In today’s real estate market, sellers need additional advice on
how to cost-effectively prepare their homes in order to sell quickly. With an
abundance of homes on the market, waiting several months to sell a home could
leave many recession-plagued sellers in financial distress.
For example, in October 2008 the median existing home price was
the lowest since March 2004 at $183,200. This means that a home owner who lived
in his home for 4-1/2 years is seeing the value of the home as the same or less
as when the home was bought (CNNMoney.com, November 2008).
The good news is that although some homes may need extensive
upgrades or renovations, many may only require simple changes. For a limited
cost, or no cost at all, home sellers can fix their homes to appear more
appealing to prospective buyers.
Here are some quick, and inexpensive, fixes to sell a home more
quickly:
·Focus
on outdoor aesthetics. Cut back overgrown shrubs and plants. Hose down a dusty
dirty house. Sweep the driveway, sidewalk and any stairs. Cost: $00.00
·
Eliminate odors. Before showing the house, open windows to let fresh air in; use
air fresheners or baking soda to rid odors; sprinkle baking soda on the carpet
and leave it for at least 10 minutes to make carpets smell clean. Cost:
approximately $15.
·Wash
windows. Purchase a window cleaning product to avoid professional costs. Clean
windows make a home look well-kept and outdoor views more crisp. Cost:
approximately $25.
In addition, consider scheduling a prelisting home inspection, an
inspection conducted prior to putting the home on the market. These early
inspections aid homeowners in identifying problem areas that can be easily
repaired. For example, existing electrical, heating, or plumbing systems may
need to be upgraded, or mold growth in a basement may require professional
advice on how to eliminate dampness.
The home inspector
can also suggest additional work to be done and what could be postponed. And,
remember, a home inspector is an objective third party consultant who does not
stand to profit from work suggested. A good assessment of the current state of a
home and its systems will allow for more accurate planning and estimating, as
homeowners prepare a home to sell.
CTRL and A Selects all the items in the active window. CTRL and C Copies the item or items to the Clipboard and can be pasted using CTRL and V. CTRL and F Displays the Find all files dialog box. CTRL and G Displays the Go to folder dialog box. CTRL and N Displays the New dialog box. CTRL and O Displays the Open dialog box. CTRL and P Displays the Print dialog box. CTRL and S Displays the Save dialog box. CTRL and V Pastes the copied item or items from the Clipboard. CTRL and X Cuts the item or items selected to the Clipboard. CTRL and Z Undoes the last action. CTRL and F4 Closes the active document window. CTRL while dragging an item Copy the selected item CTRL+SHIFT with arrow keys Highlight a block of text CTRL+F4 Close the active document CTRL+ESC Display the Start menu CTRL and F6 Opens the next document window in the active application. ALT+ENTER View the properties for the selected item ALT+F4 Close the active item, or quit the active program ALT+SPACEBAR Open the shortcut menu for the active window ALT+TAB Switch between the open items ALT+ESC Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened F1 key Gives help on the active window or selected item. F2 key Rename the selected item F3 key Search for a file or a folder F4 key Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer F5 key Update the active window F6 key Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop F10 key Activate the menu bar in the active program Windows Logo Display or hide the Start menu Windows Logo+PAUSE Display the System Properties dialog box Windows Logo+D Display the desktop Windows Logo+M Minimize all of the windows Windows Logo+SHIFT+M Restore the minimized windows Windows Logo+E Open My Computer Windows Logo+F Search for a file or a folder CTRL+Windows Logo+F Search for computers Windows Logo+F1 Display Windows Help Windows Logo+ L Lock the keyboard Windows Logo+R Open the Run dialog box Windows Logo+U Open Utility Manager TAB Move forward through the options SHIFT+TAB Move backward through the options CTRL+TAB Move forward through the tabs CTRL+SHIFT+TAB Move backward through the tabs ALT+Underlined letter Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option ENTER Perform the command for the active option or button SPACEBAR Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box F1 key Display Help F4 key Display the items in the active list Arrow keys Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons BACKSPACE Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box END Display the bottom of the active window HOME Display the top of the active window NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) Display the contents of the selected folder NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) Collapse the selected folder LEFT ARROW Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder RIGHT ARROW Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder
Pillar to Post Aurora is proud to offer the
local real estate community EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish System) and
traditional stucco inspections. Our inspections adhere to the very
stringent EDI (Exterior Design Institute
http://www.exterior-design-inst.com/) and MoistureFree Warranty Corporation
(http://www.moisturewarranty.com/homeowners/homeowners.htm)
Inspection Protocol.
