Curb Appeal Can Get Buyers in the Door
When it comes to purchasing a home, buyers do indeed judge a book by its cover, according to a new nationwide survey of real estate agents commissioned by JELD-WEN® Windows & Doors.
Curb appeal has traditionally been an important part of the sales process; however, the recently released Real Estate Agent Community Trends (REACT) survey found that it is absolutely essential to getting buyers in the door and fostering a sale. Specifically, 82 percent of agent respondents said they have had potential buyers decline to look at the interior of a home based on the exterior appearance.
Time For Spring Cleaning For Spring Sales
It’s winter, time to hang the “For Sale” sign.
Homeowners shouldn’t dally if they want to sell their houses in spring, the peak season for real-estate transactions, real-estate agents say.
“If they know they want to move by summer, now is not too early to bring somebody in,” said Barbara Nowak, an agent with Long & Foster in Burke, Va.
Now — not when the tulips are in bloom — is the time to start decluttering, cleaning, making repairs, getting paperwork together and interviewing real-estate agents.
Real Estate Property Leasing True Or False
1. A Fair Lease, per month, is 1% of the home’s value. This is generally TRUE. I have seen a trend towards 2 prices, one with yard maintenance and other items (pool, spa, etc.) and one without.
2. Short term leases can be rented for more than a long-term lease. TRUE. Because the property owner has more risk of a vacant property, the market rewards the property with a higher monthly rental rate.
3. Getting your “price” is the most important item in leasing. FALSE. The most important item is finding a tenant who will pay on time and will treat your property properly. I feel that this is more important than any other factor when renting your property.
10 Reasons Why Your House Is Unsellable
O.K. maybe your house isn’t next to a cemetery but here’s a list of the big no-no’s, the relics that make a house unsellable:
Small houses
Small is not the new big I’m afraid, at least not yet anyway. People like to have space to live in and a very small house can deal a serious blow to your possible asking price. If you can’t afford to physically increase the size of your house, you need to do everything possible to make it look bigger.
How to Cut Your Home Energy Bill
Already, many parts of the country are facing severe winter weather, although the season began only recently. And with average heating costs across the nation spiking about 11% over last winter’s, the Alliance to Save Energy recommends energy-efficiency measures to help consumers cut home energy bills, increase indoor comfort, and reduce power plant emissions that contribute to climate change.
“This winter, U.S. consumers face heating costs of close to $1,000,” noted Alliance President Kateri Callahan. “Further, total 2008 home energy costs for U.S. households are projected at close to $2,200. That’s a huge bite out of the family budget. But consumers can reduce those costs by up to 30 percent, and even more in some cases, with simple yet effective energy-efficiency measures.”
8 Smart Moves for Home Buyers, Sellers in ‘08
Heading into 2008, the market just isn’t turning around as so many predicted. The industry, it seems, has been caught up in a game of “projecting.” Meanwhile, this pesky subprime headache lingers on as we start to draw a clearer picture of how recklessly this shaky housing-market foundation was laid. It’s a hangover that will last well beyond New Year’s Day.
In contrast to the billions in risky ARM loans that were advanced to questionable borrowers toward the end of the boom years, many credit-worthy buyers are now getting a different kind of arm — a straight-arm — when they seek out mortgages amidst a backdrop of spiraling foreclosures and plummeting prices.