Baton Rouge Real Estate Podcast with Darren James

 Staging your home is essential for selling quickly and for a great price. Here are our top five staging tips. Click here to perform a full home searchClick here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation You may also call me at (225) 335-7666 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.Many people who place their homes on the market fail to stage the home properly to have it represented in its best light during showings. Here are five easy and quick ideas for staging your home fast and inexpensively:1. Declutter your home. Most buyers want to envision themselves living in the home with their belongings in there. Remove any items from the countertops, any open boxes, and any large collections. Remove those items and maximize your space to its fullest.2. Add throw pillows to the couches. Throw pillows serve both an aesthetic and functional purpose. Adding them to sofas, armchairs, and beds is a great idea. They can do wonders for giving your home a staged presence.3. New bedding. Changing the bedspread and pillows in your bedrooms gives a feeling of freshness and coziness when buyers view your home. It’s very inexpensive, but very effective in the eyes of a buyer.“Changing the bedspread and pillows gives a feeling of freshness to homebuyers ”4. Plant some colorful flowers. Landscaping inside and out is an easy addition to any home. Potted plants can add color to an area and are aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, with a vast array and contrast of colors.5. Add accent lighting. Focus light on a particular area or object to highlight art or other decor. The brighter the light from the accent lamp, the more interest a room garners from potential buyers. It can also enhance the appearance of the space itself.I hope these tips are helpful to you. If you have any other questions or want to know how else you should be preparing your home for the market, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

While I’m out here at one of our Baton Rouge listings, I want to discuss why the process of home inspections is so important.Click here to perform a full home searchClick here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation You may also call me at (225) 335-7666 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.In today’s episode of “Makin’ It Happen, With Darren James,” I’m coming to you from one of our listings here in Baton Rouge to meet with a plumber—he will address some of the items that one should expect to come up on an inspection report when it comes time to sell a home.One of the first steps that comes after a house goes under contract is the buyer’s home inspection. My team is actually representing the seller in this transaction, but since the buyer decided to move forward with an inspection, we’ll address the topic today.What does an inspection actually entail for today’s buyer?During the inspection process, the inspector checks on what we in real estate call the “Three S’s”:1. Structural issues—They look for problems with the foundation, cracked concrete, etc.2. Systems—Here, they look for problems with your HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems.3. Safety—Inspectors will watch for any potential or imminent issues relating to fire hazards, carbon monoxide, gas leaks, electrical problems, pests, wood rot, and water damage. “Inspections are an important aspect of the home buying process.”Inspections are an important aspect of the home buying and selling process. Though it’s a completely optional process on the buyer’s part, it is highly recommended, so most sellers should expect one.If you have any questions about inspections or are looking to sell a home, please feel free to reach out to me. I’d be glad to help you.

  Click here to perform a full home searchClick here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation You may also call me at (225) 335-7666 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. A recurring debate in our market revolves around the question of whether it is better to own a home or to continue renting. Though renting has its own perks, overall, it’s far better to own a home in this market. Today I’ll share with you three reasons why that is.

What should you do when multiple buyers show interest in your home, but none of them actually make an offer? Today I’d like to tell you about a strategy my team and I have used many times over. Click here to perform a full home searchClick here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation You may also call me at (225) 335-7666 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.Imagine this: Your home is on the market and several people are coming by to view it, with some buyers dropping by multiple times. If so many people are interested, why is no one submitting an offer? It’s difficult to pinpoint a reason, but if buyers aren’t making a move, there is something you can do to get things started: make a reverse offer. This is essentially when you, the seller, make an offer to the buyer instead of waiting for them to submit one on their own. Doing this will set negotiations into motion. Our team has helped many clients achieve success using this method. To hear my full message about this, watch this short video.

