Selling a home profitably in today’s market isn’t easy. However, if you follow these simple home staging tips, you’ll not only maximize your selling price, you’ll probably speed up your sales timeline as well, as Richard hartian shares with us. There are professionals who are paid to stage homes. However, home staging is mostly common sense and creativity. Here are a few tips and tricks that professional stagers use: Follow the 50% rule Start packing Depersonalize Apply cosmetics Use flower power Hide your kids and pets Accessorize 1) Follow the 50% rule Start with your kitchen and bathroom counters and remove at least 50% of everything that’s on them. Put away utensils and small appliances. A decorative bowl with fresh fruit looks great on the kitchen counter. Cereal boxes, dish draine... 03/17/2012

Fannie Mae, that government-owned (that means you and me) mortgage giant is the largest buyer of mortgage loans in the United States.  It pretty much has always been this way since Fannie’s charter was changed back in 1968.  When a lender makes a mortgage loan that conforms to Fannie guidelines, that lender may sell that mortgage loan to Fannie Mae for a price, as reported by Richard hartian. Why do lenders sell loans?  When a lender sells a loan they can make an instant profit on that loan in lieu of collecting interest payments over the years, but more importantly, it provides the lender with additional capital to make more loans.  It’s a never-ending process that keeps the mortgage markets liquid. But something happened during this mortgage buying process that has given Fannie Mae a ... 03/10/2012

Staging Secrets Bye, Bye Clutter The most important thing you can do to prepare your home for sale is to get rid of clutter. Make a house rule that for every new item that comes in, an old one has to leave. One of the major contributors to a cluttered look is having too much furniture. When professional stagers descend on a home being prepped for market, they often whisk away as much as half the owner's furnishings, and the house looks much bigger for it. You don't have to whittle that drastically, but take a hard look at what you have and ask yourself what you can live without. Furniture Groupings There's a common belief that rooms will feel larger and be easier to use if all the furniture is pushed against the walls, but that isn't the case. Instead, furnish your space by floating fu... 03/10/2012

CREATING WEALTH THROUGH HOMEOWNERSHIP - THE PROOF Several real estate economists have shown that the average homeowner accumulates more overall wealth than the average renter.[i] However, it is not clear how this is done. Is it that owned property usually appreciates at such a rate that, after considering leverage, returns to ownership are extraordinarily high? Said another way, might homeowners accumulate more overall wealth because ownership is a great levered equity creator through property appreciation? Or, is it that owners acquire greater wealth, on average, because they are systematically paying down a mortgage thereby creating equity thanks to loan amortization? In other words, paying off property creates wealth, as researched by Ken H. Johnson, Ph.D of Florida International Un... 03/10/2012

FHA’s Streamline Refinance Program could benefit millions of borrowers whose mortgages are currently insured by FHA.   Cecelia Marlow a respected Loan Officer shares news beginning June 11, 2012, FHA will lower its Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium (UFMIP) to just .01 percent and reduce its annual premium to .55 percent for certain FHA borrowers.   Qualifications: 1.        Borrowers must be current on their existing FHA insured mortgage. 2.        Mortgage must have been endorsed on or before May 31, 2009. Currently, 3.4 million households with loans endorsed on or before May 31, 2009, pay more than a five percent annual interest rate on their FHA-insured mortgages. By refinancing through this streamlined process, it’s estimated that the average qualified FHA-insured borrower will sav... 03/09/2012

Household Worth in U.S Increases as Stock Prices Rebound By Shobhana Chandra - Mar 8, 2012   Play Foreclosure Aid May Help Property Investors Household wealth in the U.S. climbed from October through December for the first time in three quarters as an increase in stock prices outstripped a decline in home values. Net worth for households and non-profit groups increased by $1.19 trillion in the fourth quarter, or 2.1 percent from the previous three months, to $58.5 trillion, the Federal Reserve said today in its flow of funds report from Washington. Housing wealth decreased by the most in more than a year.   Enlarge image Household Worth in U.S. Rises for First Time in Three Quarters Chip Chipman/Bloomberg Buildings in San Francisco. Buildings in San Francisco. Photographer: Chip Chipma... 03/09/2012

