The ABCs of Storage

In many American homes, the change of seasons is a signal for storing away some stuff and pulling out other supplies. Whether it’s yard tools or summer clothes, we all have items we put into storage for awhile, and pull out those things we need for another season, like holiday decorations. If you’re selling your home, you should try to store away extra items to make your home appear more spacious.

“A” is for Assessment
What do you have and where can you put it? Take a look at all your stuff and then take a look at where you can tuck it away in your home. Walk through the home with a pad and pen and dedicate an hour of your time to finish this first step.

“B” is for Banish and Box
While this may sound easy, it’s where the hard decisions get made. Box up what you’re going to keep and banish what needs to be thrown out, held for a yard sale or given to charity.

“C” is for Control
These two steps keep your storage areas neat and organized. They should also become a routine part of your storage plan. Maintaining your storage areas with smaller containers (such as see-through boxes, file folders or portable hanging racks) will keep items orderly and easily identifiable. Cardboard or plastic boxes with removable lids are your best bet for corralling stuff. The boxes are easy to handle and uniform in size.

Check out these additional moving tips on my website by clicking here.

The Emerging Market of Condominiums

Condominiums are designed to provide multi-family housing and are good solutions
for many homebuyers.

Indicators for a Strong Market in Multi-Family Housing Units

• Single and non-traditional households represent the majority of housing
• consumers.
• Single women make up nearly a quarter of the homebuyer market and they
• prefer Multi-family Housing.
• Condos are also gaining interest among first time home buyers, empty nesters and retirees
• Condos are great second homes
• And usually they are owner occupied instead of renterss

If condos are such a good investment - why are there so may for sale?
The supply outweighs the demands. When a single home is offered, that is one
home on the market but when a developer sells a project, it is usually 500 plus
homes to the market. An oversupply doesn’t always mean the product is deficient.
When affordable housing is available, why would you pass it up?

Avoiding Capital Gains Tax on the Sale of Your Home

Worried about taxes eating away too much of the profit on your home? Under a law enacted about ten years ago, a married couple filing jointly usually can exclude as much as $500,000 of their gain. For someone who is single or married and filing separately, the limit is $250,000.

To qualify for the full exclusion, you typically must have owned the home and lived in it as your primary residence for at least two of the five years prior to sale.

This exclusion applies only to your primary residence. Even someone who couldn’t pass those tests might qualify to exclude most or all of the gain under certain circumstances.

The seller may be eligible for a reduced exclusion if that person had to sell because of a “change in place of employment”, health reasons or “unforeseen circumstances.”

What are unforeseen circumstances? Examples cited by the Internal Revenue Service include divorce, death, or “multiple births resulting from the same pregnancy.”

Some think they’re required to buy a new home to qualify for this home-sale gain exclusion. That’s wrong. They’re probably thinking about a law that was repealed about a decade ago, under which you could defer tax on the gain on the sale of your home by rolling over the proceeds into a new home that cost as much as, or more than, the old one. Congress eliminated that law, in part because it was viewed as unfair to people who wanted to downsize and buy a less expensive home or to sell and move into a rental.

Techniques to Make Your Home More Glamorous to You & Potential Buyers

Whether you are thinking about selling or you would just like to freshen up your home’s look a bit, here are a few techniques that can be tailored to everyone's pocketbook.

As noted in previous entries, staging is the very best proven way to get top dollar for your home as you prepare it for sale. Homes that are staged sell faster and for more money! But, if you are not interested in selling, you may still find some interesting ideas that you may want to consider for your own enjoyment.

First, glamorize your curb appeal. Whether it is all new sod, fresh landscaping, new exterior design, landscaping lights, or something as simple as an updated, modern front door and handle, curb appeal is paramount to getting buyers through the front door.

Make a memorable entrance. The minute a potential buyer walks in the door, he or she should think looks good, sounds good, and smells good. Put an oversized mirror in your entry or a dramatic piece of artwork. Fresh flowers and scented candles go a long way for this first impression.

Next, refresh old or worn attributes of the home. If you have hardwood floors, have them sanded and re-stained in a darker color. Dark wood floors are more popular than ever and quickly add drama to a home.

If you have carpet, have it steam cleaned or replace it with a light taupe Berber -- appealing to most people and makes the room actually appear larger. If you have stone floors, have them pressure cleaned.

