Month: November 2021

Selling Your Home Over the Holidays

Selling your home over the holidays is a great opportunity if you’re ready, willing, and able. But should you or would you be better off waiting until the first of the year or even until the spring market? It depends.

My gut answer is the best time to sell your house is when your house is ready. Trying to figure out what the market is going to do next year, next month or even tomorrow is like looking into a crystal ball for the answer. Plus it depends on your own personal situation.

Downplay your decorating especially over the holidays

I advise my sellers to downplay the holidays when it comes to decorating. Keep your decorations to a minimum inside and out. But if you live in a subdivision like Christmas Place at 131st Place, west of Antioch in Overland Park, you may need to take that into consideration.

A few years ago, I had a house for sale over the holidays in that subdivision. This is a small subdivision of 12 homes and 2 cul-de-sacs where every homeowner decorates their home and it attracts people from all over the city. That is either a plus or a minus depending on how you look at it. In the last house I sold there, the buyers told me they always wanted to be a part of that community because they loved the joy of the season. For other buyers, they might see it as a detriment and would not want to partake in the festivities year after year. While decorating the exterior of the house was not a requirement, to be the only house that didn’t participate would certainly make you stand out and would scream “bah-humbug.”

Here are 3 questions to ask yourself when considering selling your home over the holidays

  1. Can you decorate your home in a minimal way? Christmas is usually about layering up and adding to and that concept is just not part of Home Staging. That’s what I call Distracted Staging. Remember – not everyone celebrates Christmas and when selling your home, you must appeal to the largest number of buyers possible.
  2. Will you have family in town for an extended period and will it be hard for you to show the house at a moment’s notice? If you can’t get out of the house for showings you might be better off not trying.
  3. Will it be difficult for you to keep the house in showing condition at all times? Remember, buyers only see what they see – not the way it’s going to be. Holiday time is often a time of disarray for many sellers and when you are selling your Overland Park home, you’ve got to have the Model Home Look and perfect for showing at all times.

Selling your Overland Park home is about being ready. The more ready you are, the greater chance you have of selling your home over the holidays.

Many company transfers occur in January every year. Oftentimes the relocating buyers will take time off from their job to visit their new city and start their home search. If you have a house that would appeal to relocating buyers, you could be missing your opportunity for getting your home sold over the holidays.

Sold on Christmas Eve

A few years ago I had a listing sell on Christmas Eve with two offers. Every day is an opportunity to sell your house. This time of the year, inventory is lower so your chances of selling are even greater. Remember, it’s all about supply and demand…when there is less supply you can often get more money for your house. But just as any other time of the year, you have to be ready and be willing to play the home selling game. It’s not about you and your home; it’s about your buyers and the home they want to buy to make their own memories.

If you are considering selling your home over the holidays, I can help. Call or text me at (913) 515-3250 or contact me here and let’s talk about selling your home over the holidays!

Check out today’s new listings in Overland Park and call me at (913) 515-3250 when you see a house that you MUST see inside!

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(all data current as of 3/26/2023)

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

 
 

Holiday Interior Decorating

If you love Christmas as much as we do, let us create your best Holiday Interior Decorating look for you this year. Our Professional Holiday Lighting Company has been lighting up houses in the Kansas City Metro for over 10 years. Also, we are proud to be part of that tradition by providing you with a beautiful interior holiday look for your home or business.

Whether you want to light up the outside or just decorate the inside of your home or business, we’re here to make it happen. For that reason, we are fully staffed professionals and ready to create the best festive look for you and your family, your customers, or for a special event this holiday season.

Design or Redesign

Do you want to use your current tree and accessories or are you looking for something new to add to your collection of treasures? Leave it to us to come up with a redesign that will match your style if you choose to change things up this year. Maybe you just want to incorporate a new color scheme into your surroundings. We will gladly shop for you and know where to find the best trees and accessories that are right for your budget.

Let us decorate your Christmas tree to save you time, money, and stress!

