When’s the Best Time To Enter the Market?

Here’s my advice for those trying to “time” the market.

I’m back again with some timely, relevant, and local real estate information. Lately, people have been asking me when the best time to get in the market is. Today I have some tips to help you make the right decision for you and your family.

“Buyer demand remains high for the moment.”

First, every market is different. There could be different seasons where more houses come on the market than others. That’s this time of year in Augusta, right after The Masters. Timing is something that you always want to consider.
 
The second important thing to talk about is the cost of money. Interest rates play a large role. They’ve already climbed, and they will probably climb more. Buyer demand remains high at the moment, but it may taper off if rates keep rising.
 
Finally, you have to consider your motivation for moving. A lot of my peers are downsizing or right-sizing. Others are on the opposite end of the spectrum.
 
Having been in this business for 36 years, I know that moving is a process. If you have questions about the processes of buying, selling, downsizing, investing, or anything else related to real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
 

Why Work With Ann Marie McManus?

Here’s a little bit about me and how I can help you sell.

Today I just want to share a bit about why you should choose me to help you sell your home. If you want to get top dollar in the shortest amount of time, have someone truly listen to your distinct circumstances, and get a plan tailored specifically to you, then you’ll want to list with me. Often, when moving, many other life circumstances come with it, and I know how to bring my services to you. Selling is not a one-size-fits-all situation. 

I have the community contacts and will immediately pick up the phone and start connecting on your behalf. For me, it’s all about the personal connection and finding what best suits each client. I’m never going to pressure someone into doing anything that’s not in their best interest. I believe people trust me and know that I won’t simply sell their house at any price, but rather get the best deal I can for them.

If you have any questions or would like to speak to me about selling your property, reach out via phone or email. I would love to help you.

Click here to listen to more testimonials.

Is Your Home Covered in the Event of a Fire?

A recent house fire reminded me of the value of good insurance.

Recently, I experienced a house fire, which caused my family and I to rediscover just how important it is to have up-to-date insurance that covers such an unfortunate event. When our neighbor saw the fire from her second-story window, she promptly called her dad, who came outside. They called 911 and attempted to combat the flames with a garden hose until the fire department arrived a short while later.  By the time we were awake and out of the house, eight fire trucks were on the scene with 28 firefighters. They did a fantastic job of containing it, such that we only have very minimal smoke damage. I’m glad to say our family is doing very well, all things considered.
Review your homeowners insurance policy and your current value.
The morning after the fire, we called a friend in the fire restoration business, who told us that we worked with a great insurance company. Now, we understand that the restoration process is going to be somewhat of an ordeal, given the inconvenience of construction. That said, it’s such a good feeling to know that we’ve kept up with our coverage and that we didn’t scrimp on the policy. That’s why I’m encouraging you to look at your homeowners insurance policy and your current value. Touch base with your insurance agent if you haven’t spoken with them in awhile, as they’ll likely have kept up with these things and can help you figure out whether your coverage is adequate. If you have any questions about homeowners insurance or anything else to do with real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

How to Get Up to 18% More When Selling Your Home: Part 4

In the fourth part of our series, we’ll discuss marketing your home. 

Interested in buying? Contact us to view all listings

Today, we’re back with the fourth installment of our series on how to earn up to 18% more money when selling your home. This time, we’ll be discussing the part that really helps our sellers get more out of their home: marketing.

We market our homes on three levels: internationally, nationally, and locally. Because of our contacts, we’ve been referred to people who are new to the area and looking for local expertise. We see our listings on real estate websites that are focused on the international market.

We also belong to strong national networks and see a few referrals each month. These referrals come from other agents who send us business from another part of the country. Our marketing department does a great job making sure our listings are seen on a national scale. Our relocation department sold over 530 homes last year.

On a local scale, we simply apply our many years of experience and build interest the old-fashioned way. This means hours spent on the phone, connecting with potential buyers and sellers.

The connections we’ve developed help us market our homes to people anywhere in the world and ensure that many potential buyers will get the chance to see your home.

If you have any questions about our marketing, want to buy or sell your home, or need any information, feel free to call us. We look forward to hearing from you.

Next time, we’ll be covering negotiation on a home.

How to Get Up to 18% More When Selling Your Home: Part 3

In the third part of our five-part series, we’ll discuss pricing your home.

Interested in buying? Contact us to view all listings

We’re back today with the third installment of our five-part series on how to earn up to 18% more money when selling your home. This time, we’ll be discussing the part that really helps our sellers get more out of their home: pricing.

When finding that perfect price, you need to make sure you’re getting pricing advice from someone with integrity and knowledge about the market. Some agents have a tendency to only tell you what you want to hear, so it’s important to have the information and guidance needed to make an informed decision.

By simply pricing a home strategically, we can get a seller can get at least 10% more for their home. We look at where homes are selling and price ours slightly less than those on the market, but slightly more than ones that have sold. Recently, we were able to get a seller $20,000 more than what their previous Realtors thought the home was worth. Market knowledge is an invaluable tool.

