About Pearl River County, MS

Are mortgage companies and banks still lending? There is so much speculation and false information on the news today, so I thought it would be good to interview a mortgage lender and see what, in fact, is the situation. Click the BlogTalkRadio Podcast to hear my call with Jessica Tebo of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in Picayune, Mississippi:

When thinking of selling your home, there are many things to do before calling a Realtor and having a sign put in the yard.

Many people assume that they should first have the house put on the market, and THEN start to fix the things that need repair. First things first, you should Think like a Buyer! If you were out looking for a new home, would you be impressed with one that the seller “promises to repair”, or one that is freshly painted, clean, and ready to move into?

Start Making a List! Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes. Walk out your front door, go right out to the street, and then turn around. Now take off your owner’s goggles (you know, those rose-colored glasses you wear when looking at your home), and look that house in front of you. What do you see? When you look at your house from a buyer’s perspective, you will be amazed at what pops out at you. That gutter that is hanging a little, the shutters that are weather-beaten and in need of paint, the tarnished door knob . . . all those little things that you have been meaning to get to, but just haven’t found the time. How impressed would YOU be if you were a buyer coming to see this house for the first time?

Do Everything Before Putting Your Home on the Market! Of all the things homeowners control when selling their home, the condition of the property is one of the most important. If the carpets need to be cleaned, then call a professional. Believe it or not, dirty or worn carpets could cost you $10,000 on your asking price. And don’t forget that leaky faucet, or loose toilet. Buyers are going to scrutinize every aspect of the house. Don’t give them any ammunition when it comes time to negotiate.

I highly recommend for a seller to have a licensed Home Inspection, to see if there are any issues that need to be addressed. This puts you in a better position in your pricing when you already have made repairs, and can present to a buyer a home free of defects. Nothing is worse than having a buyer who wants your home, and then when they have a home inspection completed, problems arise and they have the opportunity to back out of the deal.

I have seen many deals lost because something was discovered, after the contract, and it spooked the buyers. Even if you offer to take care of things, the buyer may have that nagging feeling in the back of their mind that they should have seen it and now they’ve lost that warm fuzzy feeling about buying the home.

The moral of the story is that you should remove all worries ahead of time in order to be in a better position to get more money for your home.

by Michelle Fradella, Broker, FHS, CNHS

Pinnacle Real Estate Services - Picayune, MS http://www.prchomes.com

Sherry Pullens President of the Pearl River Board of Realtors was among the 266 Realtors that participated in Realtor Day at the Capital February 5,2009.

Realtor Day is an annual event that gives Realtors the opportunity to come together in a united voice at the Mississippi State Capital to present the Realtor perspective on key issues important to home owners and home buyers and real estate professionals.

Realtors throughout the state met with their Senators and Representatives while in session. Realtors support efforts to provide a state income tax credit for first time homebuyers along with other issues that are important to Mississippians.

The real estate market in the counties of the Southeast region of Mississippi sits in an area that is primed for economic and residential development. There are major U.S. and state highway systems and airports linking these rural areas with major urban markets, including New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

Picayune Ms is a wonderful place to call home, A certified retirement community , A great place to relocate a business , or a home town place to start a family.

Call Sherry with Real Estate experience you can count on to help meet all your real estate needs.

601-916-1974

The Home of the Future

Reprinted from The Residential Specialist, July/August 2007 issue. Visit online at www.crs.com.

What will new homes look like in 2015? For starters, they'll be slightly smaller than they are today, according to architects, designers, and manufacturers surveyed by the National Associaton of Home Builders. The average size of a new home will be 2,300 to 2,500 square feet, slightly less than the 2,459 average for the first three quarters of 2006. Higher ceilings and upscale amenities will also become more common.

Issues driving the changes include accessibility for aging baby boomers, technological advances, green construction materials and environmental concerns. Other trends:

• Formal living rooms will shrink or vanish altogether, while family rooms will get larger.
• Ceilings in the average home will be nine to 10 feet; some luxury homes will have 12-foot ceilings.
• The family room will be the most important feature in the average home, followed by low-maintenance exteriors, design, location and two-car garages. In luxury homes, design will be the most important feature.
• Outdoor kitchens and second master bedroom suites will become more common in luxury homes.
• The average home will have two and a half to three and a half bathrooms.
• Recessed lighting and bold colors will be more common in both luxury and average homes.
• Demand for energy-efficient appliances, mechanical equipment and windows, and environmentally friendly green products will increase.
• Programmable thermostats, structured wiring systems and mult-line phone systems will be standard in the average home, while luxury homes will include just about every electronic feature that is available.

  SOURCE: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS