Marla Schneider - Move with Marla

You have found your perfect North Shore home, escrow will be closing soon, and it’s time to start packing up and getting ready to move. This is an exciting time but when it comes to the challenges of actually packing and moving, whether doing it yourself or hiring a moving company, it can quickly become overwhelming unless you are prepared to avoid these common mistakes.

Set a Budget
One all too common mistake is being in the dark on moving costs. There are many costs involved with moving so be sure to set a budget appropriately, and then add some cushion for those unknown expenses. This not only includes the cost of moving supplies such as boxes and packing materials but also includes deposits and setting up utilities at your new home. No matter how small the expenses are, they add up quickly, so be aware of them and how you are going to budget for them.

Have a Plan and Stick to It
Make lists for all tasks you can think of and set realistic deadlines – and stick to them as best as possible. Knowing what is needed and when you need to accomplish it will help you to avoid wasted time and money.

Pack Smart
Don’t get caught up in the dread of packing and it becoming a daunting task. Make a plan when packing—make a list of all the rooms that need packing, start with the smallest room and work your way up to the larger rooms (hopefully you will gain momentum as you go). I found it helpful to gather supplies well before the packing starts and place them in the right rooms, label the boxes and number or label them in order of importance. When unpacking in your North Shore home, this will help you know which boxes need to be unpacked first and which can be set aside for unpacking later.

Keep Paperwork Organized
If you will be hiring a moving company, the mound of paperwork that will stack up is inevitable, but keeping it organized will be essential in helping you keep a sane mind. All of the paperwork that the movers will supply is important including the order of service, bill of lading, and especially the mover’s inventory, which is a list of all your valuables which they have loaded into their truck. The inventory is very important and should be checked not only at the beginning of the move, but at the end as well, to make sure all your valuables have made it from one location to the next and in one piece. There will also be disclaimers, and it’s a good idea to keep a copy of your insurance documents in the same folder just in case you need to file a claim.

Communication is Key
If there is a change in the date of closing which will affect the move date, it’s imperative to let the moving company know immediately. There can be a change in the price if they are not notified far enough in advance. Also, if there are specialty items that need special care in moving, bring this to their attention so that they can plan for extra personnel if needed or can add extra equipment to the truck if something special is needed to move your possessions. Remember, there is no such thing as over-communicating when it comes to getting your possessions safely to your new North Shore home!

Pets and Kids Need Special Attention
Whether you are using a moving company or not, moving day is hectic. Worrying about the safety of your kids and pets can detract from allowing you to get things moved safely and correctly. If you cannot have them spending time somewhere else, set up a separate room from the moving activities with lots of toys and entertainment, and plan on moving their things later.

The Marla Schneider Team can help you to sell your home and/or find your perfect North Shore home with as little stress as possible. We have years of experience finding homes in the North Shore area that meet your criteria – sometimes before they are even listed on the market. Make moving day just as smooth by avoiding common mistakes and being as prepared as possible.

Getting expert advice on what your listing price should be before putting your Wilmette home on the market can make your home sell a lot faster than setting a price based on what you personally feel your home is worth. In order for an experienced Realtor® to set a listing price, they often do a Comparative Market Analysis.

A Comparative Market Analysis uses comparable sales, or “comps” of properties that have recently sold in the Wilmette area. This will show what the market favors for a listing price. When looking at comparables, it’s important to consider certain similarities to provide an accurate current estimated value of your home:

• Same neighborhood – This will allow for the same type of house and year built to give a good comp. If in a subdivision, the same model is key.
• Same school district – Families often seek out homes in what they consider is the best school district for their children.
• Similar street type – You will want a comp that is on the same type of street as yours; especially if yours is a private, quiet, tree-lined street versus a main thoroughfare.
• Same or similar square footage and features as what is found with your house.

Looking at homes that include the above similarities and have closed escrow recently will give the best source to help price your home.

Of course, there may be upgrades, amenities and extras in your home that can affect your listing price when compared to a comparable. A Realtor® looks at both what is similar and what sets your home apart from the comps that can add value to your home. For instance, your house may not have a pool, but instead might have an upgraded restaurant-grade kitchen, an extra room as an office with built-in custom bookcases, or a surround sound home theater in your finished basement.

Reviewing comparables can provide great insight about sales in your neighborhood. Agents that specialize in yours and surrounding neighborhoods can bring a great buyer’s perspective to help determine the best listing price, bringing you the best possible profit to help you buy your new home.

If you are thinking of selling your Wilmette home and aren’t sure what your home is worth, The Marla Schneider Team can give you a free Comparative Market Analysis to determine your listing price. We specialize in many North Shore villages and have the experience in the area to explain the best way to market your Wilmette home for the highest price possible.

Often times, especially in today’s market, sellers believe they can sell their Glenview home themselves and save on paying a Realtor®’s commission. A few photos, a few well-placed ads and the buyers will come knocking, right? Wrong! Realtor®’s know how to properly photograph and video your home to showcase its best attributes. They have the best marketing tools at their fingertips and the expertise and time to get it done.

Images are rapidly becoming popular marketing tools to entice potential buyers, and experienced Realtor®’s can not only utilize MLS to show other agents your beautiful house, but they also know the best lighting, strategies and staging that will help your house appeal to the right audience.

