RealEstateBuyMe.com: Illinois: Elk Grove Village

Seven Home Staging Steps That Will Sell Your New Hampshire Home

Home staging is preparing a house for sale.  It is not decorating, it is marketing...strategic marketing.   If you want to sell your New Hampshire home in the shortest time possible, a home staging consult, prior to listing, will give you all the information you need to guarantee that your product is ready for market.

Here are seven home staging steps that could mean the difference between SOLD and EXPIRED:

1.  Update Light Fixtures  

This is an area where a little money spent can make a huge difference and add tremendous perceived value to your house.  You can add thousands of dollars of value by only spending a few hundred dollars.

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2.  Identify Red Flags

A red flag is something that gives potential buyers the impression that there is an existing problem, was a problem in the past, or could be a problem in the future.  Common examples include water stains, storage or space issues, light switches to nowhere, protruding wiring, evidence of pets, and lack of light.

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3.  Pre-Pack Your Stuff

If you want buyers to consider making your house their new home, you need to remove all evidence of you and your family.  The mistake most sellers make is either not removing enough or removing too much, leaving the house cold and vacant. 

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4.  Define Space and Function

Only 10% of buyers can actually visualize a room any other way than how you show it to them.   Don't expect potential buyers to try and figure out how to better arrange the furniture.  It is very important, when preparing a house for sale, to clearly define the space and function of each room. 

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5.  Maintenance Means Money

Your house is only worth what buyers are willing to pay for it.  The more a buyer believes the house has been well maintained, the more valuable they perceive it to be.  Buyers should be greeted with a spotless, move-in ready home, which gives the appearance of being well maintained and cared for.

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6.  Don't Underestimate The Bathroom 

The most personal room in your house is the bathroom, and it is the last place buyers want to be reminded that you live there.  Buyers know that other people are living in the house and obviously use the bathrooms, but emotionally, they don't want to think about it. 

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 7.  Transform With Paint

The biggest bang for your buck is using paint to improve your home's appearance.  Paint will make a room cleaner, fresher, brighter, and more stylish.  It gives buyers the impression that the house has been well maintained and cared for.

Paint can be used to help minimize negative features and to help showcase positive features.  It can be used to create a flow throughout the house and to create a lasting positive impression.

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Consult with a professional home stager prior to listing your home for the best results!

 

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Please take a minute to VOTE for Zack's picture and help him win a vacation!

 

    

Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast

Portsmouth   Rye   Greenland   Hampton   North Hampton   Exeter   Dover   Stratham  

603.661.8524

                                   

Aren't All Lenders The Same?

A lot goes into your process when buying a home. It is a big event. Finding the right neighborhood, a great floor plan, the right number of bedrooms and of course, the right price! The purchase of a home will be one of the biggest investments you will make in your lifetime.

One of the primary details in any home buying process is how you plan to pay for the home. If you have all cash, great! No worries! The process will be a smooth one! However, most of us are not fortunate to have that kind of cash lying around the house. That is why it is so important to work with a lender that understands the process.

Many people think what's the difference? Who ever can get me the best interest rate wins! Think again. There are many factors you should consider in choosing a lender. This one company and one loan officer could make or break the deal with one simple mis-step!

When chosing a lender, here are a few tips to consider in making a decision, not all lenders are the same:

1) Is the company you are considering a Mortgage Broker, Mortgage Banker, Bank or Credit Union? How long have they been in Business? Understanding the difference between types of lenders will help you make a more informed decision in choosing the best fit for your needs. A Mortgage Broker can shop your loan with many larger lenders but do not lend their own funds. A Mortgage Banker does lend their own funds, but may be limited in the programs available. The Mortgage Banker will probably not collect the payments on the loan. They will sell the loan to a larger company. A Bank also lends their own funds and will probably collect the payments on the loan. They may have more strict lending guidelines than a Mortgage Bank. A Credit Union will also lend their own funds, may collect the payments but may also be limited in the programs available.

2) How long has the Loan Officer been doing Mortgage Loans? Experience in understanding the loan programs and the best loan for your situation can save you thousands of dollars up front as well as over 30 years.

