About Nottingham's Perry Hall

SELL THAT HOUSE: SET UP FINANCING

Many people start to search for a home to buy before they review their finances. It sounds a bit odd when you consider that buying a house may be the biggest investment that one makes in a lifetime. Some of these shoppers will state that they will seek financing once they find a home that they like. They figure that if a lender pulls their credit that it will reduce their credit score and if they do not find a house right away, then a lender will pull their credit again which will reduce it even further. Also, the price of homes may be going up or down and interest rates may be going up or down, which would make it difficult to determine just what they really could afford at any given time in the future. These excuses miss the point. Reviewing one's finances and talking with a lender can give one an idea as to a range of prices which are reasonable for them to add to their budgets. Nonetheless, these potential buyers are out there and they may be looking at your house. Maybe they can and maybe they can not afford your house. If they like your house, you could then wait for them to go through the financing approval process or you could provide that support upfront. There are lenders who are willing to work with home sellers to provide financing options and prequalification services to potential buyers. The lender uses it as a source of leads. Even those buyers who do not buy your house may want to use this lender for their eventual mortgage. However, if this lender prepares various financing options for purchasing your house, then your house becomes that much easier for any given buyer to purchase, since you, through the efforts of the lender, have done some of the work for them. If this is done well, then the financing options will be prepared which most likely meets the needs of the buyers who are most likely to be interested in your house. For instance, is your house near a military base, which may bring more buyers who may be able to use a VA loan, or is it in a neighborhood where the prices are best suited for an FHA loan, or perhaps it is in an area which has several closing cost and down payment assistance programs available. A good lender along with a knowledgeable real estate agent can help to put a set of options together based upon your particular house. Sometimes, even the most beautiful house needs extra efforts to make it sell. We can sit around and wonder why our wonderful home is not selling or we can take the extra efforts.

Contact Ron Trzcinski at 410-935-5844 for more information.

SELL THAT HOUSE: PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZING

Spring is here and you want to sell your house. It is a nice house, which you have kept well maintained, and it has served you well. . . . but how can you sell it with all of this clutter, these precious possessions, which are, of course, everything that you have ever owned.

Do you find yourself making the following statements?

• The buyers will understand; after all, they are buying my house not all of my possessions.
• I can sort everything when I move.
• I can not get rid of anything, because as soon as I do, I will need it.
• I need my school books for reference.
• I need that newspaper; I have to catch up on the news and I need to clip out the coupons.
• My daughter needs to come by and pick up her clothes, since she now has a place of her own.
• Those auto parts will come in handy when we get an old 60s car to fix up.
• The guys on the softball team don't know how good I used to be; they need to see all of my trophies.
• If we have another blizzard like 66, then I'll need those tire chains.
• . . . .

STOP.

Yes, a buyer understands that they are buying your house and not your personal possessions, but if the buyer can't see your house, then how can you expect them to buy it? In today's market, it is important to market your house on the internet with lots of photos. Do you want someone to see that nice fireplace or all of your trophies from sandlot baseball? Is it a selling point that you have spacious closets or does everything start to fall out when you open the door or does the door close at all? Do you want someone to admire the great view from your living room bay window or is it impossible to get near it?

You won't sort anything when you move. You didn't sort it in the last many years, so what makes you think that you will when you have so many other things happening with your move?

Reference books? Have you heard of the internet? The library? That Pluto is no longer a planet?

You do know that those newspapers now contain OLD news and that those coupons are expired don't you?

Do you think that your daughter wants her outdated clothes from when she was ten?

Maybe the real problem is that you are overwhelmed. Just like that pot belly (What pot belly?) creeped up on you over time, so has this accumulation of items. You look around and throw your arms up in frustration because you have no idea where to begin.

When the wind blows the shingles off of your roof, you can call a roofer; when the faucet won't stop dripping, you can call a plumber, when . . . when your house gets too cluttered you can call a Professional Organizer. Yes, it is true; there are experts who are trained to solve these frustrating problems of clutter and they can ease your mind as much as the plumber or the roofer.

Contact Ron Trzcinski at 410-935-5844 for more information.

SELL THAT HOUSE: HOME WARRANTY

A home warranty may be a good investment when selling your house.

