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Tag: Gwen Plattner

Selling your home? Here’s what you can expect.

Once you’ve made the decision to sell your home, you set into motion even more decisions.  It makes good sense to enlist the help of a seasoned real estate professional.  You use professionals for many aspects of your life; bankers, builders, repairmen, stockbrokers, educators, etc.  Why take a chance when it comes to one of your most important investments?  Use a skilled and objective negotiator in what can be an emotionally-charged experience. What can you expect? -We’ll work together on the timing of the listing.  When to put your home on the market is an important decision, and we’ll come armed with historical data for your neighborhood and the local market in general.-We’ll help you get your home ready to sell.  We’ll point out updates that will net you the biggest bang for your buck, and discuss pre-inspections and other potential areas of concern.-We’ll help you get to the “right” listing price.  Experienced Realtors®, like our team members at Cami Jones Collaborative, bring pricing expertise, negotiating skills, and market access to the table- and can often land you a higher selling price as a result. We know the ins and outs of the local market, what it will bear and what the comps are. Pricing right is everything!-We’ll help you stand out and get noticed.  You want your home to have maximum exposure to as many potential buyers as possible.  This exposure includes professional marketing (online and offline) materials, hosted open houses, and regular communication with buyers’ agents.-We’ll help you negotiate and close the deal!Let our team help you!  We make the listing process easy and will have you on the road to selling your beautiful home in no time!  Give us a call today!  You can reach Cami Jones at 913.521.8809.

5 ways to get ready to have an Open House

The summer buying season is in full swing!  If you’re looking to move, chances are your Realtor will host an Open House to show off your property.  There are several things you can do to ensure that it’s looking its best…and maximize your chances of reeling in a quick offer!

  • Clean everything.  And then clean it again!  Don’t just straighten.  Dust light fixtures, blinds and wash the baseboards.  Make sure the windows sparkle!  Make sure the shower door sparkles! You want to get top dollar for your home, and curb appeal on the outside coupled with a sparkling inside will go miles toward getting you there.
  • Declutter everything.  Potential buyers don’t want to see your stacks of mail, newspapers and your children’s school work.  Pull things off the refrigerator, clear off those kitchen counters and coffee tables.  Family photos on the tabletops or countertops?  Put ’em away.  You want buyers to imagine themselves living in their NEW home, with their belongings!  The less of your stuff they see…the more this is possible!
  • Think about fresh flowers.  Flowers set a wonderful mood.  A bud vase on your bedroom nightstand coupled with fresh flowers in the kitchen makes a great statement!
  • Have pets?  Figure out what to do with them during the open house!  Nothing will turn a buyer off faster than a) a house that smells of its pet, and b) a pet that is present during the showing.  Again, you want the buyers to imagine themselves in your property, so if you are at all able, send the pet(s) to a neighbor, or to pet day care or let them drive around in the car with you during the showing!
  • Don’t forget to turn on the lights and angle the blinds so natural light comes in!  Light makes everything look brighter and really sets a stage for your showing.  If you’ve cleaned and done everything we’ve recommended, you will want to show off every nook and cranny!

TheCami Jones Collaborativeis anxious to meet with and help you make your listing a success!   Give us a call today! You can reach Cami Jones at 913.206.2410

5 Things You’ll Love About Overland Park, Kansas

Whether you already live in Overland Park or are planning to move there in the near future, it’s a terrific city and we move a lot of real estate there!  It’s no wonder- the city ranks high on many lists for livability, affordability and culture. With an estimated population of 187,699 and a location only 20 minutes from downtown Kansas City, it’s easy to see why so many call on us to help make Overland Park their home!

