Serving All Your Real Estate Needs in Wilbraham, East Longmeadow, Springfield, Longmeadow and Beyond...  

Congratulations to Brenda for being Real Living's National Premier Service Award Winner for 2011! 

Inventory is low, Demand is stable...Call me to list your home, I have the top - notch marketing exposure you are looking for in this type of marketplace! 

Welcome to your Western Mass Real Estate Connection with Real Living Realty Professionals, LLC! We service many wonderful communities that offer Beautiful single family homes, multi-family homes, condominums and land. 

There are specialized small-town attractions in Brimfield (a large half-mile Antique Show along Route 20), Belchertown (a 150+ year tradition, The Belchertown Fair), and Sturbridge (home of Old Sturbridge Village, which celebrates early New England life). 

There are cozy rural communities such as Wilbraham and Hampden, and East Longmeadow known to have an outstanding public education system. Wilbraham is presently building a new high school. You may prefer rustic, relaxed areas like Longmeadow, Ludlow, Monson and Palmer. Whether real estate in these areas is of interest to you, or other areas like Springfield, Hampden, Granby, Belchertown, Hadley, West Springfield, Westfield, and Chicopee interest you, I am happy to do whatever it takes to help you with all of your real estate needs. 

4 SELLING TIPS FOR 2012 FROM BRENDA  

1. Price your home right from the get-go

The old-school strategy of real estate sellers crossing their arms and holding out for a better offer will be brushed off by most homebuyers. Consider that of the homes that took four months or more to sell in the past year, almost half of their owners accepted less than 90 percent of the asking price, according to the National Association of Realtors. Ask an agent to do a market analysis on your property which will produce the latest comparable sales as well as a recent summary of sales prices versus original list prices. Make sure the homes that the agent is showing are comparisons to your home. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, an experienced agent should be able to answer any questions. If you don’t price your home right, realistic yet aggressive- most likely it will not sell. Ask your agent for two prices, the market value and the realistic market price. 

2. Put your best footage forward

Prep, paint, stage, scrub, improve, and repeat. Efforts can include caulking, plastering, planting flowers, adding potted plants, making the windows spotless, pressure washing that oily driveway, edging the walks, trimming the bushes and trees, and mending the fences. None of these is excessively capital-intensive, but when applied en masse, they say "buy me." A couple cans of paint can get you thousands of dollars more!

3. Be flexible

I'm not saying bend over backward to accommodate real estate buyers. Bend forward and sideways, too. Be ready to negotiate and offer extras such as closing costs, paid property taxes, remodeling work (or a cash credit), appliances, paid condo association/homeowner association dues, a few months of mortgage payments or even seller financing. Home sellers who've been on the sidelines and who advised their agents to ignore offers by lowballers don't have that luxury now. Do what it takes within reason to keep the buyer on the hook.

4. Hire an Agent with a Proven Track Record of Success

Hire a listing agent that can show you their credentials is very important. Having an agent with experience, knowledge of the market and expertise can save you thousands of dollars in your pocket! Most people will call anyone and just hire their first agent, BIG mistake! Ask to see their professional resume, ask what they have done for sales, how many homes they have sold, what their average days on the market are, and what their list to sale price is. An excellent agent will have all this info and be able to give you the service you need. Having an agent that is steeped in mobile platforms, allowing for great search engine optimization and maximum exposure should be at the top of your list. Sellers and buyers are routinely using Face book and other social media to sell and seek, not to mention dozens of online selling sites.