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Sunday, April 29, 2007

Staging a Home

Staging a home is a great way to sell a home in a slow or fast market. You can get more out of your home by following a few simple tips. Any of my listings I like to bring in an interior designer and have them go throughout the home and give my client tips on what they can do to improve the "look" and "feel" of the home. Something so simple as changing the way a couch or chair faces and gives a whole new feel for a home.
Vacant homes also greatly benefit from staged homes. By adding a little bit of color and furniture in a few places you add to the appeal of the home. Most buyers don't have the best imagination and when they walk into a vacant home they recieve a vacant feel for the home. Add a couple of decorative towels in the bathrooms, a few plants here and there and placemats or decorative dishes in the kitchen. Keep it simple, don't over do it, you want the to look at the home and see just enough that they will be able to come up with their own ideas on what they would do. It becomes a sell when the buyer starts talking about where they would place this and that!

Friday, April 27, 2007

How to Hang a Picture

Article Title: How to Hang a Picture ProperlyAuthor: Gregg HallCategory: Home Improvement, AccessoriesWord Count: 736Keywords: home decorationsAuthor's Email Address: targetniches@yahoo.comArticle Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com------------------ ARTICLE START ------------------Hanging a picture may seem like the simplest of all home improvement projects. While it is quite easy, there are factors like wall type and object weight that you need to consider before hammering away. If you're a beginner or if you've hung pictures before but always done some in a hit or miss kind of manner, these tips will come in useful. The first thing you need to do is purchase the right fasteners for your picture and your walls. The most common fasteners for hanging things are picture nails and hooks. While these are the most common type of fastener, they are not the most appropriate or effective ones to use in all cases. If you are going to hang anything on a concrete, stucco or brick wall, then you should not try to use a regular nail. A concrete screw will securely anchor your object and will prevent you from chipping the wall's surface. If you use a nail in a concrete or stucco surface, you can end up removing chunks of the wall around the nail when hammering. If your object is heavy, then you might want to insert a plastic anchor or molly bolt-for fastening into the hole to ensure that there is no damage to your wall. Make sure that you are using the right type of fastener for your wall surface. Once you've figured out the type of wall surface and the most appropriate fastener to use, you will need to decide on placement. The first thing you want to decide is how high you want to hang the object. The basic rule of thumb is to hang pictures so that the center of the picture is at eye level. Have someone hold a tape measure against the wall and then stand back and see what number is at your eye level - that's where the center of your picture should be. Once you decide on the height on the wall, you need to measure the picture itself to determine the mounting height. You will then measure from the bottom of the picture to the highest point of the hanging wire. You can then figure out the hanging height by subtracting half of the picture's height and adding the difference of the eye-height level you measured before. Your measuring isn't done yet though. You want to take that figure and measure that distance on the wall so you can make a mark where the bottom of the hook will hit. After you have that vertical mark, you want to measure horizontally to ensure that your picture is in the center of the space. Next you will mark where the vertical and horizontal lines cross. Holding the faster in place, you will nail or screw the fastener into the wall. After the nail or screw is in place, you want to carefully hang the object on the wall. Make sure you are careful not to mark or scrape the wall with the frame. Once the picture is on the hook, you should step back to see whether it is level. You can shift the picture to either the left or the right to adjust the level. If you find (after hanging) that the picture is either too low or too high, you can adjust the wire on the back of the picture rather than making a new hole. If you are planning on hanging multiple pictures and/or objects on one wall, then you want to plan out your measurements very carefully. Start by holding up your pictures or laying them on the floor in the pattern you want. Measure the wall space and measure each picture to ensure that you have enough space. You want to make the vertical and horizontal marks for each picture rather than just guessing. It is often easier to offset the pictures when you estimate. If you do want all of the pictures even, then you need to use a level and be really exact in your measurements. A laser level can be useful in these types of situations. Don't be intimidated with all of these steps if this is your first time hanging a picture. Taking your time and doing all the prep work outlined above will ensure that your picture is centered, level, and really adds character to your space.Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For elegant home décor gifts go to http://www.eleganthomedecorgifts.com

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Hiring out Contractors

Getting Ready for the Spring Weather? Now is a great time to start calling landscape, sod, and fencing companies to come and give you quotes. Get first on their list before the rush starts. Need a good recommendation for a company? Let me know if in Utah or be sure you check the company out before giving them money. It is also a good idea if you are paying for anything to get a few addresses of places they have currently done work for and check it out. Plus talk to the people see how easy they are to work with and the quality to get the job done.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Time Savers


This will save you a ton of time!

