3 Reasons 50% of homes never sell (in ANY market…)

Shockingly, almost half of the homes that go on the market will fail to sell. Here are three main reasons why.

Want to see which St. George area homes are currently for sale? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You can always call us at (435) 215-4533 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

When you hire a real estate professional, put a sign in the ground, and put your home on the market, you automatically assume that the home is going to sell. However, many homes that hit the market NEVER SELL!

In fact, 49% of homes that hit the market in 2016 in Washington County failed to sell. REALLY. Why?

Three primary reasons:

1. Price
2. Condition
3. Marketing

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Almost half of the homes that hit the market fail to sell.

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Price

Pricing your home is, amazingly, not too unlike pricing a piece of clothing in a retail store. Have you ever walked into your local Gap or Old Navy and gone STRAIGHT to the sale rack? I know – me too. EVERY TIME!

How do articles of clothing end up there? Quite simply, the were offered to “the marketplace”, and based on a variety of factors, but primarily PRICE and STYLE…they were rejected.

Will they ever sell? Yes. At some price, everything sells.

Where you DO NOT want your home… is on the sale rack. Properly pricing a home in the first 30 days of listing has statistically proven to get Sellers the most money…much more, in fact, than if they “hold out” for the “right buyer” over months or even years.

Condition

While pricing may get buyers in the door, a poorly conditioned home will send them right back out the door!

As you prepare your home for sale, remember that Buyers will most often have problems with:

1. Your colors.
2. Your clutter.
3. Your dirt. Especially your dirt.

The improvements and upgrades you made for your enjoyment may not mean much to another Buyer who hasn’t been raising their children or living their life in your home!

At The Larkin Group we utilize a professional staging consult, all at our cost, to help clients prepare their home for sale. Every time. And it pays big dividends in time on market and ultimate sales price to our Sellers!

Marketing

Why did we list this LAST? Well ironically, it’s what most Sellers expect FIRST from their Realtor….and what they get LAST from their Realtor. If they get it at all.

Marketing is the “story” we tell about your home. Think “depth”….how GOOD we tell the story, and “breadth”, how WIDELY we share that story.

According to Borrell Media, the average real estate agent spends just $400 per month. Per month. Can we put that into perspective?

At The Larkin Group we spend nearly $3000.00 per month pushing our listings to the top of Zillow Trulia….alone. That doesn’t include Radio, pay per click (google) advertising, a host of websites, our YouTube channel, paid Facebook marketing….

A great question for your Agent: “How much do you spend on marketing monthly? (answer). Great! Show me.” Don’t let them make a claim without backing it up!

So there you have it – the 3 reasons nearly 50% of homes never sell! We’re baking cookies here folks with your home…..if we leave out the vanilla or baking powder or sugar? It’s going to be a BAD cookie. Be sure that the St. George Real Estate Agent you hire to sell your home is including ALL of the three ingredients above for the most profitable and timely home sale!

Questions about selling or buying a St. George home? Give us a jingle at (435) 215-4533, or just shoot us an email to sales@gostgeorge.com

Happy home selling!

I have my Washington County Property Tax Notice…Now what?

Want to see which St. George area homes are currently for sale? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You can always call us at (435) 215-4533 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.​

You've probably received your Washington County Property Tax notice in the mail by now. It’s one of those things that gets tossed aside into the “I’ll deal with that later” pile, right? I get it.

But since you’re inevitably going to wonder if they’ve overcharged you for property taxes at some point, I’m going to address it with you now! Here are the 3 key points you’ll want to consider:

1. Is the assessment accurate? You have to keep in mind that the value you see on your assessment is not the value of your home. This number is not what someone would pay you for your home if it were on the market. I would actually go so far as to say that 90% of assessments are probably a bit low. Meaning that your home is actually worth MORE than they’ve assessed you for....SHHH…I won’t tell the County if you don’t!

