Tips for Selling Your Home!

 

• Curb Appeal!! This is the first glimpse your prospective buyers get of your home when they arrive. See if your home is inviting, if it could be spruced up with some shubbery and annuals— DO IT!

• Exterior Paint Helps. At the least update the trim or paint just the front of your home. Make sure the doors open easily and the windows sparkle.

• Heavy-Duty Cleaning. You want your home to be spotless. If you can, hire profes­sional cleaning people so you can clean out cupboards and closets. Eliminate any sign of clutter.

• Keep Furniture to a Livable Minimum, this automatically makes the rooms look larger. Pack away any valuables or bric-a-brac you can live without.

• Interior Painting is the fastest and cheap­est way to freshen up a room. Choose neutral colors even if you would not pick them for your­self. This helps prospective buyers get a better idea of how their furniture will look or what they would like to change. Don’t waste time on Wallpaper! This is the first thing people change.

• New Vinyl Floors is fast and easy. Keep the colors neutral also.

• New Shower Curtains for every bath are a must. Buy a set of matching towels just for show– it will make all the difference.

• Have Something Wonderful Baking in the oven when you have a prospective buyer coming to look at your home. Be sure not to burn anything!

• Keep All the Lights On, even in the daytime. They make everything look nicer. If you have a fireplace, and the season is right, light a couple of logs.

• Have Your Home Picked Up as much as you can and looking nice. You may have last minute showings of your home, it pays to be prepared.

• Display Your Information Packet in the living room or kitchen for your potential buyers to take. Your agent will put together an informa­tion packet which usually includes a color photo of your home and a description of its attributes.

• Pricing. If your home is not selling, 95% of the time it is because of the price. Even in a bad market, you can sell your home if you are willing to go low enough.

• Keep Your Chin Up. There will be cancel­lations or even worse people just won’t show up! Don’t feel bad it’s just part of the game. Someone is going to want the house just as much as you did when you bought it yourself.

• Experienced Agents will try to screen people who are not really serious about home buying. Because of ready access to multiple listing service, they can turn up more people to look at your home. An experienced agent with a successful organization behind them, like RE/MAX Select.

Dawn Whalen, Realtor/GRI

RE/MAX Select

www.dawnwhalen.com

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Owning Vs Renting

 

Owning gives you a feeling of success!

You begin to enjoy your new home or condominium from the first day you move in. Most investments require a period of time to elapse before any enjoyment is derived— not so when you invest in a home.

When you landscape, add a patio or paint— you not only have the use and enjoyment of these additions, you also increase the value of your investment.

If you’re renting, I’d like to talk with you about the homes on the market today that fit your financial position. There’s no obligation to you. Give me call anytime.

Owning gives you lots of freedom!

You can play your stereo as loud as you want… paint the walls any color you wish… and do the laundry any time!!!

How much “home” can you afford?

Generally, lenders figure that the homebuyer shouldn’t pay more than 28% of their gross monthly income for their mortgage payment— including principal, interest, taxes and insurance (PITI); or 36% when they combine all monthly debts together with the PITI payments.

The easiest way to make a quick estimate of the mortgage amount you may qualify for is to apply these two basic formulas to your situation. Using a combined family income of $24,900 divide by 12 to find the gross monthly income (before taxes) is $2,075. This family could prob­ably qualify for a monthly PITI payment of $581 using the 28% formula; or $747 using the 36% formula for deter­mining the total monthly debt structure.

Keep in mind that the monthly payment will vary accord­ing to the amount, interest rate and length of time of the mortgage.

Get tax breaks, too!

It’s a fact. Uncle Sam actually helps you become a homeowner by allowing tax deductions. The majority of the mortgage payment is the interest paid and homeowners deduct the interest paid before determining what their taxable income is. Real estate taxes are also deductible. This means that the “net” cost of homeowner­ship is much less than it initially appears.

As your real estate professional I will be able to show you any home that is available—regardless of who has the property listed!

I can save you endless hours of frustration by acting as a clearing house for all the available properties in the area(s) you’re interested in.

I will be more than happy to accompany you to any open house, new construction or available listing at a time that’s convenient to you!

There is no cost to you, when you select me to act as your real estate representative. I’m eager to work with you and explore the possibilities of finding a home or condominium that fits your present financial position.

Contact me at dawn_whalen@sbcglobal.net or www.dawnwhalen.com,

or 317-807-1568

 

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