STAGING YOUR HOME TO SELL QUICKER

These Tips will help you stage your house to sell quick. Staging your home could be one of the most important things that you do in order to sell your house fast. Especially in today's market. Video's of staging ideas included for those that are visual learners.

Home selling is not really new to most people. The real estate is one of the many saving graces the slumping economic conditions has. However a property will never be sold without the proper house staging and presentation. And to help make your home pleasing you need to make sure that you de-clutter your personal belongings, set up the furniture and be certain that your house is presentable. The house shouldn;t only be in the proper location but it should also be tidy and properly arranged.
Have you considered selling your house? As important as asking price is staging your home. What are five ways to stage your home to sell?

When staging a home it needs to be set up on the outside as well as the inside to help sell it quickly. Your home should look appealing on the outside to entice people to come in and take a closer look at the inside. If it does not have curb appeal, many would-be buyers will not give it a second look. Buyers will first see the outside of your home so make sure it is maintained well and kept neat and attractive at all times. The inside of your home should have a neutral fresh coat of paint on the walls. Any clutter or personal items must be cleared out of the house so that the rooms are more open and show what type of space that they offer. The windows should have neutral clean window coverings that let the light in giving the room a fresh feeling. The buyers need to know that you are not hiding anything so opening up the blinds and curtains is a good idea for many reasons.

REMEMBER THAT IF YOU DONT HAVE PHOTOS, PEOPLE WON'T COME TO LOOK. People dont want to waste time just looking at property without photos.
So declutter and take photos.

Even if the place is old, its still better than NO PHOTOS. Call me at 347-249-9884. 
I'll show you how to sell.

By Steve Hirsch
www.geoffreystevens.com

ARE MICROWAVE OVENS SAFE TO USE

By Steve Hirsch
Broker for Geoffrey Stevens Realty

These ovens are known for basic advantages that preserve the nutrients present in the food. Further, these maintain higher level and hence, make the food healthy.Therefore, with these ovens the fear of unloading is not present.These ovens are absolutely safe to use and are properly used and maintained. In certain auto cook programs, these functions stop when the food is cooked and feature easy function. As common choices, Bajaj microwave ovens and Samsung microwave ovens are among the common listed options.

When we get that call, or leave a note that starts with, 'when you get home from school,' our most frequent suggestion for hot snacks is to heat them up in the microwave.  After all, microwave ovens are easy to use, even our young kids know how, and there are a variety of snacks already microwave packaged.  There is nothing wrong with this, we're busy and they are hungry, but don't assume that they know the proper way to cook with a microwave oven. Inform them of the dangers and teach them the proper cooking methods that will keep them safe.

The bowls come with a 2 year warranty and are safe in ovens, microwaves, dishwashers and freezers. the lids come with a 1 year warranty, and should be washed in the top rack of the dishwasher.

Steamer glass is used for cooking and steaming foods. Generally, cookware is made in stainless steel which is popular and widely used. Even plastic steamers are used to steam rice and pasta, but glass steamers are a rarity. It can be used to cook in a microwave oven. Borosil is one company that makes steamer glass. This steamer glass can bake, cook and steam food stuff as well.

Yes, you can brown all types of meat in a microwave and enjoy its crispy exterior! There're no magic ingredients or secret tricks; all you need is a microwave crisper.

While radio waves are generally considered safe under normal communication power levers; Radio waves are not considered safe when power levels approach the levels that cause a thermal heating effect. Expose at these levels can anything from nausea, and confusion at lower threshold levels, to blistering and death at high-levels (example microwave oven for cooking food.).

When I say dorm room cooking, I don't mean boiling instant noodles or defrosting frozen corn dogs. With proper equipment, you can do lots of things with a simple microwave, from baking and browning to frying and steaming. To be honest, I prefer a traditional stove and oven myself. But if you are a college student living in a dorm, it's unlikely that you will have access to any kitchen luxuries. No stove. No toaster oven. No electric wok. No George Foreman grill. A microwave and a refrigerator are pretty much your whole kitchen. (Some dorms won't even allow these!) So you have to do what you got to do and make the best out of it. These nifty tips will teach you how to cook with a microwave properly and safely.

