Steven Kleiman

As any home seller will tell you in this market, buyers are looking for the "deal". If you find the need to sell your home in this market, there are a few key areas to pay attention to with regards to your home to entice buyers to purchase your and maintain a price you will be happy with.

1. Exterior: Pay attention to the curb appeal of your home. If potential buyers do not like what they see from the street to the front door, they may never even turn off the motor.
2. Lighting: Make sure all of your light bulbs are working. You may want to replace your bulbs with longer-lasting fluorescents. The "Green" factor will also be considered favorably by your potential buyers. Don't forget to make sure you replace the cracked plates and update the light switches to the Dacor style. This adds a nice updated touch. Decorative light fixtures can help take a room from drab to fab!
3. Smoke Detectors: Make sure smoke detectors are installed and working. This is also a good time to double check other security items such as door and window locks.
4. Closets: We all love large organized closets. For a few dollars, a seller can get a closet system from their local home improvement store to help organize the clutter. It is also a good idea to remove as much clutter as possible to make the space look bigger. Think about donating any unwanted items.
5. Garage: Similar organizational tips are applicable to the garage as to the closets. Don't forget to keep it clean and get the cobwebs out of the corners.
6. Bathrooms: Decorative towels (think model home) and floor mats. A nice shower curtain can also help dress up a bathroom. A bowl of potpourri or scented candles will help keep the room smelling fresh. If the bathroom needs more help, consider replacing the faucets, cabinet hardware and bath accessories such as a toilet paper holder and towel rings and bars.

The time and money you invest in the above mentioned tend to come back in a more solid selling price and in a shorter sales time. And in today's market time IS money. The often overlooked benefits of this investment? Prolonged happiness, clear satisfaction and peace of mind.

Steven Kleiman is CEO and Founder of Houston based Oakington Realty, which specializes in "Inner Loop" homes as well as urban-in-fill properties, working with buyers, sellers, developers and homebuilders. Steven is a member of the National, Texas and Houston Association(s) of Realtors®. Readers comments welcome at 713-875-9040 or steven@oakingtonrealty.com. Follow Steven on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StevenTXRealtor.

If you have ever searched for a home in Houston, Texas, I am sure you are familiar with the Houston Association of Realtors website www.har.com. Many of my friends who are not real estate professionals have confessed to me that they spend countless hours scouring the site and looking at homes. Recently the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) has launched a few new consumer tools that I believe will be very beneficial to buyers and sellers that are researching homes online. Below are a few of my favorite tools:

1. Live Chat: This tool will allow consumers to chat online with agents who are also online.
2. Home Value Finder: Search for recent home sales and property tax information in Houston.
3. Map Search: Search for listings by zip code or within a proximity of an address using a pan and zoom feature.
4. 5% Price Reductions: View listings that have been reduced in price by 5% or more using this feature.
5. Open House Finder: Search for open houses using specific criteria such as date of open house, price range, location, property type any much more.
6. My Home Finder: Receive free email notifications when homes that match your criteria are listed on HAR.com. You will also receive status and price changes as well as more information regarding properties that your "bookmark".

The tools I mentioned above coupled with numerous other tools that are offered on HAR.com give consumers a wealth of knowledge when buying or selling a home. For more information on all the available consumer tools, give me a call or send me an email and I will be happy to share them with you.

Steven Kleiman is CEO and Founder of Houston based Oakington Realty, which specializes in "Inner Loop" homes as well as urban-in-fill properties, working with buyers, sellers, developers and homebuilders. Steven is a member of the National, Texas and Houston Association(s) of Realtors®. Readers comments welcome at 713-875-9040 or steven@oakingtonrealty.com. Follow Steven on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StevenTXRealtor.

It is never easy to come up with the perfect offer when buying a home. Believe me when I say there is no silver bullet. Obviously no one wants to pay too much for a home or submit such a low offer that the seller gets offended, is not willing to work with you, or worse of all accepts another offer. Here are 3 things to consider when trying to decide how much to offer:

1. 1. Ask your realtor to prepare a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) for the subject property. This should include Active, Pending, and Sold homes from the past 6 months. The more recent the comparables the better! Pay special attention to the list price versus the sales price as well as the number of days the house was on the market. The more homes that are available for sell in your market, the better it will be for you as a buyer! Don't rely on national news for your individual market conditions.
   2. Once you have the CMA prepare, ask your realtor to contact the listing agent to see what information they can find out about the seller's current situation. How motivated are they? What is the seller's time frame? Is the seller a bank or individual? Is there a relocation company involved? Has the seller already purchased another home? Is there currently another offer working on this property? You will be surprised on how much information you will be given by just asking! Remember, the listing agent wants to make a sale as well!
   3. What is your personal situation? Prior to submitting your first offer it is important to understand what your mortgage payments would be based on that amount. Know prior to going into the negotiations with the seller what the most you are comfortable spending on the home. Make sure you are true to yourself.

   At the end of the day...How attached are you to the home? Will you be heartbroken if you don't get it? Those are the big factors in deciding on your Perfect offer.

   For more information on making the perfect offer, feel free to give me a call or send me an email.

   Steven Kleiman is CEO and Founder of Houston based Oakington Realty, which specializes in "Inner Loop" homes as well as urban-in-fill properties, working with buyers, sellers, developers and homebuilders. Steven is a member of the National, Texas and Houston Association(s) of Realtors®. Readers comments welcome at 713-875-9040 713-875-9040 or steven@oakingtonrealty.com. Follow Steven on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StevenTXRealtor.

Luxury homes in Houston's Inner Loop (IH-610) should hold their prices in 2008, but risk of falling values, according to a study, is possible in 2009. The mortgage meltdown, uneasy stock markets, unsettled economy and declining prime interest rate are all radically reshaping the way brokers and their clients will market expensive homes, condos and lots. Home prices will increase at only 5% over the next two years, with buyers wanting upscale locations close to their places of work, as well as "suburbs in the city - and more of them narrowing their choices online first. Sellers will have to sharpen their pencils and their properties - from the curb and landscape to the interior and highly organized storage spaces. Those who venture into tear-downs or property flipping will have to proceed with caution.