A lot is often said that you need to make sure your home shows in it's best light. In the warmer months I always recommend to open the curtains or the blinds and let in as much natural sunlight as possible into a house. But what do you do when it is cooler outside and the sky is a little darker?
For one, if your home is equipped with a fireplace have it running. Nothing makes a home feel more warm and cozy than the feel of a fireplace. Coming in from the outside on a cool day to a warm fireplace is the ideal setting you want the potential home buyer to feel when they enter your home.
Keep the thermostat set at a comfortable level. Some people like to keep their homes cool; others like to have their homes set up very hot. I recommend keeping a home around 72 degrees when you know you have a showing coming in. It will make the home feel warm and inviting to the buyer.
Replace the light bulbs in your home with the highest wattage possible for that light fixture. There is a few reasons for this. First, you want to make sure the light bulbs are still good. There is nothing that will leave a buyer feeling unsure about a place than being able to see it. Second, you want (if possible) to have the lights on in the house when you know you have a showing scheduled. It will help offset the lack of natural light availble in the house and make the home look bright and cheery.
Another thing I recommend is to burn scented candles. Nothing to strong. Just a seasonal type of scent. It will allow the buyers to start to mentally envison themselves preparing for the holidays in the home and allows you to touch on another one of their senses in creating a lasting impression of the home.
These little things can help make sure yoru home shows in it's best light even in the dark, cold days of winter...
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Thinking Of A Short Sale On Your Home?
The talk about short sales seemed to pick up steam with the foreclosure issue arose in 23 states. More people are considering it today as an alternative to the foreclosure process. But, do you really know what you are doing when you short sale?
First, a short sale by definiton is anything than a short process. Basically you owe more on the existing home than you can sell the home for in the current market. In lieu of going through the foreclosure process you and the mortgage holder agree to accept a lesser amount of what is owed on your home.
But, are you aware of the the papewrwork and documents you need to provide to begin a short sale? A mortgage company will not even begin to accept ro entertain a short sale without a full financial disclsoure on your part. That includes paystubs, bank statements and retirement plans. Then you need to have a hardship that warrants you selling the home now. Acceptable hardships are loss of income, medical issues, job transfers just to name a few. They will not accept you on a short sale if you just do not want the house anymore becuase you owe signifcantly more than it is worth and can afford to pay each month.
The mortgage company then will begin the process of a short sale and order a BPO (Broker price opinion) on your home. This is an independent value of your home from a Realtor in the area. The mortgage company will use that value to determine a fair market value for your home in this market.
Then it is up to your Realtor, who you have contracted with to market and list your home to attract a buyer to your home. They are left with the burden of marketing a home without knowing what the mortgage comany will accept as a final dollar amount. This can be a delicate situation. In this process, chances are you are behind in the mortgage and the foreclosure process is still going forward. So, time becomes an issue. They have to price the home right from the first day.
You need to make sure your home is readily availble for showings and is in show conditon just about all the time. You do not want to take the chance of losing the one buyer for your home because you made it unavailbale for them to show.
Once a buyer has placed an offer on yoru home the mortgage company will begin the long process of verifying all the documents and negotiating the offer. You probably will have to update bank statements and records as the process moves forward and closer to a potential sale.
This process varies depending on the lender and the Realtor you are using. I have negotiated some short sales in the matters of days and weeks. I have represented buyers on a short sale that has taken weeks to months and soem we never were able to reach an agreeable terms on.... Each mortgage comany is different and each Realtor is different on how they handle them.
If you are thinking of a short sale make sure you are fully aware of what is expected from you in the process upfront...Make sure your Realtor si fully aware of the process and dealing with that particular mortgage company. The loss of a home is difficult enough without the added strain the process can bring upon you if you are not aware upfront what to expect.
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
First, a short sale by definiton is anything than a short process. Basically you owe more on the existing home than you can sell the home for in the current market. In lieu of going through the foreclosure process you and the mortgage holder agree to accept a lesser amount of what is owed on your home.
But, are you aware of the the papewrwork and documents you need to provide to begin a short sale? A mortgage company will not even begin to accept ro entertain a short sale without a full financial disclsoure on your part. That includes paystubs, bank statements and retirement plans. Then you need to have a hardship that warrants you selling the home now. Acceptable hardships are loss of income, medical issues, job transfers just to name a few. They will not accept you on a short sale if you just do not want the house anymore becuase you owe signifcantly more than it is worth and can afford to pay each month.
The mortgage company then will begin the process of a short sale and order a BPO (Broker price opinion) on your home. This is an independent value of your home from a Realtor in the area. The mortgage company will use that value to determine a fair market value for your home in this market.
