Vickie 's Blog

Selling Success with Home Staging

2007-04-12T11:32:00Z

The way you live in a home and the way you sell it are two different things, says home-staging guru Barb Schwarz in her book "Home Staging: The Winning Way to Sell Your House for More Money." Here are some home-staging tips to share with clients who are readying their homes for sale:

Staging is not decorating. Decorating is personalizing a space, where staging is "depersonalizing" it. Staging is not about displaying a favorite color rug or ruffles someone loves. It's about selling the house. Remember, if your clients are showing a messy house, they're throwing away money.

If you can smell it, you can't sell it. Make sure your clients do a sniff test and understand that odors they might be used to have to be eliminated. It's a sensitive subject, so handle it with tact.

Clutter equates to stress. One of the biggest challenges to home staging is clutter. Remember, it's just as important for your clients to get rid of excess "stuff" as it is to clean their house. Tell your clients that clutter interferes with potential homebuyers' ability to mentally move into the house. They can't imagine their own furniture in a room if it's cluttered.

Consider painting the interior of the house. Your clients might like the navy blue walls and wacky flower-print wallpaper, but homebuyers want the house to have a cohesive, simple color scheme. Drastic color changes from room to room can actually startle potential homebuyers.

Tips For Holding A Yard Sale

2007-04-12T10:50:41Z

Use a yard sale to reduce the clutter in your home and get rid of items you don't want to move.

1. Check with your city government to see if you need a permit or license.

2. See if neighbors want to participate and have a "block" sale to attract more visitors.

3. Advertise. Put an ad in free classified papers, put up signs and balloons at major intersections and in stores near your home.

4. Price items ahead and attach prices with removable stickers. Remember, yard sales are supposed to be bargains, so don't try to sell anything of significant value this way.

5. Check items before the sale to be sure you haven't including something you want by mistake.

6. Keep pets away from the sale.

7. Display everything neatly and individually so customers don't have to dig through boxes.

8. Have an electrical outlet so buyers can test appliances.

9. Have plenty of bags and newspaper for wrapping fragile items.

10. Get enough change, and keep a close eye on your cash.

Prepare Your Home

2007-04-12T10:49:40Z

Ten Ways to Make Your House More Salable

1. Get rid of clutter. Throw out or file stacks of newspapers and magazines. Pack away most of your small decorative items. Store out-of-season clothing to make closets seem roomier. Clean out the garage.

2. Wash your windows and screens to let more light into the interior.

3. Keep everything extra clean. Wash fingerprints from light switch plates. Mop and wax floors. Clean the stove and refrigerator. A clean house makes a better first impression and convinces buyers that the home has been well cared for.

4. Get rid of smells. Clean carpeting and drapes to eliminate cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells. Open the windows.

5. Put higher wattage bulbs in light sockets to make rooms seem brighter, especially basements and other dark rooms. Replace any burnt-out bulbs.

6. Make minor repairs that can create a bad impression. Small problems such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, or a dripping faucet may seem trivial, but they'll give buyers the impression that the house isn't well maintained.

7. Tidy your yard. Cut the grass, rake the leaves, trim the bushes, and edge the walks. Put a pot or two of bright flowers near the entryway.

8. Patch holes in your driveway and reapply sealant, if applicable.

9. Clean your gutters.

10. Polish your front doorknob and door numbers.

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Joke Of The Day

2007-04-11T12:42:30Z

You have to do this...absolutely hilarious!

1. Go to http://www.google.com/

2. Click on "maps"

3. Click on "get directions"

4. Type "New York, NY" in the first box (the "from" box)

5. Type "London" in the second box (the "to" box)

6. Click "get directions"

7. Scroll down to step #23

*What was this person thinking??? Great sense of humor!*

Buy Pink M&M's to Help Fight Cancer

2007-04-11T12:39:54Z

We have all been touched by cancer , somewhere in our lives, please read below and keep it going.

