Features to Brag about!

"Green" homes are all the rage right now. There are two main reasons for this. First, some people are real big into saving mother earth and want to make sure everything they can control has an "eco-friendly" edge to it. Secondly, most all green features mean saving money on energy costs.

Pointing out all of your green features, or updating with energy saving materials and appliances can help you win favor with most buyers. This is especially true on older homes that have been updated. If you updated your older home with a tank-less water heater, low water usage toilets, cellulose insulation, and a high efficiency HVAC then you are in a much better position than the home down the street with new paint & carpet.

It's important to remember when updating, remodeling or building a home that you take into consideration what you can do to reduce energy costs. This is a great selling feature, but also something that will allow you to enjoy your remodeled home with less expense over time. Any energy saving update that has been done to your home, even if was a built in feature when you bought the home new 3 years ago, needs to be exploited when you are selling it.

See a great article below from Realty Times that explains in more detail some of the updates and reasons to ensure everyone looking at your home knows it is a better choice than your competition.

http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20100312_ecofriendly.htm

Prepping your home for sale

When you are getting ready to put your home on the market there are many things you want to check and make sure operate & appear as they should. Working with buyers & sellers I've seen the kind of things people notice, and they are not what you'd expect. There are people that can live with a neon green & pink bedroom, but will run from a leaking faucet. Or see prior water damage no matter how small and freak out.

One of the biggest faux pas I see in homes for sale is a lack of cleanliness. Typically it is the things people don't clean on a weekly basis. Such as baseboards, top of the refrigerator, kitchen cabinets, bathroom grout, garages, basements, laundry areas and other places that are normally cleaned at spring cleaning time.

This lack of cleanliness will kill your first impression with potential buyers. I've had some sellers that spent a week doing a thorough cleaning and being so impressed with their home again that they had second thoughts about selling them. And these weren't dirty people mind you. The deep cleaning just makes your house look so much better than it's competition because most people who sell don't take the time or put forth the effort to clean their house fully.

There are many other areas to address. This article on MSN has a very good list with excellent information for each area of interest. See the article below and please let me know if I can ever answer your real estate questions.

http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=13108483

Government urges banks to drop second liens

While I'm not a big fan of government involvement in much of our lives at all, especially private sector business, I hope this issue resonates with banks. Short Sales, one of the largest categories of Real Estate Transactions right now are extremely difficult to complete in most instances because second lien holders refuse to admit they have an unsecured loan.

The linked short article below speaks directly to the point of having these second and other junior lien holders admit their true position. If the first mortgage forecloses their lien gets wiped out anyway! So perhaps if they are able to openly admit they loaned too much money against some homes, they would be able to convert more of these second mortgages and HELOC's into signature loans and recoup more money than they will with a foreclosure.

That's my two cents but it sure makes a lot of sense to me. More homes will be sold, more troubled families will have money to make small payments for deficencies on first & second mortgages or HELOC's. Maybe some of the banks will take the suggestions to heart.

We will see...

http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2010031102?OpenDocument

Open House in Blue Springs!

If you are looking for a great home in Blue Springs then be sure to stop by my open house! This great Atrium Split is open and bright with plenty of room for the whole family!

Open Sunday 3/14 from 1-4
21109 E 50th Terr Dr
Blue Springs, MO 64015

See more information below:

/brittany

See you there!!!

Tips when searching for a home

This great article has very good tips that I tend to share with my buyers when searching for a home. It speaks to the importance of knowing the area you are looking in and also bringing pen & paper to remember what you like and dislike about a particular home.

If you ever have any questions about anything Real Estate please give me a call. I'm happy to act as your personal advisor and I have the experience and knowledge to ensure you are getting accurate facts. Also, if you ask a question I don't know the answer to, I'll tell you and seek out someone that does know.

See the article below and then... Happy House Hunting!!!

http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20100309_househunter.htm

What to expect during a CMA

The attached article below gives a great explanation as to why a Comparative Market Analysis is important and also what to expect during the process. It shows the importance of pricing and the proper ways to arrive at the market value of your home.

See the link below and if you ever want a no strings attached CMA from a professional Realtor with an exemplary record for quick sales and a high list to sale price ratio, give me a call. I'd be happy to provide you with a written CMA and explain all the options you have to sell your house for top dollar.

http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20100309_realworth.htm

Pricing Your Home

When you sell a home, one of the biggest factors is pricing. A home that is priced right will attract the most potential buyers and sell very quickly. If your home is priced too high the interested buyers will be turned off, or disappointed when they see your home, thinking more was there to justify the higher price.

The longer a home is on the market the less it will bring. Potential buyers will typically question why a home has been on the market for a while, and being overpriced isn't the first reason that pops into their mind. Often when a buyer sees your home has been on the market for six months or a year they start asking the question "What's wrong with that house?"

Sometimes people will price a home higher to allow for negotiation room. This is also a poor plan. If in the process of doing a market analysis you discover that your home is worth $150,000 (for example) then you need to price it near that figure. A good trick is to see at what percentage to the list price the comparable homes have sold at. If you find that the average home sells at 94% of the list price then you could list it at $159,000. However I've had great success pricing it much closer to the actual market value from the start. Like maybe listing it at $154,950. That's how I've managed an average of 96% of list price on all homes sold. This is 5% higher than the Metro KC average.

The best gauge for pricing your home is to look at what's sold and for how much. If you see a home that was on the market for a long time, it's not as good to compare against. Stats show that after a home has been on the market more than two months you start loosing value. At six months the average home sells at 90% of list price and at one year it is down to 84% of list price. So try and use homes that sold in under 30 days. These homes are typically priced well and will sell close to list price.

A good professional Realtor with a history of quick sales and a high list to sale price ratio will be able to set a price that reflects market value. Not only can they make that informed decision, they will be able to show you the numbers and explain what factors justify your homes market value.

Selling your home in a down market...

I've heard from several people who were thinking about selling their home that they'd prefer to wait until the market recovers. Well I have some good reasons to set aside that thinking and look at all the positives that come from selling your home in a "down" market.

First off, the market we find ourselves in currently isn't really that down. This is more like a normal market. It will be a while before the out of hand prices we saw recently return, most likely they will return to those levels when inflation and normal appreciation put them there.

However, if I'm incorrect about the housing prices, there are still many benefits to selling your home now. One that most people don't think of is that when you sell your home for less due to market factors, the home you are buying is also priced less than usual. And since most all home values work on percentages your gain moving up in house will be significantly higher in terms of dollars.

This is an easy example to see what I'm speaking of. If you purchased your house in 2005 for $100,000, perhaps now it is worth $95,000, or a decrease of 5%. If you sell your house now you can then buy what was a $200,000 house for $190,000, a $300,000 house for $285,000 and so on. Then when appreciation kicks in and your homes value goes back up, your going to come out money ahead when you sell next time.

Also, there is a tax credit available for many buyers. This is motivating buyers to get out shopping earlier than usual, and has also been leading to some bidding wars on cheaply priced good homes. The tax credit expires in April, but I'm pretty confident the market won't notice a huge dip when that time comes.

Lastly, right now there are contractors out there who are skilled and looking for work. With fewer jobs available the pricing is quite competitive and these contractors are eager to earn your business. So if there are some items you've been wanting to take care of, this is a great time to get them done. Also if some items need attention to market your home to more buyers this is a great way to get the work done cheaper and quicker than usual.

So if you are thinking of selling your home, but concerned about the effects from the market place, I hope this will help you make an informed decision. If there is anything I can do, or any questions I can answer, please contact me.