Given the market conditions and our current economy, it’s more important than ever to ensure your home stands out from all the other homes on the market. Here are some helpful tips to help you get your home ready to sell so you can make sure your home sells fast, and for the most amount of money possible.

The first step to take before putting your home on the market is to get rid of all the clutter. Grandma’s collection of dime store unicorns are precious to you, but not necessarily potential buyers. One option is to pack some things away or have a garage sale to get rid of items you no longer want or need.

It is also a good idea to pack away any family pictures that may be hanging in the home. Your honeymoon pictures from Hawaii are great memories, and you may have the cuttest kids in the world, but when selling your home these bits of personality can deter a potential buyer. Remember, the number one goal for selling and staging your home is to create an environment where everyone who steps through the door, no matter who they are, can envision themselves living in the home.

Remember, the buyers want to see themselves in the home, not you.

Successful open houses are the key to selling ones home quickly and for the most amount of money possible . Open houses not only get people into the home, but they can also be really important in building relationships with prospective buyers.

Staging the home is one of the most important steps of the open house process. Ignoring this step can cost the homeowners money and result in the house being on the market for a longer period of time. When staging a home, it is important to focus on bringing out all the positive aspects of the home. For example, setting a chair and small table next to a beautiful fireplace can help bring the buyers focus to the wonderful detailing. Staging can also help to emphasize the size of a bedroom or kitchen. Keeping decorations simple is also very important. Overwhelming the area can make the home look cluttered and too small.  Having your home staged is also really important when having photos taken to be used for online advertising. Staging makes the pictures stand out more, increases the chance that people will visit. In the end, the main goal of Staging is to help prospective buyers imagine themselves living in your home.

How Does Flat Fee MLS Work?

Introduction

When you are ready to sell real estate you have options, I know many of you think you have to list with a broker and pay outrageous commissions. That is not true. You can sell by owner or you can sell by owner and take advantage of Multiple listing services as well.
Let me compare the two services for you, then you decide.

What do brokers do for 6%?

They do a number of services. The most common of these is:

1. List your property on the local Multiple Listing Service

2. Review and/or write your purchase agreement.

3. Act as a transaction coordinator who follows your contract through to closing.

4. They usually set showings.

5. They will give you a sign with their number on it

6. They usually provide a lockbox

7. Most will prepare flyers, with their contact information on it.

On a $200,000 dollar property you commission would be $12,000 or more.

What do flat fee brokers do?

1. List your property on the local Multiple Listing Service for a Flat Fee, usually around $200.00  Some services charge considerably more than that. Do some research to find the best service and the best price.

2. Review and/or write your purchase agreement. This is a separate fee, usually around $279.00.

3. Act as a transaction coordinator who follows your contract through to closing. A separate fee, usually around $379.00

4. You set the showings around what is convenient for you and the buyer.

5. You have your own sign with your phone number as contact.

6.You have a key box, and you control who has access to it.

7. You create your own flyers with your contact number or you can get free flyers from a local title company or a lender.

The great thing about the flat fee service is you can pick and choose the services you want and pay only for those you need.

What will you do with all the money you save?

If you bought all the separate services, your cost would be less than $1,000.

If sold by a MLS broker and you paid a coop fee, you would still save between $5,000 and $6,000 thousands dollars.

Since you can still sell by owner, if you were able to find your own buyer, you would pay no coop fee. This would not be an option with the 6% listing.  You could save more than $11,000 dollars. Not bad.

Benefits of using Flat Fee MLS:

1. You save time – properties usually sell faster
2. You save money – properties usually sell for top dollar
3. You maintain control – Brokers have a lot of control with 6% listings
4. You can sell by owner and owe no commission – No so with full service listings.
5. You can cancel at any time – May or may not be true with full service listings
6. You get far greater exposure to qualified buyers
7. You get thousands of Brokers with qualified buyers to help sell your house
8. You most likely will get listed on Realtor.com as well as the local MLS

What to look for in your Flat Fee broker

All flat fee brokerages are not alike and there are many scams. Some call their service MLS when in fact they are not even members of the MLS. They may not be licensed real estate agents. They take your money and put you on their web site but not on the Realtorâ??s MLS.

