Flat Fee MLS Blog

Given the slowdown in home sales, it often takes more than 130 days or 4 months to sell a property.   If your home has been on the market, as the season’s have changed, now is time to update your marketing material.  Good news is it is free, quick and easy to do.

First, if you are using photo’s of your home that were taken during spring or summer, you should immediately replace them with a current picture.   As we are all aware, little compares to the marketing power of a picture to attract or turn off a home shopper.  And, nothing screams STALE listing like an old photo taken out of season.

You can leave the summer photograph of a swimming pool, flower beds or other feature’s about your home that show off the beauty or quality of life in other seasons.   But, change the captions to reflect the fact that the pictures remain to fully illustrate all ammenities your home offers.  For a swimming pool caption example, consider changing your caption to read something like “Summer fun and Poolside entertaining 2009″.

Changing photographs in your InfoTube.net home listing is quick and easy.  Just log in to the homepage with your user name and password.  Edit your ad and upload the new photo’s.  Then, Save and you are done.

To update your MLS listing photo’s, send the new pictures, along with your request, in an email to your listing broker.  They will handle the changes for you.

Don’t sell yourself short with an old photo that sticks out like a sore thumb.  Out of season photo’s simply mean that your house has been on the market for months and you don’t care who knows.

Update those photograph’s today and make your listing look brand new. 

                                                                                           According to expert Barry Ritholtz, author of the forthcoming book, “Bailout Nation,” today’s news shouldn’t directly impact anyone who has a mortgage and is paying it on time. But if you are unable to pay your mortgage or are looking to refinance your mortgage, the most recent developments in the credit crisis could have repercussions.

If you are facing foreclosure banks are likely to be much more open to discussing a way to avert foreclosure than they were even a few months ago-because banks are already dealing with a glut of foreclosed homes.

People who are looking to refinance or access a new loan may find that stricter lending requirements make it more difficult or maybe impossible, even though mortgage rates are very low.

Experts do expect more banks to fail as the current credit crisis continues to pay out, although they think most banks will stay solvent. And as the saying goes, time will tell.

In the event of a disaster, it pays to take a few simple steps to ensure that your money is safe. When you are marketing your home on the MLS or FSBO, this is good info for buyers and sellers.

Here are a couple of tips for you:

1. Make sure that your money is with an institution that is FDIC-insured-this means that the government will back your account if the bank fails.

2. FDIC will cover you up to $100, 000. per individual account, or $200,000. per joint account. So make sure that your accounts at each of your banks fall below that limit.

3. If you have large cash holdings, it makes sense to stash your cash in several banks.

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                                                                                     The Environmental Protection Agency offers the following tips for those who want to conserve energy and water inside the home:

•  Visit energystar.gov to find energy efficient appliances that can save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
• Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven)
• Have leaky air-conditioning and refrigeration systems repaired.
• Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.
• Insulate your home, water heater and pipes.
• Don’t let the water run while shaving or brushing teeth.
• Take short showers instead of tub baths.
• Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cool.
• Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher, wash only full loads.
• Wash only full loads of laundry, or use the appropriate water level or load size selection on the washing machine.
• Buy high-efficient plumbing fixtures and appliances.
• Repair all leaks (a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water a day)
• Water the lawn or garden during the coolest part of the day (early morning is best)

It’s easy to be green while you are marketing your home and communicating with first time homebuyers who need to know these talking points.

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                                                                     Let the light of day brighten up your night! Powered by a built-in photocell, solar night-lights require no wiring and no electricity, and they turn on automatically at night. Now you can harness the sun to illuminate your driveway, paths, steps and decks with easy to install solar lights that recharge (for free) during the day. Your curb appeal is also enhanced for night time viewing by potential home buyers while you are marketing your home.

Designed to look great whether you like traditional or modern, these energy-savers are available both in-store and online. There is a vast array of holiday night lights available online, including Christmas and Halloween. They are becoming increasingly popular, particularly since they are so much easier to install than traditional wired systems. If you decide you don’t like where you put them, or simply want to expand or mix things up, they are also much easier to move than wired units.

By harnessing the sun for your night time lighting projects, you are saving money, saving energy, and enhancing your home’s curb appeal-this is an easy way to go green.

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                                                                         What do “points” mean? Quite simply, they are fees and they came by this name because they equal one percentage point of the loan amount. For example, for each point that you agree to pay at closing, the lender agrees to reduce the interest rate on your loan by a set amount, (generally an eighth to a quarter of a percent), this is why paying points is often referred to as a “buydown.” You are simply purchasing a lower interest rate.

Points are similiar to another fee you’ll see on your closing statement, the loan origination fee. Sometimes it is called an origination point because it is also expressed as a percentage of the total loan amount. An origination point on a $200,000 loan is also $2000, but it has a different purpose; it covers some of the lending institution’s cost in preparing the loan application process, including paying office personnel.

Another important difference between origination points and discount points: discount points on new mortgage loans are usually tax-deductible, depending on your particular tax situation, while origination points are not tax-deductible. So, if your closing statement shows an origination point, you may want to ask that a discount point be substituted instead. Ask your accountant for advice on this.

