Why Your Credit Rating Matters Before a lending institution will give you a mortgage to purchase a new home, it wants to estimate how much risk you present as a borrower. If the bank perceives you as having a high default risk, it will protect itself by charging you a higher interest rate for a loan or if the perceived risk is high enough, by denying you altogether. So how do banks determine how risky of a proposition it is to loan you money? The most valuable tool they have is your credit report What is a Credit Report? Your credit report is a summary of the credit you have been extended in the past and how you have handled it. Are most or all of your payments made on time? Have you had a repossession or foreclosure due to nonpayment? Any accounts in collections? How close are your bal... 01/01/2015

10 Home Improvement Ideas for Under $150 When you hear “home improvement”, don’t let the image of dollar signs be burned into your mind. You can absolutely renovate your home a little bit at a time for as little as $150. With some creativity, your house can be given a fresh face lift for a veritable steal. 1.  Shine Up Your Floors Dingy, dull floors can really be a drag on the overall look of your house. If mopping isn’t quite doing the job, consider restoring the wood’s natural luster with a product that is specifically made for shining wood. Ensure the floor is clean and dry before applying the product via the manufacturer’s directions. High traffic areas benefit from a twice yearly polish, while lower traffic areas can get away with an annual shine-up. 2.  Affix a New Light Fixture A... 12/28/2014

Is a Smart Home Really Smart?   Smart homes take great advantage of modern building techniques and automation technology to give you a new control level. A smart home may be built from scratch with automation as a key design goal or constructed from an existing home during renovation. In both cases, they offer several advantages over a conventional home. Security Smart homes have security systems that do a better job of preventing home invasions and intrusions than those that need manual setting. Aside from that, these systems have advanced capabilities to warn residents of potential threats on the inside of the home or on the property. A lot of owners connect their smart home security systems to their city or town’s warning system. This is done in order to obtain advanced warning durin... 12/18/2014

“The kitchen and bathroom sell a house,” says Ken Perrin, president of Artistic Renovations in Cleveland, Ohio. If you are looking to make your bathroom appealing without the expense of extensive remodeling, the biggest cost could be your time and energy. Paint as an Inexpensive Solution The least expensive way to spruce up a bathroom is with paint. While many may suggest neutral colors in other parts of the house, the bathroom may be the exception. Think of it as a jewel box. Choose your favorite jewel tone -- emerald, eggplant, sapphire -- and take it to the paint store to match. The more layers you apply, the deeper and more reflective the color will be. As many as five or six layers would not be too much. Even eight or ten layers may be necessary to achieve the richness of the jewel... 09/30/2014

Eliminate Pet Odor Before Selling Pet odors are some of the most stubborn to get rid of before you sell your house. Sometimes, no matter how much you scrub or try to deodorize, odors linger and make your house much less attractive to buyers. Find the Source of the Odor The first step in eliminating odor is to track its source. Often, odors embed in carpeting and become difficult to see, especially if they do not leave a stain. Your sense of smell will be key in determining which parts of the flooring have the most damage. Find the areas that are strongest to locate the spots where your pet may have relieved himself on the carpet. In some cases, you can purchase a black light from your local home improvement store to help you find urine stains. You will also need some chalk to help you h... 09/19/2014

Drowning in Financial Paperwork? 7 Tips for Digging Yourself OutAccording to Consumer Reports, less than half of all Americans can get their hands on important financial documents immediately, and this includes folks who swear they’re highly organized.  Women are more likely to stay on top of paperwork than men.  Over 65? You belong to Gen A; the accountable generation of people who actually enjoy organizing financial records. No matter the group to which you belong, it’s time to make a change, which is why you can undertake a paper purge using the research in this article. The Tax Man ComethYour annual tax returns are sacrosanct. Keep them forever! Supporting documents proving that you paid off medical bills or job search expenses can be tossed after three years. Why three years? The I... 09/08/2014

