Increasing the Curb Appeal of Your Home

When it comes to increasing the value of your home, you may not need to look as far as you thought. In fact, making a few simple changes can potentially increase your home's value while also helping you get it sold more quickly. So, what is the secret? The answer is curb appeal.

What is Curb Appeal?

Put simply, the curb appeal of a home is a measure of its attractiveness when viewing the property from the road. In other words, it refers to the first impression your buyer is likely to get. In order to determine your home's level of curb appeal, you should ask yourself whether or not your home looks appealing as you pass it on the road or as you pull up in your driveway. If your home lacks curb appeal, you will lose out on many potential buyers before they even come inside your home. Therefore, no matter how attractive your home looks from the road, you should do everything you can to make it look even more appealing before you put it on the market.

How Can I Increase Curb Appeal?

In order to increase the curb appeal of your home, you should first identify the most attractive exterior features of your home and then find ways to enhance them. Sometimes, simply adding a little edging or weeding away the vegetation growing between the bricks in your walkway can go a long way toward improving your curb appeal. Other inexpensive ways to improve your curb appeal include:

Removing any mold or mildew growing on your driveway, house or sidewalks
Clean your windows, gutters, siding, decks and patios
Put away items so your lawn is free of clutter
Rake your leaves, mow your lawn and get rid of the weeds growing in your yard
Trim trees and pushes so they are neat and attractive

You might also need to repaint the outside of your home, add some new landscaping, replace your door or complete a few other changes that will require spending a little money. Nonetheless, the investment will likely be minimal, while the rewards can be fantastic.

Is There Anything Else to Keep in Mind?

While making your house look more attractive from the main road during the day is certainly of very high importance, you should also consider how your property appears at night as well as from other vantage points. For example, can your backyard be viewed from another road? If so, you should make an extra effort to make this part of your property look attractive from the road as well. Similarly, it is a good idea to enhance the curb appeal of your home at night, as you never know when a potential buyer will pass by. Simple additions such as placing lighting along your driveway, adding a decorative street lamp or other lighting around your doorways and windows will help make your home more attractive both day and night.


About the Author: Shannon Kietzman is a well known author and trusted resource. Shannon regularly writes for http://www.electronicappraiser.com/, which is a leading provider of on-line home appraisals and offers a nationwide personalized instant informational report about home appraisal. For more information, please visit .
http://www.electronicappraiser.com.

Understanding the Difference Between a Realtor and a Real Estate Agent

If you are looking for a real estate agent, you may be surprised to learn that there is a difference between a real estate agent and a Realtor. Although many people use the term "Realtor" as a general term to describe a person that helps individuals buy and sell homes, a Realtor is actually a specialized type of real estate agent that has met certain criteria in order to earn that title.

What is a Realtor?

In order to be designated as a Realtor, a real estate agent must be a member of the National Association of Realtors. Therefore, any real estate agent claiming to be a Realtor who does not belong to this organization is purposely misrepresenting his or her licensing. You can identify a real estate agent who is a Realtor by looking for the Realtor logo on the agent's business card, sales literature or other marketing documents.

How is a Realtor Different from a Real Estate Agent?

In order to become a member of the National Association of Realtors, a real estate agent must adhere to a strict code of ethics. For example, a Realtor may not deliberately mislead a homeowner regarding the market value of the property and is required to subjectively submit offers and counter-offers as quickly as possible. In essence, the code of ethics requires Realtors to treat buyers and sellers fairly and honestly.

Realtors are also required to maintain a certain level of knowledge regarding the buying and selling process. This way, you can make certain the Realtor is knowledgeable and up-to-date when it comes to real estate transactions.

What Can a Realtor Do for Me?

While you can certainly bypass the Realtor and buy or sell a home without the help of one of these professionals, there are many benefits that come with working with a Realtor. These include:

Getting help with finding the right lender
Providing you with information about properties that are not actively being advertised on the market
Assisting you with obtaining information about the neighborhood, including zoning information, school information and utility information
Providing you with negotiating power to help you get the best price
Assisting you with finding experts to conduct necessary inspections, including dry rot, termite, roof condition, termite and septic tank inspections
Providing you with information about your various financing options
Guiding you through the closing process
Providing you with up-to-date information about current market trends
Knowing where and how to advertise your property effectively
Helping you evaluate the proposals of potential buyers

Obviously, the most important consideration when selecting an agent is to find someone you can trust and who has a solid reputation. Nonetheless, you might want to first consider hiring someone who is a licensed Realtor in order to get the added peace of mind that hiring one of these professionals provides.



