Home Inspections Help You Sell Your Home

When you're ready to sell your home in the current market, you need to take every step you can to ensure a timely sale at the price you want. A surplus of homes for sale means that yours needs to stand out in style, amenities and quality to make an impression on potential buyers. The more steps you take to make your house sale-ready, the better results you'll get.

Currently, home sales are at a historic low—so what do you need to do to buck that trend? Updated decor and proper staging certainly help present your home well, but don't think that cosmetic fixes are all you need. Buyers want to know the home they're considering is safe and sound, and the best way to establish that is to hire a home inspector.

Twenty years ago, it seemed extravagant to hire a home inspector, but today it's standard practice. Buyers will often bring their own inspectors to the table, so you need to start by hiring one yourself. Hiring a professional will give you a realistic perspective on what's going on in the bones of your home. "In a down market, a pre-sale inspection can make a home stand out," says David Tamny, president of the American Society of Home Inspectors. "More and more, sellers are obtaining pre-sale inspections to help uncover and address potential issues before the first prospective buyer walks through the door. This simple step allows for better planning and lowers repair costs, adds value to the home, and it could increase the likelihood of an offer." Even if someone in your family is handy, a professional home inspector will be able to point out issues that might go unnoticed by someone who doesn't know the ins and outs of inspecting.

Today's buyers are quick to point out flaws uncovered by the home inspectors they bring with them, particularly if the flaws could compromise health or safety. Buyers can use problems as bargaining chips, causing previously agreed upon prices to be lowered or even the cancellation of a deal. Inspections help uncover imperfections that often can be fixed easily and inexpensively, so it's worth it to get your home inspected before you list it. In addition, a good inspection can raise the likelihood of an offer being placed on your home.

Buyers are looking for security. If you can show them your home has been inspected, they'll feel more comfortable with it. That confidence often equates to more dollars in your pocket when you agree to the sale. The areas covered in home inspections are: the major systems and components such as the foundation, exterior siding, flashing and trim, the roof, plumbing, electrical and heating and cooling units. In addition, some home inspectors offer additional services including radon testing, energy assessments and pool and spa inspections.

The current housing market requires a proactive approach to selling, and to get the result you want, you have to think about every aspect of your home. Having a home inspection can add value to the property, speed up the negotiation process, increase the likelihood of an offer and, most importantly, help sell your home.

Posted via web from Gina Stango

Support the 40th Anniversary Earth Day Celebration - April 22, 2010

 

 

 

How the First Earth Day Came About
By Senator Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day

What was the purpose of Earth Day? How did it start? These are the questions I am most frequently asked.

Actually, the idea for Earth Day evolved over a period of seven years starting in 1962. For several years, it had been troubling me that the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of the country. Finally, in November 1962, an idea occurred to me that was, I thought, a virtual cinch to put the environment into the political "limelight" once and for all. The idea was to persuade President Kennedy to give visibility to this issue by going on a national conservation tour. I flew to Washington to discuss the proposal with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, who liked the idea. So did the President. The President began his five-day, eleven-state conservation tour in September 1963. For many reasons the tour did not succeed in putting the issue onto the national political agenda. However, it was the germ of the idea that ultimately flowered into Earth Day. CLICK HERE to continue article.

Posted via web from Gina Stango

20 Ways to Enjoy Springtime

Spring weather is definitely here, and depending on where you live, it might feel like you’re on a speeding train to summer (or maybe that’s just me).

This is one of my favorite times of year (it’s a tie with fall, I think), and it flies by much too quickly. Young children love being outside, so outdoor activities are just a few of the liturgical activities our families enjoy during the spring. In our air-conditioned, drive everywhere, year-round produce section world, it’s far too easy to ignore the rhythm of nature and life the way God orchestrates it. We are missing out.

Generations past appreciated each season for what it provided and for what it required, and we don’t want that to die with ours. So here are a few ways you can take full advantage of the spring with your family. Click Here to Continue Article

Posted via web from Gina Stango

The 203(k) Mortgage Program

You should consider a 203(k) mortgage if you want to purchase a home that needs rehabilitation.