I have been asked to keep this going and hope you will keep it moving too.

The New M&M colors

Pass this on to all of your friends. There are many women out there who have breast cancer . Lets do all we can to support this cause.

New Pink & White M&M's

The maker of M&M candies has teamed up with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to raise funds through the sale of their new " pink & white " M&M candies.

For each 8-ounce bag of the special candies sold, the makers of M&M (Masterfoods) will donate 50 cents to the foundation. Th e next time you want a treat, please pick up a bag (now sold in stores nationwide) - you will be donating to a great cause and satisfying your sweet tooth. Just think...If each of us buy one bag or two.... how much will be donated. Buy a bag for a friend...... .....

How Smart is Your Right Foot?

2007-04-03T09:55:21Z

How smart is Your Right Foot ? ?

Just try this. It is from an orthopedic surgeon............

This will boggle your mind and you will keep trying over and over again to
see if you can outsmart your foot, but you can't. It's preprogrammed in your
brain!

1. WITHOUT anyone watching you (they will think you are GOOFY......) and
while sitting where you are at your desk in front of your computer, lift
your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air (or on paper) with
you right hand. Your foot will change direction.

I told you so!!!

And there's nothing you can do about it!

You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are
going to try it again, if you've not already done so ! ! !

9 Spring Spruce-ups on a Shoestring

2007-03-28T08:29:15Z

Spring into cleaning - Use a little elbow grease to

make your floors, windows, appliances and light

fixtures sparkle. Potential buyers feel more comfortable

when viewing a clean house.

Minimize clutter - "Less is more" when it comes

to staging your home for sale. Put anything in storage

that takes away from a room's overall impact.

Organize closets - A well-organized closet will appear

roomier, which is what buyers want. There are

a number of affordable closet shelving and storage

systems that you can install yourself.

Paint works wonders - Fresh paint can be the

least expensive way to transform a room. Neutral

colors work best because a buyer can move in

now and choose their custom colors later.

Make a great first impression - Pretend that

you're entering your home for the first time. If there

are cobwebs or peeling paint on your front door,

that first impression will be negative. Make needed

repairs and replace an overly-worn welcome mat

with a new one.

Add color with containers - Add container plantings

to your front entrance for a welcoming focal

point. The following plants are perfect for spring:

ivy, sweet alyssum, geranium, snapdragon, salvia,

liriope, and dianthus.

Fresh cut flowers - Fresh flowers bring the outdoors

inside, adding color and aroma. If your home

is painted in neutral tones, choose brightly colored

flowers. If your home is already full of color, opt for

lighter hues, such as white or yellow.

Spring touches - Lighten up your decorating

with throws and toss pillows that say "Spring".

Pack away those heavier quilts and winter accent

pieces.

Hot color trends - This Spring, soothing mint and

bright foliage are two striking variations of this

season's signature color: green. Other tones also

incorporate a hint of green, including light, airy

blues and deeper gray teals. Honey-hued yellows

and subtle shaded purples, along with bright white

round out the season's palette.

Send A Free Thank You Card To A Soldier

2007-03-26T08:22:20Z

Try this from Xerox.
If you go to this web site, http://www.letssaythanks.com/ you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You cannot pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! This is a great site. Please send a card and send this e-mail to everyone you know. It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our men and women over there need to know we are behind them!

Opt Out of Junk Credit Cards Checking Your Credit

2007-03-22T12:47:02Z

I advise you and your clients to go online to: www.optoutprescreen.com and do the electronic opt out for 5 years. This will keep the bureau's from selling your name, phone number, and address information as a "trigger lead" and it will stop the junk credit card offers you get in the mail which in turn should increase your credit scores by 5-20 points!
"Trigger leads", also referred to as "pre-screened leads", are generated after you have given a loan provider permission to pull your credit. For instance, you apply for a personal loan....once the loan provider pulls credit, it signals to the credit bureau that you are in the market for a new loan. This "triggers" the credit bureau or credit reseller to capture the consumer(your) personal identifying information and then sell it as a lead to another loan company. This is legal, however, in every case, the trigger lead contact is unsolicited and unauthorized by the consumer(you). Take control of your information and stop the junk mail.

