Real Estate Information Archive

Preparing your home to list and sell can be a stressful process as you want it to show well and appeal to potential buyers. And while there is no love like a pet's love, your furry family members can definitely wreak havoc on your property and create more work to get your home show-ready. 

Below we have outlined a few things to look for and pet damage to repair prior to buyers entering your home for showings. Let’s dive in: 

-The first and most pressing pet issue to address is odor. Not only can pet odor be quite difficult to get rid of, it is also very obvious to potential home buyers and can be one of the first things they notice upon entering your home. And although getting rid of odors the right way can be expensive (i.e replacing flooring, new paint, etc), it is well worth the investment and can greatly benefit your resale value. You also want to be sure to vacuum everyday while your home is on the market and being shown to keep odors away during the selling process. 

-Scratches - they are common in most homes, but are likely to be more prominent in ones with pets. There is a good chance if you have been living in your home for a while that you have grown accustomed to seeing them on walls and floors, but when selling your home you want to take inventory of what needs to be fixed up. You can look into having your scratched hardwood floors professionally refinished, and having scratches on trims, walls, doors and cabinets lightly sanded, speckled and painted. 

-The outside of your house will be potential buyers first impression of your property, so you want to ensure to take extra care of any pet damage that may be in the front of your home. This can include anything from filling in holes your pets have dug up, replacing plants they have chewed and fixing damage to fencing, porches and home exterior.

-Lastly, even though your furniture will be going with you in the move, having chewed surfaces in your home can make the space appear sloppy during showings and broadcast that pets live there. You can either repair the damaged pieces, replace the furniture altogether or maneuver the furniture in a way that the damage doesn't show to guests. 

Selling your Omaha, NE home? Allow our team of professional, knowledgable and trustworthy real estate agents to go to work for you! Additionally, don't miss our "Seller Tips" page here! 

So, you’re selling your home in Omaha, NE and want all the tips and tricks on how to make your property sell quickly. While we can’t give away all our secrets in one post, we do have one tip that is sure to make the front of your home inviting and appeal to potential buyers. Interested? Keep reading below!

Your front porch is one of the first things buyers see and, as they say, you don’t get a second chance at a first impression. This area of your home is a great opportunity to welcome visitors, and we have listed a few tricks below that, when implemented, are sure to ‘wow’ potential buyers as they pull up to your home:

-Your front door is the focal point of your whole porch and should not be forgotten! Try adding a fresh coat of paint, hanging a decorative wreath on the door and/or adding a doormat to spruce up the entrance. 

-If you have the room, adding a pair of chairs to your front porch is such an easy way to make a big statement. When most people see chairs on a porch, they envision spending quality time with family and friends while the kids play in the front yard. It’s quaint, welcoming and will pull at the heart strings of your potential buyers.

-Incorporating plants/flowers in the foreground is a great way to not only add greenery and a splash of color, but also can be a fun way to guide guests to the entrance of your home. This adds to the curb appeal of your home and can also be a fun project for you and your family to do together!

-To keep your front porch area cool during the warmer Omaha, NE months you can install a ceiling fan, which also doubles as a great way to keep the pesky bugs away. Depending on the layout of your porch, outdoor curtains may also be a great option to keep the sun out while also adding a pop of fun décor. 

Looking for more tips and tricks on selling your Omaha, NE home? Check out our 'Home Selling Tips' page here!

As we discussed in a previous blog post, your listing photos are a crucial part of the home selling process and can be a huge factor in the amount of initial interest your listing receives. And while you may not be the one who is actually snapping the images, it is always good to understand the process so you can set up your home to photograph its best. In today’s blog post, we will be discussing a few tips and tricks to help ensure your images not only turn out well but stand out from the rest. Let’s jump in: 

-While it is important that buyers can get a good sense of a house, you want to be sure that it doesn’t appear too “lived in.” Buyers understand that a busy family lives in the house, but your images don’t have to appear that way. Spend some time decluttering the space so that the images appear clear and families can focus on the structure and layout.  

-On that same note, you may want to consider renting a storage unit for items in your home that make the rooms closed off/small and/or cluttered. If you are not sure if a piece of furniture is too big for a space, it may be better to just remove the item and keep it in a storage unit for a little while until the home sells. 

-While decluttering is important, you also want to depersonalize the home. Take the family pictures off the dining room table, remove the kid’s birthday party invitations from the refrigerator doors and take away the piles of magazines from the end tables. You want the images to showcase the home itself and not have potential buyers be distracted by the other items. 

-If your home offers a lot of natural light or breathtaking views, you want to make sure that is highlighted in your images as that can be a huge selling point. Make sure all your curtains are open and windows are cleaned. For a better photograph, you want to make sure all lights and lamps are turned on, inside and out, but to make sure that all ceiling fans are turned off.

-Staging a home is known to increase not only the amount of offers that come in, but also the price of those offers. You can either stage the home yourself or bring in a professional staging company to help ensure the home looks its best and is staged to sell. 

Be sure to check back every week for more real estate information and events happening around Omaha, NE. Also, be sure to check our “About” page to learn more about our talented team! 

If you are in the market to sell your home, you may have a long checklist of items to do before your listing goes live. As we will discuss in today’s blog, one of those items should be to have professional images taken of your home. Curious why this is such an important step for you? You are in the right place, keep reading along! 

It is no surprise that the internet is one of the first places people go to search available inventory in their desired neighborhood, school district, etc. – it is 2019 after all! And if the old saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” is true, then you want to make sure your visuals are on point! 

While you may have spent countless hours stringing the perfect sentences together telling buyers why your home is the best on the block, the truth is many people gravitate towards the images first and thus create an opinion before they read the first word of the listing. Professional images of your home will help to boost visibility and give potential buyers a real look inside your abode, and ultimately pushing them to call their agent to schedule a showing if they like what they see. 