Here are some quick tips to help you conserve water, energy (and money) in your home!* If you don't have it in your budget to upgrade to a low-flow or dual–flush toilet, put a brick or full 2-liter bottle in your toilet tank. These will take up volume and help you save water every time you flush! Turn down the temperature on your hot-water heater by at least 2 degrees and wrap your unit in a blanket. Replace your burned-out incandescent light bulbs with CFLs or LEDs. Simply swapping out the most commonly used incandescent bulbs in your home can save you $60 to $100 a year. Visit my archives here if you're interested in learning more efficiency-boosting changes for your home! Inventory of new homes on the market shrank to its lowest point on record in January, marking a 5.6-month supply ... 03/02/2012

Rich Hofeld a respected House Inspector reminds while this winter has been a relatively mild one in many regions, it is probably several months since you last paid attention to any outdoor maintenance. So within the next month or so it will be time to do a winter-end check to make sure everything is in order and your home is ready to withstand those pending spring-time showers. One area that typically requires special attention at the end of the winter season is the roof. To identify possible roofing concerns, look for: Ceiling stains – A possible warning sign that your roof system needs repair or replacement. If localized, it may be an isolated point of roof damage or a flashing leak. Ceiling stains can also be associated with excessive attic moisture and/or ice dam conditions, which m... 02/28/2012

Respected House Inspector Rich Hofeld helps us learn how to a correct squeaky floors, address foggy insulated glass windows, provide a vapor barrier for an old house, and get the maximum out of a house painting job. Q. Our house has beat-up hardwood floors covered by wall-to-wall carpets. The floors squeak badly. Is there any way to fix this problem from the basement, without removing the carpeting? Squeaking floors can be very tricky to repair, but if you can work from underneath the floor you have an advantage. The squeaks are often caused by floor boards rubbing against nails or each other, or the floor joists, because they are not securely fastened. A repair method that sometimes works is to check the underside of the floor for gaps between the subfloor and floor joists. The gaps m... 02/28/2012

Lisa Hare a respected colleague in Florida shares when purchasing a fixer upper home there is certainly some risk involved, but for many, the benefits far exceed the risks. There are several things to consider first, some positive and some negative. Things to Consider When Buying A Fixer Upper  Anytime that you purchase a home, whether it needs love or if it is move-in ready, you already need to be considering the resale of that home, no matter what your plans for the future might be. This will better enable you to make the right choices at the right time. Making good buying choices will help you make good selling choices later, and you wouldn’t want to make a purchase that will not return your investment plus a profit later. The Perks  The price of a house that needs some attention is ... 02/25/2012

Very rarely do I introduce spiritual ideas when I'm serving my valued Clients when speaking with them.  There is an old saying I found to be true when conducting business.  The rules dictates to stay away fron God and politics when serving Clients.  My Pastor Robb Thompson shared some insights on the law of covenant recently.  Upon reading his remarks, I was reminded of how real estate is much like the law of covenant and the law of sowing and reaping.  We sow marketing and great customer service to reap valued Clients and their referrals.  Thus, when we do right by our valued Clients we operate in the law of covenant. Pastor Thompson shares, good relationships may begin because of common purpose, mutual support, and so forth, but they endure because of commitment or covenant. What is c... 02/25/2012

The Federal Reserve announced that short-term interest rates will likely stay near zero for nearly three more years, a move that is expected to spillover to long-term mortgage rates for home buyers and home owners. In August, the Fed had made a rare move to say it would keep rates near zero until at least mid-2013. The Fed said Wednesday that the economy still needs more help and it will now extend that period to 2014.  Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said in a news conference that the Fed isn’t happy with the modest economic recovery and that the Fed may need to take additional steps to spur recovery. He did not comment further on what those steps might be, though.  While the economy has improved somewhat in recent weeks, Fed officials say it’s worried about “strains in global financial mar... 02/25/2012

Renee Kosel, Assistant House Republican Leader and Illinois State Representative asked me to participate in a online legislative survey so she could gather a wide range of valuable ideas, suggestions, and concerns.  Below is the feeback she received reflecting the opinions of all who participated in the survey.  Please review and see if there are some similar concerns in your state?  This may be information you may want to share with your local State Representative? Online Legislative Survey Results – Winter 2012 1.      What issue is most important to you?Jobs / Economy            22.2%                Balance state budget/unpaid bills                9%Pensions                       21.4%                Govt. Spending/Fiscal responsibility            5%Taxes                           11... 02/22/2012

