Curb
Appeal by Tom Nicholls
The Prudential Carolinas Realty
Question: What is "Curb appeal" and what do curbs
have to do with selling my house?
Answer: "Curb appeal" is the term used to describe how
your home looks to agents, prospective buyers and anyone else window
shopping from the curb or sidewalk. It's a first impression -- and we all
have first impressions about people, and especially homes. Without
"curb appeal," prospective buyers will never come inside
Location, Location, Location by Tom Nicholls
The Prudential Carolinas Realty
There's an adage in real estate that says the three most important
considerations when buying property are (1) location (2) location and, of
course, (3) location. In other words, buy something in the right location
and you can't miss. It will not only provide shelter, but steady
appreciation as well.
In fact, if you examine the cost of a particular piece of property, you
will find the prime driver behind the price is usually the location and its
desirability. In other words, the better the location, the greater the
demand, and the higher the price.
Some of the "drivers" that create desirable locations are easily
seen. Take, for instance, Beverly Hills versus Los Angeles. Or Greenwich
versus Hartford or New Haven (CT). All have desirable areas, but the
Beverly Hills/Greenwich name adds demand to the location and, of course, a
higher price. Virtually every city has locations that are prestigious,
usually because of the reputation of the area, and what consumers have been
conditioned to expect in them.
Homeowner's Insurance by Tom Nicholls
The Prudential Carolinas Realty
Do you have enough homeowner's insurance?
Unfortunately most homeowners are inadequately insured. In fact, many not
only lack financial protection for the equity in their home, but for their
personal property as well. Why?
It usually happens because lenders only require home buyers to carry enough
insurance to cover the value of themortgage. Then, in the event of damage
or destruction to the property ( fire, flood or earthquake ( the lender's
investment is covered. Unfortunately, this required insurance is only for
the lender's money ( it does not cover the homeowner's personal property,
or their equity.
When deciding on insurance, homeowners should carry enough to cover the
replacement value of the home, and all of its contents. The key word:
replacement. As the home appreciates, so will its replacement cost. Thus,
the policy should be reviewed every year or two, adjusting the amount of
coverage if appropriate.
Seller's Choice by Tom Nicholls
The Prudential Carolinas Realty
What makes one offer more attractive to sellers than another?
Obviously, the price is usually the most important element, but there are
other factors that make an offer more - or less - attractive. For
instance, one obstacle is a "contingency," a clause that allows a
buyer to back out if certain conditions aren't met. Of course, offers with
the fewest contingencies are most attractive to sellers.
When it comes to contingencies, first-time buyers are often better
prospects for a seller's home than move-up buyers. Why? Because offers
from homeowners usually are contingent upon the sale of their present home.
And, even if a move-up buyer has an offer for their home in hand,
their buyer's offer may be contingent on another contingency (or
sale) - and so on down the line. If one transaction in the chain falls
through, they all might.
Appear Larger by Tom Nicholls
The Prudential Carolinas Realty
Question: If you're thinking about selling your home, how can you
make it "bigger" and better looking
without spending a cent?
Answer: One sure way for your house to appear larger - and more
appealing - is if clutter is eliminated and furniture and household goods
are reorganized.
In fact, the time to have a garage sale is before you put your house
on the market, not after it is sold! When you decide to sell, start going
through your closets and cupboards, eliminating items you don't want to
keep. Do the same in the garage and in your side or backyard. Get rid of
or store the odds and ends. It's interesting to note that the longer
someone lives in a home, they become used to the clutter. Unfortunately,
closets, cupboards and garages brimming with "old treasures" make
a home look small and cramped to a prospective buyer. Sellers should also
carefully examine their furniture, and consign items that are not needed to
the storage or the garage sale. Most homes occupied by the same owner for
several years tend to be somewhat overfurnished.aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
ggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
For
Sale By Owner by Tom Nicholls
The Prudential Carolinas Realty
Planning to go FSBO (For Sale By Owner)? Well, unless you're planning to
take a leave of absence from your present job to do it, you may want to
reconsider.
Selling "by owner" means you have just entered the real estate
business, if only temporarily. Continue your present job and it means
you're in real estate part-time, competing for buyers against full-time
agents and their companies.
Wise
Investment by Tom Nicholls
The Prudential Carolinas Realty
Question: Is real estate a wise investment?
Answer: In the long run, there are fewer investments that have
shown a better return.
However, the key to investing wisely in real estate is understanding how
the industry differs from others. For example, when the defense industry
dips, it usually shows a national decline and the stock prices of
defense-oriented firms drop across the board. The same is true of most
industries. They are impacted nationally.
Top
Dollar by Tom Nicholls
The Prudential Carolinas Realty
Most property owners want to receive top dollar for their home when
selling. That's a natural desire, and there's a surefire way to make it
happen ( by offering the home in 'top dollar' condition)!
A surefire way to attract low purchase offers is to offer a home in less
than top dollar condition. It is common knowledge that sellers are likely
to receive offers of $2.00 less than the asking price for every $1.00 in
needed repairs. If the cost of replacing badly worn, soiled carpet is
$2,800, buyers tend to offer as much as $5,600 less, provided all else is
in good condition.
A home in need of repairs is an open invitation to make low purchase
offers. Buyers assume that if the doorbell doesn't work, or the dishwasher
is on the "fritz," other items need attention too. Once the
caution flag has been raised, it is difficult to convince a buyer to pay
full price.
Renovations by Tom Nicholls
The Prudential Carolinas Realty
Question: If you are planning to sell your property, which
renovations will increase the value of your house the
most?
Answer: Assuming the house has no major weaknesses, remodeling the
kitchen or bathroom is usually a good bet.
Clear Title by Tom Nicholls
The Prudential Carolinas Realty
When a consumer purchases an automobile and it is paid in full, they are
usually presented with a "pink slip" to indicate they own the
vehicle. And, when a buyer purchases real estate (or real property),
"title" is transferred.
But what happens if the seller does not have a "clear title" to
convey? Perhaps there was an irregularity in one of the past transactions
involving the property. Suddenly, the buyer may find himself out of
thousands of dollars ( and not owning any property.
The Closing by Tom Nicholls
The Prudential Carolinas Realty
Question: What does your REALTOR mean when referring to a
'closing'?
Answer: A closing is the meeting where title and money are
exchanged between the seller and the buyer,
and the sale of a home is finalized.
Why
use an Agent by Tom Nicholls
The Prudential Carolinas Realty
Some property owners believe selling their home can be as easy as putting a
sign in the yard, and an ad in the newspaper. On the surface, that may
sound like a reasonable assumption. Sellers soon realize, however, that a
real estate agent knows how to successfully navigate a transaction which is
quite complex.
The first challenge when selling a home is determining a fair asking price.
To do so requires in-depth research of recent home sales, and analysis of
the sale prices and financing. Factual data is available from a real
estate agent, but may be difficult for a homeowner to obtain.
All twelve articles plus
this info on layering are contained within this html document. They were
created in a word processor changed to one point size, copied and pasted
here into (DIV) tags. The one point size was done just to more easily see
where the (DIV) tags start and stop. They are loaded and layered invisibly
but the first one shows up without you doing anything. The Index on the
left and javascript allow you to select the article you want to read, make
it visible, and hide any other currently visible layers.
The result is that changing from one page to
another is very fast! To see other examples of layering text and
/or graphics,
visit my homepage.
Charlotte NC Real Estate page
of Tom NIcholls
When you get there, select the
version for Cascading Style Sheets & Javascript
