September is a transition time for almost everybody. Here in Rehoboth Beach, the kids have shifted into school gear, adults have moved out of vacation mode, and businesses are already sprucing up for the (believe it or not) Holiday Season.

In real estate, we are looking with more than casual interest at what’s going on nationally. Especially those measures that tend to affect Rehoboth Beach home sales. The largest professional association in the country is our own National Association of Realtors®.  At the beginning of September, they broke another piece of welcome news. This one looks like the difference between ‘indicators’ of a strengthening home sales market -- and signs that it’s already fact.

The NAR release was about TOM. No, as you have…

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The other day I read an opinion piece that I really couldn’t agree with. The writer expected a pause in the pace of the residential market upturn now that many of the most obvious bargains have been snapped up. He thought that was to be expected, and that a further rebound would be likely to follow. His idea was based on the notion that many otherwise well-qualified prospects – buyers who may have narrowly missed the bottom of the market -- would now be waiting for prices to fall again. They would only reappear once they realize that those super bargains were a once-in-a-lifetime affair.

In my experience, individuals who are even half-serious about buying homes in Rehoboth Beach are usually not motivated by squeezing every cent from the bottom line.…

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Nationally, the supply of the bank-owned properties for sale has been trending down -- potentially good news for anyone and everyone with an interest in Rehoboth Beach real estate. Competition from the glut of foreclosed properties has had the effect of driving down home sale prices, so any drop in the number of Rehoboth Beach short sales and REO (bank-owned) properties will remove that downward pressure.

If the trend continues, it should also affect even the bank owned properties themselves. A drop in supply will increase competition for the bargains they represent. But this is why alert bargain hunters should keep their pencils sharpened. As retail merchants understand, just slapping a ‘SALE!’ sign on an item may help it sell -- even if it isn’t…

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The For Sale by Owner (FSBO) method of selling a home has remained at pretty much the same level of popularity. According the NAR’s most recent survey, just 10% of sales came directly from a previous owner. Since that very includes a bunch of transactions between family members, it looks as if the population of Lewes For Sale by Owner signs continues to be in something of a slump (down from the cyclical peak of 18% back in 1997).

Still, if you are a Lewes homeowner who wants to buck the trend and head down the FSBO route, you will need to do more than just stick a For Sale by Owner sign in the lawn. Of key importance is the newspaper and Internet advertising you will need to create. Here are some ‘how to’ elements that can help in that effort:

1.…

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Success in Rehoboth Beach home sales depends on many factors -- and when your own home is the one that is being offered, you want to do the most you can with any factor you control Your home’s interior condition and design are likely to be the key considerations after a buyer has decided to make an offer. However, it’s the exterior – the view that initially catches potential buyers’ eyes – that can have a disproportionate impact on whether they get to that stage.  Much of how they perceive the entire property will be influenced by that first impression. It’s the home sales industry’s well known ‘curb appeal.’

Any home’s appeal will, of course, benefit from fresh, clean looking surfaces overall. Scrubbing and painting may the first order of the day, but…

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