What is the key to pricing your home correctly in today’s market? Let’s go over some key points all sellers need to know. Click here to perform a full home searchClick here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation You may also call me at (225) 335-7666 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.Do you know the true importance of proper pricing in today’s market? Today I would like to highlight this critical aspect of the real estate process.I was recently working with a buyer whose listing we had just had pre-appraised. The appraiser came back with a range of values, which left my client wondering how we should price their home. As a general rule, my advice to sellers is to place your home’s price as close to market value as possible. There are some areas of our market where demand allows sellers to price above this point, but this is not always the case. Proper pricing requires you to consider all factors of a given market. Being aware of statistics such as the absorption rate for your ZIP code will be key. “When listing, be as competitive as possible in your approach to the market. ”There is a big difference between being in the market and being on the market. Anyone can place a property on the market for whatever price they want, but that does not mean it will sell. Homes are only worth what buyers are willing to pay, and properties sell based on four factors: location, price, condition, and proper positioning.Overpricing is the No.1 reason a home may fail to sell. So when listing, be as competitive as possible in your approach to the market. If you have any other questions, would like more information, or are interested in putting your home on the market, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, the most important thing you can do in any transaction is to get pre-approved. Click here to perform a full home searchClick here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation You may also call me at (225) 335-7666 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.What’s the No. 1 thing you must do in any real estate transaction, whether you’re a buyer or a seller?Make sure you can buy another home. By this, I mean that you should get pre-approved. If you’re buying a home, your first step should always be to get pre-approved. But what if you’re also selling the current home you live in? Interest rates may have changed since you bought that home and possibly affected your buying power. You don’t want to put that home on the market only to find out that you’re unable to buy another home because you didn’t get pre-approved for financing first. “Always get pre-approved first before moving forward in the real estate process. ”Not getting pre-approved before moving forward with their real estate transaction is a big mistake that, unfortunately, a lot of people make, so make sure you don’t do the same thing. If you have any other questions or real estate needs I can assist you with, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help you.

If you’re a home seller, you need to make sure you work with an agent who prices your home the right way and takes all variables into consideration. Click here to perform a full home searchClick here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation You may also call me at (225) 335-7666 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.One of the most common mistakes I see agents make when pricing a home is running only one general report for that property, which is a CMA (comparative market analysis) for that individual neighborhood. Why is this a mistake?If you have one property in a neighborhood that sold for $100 per square foot and another property in the same neighborhood that sold for $120 per square foot, an agent who just runs a CMA might tell you your house is worth the average between the two—$110 per square foot. That may not be the case, though, and you may be leaving money on the table as a home seller if your agent doesn’t analyze the entire picture of your home’s value. Another example of this occurred just the other day when a former homebuyer client of mine called me and told me they thought they had a lot of equity built in their house based on an AVM (automated valuation model). The problem with AVMs is they can’t factor in any improvements you make to your house. They also can’t factor in your home’s location. There are many different factors that determine the value of a home, so while AVMs are useful, they have their limitations. This is why it’s important that your agent looks at all available variables when determining your home’s value. Most agents will only pull comparable properties within that one neighborhood the home is located in and give you an average from there. That’s a good starting basis, but there are two other factors you should consider, and they’re factors I use in my business that are very effective and lets me sell houses faster. The first is the above-mentioned CMA. This gives me a baseline of what values are going for in a certain neighborhood. Then I put together a TMO (total market overview), which encompasses the entire zip code for that location. Supply and demand regulates everything within every economy, and I want to make sure when I run a total market overview that I see what the competition is and how it compares to a property I’m putting on the market so it maximizes the value for its seller. “There’s a big difference between being in the market and just being put on the market. ”Whenever I put a property on the market, I want to make sure the seller maximizes their return, sells the property in record time, and does so with as little inconvenience as possible. Our goal is to maximize the value for our sellers, and your agent can’t do that relying on averages—they have to take everything into consideration. After I run a CMA and a TMO, I run an absorption rate report, which is the supply of homes on the market and how long it takes to sell off the remaining inventory, provided that no additional homes come on that market within that property’s price range. Absorption rate reports are very beneficial for developers because they pinpoint the price range that’s selling the fastest and how long it would take to sell off the remaining inventory in the neighborhood. If you’re a developer, you don’t want to sit on that information—you’re paying interest on a property every day that it goes unsold, so you want to sell it as fast as you can and for as much as you can. We can run this report for you and give you a great idea of the best price range to price a property and in which location. If you’re relocating to a new city because of a job change and need to sell your original home within a certain time frame, we can use all of this information to tell when you can expect to sell your home. There’s a big difference between being in the market and just being put on the market. These pricing strategies make sure you’re in the market, you’re being competitive, and all of your goals are met so you can transition to your new location with as little inconvenience as possible. If you have any other questions about the right way your agent should price your home or you have any other real estate needs, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help you.