3) Does the Loan Officer listen and understand your current financial position? It is important you are working with someone that can offer solutions to problems you may be facing. Anything from credit issues, money for a down payment, time on your job. A good Loan Officer will be able to provide advice on the best approach in handling every situation. There are programs available for with people with credit scores as low as 620, they will be able to advise you on how to improve your credit score. They will know the programs available for 100% financing in your area as well as which programs may allow gift funds. BE AWARE. If any loan officer says it is necessary for you to "fake" any documents or misrepresent anything on your loan application, this is considered LOAN FRAUD and is punishable by law. A good Loan Officer is able to help you through situations without needing to "fudge" on anything.

4) Interest Rates and Fees. Most Lenders are competitive in rates. Compare rates with different lenders and the costs associated with obtaining the loan. The thing that may vary greatly is fees. It is a good idea when shopping for a mortgage loan to ask for a Good Faith Estimate of Costs to compare what charges the lender may be charging. Settlement fees, title fees and recording fees should remain consistent but may vary by a small percentage. Once you are in escrow, these fees will be determined and should not increase.

5) Time periods. Understand how long it will take your lender to process, underwrite and close your loan. Many of the larger lenders and banks may take longer than you have on your contract. Make sure they are able to comply with contract dates or make your offer according to the time frame it will take your lender to complete the process. You do not want to face penalties from the seller for not closing on time. The Loan Officer should be able to tell you from beginning to end what to expect. Do not be left in the dark.This is YOUR loan. You should not have questions about where in the process you are.

These are just a few points to consider when looking for a lender. Any one of these items if not handled by a professional could be costly in your transaction or cause the loan to go south at the last minute. Working with a qualified Loan Officer at a reputable company will ensure less stress on your part. In addition, you should feel comfortable with this person. You are entrusting them with every aspect of your income and assets and you want to know the information will be kept confidential and handled with care. You wouldn't buy a car without driving it; you shouldn't get a loan without interviewing some lenders!

Not all lenders are the same. If you need assistance in finding a lender, please feel free to contact me and we can discuss!

Making the Home of Your Dreams A Reality. As your Agent of Possibibility it is my intent to make your home buying or selling process a smooth one!

Please feel free to Subscribe to All Possibilities Throughout San Diego or contact me at 619-838-4408. 

                                                     

Real Estate Professional in Training and YOUR HOME is the Training Ground!!

Everyone is a "newbie" at some time. We see managers training the teenager at Taco Bell or the "Student Driver" signs atop of cars.   But when was the last time you saw a "Real Estate Professional in Training" badge on a Realtor or loan officer?

Never?

A good real estate company will hold an agent's hand during the "baby" stage. And a good lender will make sure a complete mortgage application is completed for a new loan officer. Sadly what often takes place is a "sink or swim" training method and some poor soul's home purchase is the training ground.  We've seen this with both newbie real estate professionals and often with the "I'm using a relative" scenario.

Is it a fair question to ask a professional how many transactions they have completed lately ... this year ... EVER?  ABSOLUTELY.

I'm working with a newbie ... I'm scared!

As a home buyer, working with a new agent or loan officer isn't necessarily a curse. Just because a real estate professional is new to the business doesn't mean they have to be new to professionalism! Indeed, some new real estate professionals are years ahead of some of the "dead wood" that has been around for years. (And I would tell some people to their face if they asked!). If a newbie has strong support, you can feel confident they should do a fair job. If they lack support and they are green, then you are rolling the dice and "good luck" with them handling one of the largest transactions of your life.

Real estate transactions are highly detailed. The home buyer should never be the training ground that a new agent or officer learns the ropes on. They might lose a commission check if the transaction doesn't close. A home buyer however may lose a home, a place to stay, a lot of money, or even worse.

As a home buyer, DO NOT be afraid to ask questions upfront and put the professional you choose to work with to the test. Any professional worth your time will welcome the questions and concerns. And that is a fact, because in such a situation, the professional has the oppurtunity to shine, which will help all parties understand one another and work better together.

(Side Notes for the Professional ... As a new agent or loan officer, do not accept a company that treats training as a "put out the fire" situation. If the company you are joining doesn't have a training program written down before you join them, be skeptical about what training you will recieve. Some owners/managers are nothing more than glorified salespeople and are only looking to make money from you. They don't care about your success. Don't line their pockets as you make a bad reputation for yourself.)

