|
|
Articles
|
Repair, Maintenance and Improvement
|
BY MERLE HENKENIUS Illustrations by George Retseck Published in the January 1997 issue.
If you have water problems in your basement that you've been ignoring, there's a good chance you're losing up to half of your home's living space. And at the cost of housing these days, that's a substantial loss. While water that collects in a basement may originate from several possible sources, almost all such problems can be corrected. And for many, the simplest solution is to install a sump pump. While a pump doesn't cure the disease, it goes a long way toward treating the symptoms. And it does the job at a price that most of us can afford.
|
|
|
Real Estate Article
|
|
As a homeowner, you can play an important part in the timely sale of your property. When you take the following steps, you’ll help your Realtor sell your home faster, at the best possible price.
The easiest and most reliable way to improve the appeal of your home is to enlist a quality home service professional. The right professional can help you get everything in order - from repainting the kitchen to providing a thorough cleaning - so you can stay focused on more important things.
1. Make the Most of that First Impression
A well-manicured lawn, neatly trimmed shrubs and a clutter-free porch welcome prospects. So does a freshly painted – or at least freshly scrubbed – front door. If it’s autumn, rake the leaves. If it’s winter, shovel the walkways. The fewer obstacles between prospects and the true appeal of your home, the better.
2. Invest a Few Hours for Future Dividends
Here’s your chance to clean up in real estate. Clean up the living room, the bathroom, the kitchen. If your woodwork is scuffed or the paint is fading, consider some minor redecoration. Fresh wallpaper adds charm and value to your property. If you’re worried about time, hire professional cleaners or painters to get your house ready. Remember, prospects would rather see how great your home really looks than hear how great it could look “with a little work.”
3. Check Faucets and Bulbs
Dripping water rattles the nerves, discolors sinks, and suggests faulty or worn-out plumbing. Burned out bulbs or faulty wiring leave prospects in the dark. Don’t let little problems detract from what’s right with your home.
4. Don’t Shut Out a Sale
If cabinets or closet doors stick in your home, you can be sure they will also stick in a prospect’s mind. Don’t try to explain away sticky situations when you can easily plane them away. A little effort on your part can smooth the way toward a closing.
5. Think Safety
Homeowners learn to live with all kinds of self-set booby traps: roller skates on the stairs, festooned extension cords, slippery throw rugs and low hanging overhead lights. Make your residence as non-perilous as possible for uninitiated visitors.
6. Make Room for Space
Remember, potential buyers are looking for more than just comfortable living space. They’re looking for storage space, too. Make sure your attic and basement are clean and free of unnecessary items.
7. Consider Your Closets
The better organized a closet, the larger it appears. Now’s the time to box up those unwanted clothes and donate them to charity.
8. Make Your Bathroom Sparkle
Bathrooms sell homes, so let them shine. Check and repair damaged or unsightly caulking in the tubs and showers. For added allure, display your best towels, mats, and shower curtains.
9. Create Dream Bedrooms
Wake up prospects to the cozy comforts of your bedrooms. For a spacious look, get rid of excess furniture. Colorful bedspreads and fresh curtains are a must.
10. Open up in the Daytime
Let the sun shine in! Pull back your curtains and drapes so prospects can see how bright and cheery your home is.
11. Lighten up at Night
Turn on the excitement by turning on all your lights - both inside and outside - when showing your home in the evening. Lights add color and warmth, and make prospects feel welcome.
12. Avoid Crowd Scenes
Potential buyers often feel like intruders when they enter a home filled with people. Rather than giving your house the attention it deserves, they’re likely to hurry through. Keep the company present to a minimum.
13. Watch Your Pets
Dogs and cats are great companions, but not when you’re showing your home. Pets have a talent for getting underfoot. So do everybody a favor: Keep Kitty and Spot outside, or at least out of the way.
14. Think Volume
Rock-and-roll will never die. But it might kill a real estate transaction. When it’s time to show your home, it’s time to turn down the stereo or TV.
15. Relax
Be friendly, but don’t try to force conversation. Prospects want to view your home with a minimum of distraction.
16. Don’t Apologize
No matter how humble your abode, never apologize for its shortcomings. If a prospect volunteers a derogatory comment about your home’s appearance, let your experienced Realtor handle the situation.
17. Keep a Low Profile
Nobody knows your home as well as you do. But Realtors know buyers - what they need and what they want. Your Realtor will have an easier time articulating the virtues of your home if you stay in the background.
