Scott Miller

SELLING YOUR HOME CAN BE A DIFFICULT PROPOSITION---THAT IS WHY MOST PEOPLE HIRE
A PROFESSIONAL REALTOR TO HELP THEM ACHIEVE A SMOOTH SALE AND CLOSE.

REMEMBER: there are things you do that
can actually sabotage the sale of your
home. The following are tips that will
prevent the proper marketing of your
home.

OVERPRICING TRICKS
In the home selling marketplace of today, over
half of all home sellers are tempted to price their
home above market. The bad news is that over
pricing a home usually backfires on the homeowner.
In these modern days, most potential buyers have
access to area price information, including statistics
on pending sales that have not yet closed! This
makes it easier than ever for a buyer to pinpoint the
appropriate price for a particular property.

MAKE YOURSELF INVISIBLE
Owners should try at all costs to be gone
during a showing appointment. A seller may
want to show off everything he has done to
the home---but this is a true turn off for most
people. Buyers want to home preview at their
own speed, without distractions. Just as an
example, a seller might say the neighborhood
is quiet with mainly elderly neighbors. The
buyer may want a neighborhood that is chock
full of energy or full of children. Always try to
let the selling Realtor do the sales pitching!

RESTRICTED ACCESS
Some homeowners are apprehensive about
leaving a key and allowing strangers into their home.
This can really have a large negative marketing
impact! For over a decade Realtors have been
using secure lock-boxes to hold the keys along with
registration techniques to insure that only Realtors
can gain key access. Restraining access is sure to
minimize the amount of showings. In today’s market,
it is just too easy for a Realtor or buyer to cross
your home off the shopping list. Make your home
as convenient to a potential purchaser as possible!

IGNORING A REALTORS ADVICE
Your sponge painted bathroom may thrill you, but
the odds are that a home will sell faster and for more
money if it is painted in a neutral color.
A Realtor has years of experienced information at
his or her disposal. Taking this advice to heart will
only aid in the successful marketing of your home. A
seller that presents his house to potential buyers with
a very personal décor is engaging in self-sabotage.
When given advice from a professional, you should
take it!

Scott Miller, Broker Associate

EXIT Realty Achieve

1-888-600-7585

TOP BLUNDERS BUYERS MAKE.

A CAPABLE REALTOR WILL SAVE YOU VALUABLE TIME, MONEY, AND MISTAKES!

Many buyers end up with a home of their dreams,
only to find numerous problems and needed repairs
later. Moving too fast can sometimes complicate a real
estate transaction. Listed below are some common
mistakes and how to avoid them.

PROBLEM 1
Divulging too much information to anyone. Never
admit your love for a particular house, or how much
you are willing to pay for it.

PROBLEM 2
Overpaying. To determine what a house is worth, ask
for a list of comparable homes sold. This will contain
information on similar homes in your area and what
they sold for. Make sure they are recent.

PROBLEM 3
Working directly with a seller, or a seller's agent.
This will assure you of having nobody on your side
looking out for your interests.

PROBLEM 4
Not hiring an inspector. You have the option of making
any offer contingent on a home inspection. Make
sure you accompany the inspector on his tour.

PROBLEM 5
Omitting a contingency for mortgage approval. This
allows you to void the contract if you cannot find
acceptable financing. The terms you desire should be
expressly spelled out.

PROBLEM 6
Not buying owners title insurance. The insurance
lenders require you to purchase, only covers their
interests. A separate policy that protects you may be
purchased, at a reduced rate, at closing.

PROBLEM 7
Letting a seller stay in the house after closing, or a
moving into the house before closing. If you do, one
one of a host of problems can develop such as, the
fact that the sellers then become tenants with all
of a tenant's legal rights.

PROBLEM 8
Not itemizing what conveys. Completing a list of all
items, including personal, which will be included in
the transaction, is simply prudent.

PROBLEM 9
Not selecting a timed deadline on your offer. Without
this, the opposing party can shop for a better
deal, without worrying about loosing your offer.

EXCEPTIONAL REAL ESTATE

Call Scott Miller, Broker Associate

EXIT Realty Achieve

1-888-600-7585
for additional information or newsletters.