Steve Kappre is a mortgage loan officer in New Jersey. For more info or questions feel free to contact Steve.

• NJ First Time Home Buyer
• Purchase, refinance, rehab loans
• Conventional, FHA, USDA, VA, HMFA, First Time Home Buyer, Police and Fire, Live Where You Work, and more

Call direct @ 856-419-3561 | Subscribe to Steve's blog via e-mail | NJ Loan Officer .com | NMLS ID: 218007

 

      

Treasury Mortgage - 550 Bridgeton Pike, Mantua, NJ 08051 - 1810 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

Licensed by the NJ Department of Banking and Insurance

I’m not a prude. I promise.

But I always wonder what’s up when I show a home that has nude paintings and photographs hanging on the wall.

The nudes don’t make me uncomfortable – but they might make some potential buyers uncomfortable. And an uncomfortable buyer may not remember all the good things about your home. They’ll just remember it as the house with all the nudies in it.

I showed a house yesterday that had an entire wall in the living room covered in nudes. Reproductions of old masters, contemporaries, abstracts. One that I could only surmise was the homeowner’s mother-in-law. Did my client talk about the magnificent fireplace? The wall of windows overlooking the lush back yard? The historic pocket doors? No. He started talking about the seller, and why he had amassed such a collection of nudes.

Even though Nudes and Neutralize start with the same letter, they sure have nothing to do with each other. When selling, Nudes out, Neutralize in!

Last year I had a listing where there was a large nude photograph in the dining room. Like I said, I’m not a prude. But it was a nude of the homeowner herself, as taken by her artist husband. It sure was a beautiful and artistic photograph. But it made even me uncomfortable knowing I was standing next to the (clothed) model at the time.

She asked me if it would be alright if they left the picture hanging while trying to sell their home. It’s so easy to hypothetically say “no” to that question, but not so easy to do in real life! I put it in the same category of questions as, “Do these pants make me look fat?”

My advice to all people trying to sell their home: Lose the nudes. If you have to ask yourself (or your Realtor) if something might not be conducive to a sale, you already know what the answer is. “Is this picture too risqué? Should I take it down?” YES!

Remember, No Nudes is Good Nudes.

Richard Strahm
Realtor, ABR, SFR, SRES

439 Main Street
Harleysville, PA 19438

Direct: (215) 853-2624
Office: (215) 256-1200 x-223
Fax: (215) 529-8931

Email:  Richard@RichardStrahm.com

www.RichardStrahm.com

PA Lic # RS310765

Copyright © 2010 Richard Strahm.   All rights reserved worldwide.

Let me start of by saying that this is satire. And this should be read with that idea in mind. It is intended to be humorous. Nothing more. Ok?

Let me also state that I have posted this before...but, its Friday. Im lazy.

As long as we understand one another, you can keep reading...

Common Man's Dictionary to Real Estate Advertising

1 car garage: Sure, you can drive your Ford Escort into the garage but there is no room to open the door.

Advertisement: A tool used by business to get money out of people that don't have it for something that they don't really need.

And much, much more: Truthfully, nothing else comes to mind. But, we can't tell you that.

Auditor: Person that arrives after battle to finish off the wounded.

Bank: Loan shark.

Beachfront property: No hurricane insurance available at any price.

Bedroom in basement: The basement has a 1' by 2' window you might be able to squeeze yourself through as an alternative to burning to death in a structure fire.

Bright and sunny: No window treatments or venetian blinds are included because previous owners simply nailed Pikachu blankets to the window frames.

BRILLIANT CONCEPT: Do you really need a two-story live oak tree in your 30-foot stained-glass sky dome?

Broker: What buying a house is going to make you.

Budget: Written proof that you can't afford the things you want.

Build sweat equity: The house is not habitable currently and unless you plan on working your hind end off to make it livable, it would be easier to bulldoze this place and live in a tent.

Cape Cod: Stylized after a 74 yr old lobster fisherman's garage.

Cash Flow: The movement your money makes as it disappears down the toilet.

Cathedral Ceiling: You will go broke trying to heat this place. It would be easier to set fire to the couch.

Charming: Small. See also, "Tiny". Snow White might fit, but five of the dwarfs would have to find their own place. See also "Cute," "Enchanting," and "Good Starter Home."