It has a cooking instruction guide that scrolls down through step by step cooking instruction in either English, Spanish or French. Panasonic have a great reputation and were one of the original microwave manufacturers. I owned one of the first combo microwave/convection ovens they made. The quality was good then and it is good now.

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN RENTING OUT YOUR PROPERTY

By Steve Hirsch, Broker for
Geoffrey Stevens Realty

Undeniably, rental business can be adjudged as the most lucrative; however, there are certain factors that need to be considered to be sure of its success. As a landowner, one has to take the responsibility of not only taking good care of their property in the best possible manner, but ultimately to secure their income. That can be achieved only when the landowners have primarily carried out a systematic screening of their possible tenants.

If one is concerned about inviting good tenants for renting out or leasing their property, then they need to make sure that they are bailing themselves out of working with reckless tenants. All those owners who prioritize having good tenants in their property, they can expect to see their business flourish. Here are some useful tips that they should focus on while screening or inviting their tenants.
Property owners might think that by placing rental ads in local newspaper and real estate journals they can serve the intention of promoting their abode well. Nevertheless, this tool can be used as a method of having an initial screening of the potential leaseholder. If the promotions specify a target clientele, or particular location, amenities and facilities available and the terms and conditions of tenancy, then the landlords would be indirectly inviting a particular cluster of renters. In a way, one would be downsizing the probable tenants who might be interested to rent or lease their property. This way, they can somehow manage to avoid encountering undeserving tenants. Moreover, if one is renting out a property on the basis of special terms and conditions, then they should include such information while placing ads. This could be quite helpful to convey the message that the property caters to a specific group of tenants.

Landowners should prepare their qualification checklist prior to arranging appointments and interviewing their potential tenants. They should make sure to enquire for any pertinent documents, such as identification papers that contain relevant information, including the name, address and contact details, SSN and credit reports, certification from their current job, and much more. If landlords want to check the legitimacy of the information provided by the leaseholder, then they can utilize online resources that offer extensive assessment of a renter’s background. In most cases, the service providers might offer to provide such reports just within few minutes, few hours or within a day.

When interviewing an applicant, one should be careful in observing some tell-tale signs. One should be able to judge reliability, tolerance, hygiene and other special attributes to be clear how the applicant is going to treat their property, relate to them as their tenant and comply with the predetermined tenancy terms and conditions. Landlords need to be very careful of those applicants who seem to be fraudulent or suspicious and trying to hide some information. They should also be wary of dealing with those who might be showing their eagerness to move in within a day or two, without contacting their previous employer or landlord. However, one should not reject an applicant then and there. They should take out some time for research and verify the legitimacy of the documents provided by the interested applicants. If the loopholes are still left unanswered, then it is time to politely turn down the request of an applicant. Lastly, such elemental tenant screenings should be conducted to provide a fair chance to everyone to rent or lease the property.

PROBLEMS FACED WITH SELLING YOUR HOUSE

By Steve Hirsch
Geoffrey Stevens Realty

Selling a house in this competitive world is not an easy job. All the sellers cannot be fortunate enough to get good buyers for their house quickly. If you are among those who have been waiting for a good potential buyer for a long time, then it is time for you to make some improvements, not only in your house, but also in your marketing efforts. Given below are some of the ways which can help you improve the chance of quick sale of your house, and will also guide you how you can use your property for good, till the time you get the buyers.

Rather than sitting and waiting for the potential buyers, it is recommended to give some time to your house, and make some improvements, so that it can allure the buyers. Renovation and redesigning are two important factors here. However, these do not refer to any major expenditure, as even a single coat of paint or the addition of a new cabinet or a new entrance gate can give an amazing look to your house. You have to flaunt the best aspects of your house to make it look more inviting. In simple words, you have to give a reason to the buyers why they should leave other homes for sale in the same area and pay a visit to your home and this can only be done by making your home look visually appealing.

