Spring time is a great season to clear out some unused items from your home.  Andover Zero Waste Day is the perfect opportunity to donate household items to worthy charities.  Donate items that are clean and in working condition Saturday morning from 9 til noon in the Brickstone Square parking lot.

New feature!  Wondering what the housing trends are in our local market?  Introducing my new Housing Trends newsletter.

PAULETTE’S ANDOVER HOUSING TRENDS NEWSLETTER

Quietly tucked away is this delightful ranch overlooking the Merrimack River. You’ll love the extra large living room and kitchen! With a newer roof, furnace (2009) and water heater, (2009), central vac, alarm system, comfortable bedrooms and fenced yard this home is sure to please. It’s the perfect setting for family fun both indoors and out.  Take a virtual tour of this unique offering.   Find other homes for sale in the Andover area.

You’ll love the space and floor plan of this expanded ranch. The large family room, private landscaped yard, inground pool, and a floor plan that moves smoothly from room to room make this home a must see. Intown location, newer roof, newer heating system and move-in condition.

Located at 5 Tanglewood Way in Andover and offered at $489,000

Search all Andover Homes for Sale

Price, financial qualifications and time frame are the key considerations when negotiating  a contract to purchase real estate. There are, however,  other considerations which have helped me negotiate great deals for my clients–sometimes, even when my client’s price offer was less than that of a competing buyer’s offer!  And, yes, these are lessons I learned long ago in kindergarten!

1. Show up to appointments on time, stay as long as you need to fully tour the home, but don’t linger for long conversations which are better suited for your real estate agent’s conference room.  Schedule a second showing if you are truly interested in the home and would like more time to inspect the property.

2. Be  respectful of  the seller’s home. Wipe your feet or remove your shoes in extremely bad weather, shut off lights and secure the doors when leaving, don’t allow children to handle personal belongings or play with children’s toys.

3. Prepare your offer based on comparable sales.  An offer that is far below market value will not only set an uncomfortable tone with the seller, but  may also result in your offer being rejected outright.  A reasonable offer, even if it is below the seller’s expectations, will set the stage for successful negotiations.

4. Consider the condition of the home when you prepare your offer.  You will have a thorough home inspection and, yes, it’s reasonable to ask for concessions for unforeseen repairs, however, don’t use the home inspection to renegotiate the price the for repair issues which were obvious when you first toured the home.

5. Respect deadlines, respond to questions quickly and make decisions as quickly as is prudently possible.

Time and time again, this simple and sound common sense approach has helped me negotiate great deals for my home buyer clients.

Some interesting facts we don’t often read or hear about in the daily news… and some reasons to feel good about our homes!

Current national trends in housing

70 % of Americans continue to view owning a home as part of the American dream¹

62% of consumers feel tht buying a home in the current market is a good investment over the next 10 years²

75%  of homeowners state that their home defines their identity⁵

64% of all buyers are married couples, 18% are single women, 10% are single men and 7 % are unmarried couples³

Buyers searched for an median of 12 weeks and visited 12 homes before they found the one they purchased³

35% of the homes were on the market less than 2 months before they sold⁴

39% of sellers did not reduce the asking price, 26% of sellers reduced it once and 35% reduced the price two or more times³

Homes are selling and the spring market in the Andover area is in high gear! Curious about the state of the market in the Andover area, see what’s selling in your neighborhood!

Sources:

1 Wall Street Journal, October 4, 2011

2 Bank of America: Mortgage Index Study, December 8,2011

3 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 2011

4  National Association of Realtors

5 Move, Inc

Communication is essential to the success of almost every human endeavor. This is especially true when buying or selling a home. Moving is complicated. Consider this partial checklist of many details which must be completed:

• showing appointments
• appraisals
• mortgage applications
• inspections
• repairs
• title work
• insurance
• certificates of compliance
• utility transfers
• taxes
• earnest money accounting

With so many timelines to be met, so much documentation to be completed and so many parties involved, it’s critical that your real estate agent keeps you informed and on task every step of the way.  Make sure your real estate agent is accessible and communicates with you regularly…sometimes daily… throughout your real estate process.

Just listed!  42 Lacy St. offered at $459,900, picture perfect home for sale in North Andover.   Discover paradise  in your own backyard!  Set on a stunning acre lot on a small pond is this beautifully maintained home. Cherry cabinets, hardwood floors, 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths and a picture perfect sunroom offer both style and substance to this very special home. Offered at $459,900 this home is sure to please.  See more details and photos or contact me for a private showing.  See all homes for sale in the Andover area.

Let’s take a look at the sales data for single family home sales in Andover and North Andover.

Want to know what’s happening in YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?

If you’ve ever thought about investing in real estate take a look at this short video. I’m excited about my enhanced training in real estate investment opportunities and am now a certified investor agent specialist. Contact me at RE/MAX Partners in Andover to learn how you can build wealth by investing in real estate.