So do some investigating. Find out:

1. Do the have experience with for sale by owners?
2. Are they members of your local MLS?
3. Are they licensed Brokers in your state?
4. Do they maintain an office locally? And do they have a local phone and address?
5. Are they easily accessible by phone, fax, email and mail?
6. Avoid large franchise companies and Multilevel Marketing scams

Things you need to do as a FSBO:

1. Detach from the property.
2. Clean house and garage.
3. Learn how to stage the property
4. Research other properties in your neighborhood so you can price it right.
5. Put away all valuables while youâ??re on the market
6. Get flyers for your buyers

Summary

So why wouldnâ??t you do Flat Fee MLS instead of full service 6% commission?

There are lots of reasons people choose to go with a higher commission and I respect their choice.
I think youâ??d be wise to look into Flat Fee MLS services in your area first and then compare the two and make an informed decision.

Copyright © Wee Dilts   2009

If you’re like a lot of Realtors and home buyers, you’re probably in the car a lot, driving to and from home showings, appointments with various real estate professionals and to and from your place of work. Sometimes, music can make those times in the car a little less onerous, but you also want something to get you and your passengers in the mood for looking at yet another property. Here is a list of songs that you might consider for your playlist:

Coming Home/Going Home:

On My Way Home – Enya
Home For A Rest – Spirit of the West
Within A Mile of Home – Flogging Molly
Who Says You Can’t Go Home – Bon Jovi
500 Miles – The Proclaimers
Homeward Bound – Simon & Garfunkel

Owning a Home:

Our House – Crosby Stills, Nash & Young
A House is Not a Home – Ella Fitzgerald
Our House – Madness
Heaven is a Place on Earth – Belinda Carlisle
Once in a Lifetime – Talking Heads
Home Sweet Home – Motley Crue

When It Just Isn’t Going Well

In Every Dream Home a Heartache – Roxy Music
Little Boxes – Malvina Reynolds
Burning Down the House – Talking Heads (Another torch-the-house song. But, hey, it’s cool.)
Take Me Home – Phil Collins (this is all about a patient in a mental institution, but, hey, it’s got ‘home’ in the chorus…)
Sunny Came Home – Shawn Colvin (of course, Sunny torches her home, but hey, it’s still got a great rhythm)

Location-Oriented:

Sweet Home Alabama – Lynard Skynard
My Tennessee Mountain Home – Dolly Parton
Home on the Range – traditional
Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
California – Joni Mitchell
House in California – Keb Mo

Property Type/Style:

Cadillac Ranch – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Love Shack – The B-52′s
Pink Houses – John Cougar Mellencamp
Country House – Blur

These are only a selection of the many songs about houses and real estate. Flip through your mp3 and CD collection to see if you can find more. As a rule, positive and easy listening songs are the best accompaniment when driving to yet another “perfect home”. Location songs can also be good choices, if you have some that have to do with the area.

Unfortunately, the effectiveness of subtle messages has never been proven to actually effect people’s choices. However, it’s great to have some songs that can focus and motivate one in the realm of home selling, even if they don’t compel the client to buy!

The city of Boulder is a home rule municipality. The granite fed Boulder Creek along with the magnificent Rockies lined landscapes and a pleasant climate makes the city a favorite to numerous travelers. The percentage of hi tech human resource of Boulder, Colorado is one of the highest all over the country. A number of renowned MNCs like IBM, Sun Microsystems, Google, Microsoft, etc are the standpoints of the Boulder economy. The lavish outdoor lifestyle and an above average cost of living generate attractive employment opportunities. Pearl Street Mall is the shopping apex of the boulder citizens. Dozens of eateries and restaurants, boutiques, and departmental stores are within easy accessibility of the area.

The academic standards of the city call for some renowned institutions. Some of these include the University of Colorado, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Naropa University, National Center for Atmospheric Research, and other public, private and charter schools. The entertainment and recreational aspect of the place is stuffed with musical concerts of various genres, film festivals, sports, and several other cultural programs. The localities of Boulder are naturally planned to provide spacious opportunities for biking, hiking, jogging, and rock climbing. The well-developed transportation system makes it easier for the residents to travel through out the city.