 One main reason, for a house to be in the market for a very long time, is the incorrect price tag. The price of a property should always be as per the market trends. As a buyer definitely compares the rates and the amenities offered in other properties, thus an incorrect price tag makes the whole deal unattractive for the buyer. If you really want a quick sale, then it is recommended to give a careful thought to the price tag. You can be competitive with your price by making some changes in it. There are many buyers who actually wait for price deduction. Who knows, that after a little deduction you immediately have a buyer at your doorstep.

If you are among those sellers, who use the message boards, forums, and social media sites etc to advertise their property, then it is your duty to check that all information is correctly passed to the buyer. Do check for all the photographs uploaded. The pictures are meant to show the beauty and the functionality of the house. Make sure there are no pictures where one can see clutter or unattractive arrangements in your house. If there are any such pictures, then delete them immediately, before they become a risk for your house sale.

Getting a buyer is not an easy job, although following the above mentioned simple tips will surely help you get the best buyer for your house and that too quickly. For the meantime you can also go for renting out your property. It can help you in two ways, as you can earn some income and also use this as a marketing scheme to show your property to the buyers.

RENT VS. BUYING

By Steve Hirsch
Geoffrey Stevens Realty

Mortgage payments often are less than rent payments, but there are other things that may prohibit your being able to purchase a house for a while. If owning your own home is important to you, consider sacrificing in the meantime by looking for a place you can rent fairly cheaply in order to save for your future home.

Which person got better use of their money? My bets are on the homeowner because of their sheer tax deduction alone. Buying a house and using a mortgage in Sonoma County to do it for property appreciation should be an afterthought. Buying a home as a place to enjoy, raise a family, enjoy a tax benefit as well as a lower cost of renting are terrific reasons to get a mortgage in Sonoma County to purchase Sonoma County Real Estate.

The final comparison reveals that after 10 years renting versus buying in the above referenced scenario is that the homeowner will be $70,891 wealthier. Those are some significant numbers. Another benefit of getting a mortgage in Sonoma County is that a mortgage loan will dramatically impact the borrower's credit score in a positive way. Renting a house has no bearing on your credit worthiness when seeking new credit.

The other thing we haven't even touched on is that mortgage interest rates are presently at their historic lows. As long as rates on mortgages in Sonoma County remain under 5% affordability will stay with us. Interest rates on mortgages in Sonoma County have risen in the last few months which impacts purchasing power to purchase a property with the lowest possible payment and the highest purchase price.

Our View ? There is a growing disparity between mortgage payments and rentals achievable as rents failed to keep pace with property prices. Falling rental yields has impacted BTL landlords with increasing inability to cover the mortgage payments making them unwilling to invest. The property crash substantially readdressed that issue. In addition, a new approach to negotiate below the market value and work in areas of high rental yields has enabled investors to make excellent returns!
If people live in a place where houses are reasonable this may not be an issue, but with the cost of California mortgage rates it is often cheaper to rent an apartment if you have a roommate. My sister and I only pay about a thousand dollars per month and our unit has a washer and dryer, dishwasher, and little patio, so we have a home like setting and do not have to pay a large house payment. If you buy a new house and you have to pay for new appliances or repair bills this can become expensive.
Also, if your home need extensive repairs then a large amount of money and time will be invested in making this house look beautiful.

Our unit has had its issues such as a running toilet and a washer that overfloaded, but the apartment maintainance team came and fixed these issues free of charge.

When a home owner's washing machine exploads it may cost near two thousand dollars to have special fans brough in to dry the carpet, but we did not have to pay this rental fee since we lived in an apartment complex. I am not putting down home ownership, I am just saying their are perks to renting and it actually can be cheaper if you move quite often and it certain locations such as southern California. Also, I am glad I do not have to pay for those frequent maintainance repairs that home owners will have to take a care of on their own.