What a bunch of lying, thieving, cheating....

2007-03-22T12:24:46Z

I received this as an email from a friend.  I was shocked.  WOW!

Thought some of you would like to know what happens (or I should say doesn't happen) to your car.

Take note to the part where the manager was on the phone to his district manager and he made the comment, we were caught on film.

What a bunch of lying, thieving, cheating, Jiffy Lube?

Check out this link. View the VIDEO.

http://mfile.akamai.com/12924/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2006/0503/9152183.200k.asx

Global Warming

2007-03-19T12:50:57Z

Some global warming-related stories you may have missed:

British companies involved in the Emissions Trading Scheme enjoy a $1.5 billion profits windfall while energy prices to the consumer increased 72 percent
Germany at odds with France over emissions reductions
Some Texas mayors upset by Houston mayor's emissions policies infringing on their cities
Bank of America sees the dollar signs involved in carbon trading (for an explanation of why this is a cartel, not involving new money, see here)
Hugo Chavez thinks his country has more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia
Climate scientist Roger Pielke Sr discover what looks like a big mistake in the IPCC summary.
- EU industry commissioner warns against 'climate hysteria'
- China may overtake US as world's largest emitter this year
- Canada 's Fraser Institite on adaptive management of the climate risk

Global Warming

2007-03-19T12:48:08Z

Lots of global warming-related stories you may have missed:

Threat of Kyoto is leading to wholesale deforestation in New Zealand
UN climate talks aren't going anywhere
IPCC chief says it will be very difficult to limit temperature rise to 2 degrees C
Irish emissions rise
France opposes binding targets on renewable energy use
Scientific paper that suggested Gulf Stream slowdown was based on a trivial error
More evidence of the effect of solar variability
Cap and trade schemes around the world aren't working
UK likely to miss its emissions reduction targets
Shipping contributes twice as much to emissions as aviation
The Internet is using more and more energy
Why a leading French atmospheric scientist and socialist politician recanted
Leading evangelicals concerned that global warming alarmism is diverting National Association of Evangelicals staff from "the great moral issues."
Environmentalists concerned at rush to Ethanol

Global Warming

2007-03-19T12:36:55Z

I am so ready for Spring! I planted some flowers in the yard last week. The weather was in the 80's. I started shopping online for spring clothing and actually did my spring cleaning throughout the house. This week Ms. Wicked Winter Witch returned to force me to pull the coats out of the attic again and kill my beautiful little baby flowers I just planted last week. This drastic change of weather each week has me thinking about global warming. I have spoke of this more than once to my children, friends, family or basically whoever I can get to listen. Yet, there isn't much one person can do to change things. But the movie which is at your local rental store that Al Gore developed is a great start. If you haven't seen it yet, please do. There are issues that you may not be aware of. Things that are a huge threat to us and our children that every person needs to be aware of. Educate yourself and rent this movie.

Springtime Signals Home Improvement Season

2007-03-15T09:01:46Z

Homeowners have high hopes, but lack time and money. With warmer weather just around the corner, homeowners are dusting off their home improvement to-do lists and finding that a large number of projects fell through the cracks in 2006. A recent homeowner survey showed that 61% of respondents didn't get around to all the home improvements they had planned for 2006; many neglected their home exterior and outdoor space the most. Although 60% of the homeowners surveyed said they would like to spend more time relaxing outdoors, more than half said they don't have time to tackle a big project. In addition, the homeowners' survey conducted by the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association (PAMA) indicated that 41% of homeowners anticipated a home renovation would be too expensive. You can register and see the full article here.

