Buyer situation: Playing house before you buy one or step up to a bigger one

I recently read a book written by Suze Orman, www.suzeorman.com , that was discussing the laws of money and lessons of life.  It is a very good book and one section goes into great depth about what you should be focusing on with your money relating to your home.  She is very “pro” home ownership, to the extent that she highly recommends paying your house off as soon as you can. 

One of the sections outlined the idea of playing “house”.  Basically it is taking a test run with the financial obligations of owning a home.  What she proposes you do is set up a new savings account and each month you will deposit money in this account.  The twist, and determining factor, as to how much you will deposit is based on the difference between what it costs you now to live where you live and what it will cost you if you buy a first home or a bigger home. Using this exercise may seem elementary and if you go through it for 3 to 6 months without a hitch then you know the time is  right to move up to a new home.  On the other side if you find the monthly financial obligation is too steep for your current income and expenditures then you may have to adjust your time frame for buying. 

Playing house, playing car, playing second home or playing boat, it doesn’t matter what the product is, what matters is you know you are walking into a financial obligation with both eyes open.  We want you to become a home owner with full knowledge prior to actually closing on the deal.  Please let us know if we can help you find a great home, visit us at  www.winwinhome.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/winwinhome

Buyer Situation: Buying a home in the winter, should you?

Year after year we run into this situation and have found that many buyers are very happy that they purchased a home in the winter.  Here are the reasons: They agree to terms with a seller in January or February and then close about 60 days later, a perfect time to start working on their new home’s interior and exterior.  They can then enjoy the home for the summer.  Shopping for a home in the winter is done with less competition from other buyers and there is usually a good selection of properties on the market.  It is an easier time to tour homes and put together the right deal with not as much pressure.  The spring and summer months have many more buyers looking for and putting offers in on homes.  Interest rates are historically lower in the winter/pre-spring time frame.  Our buyers have taken advantage of the great rates and saved thousands of dollars over the life of the loan AND were comfortable with the rate and payment they secured. 

What else are you going to do this winter?  Get out and start looking at homes and make this New Year a great year!    We are happy to put our home purchasing strategies to work for you.  Ask about how we can get you a great buy on a home through our comprehensive assessed to closed price ratios and square foot analysis.  We are always a call or click away:  www.winwinhome.com

Seller Situation: Happy winter! Get your home on the market now…

We have been experiencing a busy fall selling season and know the activity will continue into the New Year.  The combination of adjusting interest rates, mixed levels of inventory (believe it or not, finding good properties to show buyers is challenging right now), and attractive list prices for homes has kept the buyers looking for homes during the past 60 days.  We had an 2 open houses this past weekend, 6 days before Christmas, and had 8 visitors to one of them and received an offer on the house.  It is now in attorney review.  Keep in mind the house has been on the market for only 11 days.   

Good houses, priced well will sell in the winter.  On top of that, there is a minimal competition for you.  Most owners list in April and May and if the house doesn’t sell they take it off in October or November.  Thousands of owners in Monmouth County, NJ and across the east coast do this every year.  While the serious buyers are out there looking in the winter many, many homes have been retracted from the market.  Going back to our headline today, “Get your home on the market now…” is a legitimate directive for all the reasons listed in this post.    We have had good activity on our active listings and are in the process in getting 5 others on the market beginning next week.  They are all in Monmouth County, NJ.  Specifically in Brielle, Ocean Grove, Little Silver, Long Branch, Ocean Township and West Allenhurst.  We look forward to helping you take advantage of this market of opportunity.  Call, text, email or visit our website, www.winwinhome.com , to learn all about Ric Martel and Roksana Bedrij, your Win Win Home Sales Team.  Merry Christmas and peace and health in 2011!!

