Archive for the ‘staging your home’ Category
Cosmetic versus Structural Home Repairs
If you are considering an investment in real estate, now is a perfect time. Warren Buffett predicts a rampant rise in inflation, which means higher rents and higher home prices over the next 5 years. Throw in historic price declines, fixed rate mortgages at 4.5 percent and an $8000 tax credit and the timing has never been better for investors.
If your long term investment plans include snapping up some deals, you need to know the difference in properties that that structural problems versus those that need cosmetic repairs.
Structural damage refers to problems with foundation cracks, fire damage, mold, dry rot, water penetration and sagging floors. Homes with this type of damage are risky investments because the costs to repair will be hard to predict until tear down is done and work begins. Repairing structural issues also mean that city inspector’s will be involved with the rehab, which can add lenghty delays and costs to the project.
Why6 Advice: With all the inventory on the market, investors should avoid homes with structural problems. In addition to the unknown costs and timeframes that are involved, homes with past structural problems will always be more difficult to resell.
Cosmetic Repairs include minor things like updating. Typical cosmetic repairs cover things like door knobs, putting in new windows or shutters, landscaping, repainting. This type of rehab updates or alters the look of the home in an attempt to broaden the appeal. Cosmetic changes are not required and the do not involve city authorities.
Why6 Advice: Investor’s should search for outdated or neglected property that can be improved with low cost, do it yourself type repairs that don’t require specialized workers. These are the types of properties that investors will not get stuck with as they wait for inflation to take rents and prices higher.
Thank you for visiting Why 6 Percent. We have an MLS and Realtor.com program for ‘by owners’, investors and home builders that exposes your property to millions of homebuyers and thousands of Realtors each month. Call 1-800-381-9496 or visit our website for details.
Pre-Inspection is a Great Idea for Home Sellers
We have all heard the horror stories about money pits, “as is” home sales nightmares, and the like. InfoTube posted a blog today that offers a great offensive strategy for home sellers, home buyers and real estate agents about using an Inspection Report as a Tool to Sell a Home.
Thank you for visiting Why 6 Percent, the company that has saved home seller’s, builders and investor’s thousands of dollars in selling commissions and fee’s. Our MLS package reaches millions of home shoppers and real estate agents each month for only $399. Who is Helping You?? Call 1-800-381-9496 today and get ready to Move!!
Stage Your Master Bedroom
The master bedroom is one of the biggest selling features of any home. It doesn’t have to be large or fancy to show well, but it does need to convey the feeling of a special place for the owner.
Stand back few feet, look through the doorway and take in the buyer’s first view of your master bedroom. What do you see? Whatever you see is what the buyer will see. Is it pretty? Restful? Sexy? Spacious?? First impressions are important and can never be redone. Make sure your master suite gives the impression of an owner’s retreat.
Tips for Staging the Master Bedroom
- Unless you have no other options, you want to see the foot of the bed when you walk into the room. If the bed crosses the doorway it blocks the flow into the room and makes it appear smaller.
- Use soft, neutral colors for bedding. Warm neutrals are calm, inviting and appeal to all types of buyer’s.
- Lighting sets the Mood. Turn bedside lamps on. Light candles. If you have blinds, open them or turn the slats upward instead of down to cast light around the room.
- Use Throw Pillows. Pillows are inexpensive and they add color and luxury to any room.
- Remove all clutter from nightstands and dressers. Close closet doors. Picture how a nice hotel room looks when you arrive. Strive for that feeling.
Thank you for visiting Why 6 Percent. We have helped thousands of owners, builders and investors get noticed and sell their homes. Our MLS and Realtor.com package reaches over 10 Million home shoppers each month. Call us Today. Buyer’s are Waiting.
Good Ways to Declutter and Get Rid of Unused Items
Depersonalizing, organizing and decluttering are key to making sure that your home makes a good first impression on a prospective home buyer. But, what do you do with all your unwanted stuff? Don’t stack it in the garage or basement. The goal is to get rid of it, not move it. But, you can get rid of it and do a good thing, too.
Find out what organizations in your area pick up unused or unwanted items. These type of organizations often include Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Veterans Associations, Churches, Hospice Groups and other local non-profit organizations.
Donations to non-profits are tax deductible for the donor; most provide hassle-free pick up at your door; people need the items that you no longer use; recycling unused items is good for the environment. So donate that stuff you never use. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
Another way to get rid of stuff you no longer need is on the internet at Freecycle. At Freecycle.org, you list items you no longer need and select someone from a list of takers to donate them to. Freecycle has local branches, so check out their site for a location near you.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com, your flat fee MLS listing source for owners, investors and builders. Call us today at 1-800-381-9496 to maximize the marketing exposure of your property.
Tips to Sell a Home Faster and for More Money #7- Look Bigger
Tip #7 for selling your home faster and for more money is… Make all the rooms in your home appear as BIG and SPACIOUS as possible. 
Buyer’s love homes that offer lightfilled, spacious rooms that they can visualize themselves enjoying. With a little planning and redecorating, you can trick the eye and visually “increase” size of any room.