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Home Selling Tips 3 - Older Homes

Is your home a little bit older? Build in early '90s or earlier. The best return on your money on those homes depend on the shape they are in. There are so many "little" things (that yes add up a little, but not as much as a full replacement) that can bring up the value of your home and also the appeal to the buyers. One thing is paint and moldings. If your moldings are the '70s style then replace them. Moldings are cheap and really easy to do it yourself. While your replacing your moldings get the paint brush out and three tone the house. (Flat or ceiling paint in white works great on the ceiling) A Satin paint in a neutral color on the walls and High Gloss on the moldings and bathrooms if you don't want it the same color as your other walls. Don't know what color to use? That is where you need to check out the model homes in your area, it will let you know what neutral color is the "in" color in your area. Utah is about the browns, any tan, light brown color works. Don't know how to cut in? You can prime your moldings with a paint sprayer in another location (if you are trying to protect your carpet) You can even high gloss them, just know that once you nail them in, you will need to putty the holes and paint those areas. I have noticed the masking tape works really good in taping off, but you MUST remove it within one day of putting it on and you must remove it carefully so it doesn't grab at your paint. Blue tape works okay, but you must go over it right before you paint and make sure it seals. There is an in between tape that is a light brown at Home Depot that I also like. Carpets is another thing. There is nothing like walking down a hall with three bedrooms coming up and all you see is a light of pink coming from one room, green from the other and then blue. If possible put something neutral down, be sure you shop around, if you are getting it for around 18 a sq foot that is pretty good. If you cannot afford new carpet, then get them cleaned. After that be sure your Realtor puts a note requesting they take their shoes off, the foot traffic will quickly dirty them up again.
Kitchen is the heart of the home. That is where after looking through the whole house, I stand with my buyers and ask them, "Do you want to buy this home?" Do you have a yellow or green countertop that screams '70s? If possible look into your options of changing that. You can have the cheapest of cabinets and a buyer might get past that, but few buyers look past avocado green countertops. Now your cabinets, you want to modernize your kitchen without dishing out some serious dough? If your cabinets are a wood color (these days any wood color usually looks pretty good) Then throw some modernized knobs on them to update 'em. Please no gold, as much as you might love the color, the majority of the buyers right now want silver, pewter, bronze etc.. Any knob store or Home Depot have all those styles. Cupboards in terrible shape? If you cannot replace them, paint them. Go online there are several suggestions. The ones my buyers have liked the most is an "antiquing" white that you can get the whole kit at Lowes or Home Depot with instructions. Now on too the floors, we talked about carpet, but what type of kitchen and bathroom floors do you have? Upgrading your bathroom to tile is a huge bonus and if you watch for the Home Depot clearance you can pick up tile for around 75 cents. Kitchen, you need to see what is popular in your area. In Utah it is pergo or hardwood flooring. Don't buy the cheap pergo if you can afford a little nicer stuff. I have pergo in my house, but all the time people are asking if it is "real" The cheap stuff looks that way, but they have really improved on the look of the nicer stuff. In other places like Arizona, tile is really popular, especially the large tiles. Again watch for clearance stuff. If you are a do it yourselfer tiling is another thing that isn't that hard to do. Also while updating that kitchen do your bathrooms to. A good return and expensive one is if you can convert a little 70's master bathroom into a bigger one, a more open shower and more counter space are huge to the buyers. Outside do the same as a newer home, remember it is the first thing they see when the pull up and the last thing they see when they leave. If you have siding on your home then get it powerwashed. If it is chipping or an ugly color and you don't want to replace it, then invest in some siding paint and paint it. Your front door is another major thing, neutralize the color if it is a bright pink, yellow, green do something a little more toned down. Paint the trim on your garage door and plant flowers if possible. If the concrete is cracked overlay it if you have the $, but otherwise just keep it swept and cleaned, that is usually one of the last complaints there are. Backyard, do what you can to make it spacious. Clear out dead trees, if you are not including the swing set with the sell of the home, then take it down. The biggest thing on older homes is make it so a buyer doesn't come in and think "work" The major things are if the home looks used (missing drawers, closet doors etc..) Wallpaper everywhere (borders are usually fine, floor to ceiling wallpaper 'causes stress) and weeds in the yard. The feel of the home is everything, I've had multiple buyers, buy just because the home "felt" good. Remember, lights on, candles lit (or any good smelling things) music in the background (mood music, not rap) and people who live there, gone (if possible) Good Luck on future selling and let me know of there are any specifics you are thinking about.
PS - Carport to Garage Conversions are always good additions, it widens the market of buyers out there looking. Be sure to talk with the city on permits and codes though.