Seller Situation: Enclosing your yard for privacy and security

A simple goal, wanting to fence in your yard for privacy and security.  There are many ways to go about doing this and we will give you some ideas to consider.  Let’s take the scenario of you live in a neighborhood, you have a dog and you want to fence in your side and back yards.  Think about the options of material to select from for the fence itself; wood, vinyl/plastic or cast aluminum.  Then think about how you want the fence to appear; solid (can’t see through it), picketed and white or picketed and black.  Going with a picketed fence is the most indiscreet way of fencing your yard but does it provide the privacy you crave?  Going with the solid fence provides privacy but also shuts you in from neighbors or views.  Decide on what route to take based on your circumstances.  Another consideration is maintenance of your fence.  The idea of a classic wood fence is great but keep in mind it will require  some up-keep and there is also the factor of the posts will eventually rot.  With a vinyl fence you will have a good-looking fence with minimal maintenance although the appearance is not as “natural” as wood.  Finally the cast aluminum fence.  It is usually a picket style and is the most stealth of the fences.  You can go with a black fence and landscape along it and it will give a natural border appearance while providing security. 

There are many styles and sizes to choose from and the possibilities are endless.  When choosing a fencing company to do the installation we suggest asking for references and also addresses of installed fences similar to the style you are considering.  Fenced yards are always a welcome feature to a home and if you are considering selling it is an added-value amenity.  Should you have any questions or comments always feel free to contact Ric or Roksana, the Win Win Home Sales Team:  winwinhome.com

Buyer Situation: I love the place, when should I put in my offer? 4 Tips on buying the property you love.

We have often found that buyers who want to buy a house get caught up in strategy of when and how to make an offer on a property.  In today’s climate the buyer is brainwashed by the media into low-balling the homeowner no matter what the house is listed for and the value that it represents.  In addition we have found that many buyers try to make a deal before making a deal.  To clarify, we have seen buyers waste precious time and/or start off on the wrong path with a homeowner by having their agent ask questions regarding: what the seller will take, have they had other offers, are they negotiable?

Here are 4 great tips that will help you when making an offer on the home you want to buy:

1. Do your research on the house with relation to location and comparable sales and take into consideration price square foot, assessed to close ratio in the immediate area and the features and attributes of the home.  From that data and computation you can come up with a realistic and factual offer.

2. Make your offer in a timely manner.  If you like, put in an offer.  The reason being is you don’t know if another offer is in negotiations and if you wait you my miss out.  Another factor is the seller always appreciates  timely offer.  Buyers who wait and wait to present an offer can be viewed skeptically. 

3. Have all your qualifications in place when you make your offer.  Sounds fundamental but not all buyers present their qualification documents; a mortgage commitment/qualification letter, verification of funds or a signed seller disclosure.  Please take the time to get these documents together so there is no question that you are ready to buy. 

4.  Have an attorney who focuses and specializes in real estate readily available to handle the attorney review for you.  Hopefully you will come to an agreement on price and terms with the seller and when you get the contract signed have your attorney ready to finalize the contract.

Buying at this time provides a great opportunity.  Using the tips above will help you turn “I love it!” to “It’s mine!”  Please contact Ric or Roksana with any questions or comments about the market, they welcome the opportunity to be of assistance to you.  Please keep them in mind for any friends or family who may be considering a move.  They would be truly grateful for your referral.

Seller Situation: Do custom and decorative moldings make a difference?

Yes they do!  It is amazing what a difference the appearance, finish and feel is in a home that has all the moldings and custom trim in place.  The moldings provide borders around a room and accent the paint colors, entry ways, windows and flooring.  Having the moldings put into a home is not a big project and makes a world of difference when you start showing the home to buyer prospects.

Here is a little test: walk into a room or look around the room you are in right now.  Does it have moldings/custom trim and, if so, do you see how nice the room looks?  Or, if the room has moldings/custom trim can you visualize how you could paint the room a different color to provide a different vibe or contrast with the use of the moldings?  Finally, if the room does not have moldings, try to visualize what it would look like with clean moldings and custom trim around the ceilings, along the floor and around the entry ways and windows.  The ability to showcase a room and transition different colors from room to room is easily facilitated with moldings and custom trim in place.

