Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Korn Team Recently Quoted by the Associated Press in Article about Midwest Real Estate Conditions:

Just posted today by David Twiddy in the Examiner was a story about the Midwest Homes sales. Even though there were some slight drops in the number of sales, the agents quoted throughout the story are all pretty much saying the same thing...that it appears to be getting busier. That this is a great time to buy with Government incentives and rates still around the 5% range.

As I told David Twiddy, the writer for the Associated Press, we are not necessarily seeing the values of homes dropping over the past 3 years but the number of sales seemed to have slowed down. Now we are getting a lot of activity, calls and going out to show a lot of homes. As it was stated in the article, it seems to have taken a year for consumbers to realize that it truly is a good time to buy.

You can read more in detail by following this link to google where the story was posted http://www.bradkorn.com/rismedia.htm and get more information. if you are interested in finding out information about your home you can call us directly at 816-224-5676 or visit our website at www.kornteam.com for more information about how your local area has affected your values.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

How do you get more exposure on your property?

When selling a home, most owners want to get the most money they can get. They are trying to get as much equity as possible. If you want to ensure you actually get the most money for your home when you sell, you want to make sure you get the most exposure possible. The more exposure you have, the more buyers you will reach, the more buyers you meet and if you find them all at the same time...you can create an auction effect on your home. That will help you ensure you get the most equity from your home.

For example: if you hold an open house and get a buyer who makes you and acceptable offer..would you be happy? Of course! What if I told you there was a buyer that would have paid $3,000 more than the one that showed up at your open house??? What is they were at a church activity the day of your open house. What if they were out of town? You see, you got the first buyer to show up.

Contact us today to find out what other methods such as print media, websites, and even how a real estate sign can make a difference between finding one buyer vs finding 2 or 3 or as many buyers as there are in the market.

You can call us at 816-224-KORN (5676) or visit www.kornteam.com for more information about real estate in KC.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Creating a WOW experience
Today we heard from Jeff with Disney Institute at the annual Keller Williams Convention. He talked about what makes Disney so magical. There are many things that happen behind the scenes to make everything appear magical. There are over 60,000 employees and everyone has a task in their position. Everyone's task is different depending on their job title. However, the purpose of every Disney employee is exactly the same. To make sure the guests have a WOW experience while in the park.

The Korn Team is set up the same way. Everyone on our team is a specialist in their piece of the real estate transaction. We all have tasks to complete to ensure our clients have a smooth move when they buy or sell. However our purpose is the same. We understand that the average person moves every 5 years or so. Because it is not something the average person does often, there is a lot of uncertainty and concerns when planning a move. Our Purpose is to take away as many of the stresses of selling or buying as we possibly can.

A simple example is our moving truck. We understand that finding a moving truck can sometimes be difficult and frustrating. How about moving boxes...that is even more frustrating to find. We offer those to our clients as a courtesy so that you have two less stress items you will have to worry about.

If you know anyone who is planning to buy or sell in the next 6 months or so, don't hesitate to have them contact us. We will be glad to discuss their or your situation and formulate a plan to ensure you have a Disney type experience. After all, you should be able to completey enjoy the process of buying or selling your home, and want to celebrate when you get to the closing table.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Does "Staging" a home bring more money?
Many clients ask if staging really works...or what do the need to do to their home to get it ready to sell. Many times they think just picking up after their children is good enough. Others may think they need to move out of the house before they can sell it.
The good news is there is a very simple "rule of thumb" that I tell clients when I am preparing them to sell. The general rule of thumb is that there should not be more than 1-2 things on every wall, shelf or flat surface (including a wall). Also, there should be no personal pictures.
I also advise them to not get crazy in this process. Don't stay up till 4am packing your entire home. Basically start with a box in one room and pack up things until you are down to 1-2 things on each flat surface...the quit for the night. Tomorrow night, do the same thing in a different room. In one week you will have been through your entire home.
After they have been through the home once, then I will come back and advise them if they need to move or elimate more furniture, dressers, etc.
Just by simplifying your home, your home rooms will seem a little larger and most importantly...the potential buyers will focus on your home...not the stuff!
Good luck with the advice. The best news is if they do get a great price on thier home, but the buyer wants to move in quickly...you are already packed and more ready to move than if you hadn't spent 15 minutes in each room every night.
The Korn Team
Serving Greater Kansas City
www.kornteam.com
How does the Kansas City Market Conditions compare to the rest of the Country?
As you may have heard me say in our monthly podcast at www.kornteam.com the KC market has been sheltered from the doom and gloom around the country. Did you know at after selling real estate for over 18 years, The Korn Team sold more homes in 2008 than every previous year except one (2005-the last "best" year we had in the real estate markets). This year looks to be off to a great start as well. To give you an idea of what the market conditions are like in KC...we have either listed a home, written an offer on a home or received an accepted contract on one of our listings every day since Jan 1, 2009. That is a great sign that people are taking advantage of the incredible interest rates and even though they may not quite get what they would like to get on the sale, we are helping them pick up that savings on the buy side. Over the last 6 months, The Korn Team is getting our seller clients 3-5% more equity than the national average. On almost 20 listings sold, and closed in the last 6 months, we have averaged 98% of the list price for our clients.

When you hear us say, this is a great time to buy...we aren't just saying that. If you have outgrown your home or want to move...this might be one of the best times to do it. If your payment is too much to keep up with, do not just give up. You just might have some equity in your home and don't think you do. Give us a call. We will give you an honest opinion, and help you look at all your options. Remember, it doesn't cost anything to meet with us. We always offer a free, no obligation evaluation of your property. We look forward to helping you when you do get ready to do anything with real estate.
Brad