Questions that Help Close the Sale Every question a buyer asks holds the potential for a sale. Overcoming objections and guiding the sales process is the responsibility of the real estate agent, but often the closing process can be an uncomfortable game to see who blinks first. Wouldn’t it be nice if we already had a set of closing  questions up our sleeve to pull out when the prospect warmed up? Like the elevator speeches we’ve finely crafted to snag the client in the first place, pre-assessed closing questions can be just the polish  you need to make your business persona excel at closing the sale. 5 Questions to Closing To close a sale you need to be an amateur psychologist and an expert tour guide. Buying a home is an emotional experience, which can often make it easier to close a s... 09/02/2014

Will a Home with a Pool Sink You? Finally, you have found what seems to be the home of your dreams! The property has beautiful curb appeal. You love the location and you’re ready to make an offer, but the house has a swimming pool. Is it a good idea to purchase?  There are plenty of advantages and disadvantages to buying a home with a swimming pool. At first blush, owning a home with a swimming pool sounds like a fantastic idea.  Many homebuyers are quick to fall in love with the idea of having one. They view it as a focal point for kicking back and relaxing. During the heat of the day, cooling off in your own backyard pool is enticing. Night swims under the stars never gets old and entertaining possibilities can be endless.  But there certainly a number of considerations to weigh befor... 08/27/2014

Create a Home Theater on a Budget There are many reasons to add a theater to your home. With increasing movie prices, coupled with the quick home releases, it is simply more cost effective to create the movie experience in your home.  Home theaters are the perfect environment for scheduled family time. Yes, going to the movies gives you a huge screen and excellent sound, but the truth is that you can get that in your home for a lot less than  you imagine — adding value to your home in the process. A Common Misconception Building a home  theater doesn’t have to be expensive. The truth is that the cost of large screen HD televisions have  dropped drastically over the last several years and you can find some great deals on high quality theater seating packages.  With proper planning and a... 08/20/2014

Shift Your Mindset and Make Your Business Work for You As a new or experienced real estate agent, you know how important it is to lay the foundation for different aspects of marketing.  Usually, the way most people market their business is by using techniques taught by trainers or shared by colleagues, but I would like to share with you some unique ideas to make your business work for you.  Even if you only apply one or two of these ideas, it could make a huge difference. Make One Day a Marketing Day One reason agents fail to grow their business is that they don’t promote their services consistently.  And the reason for this is that they are so busy doing everything else to keep the business going that they actually don’t have time to keep the pipeline full.  By dedicating one day for m... 08/12/2014

Modern Window Treatments for Updating Your Kitchen When it comes to upgrading your home, some people tend to think too large. Whether it a complete remodel of a bedroom or bathroom, an addition to a garage or even a complete overhaul of the front or backyard, homeowners can run the risk of biting off more than they can chew.  In reality, some of the best and most noticeable improvements start off much smaller than you realize.  The kitchen, for most families, has long served as the hub for all the home activity so it would only make sense to start there when thinking about updating your home.   Luckily, we’ve got you covered with a few tips to help modernize window treatments and give your kitchen a more up-to-date look. 1. Mind Your Materials Because most kitchen windows tend to be fou... 08/07/2014

How Buyers Choose Agents There are several tools available that help potential owners buy homes without the assistance of a real estate agent. Although this method is effective for some buyers, others should be using the services of a professional real estate agent. As you know, the housing market includes local, state, and city laws that can be difficult to navigate. A good real estate agent helps guide potential buyers through many of the legal and technical processes, but what do buyers want in a real estate agent? What if you could look through their eyes so you can see where you match up? Here are typical qualities buyers search for in real estate agents. Compare these qualities by giving yourself an honest assessment and then determine a plan of action for making improvements. 1. ... 08/05/2014

Why Overpriced Listings Scare Buyers Your house has been for sale and there has been hardly any interest.  You think you have followed all the rules.  Your property has great curb appeal.  You have made some fantastic upgrades and your home is immaculate looking.  Yet open houses have not attracted many potential buyers and offers are scarce.   You ask yoursel, "What's the problem?"  There are a number of possible answers involving psychlogical and practical reasoning.  First, you need to examine if your house is priced competitively in your market.  An over priced listing raises a number of questions for the buyer.   Does the seller actually want to sell the property? Is the seller working with a real estate professional? If the seller has not done due diligence in coming up with a lis... 07/31/2014