Moldings not only help sell a home but, even better, they sell the home for more money.  If you are curious about a home project that pays big returns, put installing custom moldings on top of the list.  Do your best to find a reasonably priced but precise finish carpenter and start picking out some crown, chair rail, floor base and window moldings.  You will be amazed by what it does to your home.  In response to today’s buyers requirements of choosing a ”finished” home, they will be impressed and lured into making an offer.

If you have any questions about marketing and selling your home always feel free to reach out to Roksana and me.  We are the Win Win Home Sales Team and look forward to working with you as well as are always grateful and appreciate your referrals.

Seller situation: Selling your home in the heat of the summer, 8 + reasons why it is a good idea.

Happy Summer!  Should you be selling your home at this wonderful time of the year?  Once the 4th of July passes many home sellers start thinking of taking a break from selling their house until the fall.  Many sellers take their property off the market until they think it is a better time to sell.  This is a positive move for the home seller who wants to take advantage of the summer selling season and decides to leave their house on the market or puts their home on the market at this point in the year . 

Many buyers are finally getting a chance to go out and look at homes due to the longer daylight hours, beautiful weather and the fact they are in our area enjoying all that is available to them.  Another factor is school is out and the activities slow down so they have time to go out and look at homes for sale.  Many buyers want to buy in July and close prior to the new school year starting, that is a major motivating factor for the summer buyer.  Finally, at this point in time, the interest rates are fantastic.  This fact alone will prompt many buyers to make their move.  Please contact your mortgage broker or bank for rates, they seem to be hovering around 4 3/4 for the 30 year and 4 1/4 for the 15 year loan, these are just estimates, please speak to a specialist for the program that best fits your budget.  These reasons listed are ammunition enough to keep your house on the market through the summer but please read on.

As for the benefits to the house, keep these reasons to sell in the summer in mind; the beauty of the Jersey Shore area this time of the year.  Summer flowers and plants look gorgeous, the summer sun shines all day creating beautiful lighting both internally and externally and the neighborhoods look very inviting.  Condo and townhouse cmplexes look like vactaion resorts, the true beauty of the area is maximized in the summer.  How about the beach and river activities, another great reason to sell in the summer and leverage the activities in and around the water.  Finally, the entertainment that draws many newcomers to the area.  If you are not on the market you will miss the new people visiting the area.

Keep these reasons to sell in the summer in mind, keep your flowers looking beautiful and let Ric and Roksana know if you have any questions or comments about the market in your home town.  Please always feel welcome to visit their website: www.winwinhome.com    they have all sorts of information that will help you buy or sell a home.  As always, they are truly grateful for your referrals and welcome the opportunity to work with anyone you send their way.

Seller situation: Selling your home in the summer, is the timing right?

Here we are, in the most beautiful time of the year at the Jersey Shore and you are thinking of selling your house OR you have had your house on the market since the spring and are contemplating taking it off for the summer.  You are wondering what you should do?  The answer is you should continue selling your house through this beautiful season.  Put the beauty of the market place to work for you.

Many times sellers will say “I will wait until the fall” or “I will take it off for the summer and get it back on in the fall”.  This is the time to keep that house on the market with your yard looking good with your plush lawn and blossoming plants and flowers, your patio furniture out and inviting and with all the beauty of your property shining through.  Buyers are coming and going through your neighborhood on an announced but regular basis.  Visits to the beach, golf outings, summer parties, weddings, christenings, etc bring the people into the area so give yourself your best opportunity by being on the market.  You will capture their attention when they are doing their drive-by’s and research.  When you are on the market you are giving yourself an opportunity to sell, when off you miss 100% of the opportunities. 