EIFS (aka synthetic stucco) can be an
outstanding exterior cladding system IF it is installed correctly and the
manufacture's specifications are followed exactly. Many problems with EIFS
begin when general contractors and installers aren't familiar with the system,
its components, or the methods used to properly apply the exterior cladding.
When installed properly, home owners typically report a 25%-40% reduction in
their energy bills due to the higher insulation value of their walls. The method
by which synthetic stucco reduces heat loss/gain is 2 fold. Primarily, it's
insulation prevents heat penetration through walls, and secondarily, acts as an
air barrier -- preventing air flow and therefore heat transfer. This means that
less heat is lost during the cold season, and less heat penetrates into your
home during the warm season -- a double benefit for those living in Colorado!
Looking at a typical annual heating/cooling bill of around $2,500.00 and a
minimum of 25% reduction, the average home owner can expect to get back $625.00
every year.
1. Insulation board.
2. An adhesive and/or mechanical attachment of the insulation board to a
substrate.
3. Glass fiber reinforcing mesh.
4. Basecoat on the face of the insulation board.
5. A textured protective finish coat.
Within the
EIFS community there are two primary synthetic stucco systems:
1)
A drainage system is
an exterior insulation and finish system with the above elements combined with a
means by which water, that has entered the assembly, is allowed to exit the wall
cavity.
2) The typical barrier type EIFS installation includes the substrate,
polystyrene foam board fastened or glued to the substrate, fiberglass
reinforcement mesh, base coat (usually 1/16 to 1/4 inches thick and then a
finish coast.
I would
love to work with you and your clients - if you have any questions or comments,
please feel free to contact me through this site or email at
thomas.recke@pillartopost.com
POWER UP YOUR MOTIVATION At times we all find it difficult to go on. There are times in our lives when we really want to call it "quits" because we just can't see any good results from all the hard work we've done.
LINEN CLOSET BLISS Is your linen closet a jumble of sheets, towels and pillowcases? Here's how to turn your closet from cluttered to calm and make it hold even more.
LET THE LIGHT SHINE IN Shorter days during the winter months mean longer nights. Spending more time indoors and in the dark makes it easy to fall into the 'winter blues.'
ATTIC INSULATION During the winter, attic insulation prevents heat within the house from escaping through the ceiling and into the unheated attic space.
HIDDEN EMAIL MESSAGES Do you feel no email is complete without a smiley face, or do you prefer bold, direct statements? These kinds of choices reveal more than you know.
Soffit Vents are on the underside of the eave either as grills or the preferred continuous type. Soffit vents are used in conjunction with roof, gable or ridge vents.
Serving home buyers, home sellers, homeowners and real estate professionals across North America.
Why Pillar To Post? Pillar To Post ® is North America's leading home inspection company. We are committed to quality in the service we provide to real estate professionals, home buyers and sellers. Our training, reporting and professionalism are second to none in the industry.
We Work With You Our goal is to enable you to have confidence in the home decision and transaction process. The inspection provides an excellent opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge about the home. During the inspection, we will point out and discuss areas of concern regarding the property. We then provide a detailed, unbiased report with all this information.
Thomas A. Recke
Aurora, Centennial, Byers, Foxfield, Bennett and Strasburg
Residential & Commercial Building Inspections, EIFS/Stucco Inspections, Radon Gas Testing, Mold & Indoor Air Quality Testing, EDR Neighborhood Enviromnental Reports, Water Quality Testing, and last but not least we also provide Pre-Listing Inspections
THE LAW OF ATTRACTION
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to "get lucky" and attract all the success and good things they want and others seem to have the worst luck bumping up against obstacle after obstacle?
Serving the home buyer, home seller, homeowner and real estate professionals across Colorado.
Why Pillar To Post?
