Freeze, Froze, Frozen...I don't think so in Fort Worth

Last Sunday, Feb. 22, the day was sunny, but cool...and I had planned an open house at my listing on Murphy Drive in Bedford, Texas...a part of the Fort Worth/Dallas area. As a good listing agent, I always offer open houses and some locations are better than others for holding homes open.

With all of the talk of the "Bailouts...Stimuli...Crisis...etc., I wondered what my result might be. Still, I went prepared for a long afternoon. I took my lawn chair, my laptop (for game playing), a novel to break the monotony, and off I went! I placed my directional signs to point the traffic to the house, and now I was ready to sit in the lovely backyard, near the pool and spend the afternoon.

No sooner than I got a solitaire game started, my first visitor came. ........and it never stopped!

People came one by one, couples, neighbors, the curious, and the interested. One lady went home to get her husband and they came back to look again. Sometimes people are obviously just "killing time", but these people were interested in real estate! The time flew by and I was extremely pleased with the results of the day. No, I did not get a contract, but what I saw was that people were positive and not negative about real estate. They were people who can get loans, they are upbeat about the Fort Worth area and they were genuinely interested in knowing more.

How about this: Let's get back to basics and just do what we know how to do. I know how to sell homes to people who really want to buy a home. I know how to sell homes to people who know they must be responsible for their money, their credit, etc. No a one spoke of a "bail out"...other than to find out if they will qualify for a loan. What a great afternoon!

If you need Fort Worth area real estate help: dianne@diannearnette.com

Keller-Williams Realty

Stage for Buyers and then YOU WILL make it to the Top of the List!

Cluttered.... (left)

Jan
14
You Decide…which HOME would you like? Staged (Center)
Posted by DiAnne Arnette under For Buyers, For Sellers, General Information, Great State of Texas.....Fort Worth area, Fort Worth/Dallas
Attention Fort Worth, Arlington,Colleyville, Southlake,Keller and Midcities areas….Want YOUR home to sell?

While showing homes in Fort Worth this week, I really began to watch my buyer prospect’s responses. I found that without very much consideration to the layout of a home, they were heavily influenced by the visuals in the home. Cluttered and ill-arranged rooms (particularly bedrooms) were cause for the entire home to be struck from their list to consider.

Vacant homes were considered as positive because of quick close possibilities, but they spent a lot of time trying to figure out furniture arrangement and whether size of the rooms would work.

Nicely arranged homes, not to cluttered, but amply furnished won out.
It does not take many words to see this point. If you are considering selling and need a little help. Arrange for an appointment to have your home staged. I can help you with this because I will tell you the things that your own agent may be reluctant to say.

Email me at dianne@diannearnette.com to discuss if Staging might be an inexpensive way to get your home the feedback and consideration it deserved.

Fort Worth 2009 Home Sales..Where will you live?

The Fort Worth news about homes is causing a concern with many of my real estate public. The phone is ringing and the first question is "if I have you list my home, will it sell?" My answer is the same that it has been for the 13+ years that I have been in the business. "If you are motivated to sell, and you look at the statistics and price it correctly, it should sell." The home in the photo is in Colleyville and has been on the market longer than normal for this sought after area!

This home below is in Saginaw and in an area of many new homes. We are seeing slow activity in that area too.
The sentence above is a complicated and jampacked with truth! My policy is to be truthful at all costs, whether I get the listing or not. The truth is, if the seller has unrealistic ideas about what his home is worth, I could spend all of my time and money marketing that one home and never sell it! This is a rule of real estate in all areas: The market drives values! If the market has too many homes available, then prices are lower. The reverse is also true. That is the reason why if a buyer buys in a new subdivision where there are hundreds of homes being built, it takes longer to sell.

So to answer the question, Where will you live in 2009? I throw it back to you...where WILL you live. If you want to sell, you won't get the top dollar of 2 years ago, but you will also buy where you want to live at a lower price too. I believe it is all in the attitude. If you want and need to sell or buy.....just do it!

I can show you the stats of prices and sales prices. There is more about value and price tag! The bottom line is about you. I wish you and yours a wonderful new year!

In Fort Worth, the area has everything to do with how fast and for what price a home will sell. (This is true for most cities.) Outside of Loop 820, which circles Fort Worth, homes are taking much longer to selland are selling for less. Inside the loop, homes are taking longer to sell, but the prices are not too much less than in years past. The old rule of "location" is still true.