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Tips for Selling Real Estate
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| Sales Tips From A Home Inspector on How to Sell Faster and at a Better Price | Review these aspects of your home and repair if necessary:
Paint/Stain the entrance to your home (front door and porch).
Caulk windows and thresholds and seal doors.
Check for signs of insect and pest problems.
Roof leaks, lifted shingles, broken tiles.
Leaking and/or dripping faucets, running or leaking toilets.
Lack of cleanliness and existence of clutter.
Broken fixtures or appliances.
Wash all windows inside and out.
Keep the lawn mowed and shrubs trimmed.
Remove family photos, buyers want to imagine their family there.
Remove and store some furniture and knick-knacks to add a feeling of spaciousness.
Replace any badly worn floor coverings or carpet with neutral colors.
Consider having all pets removed to family or care centers. About 50% of all buyers do not have pets and don't want a house that has had pets.
Have a third party, (nonresident of the home), hunt down all odors and remove.
The best scents for the home would be clean laundry or freshly baked banana nut bread. (You might even want to leave the bread for your Realtor. You know she/he is working hard for you.) Do not use overpowering floral scents or incense sticks.
*Some of the above tips were taken from a web-advertisement of 'Inspect-It 1st Property Inspection'.
| | Steps to Prepare for an Open House or Showing Appt. | 1. Hire a cleaning service. A spotlessly clean home is essential; dirt will turn off a prospect faster than anything.
2. Pay attention to the outdoors. Manicure your lawn, and be sure toys and yard equipment are put away.
3. Serve cookies, coffee, and soft drinks. It creates a welcoming touch. Use disposable cups so the kitchen sink doesn't fill up.
4. Lock up your valuables, jewelry, and money. Although the real estate salesperson will be on sire during open houses and showings, it's impossible to watch everyone all the time.
5. Turn on all the lights. Even in the daytime, incandescent lights add sparkle.
6. Send your pets to a neighbor or take them outside. If that's not possible, crate them or confine them to one room (a basement or utility room and let the salesperson know where to find them.)
7. Leave. It's awkward for prospective buyers to look in your closets and express their opinions of your home with you there.
| | Credit Card Limits to be Cut by 2 Trillion by 2010 – How Does This Impact You? | RISMEDIA, August 29, 2009-Ray Robinson thought he had a really good credit score, but then he applied for an auto loan and the panic set in. His once very good 758 score had dropped to 692. The most widely used credit scores run from 300 (very poor) to 850 (immaculate). First, Robinson rushed to assess what triggered the change- he pays his home loan on time, all the credit cards and the other auto loan are kept up to date too. He wasn’t using his credit cards more than usual, so what happened?
Well, the economy continues to take its toll in more ways than one. As banks and lenders continue their ongoing effort to stabilize their portfolio risk they are closing a record number of credit card accounts (over 50 million were announced last week alone) and reducing millions of dollars in credit lines. This pull back reflects an unprecedented amount of credit-up to $2 trillion on cards alone by 2010.
As the credit lines tighten up, even some consumers with excellent credit and spotless payment records are seeing their credit scores reduced because of the diminished credit lines. Yes, our friend Ray with the once 758 score hasn’t changed the way he manages his credit or makes purchases but the credit limits he once had to support those purchases have changed. By dropping his credit limits it would “appear” that he is using a higher percentage of what credit he has available. He might even incur a “over limit fee.” Credit card providers collect around $15 billion in penalty fees each year.
So what does a few points on your credit score really matter? It’s always mattered a lot. Almost all banks, home lenders, credit card providers and even insurance companies now use your credit score to decide how risky you are for their products. If you have anything less than a 730 – 750 credit score, you typically will pay varying degrees more in the way of higher fees and interest rates. How much more? In a recent survey at bankrate.com, a consumer with the best credit could get a credit card interest rate below 8% (not including promotional/teaser rates) while those with the worst credit could see rates over 23%. It’s estimated that the typical household could pay as much as $300,000 in extra interest over a lifetime based on situations like this. This is just one of many examples that are changing the landscape of consumer credit management.
So what do you do about it? Experts will tell you to review your credit report at least once every 90 days or so and watch for any changes in your profile. But just watching and waiting is not enough. The need to proactively manage your credit profile to assure you are aware and prepared for situations like Ray’s has never been greater. Additionally, having direct access to a trusted advisor who can address all your questions about your credit report as well as provide you guidance on building a plan to more effectively manage your credit and debt profiles is of the upmost importance. Let’s face it, if you are Ray and you just realized what has happened to your credit scores, you may end up either paying a higher interest rate or not being approved for your car loan if you haven’t taken the proper steps to reduce this risk.
For more information, visit www.ApprovalGUARD.com.
RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.
Read more: http://rismedia.com/2009-08-26/credit-card-limits-to-be-cut-by-2-trillion-by-2010-how-does-this-impact-you/#ixzz0PcXvubKh
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