Richmond Home Shopper

SUMMER HOME TOUR!

Each summer Skye Bruce Properties has a special event called the SUMMER HOME TOUR!  This week we are kicking off the event featuring 3 great Open Houses on Sunday!  Check out our “listings page” for details by clicking HERE! Be on the lookout for more great Open Houses throughout the summer and look for Skye Bruce Properties at summer events and festivals throughout the Richmond area!  Thinking of buying or selling Richmond area real estate?  Nobody helps people buy and sell homes like Skye Bruce Properties!  Contact us today!

Richmond Moving Tips!

If you’re moving into a new Richmond home, your pockets probably feel pretty empty right now. You’ve just paid a down payment, closing costs etc, so the last thing you want is an expensive move. Here are some tips to help you pack up and ship out on a budget no matter if you are moving across the street, across town or across the country!

If you don’t need it, don’t pay to move it. Movers base their prices on what you’re shipping, so cutting down on clutter will simplify your life and lighten up the load in the moving truck. We’re talking to you, the owner of the treadmill-turned-drying-rack. You can sell what you don’t need or donate it to charity.

Get multiple in-home estimates. There are many good movers in the Richmond area.  Make some calls and talk to 3 or 4. If you’re hiring a professional mover to do the heavy lifting and packing, prices can vary widely between companies. Read the rest of this entry »

Staging Your Richmond Home To Sell

If you are trying to sell your Richmond area home, staging your home can make all the difference. You always hear about LOCATION in real estate, but no matter where your house is located in Richmond, if it’s messy, cluttered or over furnished it can hurt your chances of selling. Staging is a critical part of selling a home. Furniture that makes the home look spacious and comfortable can make the difference when selling. A room crammed with furniture can make even a large room look small and cramped.

Skye Bruce Properties has an Accredited Home Staging Specialist on staff to help our clients stage their homes correctly from the start of the home selling process.  “In today’s buyer’s market, a home staged correctly can give you an edge over other homes on the market” says Skye Bruce.   “First impressions are so important in today’s real estate environment and many times a few simple changes can make a big difference. We have even invested in an inventory of stylish staging items to give homes a special look from the start.” added Skye.

Thinking of putting your home on the market? Contact Skye Bruce Properties with questions about home staging and the home selling process!

Remodeling To Sell Your Richmond Home

No doubt about it, remodeling is expensive. A bathroom remodel can quickly reach $10,000 and that’s about where the most basic kitchen remodels start. In short, remodeling is an investment and you want to make sure you get the best return on your dollars. Ever wonder if it’s worth it when it come to re-selling your Richmond area home?  If you spend the money will you get it back?  Check out this link to the 2010 COST versus VALUE calculator.   It’s a great resource as you make important decisions.

What are the most effective areas to remodel when getting ready to sell your Richmond area home?  Contact Skye Bruce Properties for great advice when preparing your home for sale.  Skye Bruce Properties has a team of listing experts to help you make those important decisions to get your home sold as fast as possible at an optimum price.

Trading Up To A Larger Richmond Home

How in the world are we going to do this, you’re asking. It’s time to move up, finding a bigger home in the Richmond area is something that’s a necessity now and you’re not quite sure where to start. Your home, when you bought it was the right place and had all that you needed at the time. It was economical, was in a great location, had good schools and carried a low cost, all of which you needed as a new family just starting out.

Your needs, like your family, have undergone a many changes. The family is larger now, the business has grown and you need more space to grow and evolve. Your feeling of cozy has gone to the need for more space, a room for that home office and probably a larger space for entertaining, along with more room for the children to spread out and have their own work space in their rooms. There just is not enough room to go around and you absolutely all agree that its time to move up. Finding a bigger home isn’t always an easy task and certainly moving isn’t any picnic, but you have decided it’s time to do it and take advantage of the current buyer’s market. Read the rest of this entry »

Paint Can Help Sell Your Home Faster

The best dollar for dollar investment for selling your Richmond home fast is fresh paint.  Neutral colors are best as they will rarely clash with potential buyer’s furniture and accessories. Prospective buyers want move in ready homes especially in the current market and they don’t want to paint before moving in.  For a reasonable cost you can differentiate your house with a few coats of paint.

