Could your kitchen use a facelift? According to Remodeling magazine’s latest Cost vs. Value Report, the average minor kitchen remodel costs $21,695.  And considering the amount of time people spend in their kitchens, it could be well worth the investment: Homeowners typically recoup about 73 percent of the cost, according to the report. 

If you are hiring contractors to do the work, make sure you do your research.  Estimate how much the down payment will be (usually about a quarter of the total project cost) and be sure to discuss a schedule for the payments.  Walk through and make a list of what (if anything) in the kitchen won’t be replaced during the remodel.  Keep in mind that you can save thousands if your remodel allows you to keep existing wiring and plumbing in place.  Still, unexpected costs do pop up, so experts recommend keeping about 20 perfect more cash on hand to cover unforeseen cost overruns.

When it comes to the details, costs can certainly add up. But there are ways to get the luxe look for less.  Kitchen counter materials range in price, from a top-of-the-line expensive granite surface to a wallet-friendly durable quartz countertop that has the look and feel of granite.  If you do go for a luxurious countertop, consider installing a less expensive backsplash (Beadboard, DIY mosaic tiles or faux pressed tin are some options).  Refacing cabinets, painting them or just replacing the knobs for a fresh look might be a more viable option than replacing the entire set.

Like the weather, real estate markets are hotter in the summer. Sunny days and more daylight hours mean more people are out there looking for homes to buy in Cookeville, and more sellers have their homes on the market. If you’re thinking of buying or selling a home in Cookeville, there are a few things to keep in mind during the summer months to maximize your buying or selling potential when the weather’s warm.

1. Home Sellers: Don’t Forget the Outside – During the drier months of the summer, landscaping and outdoor areas are especially important when you’re selling a home in Cookeville. People want to imagine themselves in a comfortable, clean, and inviting outdoor space – even if they’ll end up spending a lot of time inside. Make the most of your outdoor space by keeping everything clean, organized, and welcoming. Make sure lawns are green and cut, gardens are under control, and patio areas are free of spiderwebs and dirt – pressure washing can do wonders! It may be worth it to hire a landscaping team to do a once-over on the property to make sure everything is in top shape.

2. Buyers: Don’t Forget the Inside – When home sellers know that summer is all about the great outdoors, it can be easy to focus on the inviting outdoor spaces like a great fenced yard, pool, deck or other outside features. Make sure you focus on other aspects of the home, like how the interior (and basement) will hold up during winter storms. It’s easy to forget harsh winter weather during the peak of summer, but check windows, doors, and utility bills to see how efficient the house is in all seasons.

3. Sellers: Know Your Competition – With more houses for sale in the Cookeville real estate market, knowing what you are up against is key. Being aware of other homes for sale in your neighborhood can help you define your home’s own weaknesses and strengths. Reviewing information on area listings can also help ensure that you price your home right – head out to open houses, and deal with a talented real estate agent, like the Donnita Hill Team real estate experts, to make sure you’re pricing right for your area.

4. Buyers: Remember Your Major Home Desires – Don’t be overwhelmed by all the options out there during this surge in the Cookeville real estate market. Make lists of what you REALLY want in a home for sale, and don’t forget the features that are most important to you. Take a good look at your budget, lifestyle, and overall needs, and stay within your means – ask the Donnita Hill Team real estate experts to help you figure out what you can afford and where you can find it. We know the area better than anyone, and you might surprise yourself with the perfect home where you least expect it!

5. Everybody: Don’t Get Squeezed by the Season – And our most important summertime rule? Forget the summertime rules! Don’t think that you can’t buy or sell a house year round – the Cookeville Real Estate market is full of potential success in every season, so be patient and find the house and price that are right for YOU. The Donnita Hill Team Real Estate agents are here to help you make the most of this real estate boom season, and we’ll be with you in the rain, sleet, and snow come winter. Call us today!

If you’re looking for homes, apartments, or other real estate in Cookeville or anywhere in the Upper Cumberlands, contact Hill Realty  to find out about homes for sale in the best city in America!

Home selling in the summer is often a bit more tricky than home selling during other times of the year. For example, spring time selling is the most popular time to put your home on the market. The second best time of the year to sell a home is in the autumn. Summer ranks in meager third position.

Why is Summer Not the Optimum Time to Sell a Home?

Summer is good for a lot of things, but home selling is not necessarily one of them. In fact, if you don’t have to sell in the summer, you might get more for your home if you wait until fall. Why? Because in the summer

• People go on vacation
• Kids get out of school and require attention
• Summer activities distract

There’s just too much going on during the summer to pay close attention to home selling. Most sellers would rather wait until everything calms down in the fall.