Homes in Boulder have been sold at prices between $370,000 and $2,140,000 over the past couple of years. Prices have been higher in the neighborhoods in and around University Hill. The healthy price of listings of Boulder, Colorado homes for sale indicates town growth and an absence of urban problems. Though the rates have stabilized a great deal in the past few years, there are still some fluctuations. The average listing price of $805,436 has been static after a decrease by 2.8%. Affluent neighborhoods like Newlands, Gunbarrel, Whittier, Longmont, Westminster, and Old North Boulder are among the topmost Boulder real estate listings. The average listing price of Newlands has evened out around $1,210,154 after an increase of 1.5%. Whereas the average price of houses in Gunbarrel has come down $420,643 after a decrease of 4%. You can select from the present available 1,074 new and resale homes as well as 160 houses in the auction, pre-foreclosure, and bank owned stages.

Boulder real estate includes 1,298 properties, condos, multifamily apartments, rental houses, luxury homes, country homes, new homes, vacation homes, and a lot more. More and more people are coming to invest in Boulder homes and land plots. Make your choice before it’s too late.

INVESTORS in self-storage stocks finally have some gains to stow away.

The four real estate investment trusts that together own and operate about 12 percent of the facilities nationwide â?? most of the other properties are mom-and-pop operations â?? has soared about 31 percent, on average, this year through Thursday, after finishing 2007 with a nearly 25 percent loss.

This yearâ??s returns far surpass those of all other property REIT categories as well as the broader stock market. Equity REITs are up around 10 percent so far, on average, while the Standard & Poorâ??s 500-stock index is off about 5 percent.

Why is self-storage suddenly in favor?

Some investors believe that these dividend-paying companies will benefit from the housing crisis. They expect that the ranks of renters will swell as more people leave foreclosed homes or postpone buying their first homes because of tighter credit and falling values, and that those people will need repositories for their excess bric-a-brac.

Industry analysts agree that the sector is likely to hold up well through these economic woes. â??It is recession resistant,â? said Michael Knott, a senior analyst at Green Street Advisors, the investment research firm. â??More economic distress causes people to rent more, and, in fact, one of the storage companies said recently that Detroit was one of the best markets.â?

Indeed, Detroit had the highest foreclosure rate among the nationâ??s 100 largest metropolitan areas last year, with nearly 5 percent of its households in some stage of foreclosure, according to RealtyTrac.com, the online foreclosure listing service. RealtyTrac put the average nationwide rate at 1.03 percent as of Dec. 31, up from 0.58 percent at the end of 2006. Also high on the list were Las Vegas, Miami and Denver, along with several boom-and-bust cities in California.

But housing is only part of the story in self-storage, analysts point out. â??It correlates to transition,â? said Michael J. Salinsky, a REIT analyst at RBC Capital Markets.

Demand for storage space is often precipitated by lifeâ??s passages â?? marriage, divorce, retirement, enlistment in the military. In addition, use by small businesses has been growing, particularly by those that operate online. â??Small businesses need off-site storage, for upsizing and downsizing,â? Mr. Salinsky said, â??and so do people working from their homes.â?

In the last decade, he said, self-storage revenues have grown 4.4 percent a year, on average, compared with average growth of 3 percent a year for most other commercial real estate sectors.

This steady cash flow, which seems to transcend both good and bad economic times, is attractive to investors. During economic downturns, many investors look for such reliable income, engaging in a â??flight to safety.â?

â??This is a cash-flow-driven business that has a low break-even point â?? expenses are low even if occupancy rates are not high,â? said R. Christian Sonne, the managing director of the self-storage industry group at Cushman & Wakefield, which provides various consulting services for the sector.

A concrete-and-steel storage facility is typically far less expensive to build and to operate than, say, an office building or shopping center. There are, of course, the standard expenses associated with real estate, like utility costs, property taxes, insurance and payroll, but not too much more.

And after â??a huge building boom in the early 2000s,â? Mr. Sonne said, the development pipeline has been slowing of late, which is also reflected in the newfound resilience of the self-storage sector.