Make your furniture unobtrusive. Be open to new furniture layouts. Keep in mind that the fireplace does not always have to be the focus of your seating area. An outdoor room or pool area may be more pleasing to the eye.

Modernize your kitchen with stainless-steel appliances. Stainless steel appliances immediately add perceived value.

Get a five-star hotel look in your bathroom. Everyone loves to go on vacation. Bring the same thick, white, luxury hotel towels into your home bathrooms. Always have the thickest towels on your racks and have two hand towels carefully placed next to each sink. A wood tray with infused scented candles and a Q-Tip holder (with cotton and Q-Tips) is also effective in projecting the five-star hotel look.

Professionally built-out closets add value to your home. If possible, have closets only one-half filled to capacity. Have all your shoes on racks and nothing on the floor. If your closets are scraped up or dingy, paint them white. Put cedar blocks for scent.

Look at your master bedroom as if it were a luxury-hotel suite. You only need a few items to impress. A couple of items to consider: thick white sheetsand pillows; a thick white duvet and duvet cover; and a nice tray with a couple of reading books and scented candles. A plant that reaches the ceiling adds perceived height to any room and, if room permits, try a nice chair with reading light in the corner.

Make sure your house sounds good. Hook-up your iPod to inexpensive wireless speakers casually placed throughout the house.

Add perceived square footage by dramatizing outdoor areas. If you have a small patio, put an oversized leaning mirror on the back wall to double the size and place a café table with two chairs, two placemats and colorful napkins with interesting napkin holders. If possible, hang a candlelight chandelier or an outdoor light above the table. If you have a larger area, create an outdoor living room with eating area. Outdoor living rooms are impressive to buyers and add to the perceived value. Purchase extra-long white sheer mesh draperies and install rods around your trellises or outdoor area for that billowy drapery feeling found only in exclusive resort hotels throughout the world.

These techniques will increase the wow factor needed to sell your home higher and faster. Who knows, you may love your new look so much, you may not want to move at all.

If you would like more information on staging techniques, please give me a call. I will be happy to share my knowledge and experience to get you the best possible price for your home.

Keep Your Home Cooler This Summer

Ready or not summer has arrived and has brought along with it higher energy prices and homeowners scrambling to find inexpensive ways to keep their homes cool.

Maximize Your Air Conditioning

Open windows and use a portable fan instead of running the A/C. Use a fan along with your window air conditioner to spread the cool air though out the house. Don’t put lamps or televisions near your A/C thermostat; the heat from these devices can cause the air conditioner to run longer. Consider installing a whole house fan that pulls air through open windows and exhausts it through the roof, which can cool the home quickly and reducing energy up to a third in comparison to an air conditioner.

Little Things Add Up

Replace light bulbs with compact fluorescents, they produce the same amount of light but use a fifth of the energy and heat. Air-dry dishes instead of using dishwasher dry cycle. Use microwave oven instead of electric oven. Plug home
electronics into power strips and turn power strips off when not in use. Lower the thermostat on the water heater, 115 degrees is comfortable for most uses. Take showers instead of baths to reduce use of hot water. Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.

And remember, if your home is on the market, your Realtor may suggest the air conditioner be on during open houses. A cooler home is more inviting in warm weather.

Choosing the Right Neighborhood or Keeping Updated on the One You Live in

Sometimes you can't judge a book by its cover, nor a neighborhood by its looks. There are neighborhoods that look perfectly safe and secure but experience some level of crime or safety issues.

Your real estate agent is a great and credible source to learn more about the neighborhood, future planned development, and schools. But, taking a few extra precautionary steps on your own will provide a little extra peace of mind.

Check with the local police department and ask about the crime rate and the type of crime being committed. The type of crime is going to dictate what type of criminal activity is going on and if it poses a threat or danger to the safety of your family.

Visit the neighborhood on several occasions and at different times; evenings, weekends, and during school time hours to see how the area changes. Observing the neighborhood and the people who live and work in the area will give you a better understanding of whether it’s a fit for you and your family.

Safety isn’t necessarily crime. Safety could be traffic issues too; how your kids are going to get to school; how far away the school is and what kind of transportation exists? Other important factors to consider: What is the geography around the school like? Do they have school crosswalks and crossing guards? Is there bus service? How many streets do your kids have to cross in order to get to school?

Whether or not you have children, understanding the school system and traffic issues are important because a thriving school district is a good indicator that the neighborhood will continue to be desirable and property values will continue to rise or stay steady.

