Weston Dean Homes Blog

If you are planning to sell your home this winter or in the coming New Year, you might have spent the past few months  getting your home ready to hit the housing market. Once the paint has dried, the flooring is done and your home is showcase ready, you may realize that you need some help in the staging department to give your  home the best foot forward against the competition. Weston Dean Custom Homes, a premier Boerne custom homebuilder, gives you tips straight from the experts on how to get your home ready for a sold sign!

There are five tips that experts routinely use to get a home ready for buyers once it is ready to hit the market. First, be sure that your curb appeal is at its all-time high. The exterior of your home is the first thing that buyers are going to see when they first go to see your home. As with first impressions, make the wrong one and you may have some buyers not even wanting to give your home a chance and make it past the front door.

Consider updating your door color to something classy and bright, to catch the buyers eye. If you have room, some charming outdoor seating is another nice touch to add. Outdoor flowers also bright great color and life to your home, so consider either planting some or placing some flowers in elegant pots outside your front door.

Consider adding stylish new house numbers to the outside of your home, or update your porch lighting and fixtures so it is nice and welcoming when they enter the front door and not dark if they come in the evening.

Once you get the buyers intrigued enough to come inside, be sure the entrance of your home from the inside sets the stage and ambiance you want your home to give off to the buyer.

First, be sure your entryway is warm, light and welcoming. If its cold outside, be sure to have your house nice and warm so buyers get a cozy feel as soon as they walk in the door. Be sure your lighting is warm also, and brighten dark areas of the home with lamps or candles.

You also want your home to smell pleasant, so avoid cooking any smelly food in your home before potential buyers come to visit. Consider lighting candles are getting some diffusers. The best smells are light and subtle smells. Consider going with vanilla, lavender or citrus scents as safe ones all most buyers enjoy.

You can also add some calming sound to your home, such as quiet music or a water feature that will bring a peaceful sound to the home.

Next, be sure to embrace your floor space. Play up every inch of square footage you have in your home, no matter how big or small! Get rid of all clutter and simplify your home as much as possible. Lay down oversized rugs, hang high drapes or remove old draping you may have to open the windows. You can also hang large artwork on the walls, to make them look more grandiose.

Then, be sure to play up the architectural details of your home. If you have a lot of built ins, accessorize them with books, photos, and so on to show that they are useful storage and décor accents the home has to offer. If you have an empty space under your stair case, add a cozy chair, lamp and blanket to show off a reading nook that someone could curl up and enjoy a good book. No matter how old or new your home is, showcase what makes it unique and play up on those elements.

Lastly, play up the lifestyle of the home as well. If you have a great backyard or patio, showcase that! Set up a dining area or arrange some lounge chairs, yard games, an outdoor mini bar or so on so they can picture the entertaining they could do in that space as well, especially as warmer temperatures come our way.

Taking the time to be sure your home is ready on all facets, will allow you to be placing the sold sticker on the front lawn sign sooner than later!

Weston Dean Homes is a San Antonio area custom home builder.  For more information call (210) 408-9107.

Are you planning to purchase a new home this upcoming New Year? If so, do you feel confident that when the time comes, you will be prepared to purchase a new home? Weston Dean Custom Homes, a premier New Braunfels custom builder, shares tips for what you need to be sure to have in order before starting the process of looking for a new home.

The first tip is being sure you are ready to purchase a home that you will live in for more than a few years. If you are not in the position to put down roots in a home for several years, consider renting until you are ready to do plant your roots.

The next step is one that people often don’t do in advance, which can hurt them. Get with a lender and have them pull your credit report about six to 12 months before you want to begin actively shopping for a new home. This way, if there is anything negative on your credit report or work that you need to do to improve it, you will have adequate time to do so and can get a better loan for your new home. They can also make you aware of anything you don’t want to do leading up to purchasing a new home, such as open a bunch of new credit cards, rack up extra debt, and so on.

Once you have your credit in order, you will want to find an agent to help you find and purchase your new home. Do some research among friends, family and even online resources to find an agent that comes highly recommended. Also, don’t feel like you must select the first agent you meet or talk too. Be sure to shop around for the agent that fits your needs and comfort level the most.

Some tips on what to look for in a good agent are at least five years’ experience in the area you are looking to purchase a home in and someone who is a full-time sales professional. It also helps if they can show you if they have closed at least five to seven deals each year, for several years. Lastly, be sure to verify that their license is in good standing with the state you are looking to purchase a new home in.

The final tip to remember when beginning to shop for your new home is to be realistic. There will be no amazing deals when it comes to real estate. If you come across a home that seems too good to be true, especially for the cost, chances are something is hiding behind the walls of the home that should be a “buyer beware” scenario.

Be sure to buy and invest in a home that will be a great long-term solution as well as a home that will build equity over time. Buying a home in a desirable location, a location that is growing, in a great school district and so on will be an investment that is most likely to help you gain equity over time.

Do your research when it comes to your new home, the location you are looking at buying and where you see yourself in the next five, 10 or more years. If you don’t currently have any kids but plan to have them in the future, consider the school districts around the homes you are looking at. Are they rated well? Would you want to send your own kids to the schools in your area? What about the size of the home, can you have one, two or more kids comfortably without having to move as soon as baby comes into the picture?

This can also be a factor if you are getting close to being an empty-nester or will in the years to come. Are you investing in more home than you will need in a few years? Are there too many stairs that you won’t want to have to climb daily as you age in your home?

Taking these tips and considerations into play for your new home will help to ensure that you end up with the best possible home for your long-term needs and a smart investment for your future.

Weston Dean Homes is a San Antonio area custom home builder.  For more information call (210) 408-9107.