If the fact that A-list celebs such as Leo DiCaprio and Gwen Stefani have called the tribeca triplex at 51 Walker St “home” isn’t enough of a unique selling point, then surely the private garden, heated outdoor pool plus jacuzzi, and private sauna would seal the deal! But Broker Fredrik Eklund (break-out star of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing NY), isn’t taking any chances! Before putting the impressive 3,200sf, 3-bedroom apartment back on the market, Eklund called in his secret weapon, “stager-to-the stars” Cheryl Eisen.

Full story is available on Sacremento Bee

Just in time for the National Ass. of Realtors’ Nationwide Open House Weekend, I just posted the results of an analysis I’ve been working on at Redfin to see if holding an open house is at all correlated with the chance that a home will sell.

Do Open Houses Help Homes Sell?

…we thought it would be interesting to dig into Redfin’s stash of real estate data to answer the question: Does holding an open house make a home more likely to sell?

Full story is available on Seattle Bubble

When selling your home, you must market it online because that’s where the buyers are, says Scott FladHammer, a Fort Wayne, Ind., real estate investor and president of the Real Estate Investors Association.

“The Web is the best way for sellers to reach buyers,” says FladHammer. “It’s not shocking to see real estate newcomers harnessing the power of online marketing and even outperforming industry veterans.”

When I meet with sellers who are putting their house back on the market after a period of not having it sell, they often tell me how disappointed they were with their previous realtor. These reasons usually include being unhappy with their photos and sometimes even with how the agents communicated with them. For instance, their agent emailed them often, but calls were sparse.

Often, people are selling a home for the first time, or for the first time in 20 years. There’s a good possibility that things have changed in the real estate industry since the last time you bought or sold a home. And, while realtors are in the business of making sellers happy, we also have to figure out the best way to get a house sold. Unfortunately, the two of these can seem to contradict each other sometimes.

Full story is available on Patch

When it comes to new houses, green is the new granite.

A decade or more ago, luxury amenities such as granite countertops in kitchens and baths became “must-have” necessities. Now green building practices that once seemed exotic are becoming standard in homes at every price.

Full story is available on The NashvilleLedger

Imagine walking into your dream home only to find cluttered stacks of paper, a pile of shoes by the front door and the heavy scent of Febreze wafting through the air.

If you’re like most people, you would probably immediately wonder why your real estate agent was showing you this listing and head for the door.

Full story is available on Seacoastonline.com

Area brokers and real estate agents will tell you that more short sales – an 11th-hour effort for homeowners to avoid foreclosure – are being executed this year.

The strategy in the past had been mired by communication breakdowns, prompting many a would-be buyer and Realtor to bemoan there is nothing “short” about a short sale.

So this week’s announcement by the Federal Housing Finance Agency directing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to streamline the short-sale process can only help.

Full story is available on redding.com

Inventory levels for homes in Moore County started building up in 2007, which sent values readjusting downward, so sellers have had to do a lot more to be competitive in such a buyer-driven market.

And the higher the list price of the residence, the greater the challenges.

Full story is available on The Pilot

The Spanish had the location—St. Augustine of course!—a nice little seaside port, ocean breezes, scenic marshes, pristine woodlands. The thing they couldn’t get right at first was construction material. Forts made of wood burned down every single time somebody threw a lit match at the place! Finally the Spanish discovered the native coquina stone—not only fire resistant, the coquina absorbed cannon balls. Thus the Castillo de San Marcos has withstood over three hundred years of the St. Augustine real estate market. If those walls could talk, they’d probably speak Spanish, but they could say something about how to fortify the sale of your home with a good, strong appearance.

Full story is available on St.Augustine

I held an open house on Saturday at one of our short sale listings. It is a good listing: great price point, pristine condition, very close to the beach. There were over 80 people at the two-hour event. It was a frenzy of sorts.

Agents continued to call in all afternoon asking questions about how to write a good offer that would be accepted.  And, this is definitely going to be one of those multiple offer situations.

When reviewing offers for short sales, there are a few things to look out for. People always think that price is very important, and it is. But, price is not the only thing that is going to get the short sale closed.

Full story is available on AGBeat