BUYING A FORECLOSURE HOME

By Steve Hirsch
Broker for Geoffrey Stevens Realty

 I keep hearing over and over again that you make money when you buy the home. Try that out once and then check your bank statement, you will find this is not true. You might create value when you buy the home well below market value but my checking account has never grown until I sold the home. Before you even begin to look at foreclosed homes start by knowing what your exit strategy is. The type of home you are looking for will vary greatly depending on whether you plan to fix and sell the home, fix and rent it, fix and lease option it or just wholesale it to another investor. Once you have at least one exit strategy you are going to commit to then you can narrow your search for foreclosed homes and choose the ones that are right for you. Today, right now is the best time to work the foreclosed home market. Foreclosure listings are reaching all time highs and the banks are feeling the pain of the REO inventory. Keep in mind that buying a home for investment purposes is a serious matter and you need to have a serious plan in place to profit from it. Avoid these 3 mistakes when investing in your foreclosed home and you will be one step closer to profiting from foreclosures.

When buying pre-foreclosures like this and in turn make a profit, you must do some research on these types of properties. The following are some basic guidelines:
Buying foreclosures at the auction is a great way to purchase a property under market value. Most properties are auctioned on the courthouse steps. The property is auctioned off to the public and the highest bidder walks away with the property. This can be very rewarding to those who are in a position to buy the property within a short amount of time and can be devastating to those who bid without proper financing in place. Most auctions require a small deposit down of the purchase price on the spot and the remaining balance usually within 1-30 days. So make sure You have you deposit ready and your financing is in order before you bid. If you are unable to get financing within the allotted time, you will most likely lose your down payment, and they will auction the property off again. Buying foreclosures at the auction is also the riskiest place to pick up a foreclosure. You are buying the property in "As Is" condition so it's very important to do your homework before you just go to an auction and bid on a property.

The strategy of buying pre-foreclosures is to create a situation where everyone wins. This type of strategy involves just you, the homeowner, and in some cases the lender. Because the homeowner has been delinquent on his or her mortgage payments, they are now in a position to entertain offers made by investors. Keep in mind, you may not be the only investor looking at this property. However, when buying pre-foreclosures, you can expect very little competition.

Buying foreclosures that are REO primarily involves the lender. REO just means the lender reclaims the property and establishes control over it to minimize its losses. Buying foreclosures that are REO is by far the easiest way to pick up a distressed property. Lender's are always listing properties that come back from the auction, because they don't like excess inventory. They are in the lending business, therefore it is quite easy to find these types of properties. Most of the time they will hire a broker or real estate agent to handle the REO's just because there are so many of them. Lender's in this situation are very motivated, especially if they have a large number of them. These properties are considered to be a huge expense which need to be eliminated. This gives the investor numerous ways to creatively negotiate with the lender on a purchase price. One disadvantage when buying foreclosures that are REO, is that you will pay close to market value for these properties because the lenders will have paid off any outstanding liens, taxes, and other expenses. This is good for you though, because most of the time you will find these types of foreclosures with clear titles.

WHAT IS A SHORT SALE!

By Steve Hirsch
Broker for Geoffrey Stevens Realty

You must be starting to wonder what exactly a short sale home is all about. If you are quite interested in residing in a home that was for short sale, then you have to know the process in doing so. The reason why a home is on short selling is because the homeowners are somehow expecting for a foreclosure to come any time soon. People who usually go for short selling are the ones that have loaned amounts that are actually higher than the amount that their properties are worth, which is why they can't afford to pay for it and they have to sell out their houses in the end. Short selling homes actually come into surface once a borrower is able to arrange an agreement with his or her bank or lender to allow them to sell their house or property for the exact amount that it would sell out in the market rather than for the amount that they owe the bank or lender. It is then called "short sale" because the seller falls short on paying for the money that he or she owes the bank causing the lender to lose money from the loan instead of gain it.

In the market today, having to purchase a short selling property would already be a pretty huge purchase for those who are hoping to become new home owners, or even investors for the matter. So now that you know how big a deal it is to be able to get a short selling home from the market these days, you might be interested in how to actually purchase one. In order to prepare yourself from the purchase, you have to do a little bit of homework and read from the consumer savvy's book of knowledge. As basics, you have to first look for a short sale home in the first place. These listings of short sale homes don't really say off the bat that it is a short sales in charlotte nc home, so you have to look for the signs first and foremost. Home listings that need offers approved for by the owner's bank is one sign that indeed a home is a short sale one.

