Archive for October, 2009

Unclutter Your Home and Get It Ready to Sell

Monday, October 19th, 2009

It is very important to make a great first impression to the potential buyers of your home. Every seller wants their home to sell fast and bring top dollar. Does that sound good to you? Well, it’s not luck that makes that happen. It’s careful planning and knowing how to efficiently unclutter your home that will excite buyers. Here is how to prep a house and turn it into an appealing and marketable home.

Get rid of those items that have been sitting around for years without being used or even handled. This is the hardest thing for most people to do because they are emotionally attached to everything in the house. After years of living in the same home, clutter collects in such a way that may not be evident to the homeowner. However, it does affect the way buyers see the home, even if you do not realize it. Buyers and real estate agents should see your house in its best condition from the very first day it’s on the market.

Here are a few approaches to take to unclutter your home and get it ready to sell. Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room’s purpose and plenty of room to move around. You don’t want buyers scratching their heads and saying, “What is this room used for?”

Another way to unclutter your home and get it ready to sell is to make those minor repairs and best of all, make the house sparkle! Only do one room, or even one small area, at a time so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Your best friend is the trash bag; when in doubt, throw it out. Many find it easier to use boxes to sort items, so you don’t have to find a home for everything as you unclutter. Most important, be quick and decisive when sorting. Tell yourself:
• If you don’t need it, why not donate it or throw it away?
• Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use.
• Think of this process as a head-start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway.

If you are getting your house ready to sell in the Bullhead City, Fort Mohave, Mohave Valley Arizona areas, then take a step back and pretend you are a buyer. Let a friend help point out areas where you can unclutter your home and let myself, Michael Fahey, your agent help you to get your house ready to sell.

Arizona Real Estate Market Update September 2009

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Hanging on by our fingertips, the market continues to edge in a positive direction. September single family home sales in Bullhead City, Fort Mohave and Mohave Valley were down slightly at 71 from a record breaking August of 99 sales. The foreclosures home sales raised their vicious head as they increased their share of the sales claiming 68% of market. Although this is tough news for us the median sales price did rise slightly for the third continuous month from $136,000 in August to $137,000. Days on the market dropped as well as the available homes for sale on the market.

Real Estate Market Update

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

Hanging on by our fingertips, the market continues to edge in a positive direction. September single family home sales in Bullhead City, Fort Mohave and Mohave Valley were down slightly at 71 from a record breaking August of 99 sakes. The foreclosures home sales raised their vicious head as they increased their share of the sales claiming 68% of market. Although this is tough news for us the median sales price did rise slightly for the third continuous month from $136,000 in August to $137,000.  Days on the market dropped as well as the available homes for sale on the market. 

Short Sale with Citi Mortgage

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

Working of a short sale with Citi Mort. Short sale approval received Aug 24 with a Sept 23 close date. Buyer obtaining a VA loan. Requested an extension prior the Sept 23 close date. No response from our contact Citimortgage Lori Chattelle Loss Mitigation Specialist -Short Sale 1000 Technology Dr Mail Station 420 O’Fallon MO 63368-2240 – After weeks of emails and phone calls with no response, as of Oct 1st buyer signed loan docs and brought in money and sellers escrow instructions also complete. Package over nighted to Citi per their instructions as well as emails with Hud sent to Lori from me and my escrow officer. Package is received on Oct 2. Still no response, spoke to Shaki at Citi Mort, her manager (no name) verbally instructed Shaki to tell me to close and she would get with Lori. Of course our escrow officer can not close without the HUD and new escrow date approved. Called today spoke to John, nice person but unable to help. He advised calling back at the end of the week. Buyers loan docs expire on Friday. Any suggestions????