FUN FACTS:

. Men are 6 times more likely to be struck by lightning than women.
. Reindeer enjoy eating bananas.
. By current calculations the center of a super massive black hole would be the size of a spec of dust. But that spec of dust would weigh 3 million times more than our sun.
. When you sneeze your breath is expelled at more than 100 miles an hour.
. When glass breaks, the cracks move faster than 3,000 miles per hour. To photograph the event, a camera must shoot at a millionth of a second!

Energy-Efficient Home

2007-03-15T08:59:26Z

U.S. Department of Energy Guide to Energy-Efficient Windows, Doors and Skylights

Energy-efficient windows, doors and skylights-also known as fenestration-can help lower a home's heating, cooling and lighting costs. Learn about their energy performance ratings and how to maximize their energy efficiency in your home:

Exterior Doors

An exterior door can contribute significantly to air leakage in a home-as well as some heat transfer-if it's old, not properly installed, and/or not properly air sealed. This can result in energy losses.

Here you'll find the following information:

Skylights

A skylight can provide your home with daylighting and warmth. When properly selected and installed, an energy-efficient skylight can help minimize your heating, cooling, and lighting costs.

Maximizing a skylight's performance in your home involves three steps:

Design
Consider your home's design and climate in relation to the energy performance of a skylight.
Selection
Find a skylight that meets your energy performance requirements.
Installation
Ensure proper installation of skylights to maximize their energy efficiency.

Windows

Windows provide our homes with light, warmth, and ventilation, but they can also negatively impact a home's energy efficiency. You can reduce energy costs by installing energy-efficient windows in your home. Some energy efficiency improvements to existing windows can also help.

Here you'll find information about how to do the following:

Housing Bust

2007-03-15T08:54:05Z

Group Calls for Low-Income Homeowner Aid

With concern building over troubles in the mortgage industry, a liberal think tank on Monday said the federal government should take new steps to protect low-income homeowners at risk of foreclosing. The Center for American Progress said the government should consider grants to expand mortgage aid and foreclosure prevention programs for families falling behind on their monthly payments.The Center for American Progress' report said low-income and middle-class homeowners have been hurt by the growth of adjustable-rate mortgages with low introductory "teaser" rates that expire in two or three years. The report also highlighted homeowners' assistance programs in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Minneapolis and Brooklyn, NY., as models of ways to aid people in danger of losing their homes.

The report said the federal government should provide a $25 million grant to expand these kinds of programs in parts of the country dealing with high foreclosure rates -- such as places in Ohio, Iowa and the Atlanta area. -- Associated Press

On Bankruptcy's Doorstep

New Century Financial Corp., the nation's second-biggest subprime mortgage lender, said it doesn't have the cash to pay creditors who are demanding their money, increasing speculation that the company will go bankrupt. The New York Stock Exchange, citing the credit crisis, halted trading of New Century on Monday until it decides whether to keep listing the company's securities. Shares of the Irvine, Calif.-based company, already down 90 percent in 2007, lost half their remaining value in premarket trading, and rivals fell as much as 25 percent Monday.

"They're one step closer to bankruptcy," said Bose George, an analyst at Keefe Bruyette & Woods. "The only possibility for survival now is for someone, potentially an investment bank, to step in." New Century may be insolvent because too many of its own customers -- most of whom have poor credit histories or heavy debt burdens -- aren't repaying their loans. New Century said in a federal filing it doesn't have funds to repay lenders including Charlotte's Bank of America Corp., Morgan Stanley, Citigroup Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. The creditors want New Century to repurchase all outstanding mortgage loans they financed.

Housing Bust

2007-03-15T08:52:39Z

In my area we are being told to hold on to your assets. The deepest housing decline in 16 years is about to get worse.

As many as 1.5 million Americans may lose their homes, 100,000 people in housing-related industries could be fired, and an estimated 100 additional subprime mortgage companies that lend money to people with bad or limited credit may go under, according to real estate agents, economists, analysts and a Federal Reserve governor.