Home Selling Tips 2 - Newer Homes

What is the best return in fixing up a property when you want to sell? A lot of that depends on your area of where you live. In Utah where the majority of the homes have basements, you get an excellant return on finishing your basement. Especially since Utah has a "love affair" with Ramblers (most other places call them Ranch Style) By finishing a basement on a rambler you almost double the house size. Also where Utah is known for it's large families, whether they are children or extended, by going from 3 bdrms to 5 you open your market of buyers. Other places where basements are not as common (aka Arizona) that might not be an option. Another thing you need to look at is the home, style, year built, area etc. Lets start with a newer home. To get a great return on a newer home, or any home the best thing you can do is make it look like a model home. Not sure how to do that? Go to any new build area and tour the model homes in the area. Look at how decluttered and simple they look, how the decorations attract you to the home, not make you feel uncomfortable and "out of place" That is what you want your home to feel like for interested buyers who come and look. Then past that getting a new home ready is pretty simple. The best and probably most expensive fix (besides the basement) is finish the yard. If you don't have time and money to do the whole yard, then do the front yard, also RV pad's give a good return to the sellers. If it is a newer home and most your neighbors don't have fences, than don't worry about getting one in. It wont hurt, and most buyers hopefully have fallen in love with the inside. I've never had the fencing be a big deal on a newer home. Moving to the inside of the home, fresh coat of paint is always a plus, but if the walls look good, then just touch up your moldings, that is one of the first places where you can see "wear and tear" on a home. Then DECLUTTER, remember model home. Clean your closets and cupboards also. (yes they will look) Clean the carpets and invest in some wood blinds or plantation shutters for the windows (any age of home this is a plus) Lowes you can get "wood" blinds for super cheap and they will cut them to fit your windows. If a buyer is looking for a newer home that usually means they want something already built, but feels new to them. Make your home that new feel, by cleaning and making it look like a "model" home.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Building Slowing Down?

Colorado's market is so slow, new builds are holding on to more properties than they want to, builders are pulling out and trying to get rid of the homes. Is the Utah market going to follow suite? One builder in the Salt Lake Area only sold one home last month. That is quite a difference compared to the market last year where they were selling dozens of homes during a week. Bigger homes are having a more difficult time selling right now, but the medium size homes are still going somewhat quickly. Some new builds are getting a little antsy and selling lots or not building as many specs. If you are planning on building it is a good idea to see what incentives they have. The incentives are going to go up and you might be able get a few more "x-tra's" in your home. The Utah market is still going strong, not fast like last year, but still strong. There is a lot of properties on the market and a lot of buyers out there looking for their new home.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

The Search for the Perfect Home

So me and my husband are looking for the "Perfect Home" Why is it when it comes to your profession and helping yourself it is the hardest job? When it comes to finding myself a home I'm very lazy about it. When it comes to one of my clients I'll work hard and never stop until they are completely happy with the outcome. I've thought of hiring another agent just so that we can actively search. My husband has fallen in love with a floor plan on a home that was for sale. We didn't buy it because I wasn't sure I wanted to live that far out West, and it sat weird on the lot. Thank goodness for the building boom in Utah, we were able to find out who built the home. They are building in an area we like and we are waiting to find out what the prices will be. I did NOT want to build another home again, I really wanted to buy an existing home where they had already labored and put in the yard and maybe even some of the basement as a bonus! But when you have found a floor plan that works so perfect for your family what can you do? So we decided that if they can build us this home in the area we want we would be foolish to not do it. If they are too high in the price or it doesn't work out, then we might wait another year before we continue our quest for that "perfect home"

Couples and the Same Page

I show homes to many couples, the biggest problem comes to them being on the same page. One wants a big yard, the other a small one. One wants a small mortgage, the other wants lots of equity. One wants a fixer upper, the other want the ability to move right in and enjoy. One wants to live on the East side, the other the West side and so on. I advise couples to sit down before they go looking (I try and do it with them, as it will help me help them) and I tell them to give me both their top 3 things that they want in a house. Mine is 1) A fireplace (yes I know silly, especially since they are so easy to add now, but I have to be able to visualize where to put one) 2) Big Yard (I have boys, must be able to run around a lot) 3) Attached Garage. My husbands 3 most is 1) Front Porch (he likes to gab) 2) Neighborhood (that is one for both of us, I want a park nearby and he likes social neighborhoods) 3) Living Space (He likes big rooms for entertaining and sensible plans) . Couples will have all sorts of different things, but if in the top three they have conflicting ideas, it is good to get those out and figured out in the beginning. Not when you've been looking and they have both fallen in love with two different homes because they were on total different pages. Bringing them both on the same page will help them decide what is important and what is not.

Monday, April 9, 2007

Foreclosures

Have questions to how foreclosures work? I will do several posts with many frequently asked questions on foreclosures. There is a called a judicial and non-judicial foreclosure. Some states do both, some do only one or the other, the first step is to understand what type of foreclosure is taking place on your home. This has everything to do with when you can get out of foreclosure, if you can buy your home back after auction, or when everything is final. Give me your questions, now is the time because Knowledge is Power! Utah, the most common is non-judicial, in another post I'll explain the steps taken.

