The BrazzelDazzle Blog

Not What You're Expecting in Catonsville, Maryland!

Exquisitely Detailed, Custom Contemporary with Magnificent Cathedral Great Room with Dramatic Windows, French Doors, Wood Stove and Surround Sound! Brazilian Cherry & Ceramic Floors throughout; Gourmet Center Island Kitchen with Peninsula, granite, Corian, Stainless Steel Appliances including 5-Burner Cooktop with Downdrafts; Glorious Sunroom with 2 French Doors and Woodstove; 2-Br's & full BA on Main Level; Lower-Level Clubroom with Wet Bar, Flatscreen TV, Bonus Room & Full Bath & Bonus/Office/Guest Room over 2-Car Garage! 

This home is sited on a lush, landscaped 1.06 acre lot with a fern forest, stream and perennial gardens.  The studio over the garage would have many possible uses ... a teen retreat, professional office, artist studio, in-law apartment or just a fabulous guest room.   

Just listed! 8518 Wind Dance Way, Columbia, MD 21044

Renovated 4BR, 3 1/2 BA Contemporary!

Looking for Homes for Sale in Howard County?  You'll find over 3,000 square feet of Beautiful finished Living Space in this fabulous home! It is located in the Village of Long Reach in Columbia, MD.  The gorgeous New Maple Kitchen with Newer Appliances, Granite & Tumbled Marble Backsplash is the heart of this home! The Dark Wood Sape Floors on the Entire Mail Level are beautiful; Remodeled Bathrooms with Ceramic Heated Flooring on Programmable Thermostats, Furniture-Style Dual Sink Vanities & New Ceramic Tub Surrounds; Formal Dining Room with Wainscotting; Breakfast/Gathering Room with Gas FP & Fabulous 18'x18' Family Room Addition; Dramatic 2-Story Living Room; MBR Walk-In CLoset & Slider to Private Balcony; Lower Level Clubroom, Bonus Room & 3rd Full BA; Newer Windows, HVAC & Roof; & Just Painted In & Out!

ELLICOTT CITY, MD - Centennial School District!

This is a Beautiful and Pristine 3 Bedroom, 3 1/2 Bath Brick Front Townhome with over 2,300 sq' of Living Space Located in the Autumn Crest neighborhood of Ellicott City, Maryland! Main Level with Oak, Ceramic, & Oak Laminate Floors; Two French Doors open to Elevated Wooded Views; Kitchen with Breakfast Bar and most Newer Stainless Steel Appliances; Deck off Living Room overlooks Woods; Formal Dining Room with Fluted Column Accents; Super Master Bathroom with Oval Soaking Tub, Separate Shower, Dual Sink Vanity, and Skylight; Walk–Out Clubroom with Wonderful Built-In Cabinetry Unit, Recessed Lighting and Gas Fireplace; and Cathedral, 9 ', and Vaulted Ceilings!

 If you are seeking a move-in ready, perfectly maintained home, this is it! 

Just listed!

Silver Spring/Forest Knolls!

This 3/4 Bedroom, 2 1/2 Bath Four-Level Split has been Lived in and Loved for Over 50 Years by the Original Owner! The Oak Flooring on the Main Two Levels has ALWAYS been covered with carpet - we Removed the Carpet in One of the Rooms and IT'S GORGEOUS! This Home Features a Table Space Kitchen; a Formal Dining Room with New Slider; a 4th Bedroom/Office/Playroom (No Closet) with adjacent Powder Room & Walk-up to a Fenced Backyard with Covered Patio and BBQ; a Clubroom; and an unfinished Lower Level with Washer, Dryer, and Utility Sink. $314,900

Just listed - Jeffer's Hill - Columbia, MD

Hawkins Farm - Walking Disctance to the newest Howard County Park - Blandair Park