You also want to be sure to have a variety of images that showcase all the areas/rooms of the home so buyers can get a true feel if the layout will work for their needs. In essence, your images should tell a story and give buyers a virtual ‘walk through.’ And the best part? Buyers can experience an intimate and thorough look into your home through these professional images without having to leave the comfort of their couch, giving you a leg up on the competition and helping to sell your home sell in less time. 

Looking for other ways to help sell your Omaha, NE home? Check out our Home Selling Tips page here! 

Are you looking to put your house on the market? If so, we know what a fun and exciting time this can be for you and your family. But, at times, the excitement can also be paired with a little anxiety as you navigate your way through the selling process. If you are finding yourself agreeing with the above sentences, then this is a blog post you don’t want to miss! Below we have listed a few things that you want to avoid when putting your house on the market, and we hope it brings a little insight and allows the selling process to be a little smoother for you.

The first thing you want to be sure to avoid when putting your home on the market is over-improving the space. We realize that most people think that the more money they invest into their home, the most likely they are to get a high return on their investment. And while there are instances where this is true, you want to be sure to avoid making changes that are hyper-specific to your wants, needs and personal taste. Updating things such as appliances, kitchen cabinets, finishing’s and light fixtures, as well as a fresh coat of paint, are always good things to invest in. But try to avoid turning your basement into a man cave or kids play room, as some potential buyers may look at the space and only see a massive remodel project and dollar signs.

Next, you want to be sure to not over-decorate your home in hopes to make it more appealing to potential buyers. Because in turn, you can actually make it look crowded and overdone. Buyers want to be able to see themselves living in the space with their personal items, and it will be difficult for them to do this if your home is filled corner to corner with your décor. Instead, do your best to clear out items that do not need to be in the room, leaving a fresh and clean area for potential buyers to view. Lastly, and this one may be obvious, but do not hang around when you know there is a showing. Buyers want to be able to talk openly, as well as see themselves moving in and living in the space, which can be hard for them to do if they see the current owners standing in the corner listening into the conversations. Also, there is always a chance that the showing may start early, so be sure to take grab the family and leave your home at least 20 minutes prior to when the showing is scheduled to take place.

The Omaha Real Estate market is booming!  It's an excellent time to consider putting your Omaha area home on the market as home sellers are selling quickly and for top dollar.

If you decide to Sell your Omaha home now, make sure to follow the tips below for a successful home sale:

1. Price your Home Right from the Start!  Working with a professional local real estate team, like the Heim-Berg Team, ensures you will price your home realistically from the start.  This provides for a great entry to the market and a quick and profitable home sale.

2. Scrutinize each Room of your Home- Before you put your home on the market, be sure to walk through every room with a critical eye;  defining all areas of tweaks and repairs.

3. Offer an Incentive- If you're in a competitive market, you may talk with your real estate team about offering an incentive for your potential home buyers.  This could be including your Kitchen Appliances in the sale, offering the washer/dryer, or paying a part of closing costs or commissions.  Your real estate team will direct you in the best way to proceed.

4. Don't neglect Curb Appeal!  Your Homes perfect Interior is critical to the sale of your home, however, the first impression a potential home buyer will see is the outside.  Make sure you pay attention to the needs of the exterior of your home and landscape.  Include pops of color to draw the eye to your best feature or focal point.

5. Making Home Improvements.  If you're home is somewhat dated, making home improvements can be very positive to the outcome of the sale of the home, however you need to choose appropriately.  Keep in mind that updated Kitchens and Bathrooms produce the greatest return on your investment.

For more Home Selling Tips visit our website or give us a call for a personal consultation.

In any kind of market, whether slow or hopping, it is vitally important to show your house at its best. Home staging won't necessarily get a seller a better price, but it just might generate a faster sale. Staging the property means creating a great first impression and helping the buyer to envision it as "home". Here is how you can make some big changes, with little or no investment, in order to make your house stand out from the rest:

Curb appeal is important!

1. Take a look at the outside of the house from a distance. Look carefully for unsightly issues - from weeds to spider webs. Make sure all dirt and debris are swept or washed away. Put bicycles, tools and toys in the garage and out of sight.
2. Manicure the lawn. Make sure all the edges are clipped cleanly. Trim all hedges.
3. Use plants to brighten the environment. Flats of bedding flowers are an inexpensive way to add color to a garden. Even in winter, evergreens in urns can create a welcoming appeal at the front door.
4. If painting the exterior is out of the question, a good power wash will make a dramatic change to the outside walls. Don't neglect doors and windows.
5. Buy a new welcome mat, and polish doorknobs and hardware.

Move to the inside

1. Eliminate personal items. Looking at someone else's family photos on the wall won’t help make the buyer feel welcome. Get a jump on packing by putting all your personal effects away.
2. Clear the kitchen. Getting rid of all the clutter will make the kitchen appear larger and brighter. Countertops should be clear and sparkling.
3. Clear the bathroom. Use a basket, and place all necessary personal items that normally reside in the open, under the sink. Make sure towels are clean and fresh.
4. Minimize furniture to make rooms feel less crowded. Move unnecessary items to storage to create an airy feeling in each room.
5. Patch and paint the walls. Nail holes from all the photos that used to reside there are not attractive, and a fresh coat of neutral paint will make the entire house look newer.
6. Clean everything until the house sparkles. Make sure there are no unpleasant odors. Air fresheners for air filters will waft pleasant smells throughout the house with no visible source.

Home staging is very much like dressing well for a job interview. Dressing well won't guarantee you land the job, but dressing poorly will definitely dampen your chances.