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Are you going to be selling your house? Eliminate surprises and hurdles during escrow by ordering home seller reports when first listing your property on the market. Real estate agents usually recommend ordering an appraisal, a pest control inspection, and a home building inspection before listing. Doing inspections before a buyer makes an offer helps to eliminate surprises. Being prepared helps guarantee a faster, smoother closing and helps the seller feel secure during escrow.

Listed below are the advantages of ordering each type of report in advance of listing your home for sale.

1. Appraisal

· Price your property correctly at the very beginning, when most qualified buyers are viewing it.

· Help buyers see the value of your property.

· Demonstrate a better value in the market.

· Increase showings of your property.

· Give you and your agent confidence.

· Other agents are eager to show your property.

· More likely to get full price offer.

· Reduce surprises and pricing problems in escrow.

· Stimulate buyer confidence.

Once in escrow, if the appraisal comes in low, the buyer will likely cancel the sale. This may happen in a market that is changing quickly, either rapidly increasing or decreasing.

Note: the appraisal value does not need to be revealed to buyers unless it is to your advantage.

2. Pest Control Inspection

· Buyers know exactly the condition of the property.

· Help seller disclose material defects in writing, limiting liability.

· Seller knows the cost of repairs in advance.

· Repairs can be completed early, reduce surprises (work needed) during escrow.

· Won’t delay the close of escrow trying to get work scheduled/completed

3. Home Building Inspection

· Buyers know exactly the condition of the property.

· Help seller disclose material defects in writing, limiting liability.

· Seller knows the cost of repairs in advance.

· Repair can be completed early, reduces surprises (work needed) during escrow.

· Often get a higher offer price, because it eliminates the unknown (cost of repairs)

There are other inspections your real estate agent may recommend, such as septic tank, water/well, fireplace, roof, foundation, or engineering.

These reports are well worth their cost, saving both money and stress! Yes it may cost you, the home seller, a little more up front, but it’s definitely worth the small investment.

Homeowners today are savvier than ever before about the process of selling a home. Home makeover shows are everywhere these days, all espousing the cardinal rules of home decor. Unfortunately for the homeowner, the opinions of designers vary from season to season, and are often contradictory. This can make an already stressful process much harder than it needs to be. The truth is that there are certain things that send buyers running. These red flag elements are the ten things that can scare off a home buyer.

10. An overgrown garden. Curb appeal is a relatively new term that is used to describe the attractiveness of the exterior of a home, and in particular, the landscaping features. Because the outside gives buyers their first impression of a home, it is imperative to have this area looking its best. Even if you can’t afford expensive plants and outdoor furniture, a neatly trimmed lawn and swept driveway are major steps in the right direction.

By having an overgrown garden out front, all the buyers see is work. They think about the time and money that will need to go into the garden, to get it into shape. You want your home to be as move-in-ready as possible, and this includes the garden.

9. Wallpaper. While wallpaper can be an attractive addition to a room, to buyers it represents labor. The effort it takes to remove wallpaper is great. If there is a lot of wallpaper to contend with, buyers may dismiss the house as requiring too much work, and they’ll move on..

Confine your wallpaper to small areas, and don’t be overzealous with patterns and bright colors. The wallpaper needs to be in style year after year, and should appeal to many tastes.

8. Clutter. While having a messy home may work for you, when you are selling your home you need to focus on the needs of the buyer. They will be unable to focus on the home itself if there are personal effects strewn everywhere. Clutter is very distracting, and its presence implies that you don’t care about your home. If you can’t bother to tidy up before a showing, what else are you neglecting? Clutter also gives the impression that there isn’t adequate storage space in the home. Buyers are usually looking for a long term commitment, so they need to feel that there is enough room for all of their things now and in the near future.

Clean up, and put excess items in storage if you are serious about selling your home. The cost will definitely be worth it.