If You Must Sell Your Home During the Summer

Not everybody can wait until fall, though. Sometimes people need to sell during the months of June, July and August. They might be transferred to a new job in another state or be experiencing other pressing “life” issues that could necessitate an immediate sale. Here are a few things you can do help attract a summertime buyer who might be leaning instead toward lying in a hammock and sipping lemonade.

Supply Summer Treats and DrinksFor me, in California, summer means red-and-white checkered tablecloths, potato salad, hot dogs and mustard and roasted corn-on-the-cob. Every part of the country has its own summer food traditions. In Maine, summer might mean juicy blueberries and clams. Fill the sink with ice cubes and chill bottled water for guests. 

Small updates will have a more dramatic impact if home owners are careful to keep the styles consistent and find ways to draw out the home’s best features.  Here are some tips from experts on how to make small improvements pay off.

1.      Concentrate on big impact rooms.

Be selective about what you do.  Kitchens and bathrooms still usually offer the most bang for your buck, says remodeling industry expert Bill Millholland, executive vice-president with Case Design/Remodeling Inc.

2.      Go neutral.

Don’t introduce too much color to the “bones” of the home.  You don’t want buyers to see too much bold color on cabinets and walls and say, “I have nothing to go with red,” says Terrylynn Fisher, CRS, a staging consultant at Empire Realty in Walnut Creek, California.  “Buyers will have a tough time seeing past it.” Stay neutral with walls, cabinets, and fixtures.  Bring in pops of colors through accessories.

3.      Consult an expert.

A professional stager or remodeler can work within your budget and pin point where best to spend your dollars.  For a list of contracts or interior decorates, ask colleagues or friends for recommendation or Contact us, at Hill Realty.

4.      Know when inexpensive won’t work.

Certain projects simply cannot be done cheaply, especially in a high-end home.  “If it is a luxury home, replacing the vanity with an off-the-shelf product from a big-box store is not going to cut it,” Millholland says.  “Most consumers will be able to tell that you did something cheap.  They won’t even see the value of it, so you are better off cleaning what is there and have it appear its best.”

5.      Find inspiration.

For design guidance, grab a catalog from Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, or Williams-Sonoma.  “Anything you see in there is fairly consistent with what the average consumer is looking for,” Millholland says.

6.      Plan your budget.

Even small projects can carry a premium if a contractor is needed for installation.  For labor savings, bulk your work, grouping several projects in a full day’s work rather than hiring a handyman or contractor for separate hourly jobs, Millholland says.

7.      Complement the architecture.

If it’s a two-story colonial home, avoid overly contemporary updates, such as stainless steel countertops.  Likewise, if the exterior is modern or contemporary, stay away from traditional styles, such as dark wood or classic lighting fixtures, Millholland says.

Get the greatest bang for your buck with these home improvement projects.

According to a survey conducted by HomeGain, an online marketplace that connects realtors, home buyers, and home sellers, cleaning and de-cluttering as well as lightening and brightening your home can noticeably rejuvenate a home’s appearance and pay relatively large dividends in the value of your home compared to the money invested.  “There steps can cost as little as a couple of hundred dollars and have returns as high as $1,500 to $2,000,” says HomeGain’s Jessica Gopalakrishnan.  Other tactics, like outdoor landscaping, repairing the electrical wiring, plumbing, and flooring as well as shampooing a home’s carpeting, also made HomeGain’s list of straightforward, worthwhile, and relatively inexpensive ways to freshen up a home.

But to achieve the most dramatic results – and if you are prepping your home for resale, the biggest potential increase in sales price – realtors recommended re-painting the interior and exterior walls and making minor updates and repairs to a home’s kitchen and bathrooms.  However, Gopalakrishnan points out that these steps typically involve the largest upfront costs.  But the greatest aesthetic effect and the larger impact upon the asking price – on average, a $7,500 increase – of repaints a house and updating its kitchen and bathroom often justifies the extra time and expense.

Increase your chances.  The more people who see your home, the more likely you are to sell it quickly.  Yes, it is inconvenient to show your home at dinner time, but if the people buy your home, isn’t it worth it?

 There shouldn’t be any major housecleaning at this point.  The kinds of tasks you ought to be concerned with now are simple ones; making the beds, stuffing last nights dirty pans in the dishwasher, picking up loose newspaper, etc.  Even young children can participate by “cleaning” their rooms.

 If the season is appropriate, open the windows in each room and let in some fresh air.  Stale air isn’t appealing, particularly in a home with smokers or pets.