  1. The Schools.  Overland Park residents enjoy a high quality of life. As the city grows older, it is becoming increasingly diverse, and that diversity adds to an amazing public school system.  The Blue Valley School District serves most of Overland Park, and all 5 Blue Valley high schools made it onto the Washington Post’s list of most challenging high schools in the U.S., as well as onto the Newsweek list of top American public high schools. Blue Valley SAT scores routinely exceed the national and state averages—sometimes by as much as 300-400 points (ReeceNichols.com).
  2. The Sports.  Overland Park is home to the nationally-recognized Scheel’s Soccer Complex, which boasts 12 lighted, regulation size synthetic turf fields and offers a cooling system to control the temperature of the turf plus many more amenities.  The city hosts tournaments year-round.  Topgolf is a new golf entertainment experience, and folks can enjoy the 102 climate-controlled hitting bays, a restaurant, and 3 bars year-round!  Blue Valley Recreation recently opened a new Recreation Center at Hilltop on 143rd Street.  The 100,000+ square foot facility offers fitness classes, basketball and volleyball leagues, practices and open court, dance classes, special populations activities, enrichment programs, pickleball, and 55 GO (ages 55 and up) programs offered along with drop-in facility usage.
  3. The Business Opportunities.  It’s home to many large employers (think Sprint, YRC Worldwide and Black & Veatch, for example).  Technology continues to drive the make-up of the businesses in many different industries such as healthcare, financial services, and marketing, with College Boulevard serving as a main artery for many businesses.
  4. The Outdoors.  Overland Park has a wonderful Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, which even has spectacular programming in the winter.  In addition, there are many biking and walking trails, and many neighborhoods boast their own paths and lakes.  Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead is a real highlight, and draws visitors from all over the metro. The Farmstead is open daily, April 1- October 31, and has nearly 200 animals and birds of prey, vegetable and flower gardens, a one-room country schoolhouse, an old-time fishing pond, pony rides and more.
  5. The Food.  Overland Park (like all of Kansas City!) has become a destination for foodies.  The city boasts a ton of delicious Indian restaurants and ethnic markets, and other favorites include Jack Stack Barbeque (95th & Metcalf), J. Gilbert’s Wood-Fired Steaks (92nd & Metcalf), SPIN Neapolitan Pizza (multiple locations) and Q39 (second location coming soon to College Blvd and Antioch).

There’s lots to love- give us a call today and we’ll help you find your dream home in Overland Park!

5 reasons to use a Realtor® when listing your house

We are often asked why someone should use a Realtor® when putting their home on the market.  Probably the most-often heard argument is this:  “I can just sell it myself FSBO and save a ton of money!”  There are several important things to consider when listing your home, and listing with a licensed real estate agent makes all the sense in the world.  It’s no secret, but every homeowner wants pretty much the same things out of a house sale- they want to sell the property (obviously), the want to sell it for the best possible price, they want to sell it with the least amount of hassle and inconvenience, and they want to sell it within a certain time frame.  Sound about right?So, why list with a real estate agent?

  1. Realtors® are trained professionals.  You use professionals for many aspects of your life; bankers, builders, repairmen, stockbrokers, educators, etc.  Why take a chance when it comes to one of your most important investments?  Use a skilled and objective negotiator in what can be an emotionally-charged experience.
  2. Real estate agents have access to the vast majority of available buyers! According to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) 2016 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Report, 87% of all buyers purchased their home through a real estate agent or broker.
  3. Experienced agents, like Cami Jones Collaborative, bring pricing expertise, negotiating skills, and market access to the table- and can often land you a higher selling price as a result. They know the ins and outs of the local market, what it will bear and what the comps are. Pricing right is everything!
  4. In a hot market like we’re seeing this spring- we are seeing many homes with multiple full-price offers on Day 1.  Amid a flurry of activity, you win when you have a professional managing multiple offers and buyers.
  5. Exposure- you want your home to have maximum exposure to as many potential buyers as possible.  This exposure includes professional marketing (online and offline) materials, hosted open houses, and regular communication with buyers’ agents.

Let our team help you!  We make the listing process easy and will have you on the road to selling your beautiful home in no time!  Give us a call today!  You can reach Cami Jones at 913.206.2410.

JPA- delivering the best experience for our clients, every time!

Don’t just take our word for it, we have received some pretty wonderful comments and testimonials from our clients over the years!  We love receiving your feedback, and it helps us to know what we’re doing well (and do more of it!) and also where we need to make adjustments.  In the end, it’s all about giving you, our clients, the absolute best home buying or selling experience imaginable.  Period. See what your fellow Kansas Citians have to say about #JPA!J.C.:  “We love #JPA and love working with Amy Loehr who will hopefully help us find a great new home this year! Our mortgage lender is pretty nice too!”V.C.:  “We had the best experience with Gwen…she helped us find the perfect plan and lot for our family, and was there throughout the building process. It helps to have someone so sweet and fun to be around during a sometimes stressful process!”C.M.:  “So many wonderful things so say about our experience with JPA. Rebecca Engel Kyger worked so hard during the purchasing of our dream house, we felt like we were her only client! She hand-held us through every step and was always there with recommendations and suggestions when we needed help or got a little lost. Becca and JPA are rockstars!”C.G.:  “Rebecca Engel Kyger was a superstar! She went above and beyond selling our house & getting us into our new home. We would highly recommend her and the JP&A team:)”G.D.:  “…in an expedited cycle, she found 3 homes that all fit my criteria, including the perfect house for me and my girls. She did an awesome job during the search and all the way through to my eventual purchase and closing.”K.L.:  “Thank you #JPA and Mandy Linsin Doull for helping us sell our home and purchase our beautiful new home! Mandy is amazing and made the experience so easy!”C.M.:  “#jpa when I’m ready there is no one else I would use. You ladies rock!”C.B.:  “We had a great experience! Love Cami Brazil Jones!”R.M.:  “We had a great experience with Cami & Jen building our new home! Simple and easy…”Let us put our experience to work for you!  Kansas City’s spring housing market is hot and properties are moving fast.  We are seeing multiple showings (and offers) on Day 1– so it pays to have an experienced real estate professional on YOUR side!  Make your dream a reality and we’ll be there every step of the way.  Give any one of us at Cami Jones Collaborative a call today and we’ll get to work!  Like our blog?  Click here to see past posts on buying, selling, staging tips and much more!