7. Under pricing. While buyers are always on the hunt for a bargain, if your selling price is significantly below that of comparable properties, doubts will be raised. Buyers may assume that there are major problems with the house, particularly if on the surface it looks like it’s in good shape. They may think that you are hiding problems, and the buyer’s trust will be broken.

6. Crazy decor. If you have a real penchant for themed rooms, or if you collect fish figurines, keep in mind that not everyone will appreciate your home’s aesthetic. Yes, it is your home and you have every right to decorate it as you see fit, but if you truly want to sell your home, you need to be cognizant of buyers’ feelings. Put your unique treasures in storage, and neutralize the rooms. You want to create a blank canvass for the buyers so they can envision themselves living there. Like household clutter, loud colors and eccentric knick knacks can be distracting and off putting. If your buyer can’t see past the decor, they’ll simply move on to the next house.

Create a warm and inviting atmosphere for buyers, and save your personal style for your next property.

5. Pets. You love your pets; you couldn’t live without them! Buyers on the other hand, don’t love your pets. Opening the front door, and seeing dogs and cats can set off alarm bells for potential buyers. Carpet stains, shedding hair, and stubborn odors are just a few of the hazards of pet ownership. There can also be damage to walls and flooring from urine stains. It is very difficult to remove pet stains and smells; buyers don’t want to have to deal with the aftermath of your pets. There are also allergies to consider. There are many people that are allergic to cats and dogs, and can develop serious breathing problems and rashes.

The best way to deal with this problem without getting rid of Fido, is to deal with accidents as they happen. Don’t allow urine to sit for any period of time. Be sure to clean the area with vinegar and water, and sprinkle baking soda on the carpet to neutralize the smell. Get your carpets and upholsteries cleaned, and are sure to vacuum and dust daily while your home is on the market. You may even consider purchasing an air purifier, which will help to freshen up the space. Keep windows open to ventilate the area, and keep pets out of the home during showings. If you are diligent with cleaning and airing, buyers may not even know you’ve had pets in the home, and that will definitely work to your favor.

4. Outdated Fixtures. Avocado green bathroom fixtures scream ‘outdated’. Not only are they unattractive, but they also reveal how little maintenance has been done over the years. Buyers will want updated fixtures, and may take the cost of replacement off of the purchase price. For others, replacing the items may simply be too much work, and they will dismiss your home outright.

3. Smoking. Some people are allergic to the smell of smoke; others simply detest it. The smell of tobacco lingers for literally years on end, and nicotine stains everything it touches. Home buyers know this, and if they smell smoke when they enter your home, chances are good that they will immediately nix your property from their list. Even if they love the structure and the decor, if it smells like cigarettes, buyers will flee.

2. Over pricing. Pricing your home is possibly the most difficult part of putting a property on the market. Oftentimes homeowners have invested a great deal of time and money into their homes, and want to see a return on their investment. Owners are also biased, and see their home as being worth more than perhaps a real estate agent believes. It is absolutely critical to listen to your listing agent’s advice about pricing. They will do a market analysis and find out what comparable homes in the area are listed for, and what the final selling prices are. You need to look at the age and condition of your house, compare it with similar properties, and then decide how much your home is actually worth. Market conditions change frequently, so even though people were willing to pay through the nose a year ago, they aren’t so eager to pay as much today. Price your home based on present conditions, and check your emotions at the door. Also, be willing to negotiate. If you are dead set on a price, and you aren’t receiving any offers, then you need to reexamine things. Be willing to compromise a little, or be prepared to stay on the market for a very long time.

1. Cracked foundation. If your house appears to be unstable in any way, buyers will head for the hills. If there are any cracks, even minor ones, get them checked out by a professional and get them repaired. Even if a crack is harmless, it raises alarm bells in the minds of the buyers. Not only can cracks be potentially dangerous, but repairs can also be costly. If a buyer is willing to buy your home with the crack still present, they will likely knock the costs of repairs off of the purchase price anyway, so it’s best to fix the problem before potential buyers even walk through the doors.

