Diana Melerud

LICENSED OWNER BROKER (26 years experience). Specialties: Buyer's agent, Listing agent, Foreclosure, Appraisal, Property Management. We are a team of real estate professionals who developed a vision for a superior real estate firm based in the New York area. Combining our unique skill sets, we are able to provide the most comprehensive full-service property and real estate services. Our revolutionary approach is founded on principles of "disciplined stewardship" that maximize efficiency and allows us to provide unparalleled service for all your client's needs. We can act as your relocation agent, listing agent or buyer's agent. Call us for all your real estate, buying, listing and property managing needs today. Our credo: Excellence in Real Estate and Superior Service. If you are looking for Superior Realty Service broker, please call me, Diana Melerud at (917)992-7239. Here are some suggestions from over 20 years experience: Some homeowners think that selling their own home will save money and give them an advantage over the Realtor-using majority. Before you start down this complicated path, here are a few reasons why using a real estate professional is important: 1) You will be drastically limiting your exposure to potential buyers, which means it can take between 10 and 15 times longer to sell your home. Houses that take a long time to sell usually sell for less, because buyers believe there must be something wrong with them. 2) Most buyers find negotiating with sellers extremely awkward, and therefore avoid "For Sale By Owner" situations. 3) Most buyers use a Realtor in their home search, and most buyer's agents will typically not work with "for sale by owner", because they might not get paid. This means you will have to offer a selling commission to attract buyer's agents, which will cut into your expected "savings." 4) Lack of negotiating experience can result in a lower selling price, or worse, a bungled contract and possible lawsuits. It is probably unwise to pit your negotiating skills against those of experienced professionals. 5) If you plan to use a lawyer to help you negotiate, your lawyer's fees could be considerably higher than a Realtor's commission. Unlike Realtors, lawyers do not get paid for proactively representing your best interests in person or mediating delicate situations. 6) You only pay a commission to your Realtor if they successfully sell your home at a price you are happy with. Price your home realistically. Sales statistics show that properties that are initially priced too high eventually sell for less than properties that were correctly priced in the first place. Also, over-priced houses can take months or even years to sell, while properly priced houses usually sell in a matter of weeks or even days. When you select me or one of my salespeople as your agent, I will make sure that we present a CMA (or Comparative Market Analysis) that shows you what your house is worth. The average or median price will likely be very close to your home's true market value. While you don't have to keep your house 100% clean all the time, you should make any necessary repairs and perform all major cleanup work before you start showing your home. There are hundreds of small things you can do to make your house more attractive for a showing, ranging from drawing all the blinds and tightening loose doorknobs to displaying fresh-cut flowers and baking a loaf of bread. Most importantly, it's not recommended for you to be present during showings so that prospective buyers can explore your home freely. Ask your Realtor Diana Melerud or one of her sales agents to provide a checklist of things you can do to make your home more attractive to buyers.