Part 2 of 3, To-Dos Before You List Your Home

Part 2 of 3: To-Dos Before You List Your Home

By John Sizemore, Realtor, Texas
www.TheSizemoreTeam.com

“I know many people who are planning to list their homes for sale in the springtime. Some people have asked me how to prepare their homes, so I prepared 36 tips, which I will list in 3 postings. The second 12 tips, which I call “Buckets of Fun” (because they focus on painting & gardening) are:

13. Paint the interior walls a neutral color. If you can’t paint the walls off-white or eggshell, paint the home a light beige. Concentrate on the living areas, kitchen, and master bedroom.

14. Replace or paint over tired or dated wallpaper. Also remember your wall paper should appeal to 80% of buyers, if it doesn’t replace it or prep the wall and paint over it.

15. Paint the front door. The color can be different than the house color but should coordinate with the shutters or molding. It should be a neutral color or in earth tones.

16. Paint the exterior of the house or paint the trim. If the paint job needs to be done, paint it! Buyers consider an exterior paint job to be BIG work and they will deduct BIG dollars if it isn’t done.

17. Paint the garage door to freshen it up. If it doesn’t work right have it repaired.

18. Kill the Red Ants. You can buy a treatment that kills red ants for the entire summer season for less than $40 for the typical yard. Buy it and use it. Nothing kills a sale faster than the potiential buyer being bitten by fire ants.

19. Remove overgrown plants and replant. Your home should be framed by plants, not hidden by them.

20. Fill holes in your yard with fill dirt and then sod. Sod the yard where needed.

21. Plant flowers to make a great first impression. I suggest red or yellow flowers. If your flower beds are being “visited” by cats, plant Society Garlic – cats hate it and the purple flowers are very nice.

22. Water the yard and plants weekly. No one wants a dead lawn.

23. Mow the yard weekly in the Summer and at least every other week during the rest of the year. No one wants a jungle.

24. Clean the pool if you have one. It should sparkle. A dirty pool reminds people that a pool requires work – you want to remind people how much fun a pool can be.

Regards,
John Sizemore, REALTORMORE Service - MORE Agent

The Sizemore Team services residential Real Estate needs in the Texas communities of Spring, The Woodlands, Oak Ridge North, Shenandoah, Conroe, Magnolia, and all of surrounding S.W. Montgomery County, TX.

(reprinted with written permission, copyright 2008)

For this and any other information regarding real estate in Moses Lake, WA, or if you are ready to list or buy a home with me today, call me at 509-431-5804. I look forward to serving you with great customer service!!

Sincerely,

Connie Suehiro, REALTOR

Gary Mann Real Estate

Moses Lake, WA 98837

509-431-5804 direct

What's A Good Investment? Homes? Stock Market?

Good morning!

Today there are 94 homes in Moses Lake on the market for $180,000 and less.

Do you do any stock trading? I received an email about buying Kodiak Energy shares for less than $3 before they go way up, with our OPEC gas prices being ridiculously high. It could be a good investment. And of course, buying a home is a good investment too. In the past two years, according to one of the owners in our office, home values went up by 18% on average each year.

That's a great return!

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Quote of the Day: "Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do...but how much love we put in that action."-- Mother Teresa (1910-1997), world humanitarian and founder of the Missionaries of Charity

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Have a great week!

~Connie Suehiro, REALTOR

Gary Mann Real Estate

305 E. Third Ave

Moses Lake, WA 98837

509-431-5804 direct

Part 1 of 3: To Dos Before You List Your Home

Many people want to know how to prepare their homes for sale. So, here is the beginning of the answer for you.

Part 1 of 3: To-Dos Before You List Your Home

By John Sizemore, REALTOR
MORE Service - MORE Agent

"I know many people who are planning to list their homes for sale in the springtime. Some people have asked me how to prepare their homes, so I prepared 36 tips, which I will list in 3 postings.

The first tips, which I call “The Dirty Dozen” (because they focus on cleaning), will get you started:

1. Visit model homes in your area. These are your competitors. Size them up and get a feel on how to prepare your home. Be sure to take digital photos.

2. Start packing. Time to rent a storage unit. Get your knick-knacks packed. This will help you when it is time to paint. Decluttering your home is the easiest way to make it appear larger.

3. Move or store large furniture. If the furniture is too large for the room, be sure to send it to storage along with the knickknacks.

4. Empty the closets. OK, maybe don’t empty them but clean them out and feature all the storage space they really have. People want storage space.

5. Clean out your garage and have a garage sale. Same rule as the last three. Your garage is the room that may make or break the sale with the potential buyer (especially males).

6. Clean fixtures. Make sure your bathroom, kitchen, and lighting fixtures are clean and polished.

7. Clean the carpets. You will probably have to clean them again when it is time to list but clean them now and determine if you need to replace the carpet or if cleaning will do.

8. Tile and other flooring. Check to see if it is in tip-top shape. No cracks or deep scratches. Repair the floors, or if necessary, replace the areas. I have seen $400,000 homes not move because of a few broken tiles.

9. Clean the grout. Make sure your grout comes out clean. No one wants to buy a home where the grout lines are dirty.

10. Replace or repair bathroom fixtures. I’m talking about pink toilets or green sinks. Many times these have to be replaced. In some instances they can be refinished. The colors should be white, buff, or one of the colors being used in the model homes you visited.