Close to all amenities: The backyard is a shopping mall parking lot.

Close to Schools: You will spend a generous portion of your morning and evening commute stuck behind buses in just about every street you attempt to take to avoid them.

Comfortable: One coat closet larger than the "Charming" home.

Commuter's Dream: Located at the bottom of an off-ramp right beside a truck stop.

Completely Remodeled: Not only does this statement give the company attorney a stroke, it also usually means new kitchen counter tops and a vanity sink in the bathroom.

Complete remodeling in 1992: Hurricane Andrew...'nuff said.

COMPLETELY UPDATED: At the advise of the listing agent, the seller has decided to remove the metallic gold shag carpeting from the living room and replaced the avocado colored stove.

Contemporary: The house is at least 15 years old.

Country living: Too far from anywhere to drive to work...or to shop...or get to an emergency room in time to prevent bleeding out from a paper cut.

Country in the city: A grotesquely overpriced large lot with a 2 bedroom house built before World War I that used to be on 100 acres that have been split off and sold to a Home Depot and a car dealership. Yes, there is a Starbucks in the parking lot.

Cozy: Not a single room could fit a full sized bed. And, the toilet doubles as a kitchen counter when you close the lid.

DARING DESIGN: It's a warehouse.

Desirable neighborhood: This "charming" house is extravagantly overpriced thanks to being located next to a neighborhood where the snobs live.

Doll-house: Tiny place filled with ugly knick-knacks.

Easy Care Yard: Acres of Red or White rock used to systematically cover actual useful space.

Easy freeway access: Located right on the noisiest arterial street closest to the freeway.

Easy to heat: See “cozy”.

Efficiently designed kitchen: The kitchen is too small to fit two people at the same time and everything you need to reach is simply done so by turning around. The down side is that in order to open the stove, you have to step into the living room.

Everything's Been Updated: Sure, they updated all the things inside the house...but the house itself has been condemned.

Executive neighborhood: Everyone's last name in this area is Jones. And yes...you are required to keep up with them.

Extra Storage: Four coat hooks nailed on the back of the front door.

Gated Community: There is a reason it is gated...Every seen 'District 9'???

Great Starter Home: House has 4 rooms. Two of which are additions.

Handyman Special: Forget It! You don't have the skill required to make this home livable.

HI-TECH/CONTEMPORARY: Lots of steel shelving with little holes. You know...the kind your dad used to store tools on in the basement. There is also a lot of glass in places most people wouldn't put it.

Wont last long!: This home hasnt sold in 374 days after two price reductions and the sellers have finally given up hope on making any money on this sale so they dropped the price another $20K.

Immaculate: Remove your shoes. Chances are the carpet is white along with the walls, furniture, cabinets, appliances, and the family pet.

In-city living: The house comes with a deadbolt lock on all windows, a bar across the door capable of stopping a battering ram...and a moat. Being outside in this neighborhood after dark will probably require an armed escort.

Institutional Investor: A active housing investor from 2006 who is now locked up in a mental institute.

Just available: The previous owner just died on the premises. That is the only way anyone would want to sell a home in this market unless they are trying to save a foreclosure. Hope you don’t believe in ghosts.

Large family room: The basement can hold a couch and a chair...which is more than can be said for the living room. Just try to keep the kids from eating the exposed insulation.

Lots of storage space: The basement is too small to be called a family room.

Low maintenance lot: No yard. The kids will have to play in the street. Or, maybe in the shopping mall parking lot.

Luxury Living: It has a Jacuzzi tub. It's leaning against the wall of the garage. But, at least it has one.

Market Correction: The day after you buy a house.

MUCH POTENTIAL: Steer clear unless you have a lot of money and actually believe your blind dates really did have nice personalities. See "Ready to Rehab," and "Fixer Upper."

Must see inside: Yeah...that's cause the outside is ugly.

MUST SEE TO BELIEVE: An absolutely accurate statement. It is hard to drive that kind of pain home through the eye without actually using a sharp instrument and a forceful thrust.

Market Correction: The term your broker/agent uses for a market crash while telling you that your house is worth 37% of what you paid for it.

Meticulously maintained in the original condition: The avocado-colored appliances are 50 years old. Minimum.

Modern: It doesn't have a dirt floor and it is insulated with something other than beaver pelts and flour sacks.

