. Call our office today to begin your new home search and we look forward to helping you as a Buyer’s Agent or Relocation Specialist: 336-663-1320.

(Source: Top Performers Ranked on 2015 REAL Trends the Thousand, newsroom.allentate.com, July 15, 2015)

Staging Your House for Sale in Greensboro, NC Economically

Published on June 3, 2015 by Smith Marketing

Home staging creates a beautiful ambiance to make a positive first impression to homebuyers. You never get another chance to make a first impression, which is why taking the time to stage your house for sale in Greensboro, NC is very important. The first step is to get rid of clutter. One of the primary contributors to a cluttered look is having too much furniture. Consider putting larger and less attractive pieces of furniture in storage. This will help your home look more open and spacious. Make sure there is nothing inhibiting buyers’ eyes from key focal points, such as fireplaces and views. There are some economical modifications you can make that will make a huge impact on how prospective buyers see your home. How can you stage your home without spending too much? Smith Marketing has some tips and ideas for getting the right look affordably.

For Home Staging, Begin with Curb Appeal and Your Home Will Look Inviting to Home Buyers

If your home looks untidy on the outside, it is difficult to get potential buyers in the front door to see the inside. With a little TLC to the front yard and walkways, you can boost your home’s curb appeal. Sprucing up your garden with colorful flowers and bushes can go a long way in the overall appearance of the outside of your home which helps bring buyers inside. Here are a few more small DIY tasks that you can do to make your house for sale in Greensboro, NC stand out according to www.money.usnews.com:

“First impressions matter, and that’s why you want to start by making sure your home exudes curb appeal. Go all out with small do-it-yourself projects. Cut the grass, trim the bushes, get rid of dead branches and consider planting some flowers. Replacing the mailbox and house numbers and painting the front door can also make your home more appealing to a prospective buyer driving by. If the house looks dirty, wash the siding or stucco.”

Follow Tips for Interior Home Staging to Organize and Prepare Your Home for Prospective Buyers

When you need to stage your home, and you are not sure where to start, follow these helpful tips for home staging that won’t put a strain on your budget, provided by www.money.usnews.com:

Remove all clutter, personal photos, knickknacks and other junk. “Cleaning out the clutter just creates so much space, and that’s what people are looking for – space,” Matzke says. “It just really makes your home look bigger and younger.”

Edit your furniture. If your rooms are crowded, consider putting bigger and less attractive pieces of furniture in storage. This will open up space and make your home look larger. Make sure there is nothing obscuring buyers’ eyes from focal points, such as fireplaces and views.

Clean, clean, clean – then clean some more. Wash the windows, clean the cobwebs out of the corner and scrub the grout in the tile floors. Even though you’re not selling the furniture, clean that as well because it adds to the overall impression you’re trying to give.

Spruce up the outside. Add a new doormat, new house numbers and maybe a new mailbox. Paint the front door. The little stuff matters here.

Refresh your landscape. Clean up flower beds, add fresh mulch and plant flowers. Make sure bushes are trimmed and neat.

Paint. In some cases, you’d be wise to paint the entire house inside and out. In other cases, touching up and painting the trim might be enough. Paint over your kids’ purple walls with a neutral color. If your kitchen cabinets look old and dated, paint those. You can never go wrong with white, cream or brown, but you should pick a color that matches the rest of the kitchen decor.

Clean or replace light fixtures and cabinet hardware. “It’s not a really expensive undertaking, but it really makes a difference in how the home is presented,” Matzke says.

Don’t forget the small stuff. Pay attention to details, says Sherry Chris, CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. “New, matching towel sets in the bathroom, accent pillows on the couch and fresh flowers can be welcoming elements to a homebuyer,” she says.

If you can afford it, replace old carpeting. If your home has hardwood floors underneath, that’s even better. Ideally, you should refinish wood floors but even just exposing them is good, Matzke says.

Make sure each room has a defined purpose. If you’ve turned your dining room into an office, return it to dining room status, Matzke says. But Chris suggests putting up tent cards that say “Dining Room or Office” to point out alternative uses for the space. That would also work in a bedroom you’re using as an office.”

Another suggestion to make your home look warm and inviting is to have great lighting. Boost the wattage in your lamps and fixtures. A good rule of thumb is to have a total of 100 watts for each 50 square feet. Make sure you have a variety of light like ambient lighting and accent lighting on a table or wall.

With these easy and inexpensive projects, you can highlight your home’s strengths, downplay its weaknesses and attract the largest number of prospective buyers. Spruce up your home before prospective buyers find your home during a property search in Greensboro. By taking a few extra steps towards creating warm and inviting atmosphere in your home, you will find that your home’s open houses will be well attended by prospective buyers. Contact Smith Marketing, Inc. for all of your home buying and selling needs, at 336-215-7880.

Source: Ten Keys to Home Staging on a Budget, money.usnews.com, April 11, 2014