There are a few more sources That can provide assistance in learning about the neighborhood.

• Eat at a local restaurant and talk with the patrons.
• Talk to local business owners. Even if they don’t live in the area, they will have some insight about the neighborhood and people living there.
• Find out about owner-occupancy. Your real estate agent is a great source for this kind of information. Ask about rental values -- even if you plan to live in the home. Tenants don’t always have the same pride of homeownership that owners do; thus properties are not always kept up as well as you may like.
• Is the landscaping at major commercial developments kept up?
• Drive around. Do you see home remodeling projects in progress? If so, this is good news. It’s likely that homeowners are planning to stick around and are willing to invest more in their homes because they like the neighborhood.

The more you learn about the location the less likely you are to discover something you really dislike after you buy and it may be too late. And if you already live in the neighborhood, the easier it will be to proactively change something you dislike about your neighborhood before it begins to impact your property values and more importantly, the quality of life for your family.

Selling Your Home Fast!

Houses that sell within the first five weeks of their listing are most likely to fetch their asking price. The longer the house sits on the market, the more pressure you’ll feel to lower the price and the less likely it is to sell without some freebies from you, the seller. Even if you don’t have a need to sell quickly, follow these tips from professional realtors to get top dollar for your home:

1. Find a Realtor: The best way to sell a home is hire a professional and allow their experience to guide you. A realtor knows the laws to help you sell your home, can assist you in deciding on the right selling price, offer suggestions for necessary improvements to your home to get your agreed upon price and other strategies for selling in your area.
2. Right Price: The most important factor in selling a home quickly is setting the right price. The best way to decide on a price is to find the average price of homes that have sold in your area. Your Realtor will have the information readily available. Rather than beginning with a set amount of gain you’d like to walk away with which is the most common mistake sellers make is pricing the home too high.
3. Prepare the Property: There are many things you can do to make the home more appealing to prospective buyers, the key is to make the improvements BEFORE you start showing it. These improvements are called “staging” and it has been know that staging a home helps it to sell quicker.
4. Offer Incentives: Offering to pay closing costs or including household items and appliances can bring the up-front expenses of buying your home into range for a first time home buyer who is just barely able to make the down payment, mortgage points and fees.

There you have it! Apply these tips to sell your home fast as the peak home selling and buying season is here.

Usefool Tool: Find Law

For all of your legal needs or inquiries, check out Find Law. This site has volumes of information and resources for important matters from living wills to divorce and bankruptcy. Designed for everyone; with sections specifically for general public, students, and professionals. Go to: http://www.findlaw.com.

Gardening Ideas for Summer

Late April showers are bringing in May flowers but this summer gardeners will need to focus their attentions on irrigation. It’s not too late to plant a few items for this summer but save the big planting plans for mid-October when the wetter weather begins to roll in.

1. Tropical Gardening - Hot summer weather is a perfect climate for growing sub-tropic plants like hibiscus and bougainvilleas. A little water to get them started and they become very tolerant of dry spells.
2. Citrus Fruit - Now is still a good time to plant citrus fruit. In super hot areas, whitewash bare trunks with thinned latex paint (50:50 with water) to protect bark from the scalding sun. Save on watering and fertilize less often by letting fallen leaves remain on the ground.
3. Too Late for Drought Resisters - Due to little rain this winter and rumblings of a drought this summer, many are thinking of planting more drought resistant plants. Hold that thought and wait until fall to do any planting since even new drought resistant plants are temper mental about summer weather and need regular watering.
4. Mulch to Save Your Plants - Mulching with compost or wood chips makes for healthier plants throughout the summer. The mulch helps to cool the roots and conserve moisture. Use a heavy enough mulch to not blow away in the wind or float off with a little watering.
5. Summertime Veggies - Peppers and tomatoes are once again cream of the crop for summertime planting. Rule of thumb is to plant tomatoes deep, up to their first set of leaves because this plant will root all along the buried stem.
6. Floral Extravaganza - Have a multi-climate backyard? For sunny areas, try planting bedding dahlia, gloriosa daisy, marigold, petunia, verbena and zinnias. In the shady places, plant bedding begonias, coleus, impatiens, and forget-me-nots.

Ask any Realtor, a landscaped yard and blooming flowers add that special touch when trying to sell your home.