Motivated sellers: Subtract 15% from the asking price and see if they counter.

Natural setting: Forget about planting anything because the deer will eat everything in your yard but the sagebrush and knapweed.

Near transportation: an Amtrak train goes through the backyard roughly every 15 minutes, day and night.

Neighborhood Watch: Your next door neighbor has binoculars trained on your house. Your movements are tracked and reported to the police any time you have company.

Newly remodeled kitchen: The 50-year old cabinetry and faucets have been replaced with cheap modern equivalents.

Nice Condition: Apparently "nice" means different things to different people. See also: "Lipstick on a pig".

Nighttime Security: The street lights located on all corners of the home completely eliminate darkness 24 hours a day. Sleep is impossible.

No need to preview: Yeah, because if you did, you wouldn't show it!

Old charmer: Herbert from Family Guy lives next door.

ONE-OF-A-KIND: Ugly as sin. The neighbors hope the place burns down so their property value goes up.

Park-like setting: There is a tree located somewhere on this block.

Partial mountain view: You can see the tip of (insert name of local mountain) if you climb the roof and stand on a chair.

Pet friendly neighborhood: Various forms of organic matter are constantly deposited in your front lawn despite the fact that you don't own any pets.

Plenty of Parking: The stadium across the street has ACRES of parking spaces available.

Practicing Water Conservation: Yeah, the lawn is died. No one watered it. Ever. (Thank you Steve and Heather Ostrom!)

Prestigious: Expensive. Probably not worth it, either.

Prime Location: We have already had better offers from more qualified people than you...don't ask.

Quaint: Buy a wall paper steamer so you can get that crap off the wall without having to gut the entire place.

Ready to move in: The interior has been painted with one coat of cheap paint and the shag carpeting has been raked and shampooed.

Ready to remodel: This place is about to collapse; you will have to invest twice the asking price in remodel before you can move in. Seen the movie "The Money Pit"??

Recreation room with wet bar: Basement has been sheet-rocked, painted and has a faucet.

Reduced To Move: See also: "Walmart Rollback"

Rent With Option to Buy: We know you wont be able to qualify for crap...But, if you can make steady payments, it works for us.

Safe Neighborhood: Regardless of your attempts at privacy, your neighbors will continue to attempt to peer through the slits in your Venetian blinds. See also: "Neighborhood Watch"

Seasonal creek: There is a 4 foot wide, 6 inch deep muddy ditch that runs across the property...And it only fills up after a good rain or during spring thaw.

Secluded setting: The only thing further away from civilization is a polar ice cap. Grizzly Adams once lived here.

Show and Sell: In other words, the listing agent will be doing no marketing and the stubborn seller doesn't want it staged.

Shows Well: The seller actually cleans the place up before you bring your buyers over.

Sophisticated: Plain. White walls with zebra print rug and furnishings. A large piece of abstract art is in the dining room and a canvas the size of a Chevy hangs on the wall covered in what appears to be pantyhose, tin foil, and computer diskettes.

Spacious: We knocked out a wall and expanded the living room into the garage.

Sprawling ranch: Inefficient floor plan that appears to have been designed by a drunk monkey.

Storybook: This house is old and the roof is not flat. See also: "Little House On The Prairie"

Stunning house: The house is not ugly...the interior, on the other hand...

Sunny corner lot: There are no trees anywhere near this property located on the corner of the two busiest streets in town.

Sunken Tub: The tub isn't sunken...it fell through the floor. The remaining structure is only capable of holding water or a body. Not both.

Territorial view: Great view of your neighbor’s bedroom window and "private" hot tub with the glass roof. If you lean hard against the glass and look hard to the left, you can see a broken down Pontiac in the alley.

Three season sun room: Putting screen up around your front porch does not make it a "sun room".

TLC: Tear down, Level and Condemn!! (This after a Realtor told me her country property needed just a little TLC...Upon visiting, I promptly fell through the front porch up to my knees!)

Townhouse: A 3 story walk-up on the north side that is sandwiched between two others that look exactly the same. Not only can you hear your neighbors fight, but you hear when they play music, watch TV, use the bathroom, or blink.

Tudor: A quaint two bedroom where both bedrooms are now in the attic which is not insulated.