Recently I was touring homes with a Valued Buyer Couple. They mentioned how much they enjoy watching HGTV. We discovered we are mutual fans. They ask me if Realtors naturally put a positive spin on negative things Buyers point out about homes? Without really giving it much thought the first thing I thought and commented on was over 25 years have taught me I really don't sale homes. Meaning, the homes really sell themselves. Buyers buy for two main reasons, they fill a need and they feel good about filling the need. Retail stores figured out this secret a long - long time ago. This is why we listen to nice music, we smell nice aromas, we touch nice things, and our eyes are entertained by the nice things we see as we shop. They figured out how to tap into those emotions helping us feel g... 02/22/2012

Small-Home Trend Reverses as More High-End Buyers Enter the Market Single-family home starts were at a 40-year-low in 2011, with just 429,000 homes built. That’s also a 75 percent decrease from a peak of 1.7 million starts in 2005, Multimedia Web Producer Erica Christoffer discovers at the builders show. But today’s new-home buyer may surprise you. Let’s start by looking at a few builder and consumer statistics presented during the International Builders’ Show in Orlando Thursday. The average start size increased from 2,381 square feet to 2,522 square feet and the average sales price rose from $264,900 to $274,400 in 2011. New homes have more amenities, too. More houses built in 2011 had four or more bedrooms, three or more bathrooms, three-car garages, finished basements, patios, and ... 02/21/2012

8 Quick, Hot Design Tips From the International Builders’ Show Looking for quick, easy ideas to bring a home to life, add value, or prep for sale without spending a lot? Learn from the pros!  Erica Christoffer, a multimedia Web Producer shares Designers who presented at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando last week had a plethora low-cost, chic ideas to make to most of an interior space. 1. Transform closets:  Consider turning a smaller, awkward closet into a built-in with cabinetry and shelving, or if there’s enough space, even a desk nook. Add dramatic dimension with disc lighting on each shelf. Buyers are looking to maximize every inch of a home with workspaces and storage solutions they’ll actually use. (Jerry Collin, Kay Green Design) [Here are some great before and after ... 02/21/2012

FHA Mortgage Premiums On The Rise   Mick Rothblott, Mortgage & Construction Loan Planner informs us the Administration has released the budget for the next fiscal year and included in this budget is a soon to be announced increase in insurance premiums for Federal Housing Administration mortgage loans.   In the last few years, FHA has become the fastest growing source of financing of home purchases and FHA has been a popular choice for refinancing as well. One reason for this popularity is the fact that FHA requirements are more lenient than conventional loans in several respects.  In addition, this past year Congress extended higher loan amounts for FHA mortgages, but did not do such for conforming mortgages.   The increase in FHA insurance will cost homebuyers and those who want to re... 02/20/2012

One of my greatest challenges when working with Buyers wanting to invest in foreclosures, is helping them to fully understand what "as-is" really means.  It means the only negotiation a bank may participate in is price. It is important for Buyers to not only budget for the amount they may be willing to pay for the home, they should also budget for repairs, plus a possible required Village repair escrow.  Some communities have ordinances affording the Municipality to require a repair escrow to insure the Buyer will make repairs before the Village will allow occupancy of the property. 5 Tips to increase your success Buying Foreclosures Vito Simone, a licensed home improvement contractor reminds us when buying foreclosures (or any distressed property for that matter) it is important to kno... 02/15/2012

Several  years ago I gave this business opportunity to my Mom as a gift.  She has discovered so many amazing travels deals affording her to travel several times year. What I loved about sharing this gift was she could travel often very cheaply, not be obligated to sell anything, or recruit anyone, and earn an income for traveling. This business afforded my Mom the ability to have an internet base business whereby she could acheive all of her travel credentials and serve numerous clients without the requirement to prospect for them, resulting in additional income. For years she had been organizing groups of friends to join her on cruises (I call her the "cruise-queen").  This buisness opportunity allowed her to do what she had been doing for years, but now earn income, free travel, and i... 02/15/2012

A corporate attorney sent the following  out to the employees in his  company:1.Do not sign the  back of yourcredit  cards.  Instead, put 'PHOTO ID  REQUIRED.'2. When  you are writing checks to pay on your credit  card accounts, DO NOT put the  completeaccount  numberon the 'For' line. Instead,  just put thelast four  numbers. The credit card company  knows the rest of the number, and anyone who  might be handling your check as it passes  through all the check processing channels won't  have access to it.3. Put your  work phone # on your checks instead of your home  phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of  your home address. If you do not have a PO Box,  use your work address.Neverhave  yourSS#printed on  your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is  necessary. But if you have It... 02/14/2012