Then it is up to your Realtor, who you have contracted with to market and list your home to attract a buyer to your home. They are left with the burden of marketing a home without knowing what the mortgage comany will accept as a final dollar amount. This can be a delicate situation. In this process, chances are you are behind in the mortgage and the foreclosure process is still going forward. So, time becomes an issue. They have to price the home right from the first day.
You need to make sure your home is readily availble for showings and is in show conditon just about all the time. You do not want to take the chance of losing the one buyer for your home because you made it unavailbale for them to show.
Once a buyer has placed an offer on yoru home the mortgage company will begin the long process of verifying all the documents and negotiating the offer. You probably will have to update bank statements and records as the process moves forward and closer to a potential sale.
This process varies depending on the lender and the Realtor you are using. I have negotiated some short sales in the matters of days and weeks. I have represented buyers on a short sale that has taken weeks to months and soem we never were able to reach an agreeable terms on.... Each mortgage comany is different and each Realtor is different on how they handle them.
If you are thinking of a short sale make sure you are fully aware of what is expected from you in the process upfront...Make sure your Realtor si fully aware of the process and dealing with that particular mortgage company. The loss of a home is difficult enough without the added strain the process can bring upon you if you are not aware upfront what to expect.
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
When Does A Realtor Job Really End?
This may sound like a dumb question. However; a closing I had the other day made me realize the perception some people have of Realtors. Yes, our first priority is to locate homes for our buyer clients and take them out and show them homes that fit their needs, wants and budget. Then we educate the buyer of the current market sales and conditions in that area and help them to come up with a fair market price for the home and negotiate appropiately. Once an agreement is reached though is our job done?
I had a first time buyer that I went through all of the above steps with. They signed all the final papers agreeing to the sale price and other contingencies and said to me "well I guess your job is done now." But in reality that is only where our job begins. From there I gave her a list of three home inspectors to use. She called them and decided onw hich one was best for her. Scheduled an appointment to have the home inspection. I attended the home inspection with her and spent the three plus hours with her as the inspector told us the things he found wrong with the house. We then negotiated together a repair request. I coordinated in getting the necessary repairs finished and making sure they were done to satisfaction.
Then it was off to the mortgage professional to ensure that all the necessary paperwork was in house and moving along as scheduled. Contacted the attorney to schedule a close date, and made sure the appraiser was able to get in to the house for her.
After all that was done and the numbers looked like they were going to work it was off to the closing. But, certain, unforseen hiccups occurred which delayed the closing. The seller abruptly passed away three days before closing. Back to work to help facilaitate a clean close on her new home with probabte. After two months and more hours than I care to count; finally got a closing scheduled. Sat in the room with her and made sure she understood everyhting she was signing.
Contacted her a few days later to see how the home was going and to congratualte her again on her new home. A small issue popped up with a plumbing leak. Gave her a few recommendations on a plumber and she got the issue fixed. Checked to make sure everything went smooth and again told her she needed anything to let me know. She thanked me again for helping her with her first purchase and said I misunderstood all that you do to help me purchase a house. I now have a better understanding and appreciation for you and your profession.
So, when does a realtor job end? it really never does.......
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
I had a first time buyer that I went through all of the above steps with. They signed all the final papers agreeing to the sale price and other contingencies and said to me "well I guess your job is done now." But in reality that is only where our job begins. From there I gave her a list of three home inspectors to use. She called them and decided onw hich one was best for her. Scheduled an appointment to have the home inspection. I attended the home inspection with her and spent the three plus hours with her as the inspector told us the things he found wrong with the house. We then negotiated together a repair request. I coordinated in getting the necessary repairs finished and making sure they were done to satisfaction.
Then it was off to the mortgage professional to ensure that all the necessary paperwork was in house and moving along as scheduled. Contacted the attorney to schedule a close date, and made sure the appraiser was able to get in to the house for her.
After all that was done and the numbers looked like they were going to work it was off to the closing. But, certain, unforseen hiccups occurred which delayed the closing. The seller abruptly passed away three days before closing. Back to work to help facilaitate a clean close on her new home with probabte. After two months and more hours than I care to count; finally got a closing scheduled. Sat in the room with her and made sure she understood everyhting she was signing.
Contacted her a few days later to see how the home was going and to congratualte her again on her new home. A small issue popped up with a plumbing leak. Gave her a few recommendations on a plumber and she got the issue fixed. Checked to make sure everything went smooth and again told her she needed anything to let me know. She thanked me again for helping her with her first purchase and said I misunderstood all that you do to help me purchase a house. I now have a better understanding and appreciation for you and your profession.
So, when does a realtor job end? it really never does.......
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Is Your Realtor Educating You On The Market?