These days much of the shopping for homes, like many items, is done online. When it comes to selling a house by FSBO (For Sale By Owner), pictures that don’t portray the right appeal or whose lighting is too harsh can come across reflecting poorly on the house and, because of this, can cause the home to stay on the market longer or make it difficult to even generate interest.

In a sea of Glenview homes all vying for attention from buyers, you need to make sure you choose an experienced Realtor® to make online photos and videos scream, “This is the home for you! I won’t be on the market long.”

Common photo mistakes:

• Too many touch-ups can change the look and perception of rooms in your house.
• Special lighting, lenses and photography techniques can make a room or area in the house more spacious than it actually is, turning off buyers when they take the time to see your home in person.
• Proper staging is not in place giving buyers the wrong impression of how a room is to be used.
• Pictures or video are taken in harsh lighting which will not give the home a warm, inviting appeal.

Selling your Glenview home, for the highest price possible, takes an experienced Realtor® with extensive knowledge in marketing as well as the North Shore area. Trust the selling of your home to The Marla Schneider Team - We are the #1 Real Estate Sales Team on Chicago's North Shore and North Suburbs.

If you are selling your North Shore home during our winter months, of course you will want to keep the driveway and walkways up to your home clear of snow and ice so that potential buyers reach your front porch safely. However, overuse of de-icing products can be harmful to your plants and grass.

One of the most important steps in effective snow management is proper shoveling. The more thoroughly you shovel snow from your North Shore home walk, the less de-icing product you will need to use, not only saving time and money, but also helping to avoid environmental and plant health problems.

Many homeowners apply too much product with the impression it will clear their walkways better when in fact, it increases the damage to walks, plants and the environment. When the ice-melting products are shoveled or blown into your yard and onto your plants, it leaves a coating of salt which draws moisture away from leaves, twigs and buds causing potentially serious damage to your plants once they come out of dormancy. As well, turf grass can be killed out if the salt-laden snow is piled on it and stays there throughout the winter.

To help alleviate problems with your landscaping come spring, avoid concentrating the salt in one area, and if you have used a de-icing product before shoveling, try and disperse the snow or ice over a large area when shoveling rather than piling it up in the root zone of a single nearby tree or shrub.

You will also want to watch the type of product you purchase since there will be a lot more foot traffic coming into your home, inevitably bringing some of the snow, de-icer and dirt into the house. Here are a few tips on which de-icer to choose for your North Shore home:

Calcium chloride is less damaging to plants and works for temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees but can be harmful to carpet, tile and shoes.

Sodium chloride (rock salt) tends to be more harmful to plants and vegetation.

Potassium chloride is less damaging to plants but not effective for temperatures below 15 degrees.

Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) is considered to be the best de-icer from an environmental stance for plants.

Whichever you decide to use to keep your driveway and walkways safe this winter, the key is applying sparingly to minimize negative impacts on garden plants and concrete and to keep from tracking large amounts into your beautifully staged home.

Winter home-buying traffic can be sparse in our cold winters. However, The Marla Schneider Team has the experience and track record in the North Shore area to bring buyers into your home and the expertise to get your home sold for the highest price possible. Contact us today for a free comparative market analysis for your home.

If you are contemplating a move to Glenview, now may be the best time to buy a home since mortgage rates are forecasted to remain low in 2012, especially in the first half of the year.

With rates already sitting at record lows, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.91% for the week ending Jan.5, according to Freddie Mac’s weekly survey of mortgage rates.

Greg McBride, Senior Financial Analyst for Bankrate.com says, “We may spend the entire year below 5%,” when referring to the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage. This can be attributed to the European financial troubles and the Federal Reserve’s pledge to keep short-term rates on hold through 2013.

Choosing to work with an experienced Realtor® from the beginning will help you determine the village and neighborhoods that will best suit your family while giving you a jump start as to the type of homes that are available in family-oriented villages such as Glenview.

Looking for a house, your perfect house, takes time and much consideration, so time can be of the essence. According to Frank Nothaft, Chief Economist of Freddie Mac, rates are expected to rise somewhat during the second half of 2012 making this beginning of 2012 a perfect time to look for that Glenview home!

“Operation Twist is scheduled to remain in effect until June,” Nothaft said. The intent of Operation Twist, or the Federal Reserve’s Maturity Extension Program, is to push — and keep — long-term interest rates low, which means rates should stay low for the first half of the year, he said. However, the Fed has not made any commitments to extend the program beyond June, so interest rates could begin a rise as early as July. An improving economy could also cause rates to rise.

Furthermore, HSH Associates predicts that as the economy and the housing market warms, interest rates will begin to rise.

Need yet another reason to buy in 2012? McBride goes on to say that, “I don’t see credit becoming appreciably easier. But I think what you will see are more lenders willing to dip their toes into the waters of 700 and 720 credit-score consumers. You may end up, as a consumer, seeing more lenders at the table for those that have good credit scores and not just those who have great credit scores.”

If you are ready to buy a home in Glenview or another of our great North Shore villages, contact The Marla Schneider Team. We have the expertise to help you find your dream home and give you the best knowledge in determining the best type of mortgage loan for you.