With the popularity of home staging television shows, many are wondering if staging works in the “real world.” Home staging is more than just good entertainment on a Saturday afternoon, it is a proven technique that sells homes in Hollywood and across the country.

HOME STAGING DESCRIPTION: Home staging is the art of preparing your house for sale by highlighting the home’s features through furniture arrangement, accent placement, and color choices. An Accredited Staging Professional is a real estate expert that performs an objective evaluation of a property to determine any obstacles that may hinder buyer interest in your home. Staging is not decorating. Home staging involves using interior design principles and marketing strategies to best represent your home.

WHY STAGING WORKS: Home staging works because a properly staged house is a house shown at its best condition. Each room contains important design elements: highlighted focal points, proper furniture placement to create a larger space and smooth traffic patterns, tasteful color selections on walls and through home decor, and properly placed home accents. All these principles working together create an atmosphere that triggers buyers’ emotions, causing them to fall in love with the home.

In a staged home, buyers will see that:

* Staged homes look well cared for: staging addresses updating the home’s decor while working within the home owner’s budget.

* Staged homes are uncluttered: staging involves removing excess items so buyers can see the home’s features.

* Staged homes have a pleasant atmosphere: staging displays the best furniture layout for your home, highlighting the focal points and creating easy pathways around the furniture.

* Staged homes appeal to a wider range of buyers: staging neutralizes a homes decor, giving it a model house-like appeal, thus attracting more buyers.

These elements help to generate buyer interest causing wonderful side-effects

HOME STAGING SIDE EFFECTS (BENEFITS):

1. Higher Asking Price: Statistically, homes that have been staged command higher asking prices than non-staged homes, because the house is in top showing condition.

2. Faster Sale Time: Statistically, staged houses sell in one-third time than non-staged houses

3. Greater Rate of Return: Statistically, the investment in staging is returned to the homeowner when their house sells. The average rate of return is about 120%. For example, if a home owner invested $500 in staging their house, they are likely to receive $560 back from the sale of their home through fewer (if any) price reductions or from an increase in asking price.

HOME STAGING STATISTICS:

Staged homes sell quicker than non-staged houses…

* Nationwide, staged home is on the market for an average of 31.9 days

* Nationwide, non-staged home is on the market around 160 days

* 93% of ASP homes sell within one month

* This could mean the difference between days and months!

* For complete statistics visit the Staged Homes Website

Staging is a win-win situation. The sellers win because their houses are sold in a shorter amount of time compared to a non-staged homes, and the real estate agents win because their listing sell faster than agents who don’t recommend staging. Results do not lie. Story after story has been told of how staging made the difference in the sale of a home.

As a real estate broker owner, I have to say that a discount broker will not serve your interests any better than a traditional real estate broker. I am an advocate of you, the real estate seller, selling your home without a real estate agent.

In today’s real estate market, where most all of real estate buyers are looking for real estate on the Internet, and where most real estate brokers do not understand Internet marketing, it simply is in your best interest to sell your real estate without a real estate agent.

A discount real estate broker can give you the comfort of knowing that you are paying less in commission. However, you may be taking a lower sales price, and you are still paying another real estate agent that may bring a buyer. There was a news show a while back about one particular discount broker, that said that they charged a flat fee to list the home, but they charge more, if they find a buyer or if another real estate agent finds buyer. This really is not too different from traditional real estate.

Discount brokers prey on the fact that you are discouraged with traditional real estate agents and that you want to save money. With the economy, the way that it is, real estate brokers need new tactics to get your business. And hanging a sign out, putting up a website that suggests that they are a discount real estate broker is just the latest and greatest way to get you to list your real estate with them instead of your local real estate agent.

Also, some of the discount brokers brag about it buyer’s rebate that they will give. So, if they find a buyer than you will pay them a separate commission on that. This will be paid, by you, on top of your flat fee, and then they will take some of this money and give it back to the buyer in the form of a rebate. This of course is only in the states that allow buyers rebates.

