Christina Bennani Realtor® The House For You

I am hoping this doesn't become a trend. The town of Shirley, MA is facing a huge deficit and looking for ways to generate income. They have decided to charge a sign permit of $25 for any Real Estate sign in the town. This doesn't apply to political signs, but those for Real Estate.

So.. I want to hold an Open House this weekend, it takes on average 3 directional signs plus the one at the house, should I be writing a $75 check each time? This is an unfair burden on our industry and the Sellers. Local Realtors have been very vocal on this issue and Mark Tavenner in my office was interviewed yesterday for Channel 5 news. Here is the link:

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/money/18996006/detail.html

Please make sure that if this happens in your area that your voice is heard. I sympathize with towns facing huge deficits but this is an unfair burden on an industry that is already struggling.

So you’ve made an offer on a foreclosure and now you want to have a Home Inspection. The only problem is the home is winterized and it’s the middle of winter. You know the property is sold “As Is” but you want to make sure the pipes haven’t frozen and the heating system is functional. If you are getting a loan on the property your appraiser is going to want to see the water and heating system are all functioning as well. So what are your options?

First you need permission from the bank through the listing agent that they will allow the property to be un-winterized for inspections. If they will, most likely you will need to use their plumber. The cost can be around $250 to un-winterize and $250 to re-winterize it depending on the type of property. Make sure you negotiate who pays for that in your offer. At this point you really only have 2 options:

1) You do a dry inspection, test everything else in the property, even run compressed air through the pipes to see if there is any freeze damage. Have the appraiser come out and test everything but the water and heat. About a week before closing, have the property un-winterized, pay for the appraiser to come back out and if the bank allows it leave the heat on until closing.

2) You will need to have the property un-winterized and have your home inspection and apppraiser come out to the property on the same day. Some lenders are not coopertative, check with yours. The property will be re-winterized within 24 hours until closing. You will be responsible for un-winterizing it again after closing.

These issues can be tricky, make sure you have an agent who is familiar with selling foreclosures to walk you through the process.

Originally posted on www.theforeclosurehouseforyou.com

Here's our Inaugural Video, I'm interviewing my one of my team members who went to the Inman Conference in NYC.

This morning was typical in our household of 2 dogs and a cockatiel. If I have any stress our bird Snuffy is like my inner stress meter. His normal happy sounds turn into high pitched squeals at a time when I can least handle it. I wasn't graceful this morning and yelled "bad bird' a couple of times as I hastily got my things ready to go work in the office. There would be no peace if I stayed. I was throwing things around and heading out to my car when I stopped and took a deep breath.......

If this beautiful bird is my stress meter my getting mad wasn't helping. I quietly walked upstairs and went over to his cage. I took the time to make cooing noices and pet him. I told him I'm sorry. Animals can be humbling if you let them. He reminded me to take a deep breath and take it easy.

Many times we let the situation, our family, the client, the economy get us in a frenzy, I hope you all listen to that inner voice when it tells you to slow down and be grateful for everything we do have. I know I spent the rest of the day a better agent, friend and mother.

Watching yesterdays Inaugural Speech was emotional for me. I think one of the key statements that really hit home for me was the scripture:

The time has come to set aside childish things

That summarized alot of what I have felt about our economic and collective emotional state. The time ahead is for maturity. We are adults who can accept responsibilty. The time to deny our state of affairs is over and the hard work of improving has begun.

In real estate we are at the forefront of Main Street America. We see firsthand the consequences of our collective bad choices. But we are very needed. If we remain strong and clear in purpose we can be the heros to those that have become overwhelmed by the state of affairs. We can guide them to the next stage of their life. We can find the creative solutions to help them through this process.

We need to dig deep inside our ourselves and find our own inner strengths to rebuild. There are so many resources out there to inspire and guide us. Our job is important, let's be the best professionals we can be, find the best solutions and use our most creative ideas to move through this time.

I don't know about you, but I embrace the challenges ahead, and look forward to what lies ahead.