This lovely 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath Brick Townhome is an End Unit with Enclosed, Private Front & Side Courtyards and a Flagstone Patio for Outdoor Enjoyment.  The  Living Room and Dining Room have New Carpet & Two Sliders that open to a Deck that offers a Scenic Vista Overlooking Open Space, Woods, and a Pond.  You'll find a Table-Space Kitchen with Updated Cabinets & a Slider Overlooking the Front Courtyard. Other features include: a Pedestal Sink in the Powder Room; a Vaulted Master Bedroom Ceiling; Updated Hall Bathroom with an Ebony Vanity; & Clubroom with New Carpet, Corner Fireplace & Slider to the Back Yard! $249,900

Two "must do's" when staging your house for sale are fresh paint and carpet.  Potential Buyers need to fall in love with your property AND they need to see the value of your property before they'll make an offer.  New paint and carpet are the best ways to help them do so!  If your house has old and dirty carpet and dingy paint, it will appear tired, sad, and worn-out ... which doesn't appeal to buyers emotionally or intellectually.  Sellers often think that buyers will want to pick out their own colors ...  but many buyers cannot envision what the house will look like with fresh paint and carpet and how it will transform it from tired to perky!

 Realtors often hear Buyers comment: "But, I'd have to get that wallpaper removed!", "But, I'd need to get the whole house painted!", "But, we couldn't live with that carpet!" ... and then the Buyers assign a dollar value to the improvement that is often hundreds or thousands of dollars more that the actual cost would be.  So, even if the Buyers decide to make an offer on the property, they will "deduct" their imagined cost of the carpet and paint - usually WAY more than the actual cost would be.  Plus, their perceived value of the property will be way less, so their initial offer will be lower.

What's a Seller to do?  If your house needs paint, check with your paint store salesperson for the most popular neutral color that is in fashion.  Currently, bright earth tones are in favor.  New carpet should be a taupe or beige tone - those colors go with any decor.  You can't go wrong with neutral choices and you WILL recoup the cost of these improvements.  The neutral colors you choose may not be the perfect fit for every buyer, but a "re-do" will not be seen as necessary, either.

Some updates may not give you any return on your investment, while others, if done wisely (remember that neutral sells!), will.  Carpet and paint are two "must do's" when staging your house for sale!  You WILL get the money back as long as you've chosen wisely.  Consult your Real Estate professional to determine what other steps you should take to get your house ready to market.  It will make a big difference in your profit and in the time it takes to sell your house.  And remember the two "must do's" when staging your house for sale!

When pricing a house for sale, it's important to remember that EVERY HOUSE HAS IT'S OWN "STORY"... no two houses are exactly alike and their "stories" determine the correct pricing.  They may be next door to each other, they may be the same size, and have a similar floor plan ...

but their "stories" are never the same!

Houses For Sale have THEMES ...

• Colonial
• Contemporary
• Traditional
• Rancher
• Victorian
• Cape Cod
• Condominium
• Town House
• Bungalow
• Mansion

Houses for Sale have SETTINGS:

• Lot Size ... small enough to see in neighbor's windows, large enough to need a riding mower
• House Site ... busy street, quiet court, top of hill, bottom of hill, the middle of nowhere
• Views from the House ... urban, rural, woods, gas station, church, liquor store, school yard, water view
• LOCATION ... LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!

Houses For Sale have PLOTS:

• Floor Plan ... location of rooms, number of levels
• Number of Bedrooms and Bathrooms
• Parking Situation ... garage, carport, street, alley
• Quality of Construction ... oak floors or carpet, ceramic or vinyl floors, dual-pane windows or single pane, granite or Formica, brick or vinyl front
• Builder's Reputation

Houses for Sale have MOTIVATING FORCES:

• Age ... older and charming, newer and boring
• Condition/Upgrades ... remodeled baths/kitchen, upgraded light fixtures, fresh paint, new flooring
• Proximity to amenities ... parks, shopping, athletic clubs, places of worship
• Proximity to detractors ... noxious smells, undesirable noises, power lines

Houses for Sale have COMPLICATING FACTORS:

• Schools ... reputation, standardized scoring results, ranking
• Neighbors ... lots of children, mostly mature adults, diversity or lack thereof
• Possibility of future development(s) nearby

Stories & Houses For Sale have CONCLUSIONS/ENDINGS:

• Sold quickly, sold slowly
• Sold for top dollar, sold disappointingly low
• Withdrawn from the market without selling

For the story to have a favorable conclusion/ending, all of the details that make the house unique must be factored into the marketing and pricing.  Every buyer will read the house "story" differently.