Here are some of the benefits of selling a home with a home warranty:

• The seller does not have to pay for the warranty until the home sells and goes to settlement.
• If the home does not sell, then the seller never has to purchase the warranty.
• The warranty is in effect during the listing period, so the seller can use it if something happens prior to a sale or prior to settlement.
• The warranty is transferable to the buyer and is good for a one year period; the buyer can renew the warranty.
• The warranty covers most major systems in a house. This includes appliances, heating and air conditioning systems, electrical and plumbing, water heaters, and such. There is usually a limitation on roof coverage.
• The warranty frequently will overcome the buyers' concerns about older appliances and systems, which can save the seller from making expensive updates.
• The warranty gives the buyer peace of mind during that first year. Frequently the buyer is cash poor after making a home purchase and does not have the ability to replace a major item.
• Even a house with newer systems can benefit from a home warranty.
• The warranty can distinguish the house from other houses, whjich can be very important in a buyers' market.
• The cost is less than $500.

Contact Ron Trzcinski at 410-935-5844 for more information.

SELL THAT HOUSE: HOME STAGING

Home staging is a process whereby one prepares his or her home to sell. When done correctly, it is comprehensive such that it covers all aspects of the home, including the interior, the exterior, and the functional systems.

By staging a home properly, you may increase its value by 10% to 15% according to some reports. New home builders have known the importance of this for some time now, but savvy sellers in the resale market are starting to recognize its value. It is even blossoming into a business of its own with home staging experts sending teams of professionals to work with home sellers. These teams may consist of interior decorators, painters, landscapers, home inspectors, organizers, and so on, such that the entire house is covered.

A home buyer will have two first impressions. One will be of the exterior and one will be of the interior. These impressions are usually formed very quickly, like within ten seconds.

On the exterior, the home may require trimming of trees or bushes, planting of shrubs and flowers, painting, securing of railings, and fixing cracks and rubble in walkways and driveways. Attention must be given to garages, sheds, pools, gazebos, mail boxes, and basically all buildings and items on the property.

On the interior, the home may require painting, carpet, repairs to railings, cleaning of cabinets and appliances, and removal or reduction of clutter. Smells and odors from cooking or pets must be eliminated. The home should have a neutral decor, be depersonalized, and be inviting to visitors.

The functional systems should be in working condition. Never try to sell a house with the heat, air conditioning, electric, or plumbing in non-working order or even simply turned off. You may save money on utility bills by turning off your service, but you will lose money in the long term by having your house sit on the market for a longer period of time. Arranging furniture and decorations should be done so that it makes a room feel large and bright. You should not block windows or doorways, not even closet doorways.

There may be several houses on the market when you are trying to sell, so you don't want a buyer to pass yours by because you didn't invest in some basic methods of making your home show as best as it possibly could.

Contact Ron Trzcinski at 410-935-5844 for more information.

SELL THAT HOUSE: ACCESSIBILITY

There are some things which we buy, sight unseen. Some things we buy over the internet and some things we buy over the phone. This is not the case with a house.

It is true that most houses today are advertised on the internet with photos and virtual tours and in some cases they are displayed along with a narrator's description. Still, it is rare where someone will buy a house without personally seeing it. This indicates the importance of accessibility. Let's look at an example:

• An out of town buyer is going to be relocating to the area and only has a few weekends to look at houses. The buyer gets financially pre-approved ahead of time, talks with his new employer about neighborhoods that may be suitable, and establishes a relationship with a real estate agent to find some potential houses. Much of their communication will be by phone and email. In some cases, the real estate agent will preview a house during the week and relay the findings to the client. Eventually the buyer will decide which houses he would like to see in person. His agent makes the arrangements for the weekend when he will be coming to town. He may have Saturday and Sunday available or just one day. Your house is on the list. Here are some typical reasons for the house not being available to show:
  • We sleep in on the weekend so we can not show the house until the afternoon;
  • We go to church on Sunday, so it would be best to come on Saturday;
  • This is our only time with the children so we would like you to come during the week;
  • The house is not clean. I am too embarrassed to show it;
  • Joey has soccer and Suzy has gymnastics and Freddie has karate so could you come between 1:00 and 1:15.
  • We are having a birthday party so could you come next week;
  • The home will be empty but no one will be there to watch the pit bulls;

The Buyer tells his agent to forget about that house. Remember he only has a limited amount of time to see the houses. Your house may be the best of those that he wishes to see, but if he does not see it then he will not buy it. Your routine schedule may be perfectly normal, but in a very competitive market, if you truly want to sell your house, you must recognize that your routine will need to change. Consider what happens when you go on a summer vacation for a week. Your schedule completely changes; you make the adjustments for this once a year event. Selling a house occurs maybe every five years; adjustments must be made to accommodate the efforts needed to sell your house.

Contact Ron Trzcinski at 410-935-5844 for more information.