One NashvilleAndBeyond.com reader recently asked about putting their home on the market and how a neighbor’s lack of home maintenance and lawn care could hurt their value and salability.   In this video, Brian tackles the issue with some unicorns and love, first, but then gives the mean solution, too.

My Neighbor’s Yard Is Horrid! from Brian Copeland on Vimeo.

We hear it all the time, potential home sellers concerned about putting their house on the market at the right time.  ”When is the best month to sell our home?”  Is it May, when schools are out, or March, when spring awakens and people are itching for change?

According to 2009 homes sales in East Nashville, the best month to sell your home is September.  Sales prices and units raise throughout the first half of the year and then plateau at a high point over the summer, but September shows the highest number of units sold and still the highest average sales price, making it the best month to sell your home.  Lots of closings are happening, and you haven’t had to drop your price to get the attention your home deserves.

If you’re thinking of selling your house, right now would be an ideal time to list.

Rob asks a question about getting ready to sell his home.  He has some structural separation and wonders what he should expect in the sale, inspection and closing.

Will My House Sell With Structural Issues? from Brian Copeland on Vimeo.

Have a question you’d like to have answered? Email me today or send a video link over.

Update 5/4/2010 6:15 p.m. Here’s the number for FEMA Nashville Flood Claims.
800-621-FEMA

Register for claims beginning Wednesday, May 5, 2010 here.

I‘m already starting to get a few calls and questions about water damage and homeownership in the Nashville area after the floods that are currently rising in Nashville.  Here are the things you should remember after the waters recede.

While Nashville has not been declared a Federal Disaster area at this blog time, here is a link to what FEMA set up to Disaster Help and Resources.

1.  Insurance.  Unless you are in a flood zone, you likely won’t have flood insurance.  You will need to check with your insurance company to see what is covered.  FEMA’s site also has information on making flood claims.

2.  Water removal.  There are several companies who handle water removal in the area.  Several of the agents in my office have used Property Restoration Specialists and report good things.  Another company is Flood Control.  **Edit addition:  Chad Whitworth w/LDR Construction specializes in water extraction, drying, mold & mildew remediation; 615.336.2440.

3.  Mold issues.  Of course, mold isn’t necessarily an issue in the heart of this tragedy, but in the coming weeks, we may see more mold issues.  Grove Mold Remediation seems to do good work and are very responsive.

4.  My house is on the market.  If you have had water issues, you will need to ask your agent for a new “Tennessee Residential Property Condition Disclosure” and update the water information.  Will this hurt the sale of your home?  Who knows?  Rains like these are so rare that we’re going to have to wait it out and see what happens.

5.  I’m buying a house in Nashville.  If you’re buying in certain areas, especially west Nashville, Antioch, Green Hills, West Meade, Brookside, Goodlettsville and several other places, you’ll want to do your homework.  Remember the news always shows the hardest hits parts.  Many areas of Nashville are not experiencing heavy damage, but you will want your agent to ask the right questions.

While it does us no good at this point, all we can do is be ready for something like this if it ever happens again.  Here’s a guide.

Please comment below if you have more resources for home rescue.  Please give a web address and/or phone number, too.

(Photo credit: Randy Oxley)

As a buyer’s agent, I show hundreds on houses every quarter.  Consistently, I see the same mistakes made by home sellers in the over-customization of their home decor.  Here are the top seven things that always show up and cause distractions in homes.  Are you guilty?

1.  Olan Mills Family Photos. In 1989, you received that phone call for a free sitting fee for a family portrait.  Weeks later, you went in to see the photos and fell in love with so many.  Two hours and $189 later, you have that huge 11×18 bronze frame family portrait over the dining room buffet that hasn’t moved since you proudly hung it.  Gotta go!

2.  Your Wedding Remnants. That gold framed wedding photo over the master bed, your shadow boxed dried bouquet, the pillow you had made from your engagement photo that now sits on the living room couch and the multitude of 5×7’s of reception photos on every bedrooms’ dressers. Gotta go!

3. The Hall of Schoolhouse Fame. In 1986, Tommy and Susie had their photos made with their arms crossed on Tennessee Homecoming 1986 quilt and wheel. In 1987, the school photographer brought in the pink and blue laser background. In 1988, Susie teased her hair extra high with Aqua Net and wore her acid washed jeans for a high glamour shot with a white background. Now, as you look down your home’s main hallway, you find the memories from kindergarten to cap and gown. Gotta go!

4. The Display Cabinets. You won that Princess Di Beanie Baby in that eBay war. You were able to collect every plate in the Wizard of Oz series. All the ladies at your church gasped over your impressive “Precious Moments” collection. Everything is perfectly displayed in oak, up-lit cabinets. Gotta go!

