Bethany Bonner

If you are like me, you've probably commiserated with friends, family or co-workers about what's happened to your 401(k) and other investment accounts. In fact, those monthly or quarterly statements can feel downright unwelcome. But what if your financial advisor, online trading account or plan administrator didn't provide you with a statement? Unlike most securities and other investments in those accounts, real estate is difficult to value, is relatively illiquid, and its valuation subjective. It is, after all, worth only what an able buyer is willing to pay, and what would a buyer today pay for your home - how has the value of this most personal asset performed relative to your others?

There are a variety of important reasons to understand the realistic, current market value of your home and to stay current by seeking the opinion of a third party on an annual basis. These reasons include:

•Wealth Management: Understanding your overall net worth by realistically assessing your real estate asset value and debt liability. You may actually be pleased to find that your home in Milton, despite the national headlines, has outperformed many other asset classes.

•Refinancing and Home Equity Financing: With interest rates at or near historic lows, you may soon have the opportunity to refinance from a higher rate or variable rate loan. Before you begin that process, you should be reasonably confident that your home's appraised value will be sufficient to close the financing. Similarly, you may want or need to tap a home equity line of credit to fund a new business, finance a family member's education or to improve your home. If a home equity line is part of your financial plan, you should clearly try to determine how much equity you have in your home.

•Confirming adequate insurance: If disaster, such as a fire, were to strike, would your insurance cover the losses? Clearly not a pleasant thing to contemplate, but prudent to address.

•Estate planning: Assuming you have provided a means for your assets to be distributed upon your death, will your plan minimize the tax burden your heirs might face? Underestimating home equity could force loved ones to sell the family homestead to cover inheritance taxes. Admittedly, another unpleasant topic, but an important consideration for many families.

The free preparation of a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), a useful tool for estimating the value of your home - and for addressing any or all of the points raised above - is one of the services that I provide. I am dedicated to providing very professional real estate seller and buyer representation in our community and am always looking for listings and buyers to represent. However, I understand that you may be a few, or many, years away from selling your own home. Still, whatever your plans, I would welcome the opportunity to prepare a CMA for your home and to meet to discuss it with you.

Thank you for visiting my site www.bethanybonnerhomes.com Please feel free to call me at 617-320-5450 if you have additional questions or email me at bethanybonner@msn.com, to request your CMA.

Thank you for visiting my site www.bethanybonnerhomes.com Please feel free to call me at 617-320-5450 if you have additional questions.

What led you to the decision to purchase your house over others? If you bought during a competitive sellers market you may have needed vision to see through your home's shortcomings. Or you may have won in a competitive bid situation. Today there are far fewer passion buys and bidding wars. In fact, buyers often feel little sense of urgency to put in an offer. As a seller, you should do anything possible to tempt would be buyers to fall in love with your home. Anyone familiar with HGTV will recognize the power of staging to do just that. Only, where does one turn for such services in the Greater Boston area? In this blog posting, I am introducing Julie Davis, a fabulous local interior designer who can provide staging consultations and implement a value-add plan to maximize sales price while reducing marketing time.

The Art of Staging a Home

What is Home Staging?

Professional stagers have perfected the art of "creating moods." Staging is anything that makes your home more attractive and appealing to potential buyers. Staging involves cleaning, decluttering, painting, making minor repairs, and most importantly, dressing your house for the sale. Stagers can either work with the home owner's existing furnishings or bring in new furnishings to create a space that makes sense and is pleasing to a buyer.

What are the benefits of hiring a Stager?

Home Staging offers many benefits to home sellers:

1. Staging provides a notable first impression. Typically, a potential buyer has made up their mind within a minute of walking through the door. Your home should speak to potential buyers as soon as they pull into the driveway, whether it include a new coat of paint, a freshly landscaped lawn or a simple pot of flowers on the front porch. Inside the home, the goal is to reduce all clutter, freshen up rooms with paint and greenery, and make sure all furniture is appropriate in scale and function.

1. Staged homes often sell faster. The MLS pictures of staged homes attract more potential buyers to come see your home.

1. Staged homes get higher offers than homes that aren't staged. Because a staged home is pleasing to potential buyers, it gives them the feeling that "everything is done" and that they can move right in. This leads to offers closer to the asking price.

Your home is an investment that deserves professional attention. If you are interested in staging services, please feel free to contact me or visit my website:

davisinteriordesign@gmail.com

617-759-1011

www.juliedavisinteriors.net

Good luck with the sale of your home!

Sincerely,

Julie Davis

Thank you for visiting my site www.bethanybonnerhomes.com Please feel free to call me at 617-320-5450 if you have additional questions.

Recently lowered interest rates and cheaper prices on homes have prompted many buyers, and notably prospective first time homebuyers, to come off of the sidelines and make offers on home purchases. One area getting a great deal of attention, and requests for advice from real estate brokers, involves opportunities presented by short sales and bank owned property. Banks typically come to own residential real estate either through the foreclosure process or a process known as deed in lieu of foreclosure. In the case of short sales, owners are attempting to work with their lender to sell their home for a mutually agreeable sales price that is less than the amount of the mortgage debt. Given the number of inquiries I've received from buyers (and sellers) on these topics, I am taking the opportunity to post to my blog a link to the descriptive article "Short Sales and Deeds in Lieu of Foreclosure ( http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/ObjectID/A80A6DCE-1F1E-49E3-8AB35679DB63ADF9/ ).

Depending on whether or not your interest is based on buying or selling, you will find numerous helpful references under "Related Articles". As you will read, short sales and deed in lieu of foreclosure may provide options for sellers to prevent the credit impairment and stigma associated with foreclosure. On the other hand, an educated buyer may be able to approach a short sale as an opportunity to buy a home at a meaningful discount, an opportunity made all the more attractive by the low interest rates once again available.

Thank you for visiting my site www.bethanybonnerhomes.com Attached is additional information on the first time buyer tax credit. Please feel free to call me at 617-320-5450 if you have additional questions.

6 Key Facts About the First-Time Buyer Tax Credit
http://www.realtor.org/wps/wcm/connect/rmo-content/rmo/RMOnews_and_commentary/Articles/2008/0811_taxcredit

Whether I'm at the gym, a social event, having coffee with a friend or meeting with a client, I am always asked, "What's going on in the real estate market . . . really?" Since I live and work in Milton I can say that the market is alive and kicking. More homes have been sold in the 3rd quarter compared to last year, homes are on the market fewer days and the median price is higher. Still, people want hard numbers. That being said, I've provided the link below for my clients to view stats on Milton and other cities and towns on their own.

"According to the GBAR "The Real Estate Rewind, an online quarterly report summarizing residential real estate market activity in the 54 cities and towns that comprise the GBAR jurisdictional area. This report contains detailed data from the detached single-family home and condominium markets, including units sold, median price, average days on market, pending sales, and inventory levels, both for the most recent quarter (first quarter 2008) and the same three-month period one year ago. Enjoy!"

http://www.gbreb.com/gbar/2008/Rewind1008.htm