About the Author: Shannon Kietzman is a well known author and trusted resource. Shannon regularly writes for http://www.electronicappraiser.com/, which is a leading provider of on-line home appraisals and offers a nationwide personalized instant informational report about home appraisal. For more information, please visit .
http://www.electronicappraiser.com.

5 Tips for Taking Out a Mortgage Loan

When it comes time to purchase a home and take out a mortgage, there are several mistakes that many homebuyers and homeowners do on a routine basis. In order to be certain you put yourself in the best financial position possible and that you properly protect yourself and your home, be sure to implement these five simple tips.

Tip #1: Do Your Research

Many homebuyers, particularly first time buyers, are so excited about purchasing a home that they fail to do their research about available types of mortgages. Be certain to take your time to investigate the types of mortgage loans available and choose the one that suits your finances, future goals, and lifestyle the best.

Tip #2: Don’t Have Too Much Credit

When it comes time to apply for a mortgage loan, many lenders will frown upon your application if you have an excessive amount of credit. Even if you are responsible with your credit cards and other loans, having too much credit can be almost as bad as having poor credit. So, don’t apply for any new loans before it comes time to apply for your mortgage.

Tip #3: Be Honest on Your Loan Application

Some homebuyers are tempted to lie on their mortgage applications, particularly when it comes to how much they make. Not only can misleading information get you caught up in a mortgage you really can’t afford, lying on a mortgage application is a federal offense. Although most lenders do not prosecute people for lying on their applications, it is certainly not a risk that you want to take. In addition, if you are approved and the lender later discovers that you lied, you may be forced to pay the entire remaining balance of the loan all at once.

Tip #4: Never Sign an Incomplete Application

Just as you may be tempted to stretch the truth in order to be approved for a loan, an unscrupulous lender may also put false information on your application in order to gain approval. Therefore, make certain all of the blanks are filled in before you sign your application.

Tip #5: Get the Home Inspected

Although getting your home inspected is an added cost that you may not want to have to pay, it is in your best interest to get it inspected before you make a purchase. A home inspector looks over every aspect of the home and will be able to tell you if there are any problems with the home. This way, you can better determine if you really want to purchase the home or you can renegotiate the price according to the repair that need to be done. By getting the home inspected, you give yourself one more chance to make certain you are getting what you ask for with your new home.


About the Author: Shannon Kietzman is a well known author and trusted resource. Shannon regularly writes for http://www.electronicappraiser.com/, which is a leading provider of home appraisals that offers a nationwide personalized instant informational report about house values. For more information, please visit www.electronicappraiser.com .

How Does Your Backyard Affect the Value of Your Home?

Have you ever thought about how the sunlight may affect the value of your home? Many people have heard that having a backyard that faces the south is a positive attribute when selling a home. While this may be true, whether or not a south-facing backyard is a benefit will largely depend upon the person looking at buying your home. In the end, however, it is unlikely that having a south-facing yard will add any value to your home.

The Benefits of Having a South-Facing Backyard

There are many potential benefits to having a south-facing backyard and, depending upon the person looking at buying your home, these benefits can really help with closing a sale. For example, having a south-facing backyard means that the home will receive plenty of sunlight. If the person is an avid gardener, having this extra sunlight is definitely a benefit. After all, most perennial flowers and vegetable plants need plenty of sunlight in order to thrive.

Having a south-facing backyard is also beneficial to those that suffer from seasonal depression. Although it won’t serve as a “cure all” for depression, the extra sun can go a long way toward helping a person with seasonal depression feel better in the winter months. In addition, the extra sunlight can help prevent moss from forming on the roof of the home. Not only is moss on the roof unattractive, it can be quite damaging as well. Therefore, this can definitely be a selling feature for the home.

The Down Side to Having a South-Facing Backyard

Although there are many benefits associated with having a south-facing backyard, there are downsides to this feature as well. Namely, if the home doesn’t have air conditioning, having a south-facing backyard means the house will likely get quite hot during the summer. If it does have an air conditioner, the cost of running the conditioner may be higher because of the extra heat.