Funny Video - youtube.com

I tried to post this, it is funny. It is always good to laugh at your profession! Go to youtube.com and type in "The Realtor". Gotta love those Looky Loos!!

To Do or Not Do ..... An Open House

Are Open Houses Still Worth It?

In this day in age, with all the technology we have, talking houses, internet. Are Open Houses still Worth it? In a Seller driven market when houses are being sold in a week to month, Open Houses are just something for the Seller to "see" their realtor working. In a Buyer driven market Open Houses can drive a buyer to your house while they are out looking at other homes. A lot of times I'll be driving with a client and they want to just "check it out" Many times if the price is just a little above their looking zone, but still in the approval zone I have seen offers being sent on those properties. For Agents Open Houses are a great way to get new clients. Most people coming through Open Houses do not have a client, but are interested in finding a house. An agent can help those families find a house without any money out of their pocket. It will save a buyer a ton of time, plus there is no reason to try and go through the biggest purchase of your life without a qualified agent by your side.

Friday, April 6, 2007

Weekly Mortgage Rate remain Stable and low

Mixed economic signals kept rates low across the board and relatively unchanged this week, a nationwide mortgage survey reported Thursday. The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.17 percent for the week, up slightly from last week’s average of 6.16 percent but lower than the average rate of 6.43 percent reported last year at the same time.
The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.87 percent, up slightly from last week when it averaged 5.86 percent. Last year, the 15-year rate averaged 6.10 percent.
Short-term rates were also up slightly, although relatively unchanged. The five-year adjustable-rate mortgage averaged 5.92 percent this week, up from last week’s average of 5.88 percent. One-year ARMs averaged 5.44 percent, up slightly from a 5.43 percent average last week.
“Mortgage rates have remained within a narrow band of 0.1 percentage points over every week in March,” said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist, in a prepared statement. “This relative stability is due to mixed economic data releases as to how strong the economy is and whether future inflation will recede. One bright spot this week came from an unexpected increase in pending home sales for February, which suggests the housing market is still healthy.

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Bankruptcy

Don't just file bankruptcy to avoid foreclosure. If you want your lender to work with you, BK is not the answer. Many lenders wont work with borrowers once they have filed BK and you've lost many options that you had.

In Foreclosure?

In Foreclosure? Don't just call one investor. I work with over 10 investors that want to buy your home, with them competing you will get the best price possible with a bunch of options for you!! Don't just sell to the first guy who comes knocking on your door. My guys all have different specialities and one of them will fit with what your home needs and is usually willing to pay more than the other guys. Give me a call, I can walk you through the foreclosure options and help you determine what fits your situation the best.

Short Sales

Why should you try a short sale instead of foreclosure? We'll if you live in Utah first off, unless you have refinanced in the past year, you probably don't need to sell your home as a short sale. Even most of the fixer uppers you can sale for at least what you owe the lender plus realtor fees. Other situations? You are better off with a short sale on your credit than a foreclosure. The lenders look at it as that you put in the effort to sale your home and you put in the effort to pay them back. Not that you just left the home for them to deal with. Plus the 2nds can usually get something instead of nothing and it saves the 1st some money in taking it all the way to auction and dealing with it after.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Tips on Selling Your Home

Need to sell your home? Want to spruce it up beforehand to get the best price possible? Below are some tips that help the look. Add some advice on what has worked and what has not for you.
- Fresh Coat of Paint - Nothing looks newer than a fresh coat of new paint, two-toning it in neutral colors is always a nice touch
- Clean Those Windows - Natural Light is a great way to show your home and it always looks more clean when you can see out the windows.
Pick Up Clutter - Anything you don't need put it way, box it up and move it to storage or in a nice corner in your garage. Declutter, declutter, declutter. Look in the kitchen and remove everything you can, the less clutter the cleaner the home looks
Carpets Cleaned- Get your carpets cleaned, then request that those looking at the home remove their shoes so they stay clean.
First Impressions are VERY important - Make sure that front yard is in tip top shape, you don't want the prespective buyer to be turned off before they even make it into the front door.
Come back for more tips later.

Furnace Filter

Did you know that changing an air filter in a furnace will help eliminate problems with air conditioners and furnaces. Missing or dirty filters will cause the coils in an air conditioner to collect dust and malfunction. Furnaces are forced to work harder and will wear out prematurely with a dirty or clogged filter. Remember this when looking at a property that are not maintained properly. Filters should be changed at a bare minimum of once every three months.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Spring is finally here and the buyers are coming out and searching for their homes. Now is a great time to get that home ready and on the market. Let me hear any of your funny or successful stories as you are getting it ready to go! Interest rates are still at a low, so everyone who has recieved a mortage in the last 5 years, check it out, if it's an ARM, see when it is due and get it refinanced. Have any questions in regards to mortgages? Ask away, if I don't have the answer I will find someone who does.