Pillar To Post ® is North America's leading home inspection company. We are committed to quality in the service we provide to real estate professionals, home buyers and sellers. Our training, reporting and professionalism are second to none in the industry.
We Work With You
Our goal is to enable you to have confidence in the home decision and transaction process. The inspection provides an excellent opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge about the home. During the inspection, we will point out and discuss areas of concern regarding the property. We then provide a detailed, unbiased report with all this information.
Thomas A. Recke - (303)
337-6713
http://www.pillartopost.com/aurora - thomas.recke@pillartopost.com
ASHI Certified Residential
& Commercial Building Inspections
Fully Insured with both
E&O and General Liability Insurance
EDI Certified
EIFS/Stucco Inspector
Full line of Indoor Air
Quality, Mold, Radon, and Water testing
EDR Environmental
Reports & Home Energy Surveys too!
There are a few things that can
be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life
saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do
with it:
1.
Emergency
The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of
the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112,
and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency
number for you. Interestingly, this number, 112, can be dialed even if the
keypad is locked. Try it out.
2. Have you locked your keys in the
car?
Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. If you
lock your keys in the car, and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home
on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from
your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding
it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from
having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds
of miles away, but if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your
car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out, and it unlocked our car over a
cell phone!"
3. Hidden Battery Power
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#
Your cell will restart with this reserve, and the instrument will show a 50%
increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell the
next time.
4. How to disable a STOLEN mobile
phone?
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your
phone: *#06#
A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your
handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. If your phone gets stolen,
you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be
able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone
will be totally useless.
You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole
it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in
people stealing mobile phones.
5. Free Information Calls
Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information
calls when they don't have to.
Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this
situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information
option, simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any
charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.
I just completed training on a new program offered by Moisture Free Warranty
(http://www.moisturefreeroof.com/) that allows their Certified Inspectors to
offer a free 90 No-Fault roof warranty to their clients. There are no catches
but the roof deficiencies and issues identified during the inspection must be
either repaired or are exempt from the coverage. At the end of the 90 free
warranty, clients are then able to purchase extended coverage depending on their
desires:
Plan: Advantage ($295, an additional $125 for roof >4000 sqft)
Term: 2 Years
Material Defect Leakage Coverage: Yes
Roofing System Leakage Coverage:
Yes
Installation Failure Coverage:
Yes
Disposal Costs:
Yes
Unlimited Transferable Protection:
Yes
Claims Management:
Yes
Plan: Premier ($395, an additional $125 for roof >4000 sqft)
Term: 5 Years
Material Defect Leakage Coverage: Yes
Roofing System Leakage Coverage:
Yes
Installation Failure Coverage:
Yes
Disposal Costs:
Yes
Unlimited Transferable Protection:
Yes
Claims Management:
Yes
Plan: Premier Plus ($495, an additional $125 for roof >4000 sqft)
Term: 7 Years
Material Defect Leakage Coverage:
Yes
Roofing System Leakage Coverage:
Yes
Installation Failure Coverage:
Yes
Disposal Costs:
Yes
Unlimited Transferable Protection:
Yes
Claims Management:
Yes
The plans are transferable with no paperwork, the policy stays with the
property. It is important to note that a typical homeowners insurance policy
won't cover leakage from normal wear and tear, failing shingles, missing or poor
flashing, skylights, vent penetrations, or improper installation. This roof
certification/warranty covers all of this at a very reasonable cost to the
client!
What are your thoughts about this coverage? Is there a need/demand? Would this
help make your job as a real estate agent easier and more successful? Please
give me some feedback here?!
Pillar To Post and Hayman Residential Engineering Services Launch Foundation
Inspections for Manufactured Homes
Strategic Alliance Meets Growing Demand
for Foundation Inspections to Expedite Real Estate and Mortgage Transactions for
the Sale of Manufactured Homes
Tampa, FLA—August 12, 2008—Pillar To Post,
the industry leader in home inspection services and Hayman Residential Engineering Services (HRES), a nationwide
engineering and architectural firm, jointly announced today a strategic
alliance. Working together, the two companies will offer foundation inspections
and engineering certificates for HUD Compliant permanent foundations, VA
permanent foundations and conventional loan permanent foundations on
manufactured homes.