Real-Estate Investors Should Beware of Scams

Make a million dollars now! No money down! No-risk offer! Maybe you've heard these come-ons, or similar ones, offering you the chance to learn how to become a real-estate investing millionaire? One primary reason that real-estate investments attract newcomers is that debt is an accepted tool for doing business. Thus, you can get into the business with no money down. These high-volume, low-brow pitches are common from promoters of real estate investing seminars.

1. The first part usually is a goal-setting exercise.
2. The middle part gives some information about what could be done but not how to do it.
3. At the end, it all leads to having to take more expensive -- $3,000 to $5,000 -- seminars and boot camps to receive the actual hands-on experience you need, suggesting that if you didn’t take it, you would fail.

But not all real-estate investing seminars are a bad bet. Indeed, many will help you learn about the business of investing and can be a worthwhile place to start, experts say. How can you tell the good from the bad?

Savvy would-be investors should take their time developing their knowledge of the real-estate industry and shouldn't look to get rich overnight. The number of seminars offered to would-be real-estate investors has exploded along with the booming real-estate market. Public seminars may be fine for an introduction to investing, but clearly the business of real-estate investing can't be learned in just a few days. The skills it takes to be successful in real estate take years to accumulate, such as the skills of a Professional Realtor.

Some hints from the Federal Trade Commission:

1. Take your time.
2. Don’t be rushed into buying anything at a seminar.
3. Avoid high-pressure sales pitches that require you to buy now or risk losing out on the opportunity.

Remember, solid opportunities are not sold through nerve-racking tactics.

Second Home Strategies

While most people buy second homes using conventional financing, some are taking different approaches. Here are a few options:

• Pull equity out of a primary residence to buy a second home. This has become a popular investment diversification strategy in recent years.
• Rent your primary home and purchase your second home. This strategy might work well if you are planning to retire to the second home one day.
• Buy a vacation home and rent it out when you’re not using it, to help pay for it.
• A growing number of people around the West are considering fractional ownership, a fairly new option in which owners purchase fractional shares in a vacation home and use them for a certain number of weeks per year. While it may sound similar to most time-shares, in a fractional ownership program you own a portion of the vacation property and get a deed that appreciates for your share

Measuring Up!!!

Summer will be here soon and some of you may be thinking about a remodeling project. perhaps an outdoor kitchen, updating a bath or even adding a pool or spa. Here are 10 tips to make sure that your contractor measures up.

1. Hire only licensed contractors.
2. Check a contractor's license number online at www.cslb.ca.gov or by calling (800) 321-2752.
3. Get at least three bids.
4. Get three references, review past work.
5. Get a written contract and don't sign anything until you have completely understood the terms.
6. Never pay more than 10% down or $1,000, whichever is less.
7. Don't let your payments get ahead of their work. Keep a record of your payments.
8. Don't make a final payment until you are satisfied with the job.
9. Don't pay cash.
10. Keep a job file of all papers relating to your project.

Fix-It Projects to Speed The Sale of Your House

The interior walls are neutral. The clutter is a distant memory. A shower door has been replaced and even the bedspread has been staged. This San Jose home also got a professional inspection and appraisal to limit any surprises down the road. Now it is ready for sale!

For some sellers, a little extra work can mean not only a difference in how smoothly the sale goes but how much they can ask for their home. Talk to Realtors and they will tell you anything you do cosmetically to increase curb appeal is going to help the resale value.

Here's the bright spot: Many improvements that have an impact on selling a home aren't very expensive at all. And some tasks, such as giving rooms a fresh coat of paint, quickly pay off.

Those planning on adding a "for sale" sign to the front lawn this spring might want to consider these five areas while creating their to-do list.

1. First impressions count - The home's exterior, the shrubbery, the gutters and the front door should all be kept fresh and clean.
2. Neutralize and declutter - Neutral colors can have an added advantage of making a room appear larger. Remove all the clutter, basic spring cleaning: shampoo the carpets, rebuff hardwood floors and oil any wood cabinetry.
3. Consider replacement projects - Home buyers recognize the value of a house that doesn't need major repairs.
4. Kitchens and bathrooms rule - It's no secret that buyers tend to be awed by updated kitchens and bathrooms.
5. Warranty coverage and documentation - Sellers can provide some extra peace of mind to buyers by purchasing a home warranty on their home that will cover such things as heating and plumbing should the buyer run into problems after closing.

Looking for a Mortgage this Spring?