Privacy laws and requirements have become a hot topic in recent years, resulting in consumers’ growing awareness of the need to protect their personal information from computer hackers, perpetrators of fraudulent scheme, and other criminals. Most people do not understand that when you apply for a mortgage loan and then receive advertisements and targeted letters touting “special promotions” and “special rates,” it is because their private data has been sold. But it is not the lender that you have to watch out for! Instead, it is the very same organizations that consumers tend to believe are the watchdogs of consumer protection, the credit bureaus. What happens when you make a loan application? First your application is reviewed by one of the lender’s loan officers, who runs a credit report. This credit report informs the credit bureau(s) that you have applied for a mortgage. Your information is then earmarked by lenders who buy targeted lead information from these companies. No matter how hard consumers work to protect their personal information, this is the harsh reality. The credit bureau codes your information and, if a lender or other organization requests a list of leads that have applied for a similar loan product, you will receive their junk mail (and legitimate offers), regardless of whether you are approved for your loan. The technical term for these targeted lists of information is a “trigger list”. A trigger list is sent to the requester with the promise to forward new additions to the list within a specific time period following the credit check. This could be as little as an hour, but it is usually within two business days. You need to watch not only your mailbox, but also your telephone and email inbox. You will receive ads there as well if you provided that contact information in your application. You may receive calls to your home from soliciting lenders, emails from these lenders and even, in rare cases, a home visit. Unfortunately, there is more bad news. Trigger lists do not stop with your name and contact information. Requesters may also receive information from your credit report, such as the details of student loans, credit cards, revolving charge accounts and car loans. They have access to almost unlimited information about you, despite all your efforts to keep such information private. Consumer watchdog groups are trying to limit or eliminate credit bureaus’ ability to release this information to anyone who offers to pay. The National Association of Mortgage Brokers is one group that is disheartened by current practices. It is working to protect the interests of consumers while also maintaining its own wellbeing. What about legitimate lenders who purchase leads from credit bureaus? Most industry experts believe that unless a lender has enough information to make a firm offer of credit, it should not be allowed to contact consumers on the trigger lists. Under fire, the credit bureaus defend the practice and claim that their activities comply with all the regulations imposed on them by consumer-protection programs. Why is the largest consumer of trigger lists the vast collection of internet companies that specialize in producing lead lists for their clients? Again, the argument is raised that if the leads are not going to a company that is prepared to make a genuine and firm offer of credit, the consumer should never be contacted. Fortunately, consumers have a way out of this situation. Your personal information can be excluded from these trigger lists. A simple call, letter, or email to the credit bureaus will place a note on your record that your information may not be released to any third party without your explicit permission. Hopefully this information has been enlightening and you will never become a victim of a scam related to trigger advertising. You have a choice. By opting out of pre-screened advertising and trigger lists, you can secure your personal information and protect your privacy.

Scott Miller | Exit Realty Achieve | 956 West Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown, New York 11787 Phone: (516) 527-6186

DIY: Insulate Your Attic

Adding a new or replacement layer of insulation to your home’s attic can reduce your winter heating costs by as much as 20%. Studies have shown that typical attic insulation is about three inches thick. When efficiency is a top priority, experts recommend quadrupling that thickness to twelve inches.

What You Need to Insulate Your Home

Equipment

• Protective clothing and gear, including face masks, safety glasses and gloves
• A stepladder, although in some cases a larger or smaller ladder may be required
• Plywood, particularly if your attic does not have a solid floor
• A staple gun and PLENTY of staples!
• A utility knife

Time

• Plan to work on this project for one weekend or more, depending on the size and condition of your attic. Factor in the time needed to clean out your attic or move things around as necessary.

Cost

• Insulation is relatively inexpensive. Most home attics can be insulated for a few hundred dollars.

Project Difficulty

Easy to moderate – Installing insulation is not difficult, but be prepared for lots of moving and lifting, working in close quarters for hours at a time.

Preparation

As with any home-improvement project, proper preparation is the key to success. Do not cut corners with attic insulation.

• Read the insulation manufacturer’s installation instructions. The manufacturer knows the best way to install the product while maximizing the insulation quality of the material.
• Move materials into the attic in their original packaging. For example, if you have purchased rolled insulation, never open the cellophane covering until the material is safely in the attic. The roll has been compressed for wrapping. In addition, you don’t want to breathe in fiberglass particles while moving the material through your home unprotected.
• Wear protective clothing at all times. Long sleeves and a face mask are extremely important.
• Be familiar with your attic. Low ceilings with exposed beams, sparse flooring with exposed joists, and areas with no flooring at all can be dangerous. Forgetting where floor joists are can result in serious injuries, first when you come through the ceiling and second when you recover from the fall. Be careful at all times.
• Put plywood sheets on the floor to cover the area between joists. This will help you avoid the dangerous situation described above.

Getting Started

1. Locate every window or vent in the attic space. Ventilation is critical for property attic insulation, because the intention is to keep heat down below in the living area. To avoid potential roof damage, keep your attic as well ventilated as possible. Replace any vents that are in bad repair to keep nature’s creatures out of your home.
2. Install a vapor barrier. If you have purchased rolled insulation with a lining, this step is less important, because that lining serves as a vapor barrier. If your insulation does not have a lining, install a layer of vapor-barrier material or 4- or 6-millimeter polyethylene sheeting. This will deter moisture and prevent damage to the insulation.
3. Locate outlets, light fixtures and switches on the walls. Insulation is flammable. Therefore, always ensure that there is a safe distance between the electrical fixture and your insulation.
4. Install the insulation. If you are using rolled insulation, install several layers to obtain a twelve-inch thickness. Install the first layer, stapling it in place between the rafters. Additional layers should be placed perpendicular to one another in order to increase the R-value of the insulation.
   
   If you are using loose insulation instead, maintain uniform thickness of about twelve inches in all areas.
   
   Failing to carefully install the material with the right thickness will result in less efficient attic insulation.

Cleaning Up

Congratulations on completing the steps necessary to insulate your home! Once the installation is complete, remove all the scraps of insulation from your attic. Place them in bag that can be sealed before leaving the attic. This is very important for protecting your family’s health.

With the right tools, material and know-how, insulating a home is a straightforward process. Just be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and always wear protective gear.

Scott Miller, Licensed Broker Associate

Exit Realty achieve

1-888-600-7585

www.scottmiller.ws