Midtown Tulsa Real Estate - Lori Cain: January 2011

Preparing you home for sale is a Part Time Job that pays very well.

Yes, it is a big job to prepare your home for sale. But imagine that in couple of months you will get thousands of dollars! The better you do your job more you will get paid. Are you ready?

 Skills required

Ability to analyze ~You should be able to understand what kind of benefits you will get if you will make a step forward and PREPARE your home for sale. Today's buyers are looking for homes in "move in ready" conditions.

Ability to make right Decision ~ It's up to you for how long your house will be on the market. Hire a Professional Home Stager and the right Realtor and you will get all professional advice you need to make a successful sale.

Great Listening skills- Listen to your Stager and you Realtor. Follow all preparation instructions from your Stager and understand the importance of the right pricing that you discussed with your Realtor. The more you listen the faster you will sell.

Right attitude ~You have to let go "but this is my home" feeling and switch to"this house is a product for sale". This sale is strictly a business transaction. The right attitude will help you to make your house appealing to the wide range of buyers.

Motivation ~ you need to do everything possible to get the job done right.

Hard worker.~ It takes a lot of time and energy to  clean, pack, toss, move extra things to storage. Make sure you take one space at a time. This way you will see results sooner.  

Organization ~it's a time to get your house tidy and organized. It will be easy to do becasue you will have less stuff in the house after you de-clutter. 

Managing skills ~ Great time to get your family involved. Distribute responsibilities between all members of your family. If you don't have professional skills, than hire repair, landscaping or cleaning services.

 Don't try to fit home selling process into your life. Build your life around it.

How long it will take to get paid? Every job is different right? Depending on your house condition. Make sure you are 100% done before you list your house. If you were listening to your Stager your house will be the best on your block and if you were listening to your Realtor your house should be priced right. Now just sit and relax. Your hard work will be rewarded very soon.

 After all preparing you home for sale is a Part Time Job that pays very well!

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Add Value to your Home!

 

Anna Dovger can help you with home staging or decorating and redesing advice

anna@addvaluehomestaging.com

www.addvaluehomestaging.com

Areas Served: Houston North, The Woodlands, Spring, Tomball, Magnolia, Conroe, Montgomery TX

When Katerina joined ActiveRain on June 18th, 2007 there were already 44,000 members on the site. Since that time she has in many ways been one of our most successful bloggers. Her blog has been subscribed to by almost 2000 ActiveRain members. This level of engagement currently makes her the most subscribed member on the network. (not counting those of us who work here, or have in the past)

There is no question that her involvement on ActiveRain has been consistent and she is dedicated to sharing her knowledge with the community. You can tell this by the 1721 posts she's written, or the 28,000+ comments she's left. However, in that time she isn't the person to have written the most posts, or the member to have left the most comments

So what is it that makes her blog get this top level of engagement from the rest of the community? And more important, does her blog translate into business?

Her blog is not entirely geared toward her peers, neither is it entirely focused on consumers in her market. She's struck an amazing balance between the two that has allowed her to become a trusted resource for other members of the community, but also a trusted resource for the folks that help pay her bills, the consumers looking to buy and sell in Wellington, Florida.

If you are sitting there wondering how you can get more ActiveRain members to notice your posts, or how you can write content that gets found by consumers in your marketplace, Katerina is an expert on the topic. Join me this Friday, January 28th at 3pm Eastern Time (12:00pm Pacific Time) on Rain Radio as we chat with Katerina about how she's been able to create a successful blog as a part of her overall marketing strategy.

You can either call in and listen on the phone, (626) 231-0316, or you can listen online at our blogtalkradio page. As with all of our shows, this one will be recorded so if you are not able to join us live, you can listen to the recording. I have a good list of questions I'm going to use to drill Katerina but if you have something you'd like answered, please leave it in the comment section.

And if you've read her blog, you know she's not opposed to discussing her political leanings, but we'll probably steer clear of what those are....... (although I might ask her how she writes about them in her blog as not to turn off potential clients)

 

 

 

  Friends, followers, and connections are the way of the future. 

 Make sure you check out some of our Facebook Fan Pages Too!

Selling requires doing your homework first and that homework is early preparation.  There are times when this is not possible due to life circumstances but nine times out of ten, you know the move is coming and selling is not a must do tomorrow thing.  Planning won't be as overwhelming if things are done in phases.  A few simple things can speed the process and make life a whole lot easier.

Make time to screen and interview multiple Realtors.  This is important as soon as a decision to sell is made.  You will be working as a team and communication is key.  Find an agent you feel comfortable with and who has an effective marketing strategy.  Do an online search to view their listings. He or she should demonstrate they market average priced listings just as vigorously as high end properties and use the internet to the fullest.  Make sure photos are posted and that property features are listed in MLS descriptions.  Avoid using an agent that is a friend or relative it will save possible problems down the road.

Be prepared and realistic about pricing.  Emotions and sentimental value are killers if figured into a listing price.  You must be aware and objectively consider current market conditions and how you stack up against the competition.  This may be hard to do but it will save you thousands of dollars and an overly long listing period.  All the preparation in the world will not sell an overpriced listing.

Begin to prepare for showings. The best way to start is to think back about what features you saw and liked when you were looking at your home during the buying process. Tour and assess your property visually.  Start at your front door as if you were viewing your home for the first time.  Take notes of what you notice both positive and negative.  Be as objective as you can.  If this is difficult, hire a professional Stager.  He or she can point out or make needed changes and improvements that will increase the value of your home.  This can take some of the stress off you.

Make a checklistof any unfinished projects you may see such as missing baseboard, squeaky doors, stained flooring; anything you may notice that has been bugging you for a while.  Every homeowner has that "honey do" list.  Go over it again, a Stager can help.  Your chosen agent will do this also to determine a listing price that stacks your property up against comparable properties in your neighborhood.  Compare notes and address the issues.

