WANT TO SELL YOUR HOME FASTER FOR MORE MONEY? SECRET DECORATING TIPS REVEALED

TIPS ON DECORATING YOUR HOUSE TO SELL

When potential buyers step into your house, they want to see a clean, neat and attractively decorated house. What they DON”T want to see is something so overly decorated they can’t imagine their own furniture and possessions in the house. Plus, too many shelves and tables with knickknacks, too many overstuffed sofas piled with pillows can hide the architectural and structural features of a home.

Here are a few tips on keeping a minimalist approach to your home decorating.

·    MINIMIZE. Put away EVERYTHING that isn’t absolutely essential. Even if you have get down on your knees and beg your neighbor for some storage space in their garage, (or rent a storage locker), do it. Remember, it isn’t forever, and you might find you can live without some of that stuff.

·    ORGANIZE. This is a good time to tackle that filing you’ve been putting off, and organizing your craft materials and other projects. Once again, get rid of anything you can live without temporarily. Better yet, start packing! And by the way, it’s easy these days to find attractive, inexpensive baskets in stores from WalMart to PierOne. Use those baskets to help keep you organized. A large basket can be used to stash magazines and coasters under the coffee table. Baskets can also be put to good use in bathrooms – put away all your personal items like make-up, toothpaste, shaving cream, etc. People can get distracted looking at the brand names of products you use; plus, having all that stuff around makes the house look used.

·    ARRANGE. The things you DO keep around can be rearranged in attractive ways to make your house look interesting. In the kitchen, for example, group canisters together. Spreading them out makes counter space look smaller. The same goes for ledges, end tables, bookcase, and fireplace mantels. Group no more than 3 things together, making sure they’re varying heights, and mix graduate sizes. For example, group 2 candles on one side of the mantel, and something smaller on the other side.

One thing to remember while decorating to sell is that potential buyers frequently spend more time looking at family photograph and items of a personal nature. That embroidered family tree your aunt made might well spark a long conversation that does nothing to sell your house. So temporarily put away those photos and other personal items.

The Key is to make the house look attractive, minimally decorated, and devoid of personal artifacts which distract the potential buyer and possibly prevents her from envisioning her OWN family and stuff in the house.

Terry Naber, RE/MAX Properties, Inc, is an experienced real estate professional since 1990 having served hundreds of clients and helping them in the process and dream of home ownership.  Terry KNOWS the market in the Colorado Springs, CO. region.  Give her a call to discuss your plans to sell and list your home, gather information, and find out what Terry can do to get you the best market price with the least time on the market!  

Call Terry Naber at 719-590-4796. 

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9 Ways To Make Your Offer Irresistable To Sellers

1. Pay cash. Investors have been snapping up homes to flip or rent, and they usually come to the table with cash. Sellers love all-cash offers because they’re less likely to fall through before the sale closes. In January, all-cash transactions accounted for 28% of existing home sales, according to the National Association of Realtors. If you need a mortgage, a low appraisal could cause your bank to back out of the deal, forcing the sellers to put the house back on the market.

2. Get pre approved. If you can’t pay cash, you’ll need to get a mortgage. Three or four months before you shop for a home, check your credit reports, says Michael Corbett, a consultant to real estate Web site Trulia and author of Before You Buy! That will give you time to dispute any errors and take short-term steps, such as paying off debts, that will improve your credit score. You can get your reports once a year free from the three major credit bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com. Then get a bank’s pre-approval. It won’t guarantee that you’ll get a loan, but it will show sellers that a lender has verified your income and credit score and determined that you can afford payments on a mortgage for a certain amount.

3. Make your best offer on price. You may only have one shot to get it right, so make your best offer—what you’re willing and able to pay. Base your offer on recent sale prices of com­parable properties in the neighborhood so that it will pass muster when the property is appraised. If you hold back, thinking you’ll sweeten the offer on the second try, you may lose the property to another buyer.

4. Up the ante. You can add an escalator clause, with which you agree to ratchet up your offer if there’s a higher bid from another buyer. Keep in mind that if you agree to pay more than the market value determined by an appraisal, you’re on the hook for the difference from your own funds.

5. Beef up your earnest money. This deposit signals how serious a buyer you are. Try doubling the amount that the seller requests or that is customary in the area. If you must renege on the offer for any reason allowed by the contract or state law, you’ll get your money back.

6. Pay for extras yourself. These might include some of the closing costs, homeowners association dues that must be prepaid, a one-time contribution to a community-enhancement fund, or a home warranty.

7. Make contingencies palatable. Most sellers prefer offers with no contingencies, but you probably can’t afford to forgo the protection that contingencies provide if you want to cancel the contract. Offset a financing contingency with pre approval and a strong earnest money deposit. If you have enough cash, temper an appraisal contingency by assuring sellers that if the appraisal comes in lower than the purchase price, you’ll pay the difference or split it with them (up to a certain amount). Include a home-inspection contingency, but tell sellers that you will cover the cost of any repairs. If the price tag on those repairs gets out of hand, you can back out of the deal.