5. The Trophy Heads. Congratulations on killing Bambie’s father on your third hunting trip. Way to go on the big bass that you snagged on the guy’s weekend out on Dale Hollow Lake. Especially, props on finding the perfect spot either in the family room by the fireplace or even better yet in the stairwell as you walk down on the opposite wall. There’s nothing better than a potential buyer looking an animal in the eye as they try to view your home. Gotta go!

6. The “You Always Have A Home” Room. Tommy, his wife and two kids now live in Louisville, but you still think that he might need his room back one day. You’ve left all the baseball trophies, the field day green participation ribbons and even his Kathy Ireland poster behind the door. Gotta go!

7. The Gifts. Your secret pal at work slowly bought you all the “Home Interior” wall clutter you were collecting. Your Aunt Louise hand-sewed that quilt hanging in your bedroom when country blue and mauve were the hottest colors. Susie took that photography class when she was going through her questioning lesbian stage, took all those “artsy” photos from her Asheville trip and even made the frame for you. Gotta go!

(Hat-tip to two of my favorite gals from Clinton High School, Jackie and Jennifer for letting me snag your fabu acid wash photo.)

I‘ve had two showing experiences in the past two weeks that were just strange.  Both homes, gorgeous.  Both homes, virtually perfect exteriors, conditions and prices.  Both homes sit in amazing spots.  Neither home will sell.  Both homes are listed with amazing agents.  Both owners obviously won’t listen to their amazing agents.  Both owners are more impressed with their museum than trying to sell their home.

What do I mean by museum?  One of the biggest thing I consult with my sellers on is depersonalizing the home.  Home #1 truly was a museum.  The collection of American artifacts and memorabilia was striking.  So striking, that every wall, floor and bookshelf was covered with the seller’s life trophies.

Home #2 was a nostalgia museum.  From the Marilyn Monroe collection in the dining room to the wall (yes, complete wall) of music CDs in the master bedroom, weaving through this museum not only took our search off schedule, but ended up in a big disappointment for my buyers.

Having a home like this can be great for your personal life and enjoyment; however, keep these thing in mind if you have museumitis in your home and you’re thinking about selling it.

1.  Buyers enter a home to see the home.  The more things you have in the home is a distraction to the sales process.  Think of it like ice cream.  Almost everyone likes vanilla.  The chances of you pleasing everyone with your mint jamoca almond fudge are slim to none.  A buyer 100% of the time will be more interested and distracted by all the crap.

2.  Buyers want to visualize their life in your home, not your life.  Face it.  You’ve decided to sell the home.  You need to let it go.  While certain suggestions might not be your bag-of-tea, you really need to find your big boy pants, thick skin and get ready to get your home ready.  The nude photo shoot that you and your husband did that now hangs in your foyer (yes, ask my buyers Angela and Adam about this one)…gotta go.

3.  You have to remove it all and patch the walls anyway.  After you sell the home, you’re going to have to pack everything up and take care of any wall damage; so, you might as well handle the stress, time and sweat of it all right now.  Don’t put it all it the garage or extra closet either. Budget for a storage unit until you sell and move.  A cluttered garage or storage space sends the message, “We’ve not go any space and neither will YOU when you buy this house.”

4.  Remove polarizing items.  While you may love your favorite political figure or be so grounded in your faith that you want the world to know it, a home marketing period is not the time for you to push your beliefs, thoughts, faith and philosophies on the strangers who will be entering your home.  Faith and politics are two of the biggest topics that separate society today.  Just as your passion shines, the buyer’s passion may shine the same in the opposite direction.  These items will automatically stigmatize the property to the buyer with the $$$.

If you have a home listed in 37206, here are the showing trends for the neighborhood in the East Nashville zip code from March 13-April 13, 2010.

Average showings for the 30 day period per home:  7.9

Showings per price point for the 30 day period

$140K-$160K=8

$160K-$180K=9.7

$180K-$200K=9.3

$200K-$220K=10.3

$220K-$240K=9.4

$240K-$260K=7.7

$260K-$280K=2.6

$280K-$300K=6.4

$300K-$320K=3.5

$320K-$340K=3.6

$340K-$360K=4.5

$360K-$380K=7.5

$380K-$400K=5.4

Have a price point or area of town you’re curious about?  Comment here and I’ll get it posted for you within 48 hours.

The Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives program, under the U.S. Treasury Department, launched on April 5, 2010.  What does HAFA mean for today’s home owners?  This was signed in conjunction with the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) under the Obama Administration to hopefully revitalize the housing market.

It’s no secret if you’ve been in the housing market any time after 2007, the short sale process as a buyer or seller can be a bear of an experience.  I’ve seen stressed out faces on both sides of the deal, including my own.  For those of you reading this, who don’t understand what a short sale is, you can learn more here.

Simply stated, HAFA helps owners sell their home (hopefully) more quickly by giving them pre-approved short sales before they hit the market.  In a perfect world, this would already be happening, but with the tsunami of short sales in the recent years banks didn’t have infrastructures set up for this.

