We’ve all been craving spring, and it is almost here! The days are longer (thanks to today’s daylight savings time), the sun is shining, and I’ve even heard a few birds chirping out there.

The onset of early spring means that it is time to start planning your spring and summer garden and landscaping projects.

Landscaping can add much value to your home, since curb appeal is so important when selling your Denver home. We have had buyers not even go into a home because they weren’t pleased with its curb appeal. Beautiful gardens and landscaping can make all of the difference.

Do you need some help getting started? Tagawa Gardens in Parker, Colorado, offers free xeriscape and gardening classes. There are a few interesting classes coming up that we wanted to share with you:

Planning Your Vegetable Garden
March 19th – 12:30-1:30 PM,
Tagawa Garden Center, 7711 S. Parker Rd

Water-Saving Ideas For The Landscape
March 20th – 11:00am-12:00pm
Carole Kastler
Tagawa Garden Center, 7711 S. Parker Rd

Fabulous Fruits for Front Range Gardeners
March 20th – 1:00pm-2:00pm
Craig Miller (Parker Water Sanitation District’s Water Efficiency Specialist)
Tagawa Garden Center, 7711 S. Parker Rd.

For more information on using landscaping and gardening to add value to your Denver-area home, please contact TeamCox Realtors – Denver real estate specialists – at 303-400-6060. Gardening is one of our  most cherished hobbies, and we would love to share our insights with you.

Happy Gardening!

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Happy Labor Day! Like it or not, summer is almost over, and fall has arrived. While you may have been focusing on your landscaping and gardening projects all summer, it’s time to turn your attention to getting the inside of your home ready for fall and winter entertaining.

Here are a few tips that will make your home cozier this fall:

-Consider giving your home a fresh coat of paint to give it a lift. If it is in a low-to-mid price range, and you plan to sell it in the near future, you might consider painting it a more neutral color. If it is in a higher price range, you might go a little bolder with your color selection.

-Add seasonal scents to your home. There is nothing like fall candle scents, including pumpkin and spice. They will make your home cozier in an instant.

-Replace worn drawer hardware. This is an easy, inexpensive fix that will freshen up your home and give your kitchen or bathroom a new look.

-Get your carpets professionally cleaned, since clean carpets will give your home a  lift.

-Add warmth to your home through darker accessories, warm throw blankets and accent pillows in rich colors.

-Add seasonal accents throughout your home, including pumpkins and pine cones.

For information on getting your Denver home ready to sell, please contact TeamCox Realtors – Denver real estate specialists – at 303-400-6060. Fall is a great time to sell your home, since there are buyers in the market, but less competition from sellers.

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TeamCox Realtors is pleased to introduce, Lynn Bruskivage, of LGA Home Solutions, LLC. Lynn will be an ocassional guest blogger for us, focusing on issues related to getting your Denver home ready to go on the market.

Stage Your Home First

Don’t waste valuable days letting your home sit on the market without “staging” your home first. Most real estate professionals recommend staging your home for resale. Staged homes spend 83% less time on the market, according to the Association of Staging Professionals (ASP). Data collected from the last two quarters of 2009 showed that a staged home averaged 37 days on the market compared to 212 days on the market for a non-staged home.

 First impressions are important and that is why staging works! By presenting your home in its best possible condition, you “set the stage” for your home to be sold quickly. This is accomplished through room editing, furniture arranging, and organization.  Some refer to Staging as Interior Re-Design.  This process will make a home more desirable to potential homebuyers, as well as lead to a quick sale at a higher price point.

It is a pleasant surprise to most that for a small investment, the return can prove quite substantial! The National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that the average staging investment of 1-3% of the home’s asking price can generate a return of 8-10%! That is an average return on investment of around 340%!

Please visit our website @ www.lgahomesolutions.com to see what we can do for you.
Our services include:
• Staging & Staging Consultation
• Room/Home Makeovers & Decorating
• Professional Organization
• Move-in Services
…and more!