Tricks and Tips for Making Rooms Appear Larger
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Windows and Doors: Rooms appear larger, if the view to the outdoors is not obstructed. See-through windows and doors create an illusion of space because they draw the eye forward, bypassing the walls. The also allow natural lighting into the room, which adds warmth and a felling of lightness to the space. Maximize the power of your windows and glass by opening up all window treatments and frame in the view. Trim away any shrubs or tree limbs that block windows, light and views.
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Dining or Eating Area: Remove extra chairs from around your table. Unless you have a huge space, more than 4 chairs around the table is too many. Also, remove extra leaves from the table to make the room immediately feel larger.
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Rugs: Home stagers always remove throw rugs from the home, unless the house has a large area of hardwood. Buyer’s want to see your carpet, hardwood, tile or linoleum, anyway, and losing the area rugs makes your floorplan open up.
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Artwork: You want the room to flow, so the eye does not bounce around the room. To accomplish this, you should avoid abrupt changes in height when hanging objects on the wall. People also often use little pieces of art on their walls. Instead, us large artwork. It makes the room look bigger and you don’t have to fret about the arrangement. If you have family photo’s hanging around, take them down, along with all other personal items and store them away.
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Countertops: Get everything off the counters. In the kitchen, remove all appliances, even the toaster. In the bath, leave only the handsoap. Place the items you use daily in a cabinet or drawer, taking them out and putting them back as they are used. Clearing off all counter surfaces insures the eye isn’t distracted and it makes any space look bigger.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com. If you have a home to sell, we are here to help. Our MLS and Realtor.com marketing program attracts millions of home shoppers each month. Call us at 1-800-381-9496, it takes only minutes to enroll.
Tips to Sell Your Home Faster and for More Money #6- Storage
Tip #6: Home Buyers will Pay for Storage Space
The amount of storage space your home has, and how you use it, will impress buyer’s or immediately turn them off. While it is often impossible to create more storage by adding pantries, cabinets or closets to your existing home, it isn’t hard to create the illusion of ample storage space.
Before
After 
The Kitchen is the Heart of the Home
The first place home seller’s need to focus is on kitchen storage. If your cabinets, pantries, drawers, and even your refrigerator looked crammed, it leaves the impression that you do not have enough space. The only way to make a good impression is to empty out everything you can and organize what remains. The goal is to create as much “empty space” as you possible can.
The Bathroom
Stand in the shoes of a home buyer and look honestly at your bathroom. If you are like most people, you will find half-used bottles of lotion, shampoo and conditioner, curling irons, foam rollers, razors, hair accessories, drawers full of old makeup, medicine, bathtub toys, books, magazines and the list goes on and on. 
For most of us, the amount of “stuff” that we keep in our bathrooms is far greater than the amount of storage space we have in these typically small rooms. The goal here is the same as for the kitchen. Eliminate anything you don’t need everyday and organize the rest. Buyer’s want to see that you have plenty of storage space, not an overflow of our personal care products.
Storage Sells. Use It to Your Advantage.
When it comes to storage, more is always better. One of the first things all buyer’s do is open every drawer, closet and cabinet when they tour a home. So, make a great first impression. Throw away, pack, eliminate and rearrange your kitchens and bathrooms to show off the storage space your home has to offer. It is Free to do and can make the difference between For Sale or Sold.
Thank you for visting Why 6 Percent. Add an MLS listing to your selling strategy and reach millions of home buyers each month. Call 1-800-381-9496 for details!
Tips for Selling Your Home Faster and For More Money #5 – Cleaning Tips
We have all heard the phrase, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”. This is statement is never more true than when you are selling your home.
While none of us like to clean, it doesn’t have to be a terrible experience. First of all, living in a clean home is a joy for the entire family. And, cleaning is instantly gratifying because you can see the effects of your hardwork and accomplishments immediately.
Troubleshooting Cleaning Tips:
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To clean almost any stain in the bathtub (ceramic, plastic, etc) make a paste using cream of tartar and hydrogen peroxide. Use a toothbrush or scrubbing pad to rub the mixture into the stain. Then, rinse thoroughly. Presto, stain is gone.
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To clean a microwave, add a few tablespoons of baking soda to a paper cup filled with water. Nuke for about 30 seconds or until the mixture explodes. Then, use a paper towel to wipe out the inside. The explosion spreads the contents over the entire microwave, so no scratching or scrubbing is necessary.
To get in a cleaning “mood”, I always turn on some fun, upbeat music before I start. In no time at all, I have forgotten about the drudgery and find myself dancing through the house, singing outloud. I encourage you to give cleaning an honest try. In the end, you will feel good about yourself and you will relish in your spotlessly clean home!! 
Thank you for visiting Why 6 Percent. We have brokers standing by to assist for sale by owners with a flat fee MLS listing that reaches millions of home buyers each month. Call 1-800-381-9496 for the specials and details in your area of the US.
Tips for Selling Your Home Faster and For More Money #4- Children
In the fourth part of our series “Tips for Selling Your Home Faster and For More Money”, we discuss the topic of how children can negatively affect a home sale and what measures should be taken to neutralize potential problems.