Whether or not a south-facing backyard is an attribute really depends upon the person buying the house. In addition, there are likely to be other factors that will draw the attention of potential buyers more than the location of the backyard. For example, if there is a great view to the south, many homebuyers may prefer a home that faces in that direction instead. Similarly, if a potential buyer enjoys gardening, it may still be possible to successfully maintain a garden even if the backyard faces the north. For these reasons, an appraiser isn’t likely to value your home any higher than he or she would value a home on the other side of the street. On the other hand, if you happen to have a home that is on a corner, your home is likely to get appraised at a higher value because it offers more versatility.


About the Author: Shannon Kietzman is a well known author and trusted resource. Shannon regularly writes for http://www.electronicappraiser.com/, which is a leading provider of on-line home appraisals and offers a nationwide personalized instant informational report about home appraisal. For more information, please visit .
www.electronicappraiser.com .

Should You Renovate Your Kitchen Or Bathroom Before Putting Your Home on the Market?

Many people think that renovating their kitchens and their bathrooms is the best way to add resale value to their homes. While these renovations can certainly help bulk up your home’s value, there are some things you should keep in mind before you start tearing out walls and cabinetry in either of these two rooms.

How Much Can I Get Back From a Renovation?

The amount of value you add to your home when you renovate your kitchen or bathroom will really depend on the status of the room before you got started and the types of renovations you made. For the most part, however, you can expect to get anywhere from 75 to 100% of the money you put into your renovation project back when you sell your home.

Although making these renovations won’t necessarily help you make more money than what you put in, they can help you sell make the home more attractive to buyers. As a result, you may be able to sell the home more quickly. In addition, if you do the work yourself, you may see a much greater return. Just be certain the work is of high-quality, or you may actually decrease the value of your home rather than bring its value up.

What Should I Consider Before Making a Renovation?

When making a renovation in your kitchen or bathroom, your goal should be to modernize the space without making it too personal in terms of taste. In other words, while you might like the thought of having bright red cabinets in your kitchen, many of your potential buyers may not like this color scheme. So, update your room without going over the top with colors and other design elements.

You should also consider the other home in your neighborhood before you start your renovations. If other homes in your neighborhood are mid-market houses and you add the highest-end finishes, you won’t get as much back on your return and you may actually have difficult selling your home. After all, most buyers don’t want to spend a great deal of money on a very nice home that is surrounded by less attractive houses. You should aim to keep the home on the same level as the surrounding homes in the neighborhood in order to get the greatest return.

Completing a bathroom or a kitchen renovation can certainly help to boost the value of your home, but plan out your renovations carefully in order to make certain every dollar you put into your home will come back to you in resale value. Ideally, your renovations should help you earn more than what you have put in, so talk with a real estate agent and ask for feedback and guidance before you start making your changes.


About the Author: Shannon Kietzman is a well known author and trusted resource. Shannon regularly writes for http://www.electronicappraiser.com/, which is a leading provider of on-line home appraisals and offers a nationwide personalized instant informational report about home appraisal. For more information, please visit .
www.electronicappraiser.com .

How to Choose the Real Estate Agent That is Right for You

If you are planning to hire a real estate agent to help you with selling your home, it is important that you take the time to find someone that is well qualified and that will look out for your best interest. Therefore, there are several things you should keep in mind when searching for a real estate agent in order to guarantee the best results. These include:

• Checking credentials
• Finding out more about the real estate agent’s procedures
• Confirming who the agent will be representing
• Learning about fees

By evaluating all of these areas, you will have a better chance of hiring a real estate agent that will best suit your needs.

Checking Credentials

Ideally, you should hire someone that is a designated Realtor. Real estate agents are actually different from Realtors, as Realtors have to complete extra steps in order to achieve this designation. Realtors are also held to a higher standard than real estate agents because they have to adhere to the Code of Ethics as established by the National Association of Realtors.

In addition to dealing with someone that is a Realtor, you should also check to make certain the agent has an active license that is in good standing. It is also a good idea to find out the designations the agent holds. This way, you can make certain You can easily check on the Realtor’s license by checking with the governing agency in your state.

