If you’re thinking about selling your home, you may be wondering if home staging is worth it. In our opinion, it absolutely is! The decision will ultimately be up to you and your realtor, but here’s why you should think about staging before you list:

Staging makes it easier for a buyer to picture themselves in the space.

When a potential buyer is looking at your home, you want them to feel like it could be theirs. This is where staging comes in—during the staging process, the home is depersonalized and often redecorated. Some furniture may be added, while some personal belongings and other furniture may be removed. Your realtor will advise you on this process and help you maximize the space. Professional home stagers can

Picture this: you’ve decided you’re ready to buy your next home, and you want to move sooner rather than later. However, you keep hearing from friends and family about how hard it is to find a home in the Birmingham area right now. This is the reality for many home-buyers in our market. What can be done?

Hire a realtor.

Hiring a realtor that knows the market and how to navigate the home-buying process can give you a head start. Ray & Poynor’s realtors are highly trained, knowledgeable and assertive. Your realtor will guide you through the process and help you make the most competitive offer possible. He or she is your advocate and will work diligently to help you achieve your home ownership goals.

Make sure your

Finding a realtor you trust is crucial when buying or selling a home. Both of these processes can be complicated, but our realtors do this every day. They’re here to guide you and make the transition as smooth as possible. So, what makes Ray & Poynor's realtors different from others in Birmingham?

1.       We’re experienced and detail-oriented.

 With an average of 17 years in the industry, our realtors are able to handle a variety of scenarios related to home buying or selling. We know what it takes to make the process work, and we know the market. We are passionate about our work in real estate and have long-established relationships with numerous home services companies, which is a benefit to our clients. We also enjoy

The spring market is heating up in Birmingham. Whether you’re thinking about listing or purchasing a home (or both!), the process can be very exciting and maybe a little overwhelming—this is where a realtor can help.

See below for ways realtors can provide immense value to a buyer or seller:

1.     Expertise in real estate. Becoming a realtor requires extensive coursework and training. Because realtors buy and sell homes every day, they’re prepared for any situation that may arise during the sale or purchase of a home. At Ray & Poynor, we are committed to continuing education, so our realtors are aware of the latest trends in the industry. Our realtors enjoy what they do, and real estate is more than a job to them.  

2.   

At Ray and Poynor we work with clients across the board in the Birmingham area, from first-time home buyers to empty-nesters looking to downsize. If you’re looking for your first home, congratulations! It’s an exciting time. Here are a few tips to help you in your search:

 1. Write down a list of must-haves.

Have you thought about where you’d like to live? The Birmingham area has many great communities to choose from. Once you nail down your preferred location, figure out your must-have features. Is a backyard non-negotiable? Do you require a certain number of bedrooms? Do you need to be close to downtown? Create a list and share it with your realtor  to narrow your search. Other items like a fully remodeled kitchen may be nice

With a lack of inventory and historically low interest rates, the spring home buying season is beginning here in Birmingham. If you’re looking to make a move, you’ll want to present your home in its best light so you can get top-dollar and a nice return on investment. Below are a few tips to help you along the way:

1.  Hire a realtor.

Realtors are invaluable when it comes to listing your home. Did you know that FSBO (for sale by owner) homes typically sell for less than agent-assisted homes? According to the National Association of Realtors, the median FSBO sale price is $200,000. The median sales price with an agent jumps to $280,000. Also, it’s likely that you’re not selling a home every day—and that’s okay! Real estate agents do

Happy New Year! At Ray & Poynor, we are thrilled to be kicking off 2021. A new year means a fresh start, and this year we are excited to share some exciting news—we’re updating our brand!

Evolving Our Brand

We began the process of evolving our brand early last year. 2020 was our company’s tenth anniversary, which was an ideal time to revisit our logo and make some changes to position ourselves for the future.

We spent a significant amount of time making this decision, getting the input of our realtors and staff and working hard to make sure we stayed true to who we are. The result isn’t a drastic change, but an updated brand that we feel reflects our company and our values.

New Signs

As a real estate company, one of the most

 A few weeks ago, we posted about celebrating our company’s tenth anniversary. This is an exciting milestone for Ray & Poynor despite the unique challenges of this year. It also got us thinking—how has the real estate industry changed since 2010?

Here’s what our founders, Henry Ray and Wilmer Poynor, had to say: 

1. Clients are much more informed. Thanks to the internet, there’s an abundance of information available about the Birmingham market, local realtors, and homes for sale. There are now numerous websites and apps where consumers can browse homes on the market. In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors®, most people begin their search for a home online. 

 “So much information is available online

2020 has been full of the unexpected. Although this year has been challenging in many ways, Ray & Poynor is excited to celebrate a big anniversary as a company. As we close out the tenth month of our tenth year in business, we’re taking a look back at where we started and looking ahead to a bright future.

The Beginning

Ray & Poynor Properties began in 2010 when the two of us merged our experience, learning, ideas and skills. Our goal was to create a new company where the people in our organization were our highest priority.

To be sure, 2010 was not an ideal time to start a real estate company. The Great Recession was still in full swing. But we forged ahead and set out to build a company with a productivity per realtor higher than