Next to fresh paint, new carpeting makes a huge difference.  Again stick with neutral colors and conservative textures to make your home attractive to the masses.  At Skye Bruce Properties this is simple advice we give our clients, but it goes a long way in selling their homes as fast as possible. 

Thinking of buying or selling a home in the Richmond area?  Contact Skye Bruce, the #1 RE/MAX Agent in Central Virginia. Like what you are reading?  Subscribe today to our BLOG!

Strategies to Increase Home Sale Profits

The proposition of selling a home is getting better with each passing day according to a recently released report from the National Association of Realtors. If you need to sell your home, a few smart strategies can help you increase your profits.

A number of real estate pundits are pointing to the recent decline in home inventory and the fact that interest rates have increased on the 30-year fixed mortgage as a positive endorsement of a healthier housing market.

Joanne Sebby, a licensed real estate broker in Chicago, and operator of a local Two Men and a Truck moving franchise, believes she’s benefitting from what could be the start of a real estate “bloom,” if not a full “boom.” Read the rest of this entry »

What Is Your Richmond Home Worth?

The last year has been a tough one financially.  Our investments such as 401K’s have taken a hit and many of us follow the stock market and our investment accounts monthly, weekly and sometimes even daily.  But what about our homes?  For most of us its our largest investment.  Are you among the 95% of homeowners who don’t know the market value of your home?

If so you should consider having a REALTOR prepare a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) for your home.  A CMA compares your house with similar ones on the market in your neighborhood and homes which have recently sold.  This information will give you an accurate value of your homes worth.  Remember the real estate market constantly fluctuates so its a good idea to obtain one each year.  Even if you are not selling your home right now, a CMA can help you determine your current net worth. Remember a CMA is the only market based method of measuring home values.

“Thinking of buying a home?  A CMA for the property you are considering can be an important component in developing a negotioation strategy in determining your first offer and what you are willing to pay for a home”, says Skye Bruce of Skye Bruce Properties.

Would you like a CMA for your home?  Contact Skye Bruce Properties, The Official REALTOR of RichmondHomeShopper.com for a custom CMA or create one yourself by using Skye Bruce’s MARKET SNAPSHOT.  MARKET SNAPSHOT allows you to see all the homes on the market in your area and what homes have sold for recently.

Driveway Improvements Speed Home Offers and Lower Costs

(ARA) – With a “For Sale” sign in your Richmond area front yard, you’ll want potential buyers to take a good, long look at your property. And even if you’re not planning a move, you want to be sure you protect and maintain your home to keep future repairs at a minimum.

Real estate is a tough market today in Richmond. If you’re a seller, creating curb appeal is a key to entice potential buyers to come inside for a second look. Home selling experts predict that as many as 40 percent of potential buyers reject a home based on their first impression of the front of the house. The general appearance of the front yard is the single largest factor shaping impressions of your home.

“Driveways and sidewalks are the first impression people have of your home. Well-maintained driveways and sidewalks create a strong first impression. On the other hand, if they are worn, cracked, stained and faded, that creates messages about what someone might find inside the home,” says home improvement industry expert Gordon Blickle of Gardner-Gibson. Read the rest of this entry »

3 Important Tips For Selling Your Home

No matter how bad the Richmond real estate market seems to be these days, home sales do happen because people will always need a place to live. In fact, more than four million homes were sold in 2008. But with Central Virginia home values falling, today’s sellers are finding out every dollar counts when it comes to keeping as much of their home’s sales price as possible.

Since it is a buyer’s market where there are plenty of homes available in the Richmond area, it’s important to be aggressive and make your home stand out. Read the rest of this entry »