Spring time is upon us and that means the beginning of the real estate selling and buying season. Homebuyers are out in big numbers looking for homes and sellers are preparing their homes to sell. If you will be looking for a mortgage lender this spring here are a few tips:

IT'S A NEW MARKET: How the subprime woes affect you?

A number of subprime mortgage lenders are in trouble. Stock markets have been struggling because of worries about lenders who underwrite mortgages for people with less-than-enviable credit. Some two dozen companies have been affected. The crisis is also hitting better known banks and Wall Street brokerages that invested in these loans. The impacts are being felt from Tokyo to London.

A recent study predicted that one is five subprime mortgages issued in 2005-2006 will fail.

In addition, to hedge their risk and compensate for their losses, lending standards have tightened. That means if you have less-than-enviable credit, it's going to be harder to qualify for a mortgage. You may be paying higher rates on your loan because lenders are commanding higher returns to compensate for their losses.

Do your homework. Since lending standards are likely to be more strict, you should have a very good sense of what your credit history is like before you start calling up mortgage lenders. Some lenders may consider a FICO score below 620 to be more risky, but today, even if you have a slightly better score, you may be considered a risk.

Comparison shop. Don't wait until the last minute to search for mortgage options. You'll want to get offers from at least three lenders so you can compare the terms of your mortgage.

Look for ways to negotiate price. Have your real estate agent come up with a price per square foot by evaluating houses that are on the market now in the area you are looking at. Those houses should be similar to the one you're looking to buy in size, number of bedrooms, and other major features. This gives you a rule of thumb you can use to compare homes you're considering and know what price you should be looking for.

Life Expectancy of Appliances: How Long Will It Last?

A recent survey by Bank of America Home Equity and conducted by the National Association of Home Builders gives real world estimates of the life expectancy of a variety of home appliances. Here are a few:

Gas ranges: 15 years or more: With no motor or many moving parts, gas ranges are the most trouble-free of appliances.

Refrigerators: 13 years: The compressor on refrigerators works hard and runs often. Add complications, such as automatic icemakers and there's more to go wrong. That they last as long as they do is a tribute to their generally high quality.

Dishwashers: 9 years: This appliance gets widely varying amounts of use, depending on the household.

Cabinets: 50 years: Good quality cabinets are built to last a long time but styles go in and out of fashion. Many homeowners replace cabinets after a fraction of their useful life.

Countertops: 20 years to forever: Granite could outlast you--by a long shot. Cultured marble has a lifespan of about 20 years.

Concrete and masonry: 100 years plus: Concrete foundations, including chimneys and fireplaces, should last a lifetime and brick walls have a life span of 100 years or more.

Decks: up to 20 years: In ideal weather, figure 20 years. In monsoon conditions, count on half of that.

Electrical: 10 years to a lifetime: You shouldn't have to replace good quality copper wiring but switches and other controls may have to be replace every 10 years or so.

Roofing: 20 to 50 years: Local weather conditions are critical but, on average, slate copper, and clay/concrete tile roofs last the longest, 50 years ore more. Figure wood shake roofs for 20 years, fiber cement shingle 25 and asphalt shingle 20.

Green Homes Get Top Dollar

According to a recent survey by Green Builder Media and Imre Communications, homes that are environmentally safe are, in many cases, more valuable than those homes that are traditionally-built as homebuyers are willing to pay a premium for a green-built home.

According to the survey, 51% of the builders said that buyers would pay anywhere from 11% to 25% more for green-built homes. Who is buying environmentally safe homes? The average green homebuyer is between the ages of 33-50, college-educated, and has a fair amount of environmental product knowledge.

What is a green-built home?

Green Builder Media's website states that "green building means responsible development in natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of the inhabitants."

It's the green components--products with long and efficient life cycles--that make the house more environmentally safe and ultimately economically beneficial for the homebuyer. Green-built homes benefit those living in them and the environment through such things as improved energy efficiency, durability, indoor environment quality, resource management, and general environment appropriateness of the home. A typical green product is made from renewable raw materials or contains recycled components. Green products are missing toxins and pollutants.

"Builders are buying green products because they feel it's important to both the environment and their businesses. This shift in behavior and purchasing patterns confirms just how significant the green-building movement is," says Sara Gutterman, CEO of Green Builder Media.

She adds, "As demand increases for green products within both the consumer and trade market, manufacturers will respond by accelerating research and development, which benefits both the environment and homebuyers."