As weird as this is for my own blog, the short sale LISTING process takes a special talent.  I shine on the short sale BUYER process; so, if you’re a seller looking for navigation through the short sale process, let me give you the names of the agents I have worked with who do a good job with homeowners in short sales (at the bottom of this blog).

If you’re a buyer, this is where I shine as an agent for a buyer.  I know how to navigate the process in a win-win working relationship with the seller’s agent.  You will be most served as a BUYER with the HAFA program because that mysterious time of not knowing whether the short sale is approved yet or not may be over.  Keep in mind, not every bank is taking part in the HAFA program.  This will be an important part of your agent’s job to navigate in the right direction for successful closing.

Here are some links that might help:

HAFA Short Sale Rules, Guidelines and Qualifications

Financial Stability

Making Home Affordable

Nashville REALTORS Who Are Good Sellers Agents for Short Sales

The Value Players.  Few Davidson County/Nashville zip codes show the price diversity that 37208 possesses.  Relocating buyers or those unfamiliar with the area often find the area perplexing.  How could one segment’s values be more than five times the value of a virtually neighboring spot.

While the unit sales for single family homes were at a low in 2009 in 37208, Germantown, Salemtown and Hope Gardens emerge again as the price point leaders.

Click for larger version.

Germantown.  Few parts of Nashville are as well known as Germantown.  As Nashville’s first ever suburb, the tiny zone’s breath-taking downtown views, easy access to every part of town and one of the closest neighborhoods to downtown where you can own a house make it a consistently popular area.  Popular restaurants like Germantown Cafe and Monell’s coupled with area-attracting events like OktoberFest, keep Germantown’s namesake in the top of mind.

2009 brought a pitiful two sales to its city blocks.  1224 5th Avenue North was built in 1998 and sold for $237,500 for 1626 sqft.  1317 4th Avenue North  was built in 2004 and closed for $350,000 for 1965 sqft.  Twenty-four homes tried the market, but didn’t see the closing table.

Salemtown.  While this area stays in naming conflict with Germantown, its sales surprisingly outpaced its bordering city.  Many Germantown residents are quick to correct those who call the area north of Hume “Germantown.”  It has indeed emerged as its own desireable spot.  Thirteen homes closed with an average price per square foot of $112.82.  608A Hume saw the highest value in all of 37208 at $390,000.  The area still struggles with the new vs. the old mentality which Germantown endured in the early 2000s.  5th and 6th Avenue North remain the most popular and valued streets.

Hope Gardens.  The breakthrough neighborhood of the 2000s, Hope Gardens emerged from disrepair and block after block of delapidation to see some of the trendiest, most beautiful homes in the downtown radius.  Spurred by the Hope VI program, a land grant program begun in the Clinton Administration, Hope Gardens is truly a story of success and vitality.

In 2003, skeptics would have ripped anyone who forecasted a home could sale for $290,000 ever in this neighborhood, but that’s exactly what 1017 Warren Street did in 2009 for 2149 sqft.  Locklayer Street continues to be the value spot.  The completion of Park Place in 2008 introduced an entirely new population to the 5×5 block area and will be interesting to watch as those continue to evolve.

All The Rest. Historic Buena Vista continues to develop as a hot spot in 37208.  With new streetscaping and signage, it’s a picture perfect zone.  1025 Monroe Street closed for $295,000.  Harding Plan saw one of the most exciting homes close extremely quickly.  1223 Phillips Street’s full green built design (down to the water catching gutters) flew “off the shelf” in a few days at $126,500, setting a price record for the neighborhood.

Buena Vista Park (not to be confused with Historic Buena Vista) brought the most unit sells, however the price swing is hard to analyze.  The low sell was on 16th Avenue North for $11,500 with the highest sell on 1728 Kellow Street for $117,000.  The average sale price in BVP was $47,154.

It seems that every seller obsesses over square footage and bases every form of truth and goodness on what the tax record, an appraisal or a previous MLS listing shows their house to be.  Using square footage as a primary pricing strategy could land you in a no-sale zone or build an unrealistic expectation for everyone involved in your sale.

If you’re bringing a few agent through your door for a listing presentation and the first talk is immediately about price per square foot, huge flags should start waving above your head.  Square footage is a secondary or beyond strategy for forecasting the likely success and closing price.

Today, an agent came in my office concerned about how to price a home that was a lot of square footage in a certain part of town.  When I explained the principle of price points to the agent, I saw a light bulb go off in his eyes.  You need to be more concerned about how price points spread in your neighborhood.

With the price point spread, knowing the housing stock, the finishes, the amenities the specifics of street economics.  For example, you’re likely to see more money in the price point for a home on Boscobel as opposed to Shelby or Long in Lockeland Springs (just two blocks parallel), more on Lauderdale over Cherokee, one block over (Cherokee Park), more south of Douglas on Meridian as opposed to north of Douglas (Cleveland Park), more on Westwood than on Woodlawn in Hillsboro Village.  You get the picture.