Financial stocks also could extend their declines over mortgage default worries.

The spring buying season, when more than half of all U.S. home sales are made, has been so disappointing that the National Association of Home Builders in Washington now expects purchases to fall for the sixth consecutive quarter after it predicted a gain just last month.

A five-year housing boom that ended in 2006 expanded homeownership to a record number of U.S. households. Now the industry faces mounting defaults, failing subprime mortgage companies and an increasing number of unsold homes.

If this slump follows the same pattern as the last one, in 1991, it will persist for at least another year and may fuel a recession. New-home sales declined 45 percent from July 1989 to January 1991, and about 1 percent of all U.S. jobs, or 1.1 million, were lost in that recession, said Robert Kleinhenz, deputy chief economist of the California Association of Realtors.

This time, new-home sales have declined 28 percent since September 2005, hitting a low in January, the last month for which data are available.

And though the national jobless rate is near a five-year low this month, mortgage-related jobs fell by almost 2,000 in January alone. At least two dozen of the more than 8,000 mortgage lenders have been forced to close or sell operations since the start of 2006.

Five large subprime lenders together have fired more than 5,600 workers in the past year.

New Century Financial Corp., the second-largest subprime lender, said Monday it had run out of cash to pay back creditors who are demanding their money. New Century has cut 300 jobs, and its 7,000 remaining employees are waiting to see if the company will survive.

Doug Duncan, chief economist of the Washington-based Mortgage Bankers Association, predicted in January that more than 100 home lenders could fail this year.

Subprime mortgages are given to people who wouldn't qualify for standard home loans and typically have rates at least 2 or 3 percentage points above safer loans. The portion of subprime loans that financed new mortgages rose to 20 percent last year from 5 percent in 2001, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

As home prices steadily gained from 2001 to 2006, homeowners who fell behind on mortgage payments could sell their homes and pay off their loans or get better refinancing terms based on the higher value of their property. Now that home values are declining, many borrowers won't be able to refinance because they would have to come up with the difference between their new mortgage and what their home is now worth.

Defaults may dump more than 500,000 homes on a housing market already saturated with leftover inventory built during boom times, New York-based bond research firm CreditSights Inc. said in a March 1 report.

About 1.5 million U.S. homeowners out of a total of 80 million will lose their homes through foreclosure, University of California, Berkeley, economist Ken Rosen said last week.

The Center for Responsible Lending in Durham said in a December study that as many as 2.2 million borrowers are at risk of losing their homes, at a potential cost of $164 billion, from subprime mortgages originated from 1998 through 2006.

The number of foreclosures rose 42 percent to 1.2 million last year from 2005, according to RealtyTrac, while delinquencies in the last three months of 2006 rose to the highest level in four years, the Federal Reserve said.

Meanwhile, housing and related industries, which account for about 23 percent of the U.S. economy -- including makers of a variety of products, including copper pipes and kitchen cabinets -- fired about 100,000 workers last year. The total will be higher this year, according to Amal Bendimerad of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University.

New-home sales plunged 17 percent last year from 2005, the biggest decline since 1990, according to the Chicago-based National Association of Home Builders. Existing home sales fell 8.4 percent in 2006 from a record in 2005, according to the National Association of Realtors.

A Standard and Poor's index of 16 homebuilders tumbled 4.1 percent Monday, its biggest decline since August, on concerns over increasing inventory and subprime defaults. The index has fallen 12 percent since Jan. 1.

Make Time and Space for Home Exercise

2007-03-15T08:49:20Z

The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports recommends at least three 30-minute strength-training sessions each week and at least three 20-minute bouts of cardio exercise each week. For clients who want to exercise but have time or space constraints, suggest these in-home solutions:

Folding exercise systems. Fitting under clients' beds or stored in a closet, folding workout systems are ready in seconds and put away with ease. They include basic rowers, treadmills, exercise bikes, resistance bands, chin-up bars and mini-trampolines. Prices range from $15 to $499.