8. Write a love letter to the sellers. This will help you connect with the sellers, especially if you haven’t met them. She suggests such points as: “We’re relocating from…” “We see ourselves living in your neighborhood or chose your schools because…” “We especially love…” and “We appreciate your accommodating our visits.”

9. Give the gift of time. Express your willingness to work with the sellers’ timetable to go to closing. If the sellers want to remain in the home for a while after closing, offer them a “lease back” or “rent back,” which means that you will be their temporary landlord. This is a legal arrangement, and you’ll need to work out the details with your agents and be sure that the sellers keep their homeowners insurance during their stay. If you are bidding on a short sale, make clear to the sellers that you are patient and can wait for the bank’s decision.

Terry Naber, RE/MAX Properties, Inc, is an experienced real estate professional since 1990 having served hundreds of clients and helping them in the process and dream of home ownership.  Terry KNOWS the market in the Colorado Springs, CO. region.  Give her a call to discuss your plans to sell and list your home, gather information, and find out what Terry can do to get you the best market price with the least time on the market!  Call 719-590-4796.  

Look at Our Inventory of Wonderful Colorado Springs Homes Here

What Is Your Home Worth? Click Here

(article reprinted; Inman news)

5 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR MORTGAGE BROKER

Before you even start looking for a home the best thing to do is get pre-qualified for a mortgage. 
Pre-qualification will give you an accurate assessment of how much home you can afford and key numbers that will factor into your family’s budget. And when you working with your mortgage professional, here are some “must ask” questions.

Questions to Ask Your Mortgage Broker / Loan Officer

Which loan type is the best and what are the pros and cons for each?

What is the APR of the loan and any applicable lender fees? If the loan will be adjustable ask about the adjustment frequency, maximum annual adjustment, the Cap, Index, and margin.

Lenders are required by law to give you a GFE (good faith esitmate) within 3 days after applying for the loan, be sure to ask that all of these fees are included in the GFE: appraisal, credit report, lender’s title policy, pest inspection reports, escrow, recording fees, and taxes.

Are there any pre-payment penalties?

How long will it take the loan to process (i.e. time to fund)? This could take anywhere between three and six weeks.

Mortgage Pre-Qualification Keys

• Price range of homes you are interested in purchasing
• What your approximately monthly house payment will be
• How much down payment, if any, will your need or want to put down
• What are your approximate closing costs
• What kind of loan program is best for you based on your wants, needs, and desire

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Terry Naber, RE/MAX Properties, Inc, is an experienced real estate professional since 1990 having served hundreds of clients and helping them in the process and dream of home ownership.  Terry KNOWS the market in the Colorado Springs, CO. region.  Give her a call to discuss your plans to sell and list your home, gather information, and find out what Terry can do to get you the best market price with the least time on the market!  Call 719-590-4796.  

IS IT A GOOD TIME TO SELL YOUR HOME?

First, of course, we could note what others think. The recently-released May 2013 National Housing Survey by Fannie Mae showed that 40% of responders said that now is a good time to sell a home. That is up from only 16% in May of last year. At the same time, 76% of Fannie Mae's responders said that it is a good time to buy a home -- just a little more than the number of those who thought so last year. Redfin has surveyed real estate agents on the same issue. 82% said that now is a good time to sell, compared to 54% last year.

Probably the best reason for thinking that now is a good time to sell is because now is a good time to buy. "Wait a minute!", you say. "How can that be? Isn't it contradictory?" Well, no, it's not. Whether it is a good time to sell or a good time to buy isn't like a zero-sum game where what's good for one is necessarily not good for the other. Good conditions for buying can mean that there are more potential prospects to sell to. Moreover, just because the conditions for buying are good doesn't necessarily imply that prices must be low. Of course, if they are extremely high, then that won't be a good time to buy.

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The low interest rates that have recently been available have done two things for sellers. They have created a larger pool of potential buyers and they also have made it possible for prices to rise without shutting out those buyers. This will not, however, last forever. Even now we see occasional headlines that say things like "interest rates recently roared back up to 4%". (Who ever would have thought that 4% would seem high?) While they currently seem to be in a floating back and forth mode, some day the Fed will reverse course and they will begin to rise.

Another reason to think that now is a good time to sell is because inventory is still low, meaning there's less competition. To be sure, inventory is creeping up in many markets, but it is still historically low (60% of the peak in 2007). Why is inventory so low? There are disparate reasons, but certainly one of them is the belief that prices will continue to rise. Some people want to wait for that to happen. It is not just owners who think prices will rise. According to the same Redfin survey, 44% of agents thought that prices will rise "a lot" in the next twelve months. Only 11% thought that last year.

Whether it is a good time to sell is always, ultimately, an individual question. What would be the reason for selling? Would it entail another purchase?

So, is it a good time to sell? Sure is.