2. What should you do if it's inaccurate? If you think your assessed value is too high, get on a home evaluation site (Dixiehomevalue.com) and compare their value to what you received. If the difference is too great, you can contest it. Reach out to us and we can produce a price analysis that you can take to the assessor's office when you appeal. If you need to appeal, go to the Washington County website:(http://www.washco.utah.gov/assessor/boe.php).

3. What is the benefit to you financially? If you appeal and the county assessor accepts your appeal, for every $1,000 that they have over-assessed you, you will get $12 back in the form of a credit. So, a $10,000 over-assessment will get you $120 in credit.

Most of you don't need to worry about these things, but if you have any questions about your property tax notice, please don't hesitate to contact us. We would love to resolve any issues you may be having.

Until that time, or our NEXT video – onward and upward!

Do You Know How to Account for Your Personal Property When Selling?

Want to see which St. George area homes are currently for sale? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You can always call us at (435) 215-4533 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.​

Hello, and welcome back! 

This video features us helping our client Leslie deal with some personal property items after she had moved away prior to closing. And we are very thankful to her for letting us help with the sale. We did it in just 60 days, start to finish!

The Seller moved fairly far away prior to the close of the transaction which brought up a challenge: "What do I do with my personal property when I sell my home? Both the pieces I want to give away to charity, as well as those items the Buyer wants to purchase?”

This is a great question, and an important one to know the answer to since transferring furnishings to your home Buyer actually has a proper legal “method” to it.

Often, sellers think they can include personal property as part of the contract. However, per Utah real estate law, you have to convey personal property, outside of fixtures, via what is called a “bill of sale.”

This confusing language is why it's so important to work with a good Realtor and title company; they can help you understand the jargon and avoid making any moves that may have legal ramifications.

Fixtures, as mentioned above, include your sink, oven, dishwasher, and other affixed items in a home. 

Personal property, on the other hand, includes things like TVs, couches, beds, and other movable things. You need to work with a good real estate professional and title agency to work on conveying that stuff via a bill of sale, or you will run into an issue with the title company.  

We hope this tip helps you avoid unnecessary stresses when making your move. If you have any questions about this topic, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, give us a call or shoot us a quick email. We would love to hear from you! 

Is it "Now or Never" for St. George Real Estate Market?

Want to see which St. George area homes are currently for sale? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You can always call us at (435) 215-4533 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.​

The Clock's Ticking...Now May Be the Time to Make Your Move!

Is it a "now or never" type of market here in St. George? It sounds dramatic, but there are a few changes we may see soon that could knock many St. George area Home Buyers and Seller right out of the market for a very long time...if not forever!

CONSIDER THIS:

Interest rates are currently close to historic lows, hanging around 4.5%. If they go up 1%...just one point, a Buyer's purchasing power is DECREASED by a full 10%! For example, if you're trying to buy a $200,000 home, and rates jump just 1 point to 5.5%, you're buying power drops to $180,000. That's 10% of your buying power gone...obliterated...vanished like it was never there! 

If, for instance, you were having trouble finding that perfect home for $200,000, think how hard it will be to find one for $180,000. That one point increase in interest rates can drastically change the whole buying process and make you settle for less. 

And it’s not just gonna affect BUYERS. Sellers need to understand that this effect on Buyers will hurt their ability sell their property as well!

If you are on the fence about entering the real estate market, take the fact that interest rates are expected to rise as early as winter 2014/2015, and "they" have been saying they would rise at any moment for over a year! 

By waiting to make a move, you could cost yourself a lot of money...and perhaps the ability to buy or sell AT ALL for the near future.

GET YOUR FREE APPRAISAL:

Our friends Brad Shutterfield and Patriot Mortgage have offered to give our clients a free appraisal at a $450 value to help them take advantage of this opportunity. Just REPLY TO THIS EMAIL and let us know you'd like us to connect you and the free appraisal is yours!

We're serious folks, it's opportunity time. Reply by email or give us a call with your personal burning real estate questions. Take care!

What are St. George Homes Worth per Square Foot?

There are many great St. George area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (435) 215-4533 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

What are St. George Homes Worth per Square Foot?

Today we are going to answer a question and discuss an issue that always comes up…and we DO mean ALWAYS! What is your house worth per square foot?

