Cecil Duarte

10 Questions To Ask Before Inviting Him Into Your Home or to ask of your Property Manager:

1. Are you (contractor) licensed? Make sure a contractor is properly licensed. In the State of Arizona, all contractors MUST be licensed. Anyone can say they are licensed. Make the contractor prove it by either showing you the license or giving you a copy of it. Remember to check the expiration date. Being licensed is the Law. If a contractor cannot provide a valid license, DON'T HIRE HIM!

If you live in a townhouse, villa, or high rise condominium building with four or more units, only a Building Contractor or General Contractor is permitted to perform remodeling work. Furthermore, hire a specialty contractor (trim carpentry, drywall, glazing, aluminum, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, roofing, etc.) to do only the type of work the license specifies.

If you have any questions or doubts, call the Arizona State License Board.

2. Do you (they) carry general liability insurance? Make sure your contractor carries general liability insurance. This type of insurance protects your property in case of damage caused by the contractor and/or his employees. The insurance company will pay for the cost of replacing and/or repairing any damage that occurs.

Anyone can say they are insured. Make the contractor prove it by having their insurance company FAX or mail to you a certificate of insurance with you named as the certificate holder.

3. Do you (they) carry workers compensation insurance? Make sure your contractor carries workers compensation insurance. It protects you from liability if a worker is injured while on your property. Be aware that if the contractor doesn't carry workers' compensation coverage, you may be liable for any injuries suffered by the contractor or any of his employees on your property.

If the contractor is a one-man operation, he can be exempt from having to carry workers' compensation insurance. If he is doing so legally, he can provide you with a copy of his construction industry certificate of exemption from workers' compensation. This is very risky for you thought. If he shows up with a helper and the helper gets hurt, with no workers' compensation insurance, you may have to pay the medical bills. If the uninsured contractor is sloppy about verifying his sub-contractors workers compensation insurance and the sub-contractor gets hurt, again you may have to pay the medical bills. In short it is much safer to deal with a fully insured contractor.

4. Will you provide me with a written lien waiver? Your contractor should provide you with a written lien waiver at the end of the job. This is a legal document which say's you the homeowner have paid the contractor in full for the services rendered and the contractor waives his right to place a mechanics lien on your property. If during the course of construction you receive any notice to owner documents from material suppliers or sub-contractors, it would be prudent to ask the contractor for a final release of lien from each one prior to paying the contractor his final draw. This protects you in case the contractor doesn't pay his material suppliers or sub-contractors after you have paid him in full.

5. Are you a member of NARI or NAHB? NARI stands for the national association of the remodeling industry and NAHB stands for the national association of homebuilders. It's always a good idea to consider hiring a NARI or NAHB contractor. In most cases, both organizations only attract conscientious contractors interested in bettering the industry and in weeding out unprofessional contractors. In order to become a member, the contractor's background and references are thoroughly investigated.

6. Will you pay all the required building permits? Make sure your contractor pulls all required permits. This is very important. When a contractor pulls the required building permits, you know things will be done to "code". Also, many homeowners' insurance policies require pulling a permit on any major remodeling to keep your home property covered. Not all contractors will do this. Many prefer not to pull permits because of the time involved and the "hassle: with the inspectors. Some contractors may ask you to get the permits. This could be a warning sign that they are not able to pull the permit because they are unlicensed, or the work is outside of their license. A reputable contractor will permit every job where a permit is required.

7. Do you guarantee your work? Your contractor should guarantee his work for at least one year from the date of completion. Some contractors guarantee their work for two or even three years.

8. Who will be in charge of the job? Make sure the contractor or his foreman is on the job daily whenever work is being performed - especially if sub-contractors will be used. The responsible party must be intimately familiar with every aspect of your project. If you won't be home during the construction and must leave the house unlocked, or leave a key with the contractor, you must feel comfortable. You can't be worried about what is going on when you are not there.

9. Will you provide me with written references? A good contractor will be happy to provide you with references. You should look for a well-established contractor who can give you several customer references from the last 6 months to one year. Ask for the name of the contractor's accountant or banker. You want to ensure that the contractor is financially sound and won't be declaring bankruptcy in the middle of your project.