Corner-room workout systems. These systems, which typically don't get put away after use, offer myriad features and a more complete workout (both strength and endurance exercises). Manufacturers include Bowflex (bowflex.com), NordicTrack (nordictrack.com) and Weider (sears.com, walmart.com and amazon.com). Prices range from $199 to approximately $1,500.

Garage workout systems. A garage offers more workout space, an often cooler environment and isolation from distractions. Clients can install large universal weight machines, free weights for isolating and toning specific muscle groups and cardio machines, such as steppers, elliptical trainers or treadmills. Prices range from $1,200 to more than $5,000.

The President's Council recommends that if your clients are older than 35 and have been inactive for several years, they should consult a physician before starting an exercise routine. Also, experts highly recommend using a partner when lifting heavy weights.

New Website Reveals Neighborhood Data

2007-03-09T10:56:46Z

Neighboroo (Neighboroo.com) is the latest in a series of websites focused on helping real estate agents and homebuyers easily research any U.S. location. Unlike PropertyValueHUB.com, domania.com, HouseValues.com and Zillow.com, Neighboroo concentrates on neighborhood data and not on house value. By entering a physical address, zip code or landmark into Neighboroo, or by simply clicking anywhere on the U.S. map, users receive details and statistics about the location based on eight categories, each with subcategories:
	Populace -- Population density, gender ratio, politics and religion.
	Housing -- Home and rent prices, cost of living, taxes and years in residence.
	Schools -- Performance, diplomas and college education.
	Safety -- Crime statistics and severe weather.
	Health -- Environmental factors and physicians per capita.
	Climate -- Temperature, rainfall and snowfall.
	Income/Work -- Household income, commute time, unemployment and job growth.
	Age/Ethnicity -- Age groups.
Clicking on a subcategory reveals a color-coded information map. The colors let users easily identify trends within the location. For example, if you click on crime, you will see that dark red represents a high crime rate, whereas dark green represents a low crime rate. Shades of each color throughout the map show varying levels of crime. As a general rule for all of Neighboroo's information maps, green is desirable, red is less desirable, darker is more extreme and pale is close to average.

Google Earth

2007-03-06T12:05:07Z

To get a bird's eye view of a property, you can use Google Earth. There is a short download that is free in order to use this service but I feel it is worth the memory space. I create booklets for each home to be available at all showings. The bird's eye view is a fun way for any buyer to view the property.

In order to get this service, go to http://earth.download.googlepages.com/

Daylight Saving Time

2007-03-06T11:33:02Z

I wanted to send out a quick note about a change that you might notice this weekend. Daylight Saving Time (DST) will start on March 11, 2007, which is three weeks earlier than usual, and it will end on November 4, 2007, which is one week later than usual. This results in a new DST period that is four weeks longer than in previous years. Unless certain updates are applied to your computer, the time zone settings for your computer's system clock may be incorrect during this four-week period. In particular, you must make sure that both your Windows operating system and your calendar programs are updated.

Microsoft has created a tool to see if your computer is affected by this based on the operating system you are using. You can get to this tool by going to http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_dst and following the instructions toward the bottom of the screen. There you will see a Daylight Saving Time Update Guide which will ask you a couple of questions to determine if you need to download anything at all and it will prompt you to download a fix for this issue if it determines you need one.

Joke Of The Day

2007-03-01T09:07:15Z

A guy took his blond girlfriend to her first football game. They had
great seats right behind their team's bench.

After the game, he asked her how she liked the experience.
"Oh, I really liked it," she replied, "especially the tight pants and
all the big muscles. But I just couldn't understand why they were killing
each other over 25 cents."

Dumbfounded, her date asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, before the game started, they flipped a coin. One team got it and
then for the rest of the game, all they kept screaming was, 'Get the
quarterback! Get the quarterback!' I'm like Helloooooo? It's only 25
cents!!!!"

