On The Market Awhile And Still Unsold ... Time For A Marketing Checkup
Have you been on the market awhile and remain unsold? Its time for a marketing checkup. 
Of course, price has a lot to do with it - always does and always will. There are, however, other aspects of marketing your home that can influence a Buyer and assist you in getting your home sold.
Assuming your lawn and garden are pristine - summer green and colorful right now - how does your home look when they get up to the structure? Cobwebs have a way of appearing this time of year, little black fuzzballs on your siding, attached to your address numbers, in the eaves, etc. They start out sporadically, but if left unchecked they can create an unkempt look to the approaching Buyer that is in the process of creating his first impression of your home. Clean them off - all around your house.
Have you decluttered since your initial marketing pictures were taken? Have you painted - neutralized the bold designer paint that was turning off the first prospective Buyers that toured your home? If so - its time for new pictures. Do your marketing pictures still have snow in them ... in your front yard, not in the mountains? If so - its time for new pictures. Buyers spend a lot of time on the internet these days previewing properties, selecting them on their own. How do they do that? They look at the pictures. Make sure yours are current and flattering.
Remember the windows. You may take your view for granted, but the Buyer wants to know what is on the other side. If yours are crusted and glazed they won't be able to appreciate the view. Clean them and let the view in ... with the sunshine. People tend to like a bright home. Sure you want to keep the sun from heating your house right now, but open your curtains for a showing.
Is your home accessible? Can the agents get in to show it without a lot of hassle and phone calls? Agents have been spoiled lately with the plethora of bank owned homes that are vacant. They can show them easily and quickly. Your home will show better since it is occupied ... if they can get in.
Your home is for sale - put away the valuables, keep it clean, and let them in. Not too many people buy a home without looking at it - let them in ... on their schedule, not yours.
Our advice: Regardless of what you do to your home to attract and please a Buyer, there is nothing that will compare to pricing it right. We are seeing multiple offer situations on fixer-upper homes. Why? They were priced right to attract Buyers. We recently saw multiple offers on a pristine, premium priced home
within 48 hours. Yes, it was priced right. Priced right is relative - to the condition of the home, location of the home, special amenities, i.e.- spectacular view, 8 car garage, etc., competition in the market, etc. If homes like yours have been selling and yours hasn't, look at the marketing plan, look at your condition, and then look seriously, very seriously, at your ... price.
Price overcomes all objections. Put your Buyer hat on when looking at your unsold house. Would you buy your home today? Compare it to your competition ... would you still buy it? Would you pay what you are asking... even close to it? If you wouldn't pay your price, why do you think a Buyer would?
When it comes to choosing professionals to assist you with your real estate needs... Experience is Priceless! Lisa Wetzel & Jim Valentine, RE/MAX Realty Affiliates, 775-781-5472. carsonvalleyland@hotmail.com, www.carsonvalleyland.com
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Lisa Wetzel and Jim Valentine are the authors of this blog. Lisa, Jim and Jessie are experts in Carson Valley, Carson City and the tri-county area of Douglas County, Carson City and Lyon County. Call our team anytime at 775-781-5472 or 775-781-3704. To Search for Homes go to: www.findhomesincarsoncity.com of visit our website at www.CarsonValleyLand.com
Transactions Today ... It's Never Been Like This
We've recently written about the Home Valuation Code of Conduct, HVCC, and the upcoming new Truth In Lending, TIL, changes and their impact on the real estate industry. Their impact has caused delays and actual cancellations of transactions. In addition to those changes we are seeing lender underwriters asking for things that it seems they invented, and not necessary for the protection of the lender. They appear to be cognitive questions qualifying the Buyer, but most, under scrutiny, are contrived lunacy.
Having gone from ultra leniency to ultra conservatism in evaluating borrowers, the new underwriting experience is a reality that must be dealt with until the proverbial pendulum swings the other way. It takes a lot of time on the part of the agents, lenders and escrow officers to keep up with the ever changing requirements trying to hold an escrow together. This isn't just with marginal borrowers, this is occurring throughout the industry on all financial levels.
There is a natural course of timing in an escrow, things occur at a reasonable time sequ
ence depending on the property, the borrower and other circumstances. The plethora of the unexpected delays is causing escrows to go beyond the deadline for the loan interest rate lock, beyond the contractual close of escrow date, beyond the time provided for a loan commitment, beyond ... etc.