How long is too long to be on the market? It all depends on the number of showings and offers you’re generating. Click here to perform a full home searchClick here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation You may also call me at (225) 335-7666 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.One of the ways we determine whether or not a home on the market is priced correctly is by determining whether the home is “in the market” or just “on the market.” Any home can be put “on the market,” but it’s much harder to get a home “in the market” and generating offers.If you have a home that’s been on the market for more than 30 days with no showings, the market is communicating that something is wrong. Either the price is too high or the condition isn’t up to standard. You should have a minimum of four to six showings in that first 30 days on the market. “ You should have at least four to six showings in your first 30 days. ”If you’re getting showings but haven’t received any offers, you’re probably pretty close. If we do a slight price adjustment (3% to 5%), we should generate enough interest and activity to get an offer. The only way to truly know if you’re “in the market” is based on showings and offers. If you have any questions for us about what we do to make sure that the homes we list get lots of both, give us a call or send us an email today. We would love to hear from you.

There are many great Denham Springs area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (225) 335-7666 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.Are you looking for a sweet treat this Mardis Gras season in Springfield? Check out Navarre’s Pastries & Famous King Cakes. We’re inviting you inside to show you what this local business has to offer! In addition to cakes, Navarre’s sells delicious donuts.

With the recent flood, many homeowners have asked me when the right time is to sell their house and what they need to do to prepare it to sell. Here's my advice. Click here to perform a full home searchClick here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation You may also call me at (225) 335-7666 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. I've had a lot of clients asking me lately when the best time to sell their house is in the wake of the flood. What should you do to your home before putting it on the market?First, you want to make sure you can buy something by getting pre-approved for a home loan. We want to get you in touch with a lender to make sure you're ready to purchase a new home since your financial situation may have changed since you've lived in your current home. “The first step is making sure you're financially ready to buy a new home. ”After that, you want to meet with a Realtor to determine your best avenue for selling your house. We want to make sure that it makes sense for your to sell and learn what we can do to help you achieve that goal. Then, we'll run a market analysis for your home to determine its value in today's market. Then we can talk about staging and how to maximize your return on your investment. In the end, when you put your house on the market you want to be sure it's priced right, the condition is right, and that it's staged properly. In today's market, buyers want homes in the best condition for the best price. If you have any questions about selling your house or anything else in real estate, don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I'm here to help!

With drones, real estate photography has been taken to a new level. Click here to perform a full home searchClick here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation You may also call me at (225) 335-7666 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.I’ve got a special treat for you today. We currently have two properties for sale out at the beautiful Mallard Lakes, and we’ve got some exclusive drone footage of both to show you.The first home is 21717 Turkey Creek. This 6-bedroom, 4-bathroom home sits on 6,300 sq ft. and 4.62 acres. The property was built in 2010 and boasts a beautiful great room complete with soaring ceilings and a gorgeous floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace. A Sonos wireless sound system, state of the art security system, and smart TV technology are just a few of the high-tech features you can find in this home. The property also has a private pond, feature fountain, and charming courtyard gardens. This property is on the market for $1.15 Million, and you can get even more details about it here.“These are two of the best properties on the market. ”Next up we have 21313 Turkey Creek. This home is a 5-bedroom, 5-bathroom property on 5,349 sq ft. and a spacious 6.68 acre lot. It’s located just an hour from the New Orleans airport. It is southern luxury at its finest, complete with a large office, library, and a beautiful New Orleans style balcony. The best way to truly see all this home has to offer is to visit it, but you can get more details about it here and check out some of our drone footage of the property in the video above.These are two fantastic properties here in Baton Rouge that we don’t think will last too long on the market. If you have any questions about them or would like to schedule a showing in person, give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you.

There are many great Denham Springs area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (225) 335-7666 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.We have a special property located in a great new development, Sandalwood Estates. This property was built by the premier builder, Roddy Ballard of Roddy Ballard Homes.I've known Roddy for the majority of my life and real estate career, and he is one of the top-notch builders in our area. Roddy truly builds a fantastic home. He includes custom features you won't find in any other home of this size and in this price range. These features include slab granite counter tops, custom appliances, beautiful light fixtures, and tons of amenities. You truly will not find a better buy than you can find out here in Sandalwood Estates. There are more homes coming, so if you have any questions, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

There are many great Denham Springs area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (225) 335-7666 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.Recently, a friend called me and told me I was a big innovator. I couldn’t agree more. I like to be fresh and different. I like to be the first! This conversation made me think about the difference between innovation and replication.The difference between success and failure is implementation. If you don’t implement an idea, it’s still only talk. The same applies to innovation. Like being an innovator, you need to do things differently to be successful.It can be challenging because there’s probably someone out there thinking the same thing. However, they might not be acting on it -- now is your chance! I challenge you to go out there and be different; be the first. Do something positive for the world. Do a good deed for someone today. I think this is the best way to create a positive environment.I hope you found this helpful! If you have any feedback, please reach out to me by phone or email.