Terry Naber, RE/MAX Properties, Inc, is an experienced real estate professional since 1990 having served hundreds of clients and helping them in the process and dream of home ownership.  Terry KNOWS the market in the Colorado Springs, CO. region.  Give her a call to discuss your plans to sell and list your home, gather information, and find out what Terry can do to get you the best market price with the least time on the market!  Call 719-590-4796. 

Click Here and Get a FREE Report on What Your Home is Worth.        

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5 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR BUYING A HOME

Looking To Buy a New Home? Here Are 5 Essential Tips To make the process a smooth one

Get your finances in order.

Start by getting a full picture of your credit. Obtain copies of your credit report. Make sure the facts are correct, and fix any problems you find. Next, find a suitable lender and get pre-approved for a loan. This will put you in a better position to make a serious offer when you do find the right house.

Find a house you can afford.

As with engagement rings, there’s a general rule of thumb when it comes to buying a home: two-and-a-half times your annual salary. There are also a number of tools and calculators online that can help you understand how your income, debt, and expenses affect what you can afford. Don’t forget, too, that there are lots of considerations beyond the sticker price, including property taxes, energy costs, etc.

Hire a professional.

While the Internet gives buyers unprecedented access to home listings and resources, many aspects of the buying process require a level of expertise you can’t pick up from surfing the web. That’s why you’re better off using a professional agent than going it alone. If possible, recruit an exclusive buyer agent, who will have your interests at heart and can help you with strategies during the bidding process.

Do your homework.

Before making a bid, do some research to determine the state of the market at large. Is it more favorable for sellers or buyers? Next, look at sales trends of similar homes in the area or neighborhood. Look at prices for the last few months. Come up with an asking price that’s competitive, but also realistic. Otherwise, you may end up ticking off your seller.

Think long term.

Obviously, you shouldn’t buy unless you’re sure you’ll be staying put for at least a few years. Beyond that, you should buy in a neighborhood with good schools. Whether you have children or not, this will have an impact on your new home’s resale value down the line. When it comes to the house itself, you should hire your own home inspector, who can point out potential problems that could require costly repairs in the future.

Terry Naber, RE/MAX Properties, Inc, is an experienced real estate professional since 1990 having served hundreds of clients and helping them in the process and dream of home ownership.  Terry KNOWS the market in the Colorado Springs, CO. region.  Give her a call to discuss your plans to sell and list your home, gather information, and find out what Terry can do to get you the best market price with the least time on the market!  Call 719-590-4796.  

Click Here and Get a FREE Report on What Your Home is Worth.         

Search More Properties Here

Helping The Dream of Home Ownership Happen

During the recession, sellers were holding onto their homes.  With that behind us now, sellers are listing their homes, and enjoying good sale prices. 

Here's Some Buyer "Eye Candy...."

Stunning Kitchen That Creates a Little "Envy?"

How About a Room "Bursting" With Bunks?  

What a Way To "Cook" It Up Outdoors!

Whatever your flavor, Terry Naber at RE/MAX Properties, Inc, Can help you find your next home. 
Give Terry a call at 719-590-4796 or visit online and FIND YOUR HOME HERE. in the Colorado Springs, CO. region!

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BTW...
The Hiring Outlook in Colorado Springs is The Best In Nearly 5 Years.
The outlook for the Colorado Springs job market for the third quarter is the best in nearly five years and among the best in the nation. We are back to a booming economy and thriving real estate market.  Come enjoy the life Colorado Springs has to offer.

Home Sale Prices Reaching Higher Ground

Buyers Push Home Sales Prices Higher For Sellers

Home prices continue to surprise, posting a double-digit annual gain in April. Much the same expected for May.

Home prices, including distressed sales, increased 12.1% year-over-year, representing the biggest annual increase since February 2006 and the 14th consecutive monthly increase,CoreLogic said Tuesday.

Additionally, home prices, including distressed sales, increased by 3.2% from March to April.

"Increasing demand for new and existing homes, coupled with low inventory, has created a virtuous cycle for price gains, most clearly seen in the Western states with year-over-year gains of 20% or more," said Dr. Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic 

Excluding distressed sales, home prices increased 11.9% on a yearly basis. While home prices, excluding distressed sales, also increased on a monthly basis to 3% in April compared to March.

Of the top 100 Core Based Statistical Areas, measured by population, 94 posted year-over-year increases in April, unchanged from March.

"The pace of the housing market recovery quickened in April as home prices rose across the U.S.," said Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic.

He added "For the second consecutive month, all 50 states registered year-over-year home price gains excluding sales of distressed homes. We expect this trend to continue, bolstered by tight supplies and pent up buyer demand."

If you are interested in selling your Colorado Springs, CO. home, call Terry Naber @ RE/MAX Properties, Inc at 719-590-4796.  Find out what your home is worth and the best approach to maximize your sale price with minimum days on the market.  Let Terry's 23+ years experience, knowledge of the Colorado Springs Real Estate market, and marketing systems help you achieve your goals.
Visit our website at www.TerrySellsColoradoSprings.com 
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