Top Decor Trends To Try
10 TWEAKS TO INCREASEÂ YOURÂ HOMEÂ VALUE!
The low-cost, big-impact projects
INCREASE YOUR HOME VALUE
WITH THESE 10 TWEAKS
With a little effort and minimal cash, these low-cost improvements can make a big impact on your house’s value and your happiness at home.
Spring has Sprung…now what??
Spring is finally here and many of us are ready to experience the warmer weather and everything that comes with it. But don’t let the rising temperatures cause your family to spend more money on utility bills.
Check out these five tips and see how we can help you enjoy the season and the savings, a benefit for you and the planet.
Change Your Air Filter: 
One of the easiest things you can do to get your home ready for the spring season is to check the status of your HVAC air filter. Filters should be checked every month, and changed at least every three months, or whenever the filter looks dirty. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you cool—wasting energy.
One of the easiest things you can do to get your home ready for the spring season is to check the status of your HVAC air filter. Filters should be checked every month, and changed at least every three months, or whenever the filter looks dirty. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you cool—wasting energy.
Get an HVAC Tune-Up:Just as a tune-up of your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your cooling equipment can improve efficiency and comfort. The contractor will inspect refrigerant levels, clean and adjust blower components, and clean evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils. Learn more here.
HVAC Equipment Replacement:
If your cooling equipment is more than 10 years old or needs frequent repairs, it may be time to consider a replacement. Up to date equipment could provide dramatic savings compared to a unit installed 10 or even 5 years ago. Got Allergies?
Room air purifiers—sometimes referred to as “room air cleaners”—are portable, electric appliances that remove fine particles, such as dust and pollen, from indoor air, so you can say goodbye to sneezes and sniffles! Spring is a perfect time to invest in a room air cleaner.
Pool Pumps:Did you know? Your pool pump could be your home’s second largest energy user, costing you as much as $720 in utility bills every year. Updated pool pumps use up to 65% less energy than standard pool pumps and can save up to $450 a year in energy bill costs.
Staging, the absolute #1 most important factor in Real Estate!
At Encanterra we’re usually dealing with a buyer not facing their first buying rodeo. No, they won’t look past your personal belongings or individual creative designs. A home must be 90% free of personal items. 
Bathrooms need to be spotless, counters empty, landscaping fully trimmed top to bottom, garage needs to be baseboard to baseboard, finished garage flooring is always a plus, always good to eliminate furniture, move items around to make the rooms look open and inviting, all closets and pantry’s should be organized and spotless, many homes need a professional tile and grout cleaning, full painting to get in line with today’s color schemes, and many other fine details. Keep in mind nearly every buyer visits the models first before looking at resale. Want to sell quickly at top dollar? Reach out to your only full time onsite resale team located in the model gallery for more information regarding importance of professional staging.
What creates value in resale?
Honestly, this varies across the Valley but nothing compares to the drastic design center options and features at Encanterra. Across the entire Phoenix area, an average buyer will spend around 15-18% in total design center options. Most builders want a second deposit for any items that exceed 20% of the base purchase price. 
Builders feel you’re out building the neighborhood and if a buyer walks away, they will likely be stuck with a home until a buyer likes the exact features the previous buyer selected. 
At Encanterra, times are changing and we seeing buyers cut way back on average features as the design incentives are no longer available. What sells and what does not? Seems most buyers want an upgraded non-standard kitchen to start, lot choice at Encanterra is critical especially for buyers looking at a price range of $400,000 plus, a well thought out backyard for entertaining which usually includes built in grills, fire pits, and other features, non-standard flooring types and sizes, neutral updated color schemes, garage space, and a “wow†factor. Items that may turn off a buyer include over grown and over planted landscape, cluttered homes and garages, too many basic features throughout, dark and dated color schemes, bathrooms with no updates including all cultured marble vanities and showers, and less than amazing appliances. For more information, reach out to Ben & TJ in the model gallery, your true Encanterra experts.
Gray’s or Browns, what’s popular and what sells?