A buyer’s rebate, given by a discount real estate broker, does not help you, the seller. I think what looks attractive to some sellers is that these discount brokers are not only cheaper than their local real estate office, but they brag about their Internet marketing skills and what they can offer you in the form of securing a buyer. The thing to consider here is the fact that you can find your own buyer, you can build your own website, and not only will you save in commission, but you may just get a higher purchase price.

And when you sell your home yourself and use a real estate attorney, you will make more money, and you will sleep well at night knowing that you did everything right.

Remember folks, real estate agents go to school, in my state anyways, one week, and they do not have a real background in real estate law. Some Realtors tried to tell you that, if you don’t list with them than you’ll have to hire an attorney and attorney will cost a lot of money. The truth about that is that you should hire an attorney either way. And this goes for discount brokers as well as traditional real estate brokers. You NEED to have a real estate attorney look over all of your real estate document transactions before you sign.

In conclusion, do not let your discouragement of the real estate industry and you past experience with real estate agents drive you to a discount real estate brokers. They really are the same game in a different disguise.

When it comes to getting top dollar for their homes Real Estate Agents know how to get it done. After all it is what they do for a living. The only thing that typically keeps a typical home seller from achieving the same results is the reluctance on their part to invest in the sale of their home.

Since Realtors package, market and sell homes for a living and they know what home buyers want. Here is a list of the top ten items that real estate agents do when preparing their own home for sale.

Carpets are clean and in good condition. Otherwise, get rid of them.
All clutter is removed.
Everything is thoroughly cleaned.
Pet odors are eliminated!
Broken items are fixed.
All clutter is removed from the front yard.
Curtains are always opened, windows shades always up and lights always on.
Walls are clean and there are no smudge marks.
The closets are reorganized so they appear larger.
The front lawn and shrubs are manicured.
Excess furniture is removed and either put in the basement or into storage.

When it comes to the exterior of the home you should know that curb appeal scores big points. The impression from the curb is the first impression that a potential home buyer forms and sets the stage for the rest of the showing. If they get a poor impression first impression prior to even getting out of the car you may have already lost that buyer and never have an opportunity to get them back.

Beautify the exterior with paint, landscaping and any repairs needed to give it a crisp and uncluttered appearance. Buyers will want to purchase a home that they feel they can invite their friends and family to and be proud of what they have. You want the buyers to feel the pride you have in your home through the appearance.

When it comes to the interior of the home there are a couple key elements to keep in mind. Buyers like space and cleanliness. They do not want to feel that they will quickly outgrow the home so make sure that you clean out any unnecessary furniture to create more space. Also look at the cabinets and closets and clean out those spaces to create the feeling of having plenty of room.

Cleanliness may sound like an easy topic but people have different concepts of what is clean. Go overboard on cleaning and presenting an uncluttered appearance. Think of it in terms of your home can never be too clean when a buyer comes through. Buyers what to see show homes when it comes to cleanliness so take it to the extreme.

A key point to remember is that you should never do more than is necessary to sell your home.

Often sellers think that the more they fix-up, the higher the price they will get. When you go beyond the necessary fix-ups, you get to the point where you are wasting your money. Do all the necessary fix-ups prior to selling, but never do what is un-necessary.

Every single person on the planet wants to get as much as possible for their home when they sell. And they don’t want to pay too much in real estate commissions while they’re at it. In recent years, discount brokers have been advertising the fact that they charge less and save people money. I’m going to tell you how they charge less and why it may or may not be the best thing for you.

First, lets talk about commissions. When you sign a contract to list your home with a discount agent, you agree to pay them a commission and they share that commission with any other agent in town who can bring you a buyer. How much those discount agent share with another agent ranges from 2% to %4 in most areas. Whether you go with a full service agent or a discount agent, you’ll agree to pay another agent if they bring you a buyer.