It’s just as important that your Realtor has the integrity we talked about. Otherwise, you may be tempted to go with someone who can sell your home quickly but for much less. You want to go with the agent who both understands the market and isn’t just trying to get hired by telling you what you want to hear.

If you have any questions about pricing your home strategically, want to buy or sell your home, or need any information, feel free to call us. We look forward to hearing from you.

Next time, we’ll be covering how to market your home.

How to Get Up to 18% More When Selling Your Home: Part 2

 In part two of our five part series on how to earn up to 18% more for your home, we’ll be talking about the three strategies our team uses to boost a property’s presentation.

Interested in buying? Contact us to view all listings

Today, we’re back with the second installment of our series on how to earn up to 18% more money when selling your home. This time, we’ll be discussing your property’s presentation.

There are three key tasks our team takes on to make sure our clients’ homes look their best on the market:

1. Staging. Homes that are staged sell much faster and for between 2% to 3% more money than those that aren’t.

2. Taking professional photos. In conjunction with other media, like videos, photos generally act as a buyer’s first impression of your property. Great photos lead to higher levels of exposure and, ultimately, higher levels of success.

3. Giving your home online exposure. The value of boosting a listing through the internet cannot be overstated. In this day and age, social media and other online platforms are ideal places to advertise a listing.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

How to Earn 18% More for Your Home: Part 1

Interested in buying? Contact us to view all listings

I’ve put a lot of energy into studying home prices over the last 30 years. Now, thanks to those decades of experience, I’ve developed a strategy to help my clients earn up to 18% more when selling their home than they ordinarily would.

There are five main tips that go into this strategy, and today we’ll be looking at the first two of them. We’ll be covering the rest in future installments, so be sure to keep an eye out for those updates.

For now, let’s discuss the first of our five tips, which is to prepare your home before you sell.

Sellers can earn between 5% to 7% more for their home by following just this one tip. With that in mind, though, you may be wondering what kind of preparations are involved in getting a home ready for the market.

This is where our team’s “upgrade analysis” comes into play. When you work with us to sell your home, we will guide you toward the improvements that we believe will bring you the highest return on your investment.

Once you have the first step out of the way, you can move on to the second, which is to order an inspection up front.

After you get an offer on your home, 80% of the negotiating power is transferred into the buyer’s hands. By ordering a home inspection before accepting an offer, you’ll be able to retain greater control once it comes time to negotiate. Ordering an inspection before listing your home will give you the chance to identify and resolve issues on your own time and your own terms.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

How Our Team of Professionals Help You Accomplish Your Goals

Interested in buying? Contact us to view all listings

 

In our 30 years of being in business, we have been a part of thousands of transactions. It’s not just a one-person show, however. The team of professionals we have put together ensures that our business runs smoothly and that our customers have excellent experiences.

By the time your transaction is over with, our team has filled up a giant 3-ring binder with information from your transaction. Our team has 60+ years experience in real estate and our number one goal is making the process work for you.

We have buyer specialists, listing agents, and more making sure our deadlines are met. After we dot the i’s and cross the t’s, our transaction coordinator takes it from there. She will coordinate to make sure the payoff gets to the attorney and they have everything they need for the sale to go through.

This is just a small taste of our team and how we work together. If you have any questions about our team, or about real estate in general, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Meet the Only Agent Certified by the Luxury Home Marketing Institute in Augusta

Interested in buying? Contact us to view all listings

 

Just recently, Ann Marie McManus received a special designation within the real estate industry. She was certified by the Luxury Home Marketing Institute and is now the only one officially certified to market high-end homes in the Augusta area!

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In Augusta, everything is very affordable because the $500K and up market has greatly improved, which makes now a great time to work with an expert in higher end homes. In order to get the Luxury Home Marketing Institute certification, Ann Marie had to have a certain level of production, while also acquiring additional education. It allowed her to talk to people from all over our market and other agents from all over the country.

If you’re in the market for a home that is worth $500K or more, you may want to work with the ONLY agent, as of May 2015, to be awarded the prestigious designation from the Luxury Home Marketing Institute. She would love to hear from you!

Where Can You Find an Agent You Trust in Augusta?

Interested in buying? Contact us to view all listings

 

Ann Marie McManus has been in the real estate industry for many years, and today, she discusses her experience in the industry and what it means to her!

Ann Marie is a second-generation Realtor. She firmly believes that she is helping people build a good life by making smart real estate moves in Augusta. She believes that, in real estate, it’s all about the people you serve – their needs should be met and their expectations should be exceeded. Clients should walk away from a transaction knowing their needs were put before the agent’s.

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When Ann Marie gets a call, the first thing she does is ask a lot of questions. When buying or selling real estate, you want to work with someone who has been through it all and knows the process backwards and forwards, and someone who knows how to avoid common pitfalls and what approach to take in each and every situation.

If you need an experienced real estate consultant to help you make sense of the market or accomplish your real estate goals, Ann Marie is the Realtor for you! You can reach her directly at (706) 481-3800 or visit her website at www.annmariemcmanus.com to see what she has to offer!