18. Don’t Turn Your Home into a Second-Hand Store
When prospects come to view your home, don’t distract them with offers to sell those furnishings you no longer need. You may lose the biggest sale of all.
19. Defer to Experience - It’s the Experience®
When prospects want to talk price, terms, or other real estate matters, let them speak to an expert - your Real Estate professional.
20. Help Your Agent
Your Realtor will have an easier time selling your home if showings are scheduled through his or her office. You’ll appreciate the results! |
|
Real Estate Article
|
|
Whether you have spent years saving and preparing to buy a home, or you still aren’t sure if it is something you can even dream of, the questions surrounding a first-time home purchase can feel endless.
You can find the answers – and peace of mind – by working with a licensed realtor.
Here are some tips to help you with the process of becoming your own landlord.
1. Prequalify for a loan
Being prequalified for a loan determines how much house you can afford. It also allows you to move more swiftly when you find the right house, especially when you aren’t the only interested buyer.
2. Shop for mortgage rates and terms
A difference of even half a percentage point can make a huge difference in how much you pay over the life of a loan. For example, the difference in the monthly payment on a $100,000 mortgage at 8 percent vs. 7.5 percent is about $35 per month. Over 30 years, that’s $12,600.
3. Using a buyer agent
A buyer agent is legally responsible for representing the buyer’s interest in a real estate transaction. Generally, the buyer agent is compensated by the seller at the time you purchase a new home. There are some limitations to using a buyer agent, however. Before you decide, have a Realtor explain the advantages and disadvantages of using a buyer agent.
4. Features that help or hurt resale value
In some areas, a swimming pool actually detracts from a home’s value and makes the home harder to sell. In neighborhoods with two-car, attached garages, a single-car or detached garage may impact the home sale and future value. Your Realtor can point out features that hurt, as well as those that help, resale value.
5. Rate the houses you tour
After touring each home, write down what you liked and didn’t like. Develop a rating system which will help you narrow the field down to the house that’s the best for you. |
|
Real Estate Article
|
|
The Board Of Realtors Website Offers Some Great Tools For Searching Properties. However, it's not pretty and not that user friendly.
Here are some pointers to get you started with the default fields that are included with the local boards search tool. Also, remember that if you select additional criteria you can choose some other options, like searching by a specific school district. If you choose to add some additional criteria and then want to go back and modify some of your other information be sure so select the "Revise Criteria" button... or you will get a blank page and have to start from scratch! Property Types:
Select "Residential" For a Basic Single Family Home Search
Regions - Zones:
If your not familiar with the Springfield area you might want to leave this blank.
Counties:
Select "Green County" To Search the Springfield Area or leave it blank and search by city.
Cities:
Select Springfield and/or other cities near by like Ozark, Nixa, and Republic.
Bedroom & Bathrooms:
From and Thru should read Minimum and Maximum, its easy to fill this out wrong.
Structure*:
I would leave this blank. If you fill this out you could be excluding a lot of properties that actually meet your criteria.
Price:
This is the best way to narrow or broaden your results. If your not getting the results you expect, try changing this first.
Year Built*:
I would leave this blank. If you fill this out you could be excluding a lot of properties that actually meet your criteria.
Subdivision:
As far as I know there is no complete list of subdivisions for Springfield, so this is for those of you who know the name already.
Listing numbers:
These are the 6 digit numbers advertised by agents in this area often called "MLS numbers" if you have this number from an advertisement you can put that in here and skip the rest!
Address:
If you know the address you can start here. *The Rapattoni system used to exclude any properties that did not have the exact input for these fields- including ranges. If an agent put in the exact Year built or Square Footage on the listing forms for the board and you searched for that exact number you would get a result. In most cases agents list the property in a SQFT range or year built range and all of those properties will be excluded if you enter data in these fields. I'm still getting clarification on if this "problem" still exists. |
|
Real Estate Article
|
Here are 10 quick fixes that make a house more likely to be snagged up by buyers.
1. Paint the trim, columns, front door, and the light fixture.
2. Replace the storm door with a full-view one.
3. Clean all the window screens.
4. Add new mulch and a potted plant by the front door.
5. Remove mirrors from over the fireplace so buyers focus on the fireplace.
6. Move furniture 1 1/2 to 2 feet away from the walls to create the illusion of more space.
7. Get rid of any movable storage pieces in the kitchen and take all the clutter off the refrigerator.
8. Clean and regrout the bathroom floor tile.
9. Replace dated bathroom vanities with trendy (and economical) pedestal sinks.
10. Put colorful bedding and matching window treatments in all the bedrooms. |
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 3 of 3 |
|