So if you agree to pay 3% to another agent who finds you a buyer, the agent listing your home gets anything on top of that. The only difference between full service and discount agents is how much of what is left over they get at the closing table. Discount agents will often take a flat fee at closing or up front. Full service agents typically get their commission at closing. Their commission is typically twice what the agent who finds the buyer gets. In our example, the full service listing agent will get 3% also. This would bring your total commission to 6%. With a discount broker it would be 3% plus a flat fee or something like 4% or 5% total commission.

With either a discount agent or a full service agent, you’ll typically get access to the MLS. Since the marketing strategy will be basically identical, the difference lies in the service.

With a full service broker, you’ll be able to talk to your agent on a regular basis and they’ll most likely be responsive to changing conditions and will answer any questions you might have. With a discount agent, you probably won’t get much personal service. When you call them, they may tell you to “make it quick” and not have time to deal with your issues because they aren’t setup to do that. Since the payoff when they sell a home is less than a full service agent, they spend most of their time trying to get new clients. They don’t have a lot of time to service their existing clients.

But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you’re familiar with the home selling process and know how to properly stage your home for showings, negotiate contracts, and handle all the closing details with lenders and attorneys. If this something you’re comfortable with, then a discount broker would most likely be a good fit for you and you could save a little money.

If you see that you’d rather focus on moving to your new home and not all the details associated with real estate contracts, then you’ll probably save money and headaches going with a full service agent. Missing critical details on a contract or at key moments in the process can often be extremely costly for people who don’t have experience selling a home.

We’ve all seen those ads by real estate agents in magazines, on TV, and on the radio promising they can sell your home quickly and for top dollar. These agents spend tons of money to run those advertisements and are actively scouring the streets for people who need to sell their home. They’ve built their businesses on getting as many signs with their name on it in as many yards as possible. Most every real estate agent seminar out there preaches this strategy and Realtors pay top dollar to hear this insider only advice. And the agents who go out and advertise strictly for home sellers do actually sell a lot of those homes every year.

But there is a dirty little secret to this that none of them ever want to talk about.

If you look at their numbers on a monthly or yearly basis, you’ll find that many of these mega agents only sell about 30% to 40% of the homes they list for sale. Why? Because they spend all their advertising dollars on finding people who want to sell their homes, not finding home buyers! Spending money finding people who want to buy those homes just isn’t in the budget. And if you bring this fact up at those real estate seminars, the guru up on stage will say things like “its all just a numbers game” and move on to the next topic. The guru knows that if you have 100 listings, 30-40 of them will most likely sell in any 3 to 4 month period.

Now most of the agents who run their business like this are genuinely good people and I’m not writing this to badmouth them. When you sign a listing contract with them, they seriously want your home to sell in 2 days so they get a commission check. They’ll put your home in the local MLS just like every other agent and hope that things work out in the end. If things don’t go as planned, they’ll send you a letter or you might get a phone call from them asking you to relist your home at a lower price. If you decide to go with someone else, they’ll quickly forget about you and move on to the next house.

I’m sure I’ll catch a lot of grief from agents all over the country for saying this, but it had to be said.

The National Association of Realtors reports that 80% of home buyers use the internet as a source when they buy a home. It is at this point most people realize that if you’re selling your home, you need to get your home in front of as many potential home buyers as humanly possible. If your agent is spending those commission checks paying for more TV, radio, and magazine ads trying to find more people who want to sell their homes instead of buyers for your home, you’re getting a raw deal.

Did the light just go off in your head and did I hear your brain go clunk? Good. Keep reading.

The other little secret in the real estate business is that getting your home in the local MLS is the single most important factor in marketing your home regardless of what your agent might say and accounts for about 75% of the marketing process. Think about it, getting your home in front of real estate agents who get paid to find buyers is the single best option you’ve ever had or will have in the foreseeable future. But everyone selling their home using a real estate agent gets in the MLS anyway. In today’s competitive market, how you allocate the remaining 25% of your marketing strategy will definitely make the difference between selling your home quickly and the frustration that comes with having it sit on the market for months at a time.