11. Clean or paint appliances. If your stove is an off-color, have a professional come in an paint them. Remember, all your kitchen appliances should match. Replace broken knobs and latches. Be sure to have the stove and oven surfaces clean when listing.

12. Clean your driveway. Driveways usually have oil stains and can be cleaned using high-powered liquid drain cleaners (like Drano). You can then sweep those oil spots away. Read all the directions and be sure to have the hose ready.

If I can answer any questions on this, call me at 281-203-6000 or Email me at John.Sizemore@att.net or visit my Web site TheSizemoreTeam.com. (Or email Connie Suehiro, your local full-service Moses Lake REALTOR at 509-431-5804 or email at homes@iglide.net.)

You may want to check out my Web site’s 29 FREE reports for additional information on Buying, Selling, or Investing or borrow and view my DVD on Selling Your Home For Top Dollar."

Regards,
John Sizemore, REALTOR
MORE Service - MORE Agent

The Sizemore Team services residential Real Estate needs in the Texas communities of Spring, The Woodlands, Oak Ridge North, Shenandoah, Conroe, Magnolia, and all of surrounding S.W. Montgomery County, TX.

(reproduced by written permission, John Sizemore, copyright 2008)

Price Opinion vs. Official Appraisal

My friend Carol, who is a Realtor in Wenatchee, wrote an article on this topic, and I want to make sure you don't miss out on it:

"Hi Connie, Here is a link to an article I wrote about the difference in an agent prepared "price opinion" and an official appraisal. http://www.carolswenatchee.com/wenatchee-realestate/2005/6/25/appraisal-vs-price-analysis.html "

Have: 5 acre lot on Neppel Road

I have 2 to 3 BUYERS who need homes in the country between Moses Lake and Warden with 2-5 acres of land, and between Othello and Royal City.

Have a great week!

Connie Suehiro, Realtor
Gary Mann Real Estate
305 E. Third Ave
Moses Lake, WA 98837
509-431-5804

Showcase of Homes on Saturday

Come join us in our Showcase of Homes in the Laguna area in Moses Lake, across the freeway from the former Moses Lake State Park! Several homes on Astor Loop and the beautiful BRICK HOUSE on Crane Lane with a grand entryway will be open for you to see. I will be in 508 S. Crane Lane, a 2600 square foot home with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. For more information on this house, and to see photos, go to www.GaryMannRealEstate.com and input MLS Listing Number 28004209. Directions to this exquisite home in a neighborhood full of custom built homes: east on Sage Road, right on Sandunes Road, left on Astor Loop, right on Crane Lane. Home on the right with the OPEN HOUSE sign in front. Print out this information, and I'll see you there!

Connie Suehiro, Realtor
Gary Mann Real Estate
305 E. Third Ave.
Moses Lake, WA 98837
509-431-5804 direct

New FHA Loan Limits For Grant County

This is from our friendly mortgage banker in Federal Way, WA.

"Hello All-

I just wanted to keep you focused on FHA.

The Economic Stimulus Package greatly increased the loan limits for FHA lending. Please note the highlights below:

The new FHA loan limit for Grant County is $271,050

This increase allows for higher priced homes to be eligible for a low down payment- Helps you move those listings!

FHA allows the use of 6% seller concession

FHA allows the use of non-occupying co-borrowers

FHA will still allow gift funds

FHA is still the #1 mortgage product for Manufactured Homes!

Please let me know if I have help in any way!"

Thanks,
Mike

Michael Bess
Mortgage Banker
National City Mortgage, a division of National City Bank
31620 23rd Ave S #200
Federal Way, WA 98003
Office: 253-839-6500
Mobile: 253-632-0105
Fax: 253-839-6520
Email: mike.bess@ncmc.com

Thank you for contacting me. Have you seen my web site? You can now apply for a mortgage online, 24 hours a day! You will also find useful mortgage calculators and other valuable information.

Web Page: www.ncmc.com/mikebess

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Quote of the day: "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."
- Thomas Jefferson
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How Many Homes On The Market Today?

There are 97 homes under $180,000 on the market for you to choose from today.

Do you want to know how many under $180,000 or less have sold in the past six months? That would be since November 2007: There are 86.

So, since 86 in that price range have sold since November 2007, and there are 97 homes available now as opposed to 83-85 homes on the average being available for sale through the winter, that means that there are more and more homes for sale, giving Buyers a little bit of a competitive edge, wouldn't you say?

For Sellers, this means that you need to be sure to price your homes competitively. If your home had a market value of $230,000 five months ago, it's possible that the value is about $200,000 at today's market value now. Or if the market value of your home on the lake was $425,00 six months ago, it's possible that it's around $370,000 at today's market value.

Here's a look at the market of waterfront homes (lake mostly, some creek), October til now:

Active Homes: 40
Low Price: $259,000
Average Price: $489,994
High Price: $699,000
Average DOM (Days on Market): 127

SOLD Homes: 6 (SIX)
Low Price: $276,000
Average Price: $455,000
High Price: $589,000
Average DOM (Days on Market): 137

Price your home competitively so it will sell, not sit on the market, waiting to be sold.

For help in selling your home and helping you price it competitively, call me at 509-431-5804.

Connie Suehiro, Realtor
Gary Mann Real Estate
Moses Lake, WA 98837
509-431-5804