UNIQUE CITY HOME: Used to be a warehouse.

UPPER BRACKET: No, this doesn't include you. See also: "Executive Neighborhood" and "Prestigious"

Usable land: Vacant lot. Probably filled with broken glass, nails, large rocks, bicycle parts, and Jimmy Hoffa.

Victorian Sweetheart: Once you steam off the wallpaper, you will need to strip off 14 layers of lead-based paint.

Walking distance to (insert noun here): There is nowhere to park your car within 20 minutes of this house.

Well Below Market: We keep having to reduce the price on this shanty because nobody wants it.

Will Help Finance: Soooo....the owners know they're asking too much. And, taking that into consideration, they are more than willing to "help" you get into this house that you can not qualify on your own.

YOU'LL LOVE IT: No. No, you wont.

 

Feel free to add your own in the comments!!! Id love to see them!!

 

Follow Clint on Twitter and make sure you go to the RECR fanpage and become a fan!! If you have any questions about RECR, please call Clint at 800-977-7058.

More and more I am getting calls from distraught homeowners bewildered by their lender’s behavior.

Here’s the typical cycle:

• Borrower submits request for loan modification.
• Lender puts the borrower on reduced trial payment.
• The reduced trial payment is hundreds of dollars less than the regular payment.
• 6 to 12 months later the lender denies the loan modification.
• Lender notifies the borrower that there are thousands of dollars of accrued interest owed; the difference between the months and months of regular payments and the trial payments.

So, not only is the loan mod denied, but now they are in serious arrears. Sometimes the resumed monthly payment is higher than the original regular payment!

A live example:

• Original regular payment: $1,247.00
• Trial payment: $847.00
• New payment after loan mod denial: $1,432.00
• New arrearage about $6,000.00

Sellers are asking;

• Why did it take a year?
• I could have moved on with my life. Why did the lender give me false hope for a year?

I don’t have good answers for them, except to welcome them to the world of dealing with banks and foreclosure workouts.

At this point, the sellers are so angry and exhausted from the process that they’re willing to walk away. However, in most cases the next best step is a short sale.

If a professional Realtor who specializes in short sales is involved, the lender lets the house sell for market value, even if it generates an amount short of what is owed. If done properly, the lender will forgive the deficiency balance forever.

Dave Halpern

Broker, Louisville Short Sale Expert

(502) 664-7827

Need a short sale? Click here for help

 

 

I tell my neighbors.  I tell my clients.  I tell everybody who will listen.  NEVER pressure wash a deck!  When the pressure-wash companies send their college kids to knock on my door to "wash" my deck, I tell them why they should not be doing that to decks!  When I see their trucks*, they advertise cleaning decks, patios, siding, roofs - you name it!  Don't do it!

The older the deck, the worse the wood reacts to pressure washing.  The big mistake is that companies and homeowners have a tendency to set the pressure way too high.  But even at low pressures the deck can become damaged.

What does pressure washing do?

• It removes loose material and leaves a gafillion dangerous splinters and gaps.  Those gaps open up further letting in more damaging sun and water.
  
• It removes the natural oils in the wood that are not replaced with sealants.
• It causes wood to dry quickly causing cupping and warping.
• It causes damage.
• It loosens nails as the wood expands.
• It can cause water to enter the house.

So what to do instead?

There are various, excellent, gentle cleansers out there.  Be sure to select cleansers that do not have caustic lye or acid, or say not to use around children, pets or water features.  A company called Dekswood makes an excellent cleanser that can be followed with sealants.  And the so-called "oxygen" cleansers, with the active ingredient of sodium percarbonate, are great and don't damage the wood, the kids or pets, the house or the yard.

You MUST seal your deck after cleaning.  The sun does more damage to your deck than rain and snow.  BE SURE TO USE A SEALANT THAT HAS UV INHIBITORS IN ADDITION TO WATER PROTECTION.  Read the label.  It will tell you what the contents are.  Water proofing alone is not enough.

My recommendation:  Keep your deck gently cleaned and protected and it will last many decades.  Not doing so makes it unsafe and age much faster.

* I once gave my spiel to a guy sitting in his company truck in a parking lot (with a smile on my face) and he told me he would NEVER pressure-wash his deck.  He said he sees what damage it can do later!