The top three benefits of a 203(k) program include:

1. Higher Loan Amounts: The 203(k) mortgage is based on the home's potential value (after repairs), not its existing value. This means you can be approved for a higher loan than if you were taking out a mortgage based on your home's current worth.

2. Simplicity: Without a 203(k) mortgage, if you wanted to buy a house that needed rehabilitation, you'd have to finance every step of the purchase and rehabilitation separately. This means you'd first have to get a loan to buy the home, and then find additional financing to cover the rehabilitation costs, and finally obtain a permanent mortgage after completing the rehabilitation. With the 203(k), you roll all these loans into one easy-to-manage mortgage.

3. Better Security: Without the help of a 203(k) mortgage, you have to just hope that all the money you spend on rehabilitation costs will be less than the value of the home after repairs are complete—and that you won't have to cover any unexpected costs out-of-pocket. A 203(k) mortgage covers the cost of repairs from the outset. Also, the mortgage usually carries a long-term-fixed rate, is insured as soon as the loan funds, and has an escrow account set up for the repairs.

Are there Restrictions?
There are some restrictions. For example, the home you want to purchase must be a one-to four-family dwelling that has been on its foundation for at least one year. The number of units must adhere to local zoning requirements. Any newly constructed units must be affixed to the existing home.

The 203(k) Mortgage Program By Antonia Anderson Photo: © William Britten - iStockphoto

Posted via web from Gina Stango

Every Home Needs a Deep Spring Cleaning

In your busy daily life, it is difficult to find time to run a vacuum over the floor and clean the bathroom on a regular basis. Even when you find time to do a thorough basic cleaning job, dust, dirt, and grime still builds up in places you seldom clean, such as your baseboards, blinds, and ceiling fans. With a thorough “spring” cleaning, which actually should be done two to three times a year, you can get by the rest of the year with simply a basic cleaning job while the demands of your busy life take over.

It's a Big Job.
A thorough cleaning of your house entails cleaning every nook and cranny, from vacuuming under the couch to dusting the uppermost corners of your walls, and everything in between. Ideally, you will take a few weekends, taking one or two rooms of the house per day, and really do a thorough job. Open up every drawer and cabinet. Make piles of things to throw out and donate to a charity. If things have made their way into the wrong room of the house, put them back in their place. If you find that a particular section of your house is exceptionally disorganized, spend some time organizing it in a way that fits with your family's lifestyle. Perhaps purchase a shoe rack or buy storage bins where necessary.

Clean Everything!
During a normal housecleaning, you may vacuum and dust. When you are spring cleaning, you want to clean every nook and cranny of each room, including your baseboards and windowsills. When you are cleaning out drawers, wipe them down with a cloth to clean out any dust or debris. Vacuum out the closets and wipe down the blades of the ceiling fans. After a thorough cleaning of the carpeted areas, steam clean your carpets with a rug cleaner or have them professionally cleaned to get all of the trampled in dirt and grime out of the carpets.

Complete Side Projects.
If you've been putting off small maintenance items, such as touch up paint in the kids rooms or greasing a squeaky door hinge, now is the perfect time to do it. Change that burned out light in the closet. If the kids have outgrown some of their larger toys, such as a train table or dress-up vanity, remove these items as you go. As you go through each room of your home, make a point of getting each room in perfect, tip-top shape and complete those small tasks. When these small items build up over the course of weeks and months, your list of to-do items around the house can seem daunting. But when these items are tackled room by room, they are broken down into much more manageable workloads.

You can do spring cleaning any time of year, giving you a fresh, clean house you can relax in and enjoy.  In addition, a thorough spring cleaning of your house will give you the luxury of a clean house for months to come with a simple, basic cleaning job.

Posted via web from Gina Stango

Check Out My April Newsletter!

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the latest edition of my ZIP Realty newsletter: APRIL NEWSLETTER

Posted via web from Gina Stango