â??The barriers to entry are becoming more difficult,â? Mr. Sonne explained.

For one thing, financing for new structures is harder to get, he said, while zoning is stricter in many communities, which seem to prefer property types that might generate more jobs and tax revenue.

Still, plenty of storage space already exists. By the Self Storage Associationâ??s estimate, there are around 51,500 primary facilities nationwide, as well as another 8,400 mini-storage places, or, as the association broke it down, almost seven square feet of rentable space for every person in the United States. A vast majority of this $220 billion industry, however, is made up of small businesses, making it the most fragmented among commercial property types.

Perhaps because of that fragmentation, â??this is probably one of the sectors that is least understood,â? said David Harris, a REIT analyst at Lehman Brothers.

Mr. Salinsky agreed, though he added that â??in storage, you have to be a very dynamic operation to get the returns out of the property.â? And that might include offering customer incentives like $1 rents for the first month and ancillary services like moving supplies and truck rentals. (A 10-by-10-foot space rents for less than $100 a month, on average, according to Mr. Sonne.)

*Excerpts found in The New York Times on April 27, 2008

For more information about Scott Meyers or join us at one of the Connecticut Real Estate Investors Association monthly meetings, visit http://www.ctreia.com

When buying a home here are 5 things you should do to get prepared, and find the best Realtor to help you find that dream home:

Decide on your needs
Write down a list of what your needs are for your next home search. Be sure to differentiate between your wants and needs. For example; Do you really need that 3 car garage, or is it just a want? It could mean the difference between finding 50 homes with a 2-car garage that meet your needs, and only 5 with a 3-car garage. (It may be different where you are, but in the Denver real estate market, you’ll likely cut your options by 90% to 95% by requiring a 3 car garage vs. a 2-car garage unless your budget is over about $500,000.)

Establish a “top 10″ list of your wants.
Be sure that number one on that list is what city (or cities) you need to live in. This will be paramount in how you go about finding the best Realtor to help you. If two of you are going to buy the home, each of you should write a “top 10″ separately. After you’re both done, compare notes, and agree that any criteria that match are “must-haves”. Everything else can be negotiated. My wife and I did this two years before our last move, and it settled a lot of would-be arguments about what home was right for us. When we eventually found our dream-home, every single one of those criteria was met! Sit down right now, and write your list, and keep it for future reference.

Find a Realtor who will best serve you, and don’t settle for anything less
Start with how you find your Realtor. If you are “internet friendly”, and do a lot via email and the web, the last place you should look for a Realtor is in the phone book, or classified ad section of the newspaper. The agents you will find there most likely center their business around the phone, and you’ll find that many of them might not even check email except every few days. On the other hand, if you don’t regularly check email, and aren’t comfortable “surfing the web”, you’ll likely want to start your search in the phone book or newspaper. The last thing you need is to start working with a Realtor who is excellent at email correspondence, but slow to return phone calls. Either way, once you identify a few buyer-specialists that look like they might be able to help you, contact several of them (via your preferred method of contact), and ask them what homes they can send you that meet your specific needs. Give them a list of what you’re looking for, and see what they can find for you.

At this stage, you should be contacting 3 to 5 Realtors. Contact less, and you might not have enough “candidates” to make an informed decision. Contact more, and you will get overloaded with agents constantly checking in with you in order to get your business. (This is the largest problem buyers have when calling a dozen or two listing agents (one at a time) to get details on homes that interest them.)

Narrow the list
Now that you’ve got 3 to 5 Realtors vying for your business, judge them based on their performance. If any of them tried to talk you into their own listings, or strayed from the list of needs and wants you gave them, drop them. They’ve already demonstrated that they aren’t going to listen to your needs. How they get back to you is also important. If you are a “phone person” who only checks email every few days, why not deal with a Realtor who is willing to call you whenever they find a home that meets your needs. If you like to look on the web, make sure your Realtor is willing to email you every day (and make sure that they’re ONLY emailing you properties that meet your specific needs.) This step usually narrows your list to one or two agents, and the choice will likely be an easy one after an initial meeting with them. Once you have met with them, have a discussion about “exclusive agency”. When you have that discussion, be sure they have a “cancel anytime” policy. If they aren’t 100% satisfied that you will be happy with their performance, why should you be?