 Keep your thermostat at a comfortable setting.

 Turn on all lights for every showing before prospective buyers arrive.  This also gives you an opportunity to select the lighting effects you want for each room.  No area of your home should be dark.

 Turn off the television and turn on light, background music.

 Arrange for pets and children to be at neighbors.  Perhaps it is unfair to lump children with pets, but young children can distract buyers from their purpose.  Keep pets away from buyers.

 Don’t try to “sell” the house with words!  Buy this time you have prepared the house for sale…let is sell itself.  Buyers buy on emotion – theirs, not yours!  Keep the emotions under control.

 “Depersonalize” the house as much as possible.  Take down any extra family pictures that are hanging on the walls or displayed on the shelves.  They will often distract the buyer’s attention from what is most important…the house!

 Most important, please leave the home during all showings.  It is uncomfortable and difficult for buyers to view the home when owners are present.  Oftentimes, they will rush through the home and not give it the proper attention your home deserves.  It is also hard for the buyers to “picture themselves” living in the home when the sellers are present.

 Myth #1:  It doesn’t matter which Realtor you list your home with.

 Fact: It is critically important which Realtor you select to market and sell your home!!!

 There are two major reasons why your selection of a Realtor is so important to your getting your house sold and getting the highest price and least inconvenience to you.

 First, the real estate market is highly competitive with many other sellers competing for those few available, qualified buyers.  Less than 60% of the homes that are put on the market actually sell.  You need The Donnita Hill Team with a proactive marketing plan who can out market your competition for those few buyers and not someone who just throws your home into the Multiple Listing Service and then prays that someone will sell it.  Hire The Donnita Hill Team, who are the experts at marketing properties and spends money to get the job done.

 Also, The Donnita Hill Team members are expert negotiators who can convert a prospect to a buyer and obtain the highest and best price and terms for you.

 Secondly, it is important to have a Realtor with the education, experience, and Know-how to anticipate problems, avoid them, but be able to handle them quickly and in a professional manner should they occur.  About 30% of the contracts written never close.  Problems arise (and there is a million things that can go wrong) and sellers who think they are moving find out that the sale collapsed leaving them in a terrible predicament.  If you home is picture perfect, you have priced it below market value and the market is strong and you are very lucky, you can probably is with anyone…but, why would you do that anyway?  If a problem does arise, you want to be able to have someone who knows how to get it solved and get you moving.  That is what you are paying for! The Donnita Hill Team has a highly successful track record.

 Myth #2: Brokers who “discount” commissions can do an adequate job of selling your home.

 Fact: You get what you pay for!

 Your home is in competition with all of the other homes on the market for the best and most qualified buyers.  There are generally more homes on the market than there are buyers.  That is why such a high percentage of homes that go on the market do not sell.  You need an aggressive, proactive Realtor to get your home sold and for the highest net price to you.

 Promotional costs such as photos, brochures, ads, MLS inserting fees, printing direct mail, signage, etc., are vital to getting the results you want, but they are all expensive.  The Donnita Hill Team invests heavily in to the marketing of your home.  Will a discount broker offer a complete marketing campaign?…Hardly.  Most of these “discretionary” expenses are the first to be eliminated when the brokerage fee is negotiated downward, although most of the time without the knowledge of the seller.  These “discretionary” investments are some of the most important for getting the desired results.  Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish!

 Also, does a discount broker have a staff to personally attend to your specific needs?…Does he have a proven track record of success?…or, is he using the discounted commission to win your business?  Does he have the expertise to guide you through problems that may develop during the closing process? — We think not!  And remember, you only pay a commission when your property sells successfully.  You owe nothing if The Donnita Hill Team does not get results (Which are highly unlikely).

 Myth #3: All I really have to do to sell my house is to put a FOR SALE sign in my yard and an ad in the newspaper.

 Fact: The yard sign and newspaper ad, while effective, actually account for a very small percentage of “qualified” buyer activity.

 Only 7% of qualified buyers come from yard signs and only 8% from newspaper ads.  That is why the failure rate for “For Sale By Owners” is so high.  Most qualified buyers are generated by Realtors through referrals, past customers and clients, and various proactive marketing activities.  In other words, most buyers are generated from a pool of buyers who have been professionally nurtured and developed over time. 

 That is why it is so important to engage the services of a Realtor who has developed a substantial and successful business over the years.  You can greatly improve your chances of getting the highest price from the most qualified buyers by working with the most successful Realtor…The Donnita Hill Team.

 There are a lot of Myths going around about the selling of real estate, but the truth is that The Donnita Hill Team gets results.  Put them to work for you!