Landlord Versus Homeowner

Do you own a home you are considering selling because you miss being able to call the landlord to fix the electrical and plumbing issues everytime? Think twice before selling your home and moving into a rental. When you pay rent to a landlord, you are also paying part of their taxes, insurance, and maintenance expenses that have already been figured into your rent. There are rent vs. buy calculators online, so research this avenue before deciding to sell your home. You might be suprised at how little of a difference there actually is between your rent and your mortgage when you figure in appreciation of real estate over a very long period of time (15 plus years without taking out a home equity line of credit and/or without taking out a second mortgage) plus any tax advantages that might be available to you as a homeowner. So call your professional CPA or tax attorney today before making this decision on your own and take into account all of the variables that might affect your finances both now and in the long term.

Written, copyrighted and all rights reserved 2007 by Sherrie Hartzell, licensed real estate salesperson in Virginia with Keller Williams Preferred Realty-Stafford, VA.

Under Inspection

Do you believe a home inspection is important for you, as a home buyer? I hope so. I am not a certified home inspector but there are many people who are, so check out their qualifications and training before hiring a home inspector professional to inspect a home you want to buy for living in or as an investment property.

A home inspection is usually (check with your particular state’s regulations) only valid for the date and time of the actual home inspection. In other words, if something happens after your home inspection, this will have to be negotiated between the home seller and the home buyer prior to the real estate closing date on this particular home. Whatever is written in the real estate contract in your jurisdiction matters and will be followed. This is why it is extremely vital to hire a professional real estate agent to handle your real estate transaction, negotiate on your behalf, and put out fires when necessary during the complicated real estate processes.

Sherrie Hartzell is licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia with Keller Williams Preferred Realty and Sherrie would be happy to assist you with your real estate needs. Sherrie can be reached at: sherriebh@yahoo.com to schedule an appointment. Written, copyrighted and all rights reserved 2007 by Sherrie Hartzell, licensed real estate salesperson in Virginia with Keller Williams Preferred Realty-Stafford, VA.

Darkness Deters

home buyers from even being interested in your home. When you have darkening window treatments that do not let lots of outside light into your home, you lose. Why? Home buyers want to be able to see what they are considering buying very clearly. If they find your home to be dark and uninviting, buyers will go to the next home and not even consider writing an offer to purchase your home. Your home will be on the reject list. You, as the home seller, along with your real estate professional do not even have the chance to make a counter offer or to accept the contract as they have offered it, because your home was not well lit and looked uninviting to potential home buyers. Probably the only exception would be with investors who want a bargain when buying a home for investment purposes and they will offer a correspondingly very low price for your home.

To avoid only receiving offers from investors, the seller must make sure the inside of their home has excellent lighting in every room and especiallly in the entryway, kitchen, bathrooms, living room, family room, hallways, and dining room. If you own blinds, roman shades, curtains, or any other window treatments, take them down right away (preferably within a day of listing your home for sale) along with their hardware and fill in the holes where the nails were and paint over them if that room has been painted then clean them and pack them away by hanging them in a closet. Light rooms sell and dark rooms do not sell, so get busy and take down those window treatments today.

Written, copyrighted and all rights reserved 2007 by Sherrie Hartzell, licensed real estate salesperson in Virginia with Keller Williams Preferred Realty-Stafford, VA.

Investors

in real estate want to find homes, condos, and townhomes with a good cashflow return on their investment. In other words, will the mortgage paid be covered by the rent charged for this home and still allow some leftover money for repairs? A cash flow of $50 or $100 per month is a good place to start, but potential investors need to consider how long a particular property might take to get rented. This could easily take 7 or 8 months especially if the investor is charging too much for rent. Also, how many people own homes already in this area? If homeownership percentages are very high, then the investor might want to consider another geographical area with a lower percentage of homeowners. Also, what are average rents in this area? Will you as an investor have any cash flow? If the answer is no, keep looking for the best rental property you can find.

Investors offer a low ball price to see how interested you as the seller are in selling your home below what your home is worth. Investors are not emotional and base their buying decisions on numbers and returns from investments.

Written, copyrighted and all rights reserved 2007 by Sherrie Hartzell, licensed real estate salesperson in Virginia with Keller Williams Preferred Realty-Stafford, VA.

Lit Up?

Is your house very well lit outside when it is for sale? Lighting on the exterior of your house is crucial for letting animals outside after dark in your yard but outside lighting becomes even more crucial when you have listed your home for sale with a real estate professional.

Consider this scenario…a prospective purchaser of your home cannot tour your home until after it is already dark outside and they want to be able to see the outside of your home clearly and even walk around outside in your yard. If your home does not have extensive outdoor lights around your property away from your house and around the outside of your home, then your home will be at a disadvantage when compared to other homes after the sun has set.
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A better option for a home seller is when your home has more than ample outdoor lights then your home will have a major advantage over your competition, the other homes for sale in your price range and located near your home. Written, copyrighted and all rights reserved 2007 by Sherrie Hartzell, licensed real estate salesperson in Virginia with Keller Williams Preferred Realty-Stafford, VA.

Floor

ing options abound in today’s showrooms and picking the best options for your household can be a duanting task. The easiest way to look at flooring is by asking a few questions and writing down your answers BEFORE you even go to the store or search online.

1. What is my maximum allowable budget for this flooring project?

2. Why will my household members be using this particular room and for which activities?

3. Does anyone in my household need a certain type of floor surface for an assistive device such as a cane, walker, oxygen tank, and/or wheelchair? If yes, which types of flooring will be best for them in the rooms that they use the most?

Written, copyrighted and all rights reserved 2007 by Sherrie Hartzell, licensed real estate salesperson in Virginia with Keller Williams Preferred Realty-Stafford, VA.