Children and their “stuff” present a unique challenge when it comes to staging and properly presenting your home for sale. It is difficult enough for adults to live in their home, while being ready to show it at a moments notice. When seller’s throw their children into the mix, things get a lot more complicated.
Strategies for Marketing Your Child Filled Home
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Toys: When selling a home, it is essential to store toys in container and limit them to one area of the home. Eliminate stuffed animal hammocks, remove and store life sized playhouses and forts. Not everyone has children, and even those that do are not interested in seeing a roomful of your children’s toys strown across the floor.
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Decor: While the home is for sale, even the teenager’s need to open their curtains, turn off their boombox and make their beds. Bookshelves should be neat and orderly. Clothes need to be hung up or placed into drawers. Art projects, beads, posters and other items that personalize the room, need to be removed and stored so the prospective buyer can see the space, not the stuff.
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Outdoors: Neatly store all bikes, trikes, skateboards and pushcars out of the way and out of sight. Remove the swing set, fort or treehouse. Buyer’s want to look at the landscape and size of the yard. If you want to sell your property quickly, remove the clutter, add seasonal color and emphasize outdoor entertaining and relaxation.
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Showings: Take your children out of the home, when it is being shown. Walk the kids around the block, take them out for ice cream, make an arrangement for them to go to a neighbor’s house or send older children over to their friend’s house. Children and teenagers can distract prospective buyer’s and encourage them to rush through the showing, which is not good, if you need to sell your home.
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Odors: Remember pigpen from the Charlie Brown cartoons? As funny as it is, kids and their things often smell. Remove dirty diapers from the room, immediately. Don’t use diaper pails or if you must, empty often and make sure they are clean and odor free. Get rid of smelly sneakers, stinky blankets, milk spotted carpets and food hidden under beds. Clean out the fish tanks, gerbal habitats, iguana cages and always be sensitive to smell when selling your home.
We all love children, but the truth is buying a home is a very adult, business matter. If the prospective buyer can not picture themselves living in a home, they will not buy it, no matter the price or condition. Remember you are selling a home, not a children’s home.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com. Ask us about adding the power of the MLS to your home selling strategy. We have helped thousands of owner’s market their property and we can help you, too.
Tips to Sell Faster and for More Money #3- Decorating Allowances
In the third part of our Series “Tips for Selling Your Home Faster and For More Money”, we address the topic of decorating allowances.
Question: Do Buyer’s Prefer Decorating Allowances or Do They Buy the Homes that already have the Work Done?
Answer: Home Buyers overwhelming chose property that is in move-in condition, versus, outdated homes that offer decorating, carpet or paint allowances.
Reason: First, an unappealing home is an immediate turnoff. It is very difficult for most people to picture how a home would look, if offensive eyesore’s were removed. So, if the property isn’t exceptionally cheap, the potential deal will end before it begins. Secondly, buyers always question why the homeowner wasn’t willing to do the work, what else may be wrong that they can’t see and why they should put forth the effort, anyway. Thirdly, there are thousands of distressed properties to chose from. No one would be interested in purchasing a nasty headache, even if they could picture themselves living there, unless the home was priced thousands of dollars under the market? 
Seller Must Do’s: a) If you have carpet over hardwood flooring, immediately remove it and refinish the floors. b)Repaint. Paint is inexpensive and offers more bang for the buck than any other improvement a seller can make. Choose neutral colors (tour builder models or new homes for idea’s). Soft yellows or golds are warm and inviting. Peaceful, soft greens and blues are great for bedrooms because they are restful to the eye.
Same shot, after repainting with a neutral color.
If you selling the purple entry home with a paint allowance or selling the same home with a neutral entry and no allowance, ask yourself which home you would honestly be interested in seeing more of? What is your first impression? Which home would you pay more for?? This is exactly what your potential buyer thinks, too.
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Tips to Sell a Home Fast & For Top Dollar #2- Updates to Avoid
Today we continue with our daily short tips for selling any home quicker and for more money.
Tip #2 for Selling Your Home Quickly and For Top Dollar $$$$$$
5 Renovations or Updates you should AVOID!!
If you are selling your home, sometimes updating or renovating can increase your asking price or entice buyer’s to jump for a quick sale. Other choices can be a waste of time and money. Renovations to avoid include,
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Never put high end appliances in a modestly priced home.
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Avoid the use of high end finishout material such as hand-painted tile, granite counters or high end sinks and fixtures in the baths and kitchens of average priced homes.
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Don’t add Central Air Conditioning unless all the homes in your area have it.
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Forget replacing windows, unless they are damaged, broken, fogged or they don’t open and close properly.
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Never add central vacuum systems for resale purposes.
While there are home improvements that can help you sell faster and for more money, these five upgrades are time waster’s and money losers.
Check back in next Monday, April 6th for some inexpensive update idea’s that will help you accomplish your goals and make you money.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com. We have helped thousands of owners and builders market and sell their homes for only $399. Who is Helping You??