In summary, stay committed to selling in the summer, keep your house looking good and be flexible with scheduling showings.  In return you can expect continued traffic and activity on your property.  Some tips: revisit pricing every 3 weeks to make sure you are offering “value”, modify the ad copy for your house so it takes on a new feel when buyers are reading the descriptive text for your house, have a brochure box placed in front of your house and keep flyers in there at all times, be open to open houses during the summer, Saturdays and Sundays both work and finally, listen and respond to all offers with an open mind.  Buyers are testing the market constantly so don’t get insulted if the opening offer is lower than what you will accept. 

Always feel free to reach out to Ric and Roksana with any questions or for a private consultation relating to your real estate needs, they welcome the opportunity to work for you and are always grateful for your referrals.  You can find them on the web: www.winwinhome.com

Buyer situation: Buy, lease or do both at once? Let’s talk about a lease purchase.

If you are trying to buy a home but don’t have a substantial down payment or want to get into a property immediately or both then let’s discuss what a “lease purchase” is and why it may work for you.  A lease purchase is a combination of a sales contract that preempted by a lease.  An example is a 6 month lease for $2,000 and then a closing taking place on that property for a negotiated sales price where you go from tenant to owner. A key factor here is finding a seller who is willing and/or can afford to move out of the house you want to lease and buy so you can accomplish this method of gaining residency and ownership.  Because there are many homes on the market that are vacant or where the seller has other housing options you should be able to find a property that qualifies for a lease purchase.

Here are a few ideas to consider when setting up for a lease purchase: Put a portion of your monthly rent payment towards the down payment or closing costs.  An example is if with the rent of $2,000.00 per month you may request that $800.00 of every rent payment is put towards the down payment or closing costs.  At the end of the 6 month lease you would have $4,800 coming your way.  Another attribute of the lease purchase is you move in to the house right away.  As soon as the seller can get a certificate of occupancy you are good-to-go with moving in.  With regard to the sales price for the unit you negotiate it at the outset of the lease purchase.  You will agree on price for the rent, amount, if any being put towards the purchase and the sales price of the house.  We hope you agree the lease purchase is a wonderful method to become a home owner.  

Think about it, the buyer gets to move into their “new” home immediately, save more money for it and possibly get a credit at the closing from the seller.  The seller gets immediate cash rolling in from the tenant and has a firm sales price and close date set for the future. With the right combination of buyer and seller we have found this method works very well for both parties.  Be creative and flexible when home shopping and keep the “lease purchase” in mind as one of your options.

Seller situation: Value driven marketing makes a difference when selling your property

“You never get a second chance for a first impression.”  No words are more true when you are placing your property into the real estate market for sale.  When we speak of “value driven” marketing, we are speaking about how a property is presented to the market with regard to photography, tours, remarks, location of ads and websites.  We have found the approach of having the house and property professionally photographed is the starting point and the foundation to a great marketing campaign.

Once you have the photography and tours done you need to have professional marketing pieces designed, left at the property and put into circulation.  We are referring to a myriad of websites, color postcards and magazine ads with extensive online syndication, property brochures, an individual website specific to the property and the link to all  the appropriate sites that buyers tend  to visit.  Although print ads may seem passe’ we still emply a few publications that continuously get us results.  Beyond those efforts we reach out to cooperating brokers within the market as well as to an extended network of affiliate brokers.  The goal with this approach is to truly showcase all the house has and offer in its best light, (great photography captures this aspect), to all of the potential buyers in all of the available locations.  With direct mail and other venues it is critical to keep the house in front of the masses with additional syndication that the various publications utilize.

This is tremendously important to understand when you are selling a property due to the trends of buyers doing such intense research prior to actually visiting a property.  The best way to learn the specifics of what we do for our client’s property with “value driven” marketing is to contact us for a marketing package.  In this package we provide samples of what we have done for our listings, websites we use and how we tie it all together.  Our systems, programs and attention to detail makes a positive difference for our sellers and we look forward to showing you why!  Always feel free to check us out, www.winwinhome.com .