Dan & Barbara Cunningham 

By: Ralph Roberts

When your local housing market is down and you have to sell, what do you do? You want top dollar, you may also need to sell in a hurry - especially if moving day is right around the corner. In a tight housing market, remember that you are competing with all of the other homes for sale in your neighborhood. The key to success is to make your home and the deal itself more attractive than what the competition is offering without giving away too much. If you find yourself having to sell into a slow market, here are some tips to help you make your home more attractive and sweeten the deal to generate more interest in your home:

• Price it to the market, don't be greedy. Most sellers tend to set the price too high, thinking their home is worth more than it really is. Check the sales price of comparable homes that recently sold and the asking prices of comparable homes that are currently for sale in your neighborhood.
• Obtain an appraisal in advance, so you know what the house is officially worth (based on the appraiser's professional opinion).
• Use a seasoned REALTOR. Your REALTOR has already experienced price wars in the housing market. According to the National Association of REALTORS, a home sells on average for 16 percent more when the seller uses a Certified REALTOR.
• Have your home professionally inspected before showing it. Get everything repaired so lookers won't have an excuse not to buy.
• Have your home professionally staged. A professional stager can transform an empty or overly cluttered house into a warm and welcoming home.
• Don't move out before it sells, or if you have to move out, make sure you leave the home staged, so it looks lived-in. Vacant houses feel more like uninhabited caves than homes.
• Be willing to pay closing costs for the purchaser, up to 6 percent. A slow market is usually that way due to a slow economy. Buyers are strapped for cash and may need you to help in some way with the financing.
• Give your REALTOR copies of all improvements to the home and any guarantees for anything like a new roof, furnace or hot water tank.
• Keep your home in ready to show condition at all times. Do not require a 24 hour notice.
• Focus on curb appeal and making a good first impression. You do not get a second chance to make a good impression.

You can successfully sell a home in a declining market, and even profit from the sale, if you set realistic goals and work a little harder at it than your competitors. Just remember to work hard, stick to it and avoid some of the common pitfalls.

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If people stop dead in their tracks to admire your residence, your house has curb appeal. According to the National Association of REALTORS curb appeal sells more than half of all houses that go on the market. At the very least, it makes buyers take notice, gets them across the sidewalk or yard and inside the front door. Real estate agents say that when you couple curb appeal with pricing the house appropriately, that figure climbs to 90 percent. What kind of property it is has a bearing on how it is perceived, but generally, the tidier, fresher and cleaner it looks, the more curb appeal it has. And painting is KEY. Sure, choices and tints can vary from region to region, but a spanking - new paint job that's crisp and fresh can really reel them in no matter where you live. Painting can be very expensive, but it is the least expensive way to get the biggest return on your investment. Because painting is a maintenance issue, you can't say to a buyer, "Well I spent X amount on painting." But the expense of painting definitely will be reflected in the quality of the buyer's offer.

In the new-home market, exterior coloration is both art and science. For years builders felt comfortable choosing exterior colors. However, in the last 10 years, the architect, designer and in some cases the land planner are being brought in early on in the process to choose exterior coloration. While this kind of input consumes time and money, the rewards are huge. The new-home market is highly competitive. If the colors strike a chord with buyers, customers will beat a path to the builder's door. Sometimes the type of construction can limit the choice of paints and the surfaces to be painted. For example, townhouse communities don't give buyers much flexibility in exterior coloration. Generally, the builder determines the color of the siding and the trim, in consultation with the designer and architect. Buyers are given a half-dozen front door colors to choose from.

Single houses have much more flexibility in color, but there have to be limits. Builders tend to limit choices and homeowners associations and civic groups tend to enforce those limits long after the builder has sold out and moved on. And for good reason. How other houses in a neighborhood are painted has a real impact on how your house is perceived by a buyer. If the house next door is loud and unpleasant looking, it will affect both saleability and price.

Do-it-yourself guru Bob Vila said he always tries to encourage consumers to "be kind to their neighbors" when picking color schemes. "If you aren't sure what to paint your house, hire a consultant. That will save you money and aggravation in the long run." Even when no one is telling you what to paint your house, the colors you choose for your house will elicit an emotional response in the buyer. But what will turn a buyer off? If you're a procrastinator, you can try not painting your house and pray that prospective buyers will see past it. That's not a good idea. Most buyers can only see what is in front of their faces. They can't see one color and change it in their mind's eye to something they might want. Then there is the 5 percent who can see past years of neglect. What are people finding personally satisfying?

According to a national survey by Sears Weatherbeater Paints, more than 37 percent of all Americans (23 million households) would choose white as the primary color in painting the exterior of their houses. In order of preference, the choices are white, gray, blue, tan and brown, cream, beige, green, yellow and finally red, Sears said. Color is a funny thing. If I were choosing a color for resale, I'd go conservative. Still, lighter colors work better. A house that is dark isn't appealing. But bold colors are a risk. In older neighborhoods, a subtle brick red, a Williamsburg blue and hunter green on a stone house appear to be good choices. By and large, though, you'll see white and creams, especially on the trims, with a deeper color for the door. People want the feel of the old, and traditional colors are nice and soothing. In newer houses, the move is toward neutral. Off-whites and clays are popular for trim. Front doors seem to be the focus of colors, even in houses other than townhomes. Whatever your personal preference, you should always keep resale in mind. If you go off the deep end of the color spectrum, you could affect not only the value of your house but that of the entire neighborhood.