Should you pay discount points? Points are for long -term gain. Here are some tips on whether you should pay them:

1. If you are cash-strapped at closing, paying points may not be worth saving a small bundle in interest over many years.

2. If you’re not planning to live in your home very long, skip the points. You will never realize the savings.

3. Use a mortgage calculator to gauge for yourself whether points are a good idea and to see how long it takes to break even.

Whether you are a buying a home or selling a home, this is a good reference to point out.

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                                                                                                         If you put your pooch’s waste in a plastic bag, it takes up to 100 years to decompose. So, when it comes time to pick up after your beloved doggy, choose a biodegradable bag instead of regular plastic. Otherwise, you are wrapping one of nature’s quickest degrading substances in something that takes decades to break down, according to expert Brian Howard.

The typical dog produces 274 pounds of waste each year, according to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. For sanitary reasons, most towns require owners to pick up after their pets, but what to do with it?

Use biodegradable bags that several companies offer. For example, BioBags-the corn based product -are certified to break down in a matter of days. They work very well in communities that have aerobic landfills that are churned up. Biodegradable products don’t work near as well in closed anaerobic landfills, but they certainly won’t hurt.

This is one easy thing that you can do in your own backyard. Adding curb appeal to your property doesn’t hurt either, whether you’re marketing your home to buyers or just going green.

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Yes, you heard right…according to expert Brian Clark Howard, the latest announcement from Sam’s Club (the big box retailer of modern consumerism) is that they are poised to market solar panels at nine Southern California Clubs: Corona, Murrieta, Glendora, Ontario, La Habra, Chino, Long Beach, Fountain Valley and Torrance. These locations  have Home Effieciency Centers that have been created to showcase green products and appliances.

Sam’s Club is working with Borrego Solar Systems and BP Solar, and buyers can expect to save in the neighborhood of $500. Consumers can expect to see kiosks in participating stores that tout the benefits of solar energy.  The company is also ramping up offerings of Energy Star appliances, low-flow fixtures, DFLs, LEDs and other green building products.

The news from Sam’s Club echoes recent reports that IKEA is investing $77 million into its GreenTech energy fund, with the goal of producing and selling solar panels, efficiency meters, and energy efficient lighting. The green trend is finding its way into home marketing, as a selling tool and to educate homebuyers and sellers regarding energy efficiency that saves them money.

That Sam’s Club and IKEA are making forays into home renewable energy is big news. This will make a real dent in our current energy crisis and pave the way for a cleaner future. Alternative technologies available in stores across the Heartland will make this possible.

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                                                                                                         If you want to decrease your cooling expense, install some awnings. Awnings are great for summer and for winter. By blocking incoming solar rays, they decrease cooling loads, which are among the biggest expenses for buildings. In summer, awnings can intercept the near vertical solar rays, while letting in the low-angle rays of winter.

Awnings make rooms more comfortable and save money on high air conditioning bills. They can add value to your home because they ”dress-up” your home and smooth out the structural lines. If you are marketing your home to potential buyers, you can show them how awnings result in lower bills, and this is a memorable talking point.

Install some awnings over your windows and your home will be more energy efficient with less air conditioning use. You will save money while also adding value and curb appeal to your home.

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                                                                                                           If you are selling your home FSBO or listing on the MLS, you are likely to have some close encounters with first-time homebuyers while marketing your home. There are a number of terms that are unfamiliar to first-time homebuyers and the more informed and knowledgeable you are as a seller, the more helpful you are to your buyer.

Here are some terms that both buyers and sellers should be familiar with:

Closing costs: The expenses that buyers and sellers normally incur in a real estate transaction. Closing costs are in addition to the price of the house and usually add up to between 5% and 6% of the mortgage amount.

Conventional Loan: A mortgage that is not insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by Veteran Affairs.

Origination Fee: The fee charged by a lender to prepare all documents associated with your mortgage.

Escrow: A special third-party account that is set up by the lender until all conditions of the purchase contract have been met.

Title Search: An examiniation of public records to ensure that you are purchasing the property from its legal owner and that there are no liens, overdue assessments or other claims that would affect the value or marketability of the property.

Deed: A legal document by which the ownership of property is transferred from one owner to another.

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                                Ceiling fans do a nice job of circulating air in the rooms that you occupy most, and they use only about 1/30th the electricity of a room air conditioner.  But if you can’t live without air conditioning, there are some greener options out there.

A single window unit that  keeps one room cool is far less energy intensive and polluting than central air conditioning that keeps all the rooms in the  house (including those you’re not using) cool. Look for new models that display the federal Energy Star label,  which marks units as energy efficient.

By investing in an Energy-Star certified air conditioner, you will see substantial savings in your energy bills, as well as enjoying high quality. Maximizing energy efficiency is a great way to relieve stress on the over-taxed power grid. Room air conditioners must be a t least 10% more efficient than typical models to achieve Energy Star, and central air must be at least 14%.

When the heat is sweltering , cooling costs really add up across the country. Home buyers and sellers, FSBO, and those listed on the MLS are all interested in saving money and decreasing our carbon footprint while staying cool.

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