If you’re not moving for several months (or even a year), it’s that much more important that you get in touch with 3 to 5 Buyer Agents. If they’re not willing to invest their time in educating you on the market, they’re not serious about their business. Odds are that if you start with half a dozen Realtors in January, only 1 or 2 will still be in touch come June or July. Those agents are the ones you want working on your side. The rest will simply weed themselves out for you.

Get out and start looking!
Once you’ve identified a handful of homes that interest you, contact the agent you’ve decided to work with and start looking! No amount of pictures and virtual tours can substitute for getting out with your agent and actually looking, touching, and feeling the homes you might one day be moving into. By giving your agent the assurance that you’re ONLY working with them, they’ll clear their calendar for you whenever you want to look at homes, and since you’ve got a “cancel anytime” agreement with your agent, you can get rid of them if it turns out they’re not as great an agent as you initially thought they were.

Whether home owners live in Denver, Colorado or somewhere in California, the often ask themselves one simple question. Should I be concerned with keeping up with the upgrades my neighbors are making to their home?

To get the answer ask yourself, when it comes time to sell do you want to sell fast and get top dollar? If the answer is yes, then the first answer is also a resounding yes! Actually, you should do better than just keep up and look to pass them by.

Home many homes in your neighborhood, or on your street are for sale and how do they compare to yours? Is yours better, or does theirs have more to offer? Are they equal? If your home is not clearly the better choice it is time to get it the clear choice.

With the amount of homes for sale out numbering the amount of home buyers, your home needs to be clearly the better choice and priced competitively with the competition. You should be worried about the Joneses next door and making sure they don’t out-do you.

Your home needs to appeal to all the senses of potential home buyers. Proper staging will help it to stand out from the crowd and get it sold.

Staging does not just mean minor repairs, remodeling or getting rid of the clutter. It means making your home appeal to visitors, feel inviting and comfortable. Proper staging can help achieve good results.

Staging itself may cost you several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on many factors. It is a short term investment in the sale of your home which can help it sell faster and for top dollar. Staging is vital to selling your home.

The techniques for staging your home vary. Many times it is a simple process that only takes a couple days. Remove unnecessary items that clutter your home to create space and create an open feel. Move furniture or replace it to create themes that are welcoming to prospective home buyers. Open blinds, add brighter light bulbs, paint, clean the carpet, prune bushes and play soft music for showings.

Staging needs to be evaluated on an individual basis, but is critical in selling your home in a shorter time for top dollar.

You don’t want to just keep up with the neighbors; you want your home to shine in comparison.

The availability of a large number of properties through Denver foreclosures have presented home buyers with a unique opportunity to purchase a property in one of the best residential communities in the country at very reasonable price. So if you are on the lookout for a bargain home deal, buying a foreclosed home would be an ideal option for you.

What are the benefits of investing in Denver foreclosures?

Investing in Denver foreclosure has several benefits for home buyers, some of which have been listed below:

1. Housing finance for prospective home owner’s – In order to encourage the sales of Denver foreclosures the city has launched a wide range of housing schemes which include down payment assistance, tax credit incentives and easy low interest home loans.

2. Well rounded communities – The city of Denver is an ideal residential destination for families and senior citizens due to its well rounded communities that offer a safe and friendly atmosphere as well as quality neighborhood services.

3. Diverse recreational opportunities – Known as one of the most active cities in the US, residents can enjoy several recreational activities as well as the city’s beautiful landscaped parks and gardens which contribute to the regions green cover and healthy environment.

How to negotiate for a bargain deal through Denver foreclosures?

When it comes to purchasing a property through Denver foreclosures, home buyers can negotiate with the sellers for a bargain deal with the help of the following guidelines:

1. Get the property appraised – When you have finalized a suitable foreclosed home, getting the house appraised by a licensed inspector is very important in order to have a thorough idea of the property’s status and physical features.