Our Holiday Interior Decorating Services Include:

  • Finding your stash of Christmas goodies, hauling it all out and decorating your one or multiple spaces
  • Shopping for a new updated tree or decor that’s within your budget
  • Full service decorating your full or skinny tree(s)
  • Installation of custom wreaths and swags
  • Adding garlands to stairways, credenzas or other areas
  • Mantle and fireplace hearth decorating
  • Front door and porch décor
  • Full take down of tree(s) and accessories

Holiday Interior Decorating Fees

Finally, you can choose the package that works best for you. We offer hourly rates at $50 per hour (with a 2-hour minimum), ½ day (4 hours) for $175 or full-day (8 hours) for $350. If it takes you all day to decorate, it will probably take us all day as well.

How to Schedule Your Session

Let us give you a fresh new style this year. Don’t delay. Call or text (913) 515-3250 or contact us here to schedule your appointment (deposit required – see below). We look forward to working with you and providing you with stress-free and time-saving holiday interior decorating.

Important Small Print

We charge a non-refundable upfront deposit of $100 to secure your appointment. This can be paid at the time of booking your appointment by using Venmo or Paypal. As a result, it will be deducted from your final charges. This is seasonal decorating. There are only so many spots available, so should you cancel for any reason, your deposit will not be refunded. We apologize for any inconvenience but this helps to eliminate people who might change their minds and leaves space for those who have committed and are ready to hire us to do their holiday interior decorating! Sit back and relax while we do the hard part!

Please note, there are a limited number of spots left! Call, text, or email us here to get on the schedule!

Frozen Pipes in Overland Park

This year, with the cold weather coming in like a lion, it’s time to think about frozen pipes in Overland Park. First of all, do you know where your water shut-off valve is located? Before you do anything else, go to your basement or garage and find your water shut off. Be sure to tag it so everyone in your household knows where it is and how to turn it off in the case of an emergency of burst or frozen pipes.

This week’s home maintenance tip

Before it gets any colder outside, be sure to disconnect your outside water hoses. By leaving your hoses connected, the water in them can freeze, expand and back up into the spigot and actually burst an interior pipe. This happened to so many people last year in Kansas City.

How to prevent frozen pipes in Overland Park

I don’t know about you but last year was a winter I won’t soon forget. My pipes froze and I was without water for almost a week. Once they froze, I opened all of my faucets only to come home one day and I heard the water running. Yay! And without any damage to my pipes and without any sinks filling up and overflowing.

There are several precautions you can do to help keep your pipes warm and prevent frozen pipes in Overland Park during the frigid winter temperatures.

Open your cabinet doors

The first thing you always hear about is to open your cabinet doors if you have interior sinks located on exterior walls. If that’s your situation, it’s normal for your plumbing to be vulnerable because the exterior walls are not insulated. The cold air from the outside can and will cause frozen pipes. Open the doors under your sinks to allow the heat from the room to get in there and keep the pipes warm.

Leave the faucets dripping

When the temperatures drop to below freezing, be sure to leave your faucets on those exterior wall sinks at a slow drip. This will keep the water moving through the pipes. It may increase your water bill a little, but that small increase will be much cheaper than burst or frozen pipes.

How to know if you have frozen pipes

If your water pressure is low, you may have a frozen pipe somewhere in the house. A pipe that feels extremely cold to the touch may be frozen. It’s imperative to clear the blockage as soon as possible to prevent a pipe from bursting in some inaccessible area of your home.

If you have no water service, more than likely the mainline from the street may be frozen. Call me at (913) 515-3250 for a referral to an honest plumber to assist you.

Thawing frozen pipes in Overland Park

If you think you can solve the problem of a frozen pipe yourself, go ahead and try. Open a nearby faucet slightly so the pipe can drain as it starts to thaw. You can use a hairdryer or heating pad to thaw a frozen pipe. Do not use in standing water as you could be electrocuted. Do not use a blow torch or pour hot water onto frozen pipes.

Need a plumber?

If you need a referral to a plumber for any regular or emergency service, please call or text me at (913) 515-3250 anytime 24/7.  Heaven forbid you call one of those plumbers that advertise heavily on television. That one mistake alone could cost you thousands of your hard-earned dollars. Please allow me to refer you to someone who is NOT on my own personal DO NOT CALL LIST and will look out for your best interests.

Want to know the real value of your home versus the dreaded Zillow Zestimate? Click here to see what’s selling in your neighborhood!