It is becoming less expensive to build in green style. The heating and cooling cost for green homes are 33% of what they used to be.

Green homes are not only cost savers but really are appreciated and valued by the homebuyer.

The survey also found that occupant satisfaction and comfort are higher than traditional-built homes and green homes are more durable. The maintenance costs and operational costs are less too.

Building a green homes will cost you more, but the cost-savings in the end, equalizes the initial building costs. According to the experts, the average statistic is that is may cost around 2 percent more to build than a traditional home, but the green-built house is worth up to 15 percent more.

Selling Soon? Get Vital Paperwork in Order

Here is a good article by Ilyce R. Glink that contains some useful information about paperwork you should get ready when selling your home:

Although lenders and technology companies keep talking about how we're eliminating paper when someone buys or sells a house, you'd never know it from the stacks you get at a closing.

When you buy, you should get a closing book, your mortgage documents, warranties, proof of problems that the seller resolved, and any condo, coop or homeowner association documents.

When you sell, you'll need to gather up all that information, plus any information on home repairs, home improvement projects and warranties for any new appliances you purchased while you lived in the home. You may also need to pull together current tax information.

Why should you put together the paperwork now? Because the buyers are going to ask for it as soon as you and they work out the purchase price. And after you close, you'll need some of these documents to help figure out what your net profit is on the house, and perhaps for tax purposes.

Here's a list of documents you'll want to have handy:

Closing book. When you bought your home, your attorney, title or escrow agent should have handed you a folder with all the paperwork from the transaction. This might have included a copy of your offer to purchase, the signed contract, a copy of the title insurance policy, your HUD-1 sheet (detailing all of your closing costs and those of the buyer), your loan documents, and perhaps other information.

Mortgage, home equity loan, home equity line of credit or refinance documents. If you have a home loan or have taken out a home equity loan or line of credit while you've lived in your house, you should have copies of these loan documents handy. If you can't find your original loan documents (or your copy of them), you'll need the loan number (or numbers) and the loan servicer's toll-free customer service number. In preparation for the closing, you (or your attorney or escrow closing officer) will need to contact the lender to get the payoff information for your loan.

Home warranty. A home warranty is an extended service contract for an older home. It guarantees to a buyer that the mechanical system and appliances that are working in the house on the day of closing will work for a year. If something breaks, the buyer can call a toll-free number, pay a service fee (typically under $100) and someone will come and either fix the item or replace it. If you purchased a home warranty in order to help you sell the home, you'll want to have the paperwork handy to give to the buyer.

Proof of problems resolved. If you had a problem with water, like a leak in the basement, but you've since fixed it, you'll want to keep proof of the repair close at hand. So pull together all the bills and receipts for payment from contractors or workmen you've employed through the year. If you've had a serious problem, a buyer may want to see proof of the repair to be sure you have resolved it. If the repair carried a warranty that transfers to a new owner, be sure to keep that information together.

Warranties for new appliances and mechanical system components. If you've bought a new refrigerator, replaced your hot water heater or put in a new furnace, the item probably came with a manufacturer's warranty. Be sure to keep all of this warranty information together, in order to give it to your buyer.

Condo, co-op and homeowner's association documents. If you live in a condo or co-op, home buyers will want to see copies of the building budget for the last two years, plus minutes from the prior year or two of board meetings. Buyers may also ask for the "condo dec," which is the legal condominium declaration that was written and filed when the condo was created. You should also prepare copies of the condo, co-op or homeowner's association rules, regulations and bylaws.

Home improvement or renovation information. If you've completed a patio, deck or added on another garage bay, it's important to keep all of the information relating to the home improvement or renovation project together. You'll also want to have your building permits, certificate of occupancy, plans, surveys, and a list of contractors and subcontracts who worked on your home. If you had plans drawn up for a potential renovation that you opted not to do, you may want to pass these plans along to your future buyers in your renovation kit. It will give them a good start if they decide to do some work to the house in the future.

Bills, tax receipts and other household paperwork. Your buyers will want to know how much cable, gas, electricity and property taxes cost. If you rent out a room or the attic or the second floor of your house, you'll want to have a copy of the most current lease as well.

Preparing your files ahead of time means you'll be ready when your buyer needs that information -- instead of struggling to fine things when time is at a premium.