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Shorter days, cooler evenings...fall is here! October is when we:

• Plant fall annuals like pansies, mums, kale, aster.
• Wrap up the overseeding of fescue grass. (If you've not already done this, then you'd better hurry!)
• Treat for moles to preserve your grass and your ankles.
• Cut back incrementally on your water as cooler and shorter days mean your shrubs and turf consume less water.
• Finish a last round of tree trimming while you can still discern live from dead limbs.
• Apply pre-emergent to turf to prevent winter weeds and next spring's first crop.
• Sod bare spots in your lawn while conditions are mild.
• Start the leaf removal, knowing that if neglected the leaves can smoother your new fescue.
• Make plans for larger tree installations, dormant oil on trees, Christmas lights, and rabbit repellent on your fall flowers as November and December are approaching quickly!

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Ahhhhhhhh! Those cool fall evenings and the reduced temps are such a wonderful blessing after the soaking and sweating of this summer. We hope that everyone enjoyed summer vacations and spent time with family and friends. We are looking forward to a fall get a way as the spring and summer flew by us with work and play with Ari, Evan and Tye Hill. Lezel and Rick took the family for fun in the sun to Gulf Shores, Alabama. Ari loves the ocean, Evan loves the pool and Tye Hill loved playing in the sand. They had a great time.

For several years we have been growing and watching with amazement banana trees! Who would have thought that in Oklahoma you could grow bananas! We had two plants that put on bananas, but a bunch consists of only 8 bananas. The growing season isn't long enough as we put them in the ground in May and then dig them up in October. If anyone would like to enjoy watching them grow let us know and we'll save you a couple.

Get out and enjoy the changing season and remember we're never to busy for a referral from you!

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This represents an average of active and sold properties in the Edmond School District

ACTIVE	PRICE PER SQ.FT.	D.O.M.
$316,362	$116.78	108
SOLD	PRICE PER SQ.FT.	D.O.M.
$241,135	$103.78	98

This represents an average of active and sold properties in the Oklahoma City School District

ACTIVE	PRICE PER SQ.FT.	D.O.M.
$166,123	$89.74	91
SOLD	PRICE PER SQ.FT.	D.O.M.
$150,184	$85.96	78

Information provided by OKC MLS. Compiled on September 26, 2007

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Classic Carrot Cake

This is a wonderful fall dessert and what I love about it is that you use a boxed cake mix and just add a couple of additional ingredients and no one will ever know it's not from scratch!

1 Pkg Classic Yellow Cake Mix
4 Eggs
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
3 Cups Grated Carrots
1 Cup Finely Chopped Nuts
2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees, Grease & Flour Two 8" or 9" Round Baking Pans

Combine cake mix, eggs, oil, carrots, nuts and cinnamon and beat at low speed until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes and pour into prepared pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until toothpick inserted in centers come out clean. Then let cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 Package (8oz) Cream Cheese, Softened
1/4 Cup Butter or Margarine, Softened
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
4 Cups Confectioners' Sugar

For the cream cheese frosting, place cream cheese, butter & vanilla extract in large bowl. Beat at low speed until smooth and creamy. Add confectioners' sugar gradually, beating until smooth. Add more sugar to thicken, or milk or water to thin frosting as needed. Fill and frost cooled cake and garnish with whole pecans.

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COPPER CREEK

1701 N.W. 177th Street. 4 beds, 3 full baths, new roof, tiled kitchen/dining. Corner lot and close to the new Westfield Elementary. $169,900

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WHISPERING HEIGHTS

3309 Meadow Lane. Popular SE Edmond location. 3 beds, 2 baths, 2 living, large kitchen and backs to new park. $122,900

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CASADY

2716 Plymouth Lane. 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, fireplace, new roof, 2 car garage. $127,000

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FAIRFIELD

2604 Summerfield. Great starter home in Edmond. 3 beds, 2 baths, lots of interior updating and large fenced yard. $119,900

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ACREAGE

15701 E. Covell. 80 Acres Plus House and Shop. Victorian Home with 3 beds, 2 baths, 2 car garage, 72 X 82 Morton Building. $780,000

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HIDDEN OAKS

800 Hidden Oaks Way. New acreage neighborhood, 1 year new home with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, greatroom and formal dining. Lots of trees for extra privacy. $184,900

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HIDDEN LAKE EST.

1511 Redbud Hollow. Under construction and great time to custom decorate! 1 acre homesite, 5 beds, 4 1/2 baths, 4 living areas. Call for plans. Offered at $754,500

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OAKDALE MEADOW ESTATES

10524 Creek Meadow Dr.New home in gated community plus Oakdale Schools. Private 1acre lot w/4 beds, 4 1/2 baths, private study, greatroom & bonus room. Open Sundays 2-4! Offered at $749,900

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STONEMILL

11617 Mill Hollow Court. Still time to pick your personal decor. Stately Country French designed home on large lot w/5 beds, 5 baths, private study, greatroom, bonus room & formal living & dining. $999,000

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STONEMILL

4015 N.W. 116th Street. Under construction, wonderful unique designed home w/5 beds, 4 1/2 baths, private study, greatroom & bonus room. Spiral staircase & second service staircase. $1,050,000.

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See all our featured homes:

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Dan & Barbara Cunningham
RE/MAX Associates
Phone: 405-359-8700
Email: buyahome@danbarb.com
Website: www.danbarb.com