. You just have to feel it and go with the flow in order for you to arrive at a compromise that will not cripple you financially

THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE RENTING OUT PROPERTY

By Steve Hirsch
Geoffrey Stevens Realty

Undeniably, rental business can be adjudged as the most lucrative; however, there are certain factors that need to be considered to be sure of its success. As a landowner, one has to take the responsibility of not only taking good care of their property in the best possible manner, but ultimately to secure their income. That can be achieved only when the landowners have primarily carried out a systematic screening of their possible tenants.

If one is concerned about inviting good tenants for renting out or leasing their property, then they need to make sure that they are bailing themselves out of working with reckless tenants. All those owners who prioritize having good tenants in their property, they can expect to see their business flourish. Here are some useful tips that they should focus on while screening or inviting their tenants.
Property owners might think that by placing rental ads in local newspaper and real estate journals they can serve the intention of promoting their abode well. Nevertheless, this tool can be used as a method of having an initial screening of the potential leaseholder. If the promotions specify a target clientele, or particular location, amenities and facilities available and the terms and conditions of tenancy, then the landlords would be indirectly inviting a particular cluster of renters. In a way, one would be downsizing the probable tenants who might be interested to rent or lease their property. This way, they can somehow manage to avoid encountering undeserving tenants. Moreover, if one is renting out a property on the basis of special terms and conditions, then they should include such information while placing ads. This could be quite helpful to convey the message that the property caters to a specific group of tenants.

Landowners should prepare their qualification checklist prior to arranging appointments and interviewing their potential tenants. They should make sure to enquire for any pertinent documents, such as identification papers that contain relevant information, including the name, address and contact details, SSN and credit reports, certification from their current job, and much more. If landlords want to check the legitimacy of the information provided by the leaseholder, then they can utilize online resources that offer extensive assessment of a renter’s background. In most cases, the service providers might offer to provide such reports just within few minutes, few hours or within a day.

When interviewing an applicant, one should be careful in observing some tell-tale signs. One should be able to judge reliability, tolerance, hygiene and other special attributes to be clear how the applicant is going to treat their property, relate to them as their tenant and comply with the predetermined tenancy terms and conditions. Landlords need to be very careful of those applicants who seem to be fraudulent or suspicious and trying to hide some information. They should also be wary of dealing with those who might be showing their eagerness to move in within a day or two, without contacting their previous employer or landlord. However, one should not reject an applicant then and there. They should take out some time for research and verify the legitimacy of the documents provided by the interested applicants. If the loopholes are still left unanswered, then it is time to politely turn down the request of an applicant. Lastly, such elemental tenant screenings should be conducted to provide a fair chance to everyone to rent or lease the property.

GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY SELLS FASTER... YOU OWE IT TO YOUR SELLERS!!!

Geoffrey Stevens Realty has been around for 14 years.
Steve Hirsch, the broker has been a graphic artist for 35 years including photography and web design. So when it comes to selling property, I am the expert. Photography is so important. Most real estate agents think that if the property looks bad, you shouldnt take photos of it, thinking that people would be curious and just come look.

NOT TRUE!  These days people are busy trying to make money just for the downpayment (which years ago was the price of the property itself) and they dont want to waste time coming out to see your coop, condo, or house just because they are curious.

My philosophy is, sell and show what you have. Don't hide anything. Sometimes people want a dump so they can get a good price. They want to see what they can do to the place. So photos are important nomatter what. Its the basic philosophy of the Queens real estate agent that uses this idea. ITS SO WRONG. Also as a cobroke agent, I dont want to waste my time going to property and showing my first time customer a place that needs to be renovated.  I dont like walking into any place blindfolded.

SO AGENTS..... TAKE GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY.  And i dont mean take crummy, dark photos of a  toilet seat, or a faucet, or a corner of the livingroom. Some agents think that they take photos of the outside that they are helping people make a decision to come see or not. SO WRONG!!

Please give your sellers what they need. Attention...Good photos...and Detailed information. Something lacking  in so many Queens agents.

I'm a photographer. Hire me for $75 and I promise you, you'll sell your listing faster than anyone.

Thanks for the listen.
Steve Hirsch
www.geoffreystevens.com