During the month of August we are offering a 10% discount on all services!
As always we offer a:
• 10% discount for senior citizens & military
• $100 first time discount on initial consultation for realtors
Call us today and let us transform your home! 303-929-1790  
Lynn Bruskivage, Owner
LGA Home Solutions, LLC 
303-929-1790                     
lynn@lgahomesolutions.com
www.lgahomesolutions.com
member of the Colorado Association of Staging Professionals CASP / HSE Certified

If you have questions about getting your Denver-area home to sell, please contact TeamCox Realtors – Denver real estate specialists – at 303-400-6060.

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TeamCox Realtors – Treating our clients’ real estate transactions as if they were our own.

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Welcome to 2010, everyone! The motto for this year is “Hey, at least it’s not 2009!” Did you hear that Pantone declared Turquoise the color for 2010!  Of course, color starts first in fashion, so watch for this all spring and summer. Home textiles and paints will be next year and into 2012.

Why Turquoise? Well several reasons. Color forecasts are global and we in the states take our cues from Europe. Global climate change has had a huge impact, bringing shades of blue — azure, sky, water — that reflect the melting polar ice caps.

In the fashion arena, be on the lookout for Gold, not the typical silver, to accent Turquoise. It’s fresh, and Gold, thanks to the global economy, is HOT…

Joyce Klegg
Allied ASID
Daydream Designs llc
www.daydreamllc.com

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It’s the burning question that every Denver seller wants to know right now. What are Denver homebuyers really looking for right now? The answer is simple. Traditional real estate principals will drive the Denver real estate market in 2010 – location, price and condition. While professionally staged homes are attracting the best offers in the shortest period of time, a competitively-priced, well-presented home in the Denver area, will also win some hearts. If your home is located near good schools, it is another plus.
 
If you would like ideas for low or no-cost improvements that you can accomplish to make your home more saleable, I am an Accredited Staging Professional, and would be happy to offer you suggestions to maximize the return on your investment. A few simple improvements can bring in better offers in a shorter amount of time.

For information on selling your home in the Denver area, please contact TeamCox Realtors – Denver real estate  specialists – at 303-400-6060.

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TeamCox Realtors – Treating our clients’ real estate transactions as if they were our own.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FREE Denver Property Search

What Types of Denver Homes Are Selling Right Now?

There are two types of Denver area homes that are selling, despite the rather slow current market conditions – the “gotta have it” home and the “make me a deal” home. The “gotta have it” home is well-positioned in the market, exuding an emotional appeal from the moment the real estate agent pulls up to its curb.  Your mother was right – first impressions mean everything, and they are especially important in real estate. Keep in mind, that prior to entering the home, potential buyers are evaluating the yard, the paint, the trim, the cleanliness of the outside entryway, and even if the doorbell works or not.  The house is being closely compared with the last home the buyers saw, and it will be quickly be compared with the next one home the list. 

The “make me a deal” home is also selling, but this property must be aggressively priced, since the buyer for this home is looking almost exclusively for the best possible price, or the best square footage “deal” in the target neighborhood There is not nearly as much emotion involved with this transaction as with the “gotta have it home.” Obviously, the best possible combination for a quick sale is if the best priced home also happens to be great looking and in good condition.

As an Accredited Staging Professional, TeamCox Realtors – your Denver real estate specialists – can give you guidance in getting your home ready for the market, along with many other complimentary services that we can offer.

Search for Denver Real Estate

TeamCox Realtors – Treating our clients’ real estate transactions as if they were our own.

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In a competitive Denver real estate market, eager sellers need to pull out all of the stops for their home to stand out from the sea of others. At TeamCox Realtors, we highly recommend staging a home, prior to putting it on the market. Staging is not about spending your money, but preserving your home’s equity. Contrary to some opinions, staging is not a fad – it is what every wise homeowner should do to get the highest possible return on their dollar, in the fastest amount of time.

It is important to remember that as your Realtor, I am selling your home, not your stuff. Since a potential buyer is not only looking at a home’s square footage, but also determining how his furnishings will fit into it, your home must be neutral so the buyer can see all of its possibilities.

The following are a few essential staging tips that we provide all of our sellers with:

• The home should be Q-tip clean
• Remember, less is more
• Keep the room balanced
• Let there be light – as much light as possible!
• Reduce the amount of furniture
• Take anything out that you have not used in eight weeks
• Add greenery to every room
• All vertical and horizontal lines should be neutral
• Add color for accent and accessories
• Paint will yield the highest return on your investment
• Pictures should be hung at the average person’s eye level
• Stagger picture height only when it follows an architectural line such as an staircase.

