Cindy Leiterman Green Bay, WI

With the passing of the stimulus package, we expect (pray) that there will be an increase in the number of buyers looking for homes. Please consider the following tips if you have or will have your house on the market:

1. List your home with a real estate professional. They have experience in negotiating which will help you achieve the highest price possible for your property. Choose an agent who has at least five years of experience and will market your property on at least 20 national websites. Buyers usually search the web before they ever contact an agent.

2. Keep your house free of clutter. Clean off counter tops in the kitchen and bathrooms. Straighten your basement. Pack away your collectibles. Pick up your children's toys. Clean the closets. You get the idea.

3. Try to make your house available on short notice for a showing. This can be difficult to do but it is critical to get a buyer through your home while your home is top of mind. Many buyers will move on to the next property and may never get back to yours. People realize you have to live in your house so a few dirty dishes in the sink aren't going to make or break a deal.

4. When you have a showing, it is not necessary to turn on every single light in the house. Major lights are fine and appreciated. Tray ceiling rope lighting or under cabinet lighting is great. It's just not necessary to turn on the lights in your china hutch or on top of your piano, etc. unless it's included in the sale. Many times the Realtor can't find the off switches and are forced to leave them on until you get home. If you still want to turn them on, please don't get angry if we don't turn them off.

5. Please do not burn candles. Buyers think you are trying to cover something up and they are a fire hazard. A candle has never to my knowledge ever made or lost a sale.

6. Baking bread or cookies is fine but don't leave them out for the buyers. Realtors don't want the liability of buyers walking around your house while they are eating and dropping crumbs.

7. Leave notes for the showing Realtor and the buyers if there is something specific about your home you want to share. Some people leave a list of dates when updates were completed. This is very helpful.

8. Remove your pet's dishes, toys, etc. Clean your carpets if there are pet stains and odors. If the carpets can't be cleaned, replace them. Nothing turns a buyer off faster than pet odors.

9. Be patient when it comes to a showing report. It may take a day or two to get some feedback. It is usually not your Realtor's fault. May buyers want to discuss each property before they provide feedback to their agent.

10.. Talk to your Realtor. Let him or her know your thoughts. Don't be afraid to ask for statistics on how often your home is viewed on the various websites, etc. Be open to his or her suggestions and let him or her know of your frustrations.

If you have a specific question or concern about listing your home, please feel free to email me. I'll be happy to address it in my blog. We hope to have a very active spring and a great 2009. Good luck and take care.

Have you ever asked yourself "how does this real estate thing work anyway?" Well I have the answers. Attend an upcoming seminar. You're invited to attend a home buyer's seminar to be held on Thursday, February 19th sponsored by Fox Communities Credit Union. The seminar will be held at the Ramada Inn. The Ramada is located at 2750 Ramada Way in Ashwaubenon.

The seminar will be from 6:30PM until 8:00PM. This is an informational seminar geared at explaining the home buying process. As you know, everything concerning buying and or selling a home has been changing at a very rapid rate.

Please contact Diane Sundell at Fox Communities Credit Union to register. Her number is 920-884-7133. If you would like to email her, her email is dsundell@foxcu.org. You can also contact me at cleiterman@new.rr.com and I will forward your registration.

I hope to see you there. It will be time well spent if you're thinking of buying or selling a home.

Take care.

When people find out I work closely with a builder, they usually ask me "what's his square foot price to build a xxxx sq. ft. ranch?". They are attempting to simplify a very complicated process. Asking that question is like going into a car dealership and asking the car salesman what it costs to buy a car. It is a difficult question to answer.

Now is the time of year when ads start to appear touting "build this house on your lot for $xx.xx per sq. ft." Many consumers see these ads and use them as the benchmark by which they measure various builders. Square foot pricing, however, doesn't tell the consumer anything about the amenities that are included with the house. Many times, people find that the square foot price increases dramatically once they meet with the builder.

In my opinion, a better approach is to contact a real estate agent who is experienced in new construction. An experienced agent can be very helpful throughout the whole process. Many people ask if using a Realtor will add to the cost of the building project. I believe, if you choose the right Realtor, it will probably save you money. Realtors are trained to negotiate and many are well versed in the building process. These skills can be very helpful not only initially but also when you want to make changes to the project.

The square foot price isn't really significant if you build the home you want at a price you can afford. Building a new home doesn't have to be a difficult or complicated process if you have a real estate professional helping you along the way.

Take care.

It's almost the time of year when we in the upper mid west become afflicted with "cabin fever". The holidays are over. Football is almost over. Winter is nowhere's near over. This is the time of year when people start to think about spring and building a new home. Here are a few tips to make building a new home fun.

The first step is to take your time when picking a plan. This is usually the hardest yet the most enjoyable part of the building process. Spend some time thinking about how you use your existing space. You want to design your new home to fit your lifestyle. If you spend a significant amount of time in your kitchen, then focus on that area very carefully. If it's important to you to have a large master suite, then focus on that area,etc.

It can also be beneficial to visit open houses to get ideas and to talk to Realtors. A Realtor can be very helpful in providing you with names of reputable builders. They may also have listings of completed new construction that you may find attractive.

If you plan on building a large and/or unique home, you may have to have plans drawn. The draftman usually charges per sq. ft. to draw your plans.

Some builders are able to include the cost of the drafting plans in their quotes. If you are building a relatively simple home, try to find an existing plan that comes close to what you want and make the necessary changes to that plan. This will help save you money by reducing drafting charges which may allow you to add amenities to your new home. Most builders have books of their plans that you can borrow.

To keep the building process enjoyable, keep in mind that no house is perfect. Go into the process with the attitude that a house is a man made product and will probably have a few minor issues. To help avoid issues, try to visit your job site every day. No one knows your new house better than you and you can point out mistakes to your builder when they occur.

Take pictures or video of the building process at various stages. In the future, you will enjoy having a record of your new home as it progresses.

Communicate with your builder. When you discuss changes to the plan and chances are you will make changes, make sure the changes are documented. Just because the builder says he can change something doesn't mean he is willing to do it for free. Don't be afraid to ask the builder how much the changes will cost.

Once the cost of the changes is agreed upon, have the builder write up a change order and have it signed. If the builder says he will make the changes for no charge, have him put that in writing also. No one likes to be surprised with upcharges at closing.

Building is not for everyone. It can be very time consuming and a lot of decisions need to be made in a timely fashion. Those who choose to build and go into the process prepared, however, find it can be a very enjoyable experience.

Take care.

For those in the Green Bay area, I will be taking part with three of my lisitngs in the affordable homes tour. WHEDA has organized a series of seminars for money smart week scheduled for October 13th - 17th and culminating with an affordable homes tour scheduled for October 18th from 11:30AM until 5:00PM. Visit the website at www.moneysmartwi.org

The homes on the tour will be priced at $150,000 and under. This is a great opportunity to learn about the home buying process. Please feel free to stop by and say hello. I look forward to meeting you and answering any questions you may have.

Take care.