Community Magazine May 2019

HOME IS WHERE THE IS HOW LANDSCAPING AND EXTERIOR APPEARANCE PLAY A PART IN SELLING YOUR HOME Not only can landscaping help increase the value of your home, but it is also the first thing potential buyers see when they approach your home for viewing. This important step in the selling process is one that is often undervalued and underdone. Below are 4 landscaping suggestions that can help sell your home. Karen Behfar is a Licensed Real Estate Broker of The Behfar Team. She can be reached at 718 309 0439. • Spruce up your colors – Playing with color is a fun way to add some sophistication to an otherwise drab house. This is an inexpensive way to make your place stand out to potential buyers. Painting a door or banister makes a HUGE difference. • Touch up the gardens – Shaping up overgrown trees, trimming hedges, and tidying up plants are things that should be done year-round, but especially before you are looking to sell. Maintaining your garden is a quick way to show that you have been taking care of your home (especially in Brooklyn where people take their 2x2 gardens seriously). • Pressure wash – Power washers can be bought or rented to clean grime off of stained pavement. Even the grungiest of driveways stands no chance against extreme water pressure. It is an easy way to make your home really shine and attract buyers. • Deck out your patio – If you are selling in warmer months, patios play a huge role. If there is room, make sure you show off all the space for chairs, tables, and pull out the old grill if you can. Planning to Retire? There are several steps you can take before you reach retirement age in order to best prepare yourself for a potential relocation. By deciding whether you would be moving as a lifestyle choice or to downsize and gain some extra finances, you can narrow down your search tremendously. In addition to finding an agency that will help you with the logistics along the way, taking steps to nail down your housing needs will make the relaxation of retirement even better. If you have owned your home for a long time, you may have seen the value rise significantly over the years. Selling your home in favor of something more affordable or in a less expensive location can put some money in your pocket. You should ideally be looking to relocate into a home that costs 25% less than your current home will sell for. The options are limitless, but it all comes down to your unique taste and individual needs. Many sellers are opting for a rental rather than having to maintain a home, especially if they frequent Florida or New Jersey. REAL ESTATE MARKET UPDATES We live in an evolving world. The brand-new phone I got in November is already “old.” The real estate market is constantly changing and moving along its cycle. Homes that were worth in the 5’s just five years ago are now priced in the 9’s. The market that I see hitting the most is the market of homes around 1million and under whosemarket has gone down. Starter homes are the ones being affected the most in terms of price, and those buyers are seeing a relief of prices. That is until now. Obviously, it is all about supply and demand. Certain neighborhoods aren’t affected yet. I have found that the homes in the 1M and under price range were most affected first, but that during the past few weeks the 1-2Mpriced homes have been affected as well. Pricing homes very well is the key. There used to be more cushion room price-wise, and sellers were able to ask more than the value of their home. 82 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE KAREN BEHFAR Mabrouk! Certified Mohel