10. How do you handle "dirty work"? Construction is dusty and dirty! It gets everywhere, especially if any sanding is being done. Make sure the contractor will make an honest effort to keep the dust contained, or notify you when the heavy dust generating operations will take place or refuse container at the end of every day.

As Property Managers for the Phoenix area- we only work with highly qualified contractors or reputable Handymen who work only for us and are held accountable to our high standards of quality and inexpensive repairs or rehab

Hope this helps in holding your Property Manager accountable or to interview a contractor that you are looking at hiring now or in the near future

Cecil Duarte- President- Designated Broker

Serving Valleywide Realty and Management

Chandler Az 85286

www.valleywidepropertymanagement.com or visit my website: www.cecilduarte.com

480-831-6368

Here are some of the most common mistakes- I see sellers make in a down market, along with ways to
avoid them:
• Pricing it too high or testing the market: As a Real Estate professional along with others in the
business- the key to selling a house is to "price it right” at the beginning. Setting the wrong asking price can
cost you real money,frustration, stress and valuable time. In a buyers' market, it doesn't matter what you or
your Realtor® think your house is worth; the only thing that matters is what a buyer thinks and is willing to
offer. Sellers fear pricing too low and leaving money on the table, but there is little danger of doing this. If a
home is priced too low, far below the competition, then you should receive multiple offers that will drive up
the price to the fair market value. I strongly believe that I would rather have my sellers countering offers than
to be sitting on the fence just waiting for an offer. Where do you want to be? Get to the negotiation table and
see if a win-win situation can be ironed out. Better this, like I said, than to be wondering or blaming your
Realtor® that nobody showing up to view your home. The market within 30 days will tell you, by the activity
– whether your home is priced for action or NOT.
You don't want to over-price your house, because buyers will then ignore it and your listing will loose its
freshness and appeal, not to mention the uncompensated effort of keeping the home spotless during the
showings.
Also, the "original listing price" and "current asking price" are on your home's Multiple Listing Service listing,
and some buyers will see it as a sign that you have unreasonable expectations of what you can fetch for
your home. Our MLS system here in Phoenix recently removed DOM (days on market ) from the general
view of the public to help sellers get homes sold. It is still obtainable but now your Buyer’s Agent has to dig a
little more to find it under the Archived Historical report available only to a Licensed Realtor®. Buyers would
use the days on market as their gauge of if a house was worth looking at or not. More days on the markettells
them that if others did not want this house, then they must be missing something about the home or the
area and will just skip viewing it all together for the fear that they do not want to be the unlucky ones that
bought a home no one else wanted. Days on the market are so crucial in this buyers market.
Look at the listings for every comparable home that is or was listed in your neighborhood in the past six
months. Compare similar properties, make adjustments for locations, age, upgrades and lot sizes, and come
up with a range of values (this is why you hire a Licensed Realtor®). Most buyers search the Internet and
buy a home within 12 miles of their existing home — so use the Internet tools available in your area to see
what the supply of homes for sale looks like near you. Also, if you are working with a Realtor®, don't choose
to list with the one who suggests the highest listing price; rather, select a listing agent who can back up his
or her proposal with the most facts, market research and experience. In this market right now-
EXPERIENCE is KEY and that agent that can be up front with you and also come up with a marketing plan
to expose your home is your best bet. Don’t settle for that Discount Broker who will give you Discounted
Services- YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR and right now – pricing it right and getting it exposed is vital and
the only key to getting your home sold.
When setting the listing price for your house, use odd numbers, in increments of $5,000. Most buyers use
the Internet to search for a home. When searching by price, they typically search in increments of $5,000.
So, listing at a price of $249,971 will turn heads and get attention as to why is this home listed at this price. It
certainly distinguishes you from the hundreds of homes that are traditionally priced at $250,000. Don’t you
think?
• Making a poor first impression: Real estate pros often talk about "curb appeal." Homes with curb
appeal sell more quickly and those without it can languish on the market longer, further eroding the price
buyers are willing to pay. Realtors® often comment on the number of homes that are put on the market with
little or nothing done to improve their curb appeal. In my years of experience , "Most buyers know the house