Today we all wish we had a crystal ball that will allow us to forsee what the near future holds for home prices and mortgage rates. However; the reality is that noone can predict what will happen or not in this market right now. For every article out there that says prices are goign to get worse there is one that says we have hti bottom and are climbing upwards. For all thsoe that said interest rates would never be this low; we have interest rates around 4% for a 30 year fixed rate right now. So, is your realtor educating you in regards to the current market out there?
We can not predict what the future will hold. But, we can tell you the current trend that is happening right now in regards to your community and area. For sellers, it may be letting them know this is what the comparable homes in the area have done in the past 30 days. This is what has sold and what has come off the market. These are the average days on the market. Here is how your home compares to the statistics from last month. Do you need to adjust your price?
Does the home need soem sprucing with the colder weather approaching? Without giving this information to our sellers they cannot make a sound reasonable descsion when they do receive an offer on a home.
What if you had your home on the market for 90 days. When you first put it on the market it was priced cometitively to the other homes in the area. However; the market all of sudden received more comparable homes like yours and the prices were lower. Now, your realtor does not tell you this and you receive what you feel is a low offer. Thus you are upset and refuse to negotiate witht eh buyer on the house. When in reality that number may have been the right number to start at for your house and you were slightly over priced for the market and the current trends. Are you making an educated descsion?
For buyers, it is easy as letting them know the trends that are occuring in regards to prices in a neighborhood they are considering putting an offer in. Average days on the market and price sold of comparable homes. The trend over the past few months. Is it going up or down? Stable? These are all factors that a buyer needs to know in regards to making a fair sound educated offer. but are we giving our buyers this information?
How are mortgage rates right now? Is there down payment assisitance availble for you to purchase that house? Is there an HOA? What restrictions does it have? What are the dues and what do you receive for those dues? All questions that need an answer for a buyer to make an educated descsion. Does this house qualify fro USDA 100% financing ro are you a veteran entitled to a VA loan? these are questions that a buyer may not know to ask.
If your Realtor is not educating you; then who is?
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
We can not predict what the future will hold. But, we can tell you the current trend that is happening right now in regards to your community and area. For sellers, it may be letting them know this is what the comparable homes in the area have done in the past 30 days. This is what has sold and what has come off the market. These are the average days on the market. Here is how your home compares to the statistics from last month. Do you need to adjust your price?
Does the home need soem sprucing with the colder weather approaching? Without giving this information to our sellers they cannot make a sound reasonable descsion when they do receive an offer on a home.
What if you had your home on the market for 90 days. When you first put it on the market it was priced cometitively to the other homes in the area. However; the market all of sudden received more comparable homes like yours and the prices were lower. Now, your realtor does not tell you this and you receive what you feel is a low offer. Thus you are upset and refuse to negotiate witht eh buyer on the house. When in reality that number may have been the right number to start at for your house and you were slightly over priced for the market and the current trends. Are you making an educated descsion?
For buyers, it is easy as letting them know the trends that are occuring in regards to prices in a neighborhood they are considering putting an offer in. Average days on the market and price sold of comparable homes. The trend over the past few months. Is it going up or down? Stable? These are all factors that a buyer needs to know in regards to making a fair sound educated offer. but are we giving our buyers this information?
How are mortgage rates right now? Is there down payment assisitance availble for you to purchase that house? Is there an HOA? What restrictions does it have? What are the dues and what do you receive for those dues? All questions that need an answer for a buyer to make an educated descsion. Does this house qualify fro USDA 100% financing ro are you a veteran entitled to a VA loan? these are questions that a buyer may not know to ask.
If your Realtor is not educating you; then who is?
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
Monday, October 18, 2010
What To Look For In A Realtor
Everyone has different degrees of needs and desires. the same is true when it comes to searching for that Realtor who is going to help you buy, sell or both. But what do you look for when you are looking for a Realtor?
About half the people who use a Realtor; chose that Realtor because of previous experince with that person, knew that person, or was referred to them by someone who had a great experince with that person. But what about the other half of the people out there that sell or buy a home. What are they looking for in a Realtor?
I deal with a lot of people who either had a bad expericne with their past Realtor or found ones they felt did not care or wanted to work for them. So, I ask what do you look for in a Realtor? Honesty, hard working, knowing you are looking out for their best interests were the top traits that people responded told me. They wanted a Realtor who would be honest with them all the way through the process. They wanted a honest answer to a question. Not a politically correct answer or one they may wanted to hear.
Hard working should be an understood premise with a Realtor. But, due to economic times a lot of Realtors have gone to getting part time work to supplement their income to support their family. I have been fortunate enough to not have to do that. Thus, I give 100% of my time and effort to each and every client regardless of the price point. That hard work and devotion to my clients has paid me well in these tough economic times. The bottom line is we do not get paid if your home does not sell or we cannot find you the right house.