Some examples of the unexpected include a request that the borrower obtain a letter from their employer that they won't be laid off for three years. Three years! It is hard enough for some companies to know three months from now if they'll be in business, no less continuing to employee this individual. Another underwriter requested from a Building Contractor three job contracts for future work ... after already having tax returns ... for a 25% loan to value loan! Where is the risk?
Then there's the couple asked by an underwriter to get proof from an ex-spouse that the payments had recently been made on the house previously owned by one of the spouses in a prior marriage, but now the responsibility of the ex after the divorce. No Notice of Default is filed, no reason to ask other than ultra-conservatism. Yes, though the court awarded the home and the responsibility for its payment to the ex, they are both still responsible for the original payment. Being the secondary borrower, the spouse couldn't get the information from the lender - there was no way to verify that the payments had been made. No way to buy a home with new spouse without cooperation from the old spouse. They lost their purchase even though they are otherwise qualified.
Our advice: If you are going to take advantage of the First Time Home Buyer Credit it is important to understand that escrows are taking longer than they used to, and surprises can crop up in places totally unexpected. For safety, plan on a 60 day escrow which means you should be under offer no later than October 2nd in order to be closed by December 1st. We highly suggest that you take action as soon as possible to realize the benefits of the low prices, low interest rates, and $8,000 Tax Credit.
These are interesting times full of opportunity. Get a good agent to help you navigate these turbulent yet fascinating waters and we are confident that you will be genuinely pleased with the results. When it comes to choosing professionals to assist you with your real estate needs... Experience is Priceless! Lisa Wetzel & Jim Valentine, RE/MAX Realty Affiliates, 775-781-5472. carsonvalleyland@hotmail.com, www.carsonvalleyland.com
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Lisa Wetzel and Jim Valentine are the authors of this blog. Lisa, Jim and Jessie are experts in Carson Valley, Carson City and the tri-county area of Douglas County, Carson City and Lyon County. Call our team anytime at 775-781-5472 or 775-781-3704. To Search for Homes go to: www.findhomesincarsoncity.com of visit our website at www.CarsonValleyLand.com
Its time to train the coaches. Football is coming and our young Pop Warner athletes will be hitting the fields in the next couple of weeks. Some come with trepidation, can they really do it? Others come with great anticipation ... they've been waiting for the first day of practice since they walked off the field of their last game last season. They will soon be blended in to a wonderful team of Douglas Tigers.
We spend a lot of time getting our coaches ready for the season. The success 
of the season is directly attributable to the coaching staff. Success in our program is not measured in wins, rather in the FUN every athlete had. Did they learn a love of the game? Did they get real knowledge of the game? Did every athlete go to his/her next level?
It is important that the coaches don't treat their athletes the way they were treated when they played - things have changed. We don't watch atomic blasts in person while smoking cigarettes anymore ... we don't grab facemasks either. Athletes today are empowered to perform, not threatened. They are inspired to excellence, not motivated.
To achieve those results every child must be coached, taught. Every athlete must know he is special. Wins ... they are a by-product of good coaching. We have taken a team all the way to the Pop Warner Superbowl in Florida with a team member that was autistic. He got his minimum plays, and was featured in USA Today that year. The team did well because they played as a team and were value driven, not win-driven.
What will happen this year? We must achieve our goals as stated above. Beyond that ... who knows. I will be giving the coaches clinics over the next few weeks to get their minds in the right mode. We are blessed with having many fine coaches that absolutely get the right way to do things, and it shows in their athletes and
on the field. When our Tigers hit the field it is something to behold.
Our tremendous involvement with Pop Warner is our community service - we are working to improve our community by helping our youth learn values and how to be contributing members of society. I recommend you get involved with the youth of your community - it is rewarding in many ways, most of which can't be measured.
Another day in the Carson Valley. When we don't have blue skies we get spectacular clouds. This view was from my office this afternoon, 7.31.09. Of course the formation changed by the minute and the hour. There was some lightening later, a smattering of rain, but overall just a cooling from the cloud cover. The entertaining cloud formations morph continuously offering splendor and enjoyment all day long.
Think Cool ... Be Cool!
Photo by Jim Valentine, RE/MAX Realty Affilliates, 1320 Highway 395, Gardnerville, NV 89410. www.carsonvalleyland.com dpwtigers@hotmail.com 775-781-3704 Lisa Wetzel and Jim Valentine Serving Northern Nevada for 30 years - Carson Valley, Gardnerville, Minden, Genoa, Topaz, Smith Valley, Carson City, Dayton, Stagecoach. Land, ranches, residential, short sale, REO, investment, and development properties.
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