          Price a house according to it's own "story"

and it will sell quickly and for top dollar!

 $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

When trying to understand the real estate market and why prices are what they are, it may help to think of your house as a commodity - not a product. 

• A product is an item that a seller places a value on and prices it accordingly ... think: a sofa, a jar of peanut butter or a shovel.  There will be differences in quality, differences in features, differences in attractiveness.  There will be sales available and some vendors may charge more or less than others ... but the price is the price as set by the seller.

• A commodity is an item whose price is determined by the buyer who has a perception of it's current value.  Think: stocks, gold, and silver.  The buyer places a value on it and pays accordingly - prices of commodities go up and down.  Commodities' prices are influenced by supply and demand.  The more supply there is, the less the price will be.  The more scarce the commodity, the higher the price will be.

Who cares?  What's the difference?  Why does the distinction matter?

A seller should care, understand the difference, and make the distinction ... then price her home accordingly.  In today's real estate environment (in most areas of the country) where there is a plethora of available homes on the market, the prices are lower than when the inventory is sparse.  The law of "supply and demand" is in control.  In real estate, when the inventory is high, it pushes housing prices downward. 

A savvy seller will hire a Realtor who is educated, experienced, and knowledgeable in their area and who will help them price their house accordingly.  Sellers who position their houses correctly (as the commodity that it is!) sell for more money and in less time than those who treat their house as a product whose perceived value by the potential buyers may be different than theirs! 

THINK OF YOUR HOUSE AS A COMMODITY ... YOU'LL PRICE IT RIGHT AND IT WILL SELL!

I often hear the question, "But, Sue, how can I sell my house before I find a house to buy?"

Sellers fear that they will be out on the street ... HOMELESS! ... if they market their home and get a contract before they have identified the house to which they want to move. 

Reasons it makes sense to SELL BEFORE YOU BUY:

• If the seller will accept your offer contingent on you selling your current house (and many will not!), you may have to pay a monetary premium for their house.  You would be an "iffy" (undesirable) buyer at this point (especially in the current market environment).  So, the seller will need to be enticed to consider your offer.  Money talks - and you'll need to put your money where your non-contingent offer should be.
• You'll need to spend money on your (hopeful) new home within a few days (lots of money) ... structural inspection, termite inspection, radon inspection, & appraisal fee.  None of this money will be refunded if you do not buy the house.
• There is usually a "kick out" provision in a contingent offer... the seller will continue to market the home.  After you have spent the money on the  items listed above, you may get notice that the Seller has received another offer they wish to accept ... FROM A NON-CONTINGENT BUYER!!  The seller will "kick you out" and accept the other offer if you can't remove your contingency!  This is VERY upsetting!
• You don't know how long your house will be on the market before you get a contract.  The pricing is always subjective and if the correct price point is not "hit" quickly, the house may linger without a buyer.

Once you do recieve an offer, you can make your acceptance contingent upon identifying your home of choice within a specified amount of time.  THEN you hop into your Realtor's car.  There is a finite number of houses in your price range, with the amenities you desire, and in the location you want at any given time.  Now you are ready to shop ... for the inventory that is available NOW! 

• When you find the desired new house and submit a contract offer, you are now a desirable buyer!  You have your house under contract, the seller is excited to have a "real buyer", and more likely to negotiate favorable terms with you.  The only contingency on your purchase now is that you settle on your current house prior to settlement on the "new" house.

Ready to move?  Call your Realtor, get your house in showing condition, market it at a reasonable price, find a buyer who will give you time to locate your "home of choice", and now go shopping!  You are a ready, willing and able buyer!