If you haven't missed it or are not using it pack it up.   Concentrate on your kitchen, closets and garage first and be realistic...are you really using all that stuff?  These are key areas where storage space should be highlighted to the max when selling.  Do you really need all those extra sheet and towel sets, pots, pans and small gadgets to live comfortably for a short time?  .

Consider having a professional home inspection, especially if your property is over 10 years old.  It could prevent potential headaches and roadblocks to a quick and smooth sale.  The low cost of this precaution could save you in the long run.

Doing your homework is vital but not difficult.  There are many resources available to homeowners from professional help to do it yourself guidance.  Take advantage of them and you will be rewarded well.

 

AccentPositives provides effective and economical Home Staging and Redesign Consultations on site and online.  We are located in Corona and serve the Inland Empire of Southern California and the Palm Springs area.  Call 951 833 8529. Email staging@accentpositives.com. Visit www.accentpositives.com and www.accentingspaces.com

If you have hardwood floors underneath your carpet, is it better to refinish the hardwood or to recarpet? Which is less expensive?  I get this question often from my customers and it is such a lucky find when you have hardwood flooring underneath the carpet.

Most customers prefer hardwood flooring - it looks nicer, it improves your home's value and it's easier to clean.  And, any realtor will tell you that homes with hardwood floors will sell faster and at a higher price.

What seems to be a pleasant surprise to a lot of people is that it usually costs less to refinish your hardwood floors than to recarpet them.  Refinishing hardwood is often less expensive than most people think and also, you are working with an asset you already have  - hardwood floors.  Contrast that to buying new carpet...where you need to purchase the materials + take care of the labor.  Pending on the quality of the carpet, that price can often be a lot higher, especially with gas prices increasing (carpet is petroleum based).

Hardwood flooring  is usually easier to maintain and less expensive to maintain.  Hardwood can really last for hundreds of years (in fact, I've refinished floors that were made in th 18th and 19th century.  Carpeting is, on average, replaced every 5-7 yrs.  Usually, it's replaced far before the warranty technically runs out...due to all the stains.  Cleaning your carpets annually (professionally) will definitely improve their appearance and help prolong their life.  But, this is an additional expense you don't have with hardwood floors.

In the short-term, adding hardwood floors will cost more than carpet, but in the long term will cost less.  And, if you already have hardwood flooring, it is clearly less expensive to refinish it rather than to replace the carpet.

 

If you are in Westchester NY/Stamford CT area and would like more advice on hardwood vs. carpet or, if you are interested in a FREE estimate, feel free to give us a call at 914-937-2950.

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Hardwood Flooring - Carpet - Tile/Natural Stone - Laminate - Refinish Hardwood - Backsplashes

Debbie Gartner, President and Owner

Floor Coverings International in Westchester NY/ Stamford CT

You can download our free flooring guide.  Or, visit our flooring selector - almost 2,000 options for hardwood flooring, carpet, tile and more. Call us for a free estimate 914-937-2950. 

"We bring the store to your door."

Free 411 Calls On Your Phone Or Cell Phone!

I hate to pay for 411 calls - I think they should be provided free by our phone service providers.  I've lived long enough that I can remember the days when all 411 calls were free.  Well I've found those days are here again, thanks to Google and Free411!  You have to love it when there are companies out there who want to serve the public  - and do it free of charge. 

Google has provided us with 1-800-GOOG411 (1-800-466-4411) for all business inquiries and it is free.  Best of all, it is Google and it works great!  Call the number (I have it programmed into my phone and named it "information"), provide the name of the business, city and state and Google will find you the phone number and connect you.  Try it, you will not be dissappointed.  I have saved over $100.00 on 411 calls on my Verizon Wireless bill in the past 3 months alone!  You gotta love it.

Here is Google's ad on YouTube:

1-800-GOOG-411: Google's 411 service

For residential calls try 1-800-FREE411 (1-800-373-3411).  It is not as fancy as Google's directory assistance, you'll have to listen to a quick advertisement, but it works and again it's free.  I like free.  I really like free.

Here is information on their service provided on YouTube:

If you've forgotten what you are paying for those 411 calls on your phone check the rates your service provider is charging you at this site: Phone Provider 411 Rates

Program these numbers in your phone and don't pay those pesky fees for directory assistance ever again!

Realtor® CRS, GRI

Serving MD and DC

www.DanQuinnHomes.com

 

 

Home Prices Drop but Interest Rates Go Up Video - Redding.....

If you are a first-time home buyer in Redding California, the current real estate prices couples may make it very affordable for the first time in years for you to own a home. 

If you factor in the unbelievable low interest rates, along with the very low prices, there may never be a better time to be a first-time home buyer.

 

 

 

Let us say that the real estate prices don’t hit the bottom until sometime late next yearish, you still would be getting a great deal because of the historically low interest rates.

 

 

 

 

If you are trying to time real estate prices perfectly like a crystal ball and wait until they are as cheap as they are going to be (if that could ever be done?) you may not come out ahead!!

Why? 

Because of potentially higher interest rates on home mortgage loans.

 

 

A story about the sky is still falling in the real estate world is great for Monday morning water cooler conversations.

But the true nature of the real estate market in Redding California is such that only the local conditions, such as quality of life, schools, community, family and friends...

Where you live is what counts!!

Redding Home Searches by Price Range: See Photos, Prices, Addresses,Ask me a Question or Request more Information....

• Redding Homes under $100,000
• Redding Homes $100,000 - $199,999
• Redding Homes $200,000 - $299,999
• Redding Homes $300,000 - $399,999
• Redding Homes $400,000 - Plus
  

 

Laura Reilly

Lic. 01760446