The partnership seeks to facilitate successful home
loans for buyers and sellers of manufactured homes. The rapid issuing of a
certification – that verifies a compliant foundation – expedites the loan
approval process and close of the home sale. Starting immediately, home buyers
and sellers of manufactured homes in the U.S. who use Pillar To Post professionals for their home
inspections will have access to foundation inspections in 41 states. For a list
of states, visit http://www.hayman-res.com/default.htm.
“Our foundation inspection reports will give
HRES a highly detailed description and images of the home’s foundation, so the
HRES engineers can make a quick determination of its condition,” said Dan
Steward, president of Pillar To Post. “Pillar To Post is very excited to work with
HRES to be the first home inspection company to provide this valuable service to
real estate professionals, lenders, home buyers and home sellers.”
All foundation systems, new and existing,
must meet the guidelines published in the Permanent Foundations Guide for
Manufactured Housing, dated September 1996. A certification attesting to
compliance with this handbook must be obtained from a licensed professional
engineer and included in the insuring file. It is applicable for all re-sales.
The PFGMH must be followed in order to receive a federally guaranteed loan.
“There is a continuing demand in the market
to close the sales of manufactured homes without the seller needing to implement
an entire new foundation,” said Paul Hayman, principal
engineer of Hayman Residential Engineering Services.
“Working with Pillar To Post will assist us in expediting this process, as the
inspection reports will be turned around in 3-5 days with a 24-hour rush order
available, so we can evaluate and offer solutions if need be.”
About Pillar To Post (www.pillartopost.com)
Pillar To Post is the leading provider of home inspection
services to home buyers and real estate professionals in North America.
Operating more than 450 franchises in the U.S. and Canada, Pillar To Post offers the most
comprehensive inspection program available to residential buyers and sellers and
real estate professionals.
Founded more than a decade ago, Pillar To Post is today ranked #1 in the
Home Inspections category by Entrepreneur Magazine. The company’s home
inspections and Ready For Sale
services ensure that Pillar To Post supports home buyers, sellers and real
estate professionals to provide peace of mind and informed decisions. For more information visit www.pillartopost.com.
About Hayman
Residential Engineering Services (www.hayman-res.com)
Hayman Residential Engineering Services, Inc was
founded by Paul W. Hayman, P.E., an engineer with over
20 years experience in the residential construction industry. Noting the
difficulty that many lenders had in finding engineering resources in rural
areas, he created the company to focus on the needs of the manufactured housing
and mortgage industry. Hayman RES is now the largest
engineering company of its kind offering services from coast to coast. For more
information, visit www.hayman-res.com.
I wanted to take a few minutes and speak about the importance of third party verification in two specific areas.
Obtaining permits for work performed (basement finishing, roofing, furnace installation, etc.) - many of the inspections I have conducted throughout the last few years are riddled with homeowner repairs and installations. I am well aware that I am paid to be the bearer of bad news, however an outstanding real estate agent will help prep their client and let them know how important it is that large scale projects are completed correctly and safely. Homeowners might have the know-how and skill to finish their own basement, however without the independant verification from the county code enforcement there is no verification that plumbing joints were done correcly, plumbing vents were added as necessary, electrical wires were routed correctly, etc. The list is seemingly endless. If a large scale project was not permitted, expect your inspector to call the sellers on it. The implications are many but some of the larger ones are insurance issues and the possible costs of obtaining a retro active permit.
When it comes to repairs made, based on deficiencies identified by a home inspector, the seller needs to either provide a receipt for the completed work or compensating the buyer by adjusting the price of the home. I am by no means a Realtor, nor do I want the job - I refuse to step on the toes of my client's agent. Not my job. Although I will be candid with my clients and let them know what they are up against. All too often I have seen sellers have their cousin vinny (who has the time life book series on how to wire a bird house) come down and fix the double tapped breakers in their panel. Not only does this lack professional accountability if something goes wrong, but the sellers should have a warm and safe house to move into.
My advice to the real estate community is to let buyers know that a good inspector will most likely be able to identify installations and repairs that were not professionally performed. If things weren't done correctly, someone should pay to bring the situation back up to par. The buyers deserve it!
Happy hunting! As always, please feel free to call me if you have any questions or concerns!
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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