10 Tips to Help You Winterize Your Alaska Home

There are many great Anchorage 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 me at (907) 865-6404 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today we are going to talk about how to prepare your home for the winter months here in Alaska, which is quickly coming upon us. We’ve got ten great tips for you today that will save you time, money, and heat when the days get short and the weather is cold. Here are our top ten tips:

1. Get a roof inspection done
2. Check your gutters, make sure to clear out any debris
3. Have your heating system checked- doing this yearly will double its life
4. Any exterior plumbing should be insulated
5. Make sure you check your windows for drafts, and seal any that you find with caulk
6. Insulate your doors and replace the weather stripping if need be
7. Reverse the direction of your fans to keep the warm air in your home for longer
8. Get your fireplace cleaned out
9. Prepare your landscaping- putting hay over delicate plants is a good idea
10. Make sure your lawn furniture is all brought inside, or at least into the garage

There you have it, our top 10 tips for winterizing your Alaska home. If you want some more tips or have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

How Will Our Inventory Affect Your Buying Power?

There are many great Anchorage 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 me at (907) 865-6404 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today I'd like to update you on the inventory levels here in Anchorage and Eagle River. Overall, inventory is relatively low, and we're under a three month level. This means that we're in a seller's market because there are less homes available.

• Anywhere under $400K there is about a 1-2 month supply of homes, so sellers can reap big benefits if they have a home of this value for sale.
• From $400K to $600K we have more inventory and homes are sitting on the market for a little bit longer. The key to selling these homes is pricing them right and making sure that they are in good condition.
• From $600K to $750K we have about six months of inventory, which means that the market is balanced between buyers and sellers. Buyers will have an easier time buying these homes.
• If your home is worth more than $1 million, we have roughly 23 months of inventory, which means that you're in a buyer's market. 

Overall, the real estate market is very good here for buyers and sellers. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you're looking to buy or sell a home in Anchorage.

Free Home Seller’s Seminar

There are many great Anchorage 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 me at (907) 865-6404 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Free Home Seller’s Seminar

Are you a homeowner and have considered selling your home within the next year? Are you a little lost on where and how to start the process? We are here to help!

November 15, 2014, from 11:00am- 2:00pm we are introducing a Free Home Seller’s Seminar to educate and guide you through all of the processes involved in a sales transaction.

We’ve invited leading industry professionals to talk with you about what they do and how your role as a home seller involves them. Speaking at the Home Seller’s Seminar will be a Lender, Stager, Home Inspector, Appraiser, and representatives from a title company and a home warranty company. We are excited for each of them to share their wealth of industry knowledge with you. Time has been scheduled for questions and answers!

Again, the Home Seller’s Seminar will be held on November 15, 2014 from 11:00am – 2:00pm. Free lunch is provided to all registered attendants of the seminar!

To sign up, simply visit www.AlaskaTopAgent.com and select the Seller Seminar tab. You are also welcome to contact us direct to register at 907-240-2804.

This seminar is limited to 30 seats! Act fast before they run out!

We hope to see you November 15!

Follow These Tips to Bring Out Your Home’s Beauty!

There are many great Anchorage 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 me at (907) 865-6404 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Follow These Tips to Bring Out Your Home’s Beauty!

When preparing your home for sale, follow these tips:

1. Work on your curb appeal. This could be trimming your yard, planting flowers, sweeping your doorstep and even wiping down your doors. Your first impression needs to be warm, welcoming and awesome!
2. De-cluttering your home. Take down any personal pictures and remove anything that you will not be using from now until the time you sell the house. Pack it up and put it out in the garage! If you decide to list with the Dar Walden Team, I will walk through the house and help you with this.
3. Kitchen. De-cluttering is especially important when it comes to the kitchen – completely clean off your countertops and only keep things that you use every day. The countertops need to look large and inviting! This also goes for the refrigerator and cabinet tops. The kitchen and master bedroom are the two biggest influences on a potential buyer. 
4. Master bedroom. When de-cluttering your master bedroom, be sure to remove items from your night stands, leave only the essentials and buy a presentable bed ensemble. May your bed look fluffy and inviting!
5. Bathroom. Make sure your bathroom is clean – especially your mirrors! If you use the energy efficient light bulbs, swap them out for tradition light bulbs. Since the energy efficient bulbs take time to warm up, this could harm your bathroom’s appeal. Lighting is very important – especially here in Alaska!
6. Touch up your walls. If there any dents or chips in your walls, be sure to touch them up. Be sure to clean your baseboards and if anything needs to be re-caulked, don’t hesitate to do so.
7. Clean your carpets.