Actually some of both but with newly designed floor plans scattered across the Valley, we’re seeing more bright and neutral colors as standard and lighter colors are certainly attractive to a large percentage of buyers today. The older tans and golds are slowly going away but don’t be surprised if they come back around in 10 years. We have general contractors affiliated with our team that can change tile, professionally paint those dated cabinets or walls, and put your home in top shape if selling. Our team can make sure that a somewhat dated home you just purchased looks like a million bucks. One call to our team and we handle the rest.
How to Get the Most Money for Your House
Every homeowner wants to make sure they maximize their financial reward when selling their home. But how do you guarantee that you receive maximum value for your house? Here are two keys to ensuring you get the highest price possible.
1. Price it a LITTLE LOW
This may seem counterintuitive. However, let’s look at this concept for a moment. Many homeowners think that pricing their home a little OVER market value will leave them room for negotiation. In actuality, this just dramatically lessens the demand for your house. (see chart below)
Instead of the seller trying to ‘win’ the negotiation with one buyer, they should price it so that demand for the home is maximized. In that way, the seller will not be fighting with a buyer over the price, but instead will have multiple buyers fighting with each other over the house.
Realtor.com, recently gave this advice:
“Aim to price your property at or just slightly below the going rate. Today’s buyers are highly informed, so if they sense they’re getting a deal, they’re likely to bid up a property that’s slightly underpriced, especially in areas with low inventory.â€
2. Use a Real Estate Professional
This too may seem counterintuitive. The seller may think they would net more money if they didn’t have to pay a real estate commission. With this being said, studies have shown that homes typically sell for more money when handled by a real estate professional.
Research posted by the Economists’ Outlook Blog revealed that:
“The median selling price for all FSBO homes was $210,000 last year. When the buyer knew the seller in FSBO sales, the number sinks to the median selling price of $151,900. However, homes that were sold with the assistance of an agent had a median selling price of $249,000 – nearly $40,000 more for the typical home sale.â€
Bottom Line
Price your house at or slightly below the current market value and hire a professional in order to guarantee that you maximize the price you get for your house.
Inspirational Design: Blogs to Follow
Whether you’re actively planning a renovation or simply enjoy admiring great design, these blogs are sure to inspire the creative mind.
Remodelista
Remodelista offers beautifully inspiring photo galleries, a seemingly endless supply of amazing remodeling tips and tutorials, plus some seriously fantastic design-centric travel advice.
Apartment Therapy
Not just for apartments! Apartment Therapy features all kinds of interesting design, DIY, and home remodeling articles as well as some pretty awesome home photo tours.
Fresh Home
An arsenal of truly inspirational interior design photos, searchable by room. Get ready to get those creative juices flowing!
MyDomain
MyDomain is a lifestyle blog that provides excellent resources for travel, food, career and money, alongside incredible home decor inspiration.
Dwell
You may be familiar with Dwell magazine, but you absolutely must check out the website’s swoon-worthy collection of inspirational design articles and photo galleries.
Five Budget projects with big value
Not all home improvement projects are created equal. Some renovations may cost a lot but not add significant value to your home. This list goes in the opposite direction: Here are some inexpensive h
ome improvement projects that will not only increase your enjoyment of your home, but will also increase the home’s value.
1. High quality ceiling fans: In a recent National Association of Home Builders survey, ceiling fans ranked No. 1 as the most-wanted decorative item. If your ceiling fans are outdated, replace them with something in the $400 range—it’ll make a big difference when it’s time to sell.
2. Trees: Mature trees can be worth as much as $10,000 toward the value of your home. Trees also protect your home from the elements and prevent erosion.
3. Energy efficiency: Buyers are increasingly interested in saving energy, so any efficiency update is worthwhile. Switching from a wood to gas fireplace is a great start.
4. Outdoor lighting: Exterior lighting is great for highlighting the accents of your home, and you can typically expect a 50 percent return on investment.
5. Molding: You can finish a room with crown molding or railing for as little as $1.50 per foot if you take a DIY approach, and it’s extremely desirable among prospective buyers.
Still want more ideas? Give us a call, we would be happy to help! 480-677-8170…or email us @ Info@SheaPreferred.com