Tips for House Hunting with Resale in Mind

When looking for a home you probably have a checklist of characteristics that are important to you. However, if you know you are going to be a short-term homeowner here are some special considerations to keep in mind for good resale potential:

House Size—Don’t buy the largest model in the neighborhood. If most of the houses near yours are smaller than your house, they can act as a drag on appreciation. On the other hand, if you buy a small or medium house for the neighborhood, the larger homes can pull up your value.
Prime Neighborhoods—Buying what you need in a more prestigious neighborhood may provide more financial reward that getting what you want in a less desirable neighborhood.
Public Transportation—Even though you many not use them, consider accessibility to public transportation, as well as distance to a major airport.
The Commute—Check the morning and afternoon commute time by driving the major commute routes and to schools and shopping areas.
Schools—Log on to the local school districts website and check out how the schools in the area rank, even if you don’t have school-aged children.
Bedrooms and Bathrooms—three and four bedroom houses are the most popular among homebuyers, so if you can stick in that range you will have more potential buyers when it comes time to resell. There should always be at least two bathrooms in a house, or at least the potential to insert a second one.

Relay for Life

SAVE THE DATE: June 23-24, 2007

WHERE: Los Altos High School

WHY: Relay for Life

Please sign up and join our team as we walk for a CURE!

www.acsevents.org/relay/ca/losaltos

Tips for Sellers in a Cooling Market

A drop-off in buyer demand and rising home inventories has made putting a house on the market trickier for homeowners whose properties appreciated during the boom and who hope to retain their gains. Attracting a shrinking pool of buyers without losing too much financial ground can be tough. To make the most of your real-estate dollars, follow these tips:

1. Know the playing field. Study your local market and investigate other homes for sale, local asking prices and what buyers are paying. Visit open houses in your area. Be savvy to market trends and how what things are worth.
2. Price competitively. Because of the growing number of properties on the market, buyers have a greater number of homes from which to choose. If a home is overpriced, a buyer will dismiss it and move on to the next one. Consult with your real estate agent on an appropriate price.
3. Don’t be quick to pass up offers. The longer your house takes to sell, the more money you lose. Don’t be quick to turn down an offer, because making a deal now, instead of later, can save you money in the end.
4. Negotiate. Offer concessions, such as making minor fixes. Small expenditures, by possibly speeding a sale, can go a long way in preserving the substantial home-price gains.
5. Play up assets. Now that there are more properties on the market, sellers must impress buyers. The strategy is to allow a new owner to imagine himself in the home. Remove clutter. Pay for some inexpensive landscaping. Determine what the popular “look” is in your neighborhood and mimic it.

Relocating?

Have you ever needed an agent outside the Bay Area and didn’t how to get connected with a reputable, professional Real Estate expert?

Intero Real Estate Services is a proud member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World™. This network is comprised more than 650 independent real estate firms and in excess of 120,000 sales associates. It is the largest relocation network in the world. Intero’s membership in this exclusive organization allows me access to area experts all over the nation.

Not only are Intero Relocation’s services offered free of charge, but I can screen the agent chosen for you to insure it is the appropriate person for your needs.

If you or anyone else you know is moving or looking for investment property, please consider me your national Real Estate resource. I can help you with any city, big or small, in the United States.

Now Is Still a Good Time to Buy

Low rates and extraordinary Inventory have created perfect conditions for home buyers.
Take a moment to consider these facts:

You’ve never had more homes to choose from...

• There are currently 3.75 million homes for sale. Inventories in recent months have been at record levels, offering consumers the greatest choice in decades.
• However, inventory levels are falling, and the selection of homes will become limited once again.
• Former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan recently said that housing prospects are looking up. “Most of the negatives in housing are probably behind us. The fourth quarter should be reasonably good, certainly better than the third quarter.” Accoding to industry estimates, 2006 will be the third-best year on record for home sales.

Interest rates haven’t been this low for nearly 40 years

• At 6.4 percent, the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate remains near 40-year lows. This is more than an entire percentage point below 2000 levels. For a $250,000 loan, a drop from 7.5 percent to 6.5 percent means an annual savings of $2,000.

Real Estate is a great investment

• The average home value increased by 88 percent over the last ten years. In the decade to come, the number of US households is expected to increase by 15 percent, which means housing will stay in high demand.

While conditions for buyers are perfect now, that is likely to change next year as sales pick up, prices gain traction, and conditions improve for sellers. In today’s real estate market, the best time to buy is now.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! May 2007 bring you everything and more!