Kimberly ( Underwood ) Kostescu

What do you expect from your Real Estate Salesperson?

When you list your home for sale, what do you expect from a Real Estate Salesperson? I know you expect your home to appear on MLS, I know you expect an Open House, but do you expect to be kept up to date on enquiries made to the Salesperson, do you expect to be able to reach your Salesperson when you need him/her?

When you list your home for sale with me, I ensure that:

• your lawn sign is secured and properly maintained
• your home is properly and sufficiently photographed
• your home is advertised in every issue of the Valente Property Guide until it is sold
• you recieve weekly feedback from showings
• your home is advertised in the Windsor Star
• your home is advertised on the Real Estate Cable Channel
• your home is featured on my Home Page with a Virtual Tour
• your home is advertised on www.mls.ca with a Virtual Tour
• I will schedule sufficient Open House tours for prospective buyers
• you will recieve weekly feedback on MLS and my Homepage viewing and enquiry activity
• your home has its own www.address.com
• your home is featured with a TALKING AD
• you have instant contact with me via email, text, cell, and pager
• you have a full explanation of the selling process in order to avoid surprises later
• other Salespersons will have instant contact with me in order to ask questions, arrange viewings and present offers
• I am dedicated to your satisfaction and selling success

If you want to work with a Salesperson who will provide all of the above plus more AND work diligently to ensure a stressfree selling experience you owe it to yourself to call me today. I guarantee I will EARN my commission.

Kimberly Kostescu Real Estate Salesperson Valente Real Estate (1990) Limited Office: 519-966-7777 Cell: 519-819-9617 Email to: sellwithkim@gmail.com On the WEB at: www.kimberlykostescu.com

In today's Windsor Star article, written by Dalton Chen, it is reported that Money Sense magazine considers the City of Windsor the 21st best place to live out of 154 surveyed communities !!! The city was ranked on the weather, air quality, housing, income, unemployment, crime and it's amenities. Windsor's best score was in the time it takes to save up enough money to make a down payment on a house and our terrific weather. Multiple sources including Stats Can, Environment Canada, Canadian Medical Association were used to compile the data which was then used to create the annual list. Ottawa ranked #1 and the small port city of Port Alberni, British Columbia placed last.

Congratulations Windsor !!!

The most important reason why a home owner would sell their house privately is to save the commission. According to NAR (National Association of Realtors), 51% of those who were surveyed did not want to pay a commission fee.

In 2006, it was reported that 12% of sellers chose to sell their house without the assistance of a Realtor. In choosing this option, the home owners also chose to:

• have no access to MLS advertising
• have no access to the additional 100's or 1,000's of local Realtors who will assist in the sale of their house at no additional cost
• try to determine a realistic listing price with no comparables to work with
• try to determine the difference between a qualified buyer and a "looker"
• struggle through the many complicated contracts on their own
• be available 24/7 for questions and showings
• conduct Open Houses in addition to time already alloted for showings
• pay for ALL advertising and brochures, signs etc.
• open their door to total strangers

Is it any wonder that 65% of FSBO's end up in some sort of litigation or legal dispute costing them substantially more than the expected savings of selling on their own? Along with the responsibilities of the home owner's daily obligations as well as that of trying to sell their home, major errors and omissions can easily occur.

After all is said and done, FSBO properties sell for less than if that same property were listed with a Realtor ! Some market experts will suggest that 60% of FSBO properties sell for between 10% and 35% less ! It is widely known that buyers will deduct at least the perceived commission amount from the sellers asking price. Buyers look at FSBO properties with the perception that the seller is desperate. The buyer is expecting a bargain and will not pay more than what they perceive that bargain to be. On the other hand, that same buyer viewing that same house (or any other house for that matter) with a Realtor, is already expecting to pay fair market value ! For these reasons, and of course there are exceptions, a FSBO property sits on the market much longer, resulting in the need to maintain the property longer than expected, further price reductions and even perhaps losing the opportunity to purchase the desired new property.