Improve Your Listing Pictures

2007-03-01T08:52:12Z

Experts say that properties advertised online and supported by at least six high-quality photos sell quicker than those using fewer. To boost your listings over the competition, consider these features when purchasing a digital camera:

Panoramic pictures. Panoramic or stitched-together photos are a series of pictures that are joined together, either by using the camera's software, or software bought independently, to create one wide-angle shot. For example, by placing a camera on a tripod in the middle of the room, you can take a number of adjacent shots, stitch them together, and create a 360-degree view of the room.

Image stabilization. Also called anti-shake technology, image stabilization lets you avoid blur while shooting in low-light situations. The camera uses either a gyroscope or special internal software to compensate for shaking hands.

Five-megapixel resolution. A five-megapixel camera will meet the needs of most agents. Your digital photo is made up of elements called pixels. More pixels mean higher-quality photos. A five-megapixel camera, which provides 5 million pixels of resolution, will satisfy your website and email needs, as well as produce excellent-quality print photos up to 11 inches by 14 inches.

Wide angle. To capture the breadth of a room, consider buying a wide-angle adapter for your point-and-shoot digital camera. Adaptors connect using a magnetic ring that mounts with an adhesive strip, and fit the following camera lens diameters: small (10mm to 17mm) and large (17mm to 27mm). Manufacturers include Crystal Vision, Tricod and Bower M. Power.

TIPS FOR BUYING NEW CONSTRUCTION

2007-02-28T10:11:59Z

Research the Builder

Most builders are "good" builders. They take simple steps to protect their neighborhoods. Research your builder, or ask your Agent if your builder takes these simple steps to make sure that your neighborhood won't instantly go down in value:

Limit the # of investor purchases - this makes sure that the neighborhood doesn't turn into a "rental" neighborhood & allows the "pride of ownership" to shine through.
Continues to build equal or greater value homes in the same and surrounding neighborhoods. Builders who avoid doing this create a "vacuum" in home prices and instantly devalue new home purchases.

Choose Your Appraiser

You're going to pay for an appraisal one way or another! The lender will require that you have an appraisal in order to loan you the money for the home! Additionally, most appraisers charge about the same money for the service - so why not choose your appraiser? Ask around until you've been referred to a good appraiser and request that they perform the service. Ask for a copy of it and read it! Call your appraiser if you have any questions. This will give you an in-depth knowledge of the market area - and it's something you would pay for, regardless!

TIPS FOR BUYING NEW CONSTRUCTION

2007-02-28T10:09:44Z

Use an Agent Who Has New Home Sales Experience

Many people think that they can save money by not using, or don't need the services of a Agent when buying a new construction home. This couldn't be further from the truth! New homebuilders typically try to monopolize a transaction - they only give you their attractive incentive packages if you agree, in writing, to use their lender, their title company, and sometimes even their insurance company! An Agent will walk you through the transaction and will make sure that you're protected every step of the way. If you've agreed to use the builder's lender, your Agent will make sure that you get a fair interest rate & fair closing costs. Your Agent will know what the industry standards are, and will make sure that the builder doesn't try and stretch beyond these. And best of all, an Agent with a lot of new home transactions under their belt will have established relationships with your homebuilder. Because of this, the homebuilder will be on their "best behavior." The homebuilder doesn't want to run the risk of getting a bad reputation in the Agent community, who can potentially bring the builder lots of homebuyers in the future.

Don't Sign ANYTHING Until You've Worked Out Every Detail of the Sale

Buying a home can be very emotional - and it should be. You're not simply picking out a house; you're picking out where you'll spend the holidays next year, where your parents will come visit you, and where you might raise your children. However, the on-site sales agent will try and play on this emotion and get you to "write up the contract so that no one else can get your house." That's just fine, as long as you understand what you're signing, and everything is okay with you. Just remember - no matter what is said, everything will be done as it is outlined in the contract.