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Featured Listing

For Sale: $145,000

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2011 Year in Review

  What were the numbers for 2011?

 The good news is that our business at Glenda Williamson Realty is up!  The bad news is our market was down.

  • There were 48 less sales in 2011 (only 1128) than 2010 (1176 sales) - down 4.1%
  • The number of houses on the market was down for 2011 (652) compared to 2010 (662) - down 3.1%
  • The sales for 2011 was one less than in 2010. 
  • The sales volume was up over $3.6 million, due to the rise in the average sales price. 

The lower priced home are often more difficult to sell as they have predication's (repairs that have to be made by the seller in order to meet inspections of buyers buyers and appraisers).  The people in that price range often have more credit issues and have a more difficult time obtaining a loan.

At Glenda Williamson Realty, we are 2.91% of the agents and sold 14.07% of the volume.  The average MLS agent in our market sold 6.6 homes.  The average number for our office was 21.6%.  We are not a large office in terms of number of agents, however we have productive, knowledgeable agents!  We also work VERY, VERY hard to provide the quality of service all of our clients deserve.

 

What to do if you are thinking of selling your house

A special THANK YOU to all who honored us by letting us be your Realtor or referred us to your friends and family!!!

We are REALLY excited about 2012!  We already will have quadrupled our business by the end of January, compared to January of last year.

Now is the time to start working on your house if you are thinking of selling this year.  Start by de-cluttering and de-personalizing!! 

  • Go through cabines, closets, clear off counters, tables etc..  You'll be amazed at how much more spacious it already looks. 
  • Get rid of any plants that are not doing fabulous.  Dead or droopy plants are dead energy!!! 
  • If the colors are outdated, update them.  Watch HGTV --- see what's in. 
  • Replace flooring that looks tired , dirty or worn if it's not going to clean up. 
  • Paint walls and ceilings if they need it. 
  • Check the wood-work.  If it's painted, it may need freshened.  If it's stained, go over with Old English.  After you've painted the walls, don't put much back, if anything. 
  • If you have any wallpaper at all, TAKE IT OFF!!!  I listed 2 houses this past year that had been listed by another agent that had wall paper.  They chose to remove when I listed, but only did so after a couple of months.  The next people to look at both of them bought the houses-yay.  It's a hassle - but worth a sale and the sooner it sells, the more money in your pocket!! 
  • Go through your closets, take items that you haven't worn or are out-dated to a resale shop.  At one point, Curt was making 2 trips a week to the LSA resale shop. 
  • If there is a basement and it's finished, all of the above suggestions apply.  If not finished, paint walls, floor and ceiling if at all possible.

Before it goes on the market, make sure the following are new or "like new":

  • landscaping
  • front exterior lights
  • house numbers
  • door handle, lock, etc..

You never get a second chance for a first impression!  The buyer sits in front in the car and stands on the front porch critiquing the house.  It's your only opportunity for the first impression!

Yes, I did all of this to my house.  We had a contract in 1 week.  You can either do all this work up front or after you put in on the market - reducing the price as you go.  It is a tough market, but if you want to sell as soon as possible for the most money in today's market, our team would love to help you!  If you want me to stop by and give you suggestions, it would be my pleasure, just let me know when.

We had a team advance (retreat is going backwards) at my house in December.  Goals set for 2012 and a great deal of discussion of new ideas and ways to help us be better at what we love doing!  We all left excited and energized!

Let us know who we can assist!  When you hear of someone needing our services, tell them to call us, then pick up the phone and give us their name and number.

It is an absolute pleasure to be of service!  Can you tell I have a true passion about this business?  God has blessed me abundantly each and every day and I love sharing!!

 

Veterans Assistance

The State of Illinois is offering grant money available for first time buyers!

Contact Information

Photo of The Glenda Williamson Team Real Estate
The Glenda Williamson Team
Glenda Williamson Realty
1110 W. Arbor Dr., Suite D
Decatur, IL 62526
Phone: 217-875-8081
Fax: 217-875-8110