Category Archives: Real Estate

Sellers, Get Ready for Open House Season

Posted on June 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

Keller Williams Realtor Cathy Mankus has guided dozens of clients through getting their homes ready to sell. But in putting her own house on the market, she experienced how tough it can be to follow her own advice.

Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com to determine the value of your home before you start to negotiate.

Take decluttering. It’s essential to keep the buyer’s attention focused on the house and not the furnishings. But even after two large garage sales and selling additional items online, Mankus found she still had too much “stuff.” She cleared out more possessions and brought in a few colleagues to evaluate what she’d done. They all agreed that more had to go.

The problem, said Mankus, “was that I kept on thinking of it as my house, and I can’t think of it as my house anymore. It’s a house for someone else to buy.”
She ended up bringing in professional stagers who could be more detached in deciding what needed to stay and go.

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Retaining Walls: Bad Design Could Lead to a Multitude of Problems

Posted on June 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

A badly designed retaining wall can lead to a multitude of problems in your yard.

Given the potential resale value of property, a garden design should always maximise land space to best capitalise on your investment.

On a sloping site, installing retaining walls will provide more usable level space. Not only is this great for families but it can add significantly to the value (contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com to help you determine what adds value to your property) of the property.

A retaining wall levels sloping ground by creating a rapid change in ground level. The wall must not only hold the earth back from collapsing, but also look good.

The most important part of the construction of retaining walls is the engineering of the foundation, all of which is underground.

Any retaining wall more than a metre high needs a builder’s permit to ensure structural integrity. A balustrade may also be required on the upper level for safety.

There are two types of walls – solid and porous.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only.

Selling Your Home in a Buyer’s Market

Posted on May 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

With average home prices back where they were 10 years ago and sales still sluggish, it seems as if sellers can’t catch a break. But if you want to sell your home this year, there are glimmers of hope. The National Association of Realtors recently reported that sales of existing homes nationally rose slightly from the year before. Plus, the inventory of existing homes for sale fell 21 percent from the year before.

Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com to assist with pre-valuation of your home. Remember a sale could fall through if the property does not appraise for the mortgage. Cost does not always equal value.

But even if you have less competition and better prospects, today’s buyers are still a tough bunch. They’re nervous and risk-averse. They want a home in move-in condition, with all the upgrades completed, because they know they can’t count on a quick increase in the home’s value to help them recoup money they spend on improvements. “You must find a way to improve the condition or lower the price until a buyer pulls the trigger,” says Leigh Brown, an agent with Re/Max in Charlotte, N.C.

How long will it take to sell your home? You can get a rough idea by looking at the average “days on the market,” preferably for your neighborhood and price tier. You’ll find that and other market statistics on the website of the local Realtors association or from an agent. You may have some advantage if your home is in a desirable location because, say, it’s in a good school district or close to jobs.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-201203291730–tms–kplngmpctnkm-a20120413apr13,0,3254799.story