2. Estimate renovation costs – Once the property has been inspected, estimate the costs that will be incurred by you to renovate it.

3. Survey the neighborhood – Inquire about the market value of comparable properties in the neighborhood by consulting a local real estate agent.

4. Evaluate property value – Make a fair evaluation of the worth of the property based on the renovation costs as well as its market price.

5. Bargain for a lower price – Now get in touch with the sellers and offer a lower asking price especially if the property has been up for sale since a long period and is being sold without any renovations. You can also negotiate for a lower down payment and reduced closing costs at this stage.

Now that you are aware of the various benefits and guidelines on negotiating for Denver foreclosures go ahead and get bargain home deal for yourself.

Recently, there have been many innovative ideas in the realty market, as sellers realize that an extra push is needed to sell some homes. Although the Denver real estate market outperformed all but four of twenty markets in the country, home prices still fell by 3%, from figures released on November’s housing activity.

With the robust economy that Denver has, and with the low unemployment rates, many realtors have been suspecting that a boom may soon be on the way for the city. Is this ‘realty optimism’?

It is true that there are more homes on the market in the Metro Area than at any other time and the mortgage interest rate is very low, so conditions are right.

A record number of foreclosures have been filed in Denver this year – even higher than after the oil industry bust of 1988. This large inventory of houses could bring the buyers to Denver, although Denver is attributed with a far lower number of foreclosure homes than many of the other American cities. However, what could stop a boom in Denver is the condition of other property markets around the country.

Unfortunately, other states are faring much worse, and this means that all over the nation it is more difficult to ‘sell up’ and move to Colorado. Areas such as Las Vegas and parts of California have been predicted by one company to have an 80% chance of a decline in their house prices within the next two years.

With less buyers coming into the housing market, sellers must work harder to be ‘seen’. The first places where your home will have the opportunities to attract buyers are: on display in the realtor’s window, on the Internet and driving past the realty board in the front yard.

Sellers often have to wait their turn for their house to be put in the display window, but when your real estate agent draws up the terms of the marketing plan, ask when your turn will be so that you can keep a check on the plan and remind your real estate agent.

According to statistics, the Internet is the place where eighty per cent of all prospective buyers will start their house hunting. They browse until something catches their eye. How can it be your house that catches their eye?

Photo upon photo is displayed on the Internet and yours will be one of thousands. Make sure that you choose a realtor with an ‘easy to operate’ web site. People will only go into the ‘virtual tour’ of your house if they like the main photo (i.e. the first and only one on general display), so this photo is very important.

Ask your realtor to come and take the photos when the sun is shining on the front of the house (if you face south). Include some foliage in the foreground if you have lovely trees in your garden. Ensure that the pathways and lawn edgings are super neat; straight lines show up in a photo.

These small signs will give the impression that your home is being cared for. Confirm with your realtor that he will be showing your home on the Internet, complete with the virtual tour. It is a ‘must’.

Obviously the selling situation that you have the most influence over is the front yard. You can ensure that it is immaculate. Neat, trimmed lawn borders, short cut grass and absolutely no clutter is the first rule. All bikes, skateboards, piles of firewood, cardboard boxes, bags of birdseed and overflowing junk mail must be non-existent.

If you have exterior lighting, put it/them on early to give a welcoming look to the house. Interior lights turned on also light the house up and suggest warmth. If you have a lamp that is not used for reading, then a pink-toned bulb in it will give an even more cozy light from the window. In the wintertime it is inviting to suggest a cozy interior.

Go outside and stand on the sidewalk so that you can critically view your home. Do you see any areas to cause a frown? Is the garbage bin tucked out of sight? Are the leaves brushed off the pathway? If you hose it down, will the colors on the cobblestones show up better?

The last thing to consider is the smell of your home. Supposing someone knocks on your door? Even while you tell them to contact the agent they are getting a first impression of your home. Is their impression going to be wet dogs and your son’s sweaty snow boots?

Invest ten dollars and buy three plug-in air fresheners. Put one as close as possible to the front door, one in the bathroom and one in the kitchen. Relax now, knowing that you have done as much as you can to be noticed!