5 things to look for when buying a home

Are you in the market to purchase a new home?  Perhaps you are going to be selling one and buying another one.  In either case, there are lots of things you should be looking for and that’s why it pays to hire a licensed Realtor® to represent you.  (Read more on why using a Realtor makes sense here.)  Here are 5 red flags that should make you take another look– and at least get to the bottom of things!FOUNDATION OR WALL CRACKSSome cracks are a normal part of a house settling that occurs with time. Others can indicate major structural issues or even previous water damage. Foundation work is a costly repair, so consult with a good home inspector before buying.  Some clients even hire multiple inspectors with different specialties.LAYOUT AND LOCATIONOne thing that absolutely can’t be “fixed” or altered after your move-in date is the physical location of the property.  Before buying, get out and walk around the house.  Go at different times of day, to get a feel for the “after school” traffic and rush hour traffic.  Look and listen around you.  The layout of the home is another thing you can’t easily fix after purchase. Sure, if you’re buying a tear-down or intend to gut and remodel, this isn’t a big deal.  But in general, you’ll want to walk the rooms and see if the layout works for you.  Is it open enough?  Do you have enough space to entertain?UNWELCOME PESTSYou’ll want to inspect for past and current evidence of termites.  In addition, roaches, mice and spiders are troublesome.  Granted, some of these pests can be seen as part of home ownership, especially if your property is situated near a wooded area or creek, but you’ll want to do your due diligence and go in with eyes open!IF YOU SMELL SOMETHING BADBad odors could be coming from pets, and if they have soiled the carpet, chances are you’ll be replacing the carpeting and padding as well.  Bad odors could also signal something much worse, like mold or even plumbing problems.  Again, when you are walking through the home, try to use all of your senses when observing and making notes.  And take notes/photos so you can point out to an inspector if you have any questions.TOO MANY ‘FOR SALE’ SIGNS IN THE NEIGHBORHOODIt could just be a sign of a hot market, with lots of properties moving.  BUT- you want to ask your Realtor to study comps and neighborhood market trend reports to     make sure property values are holding in the area and that there’s nothing causing everyone to leave!Let our team help you! We make the listing process easy and will have you on the road to selling your beautiful home in no time! Give us a call today! You can reach our team here.

4 reasons to use a Realtor® when selling your house

We are often asked why someone should use a Realtor® when putting their home on the market.  Probably the most often heard argument is this:  “I can just sell it myself FSBO and save a ton of money!”  There are several important things to consider when listing your home, and listing with a real estate agent makes all the sense in the world.  It’s no secret, but every homeowner wants pretty much the same things out of a house sale- they want to sell the property (obviously), they want to sell it for the best possible price, they want to sell it with the least amount of hassles and inconvenience, and they want to sell it within a certain time frame.  Sound about right?So, why list with a real estate agent?

  1. Realtors® are trained professionals.  You use professionals for many aspects of your life; bankers, builders, repairmen, stockbrokers, educators, etc.  Why take a chance when it comes to one of your most important investments?  Use a skilled and objective negotiator in what can be an emotionally-charged experience.
  2. Real estate agents have access to the vast majority of available buyers! According to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) recently released 2016 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Report, 87% of all buyers purchased their home through a real estate agent or broker.
  3. Experienced agents, like Cami Jones Collaborative, bring pricing expertise, negotiating skills, and market access to the table- and can often land you a higher selling price as a result. They know the ins and outs of the local market, what it will bear and what the comps are. Pricing right is everything!
  4. Exposure- you want your home to have maximum exposure to as many potential buyers as possible.  This exposure includes professional marketing (online and offline) materials, hosted open houses, and regular communication with buyers’ agents.

Let our team help you!  We make the listing process easy and will have you on the road to selling your beautiful home in no time!  Give us a call today!  You can reach Cami Jones at 913.521.8883