8 Eye Catching Photography Tricks   Getting great pictures can provide customers with the information they need to make a purchase decision.  At first glance, real estate photography seems to be an easy task. Some real estate agents will take their cell phone out of their pocket and expect to get great pictures without any preparation.  The task at hand, though, should involve some thought and anticipation of the best way to sell a house. The attributes you want to hide could simply be omitted while the best selling points should be illuminated. Here are 8 key real estate photography tips and tricks. 1. Take Advantage of the Best Lighting Situation Lighting can be everything in the world of photography. If a house has an incredible front, you probably won’t want to take pictures when t... 07/28/2014

  Staging Touches that Make Your Home Irresistible to Buyers   A home is nothing more than a box holding your stuff. You have memories on film, in china figurines or collector’s items, in books and media and in furniture, rugs and paintings.  Each of these memories tells your family story. The box could look ultra-classy, chic or fashionably retro.  What it won’t do is speak to a buyer. How you live is different from how a buyer perceives your home.  If you had a yard sale, for example, the items you sell would need to be attractively arranged, so a buyer would want them.  It’s the same principle with your house. That’s where staging comes in. Lose the Clutter Have you toured model homes?  The walls are sparkling white, the carpet springs when you step on it,  and the accessories are mi... 07/23/2014

How to Save Money Being Energy Efficient When it comes to saving money on energy costs there are four main categories. • Heating and Air Conditioning • Lighting • Electronics and Appliances • Heating Water I have found that there are many ways we can all save money on each of these categories without investing a lot of money. Some ways don’t cost a single penny, while others may require a little cash up front, but the rewards more than make up for it. Heating and Air Conditioning Setting the thermostat back ten degrees when asleep or not at home can save up to 10 percent monthly. If you are fortunate to have a working fireplace, turn the thermostat down to 55°. Take advantage of that wood burning heat. Just remember to close the damper after the embers are completely out so that heat do... 06/26/2014

Is a Short Sale, Foreclosure, or New Home the Right Choice? When you are house hunting, there are different types of properties to consider:       ·        Foreclosures       ·        Short Sales       ·        New Homes Getting the best deal depends on the status of the market and how long you’re willing to wait to buy the house.  When housing inventory is packed with short sales, foreclosures and new homes sometime you can find sellers anxious to make a deal.  It’s true that every bank owned foreclosure is sold at a large discount or that every new home builder is slashing prices.  When all the different factors have been taken into consideration, it’s possible the best deal for you could be buying an existing house referred as a resale so make sure you don’t cut any house hunting ch... 06/16/2014

What to Fix In and Outside Your House before Selling If you’ve decided to sell your house, then the next step you need to take is to make some necessary improvements to its exterior and interior. Professional home stagers say this is the only way to ensure that your real estate agent will be able to sell your property in a reasonable amount of time for the price that it’s worth. You’ll want to plan and complete these improvements before you list your home and you’ll want to make them without going overboard on spending. First Things First In real estate, as with so many things in life, first impressions are everything. That’s why the first thing you should focus on improving is how the outside of your house looks, commonly known as curb appeal. That’s because the exterior of your proper... 06/06/2014

3 Proactive Steps First-Time Homebuyers Should Consider There are specific steps a first-time homebuyer can take before entering the real estate market that will greatly improve his or her chances of getting financing and being able to purchase a starter home. Here are three proactive steps you should consider taking before you contact a real estate agent or mortgage broker: 1. Check your credit score If there is a single factor that can help or hurt your foray into the world of financing a new home it is your credit score, according to mortgage-finance experts. So, if you want a good idea of what your chances are of obtaining such financing, you should first order a credit report from each of the three credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and Transunion. Just use one of the many online cr... 05/31/2014

Staying Motivated Even if you are a brand new real estate agent, you’ve already heard the word motivated in many different contexts. What is being motivated? How can I get motivated? How can I stay motivated? These are just some of the questions that might taunt you when you are getting ready to pick up the phone and make a cold call or meet with new home-buying prospects who say they need a “motivated agent” that will work for them. Most people say they are motivated by money. While that’s probably true, some people are motivated by the fear of not having money and yet others are motivated by awards and accolades from their peers or managers. However, even these are based on the sales the agent makes. Specific Goals Motivate But my experience has been that those who really become succe... 05/20/2014