Advantage modern by Steven Kleiman

by Steven Kleiman

contributing writer for modernhouston.net

Advantage: Modern
Why Modern Homeowners Have The Edge In Today’s
Real Estate Market
By: Steven Kleiman

Modern homeowners rejoice! If you’re thinking about selling your
home, you’re in luck. Even though it’s a buyer’s market right now,
you’ve got the advantage on owners of traditional homes trying to
sell their properties. Why? Well, it’s a simple issue of supply and demand.

The interest in modern homes has been growing by leaps and bounds
of the last few years, especially in Houston. However, only a handful of
homebuilders and developers have caught on to that fact. As a result,
only about 2,000 properties in metro-Houston are considered true
modern residences. That’s a drop in a bucket compared to the tens of
thousands of Colonial, French, English, etc. homes. Therefore, in supply
and demand terms, supply of modern homes is low and the demand
is high, putting modern homeowners in a better position than other
homeowners of drawing homebuyers to the property and of striking
a deal at, or above, their asking price.

Despite the innate advantage that modern homeowners have in
Houston’s current market, the rules of selling real estate remain
the same. Modern homeowners will still need to put in the “work”
to sell their property such as:

Prepare the home for sale.
You MUST look at your home with an outsider’s perspective. You may
love your home as-is but to an outsider, what you think of as a slight
imperfection can be major issue that would dissolve any interest
they once had in the home.

Have the property assessed for its true value.
A homeowner’s perceived value of his / her home is often very
different than the actual market value of a home. So, don’t set
price on what you think your home is worth. Instead, price your home in
accordance with the market. That’s crucial to getting noticed!
FYI: Many homeowners try to price a home according to what
they “need” to get for the home. That’s a big mistake too.

Promote and advertise the property.
Image is everything. How you describe your home, show your home,
and present your home (and yourself) to others can make the
difference between you selling the home within days and you
continuing to pay the mortgage on that home for months. In that
sense, selling a home is just like any other business: You need to come
up with a solid marketing plan before putting your home on the
market. Otherwise, you’ll end up wasting a lot of time, money,
and energy.

One final recommendation: Do consider hiring a real estate agent!
It might sound archaic with all of the do-it-yourself options out there
but the reality is that what most do-it-yourselfers think they’re saving
in real estate commissions, they pay for in mistakes made along the way.
It’s a fact, folks: An Internet site is not going to negotiate a deal for you,
translate real estate contracts into “everyday Joe” terms, or make sure
that the deal is transacted in your best interest.

Biography:
Steven Kleiman is a licensed real estate broker and the owner of Houston, Texas-based
Oakington Realty. The firm provides agent services to buyers, sellers and investors
interested in real estate inside the I-610 Loop. To learn more about modern real estate
in metro-Houston, contact Steven at: realestate@modernhouston.net