So all things being equal, wouldn’t it be smarter to list your home with a local agent that advertises for buyers and has hundreds, if not thousands, of potential home buyers on their website every week by featuring your home on their website since you listed with them?

It’s a no brainer.

When you’re selling you home, the ONLY thing you should care about is getting your home in front of as many potential home buyers as humanly possible! You shouldn’t care whether or not your agent has their face on a billboard or does flashy TV and radio commercials. Getting 10, 20, 50, 100, or 200 potential buyers on a local real estate website to look at your home every single week will increase the odds that someone will buy it. “Its all just a numbers game”…sorry, couldn’t resist.

So the bottom line is when you’re selling you home, look for are local agents who heavily advertise for home buyers. You can find these agents by doing an internet search. After all, this is how 80% of home buyers mentioned in the National Association of Realtors study are finding them. If you put yourself in a home buyer’s shoes, you’ll realize they’re looking for local agents with homes for sale and no barriers to being able to easily search. If the agents advertising for buyers require registration before searching for homes, that agent probably isn’t a good candidate because home buyers typically don’t like divulging their information. They just want to see homes for sale and don’t want to run the risk of being e-mail spammed or hassled on the phone by real estate agents.

There is too much at stake in today’s buyers market to leave the sale of your home up to chance. Smart sellers know that taking ever single advantage available to them counts and sometimes the obvious or popular choice isn’t always the best.

Product aimed at people who count carbs are selling like hotcakes–or at least like CarbSense Buttermilk Pancakes. According to the Nutrition Business Journal, low-carb products–from flavored pork rinds to pasta, cookies to margarita mixes–were a $1.4 billion market in 2003, a figure that will only continue to grow. “The number of [low-carb] products that came out in 2003 was probably in the neighborhood of 1,000. Now every day we see another 25 or so,” says Alan Beyda, CEO of J.A.M.B. Low Carb Distributors in Pompano Beach, Fla.

Consumers don’t seem to be put off by these products’ cost–or their calorie counts. Example: A 2-ounce serving of regular Barilla Spaghetti (200 calories and 1 gram of fat) costs 19 cents, while the same amount of Atkins Quick Quisine Spaghetti (210 calories and 3 grams of fat) will set you back $1. In other words, you pay 5.3 times as much for spaghetti that has 29 fewer grams of carbohydrates but delivers an extra 10 calories and 2 more grams of fat.

In the end, it’s the calories you consume–not the carbohydrates–that affect weight loss or gain. Manufacturers are using additives such as sugar alcohols and glycerin instead of sugar and starch to reduce the total carbohydrate count and are just listing “net carbs.” But unless a low-carb product also contains fewer calories, it’s not going to help you lose weight. So, as with any food, check labels and compare products, especially if you’re a fan of any of the foods on the following page, all of which were top sellers at low-carb and health-food retailers across the country at press time.

Under Armour, a top-selling technical athletic apparel brand for major sporting goods retailers, announced changes to its executive team. Wayne Marino, formerly with Nautica, has been promoted to the company’s evp and cfo. William Kraus has been promoted to senior vp of marketing. Richard Zielinski has joined Under Armour as vp, technical services.

Zielinski was most recently with May Merchandising Corp. and J.Crew. And Tony O’Neill, formerly with adidas, has been appointed the new sales director for Europe.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.

Comedy writing secrets; the best-selling book on how to think funny, write funny, act funny, and get paid for it, 2d ed.
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Helitzer, Mel.

Writer’s Digest Books

2005

342 pages

$17.99

Paperback

PN6149

To help readers turn comedy into cash, this guide provides humor writing exercises, information on writing for sitcoms and stand-up, brainstorming techniques using associations and listings, and tips for writing humor for specific markets, such as editorials, speeches, advertising, and greeting cards. This second edition has been expanded and, best of all, includes more jokes from famous stage and print comedians.