There were 2673 properties between $100,000 and $200,000 that sold in Windsor from May 2007-May 2008. The average listing price was $151,075 and the average selling price was $144,390. The average number of days on the market was 83. This means that the average home owner, listing with a Realtor, is receiving 96% of their listing price. You don't have to be a mathematician to figure out that the average home owner with a house listed for sale by a Realtor, receiving on average 96% of the listing price, less commission, is still by far receiving MORE dollars in their pocket by the end of the day than the home owner who decides to put their house on the market to sell privately. And the REALTOR is doing ALL of the work ! In the case of a FSBO property, even if you deduct (10% from the asking price) the low end of the 10%-35% scale, don't also forget to deduct all costs, advertising etc., to market your house and of course, your time is worth something !

A properly priced home with a good marketing plan, listed with a Realtor, will sell faster and net more profit for the home owner.

One final bit of information, 7 out of 10 FSBO properties eventually end up being listed by a Realtor, AFTER the home owner has already spent time and money marketing their property !

If you have your house for sale privately now, or even if you don't ! for your free, no obligation Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) and to inquire about my Marketing Plan for your house, call me today.

Kimberly Kostescu
Real Estate Salesperson
Office: 519-966-7777
Cell: 519-819-9617
Email to: sellwithkim@gmail.com
On the WEB at: www.kimberlykostescu.com

Businesses and industries who must report to FINTRAC (Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada) are required, as of June 23, 2008, to "know their clients" and asking for I.D. is one way to do that. The Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA) requires financial institutions and others covered by the legislation to identify customers who conduct financial transactions. The Act also requires them to keep records and identify their clients. Clients are required to provide valid identification such as a birth certificate, a driver's license, or similar type document. There are other requirements that might prompt the business you are dealing with to ask you for more information about the transaction you are conducting. For instance, you may be asked whether or not you are acting on behalf of a third party. By providing this information you will ensure that financial institutions and others can meet their legal obligation, and support the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. Money laundering is the process used to disguise the source of money or assets derived from criminal activity. This illegal activity can include drug trafficking, smuggling, fraud, extortion and corruption.

You can find out more about PCMLTFA, FINTRAC, and the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, by visiting FINTRAC's web site at: http://www.fintrac.gc.ca/ or call toll-free: 1-866-346-8722

Most renters don't stop to think just how much they are losing by not turning their rent dollars into a mortgage payment. They believe that, because in many cases their utilities are included in their rent payment, that they are further ahead than a home owner who must pay these as well as property taxes and home maintenance costs. So let's do some quick calculations and take for example a monthly rent payment of $800. After 10 years you will have paid $96,000 with no return on your money. Real estate may appreciate over time but rental payments do not. If you took the rent payments and applied them towards an investment that after 10 years earned you a conservative 5% return, you would earn $28,225. In my opinion, the true cost of renting during those 10 years then becomes $124,225. With mortgage rates as low as they are and mortgage plans that are as flexible as silly putty, there's really no good reason not to get into the real estate market today...right now !!! I believe the most important concern holding a rentor back from home ownership is that they do not have a down payment. Boy, do I have a solution for you !!! It is the Affordable Home Ownership component of the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program. It is to provide low to moderate-income rental households with down payment assistance loans of five per cent (up to a maximum of $8,000) on the purchase price of a home $160,000 or less. To be eligible to apply, households must:

• Qualify for a mortgage,
• Have a maximum household income of $61,400,
• Be at least 18 years old and currently renting,
• Not own or have an interest in a home,
• Not owe money to a community housing landlord,
• Be legal residents of Canada, and
• Intend to have this home as their sole and principal residence.

The down payment assistance loan is forgivable after 20 years, provided there has been no default under the terms of the loan. If the home is sold before 20 years, or the loan is in default, the principal amount of the loan plus five per cent of the capital gain realized through the sale becomes payable. No matter how you look at it, it's a great investment !!!

I want to encourage all those who rent to take advantage of a program that will assist you in realizing your real estate dreams. They're closer than you think !!!

Call me today for further information and assistance.