   

Having undergone extensive training to become Accredited Staging Professionals (ASP), TeamCox Realtors can help your home shine. We also  recommend the services of Trish Pachak, Accredited Senior Staging Professional Designer and Owner of WeStageColorado, who recently staged one of our Piney Creek listings. Not suprising to either Trish or TeamCox, the first couple that toured the home bought it for 98.5% of its list price. Needless to say, the home seller is absolutely ecstatic with their decision to invest in staging, since it obviously resulted in a high return and a shorter marketing time.

For more information on getting your Denver home ready to put on the market, please contact TeamCox Realtors.

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It’s amazing what a few flowers will do for a home’s appeal! In a tight Denver real estate market, every extra thing that a seller can do to help his home stand out from the glut of unsold homes will help. At TeamCox Realtors, we advise our clients that their house must be in top-notch condition for a quick sale. We are currently listing two beautiful homes that are in pristine showing condition. Their overall appeal to buyers is helping them stand out in a competitive market. 

During the spring and summer months, a home’s landscaping is especially important in a tight real estate market. A very informative article, "Outdoor Attraction" by Christian Toto, appeared in The Denver Post over the weekend. It examines the impact of a home’s landscaping on its salability. The article reveals that sellers are increasing their landscaping budgets as the housing market tightens. It brings up a very important point, though. While landscaping projects can help sell a home, it is important not to go overboard on outdoor projects, or you won’t see a solid return on your investment. This is a great point since kitchen and bathroom improvements often yield a higher return than landscaping.

 

While the article mentions installing costly concrete stamped patios or outdoor entertaining areas (keep in mind that a concrete stampled patio can cost up to $10,000), there are more simple things that a homeowner can do to improve the overall curb appeal to his or her home. For starters, try planting some colorful flowerbeds (tulips are beautiful in the spring!) or some new sod to patch up those problem areas. Trees are also a good investment since they are not only attractive, but provide shaded areas that might even eventually improve a home’s energy efficiency.

 

For more information on getting your home ready to sell in a tight Denver housing market, please contact TeamCox Realtors at 303-400-6060. We will help your home stand out from the crowd!

 

 

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While price and condition are absolutely crucial to a home’s salability, there may be other reasons that a particular home just isn’t selling. For instance, perhaps a home that has been on the market for nine months really isn’t a dog. It is possible that it has been on the market for a very long stretch due to the poor, inept efforts of its listing broker. Marketing DOES impact salability! 

We’ve seen numerous homes sit on the market way too long only to finally sell for considerably less than what they are worth. It is important to remember that just because someone has a real estate license or the ability to "put a home in the MLS", does not mean that the home is being properly marketed through photographic images or through a suitably written MLS description 

We’ve seen homes with beautifully finished basements be listed in the Denver MLS as having no basement – let alone a finished one. Or, a home with four bedrooms might listed as having only three bedrooms, a two-story might be described as a raised ranch, or a beautiful wooded lot might be described as  an "oversized city lot.” In addition, many beautiful homes’ MLS listings have no photos, virtual tours, or remarks section that are filled with inane "stuff.”

While a potential buyer may or may not care if the water heater was replaced last year, he or she would definitely care about the home’s unmentioned luxurious master suite with his/hers walk-in closets, luxury bath with double sinks, separate shower, Jacuzzi tub, etc.

When TeamCox Realtors lists a home, we immediately download multiple pictures and labor over the verbiage that we present to both Realtors and the public. Before submitting the premium marketing presentation, we have the homeowner review it since he or she is the most important team member in our eyes. Most homeowners will never have the opportunity to see their home in the MLS. Sometimes, but not often, the homeowner will want a feature mentioned differently or request that a photograph be taken from a different angle. We will happily do all of these things. Since buying and selling a home is usually a family’s biggest investment, it is essential that it is presented correctly through multiple real estate websites–with multiple exterior, interior and virtual tour pictures.

Do you have questions about putting your Piney Creek home on the market? As your Piney Creek real estate experts, TeamCox Realtors will happily walk you through the entire process.

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