Finding Out More About the Real Estate Agent’s Procedures

Before you pick a Realtor, it is important to find someone that uses procedures you are comfortable with. For example, you might want to work with an agent that will put your home on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) database or you may prefer one that will keep the sale more private. While most agents will be flexible and will work within the terms you prefer, others may have an established procedure that they are unwilling change. Make certain you and the agent are a good match before you sign a contract.

Confirming Who the Agent Will be Representing

There are two major types of real estate brokers to select from: buyer’s brokers and seller’s brokers. A buyer’s broker represents the best interest of the person buying the house while the seller’s broker represents the person selling the home. This is an important differentiation because the agent is bound to the person he or she represents, which means the agent does not have to maintain confidentiality for the other person in the sell. In other words, if you are dealing with an agent that represents the buyer and you tell the agent you would be willing to go as low as $130,000 on your price, the agent is obligated to share this information with the buyer. Make certain you are dealing with an agent that will be representing your best interests.

Learning About Fees

You also need to discuss fees upfront. You should have a clear understanding of how much you will have to pay the agent for his or her commission. You should also find out whether or not the agent is willing to reduce the commission amount if you are having trouble selling the home for the price you are trying to get.

In exchange for the fees you pay, the agent should clearly describe the services that will be provided. Don’t assume that services such as advertising your home are automatically part of the deal. After all, you don’t want to be caught by surprise by extra fees that pop up down the road.

About the Author: Greg Sullivan is the President of www.electronicappraiser.com, a leading provider of home appraisals offering a nationwide personalized instant information about house values. For more information, please visit www.electronicappraiser.com.

Selling Your Own House

You have decided to put your home on the market and want to do it yourself. Here are a few steps to consider as you prepare to do a For Sale By Owner.

1. Put up your For Sale Sign. Before advertising your home, make the right first impression. Attract buyers with low cost cosmetic steps such as cutting the grass, cleaning up the outside and painting drab walls. Have a garage sale to get rid of inside clutter. Why? Because people buy homes that appear clean, solid and well maintained.

2. Set your price right and sell your own home fast. To find the true value of your home, compare it to similar homes recently sold in your neighborhood. You may even want to get an appraisal to be sure of what your house is worth. When setting your price, also consider the cost of closing fees, other selling costs, and the amount of cash you want after the sale. You may also want to look at financial terms that support a higher price for your home. A Buyer might be willing to pay more for your house if he or she can assume your current mortgage, or if you are prepared to provide. Often, home prices are higher in Spring and Summer. Buyers look for homes in the Spring and Summer, making it harder to get high prices in Winter when few Buyers are looking for homes.

Be sure to list what items are not included in the sales of your home. In general, items that are bolted to a wall, floor or ceiling or attached by a pipe are included in the sale. Expensive chandeliers are usually bolted to the ceiling. If you want to take your chandelier with you, list it as NOT included in the sale.

3. Good Advertising Sells Homes. New low cost web sites will put multiple pictures of your house on the Internet. Use Internet ads in combination with local newspapers and neighborhood flyers.

A flat fee MLS listing is an effective form of advertising because real estate agents look in the MLS to find homes that match buyer requirements, and most buyers use real estate agents.

4. Schedule An Open House. Kick off your home selling campaign with an open house. Invite all the neighbors for blocks around your house. Show them your home's best points and tell them your price. Why? Because neighbors are the best promoters of the neighborhood and they all have friends and family who buy homes.

5. Negotiating With Buyers. Always make a counter offer when selling your own home. The buyer who offers less than your asking price can be encouraged to pay more or agree to other terms like accepting the house without repairs.

6. Closing the deal and selling your own home. Avoid the tendency to relax after getting a buyer to sign your sales contract. Finishing details, the events between signing a contract and closing day should lead smoothly to collecting cash for your house, but little things can go wrong if you don't pay attention.

Buyers have the right to inspect your house. Pay attention! Every inspection is a potential deal killer. Closing documents can be completed by an attorney, escrow agent or title officer, depending on your state. The closing attorney or escrow agent transfers the title to the buyer, pays all outstanding bills, and turns the cash balance over to the seller.

Greg Sullivan is the President of www.electronicappraiser.com, a leading provider of home appraisals offering a nationwide personalized instant home appraisal service. For more information, please visit www.electronicappraiser.com.