They want to know you are truly working for them. it may seem a little odd of a thing to say. Because of course we are working for our clients. But, in reality they want to know you are really working for them and looking out for their best interest. It could be as simple as explaining to them the sale price of their home woudl net them X amount of dollars versus telling them this is the price you need to sell your home at. I have run into some cases where Realtors have given clients an under valued market anaylsis on a home to get a listing and a quick sale. Are we working for ourt clients in that case? is it not our job to get them the most amount of money in the shortest period of time? sometimes the number they tell them they need to sell at leaves them with nothing to down to buy their next home. They may need a certain amount of money out of their home to move.
On the purchase end it could be continuing to look for and show them homes that meet their needs even though they say this is the one they want to buy. I always insist that my buyers look at three to five homes before they make a descsion. Even if the first house seems to be the one they want. You never know what you will find out there unless you look at them.
The market has changed and home owners and home buyers are unsure now more than ever. It is our job as Realtors to educate them and make sure they are making the most informed best descsion for themselves and their families. the only way we can do that is by being honest with them every step of the process,
working hard for them to sell their home or find a new home, and truly being concnerned for them...
Dave dicecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
About half the people who use a Realtor; chose that Realtor because of previous experince with that person, knew that person, or was referred to them by someone who had a great experince with that person. But what about the other half of the people out there that sell or buy a home. What are they looking for in a Realtor?
I deal with a lot of people who either had a bad expericne with their past Realtor or found ones they felt did not care or wanted to work for them. So, I ask what do you look for in a Realtor? Honesty, hard working, knowing you are looking out for their best interests were the top traits that people responded told me. They wanted a Realtor who would be honest with them all the way through the process. They wanted a honest answer to a question. Not a politically correct answer or one they may wanted to hear.
Hard working should be an understood premise with a Realtor. But, due to economic times a lot of Realtors have gone to getting part time work to supplement their income to support their family. I have been fortunate enough to not have to do that. Thus, I give 100% of my time and effort to each and every client regardless of the price point. That hard work and devotion to my clients has paid me well in these tough economic times. The bottom line is we do not get paid if your home does not sell or we cannot find you the right house.
They want to know you are truly working for them. it may seem a little odd of a thing to say. Because of course we are working for our clients. But, in reality they want to know you are really working for them and looking out for their best interest. It could be as simple as explaining to them the sale price of their home woudl net them X amount of dollars versus telling them this is the price you need to sell your home at. I have run into some cases where Realtors have given clients an under valued market anaylsis on a home to get a listing and a quick sale. Are we working for ourt clients in that case? is it not our job to get them the most amount of money in the shortest period of time? sometimes the number they tell them they need to sell at leaves them with nothing to down to buy their next home. They may need a certain amount of money out of their home to move.
On the purchase end it could be continuing to look for and show them homes that meet their needs even though they say this is the one they want to buy. I always insist that my buyers look at three to five homes before they make a descsion. Even if the first house seems to be the one they want. You never know what you will find out there unless you look at them.
The market has changed and home owners and home buyers are unsure now more than ever. It is our job as Realtors to educate them and make sure they are making the most informed best descsion for themselves and their families. the only way we can do that is by being honest with them every step of the process,
working hard for them to sell their home or find a new home, and truly being concnerned for them...
Dave dicecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
Sunday, October 17, 2010
What To Do In Charlotte, NC.
Charlotte, NC. is also knwon as the queen city. Over the past few years I have noticed that the uptown (downtown for us northerners) skyline has slowly become more and more of a spectalcle than a construction site. Recently on a flight home the plane was making it's descent I realized that the construction is almost finished and the skyline is looking wonderful. But what has all these hotels, and buildings doing for Charlotte? All these hotels and office buildings are going to be empty. There is not enough reasons for companies or people to travel to Charlotte. Friends and family ask me all the time; what is there to do in Charlotte? I tell them more than I can do in a lifetime and growing each and everyday.
To help educate my friends I used to e-mail them of happenings in Charlotte on a daily basis. Now, I have come across a great website that actually lists by dates the thins to do in Charlotte. I started losing track of all the endless possibilities of things to do in Charlotte. But, looking for something to do in Charlotte, NC then visit www.charlottesgotalot.com.
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
To help educate my friends I used to e-mail them of happenings in Charlotte on a daily basis. Now, I have come across a great website that actually lists by dates the thins to do in Charlotte. I started losing track of all the endless possibilities of things to do in Charlotte. But, looking for something to do in Charlotte, NC then visit www.charlottesgotalot.com.
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
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