If you have additional questions or need clarification, please reach out to me by phone or email.

Thanks and have a great day!

It Pays to Hire an Active Real Estate Agent

 There are many great Anchorage 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 me at (907) 865-6404 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today I'm going to be talking about the differences between a passive agent and an active agent.

The Passive Agent

• Will use the three P's
• Puts the property in the MLS.
• Puts a sign in your yard.
• Prays that your property sells.
• Pricing: They will take into consideration the seller's opinion on the value and increase the price when listing the property.
• Experience: This agent will likely be a lower production agent. The less homes one has sold, the less practical experience they will have.
• Marketing: They will wait for buyers to come, and maybe do a few open houses and pass out some flyers. They will not be reaching out and grabbing prospective buyers.
• Communication: By nature, this client will avoid communication, especially the difficult conversations like why your home is not selling or why the pricing is not correct.

The Active Agent

• An active agent will go above and beyond these actions and utilize an aggressive marketing strategy to ensure that your home is sold at a premium price.
• They will market your home on various websites and also pass out e-flyers to the 1,400 realtors in the Anchorage/ Eagle River area.
• They will put your home on the Keller Williams site for national coverage, and they will pre-market your home to the top agents in town before it ever goes on the market.
• Pricing: Will perform a comprehensive market analysis to find an attractive price.
• A range in value will then be determined from which the seller can choose because the motivation of the seller is always what the agent has to keep in mind.
• Perhaps you're downsizing and don't need a very high selling price, or you want to move away from Alaska and want your home priced to sell quickly. An active agent will listen to your needs and price accordingly.
• Experience: Active agents will likely be selling hundreds of homes per year and have an enormous knowledge of local neighborhoods and locales.
• They will be proactive (rather than reactive) in solving problems because of their knowledge of the industry.
• Marketing: Active agents will attack buyers aggressively to get a home sold. They will utilize hundreds of websites on the internet to prospect for buyers, because 93% of all buyers now find their homes on the internet. A good agent should have your home up on at least 300-400 websites. This type of agent will utilize any avenue possible to funnel buyers towards your property.
• Communication: Feedback will be honest and upfront. They will want to communicate and educate you about the home selling process in order to sell your home quickly. Not only will they talk to you, but they will hound other agents to figure out what prospective buyers thought about your property.

In conclusion, a passive agent will be able to sell your home, but not as quickly or efficiently as an active agent. An active agent will sell your home quicker and for a much better price. If you're paying the same commission for both, it would be silly not to utilize the services of an active agent.
If you need a competent, experienced, and reliable agent then contact me and I would be glad to help with all your real estate needs in the Anchorage / Eagle River area. Give me a call at (907) 240-2804 or email me at Dar@DarWalden.com

Choosing an Agent: 10 Questions You Must Ask!

There are many great Anchorage 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 me at (907) 865-6404 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

What Questions Should You Ask Your Realtor 

 

Today I wanted to go over the ten questions you should ask your realtor before you hire them. I have elaborated on the four most important and listed the other six questions below:

1.    How many years of experience do you have in real estate? This isn’t saying that young agents won’t do a fine job; however they truly don’t have the wisdom base and knowledge of things that happen on a daily basis.

2.    Do you specialize in listing properties or selling properties? If the agent is listing based, the most likely won’t be your best choice. There are many different responsibilities between a buyer’s agent and a listing agent!

3.    How many homes have you sold in the last year and how many were sold in my subdivision? The more familiar the agent is with your area, the better it will serve you!

4.    How will I be kept informed? Many things happen in the course of a transaction but if there is good communication between you and the agent, that is half the half the battle! Good communication will save you from frustration further down the road.

5.    What’s your plan, besides flyers, signs and the MLS to get my home sold?

6.    Are you a solo agent or a team?

7.    How much is it going to cost me to sell my home?

8.    What are my responsibilities while showing and during the transaction? Am I responsible for repairs?

9.    Who is my point of contact throughout the process?  Do I have someone I can call anytime?

10.    What is your marketing budget?

If you have any other questions about finding the right agent, give me a call at (907) 240-2804 or send me an email at dar@darwalden.com. Thanks and have a great day!