The challenge of this question is that it's the WRONG question It's like asking, “how much do cars cost?” Well…..there are questions you need to answer first, like: Which car? What year? What model? What upgrades? There are too many variables to just give you a short answer of "what cars cost."

The same thing happens with attempting to come up with blanket pricing per square foot on a home. When you are only analyzing a home in terms of its price per square foot, you might miss some of the details that a home has that makes it worth more or less per square foot. Age, location, view, # of levels, # of garage bays, pool?, etc, etc, etc. 

If you look at a list of St. George area homes that are all priced for $100 per square foot and find another home that's the same size but priced at $120 per square foot, you are going to wonder why it costs so much more. In all actuality, you may be getting a better deal on the SECOND property due to extra features in the home.

So, just how much variety exists in St. George home values in terms of pricing per square foot?

Well, since January 1st of this year, the lowest priced single-family home sale in terms of price per square foot, was $39, located in Hurricane City. On the other hand, an incredibly unique home in downtown Springdale was sold for a whopping $745 per SF!  How could a home sell for that much more, when they are both single family dwellings? 

Well, the home that was priced at $745 is located in Springdale on 20 acres right near Zion National Park. Essentially a one of a kind, impossible to replace, incredibly located property. You can't compare a small, rural home in Hurricane Valley to a landmark property in Springdale and ask why one is so much more expensive than the other. You have to look at much more than the price per square footage to determine the true value of a home.

Is there a time when price per SF can be used to determine your home’s value? 

Yes. If you live in a very standardized townhome community or even a single family home community with homes of very similar size, age, finishes, AND a consistent ownership demographic, price per SF can be anywhere from “fairly” to “incredibly” accurate. Just remember that subtle differences – often those you can’t see inside your neighbor’s home, can create massive differences in value. 

If you’re wondering about your own home’s value – whether it be to SELL it, or “just because”, please don’t be shy about reaching out to us by phone or e-mail so we can prepare a “Pin-Point Pricing Analysis” for you. If you’d prefer to just do the whole “free info” on the internet thing, check out our instant home value generator to see what your home might sell for in 51 seconds or less! www.DixieHomeValue.com 

Our contact info once again, (435) 215-4333 or email us: larkingroup@gostgeorge.com. 

Low Interest Rates and Low Inventory in St. George: Now's the Time to Sell!

There are many great St. George area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (435) 767-9821 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today I want to address a question that always comes up in the beginning of spring. But before I answer that, I wanted to point out our blog’s free home search. This can be utilized at any time and you will be able to view every home available on the market. EVERY home! We also provide a home value tool that tells you what your home would sell for in the current market. Check it out just to the right of this article.

The question I was referring to pertains to selling your home now or waiting until later in Spring. You do need to consider that Spring comes very early in St. George due to our climate. Which means Buyers are ALREADY HERE whereas they’d be waiting 60 more days in other markets.

Another thing to consider is, of course, your personal  situation; if you want to sell your home and be gone by a certain time, you need to realize that it takes an average of 108 days to sell a home in Washington County (77 with the Larkin Group but who’s counting?) If you want to move out in 108 days, you would need to list your home today.

Now if you wanted to move out by the end of summer, maybe your time to list is 60 days from now. Do remember that it takes just one Buyer to purchase your home; if that Buyer comes around next week and your home isn’t on the market, you missed them.

Finally, right now is a great time to sell due to the low interest rates for Buyers. We know for a fact that rates will increase over time so holding out for a better rate is the equivalent of rolling the dice in Vegas. Not a highly predictable strategy.

However, your goals are unique and specific so we will engineer a plan that’s suits you best.

If you have any more questions, feel free to call or e-mail us with anything Also, don’t forget to utilize our FREE MLS home search and home value report links on our website. And our full, detailed St. George Real Estate report is always available 24/7 so you can be the smartest kid on the block! Check it out here: St. George, Utah Real Estate Report

Our contact info once again, (435) 215-4333 or email us: larkingroup@gostgeorge.com.