Updated: 3/6/11

Home Values in Raintree

Home Values in Raintree One Story Homes Two Story Homes

In the real estate business, REALTORS^® offer opinions of property values based on a Comparitive Market Analysis (CMA). A CMA is not an appraisal, though a good agent will most often get the value right.

In a CMA, the properties should be similar in every respect possible, and must be located within a confinded geographic area, usually a single development. The market analyses in this section take into account only the square footage and price. Many properties will differ in many respects, including upgrades, improvements, materials used in construction, condition and level of maintenance. All these factors and more contribute to or detract from a property's value.

Sellers should not expect to receive dollar-for-dollar for upgrades when they place their home on the market. Nor does the builder's markup transfer. On the average, sellers can expect upgrades and improvements to add about 60% to 70% of their cost.

The condition of the home is a significant factor. If it needs painting (inside and/or out), a new roof or carpet, these should be addressed prior to putting the house on the market. The condition includes the lawn and landscape. If the lawn is barren or weed choked, it will not so much bring down the value as it may turn away prospective buyers. A nicely landscaped lot generally adds more value that the cost of the landscaping if you do it yourself.

WARNING! Property Values In Raintree Are Falling Sharply!

Very few owners in Raintree have responded to my solicitations and interviewed me to see how my marketing plan works. Those who have interviewed me have seen the superiority of my plan, and sold their homes for the highest value per square foot.

My plan works, and the difference is not small. My plan has grossed over $15,000 more for my sellers than any other agent.

The Difference a Marketing Plan Makes

When two properties are all but indistinguishable from one another, the factor that can make the greatest difference is the marketing plan. Not every agent fully understands the marketing principles that will effectively sell property in the shortest time-frame and for the highest dollar. The marketing plans of most agents typically rely on pricing a home right, putting up a for sale sign, listing it in the MLS^® (and hyping the thousands of Web sites that will find it in the MLS^® as part of a plan), advertising it in the local papers and to other agents by direct email. This is no plan at all, because:

1. Pricing a home right—While pricing a home right is a critical factor, it misses the fact that buyers are as influenced by other cost factors as by price, which is only one aspect of cost. It also limits the seller to a single bargaining point, and inevitably leads to the agent urging the seller to reduce their price if there is low interest in the house or it does not go under contract within 60-90 days.
   
   In example: As of this update, there are 31 homes for sale in Raintree/Antonio Highlands. Twelve of these homes have been on the market for over 180 days—two of them for over a year and another for 329 days—and 27 of them have had their price reduced. Seven of them are listed below the average value for the neighborhood.
   
   Compare this with the listing I sold at 13806 Mountainside Ridge. It went under contract in 8 days, and sold at the highest price per square foot of any comparable property.
   
   
2. Putting up a for sale sign—The principal value of for sale signs is the calls they generate for the brokerage. People who call on signs typically have no idea what the property values are in a neighborhood, and most of them do not even know whether they can qualify to buy a home, let alone what their qualifying limit is. Fewer than 1% of these callers will want to make an appointment to see the home.
   
   
3. Listing it in the MLS—This is critical, but it is something available to any REALTOR^® member of the MLS^®. Some agents try to dazzle sellers with all the thousands of Web sites in which their listings appear. The fact is that all those Web sites actively parse REALTOR.com, and automatically pick up every new listing.
   
   
4. Advertising it in the local papers and to other agents by direct email—These each have very limited value to a marketing plan.
   
   
   1. Advertising it in the local papers, like putting up a sign, has more value to the broker than the seller. Callers on ads do however know some basics about the property, and about 1:3 will schedule a showing. Typically, 1:5 of these will want to make an offer, but only 1:10 of them will know what their qualifying limit is. Most find that they cannot qualify for a loan for the property's price range.
      
      
   2. Advertising to other agents by direct email has no value to a seller as part of a marketing plan. Its value is entirely to the agent who subscribes to an email marketing service. The service does not send the "eFliers" to buyers, just to agents, something that the agents who hype it do not tell sellers. It is an expense that some agents take on in order to have one more bit of razzle-dazzle to help them convince sellers that they have a comprehensive marketing plan. The fact is that the majority of agents who receive these emails delete them without looking at them. Agents have MLS^® searches available to them to find suitable homes for their buyers.

If you are ready to sell, you owe it to yourself to compare marketing plans, and I welcome the comparison. My plan will 1) Set your home apart from the others in Raintree; 2) Neutralize the buyer's bargaining advantage in today's market, and; 3) Help maximize the equity my sellers want from their homes. If you just want to know the value of your home, I will be happy to give you my opinion of value.

Call me if getting all the equity you can from the sale of your home is important to you. Call me at 638-1885, or send an email to .