is 'THE ONE” when they see it for the very first time in person even after having viewed or found it on the
Internet. No different that you when you are showing for lets say a car online. Do you chose the one that
shows dull and no spark or do you gravitate towards that shiny and glamourous looking model? If the
buyers make a connection on the first showing, it's sold."
For this reason, doing what it takes to get your house in selling shape is the second most important factor,
after setting the correct price, if you want to get close to your asking price or sell as quickly as possible.
Inexpensive things you can do to increase your home's curb appeal and help it show better include:
• Sprucing up the yard, sweep the walk, mow the lawn, prune the shrubs, and clean up debris. Green up
your grass if you have any or rake the gravel rocks if that is your appeal for landscaping.
• Clean the windows, floors, carpets, the kitchen, appliances, the bathroom, and even wash the windows.
· Installing plug in through out the home (not too many- for you do not want to overpower the sense of
smell) is a huge plus- someone waliking into a home that smells good and fresh and clean sends off signals
of well being and a sense that this home makes them feel good
• Paint the front door, walls leading to entranceways, ceiling stains, cracked or chipping areas.
• Fix or repair broken doorbell, leaky faucets, broken floor or counter tiles, door that don't close properly,
and broken deck railings.
• Organize all rooms, closets and the basement.
• Set the stage by removing pets and litter box, , playing background music (light jazz is very soothing and
pleasing to a lot of folks), rearranging and removing excess furniture, even baking something to get the
pleasant aroma from the oven!
The industry term for doing this is "staging a house" and, as you can imagine, it goes far beyond decorating
and cleaning. But doing this can result in selling your home more quickly and getting a higher price, I know
that as a fact since I help my clients stage their homes before going live in the MLS. It is in my opinion the
second most important thing to do to sell your home quickly and for top dollar- PRICE is # 1..
If you don't have the time or would prefer to have someone trained and objectively do this for you, ask your
Realtor® to refer you to a Professional home stager. Some realtors are bombarded with flyers or emails of
this wonderful service. You can also learn more and locate a professional home stager at
www.stagedhomes.com.
• Not getting a pre-sale inspection: Sellers are strongly advised to consider getting a pre-sale home
inspection, especially if their home is older or in need of repairs. This way, they can either use a clean home
inspection report as a selling advantage, or take care of the repairs listed on the inspection report. Of
course, make the repairs before listing the home, if possible, especially if they involve things that can be
messy and unsightly, such as replacing the roof or removing an old water heater or replacing a new A/C
unit. But if you can't make the repairs, you can use the report to make estimates available to show potential
buyers about the cost of repairs.
• Not being flexible: In this market, buyers will expect to pay less than the asking price. They will be armed
with the original list prices and final sales prices of comparable homes, and will know the price reductions
other sellers are accepting. Many buyers may make a low-ball offer to see what your reaction is. Remember
to keep emotions out of it — your objective is to sell the house and, if they are truly interested, there is a
higher price they may be willing to pay. Don't simply reject their offer; instead, make a reasonable counteroffer
and send the message that you want to work with them to close the gap between their offer and the
price you need to get for the house. Like I said earlier it is better to get to the negotiation table than to just sit
and wait and sit on the fence.
Also, have your Listing agent /Realtor®ask the buyers or their agent what information they used to
determine the price they offered and why they want to buy your house. For example, say the buyers
respond that they based their offer on comparable price per square footage for two other listings. If your
house includes upgrades and a finished basement that the other listings don't have, include an explanation
of the cost of your upgrades and the additional value per square foot with your counter-offer. Again this does
work a lot of times but know that buyers are out here with a mindset that THEY want a deal and will walk
away from counter offers if they feel there are more fish to fry out there in the real estate ocean of sellers.
If you have any questions or comments – I can be reached at cecilduarte@cecil.com or visit my website at
www.cecilduarte.com . I am a Licensed Real Estate Broker in the Phoenix market and have been serving the entire Valley
of the Sun from Surprise to Queen Creek and from Scottsdale to Chandler and all surrounding cities for the last 16 years.
We also have a full Property Management Division at Serving Valleywide Realty that is here to help with any Property
Management need- Check us out at www.valleywidepropertymanagement.com